Chapter Sixty-Two: Newfound Freedoms

Fourteen felt like she was floating. At first, that was all she felt. Her eyelids were outweighed only by her limbs, but she felt so warm and comfortable that she didn’t bother trying to move them for long. Even as she ever so slowly slipped back into consciousness, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. To let the soft swaying she felt lull her back into oblivion.

But hard won instincts wouldn’t let that happen. She tried to force herself to wake, but she failed. That meant she was drugged. With her resistance to poison and class skills, they must have had to use one hell of a concoction to put her down. A part of her was annoyed that she was at the mercy of whatever drug she’d been given, but another part of her was relieved. The longer it took for her to be able to control her limbs, the longer before the collar took over once more.

Bit by bit, feeling returned to her body. The first thing she noticed were the clothes. Baggy and much softer than anything she’d ever worn. Cotton, she thought, marveling at how it felt rubbing against her skin. Far nicer than the rags she’d grown up in and much more comfortable than the armor she wasn’t allowed to take off without permission. Then, on top of that, she realized she was wrapped in something thick. Woolen, maybe. Whatever it was, it was even softer against the parts of her skin that it touched, and it trapped the heat in perfectly. Fighting off sleep was harder than ever.

The warmth was at odds with cold, though. It took her a few minutes to realize it was because her hair was wet. The day was crisp, and from the color bleeding through her eyelids she figured it was either early morning or late afternoon. And she wasn’t floating, but rather being carried. One arm was under her shoulders, the other under her knees. Thick, muscular forearms pressed into her. Big hands with long, gentle fingers kept her secure. A slow smile spread over her face as she recognized the long, heavy gait of her best friend in the world.

It took far too much effort, but Fourteen finally managed to crack her eyes open and look up at Nine. Her own hair was wet, and Fourteen was vaguely aware that she wore similar cotton traveling clothes as her, but what drew her eye immediately was Nine’s expression.

She was smiling. A soft, easy smile that made Fourteen think she was either dead or dreaming. There were people talking nearby while they walked through the forest, but Fourteen paid no attention to their words. Her entire focus was locked on her friend, her friend’s smile, and the pale strip of skin at her throat. Even the line of scales she could see trailing up the side of her neck showed the signs of the collar’s presence over the years.

That was what made Fourteen finally fight to move her leaden limbs. Her fingers brushed against the exposed skin, jerking her from her thoughts. She looked down at Fourteen and her smile widened. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

It took Fourteen far too long to figure out how to speak. “Nine?” she asked, her tone weak. “Are we dead?”Nine’s arms flexed underneath Fourteen, drawing her tighter into her chest. “Nope. We’re free, FT.”

Fourteen’s breath caught in her throat. Her fingers flew to her own neck and tears built in her eyes when there was no strip of iron. “How?” she finally managed.

“You see the scary dark-haired guy with the shadows?” Fourteen nodded. “Yeah, he took me down. Choked me out. When I woke up, the collar was gone. You?”

It took a minute for the details of the fight to come back to her. She involuntarily flinched when the image of the giant snake flying at her came to mind. “You told them how to fight me, didn’t you?”

Her smile fell a little, but didn’t fade completely. “The guy, Ren, he said it would help them incapacitate you. He saved me, so…”

Fourteen just nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She closed her eyes and simply leaned her head on her friends shoulder. She’d demand to walk on her own two feet eventually, but until then she was more than happy to let Nine carry her around. She knew her Half-dragon friend was hardly bothered by her weight.

“Any idea what he’s going to want in return?” she asked finally. As much as she wanted to bask in the afterglow of her freedom, she was too realistic to pretend she was actually free. Not in this world.Nine made a noncommittal sound. “Not sure. Normally I’d be thinking the same thing, but…” She shook her head. “F, Seventeen is here.”

Fourteen’s gut twisted. They’d all been through hell, but Seventeen had been through the worst. “Fuck. I’d heard she was dead. Honestly, a part of me hoped she was. At least she wouldn’t be suffering anymore.”

When she opened her eyes, Nine was smiling again. “Might as well be for how different this girl is. She doesn’t go by Seventeen anymore. Told me her name was Noelle. Then, after, she smiled at me. Fucking smiled. She looked healthy, too. Her hair was grown out, she wasn’t beat to shit, and her eyes…” Her wide smile was back. “F, she smelled like the guy. She was the one comforting me. I figure anyone who can put together a girl as broken as she was can’t be all bad.”

