Before I could even respond, a whisper emerged from the back of my head. A tiny, ephemeral spell, designed to let him move but prohibit him from taking any action against us. I whispered it quickly, afraid I’d forget the words as fast as they came to me. It had happened before during combat, which was why I’d had to rely on my natural witch abilities and my sword to fight our enemies.
As soon as I uttered the last line of the spell, a third pulse shot out from my hand. It hit Toris in the stomach, allowing him to move freely. He gave me a brief, thankful nod, then turned around and headed deeper into the palm forest.
We all followed. Hunter kept one hand on his sword handle, walking closely behind Toris, ready to intervene, in case the Faulty decided to try something against us. I knew it wasn’t necessary, since he’d been bound by magic, but I figured it was better if Toris saw that we weren’t going to put our guard down and rely solely on a control spell. I wanted him to be afraid, to know that one wrong move could remove his head from his body with lightning speed.
My stomach churned as we moved forward. There was a thread of relief going through me at the thought that Amane wouldn’t have taken Ridan if he were dead. However, without knowing what her intentions were, it didn’t mean Ridan was out of harm’s way.
Ridan
I had the weirdest dream of drowning, then being pulled out of the water by a strange creature with blazing orange eyes and white hair.
As soon as I opened my eyes, however, I knew it wasn’t just a dream.
I’d simply been replaying my near-death experience through my subconscious processes. I’d fallen into the water, miles from where Araquiel had struck me. I’d had to shift out of my dragon form, yet I’d still almost drowned in an attempt to get back to the surface.
She’d saved me… whoever she was.
I looked around and immediately recognized my surroundings. I’d woken up here before, though I wasn’t sure when. I had no notion of time.
She sat by the fire, wearing her cloak made of palm leaves and her coconut-like mask. It was nighttime, and I could hear insects chirping nearby, in a tranquil and rhythmic symphony. We were deep in a palm tree forest. The crowns were so thick overhead that the bluish moon barely managed to slip its rays through, in thin lines that cast an azure glow on everything they touched.
I was still tied to a tree, in an upright position. My wounds didn’t hurt as much, though. From what I could tell, I was healing faster than usual. I had a feeling that whatever she’d used to wrap me with had a speeding effect on my recovery. Araquiel had torn me up pretty badly. That bastard! I can’t wait to rip his spine out.
“Thank you for saving me,” I managed, then cleared my throat. It was parched, as if riddled with cactus pins. “Can I have some water, please?”
I figured I might as well try the civil approach this time, since she’d knocked me out during my previous attempt to free myself. I didn’t want to lose another handful of hours by getting conked on the head. She looked up at me, then brought over a hard shell filled with fresh water.
I watched her come toward me, noticing the soft sway in her hips and her long legs. They were beautifully sculpted, with tanned skin stretching over the toned muscles. She’d had her fair share of athletic training—I could tell.
She put the shell against my lips and slowly tilted it. I opened my mouth and welcomed the water. The cool liquid poured down my rough throat and instantly invigorated me. I felt like a dry field in the middle of a summer rain, welcoming the hydration and practically blooming on the inside. I could see, hear, and smell better already.
As soon as she moved back, I gave her a smile.
“Thanks. Getting my strength back already,” I said.
She didn’t reply, but she also didn’t walk away. She just watched me, and I felt like an ant under a magnifying glass, about to get burned by a concentrated ray of sunshine.
“You do realize I can free myself, right?” I added, raising an eyebrow.
I wanted to see how she’d react this time, without me actually trying to tear the ropes off.
“You so much as move a muscle, and I will slit your throat,” she replied.
Her voice left me bewildered. It was soft, yet just a little raspy—enough to make my spine tingle, and not in a bad way. It felt weird, mainly because she was a Faulty. Technically speaking, she was an enemy. But she’d also saved my life, so her status to me, in particular, was in a big fat limbo.
“Ah. So, you can talk,” I said.
“I just choose not to.”
