by Kelly Hall
The three submerged, and then suddenly, the water churned vigorously.
“What’s happening?”
“Healing,” said Ignis. “The creatures of the water are instinctively their family. They’ve all come to greet them.”
Just below the surface, Aziel saw something move, the tail of a large fish. A long tail with fins that came up out of the water, black and scaly, like some kind of ancient serpent. “What is that?”
“I’m pretty sure that was my girlfriend,” said Ignis, craning his neck for a better look. “Or her sister. It’s hard to tell, but don’t tell her I said that.”
Aziel heard a roar of flames in the distance and then looked up above the trees to see smoke. “Rebekah must be on her way. I’ll head down the branch and get her.” He needed to be away from the weirdness for a minute.
He ran back through the woods, following the dry branch until he met up with Rebekah, who was looking down at the ground. “Over here,” he said.
“Hey, did you find water? It looks like the creek is dried up.”
“It is. But we followed it. It’s just a couple of minutes that way.” He gestured behind him. “The naiads are in the water. They are really something, aren’t they?”
“Strange question coming from an angel, don’t you think?” Rebekah gave him a teasing look and then followed him back through the natural trail.
“Fair enough, but I wasn’t expecting naiads to be so vicious.”
“They can be. They can also be very sweet, but as you see, they value their family above everything. You’d have to go to Esper to find others, and then you’d have a hard time. Not only are they an endangered species because they were hunted to near extinction, but because of that, they’ve learned to blend in well, and you’d only see them and live if they trust you not to talk.”
“Do they eat people?”
Rebekah hopped over a puddle of water, knowing they were getting closer. “Not as part of a healthy diet, but they could. They are actually vegetarians, preferably.”
“Good to know. So, I don’t have to worry about pissing one of them off and her turning me into a snack?”
“No.” She laughed as they walked out into the clearing near the bank of the creek to see Ignis standing there, looking into the water.
As they approached, Talia came up from the water, her bare, lustrous breasts glistening in the sunlight. She reached into the water and pulled up Tori, whose blue hue was a bit paler. She was still injured but had much more energy and strength. Her wounds were packed with plant matter and dirt, which created a dressing that would do their job until she got home.
Tula surfaced like a pink goddess, long strands of plant life clinging to her arms. “Could you hand me my garments?” she asked Aziel.
“Of course.” He picked up her things and passed them over.
Ignis gathered Talia’s clothes and looked over at her sister. “How are you, Tori?” She looked like she’d been run over by a bus but gave a weary smile.
“I’ll live.” Her voice was weak. “I just need to get home. I can’t heal on land. The packing should keep my wounds moist.” She pulled on her clothes with Talia lending a hand.
“I’ll carry you out if you like,” Aziel offered.
Tula stepped up to his side, her breasts still bare and her nipples were so pink they were distracting. “Would you? You’re so very kind to help my sister.” She pulled her top on and smiled up at the angel.
“It’s my pleasure.” Aziel said, trying very hard not to look at her tits. He failed.
“Indeed, it will be.” Tula locked her arm with his and flickered her forked tongue at him, then drew it slowly across her top lip.
Aziel imagined what she could do with a tongue like that and wondered if he should be brave enough to find out.
They slowly made their way out of the woods and then back to the rest stop where they piled into the car. Ignis put the pedal down and hauled ass back to the bayou, hoping no one would stop them on the way.
Chapter 21
As soon as they arrived at the bayou, or at least as far as Ignis could take them, which was only a few feet from the water and five minutes from their home, Talia jumped out of the minivan and hurried to open the sliding door to get to Tori. “How does it look?”
“Still wet,” she said. “I’ll be okay. No need to hurry.”
“I’ll help you,” Talia said. “Ignis, I’m going ahead.”
“Go ahead. We’ll catch up.”
“We’re going in there?” asked Aziel, looking at the water.
Rebekah climbed out of the van. “Yeah. We’ll be okay.” She walked over and patted Aziel on the back. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?”