They left the trees behind before Fourteen could even formulate a response to that. “I think I’ll need to see that to believe it.” She tore her gaze away from Nine to look around. Even in Nine’s arms, she was high up enough to be looking down at the others around them. They were surrounded by demi-human females, all of them with damp hair and most of them with clothes that didn’t quite fit. She recognized a few from Feng’s cages in the group that huddled together in the center of the procession. The others seemed more at ease, but there was still a skittishness to them.

Her eyes glanced over what she assumed were guards. She recognized the archer who’d taken her down as well as a big woman with a sword, as well as two clear mages and a woman with a sword and shield. All human. She watched for a bit, but they only ever glanced briefly at the demi-humans they were escorting. The way they watched the trees around them made Fourteen confident they really were here to protect, not to keep them in line.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Headed back to camp. They’ve got a caravan headed towards the capital, but they’re parking for a day or two so the ones they rescued can have a chance to acclimate,” Nine explained. “Apparently they freed a handful of demi-humans from a gnoll den the other day, and those freed captives were willing to take the newly freed captives from Feng’s camp to bathe.”

Fourteen nodded. It wasn’t uncommon for one of them to be in bad shape after an assignment, so it would hardly be the first time Nine had bathed her. She wrapped her arms around Nine’s neck and rested her head back on the Half-dragon’s shoulder, if for no other reason than there wasn’t a collar to stop her. A pleased growl rumbled in Nine’s chest, making Fourteen tense.

“Nine?”

“Sorry, F,” she said, her cheeks darkening. “Without the collar, there’s nothing holding back all those pesky dragon instincts I never really learned how to deal with. Fair warning, I might be a little overprotective of you for a few days and I have no idea how to curb that impulse. One of the guards offered to carry you to give me a break and I had to fight the urge to take a bite out of her.”

Fourteen couldn’t help but stifle a giggle, which felt so out of character to her that it turned into a laugh. “I’ll try not to hold it against you.” They left the forest behind and she got her first real look at the caravan. She counted seven wagons and more than two dozen tents, and the smell of meat cooking made her mouth water.

One of the wagons was the cage on wheels they’d used to transport their captives, and the sight of it made her tense. Then she realized that the only people inside it were the very men who’d held them captive in the first place and she relaxed.

She tore her gaze away from the cage. The men inside weren’t her problem any longer. “You think we’ll get to choose new names? Not sure I want to keep being called a number.”

Nine grinned. “I’ve already got an idea for one, so I sure fucking hope so.” Then her stomach growled so loud Fourteen could feel it. “Let’s get some food, yeah? I smell fresh meat, and it’s really threatening to send me over the edge right now.”

Nine found them a spot and finally set Fourteen on her feet, but before she could go off in search for meat a dainty Elf woman appeared with a wide smile and two bowls of tantalizing stew. Nine immediately plopped down and pulled Fourteen into her lap.

“Seriously?” Fourteen asked with a laugh while Nine settled the much smaller Dark Elf between her tree-trunk-sized thighs.

“Fuckin’ instincts. Damn breeders said I’d have really strong ones being purebred, but the collar always suppressed that shit. Hurry up and eat, I can’t even think about eating till I see you’re taken care of right now. My shit’s nine kinds of fucked up since they carried you into the camp last night.”

Fourteen took mercy on her and dug into the stew. It tasted even better than it smelled, and she sensed the faintest traces of magic in it. She sniffed, but [Poison Detection] didn’t pick anything up other than some general stamina boosts and some light recovery magic that wouldn’t be strong enough for actual healing, but would probably do wonders for those recovering from imprisonment.

They both annihilated their meals, and Fourteen simply leaned back into Nine and watched the camp. There was a general sense of relief, not just from those freed from captivity but from the caravaneers as well. She also couldn’t help but notice how intermingled demi-humans were everywhere in the camp. Other than the guards, at least. They all seemed human, but that wasn’t uncommon.

Her eye was caught by a black-haired Kitsune walking around with extra bowls of the stew. She was just contemplating risking Nine’s rage by using [Blink] to slip from her grasp when the Kitsune turned golden eyes in their direction. She nodded once, and once she was down to two bowls she headed straight for them.

“Here,” she gave them the bowls and Nine wasted no time in tearing in.