“Why would you slit my throat if I tried to free myself?” I asked. “I mean you no harm.”
“That’s for me to decide,” she answered.
“Then what? You’ll take me to Ta’Zan? Is that it?”
She scoffed, then took her mask off. My heart stopped. Hers was a wild kind of beauty. It stirred me to my core. It scared me, and it exhilarated me at the same time. I wasn’t supposed to feel attracted to her, but it was downright impossible to ignore the magnetic pull that I felt as I lost myself in her orange eyes.
“You’re of no use to me alive,” she replied.
“I thought Ta’Zan preferred his specimens alive.”
“You’re assuming I intend to take you to Ta’Zan.”
“So… you don’t?” I asked, somewhat confused.
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with you yet,” she replied, crossing her arms. I couldn’t take my eyes off her oval face, her full lips and soft cheekbones. She was like a moving work of art, her tanned skin contrasting beautifully with her orange eyes and pure white hair. I’d never seen anyone like her before. Perhaps it was the novelty that had taken my breath away. “All I know is that if you disobey me, I’m well within my rights to kill you.”
“I told you, I mean you no harm,” I groaned.
“That’s what you say,” she replied.
A couple of seconds passed in awkward silence. I narrowed my eyes at her. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, tied up to this tree, but I decided to put up with it for a little while longer. All I had to do was let my fire breath loose and obliterate my restraints, before she could even reach me. My reflexes were much sharper than the first time I’d woken up in her presence.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
She walked back to her campfire and settled on a round rock, turning a small animal she’d most likely hunted earlier, so it could roast evenly over the flames.
“I’m Ridan,” I said, since she seemed reluctant to speak again.
“Amane,” she murmured.
“Amane,” I repeated, nodding slowly. “Mind if I ask what we’re doing here?”
Her eyes found mine, and my heart flipped again. What a treacherous little organ!
“I told you, I haven’t decided yet.” She sighed. “The sensible thing would be to send you packing to Ta’Zan, but… knowing what your life would be like once he gets you… Well, frankly, you might be better off dead, in the end. So, I might kill you.”
A chill ran down my spine. She seemed perfectly capable of doing that, judging by her smooth movements and her fierce stare. I didn’t scare her—though I doubted she’d seen me at my best. After all, I’d flopped into the ocean like a limp jellyfish by the time she’d spotted me. Why did I have such an urge to show her my true form? Was I looking to intimidate or impress her?
Snap out of it. She might want to kill you.
“There’s no in between, then, where you just let me walk away?” I asked.
“What’s the point?” she replied, raising an eyebrow. “There’s no escaping Ta’Zan and his Perfects, no matter how hard you try to resist.”
The nihilism didn’t sit well with me. “You underestimate me, Amane.”
“Do I, really?” she retorted, then chuckled softly. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. “I’ve seen you fight. I’ve seen your people fight, too. I’ll give you credit for holding your ground longer than most of my kind, but still, it’s not e
nough. Ta’Zan and the Perfects will catch you all. I, for one, don’t want to get between Ta’Zan and his prey.”
I smirked. “You call him Ta’Zan. You don’t call him ‘Father,’ like the other Faulties we’ve come across,” I said.
She shook her head, then took the animal off the fire and carefully tore the roasted meat off its bones, slipping generous pieces between her lips and chewing patiently. She didn’t seem too crazy about her food, but I figured it was the best she could get out here in the wild. She’d also gathered some fruits by her stone—probably dessert. It told me a little bit more about the Faulties and their nutritional needs. They were, in many ways, it seemed, like us.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t see the blood-drinking coming,” Amane said, slightly amused. “Neither did Oriphiel and the others. That was fun to watch.”
“Whoa. You were there? In the colosseum?” I croaked, utterly shocked.
“You wouldn’t have seen me. No one did,” she replied. “I’m very good at keeping a low profile.”
“That means you saw what Araquiel did to me, and you chose to come rescue me?”
