A Ride of Peril(66)

"Fine. She may come with us," he reluctantly agreed. "But absolute secrecy must be maintained. No one can ever know where the Druid lives."

Tamara nodded, a satisfied smile slitting her face.

"That's perfectly understandable, Bijarki. Please rest assured that we do not kiss and tell," she replied, then clapped her hands twice, addressing the Lamias. "We leave at dawn. Please have everything ready!"

A few servants shuffled around our table, disappearing into the nearby massive purple trees. I figured they were packing bags for Tamara and Eva. I nudged Bijarki, unable to smooth the frown on my face.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked.

"It's not like we have much of a choice." He shrugged. "We need their support. If she wants to take her daughter sightseeing, it's fine, as long as we get our alliance."

I sighed and gulped down my water. My throat felt dry. There were plenty of risks to trusting a Lamia with our safe location but none spelled doom better than the prospect of their species refusing to help against Azazel. With the Red Tribe nearly extinct and only a handful of Dearghs to support us, it felt like we had no chance of defeating the monster.



Later that evening, we were escorted to one of the purple trees a few yards away from the town square where we'd been greeted upon arrival. It was a beautiful giant with violet lanterns hanging from its branches. The interior seemed spacious, carved in two separate levels connected by a set of narrow stairs and lit with dozens of small candles. Fine organza was hung across the walls, ruffled at the top and flowing down in wide creases.

Tamara walked in first, and we followed. Two beds had been prepared on the ground floor, along with pitchers of water and a bowl of fruits. She waved around with a smile.


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"You fellows will sleep down here. I've made sure that no one disturbs you throughout the night. The succubus can sleep upstairs," she said, looking at Anjani. "We've left a few things for your consideration. Hopefully you will like them. Like I said, we do not make a habit of carelessly killing and eating your kind. Not anymore."

Anjani's eyebrows were raised in genuine surprise. She blinked fast as she processed the Lamia's gesture of goodwill-a historically improbable event.

She left us there, waving at us without bothering to look over her shoulder.

"I shall see you three in the morning. Get plenty of sleep. The air is heavy with dark omens," she said and disappeared into the night.

Bijarki was the first to fall asleep. I'd wanted to ask him a few questions about the Lamias, but by the time I put my head down and relaxed, I could hear him snoring. Anjani had already vanished upstairs. I couldn't help wondering whether she'd drifted off as well.

Several thuds from above made me sit up. I looked over to see Bijarki still sleeping, his chest moving slowly, his breathing steady. I got out of bed and climbed the stairs, quietly looking around.

I reached the top floor and found Anjani standing in the middle of the room. A mirror leaned against the tree wall in front of her. She wore a long black dress with a deep V-neck that took my breath away. The smooth fabric poured down her body, outlining her curves beautifully. Her black hair flowed carelessly down her bare back. She saw me and stilled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her skin glowing.

My heart twisted. Heat expanded through my body and filled my muscles. I felt my cheeks burning, and my throat dried up.

"Sorry. I heard noises. I wanted to make sure you were okay," I replied sheepishly.

Neither of us said anything for a while. My eyes wandered down her body to a pile of colorful silk dresses on the floor next to her feet.

"I take it they left those for you?" I asked, clearing my throat.

She nodded. Her wide, emerald-gold eyes darted from the dresses to me and back.

"Their way of making amends for eating succubi?"

"Pretty much," she replied. "Not that they can fix anything with silk garments."

I shook my head. "I didn't think so," I said.

"But the dresses are beautiful." She shrugged, clearly conflicted.

I stood there, gawking and unable to move. I needed another moment to put my foot down the first step, but my gaze was fixed on her.

"I'll leave you, then." My voice was weak.

"You can stay," she replied.

Her expression puzzled me. Judging by our previous interactions, I knew she felt attracted to me as much as I was to her. Perhaps it was time to use a little bit of reverse psychology.