She looked them over curiously, and Fourteen’s eyes were drawn to the simple black leather collar at her throat. “Who do you serve?”

The Kitsune’s tail flicked. “Ren. My name is Tsuki.”

“Fourteen, Nine,” Fourteen said, pointing at herself then her friend. “For now.”

Tsuki nodded, hesitated for a moment longer, then sat where she’d be just out of reach. “You’ll take new names like Noelle, then?”

Fourteen perked up at that. “You know Noelle?”

“She’s a friend, yes. She’s taken good care of me and my sister.”

“Noelle serves Ren, too?”

The corner of Tsuki’s mouth quirked up. “She does, and she’d have it no other way. Trust me. Especially not now that he’s found and freed you two.”

“Oh?”

“She asked him to find and free all of you, and he agreed,” Tsuki explained.

Nine’s arms tightened. “What did she offer in return.”

Now Tsuki was definitely smiling, but she hid the expression quickly. “Nothing. Ren isn’t like that.” Their reactions seemed to amuse her. “I know, I thought the same as you, once. I won’t tell you that he’s worthy of your trust, but I can promise you that if you give him the chance, he’ll surprise you.”

“What’s he going to want from us?” Nine asked.

“He’ll give you time to acclimate, I’m sure, but eventually he’ll want everything you know about the ones who put you in collars.”

“Why?” Fourteen demanded, her suspicion rising.

Tsuki shrugged like her next words weren’t a big deal. “He wore a similar collar once, apparently. Killed everyone involved in making and using them, or so he thought. My guess is that he wants to do it again, but you’d have to ask him to know for sure.”

Nine growled loud enough that Tsuki’s ears both lay flat, but she didn’t react otherwise. Her arms tightened around Fourteen’s midsection again, and it took her a second to get under control. “What do we have to do to get one of those collars?” she asked finally.

“Nine!” Fourteen hissed.

Nine just looked down at her. “I’m a purebred Half-dragon, F, and my classes are strong as shit. I go anywhere with a bare neck and I’ll be in a cage by sundown. You didn’t see the way Noelle was around him. I know I’m hardly a genius, but I’m not stupid enough to ignore the chance in front of me.”

“Nariko leveraged information for a collar, but honestly if you ask him he’ll probably say yes,” Tsuki said. Her eyes drifted to Fourteen. “Nari said you’re an assassin. Are you skilled at moving in urban areas?” Fourteen nodded. “He’ll need someone who can gather information unseen when we get to the capital.”

“And me?” Nine asked.

Tsuki frowned. “You’ve got more of a place than I do. You’d make a good bodyguard, I suppose. You’ve got intimidating down well, at least.”

Nine snorted. “Doesn’t really strike me as someone who needs a bodyguard, if I’m being honest.”

“No, he isn’t,” Tsuki admitted. “He always finds a way to survive, but he doesn’t care all that much about his own well-being. You protect the ones he cares about, though, and you’ll earn his loyalty quickly.”

“I can work with that,” Nine said thoughtfully. “Who are we talking?”

Tsuki leaned back thoughtfully. “Well, Serena and Noelle don’t really need protecting,” she said slowly.

Nine growled again. “No shit. He doesn’t hurt her to make her stronger, does he?”

“Oh!” Tsuki gasped. “Right, I’d forgotten. Noelle’s class evolved, she’s no longer a Tormented Berserker. I won’t tell you what her new one is because it isn’t my place, but she no longer grows stronger from pain.”

Relief hit Fourteen in the gut like a hammer, and from the way Nine sagged behind her she felt the same. “Thank fuck,” Nine breathed. “The shit they did to her?” She took a breath and simply shook her head. There were no words. “Who else?”

“Tiana’s a mage, but she’s got some close range spells and the experience to use them, but Rhallani’s second class is still in its infancy, and she grew up a wealthy demi-human in the capital so she has no real training other than what Ren’s taught her so far. If you’re wanting to protect one of his harem, she’s the best choice.”

Fourteen choked on her stew. “Harem? Noelle’s a part of his fucking harem?”

“Oh yes,” Tsuki said very seriously. “And she likes it there very much. She loves Serena and Rhallani almost as much as she loves Ren.” Then, in a much softer voice, “Ren brought her out of hell. Helped her heal both physically and emotionally, and even did everything in his power to help her change her class. He’s kind, patient, and knows a little too much about what she’d been through. He hasn’t forced her to do a single thing if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

They chewed on that for a while. Finally, Nine huffed. “So, Rhallani, then. Which one is she?”