She gave me a brief glance, then nodded and moved on to the fruit. “Mm-hm. I wanted to see what you were,” she said. “Frankly, I didn’t catch the whole conversation. I only spotted you and your people in the arena. I saw you turn into a massive beast, then I watched Araquiel beat you into a bleeding mess,” she added, then chuckled again.
Part of me boiled, eager to go full dragon and show her my might. But the rest of my consciousness was focused on that soft laughter and the effect it had on my senses. What the hell is happening to me?
Upon second thought, I realized she would’ve already killed me if she wanted to. She didn’t. She kept threatening me, but it was most likely so she could assert herself as the dominant creature in this unexpected dynamic. I decided to play along, in order to get more information while she was willing to speak.
“Why did you save me, Amane?” I asked, my voice low. “You could’ve left me there to drown.”
“You ask too many questions.”
“I think I deserve some answers, wouldn’t you say?” I replied, looking down at my restraints, then back at her.
“I’m curious.”
“About what, exactly?”
“About you and your friends. What are you, Ridan? What are your friends—specifically those who drank Perfect blood and increased their speed and strength as a result?” A muscle was ticking in her jaw.
I let out a long and tortured sigh. “I’m a dragon. The blood-drinkers are vampires,” I said.
“Ah. That’s interesting,” she murmured, her gaze darting around as she processed the information. “It was impressive to watch the vampires in action, but I still don’t think you have what it takes to put up a fight against the Perfects.”
“You don’t seem surprised to see us here,” I breathed, the wheels turning in my head as I started putting some of the puzzle pieces together. There was a lot still missing, but something told me Amane could fill in the gaps, if she was willing to talk.
“Of course not. I figured it was only a matter of time before you people came looking for Derek and the others in his group.”
My stomach dropped. This was the first clear mention of Derek since we’d met the Faulties and the Perfects. My suspicions about Amane were starting to sound more and more like perfectly sound snippets of reality.
“You know Derek? Sofia? Aiden, Kailyn, and the others?” I managed, my voice barely audible. She nodded. “Are they okay? Are they alive? Are they hurt? You have to tell me.”
“They’re fine. Ta’Zan needs them alive for now, don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry? They’re being held prisoner while your creator uses their genes to create his murderous Perfects!” I replied, anger bubbling up to the surface and heating me up from the inside.
“I have no control over Ta’Zan’s actions,” Amane said, equally frustrated. “I never asked for any of this. I never wanted this for myself or anyone else! I’m just doing what I can with what I’ve got left, that’s all!”
“And what’s that, exactly?” I asked.
She was close to letting something slip. I could almost feel it.
A branch broke somewhere behind my tree. She froze, her gaze fixed on the source of the noise. I heard footsteps. My pulse quickened as I took a deep breath, hoping to catch a familiar scent. I did—jasmine, lavender, sea salt, and musk, a combination of fragrances coming from the people I’d been hoping to see again very soon.
Rose was the first to step out from the woods and into my line of sight.
Amane was stunned.
Elonora, Nevis, Kailani, Vesta, Zeriel, Dmitri, Ben and Hunter joined her, accompanied by what looked like a horned Faulty, somewhat similar to the ones we’d first fought in the jungles outside the diamond colosseum—though much bigger in size. He didn’t look happy to be here, but, knowing my crew, he probably didn’t have much of a choice.
Rose smiled when she saw me.
“Ridan. Good to see you’re alive and well,” she said, then looked at Amane. “I take it this is Amane?”
Silence fell, and Amane took a couple of steps back. Judging by the shocked look on her face, she hadn’t seen this coming. She hadn’t even heard my crew approach until it was too late. She stared at me for a brief second, and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before she either fled or retaliated.
I also knew that we needed her alive and with us. Amane had crucial information that could get us closer to finding and saving our people.
Damned if I’m letting you slip away.
Jovi
My eyes popped open.
I instinctively squinted as I was met by a white light.