“Not at all. I’ve just never been in the bayou before. Not sure what to expect.”
“Expect everything,” said Ignis, who had been listening.
Rebekah patted him on the shoulder. “You’re going to have to learn how to trust me, angel.” They exchanged a smile and headed after the others, walking along the bank and then into the water.
Aziel chuckled. “I do.”
Rebekah could see Gus just below the surface where the drop-off would have had them in over their heads with one step. She reached for Aziel’s hand. “Now would be one of those times.”
Aziel took her hand and let her lead him onto the platform, which suddenly moved with him and Ignis. “Is this an old ferry or something?”
“Or something,” said Ignis.
Aziel didn’t know what he meant, but he was certain that was okay with him. He was probably better off not knowing, and he did trust Rebekah more than she knew.
Finally, they rounded a bend, and there in the distance was the wreckage of an old paddlewheel boat. “Let me guess,” said the angel. “Home sweet home?”
“Yes. You’ll be comfortable.” Rebekah gripped the railing and pulled herself up into the boat’s first level.
Aziel and Ignis followed, and Tula came out to welcome everyone. “Talia is still with Tori,” she said. “She’s giving her something for the pain.”
“Will she be okay?”
Tula smiled at Aziel for his concern. “Yes, and thank you again for your help. You are so kind, it makes me feel light in my head.”
Aziel turned to Rebekah and Ignis, who both tried hard to hold back smiles. “Think nothing of it.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Are you staying a while?” Tula asked, turning her head to address Ignis.
“Probably for a few hours. Just until we’re sure that Tori is okay and figure out our next move.”
Tula smiled. “Would you like for me to show you around?”
Ignis turned and gave her a sideward look. Despite her usual pink tone, she had a hint of blush in her cheeks, and Ignis was quite sure she thought more of the angel than she did most other men, including her lovers.
Aziel hesitated and looked to Ignis and Rebekah for approval. When neither seemed to warn him against it, he nodded. “Okay. Sure.” He took her hand, and the two headed toward the stairs.
“I think she’s got a true crush on the angel,” said Rebekah.
“I know she does. And nothing good can come out of it. Remind me to talk to him later, make sure that he’s not leading Tula on. She’s a fragile creature, though she likes others to think that nothing bothers her.”
Rebekah would give him the benefit of the doubt, and before she could say so, Talia walked out to join them. “Let’s go inside, shall we?” She led them both to the next level, and instead of going any higher to the roof where Tula and Aziel were, she led them to the old dining room.
Rebekah and Ignis followed, and he took a seat on the built-in window seat only to pull her down into his lap for a kiss.
When he pulled away, he looked deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry about Tori. I hope she gets better.”
“She will, but you have nothing to be sorry for. We all let our emotions cloud our judgement back there. Those men told us one thing that
was valuable; that Tia is most likely still alive since they saw her just a couple of days ago.”
“I wish I could stay and help you look for her.” Ignis felt bad that he couldn’t stay, but he had to go and help Rebekah with Kayne. He saw the unspoken understanding in Talia’s eyes.
“Rebekah needs you.”
“I know,” he said, hating that she couldn’t come with him, but that was her life. She had to be near her family, and there was always work to do for him.
“Let’s not make this goodbye painful. Let’s use this time to decide your next course of action. That way, at least I’ll have an idea of what you’re getting into.” She planted a soft kiss on his lips.
Talia turned her attention toRebekah. “Take care of him for me. I know this next mission is going to be a tricky one, and if you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask me.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, but yes, this one won’t be as easy.” Rebekah stared out the busted window across the room to the vines which had come in and wrapped themselves around the bench rails and crept across the floor.
Talia laughed. “You don’t think I’d be of use, do you?”