“The Arelim,” Tsuki supplied. “Though, honestly, Noelle is probably going to ask him to take you both in and he’ll cave because he can’t bear to say no to her.”

That triggered something in Fourteen’s mind. “Arelim? Not the one with the giant fucking snake, is it?”Tsuki chuckled behind her hand. “Was that Fang’s new form? She was being rather cagey about it. She usually prefers to keep him in wolf or jaguar form, but that’s her summon from her secondary class. Her primary class is non-combat, and from what I understand if someone were to get past her summons she’d be more or less defenseless.”

Fourteen felt a ripple pass through the camp. The caravaneers all relaxed visibly, and the non-claimed demi-humans all began craning their necks, looking at something behind them. Fourteen and Nine both turned to see Ren walking out of the treeline with an athletic blond on one side and a tall, curvy redhead on the other. Noelle walked just in front of him with an axe as big as she was over her shoulder. He carried the Arelim girl on his back where she slept soundly.

Even from a distance Fourteen could see the difference in Noelle. Her cheeks were full, her hair was shiny, and there was a spring to her step that Fourteen had never seen before. Then she said something over her shoulder that made them all laugh and the blond scooped her up in her arms, axe and all. Noelle struggled, but Fourteen could tell she wasn’t actually trying to get free. Especially considering the strength she must have had to swing around an axe that size.

“He’s protective of all of them, but especially Rhallani. They’re all close, but his connections with Rhallani and Serena have always been the strongest.” The edges of her lips began to curl. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Rhallani ends up in charge of the harem when they get to the capital and start to settle.”

Fourteen felt her brows creeping up. “He’d put a demi-human in charge of something like that?”

Tsuki only smirked. “Told you he’d surprise you.” She stood, then paused. “My sister was the one to make the draft that put you under,” she said suddenly. “No hard feelings?”

“Hard feelings?” Fourteen scoffed. “You point your sister out and I’ll be her best damned friend. Her pot put me under long enough to remove that collar, so as far as I’m concerned I owe her.”

Tsuki nodded, letting out a breath. “Thanks. You’ll know her when you see her. I’m sure you’ll love her, she’s got one of those personalities that makes it hard not to.”

Fourteen nodded, looking back towards where Ren and his harem walked. The blond carried the giant evil sword in her arms, wrapped in cloth, but it didn’t frighten her quite as much as it had last night.

Nine was right. While Fourteen might be able to slip by unnoticed, Nine was bred to make someone a lot of money. From what she’d seen, Ren was her best chance at any kind of peace, and she wasn’t about to abandon her friend. She needed to find a way into his inner circle so she could make sure he wasn’t the type to take advantage of someone like Nine. She looked around.

“A lot of new faces,” she said conversationally.

Tsuki smiled knowingly. “If you’re wanting to collect some information, might want to get with Nari. She’s the Nekomata who helped bring you in.”

Fourteen nodded. “Thanks.”

Tsuki gave them one last nod, then scooped up all the empty bowls and started back through the camp. Nine’s arms wrapped around Fourteen, boxing her in completely, then leaning down so she could talk low enough that nobody else could hear. “What are you thinking right now, FT?”

“I’m thinking you’re right, and we can’t afford to pass up this opportunity if Ren’s half the man Tsuki made him out to be.” She wrapped her arms around one of Nine’s bulky arms. “I also think going into this blind is a very, very bad idea.”

“Work, look, and listen?”

“Absorb everything you can,” Fourteen agreed. “If he’s really giving us a chance, we’ll make sure he won’t regret it. If he plans to use us…” she didn’t finish the thought.

She knew that when it came to Nine, she didn’t need to.

# # #

It seemed my adorable little scholar got a little overzealous while I was occupied with both Serena and Tiana. I’d be more annoyed by the fact that she’d studied the Rathum till the sun rose if I hadn’t been so impressed by the detail of her notes. I knew she was good at what she did, but I’d seen professional bestiaries with less detail than what she’d made in a single night.

She set aside what she thought would be the most valuable parts. Head, claws, one of the tails, and a couple strange organs she’d never seen anything like. We stored them as best we could and I stuck them in my storage. That was about as far as she got before nearly passing out on the spot, which led to me carrying her back to camp. Not that I was complaining.

