Chapter Twenty-Five
Neith
“I could go for a nap,” Griff replies. “Do you want some company?”
“Absolutely. I always sleep better with snuggles.” I reply as I start to head toward the door that will take us back into the main hallway.
“We’ll wake you up when dinner is ready,” Van says with a smile before he pulls me in for a kiss. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat before you head upstairs? We missed lunch.”
Another yawn tries to take over as I reply, “Believe it or not, I would rather sleep.”
Van’s eyebrows wriggle as he jokes, “Wow, you must be tired.”
“I didn’t sleep great last night,” I reply honestly.
“Want to talk about it?” Reed asks me with concern.
I shake my head, “Not right now, but I do need to tell you about it. Let's just say it was odd. My kind of odd, not normal odd.”
“Of course it was,” River grins. “You’re swaying on your feet. Go to bed.”
“Yes, sir,” I reply, and sleepily note the heat that darkens his eyes.
I suddenly find myself in Griff’s arms and halfway up the stairs.
“I can walk,” I mutter halfheartedly because I absolutely don’t want to walk, but for some reason I feel like it’s important to remind Griff that I can walk if I wanted to. The logic doesn’t even make much sense to me.
A quiet chuckle rumbles through Griff’s chest, making me smile, “I’m sure you can, beautiful, but your eyes were closed, and you nearly fell over, so just let me carry you. I like having you in my arms.”
His words are so sweet that I snuggle deeper into his chest and mutter, “You’re the best Griff, thank you for looking after me.”
His lips touch my forehead, “Always, Neith.”
Ransom
“I think I’m going to head back out into the woods, I want to see if the imps know anything about me being sent to Luesidious,” I tell the guys.
“I know Neith said that they didn’t know anything, but they might have found something out by now, and I want to see if they know whether the guy I helped is okay.
They obviously have a connection with the realm, and I’m hoping that may mean that they have the knowledge of whether he’s okay, and know who I’m talking about.
Plus, I’m still feeling on edge, and I’ve got too much energy to be in the house. ”
“That makes sense. I think if anyone is going to know, then it will be them. I think I’m going to go for a run, my kitsune is a bit antsy,” River says, as he glances at the rest of the doors.
He must be feeling on edge if he’s willing to pass up looking through the rest of these doors to go for a run.
“Yeah, actually, I need to recharge, so I’ll be in the pool in my room if anyone needs me,” Van explains as he heads up the stairs.
“I think I might go through more of those doors and see if this place has a gym,” Doc says, which surprises me since he’s not usually the one who likes to work out.
“I’ll join you, I’ve been meaning to see if House has one,” Reed replies. “I bet if we ask House, it will lead us there.”
All of the doors in the hallway bang. .
I grin, “I think that means yes. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”
“Later,” they say together.
Turning back around, I head out of the front door. Really, I should be working on the wards, but there isn’t much more that I can do to get them ready now. They need the ingredient from Griff’s clan lands, and before we can go there, we have to find Pete and Murray.
So I’ve stalled.
I’m also far too on edge to work on spells, potions, and wards right now. I would make mistakes, and it’s not the kind of thing where mistakes are tolerated.
I’m not really sure where I’m going, but I’m hoping that the imps will somehow know that I want to talk to them and just appear. If not, I’ll just carry on searching and maybe yell for them and hope that they show up and actually want to help.
I’m not really concerned about why I was sent to Luesidious.
I am almost certain that it was to help the guy that I fought beside, and I am concerned about him.
It’s been gnawing at me, and I want to know that he’s okay.
The Hunt, as he called them, did not seem like the kind of supernaturals that you want to mess with, and he was facing them alone.
As I get further into the trees, the sounds of Coen and Raiden messing around on their bikes get louder, and I grin as they both come speeding through the trees ahead of me, and then quickly turn around when they spot me, coming back to where I am.
“Hey!” Coen grins. “What’s up?”
“I’m going to see if I can find the imps. I need to know if the guy I was fighting with is okay or not,” I explain quickly.
“Want some company?” Raiden asks me.
I shrug, “Sure. They might be more willing to talk to you since you’ve already spoken to them with Neith.”
“I’m in,” Coen grins. “Sounds like an adventure.”
I smile. I hadn’t planned on bringing anyone with me, but I am glad that they’re coming. Calling on my magic, I send their bikes and helmets back to the garage.