As soon as my vision adjusted, my consciousness caught up with me. My memories came back with a vengeance, crashing into me like a bucket of ice water. The fleet… The ships we’d been leading toward Strava’s surface… The flashing lights and the ensuing destruction…
My heart ached as I remembered everything, from the moment we realized that we were being attacked by those strange creatures, until the moment I was pulled out of the escape pod and wheeled into what looked like a hospital.
I remembered shouting Anjani’s name out, loud and clear, then being told to stop squirming, or the bleeding would get worse. The faces of my captors were clear, permanently etched into my retinas—beautiful but strange creatures. Those caring for me were hybrids of some sort, with patches of animal fur or scales covering portions of their bodies. Those who had destroyed our fleet were… What did they look like? I couldn’t say for sure. I’d only caught glimpses of their humanoid silhouettes between explosions.
“Anjani,” I croaked, feeling my throat dry.
I wanted to move, but all my muscles hurt. My joints felt stiff. I hadn’t experienced anything like this since our battle against Azazel and his Destroyers. I’d gotten my ass handed to me this time, and I didn’t even have a split second to react. Whatever those creatures were, their speed and strength were incredible, well beyond every other lifeform I’d seen.
I tried to bring a hand up to my face, but I couldn’t. I heard a metallic jingle, then looked down. I’d been cuffed to the bed. Next to me, in a separate bed and also cuffed, was Anjani. A wave of relief washed over me when I saw her chest move slowly with each breath that she took. My love was alive.
“Anjani,” I whispered, hoping I’d wake her up without making too much noise. “Baby, wake up! Can you hear me?”
I couldn’t afford to grieve, though I knew we’d lost a substantial number of fighters in the attack. I was too worried thinking about the many who had survived. I wondered if they’d taken down the third ship, too. Harper had kept it back. In hindsight, that might’ve been a smart move, if they weren’t pulled into the fight. But Jax and Hansa… they were manning the second ship. Heath… Varga, Elonora’s brother… Wren, Malia, and Beloren, Hansa’s succubi lieutenants… Many others w
hose whereabouts I knew nothing of…
There was no time to cry. This wasn’t the place.
My training kicked into action, forcing me to quickly assess my environment. Yes, I was cuffed to a bed, but I was still in a medical ward. The walls were white, and so were the marble floors. Everything was clean and sterilized, and I could smell the disinfectant liquids they used—somewhat similar to what I’d found in hospitals back on Earth. But there was another scent that caught my attention. A mixture of ammonia and lemon. Sharp but not over the top.
There were IV bags connected to our forearms with long thin needles. I could feel them under my skin. They’d taped some kind of sensors to my forehead, linked to a monitor, but I couldn’t make anything out from its display, except for one moving line—my pulse. I knew nothing of the symbols or the language used. Close to my bed was a metal table covered with a variety of medical instruments, bandages, and all kinds of multicolored liquids. I figured those were used to patch us up.
I was sore all over, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before I’d passed out. I’d definitely been injured during my attempt to escape in one of the shuttles with Anjani, but I couldn’t assess the damage properly. Maybe I was already healing, or maybe I’d been pumped full of tranquilizers, leaving me with this dull, full-body pain.
Anjani finally opened her eyes, blinking several times and exhaling. Her silvery glow was pale, almost gone. She’d lost a lot of blood.
“Honey, I’m here,” I said to her.
She turned her head and stilled, her emerald-gold eyes wide as they found me.
“Jovi,” she breathed, her lips dry and crusty.
“Thank the stars that you’re okay,” I replied, dangerously close to tearing up at the sight of her, fully conscious. “How are you feeling?”
She thought about it for a second, then frowned. “Okay, I think. Where are we?”
“Enemy territory,” I said. “Their medical ward or something. What do you remember?”
Tears glazed her eyes. Deep down, I already knew that she remembered everything. It was written all over her face. The grief, the shock, the anger… all there, blazing hot as they did inside me. I would’ve given anything just to hold her, but I couldn’t. Not yet, anyway.