Noelle had stayed up to watch her back all night, but when I gently suggested she get some rest too she refused adamantly and headed straight for where Fourteen and Nine sat. Both Tiana and Serena seemed to be rather amused that my hands were occupied with holding Rhallani up, and they were quite happy to take the chance to kiss me deeply, their hands traveling places that made me really want to wake Rhallani up.

But I knew more than anyone how badly Rhallani needed the sleep. I was probably the only one who slept less than she did with all the time she’d been spending in her journals. I took her to our tent and got her tucked in before I went searching for some food myself. I could smell it cooking, and there was nothing quite like a fight to the death with a horrifying eldritch monster to bring my appetite back.

Man, I really did have issues.

I’d just made my way to the stew pot when Liana tracked me down with a soldier in tow. A human in his mid forties who looked like he was in desperate need for a shave. “Ren, this is Corporal Laryn. He’s been waiting on your return.”

I resisted the urge to sigh. I’d always been the guy who slipped away from Rolar and snuck towards the food when it came time to talk details, glad that I wasn’t the guy in charge. Now I was. “Corporal,” I held out a hand, “glad we could help.”

The man laughed sardonically. “You and me both, kid. Your people said it’d be no problem if we took custody of the prisoners, but I wanted to check with you personally first.” His eyes darted towards where the demi-humans all sat, talking in hushed tones and shooting concerned glances our way. “I also wanted to offer to take any of the demi-humans off your hands as a courtesy.”

Liana, to her credit, didn’t even flinch. “I’ve talked to all the girls, sir, and they would like to keep with the caravan if you’d allow them.”

“They’re welcome to,” I told her. “And thanks, Corporal, but I’ll hold on to anyone who wants to stay. The bandits are all yours.”

He looked a little too relieved that he wasn’t going to be responsible for the demi-humans. “Thank you, sir. Ah, also…” he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, during the cleanup, we found some documents that suggest some things that…well…could cause some problems. Problems that a soldier like me can’t really do anything about, but could get in a lot of trouble over.”

Secrets that some might kill to keep secret, he meant. I just nodded. “You saw the monster we fought? It destroyed quite a bit of the camp. It’s quite a shame it destroyed so much of the command tent in its rampage, Corporal. We might never know what some of those documents held.”

He sagged in relief. “Yes sir, a real shame. We owe you for getting us out of there, don’t think we’ll forget it. We’re long overdue back, though, so we plan to head out by noon. I’d ask if you wanted any additional escort towards the capital, but I get the feeling we’d only get in your way.”

“Just so, Corporal. Safe travels.”

He took his leave, and I turned to Liana. “How is everyone?”

She let out a breath. “Not great. In some ways, the gnolls were worse than the men that held them captive. In others…” She let the thought trail off, and I nodded. “I understand. Let me or Cynthia know if there’s anything you need. Are you willing to be in charge of the newcomers as well?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir. Five of them, not counting the two who had collars. They seem to prefer to be separate for now, and because of the nature of their own captivity, the others don’t trust them as much.”I eyed the stew longingly, but knew this was more important. “Give me a brief rundown?”

Liana’s back straightened. “Right. I’ll go from least worrying to most. Sani is the Nekomata we recovered, and she’s in pretty bad shape. Looks like she’s been bled regularly for a while. Suriel said she’d recover, but not to expect her to be up and moving around any time soon. There’s a Drakken and Seraphim pair—Feranica and Miril respectively—who seem close, but they haven’t flown in so long that their muscles are deteriorated. Seems their previous Patrons kept them bound even before the bandits caged them.”

“Caliel is a Nereid, and so far she hasn’t spoken a single word. We only know her name because Miril shared a Patron with her once. She’s very skittish, and we know she has some kind of offensive water based class because she used it to blast a few of the bandits on the way out of camp.”

I ran a hand over my face. “Would it make me a terrible Patron if I admitted there’s no way I’m keeping all these names straight?”

A small smile slipped through her professional mask. “No, sir, I think that’d make you human.”

“Not sure that’s much better these days,” I grumbled.

She looked away to hide her expression, but I saw her smile widen a little more before she did. “Alice is the last, and she’s the one I’m most worried about. She’s—” She shifted from foot to foot nervously. “Well, sir, the last thing I want is to come off as intolerant, but I’ve never met one in person before and only know vague details and outlandish tales. She’s a Vampire, sir.”