Rebekah didn’t like to get into disagreements with Talia. Not because she was a dangerous creature, but because she was Ignis’s girlfriend, and she’d known her for too many centuries to have problems now. “I have to capture Kayne. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, say, or how I’m going to go about it. It’s all up in the air, so if you have any suggestions, hey, I’m open to them.”
Talia let out a long breath as if her next words had been weighing heavily on her mind. “You know the effects my blood has on his kind, do you not?”
Rebekah shrugged. “I know it’s sweet and tastes like candy.”
“To his kind, I am more than just a tasty treat, Rebekah. I’m like a drug, intoxicating and euphoric. Wouldn’t you think that Kayne knows that better than anyone?”
“We’re not bringing your blood into this fight,” said Ignis, giving his love a hard look. He met her eyes, but Talia seemed determined.
Rebekah wasn’t sure what was going on between the two of them, but surely, the looks they exchanged meant something. “Are you suggesting that I drug him with your blood?”
“Yes. Why not? We already know it’s tempting to his kind. You could use it to lure him in if you need to, or do you plan on reaching out the old-fashioned way?”
Ignis hated being between the two women he loved, and while Talia meant well, she didn’t understand everything, and neither did Rebekah. Only he had the whole picture. “There are things you don’t know, Tal.” He gave her a comforting pat, but she turned and narrowed her eyes.
“That could go for the both of us, could it not?”
“Careful, love,” he whispered.
Rebekah wasn’t sure if they were about to start fighting or not, but she figured not fanning the flames was the best idea. She had to go on with Ignis, while Talia got to stay behind with her sisters where his mood wouldn’t affect her. “It’s just, I know how to get in touch with him.” Rebekah wasn’t about to admit how.
Talia’s eyes lit with surprise. “You make it sound as if you’re calling him up on the telephone, Rebekah. Are you that well acquainted?”
“It might be as easy as that for me,” she said with a shrug. “He has mysterious ways about him.” She tried not to smile thinking about them.
Talia laughed. “Indeed, I’m sure it is easy for you. And what do you plan on telling the vampire once you reach out? Oh, by the way, I need you to come with me.”
She saw Talia’s point. She couldn’t expect to call him up and tell him he had to go with her, but it wasn’t like the task was possible anyway. “They’ve sent me on a fool’s errand. I could no more trap him than kill him.”
“Kayne cannot be trapped,” said Ignis. “What is she supposed to do with him once she has him? Even if she were to bring him in to the Church, he’d just slaughter them all and leave.”
Talia nodded. “Problem solved.”
Ignis chuckled but shook his head. “Your taste of blood today has gone to your head. Rebekah cannot have a ‘kill them all’ attitude when it comes to the Elders and the Church. She is also fighting for the respect of her men, trying to keep her numbers strong.”
“Didn’t you say you can just create a new army?”
Rebekah wondered just how much Ignis had told her during their pillow talk. “It’s not that easy. Training takes time, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the centuries, it’s quality over quantity. Losing my strong men to create an army of weaker ones with no experience just doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s why you need to strike a bargain,” said Talia.
“Strike a bargain? With Kayne?” Rebekah laughed. “In case you’ve forgotten who we’re talking about, it’s Kayne, as in total hard ass who would rather eat me than make a bargain with me.”
Talia didn’t like her attitude. She leaned forward, looking down her nose at Rebekah with a venomous tone. “Oh, I know who we’re talking about. And I know what he means to you too. You’re in love with him.”
“Talia!” Ignis gave her a nudge.
The words took Rebekah by surprise. It was bad enough that Aziel had figured it out, but for Talia to know too? Rebekah felt shame burning in her chest. What would Ignis think? “Why would you say that? Better yet, don’t say that.”
Talia gave her a sideward look and then nudged Ignis right back. “Despite the fact that I’m from Esper, I have been on this earth a hell of a lot longer than you. I know that look in your eyes. The one you think no one else can read. You love him, and more than that, Kayne loves you too.”