“Whoa, a little warning next time,” Coen grumbles as he picks himself up off the ground and dusts his ass off.
“Where would the fun be in that?” I reply with a smirk.
“Asshole,” Coen grins.
Making both Raiden and me laugh.
“Do you know where the imps live?” Raiden asks me as we start walking in the random direction that I picked out.
I shake my head, “Nope. I’m sort of just heading in this direction and hoping they pop up.”
Coen shrugs, “I suppose that’s as good a plan as any. Especially when we don’t really know how else to contact them, and that’s how they usually appear to Neith.”
“We could try calling for them. I know that the main one that always talks to Neith is called Flinotive,” Raiden suggests.
I nod, “It can’t hurt, and could save us a lot of time wandering through the woods.”
“I’m definitely up for anything that means that we don’t have to traipse through the woods for ages,” Coen adds.
Feeling utterly ridiculous, I call out for Flinotive, and I’m shocked when it actually works, and he appears in front of me, looking at me curiously.
“Is everything okay?” He asks in English so I can understand him.
I nod, “Yes. I was wondering if you have any information about a supernatural who is in Luesidious,” I start and begin to explain what he looks like, and then I explain the situation.
Most of the situation, I keep some details to myself.
“When I got pulled back here, he was in the middle of a really difficult situation, and it’s been playing on my mind.
I just wanted to see if you knew whether he was okay or not. ”
Flinotive studies me closely before he replies, “I’m really sorry. I don’t know who you are asking about, I can send you back though, if you wish?”
I share a look with the guys.
“This means that much to you?” Coen asks.
I scrub a hand through my hair, “I can’t explain it, man, but I know that I’m not going to be able to settle properly until I know whether he’s alive or not.”
Coen nods, “Then I’m in.”
Raiden looks at Flinotive, “Can you send us all over?”
Flinotive nods, “Yes, but just like when Neith was sent over, there will be a time limit. Unlike with Neith, the portal will open up wherever you are, you will have mere moments to get through it, and then it will close. If you do not get through the portal in time, you will be stuck there until my magic has recharged enough to bring you back, which could take a week or so.”
Again, I share a look with the guys, silently asking them if they want to do this with me, and they both nod in agreement.
“Let’s do this,” Raiden grins. “How long will we have before the portal comes to call us back?”
“Two hours. I’m sorry that I can’t give you more time,” he apologizes.
I know we all sort of got off on the wrong foot with him, but he’s not actually that bad. I mean, he’s willing to help me now.
Unless he has some kind of ulterior motive.
I can’t imagine what that may be, but I suppose it is possible.
Unfortunately, I feel strongly enough about this situation that even if that is the case, it doesn’t change my decision to go.
“That will have to do,” I reply. The time is tighter than I would like, but we’ll get it done. We’ve worked under tighter time constraints, although in those situations we have had a lot more information than we do now.
Flinotive nods once, and before I can ask any more questions or try to get my bearings, I feel the familiar sensation of a portal.
“Son of a bitch, he could have given us a little bit of a warning,” Coen grumbles quietly as we all study our surroundings.
“So this is Luesidious,” Raiden says, his eyes lit with curiosity as he studies everything around us. “We can all breathe, and we shouldn’t be able to. Which is curious.”
“Huh, good point,” Coen replies, taking a deep breath just to prove that he can. “Do you think Flinotive knew that we would be able to breathe here?”
I share a look with Raiden, and he replies, “I fucking hope so, or he’s going to find himself in a whole lot of pain. Neith will have his head if she finds out that he didn’t know if we could or not.”
“Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment. We don’t have long, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to find him. Presumably, he could be anywhere in this realm,” I say, the urgency to find him before the time runs out pushing at me even more now that we’re actually here.
“Shit, you’re right,” Coen says as he looks around us, his eyes sharp on our surroundings. “So what’s the plan?”
I’m about to answer when Raiden interrupts me.
“Shh, do you hear that?” He asks quietly, drawing his sword.
“Voices,” I mutter.
Coen grins, “Let’s go check it out.”
I can’t help but return his smile. It’s nice to know that some things have stayed the same. He’s still up for a dangerous and potentially deadly adventure.
We all move slowly and silently through the forest, and finally, the voices become clearer as we spot two supernaturals through the trees up ahead. We slow down, sticking to the trees and the shadows so that we remain concealed.