I winced. “And I’m guessing they weren’t exactly quick to let her feed.”

She shook her head. “Alice is another loner in the group, but the other girls are still protective of her. She held off the bloodlust as long as she could, but she was forced to feed from the others a few times just to hold onto her sanity.”

Vampires could live off normal foods just fine, though meat was always best. If she was locked in a cage and being underfed, her Vampire side would be making up the difference, and she’d need blood to replenish her energy. If they were abusing her at all? That would only make the thirst worse. Like Sirens or Succubi, the other of the two siphon races, they didn’t need their power source to survive, but depriving them of it would slowly drive them feral.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Right. First things first, go tell all that to Noelle. She’s strong enough to keep an eye on them, and as a fellow demi-human hopefully she doesn’t put them too much on edge. Maybe she can enlist Nine or Fourteen to help keep the peace if need be.”

I looked over the demi-humans grouped together in the center of the camp. Nearly all of them were looking towards me, and most quickly glanced down when they met my eyes. “Have the two winged girls get with Anri and Kili, they’ll have a better idea than me on how to start rehabilitating their wings. Have Tsuki keep an eye on Caliel, but have her be seen doing it. Having some of your braver girls keeping her company might help as well. Keep the men away from her until we know a little more about what she’s been through. I’ll see if I can get a better read on Alice.”

Liana’s shoulders relaxed visibly. “Yes sir. I’ll get right on it. Last I saw, Alice was as far from your wagon as she could manage while still being in camp.”

I nodded. “If she’s fighting the thirst, then those that are injured will set off her hunter’s instincts.” Liana paled, so I reassured her. “That just means she’s trying not to cause problems, but we can’t help what we’re born as. I’ll talk to her.”

Liana hurried to do as I asked and I finally got my hands on a bowl of stew. I scarfed it down as quick as I could manage before heading towards where I figured a lonely, scared Vampire might be hiding. It didn’t take long to find her, which I thought was another good sign. She wasn’t trying to hide, she just didn’t trust herself around the others. Just in case, I conjured a couple of tendrils and had them wrap around my waist, hidden from view.

She was sitting against the wheel of one of the wagons, a half-empty bowl of stew next to her. She had a cloak pulled tight around her with the hood up, dark violet eyes tracking my every move from underneath it. Long, night-black hair peeked out from under the hood, but otherwise she sat so still she might have been a statue.

“Alice, right?” I called from a distance, making sure I didn’t startle her. She didn’t react except to nod, so I got a little closer. “I’m Ren. I’m the resident lord of the caravan.” She tensed, and I stopped a few feet away and crouched. “It’s alright, you’re not in any trouble.”

“That’d be a first,” she said softly. Her voice was raspy, like her throat was parched.

“When’s the last time you fed?”

She swallowed audibly. “Couple days. Woke up with my fangs in Miril’s neck, pulled away as soon as I could.”“When’s the last time you fed fully?” I clarified. She looked away. “As long as you’re traveling with us, I’d like you to make sure you’re not fighting the thirst all the time.”

“Who would you have me feed on?” she asked carefully.

“I won’t force anyone into it. If you find someone willing, then that’s fine. Until then, you wouldn’t be the first Vampire I’ve donated my blood to.”

Her pupils became pinpricks, but she didn’t so much as twitch a muscle otherwise. “That your thing, then?”It took me a second to realize what she meant. With a chuckle, I said, “a month ago I’d have said it definitely wasn’t, but one of my current partners is a bit bitey in bed and she’s had quite the influence on another of my partners. That isn’t why I’m offering, though. I spent some time with a Vampire, so I have an idea of what you’re going through. I’m sleeping with a priestess and I’ve got the blood to spare, so come on. Let’s get you fed so you aren’t miserable.”

“It’s not a good idea. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop,” she warned.

I waved her objections off. “I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve. I can at least fend you off long enough for you to get your head back.” I untied the top of my shirt and pulled my collar to the side. “It’s the best option for everyone, you included. I can handle it, I promise.”

I’d barely finished speaking before she was shooting at me. Vampires had naturally high agility, and I could tell hers was boosted even further from how quickly she closed the distance between us. She slammed into me hard enough to knock me onto my back just before I felt the sharp pain of her fangs sinking into my neck.