Ignis knew he better stop the conversation before the two were at each other’s throats. “Hey, babe. I think it’s time we stop all this chatter and—”
Rebekah belted a laugh then talked right over him. “Come on. That’s totally ridiculous. He’s infatuated with me, but love? No, he’s not in love with me.” The very idea that he might truly mean what he said made her heart ache. If only it mattered. “It’s not like we can ever be together anyway, so the whole idea is moot.”
“Why?” asked Talia. “Because you are both so different? You’re from the same world. You’ve both been in it a long time. You have things in common, share a past?” She and Ignis were in the same boat.
Ignis sank back. He wasn’t going to be able to squash the conversation, and he knew it.
Rebekah shook her head. It wasn’t the same. “We’re enemies and nothing more.”
“I beg to differ. While it’s true your kind and his are enemies, the two of you are not. You’re familiar. I know how long you have known him, Rebekah. Whether it be as enemy or secret lover.”
Rebekah’s mouth popped open. “I’ve never been with him!”
“Not once in all these years?” She gave her a sideward look.
“Of course not,” she snapped. “I’d think you know me better, Talia.”
“Not for his lack of persistence, I’m sure,” mumbled Ignis. He had always been careful to play oblivious to certain things where Rebekah was concerned, and there was so much of his and Talia’s past when it came to Kayne that could damage his relationship with Rebekah that he tried to steer clear of ever having to face the two of them together. Talia and Rebekah going back and forth was enough drama.
“Well, on that account, you’d be correct. He does like to make his innuendos, but I’m not weak enough to let him make me swoon.” Okay, there had been an occasion, maybe once or twice in a moment of weakness, but Rebekah had managed to keep her control.
Talia smiled, showing off her pointed teeth. “Has he tried to kiss you?”
“Okay, let’s not go there.” Ignis got up and started to pace the room. The thought of Kayne’s mouth on hers made his stomach turn. Pure evil molesting that angel?
She thought of all the things he’d tried and done. Kissing, biting, tackling her to the ground so she could feel his hard cock pr
essed against her.
She fanned herself.
Talia laughed. “He must have it bad.”
Ignis gave his girl a pointed look. “Talia.”
Rebekah rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that. He just likes to annoy me when he’s around, and since he knows he can’t have me, he lays it on thick. It’s an act, designed to make me look weak. It’s only a game to him.”
Talia shook her head. She knew Ignis wasn’t happy with her, but he needed to face the truth as much as Rebekah did. “I don’t think so, Rebekah. I think you know it too. That’s why you’re in trouble now. I heard you dressed up for him and tried to seduce him. He probably took that the wrong way.”
“Ignis told you that?” She turned her eyes to him and felt the sting of betrayal for a moment, but then realized that Ignis wouldn’t have told Talia anything about her in a malicious way.
“I did not,” said Ignis. “She’s filling in the blanks.”
“How do you know so much about Kayne anyway?” She knew that Talia was just playing guessing games.
Talia smiled, and while she wanted to have fun getting Rebekah to admit her love for Kayne, she had to tread lightly. By the look of him, Ignis was near meltdown phase, and she knew that telling Rebekah too much was only going to make their goodbye an angry one. “Look, Rebekah, all I’m trying to say is, you and he share something. Make an agreement with him. It’s not like anyone can hold him anyway. So what if he gets captured? He can just get away. But you’d have held up your end of the bargain.”
Rebekah wasn’t stupid enough to think it would be that easy. “A deal with the Devil? You realize that’s what it would be.”
“I think if he does love you, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you.” She smiled at Ignis. “Even turn himself in for you.”
Ignis gave her a sweet smile in return too. It was nice that she liked to think that even at the very heart of evil, there was light when love was involved, but he knew Kayne’s darkness was uglier than anything she could imagine. He knew that darkness better than anyone and why Rebekah was better off not trying to make a bargain with Kayne. “It’s not that it’s a terrible plan, darling, but it’s what he’d want in return that I’m afraid of.”