She groaned, sinking into me the second my blood hit her tongue, and wrapped around me possessively. I felt magic seep into me from where she bit, which told me she had a Vampire specific class. I immediately felt my mana lock up, which would have been a serious problem if I hadn’t conjured some tendrils beforehand. While she gulped greedily, someone walked to stand over us. Nariko looked down with amusement, her tail flicking behind her. “Not sure it was a good idea to let her feed while you’re all alone.”

At the sound of her voice, Alice’s grip tightened. A low growl rumbled in her throat as her instincts demanded she protect her food source. “I figured you weren’t far off,” I said slowly, wrapping one hand around the back of Alice’s neck. She relaxed, though her fingers still gripped me tightly. An old trick I’d learned from a Vampire soldier during the war. It would put her at ease, but give me a handhold to pull her away if I needed to. “Don’t come any closer, though. She’s been starved for so long she’s only a step above feral, and I’d rather not have my throat torn out today.”

The next sound out of Alice’s throat was more of a moan than a groan, and Nariko’s ears flicked in surprise. “Are all feedings like this?”

“I’ve been told I have blood that tastes much sweeter than normal. Why, I have no idea.”

Alice moaned again as if in agreement. I let her drink her fill, and when I started to feel the effects of the blood loss I started to creep my tendrils up to break her contact with my throat. Before I made it, she pulled back enough to give the spot where she’d bit a slow lick. She swiped a finger to catch the last drop and I felt a painfully familiar magic tingling through my skin. My blood rose to the wound and sealed it closed, then she sat back and sucked the crimson off the finger.

“Fuck,” she breathed, swaying slightly as she straddled me. “You aren’t kidding.” Her pupils were wide now, and she had a lazy smile on her face. “I’ve never tasted blood like that." She tried to stand and stumbled, catching herself with a hand on my chest. “It’s gotta be your bloodline. You’re human, but different. It’s so fucking sweet…”

She finally managed to pull herself off me only to fall onto the ground. I raised a brow. I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing a blood-drunk Vampire before. I stood and helped her up, but keeping her feet seemed to be a challenge. Nariko shot me an amused expression before throwing one of Alice’s arms over her shoulder.

“You ssshouldnt’ve done that,” Alice slurred. “If my vamp shide takesh over, you’re gonna be the firsht one I hunt now.” She blinked a few times. “You did that on purposhe, didn’t you?”

“I did, little Vampire. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been hunted by a feral vamp, either.”

She shook her head. “I thought I’d had the besht blood on the plane when I got to drink Nephilim, but shit tashtes like dirt compared to yoursh. Mmm…” She closed her eyes and tottered enough that Nariko almost went down with her.

There was a gasp and Liana practically ran over with the Lycanine, Iris, in tow. “Is she alright? What happened?”

I held a hand up. “I just let her feed, and she got a little blood drunk is all. She’ll be satisfied for a good while, so she won’t be fighting the thirst.”

I saw a few of the others relax, and Iris and Nariko helped Alice find a spot where she wasn’t in danger of toppling into anything dangerous. “Thank you, sir. I’ve never… It’s been a long time since I got to feed just to feed.”

I nodded. “Get some rest and real food in you. We can talk once you’ve dropped down to a buzz about making sure your Vampire side is taken care of.” I looked over the others who seemed to be hanging on my every word. “Same goes for the rest of you. I’m hardly an expert when it comes to demi-humans, so if any of you need accommodation just let me know.”

They didn’t answer, and I saw more than one cautiously confused look, so I gave them one last awkward nod and took my leave. After spending most of last night tending to Tiana’s needs and most of the last two weeks not sleeping for shit, I was ready for a nap. Especially after letting Alice feed.

I waved to Noelle, who was currently enveloped in Nine’s lap while Fourteen watched with amusement. Serena was at our wagon, no doubt helping those that still needed medical attention, so I made my way into my tent. Tiana was wrapped around Rhallani, and she shot me a sleepy smile when I walked in.

She scooted over enough for me to join them, and we ended up with Rhallani in the middle of both of us. She murmured something unintelligible, and I pressed a kiss to her temple. Her smile widened and she tucked into me. I threaded my fingers with Tiana’s, our hands resting on Rhallani’s hip, and closed my eyes.

I was just nodding off when Rhallani shot up with a strangled gasp, wide-eyed and lunging for her pack.

“I’ve got it! I know what the crazy guy was talking about!”