A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,8

to everything."

I was shaken to the core by everything we'd just witnessed. Months ago, I would've thought a dinner party at The Shade with lots of people was my greatest challenge to overcome. Yet here I was, battling Shills and Hermessi and all kinds of horrible products of the universe, desperate to save my world from destruction.

Months ago, I wouldn't even have imagined someone like Raphael coming into my life and turning it all upside down. Now, I couldn't even think of a future where the two of us weren't together. However, before we could get there, we'd have to finish the job. We'd have to get Thieron back to Death.

And, as Widow had so clearly put it, we needed to find her first.

Floating through the white space and headed toward a new wormhole that would lead us into Strava's pink waters, I made that my primary objective. Find the one entity that dominated the cosmos and give her back her powers. For only Death could save us now.

Eva

We reached Strava effortlessly after we got out of the white space and through the local pink water hole. Amelia communicated our position to Derek and Sofia, then we made our way to the top, reaching the peak of an old mountain. Around us, one of Strava's many islands unraveled in strips of golden beach and lush green jungle. Birds chirped from the bushes, and the ocean lapped at the shore with slow and lazy waves.

The sun was up, so I was quick to put on my hood, mask, and goggles, much like Varga and Amelia. But it was beautiful. I would've given anything to feel the warm light on my face again. Maybe I would, once this was all over. Listen to you, so optimistic.

It wasn't a bad dream to hold on to. I'd chosen vampirism because of the powers it offered, but its downsides had started to weigh on me. I knew I would never be able to consume any food besides blood ever again, but the prospect of GASP figuring out a way to replicate Derek's day-walking protein was still on the table.

"Is everyone okay?" Lumi asked, checking each of us with motherly care.

"In one piece and as pissed off as ever," Raphael replied, hands resting on his hips.

Varga pulled me into his arms and held me close for a sweet moment. "I know we've yet to talk about that dream, and that it may be a while before we get to do so, but… I just want you to know I liked our part of it."

"Yeah, I'm partial to it, too." I giggled, my face hidden in his embrace. I could hear his heart thudding nervously in his chest. It echoed mine.

"Well, that was interesting," Herakles said, pursing his lips at the three First Tenners. "Now, would you like to tell us more about your brothers and sisters? If Kelara went after the traitor among them, she might obviously be in trouble. The more we know about them, the better."

"Kelara is a fighter and a survivor," Seeley replied. "She'll be in touch as soon as she can."

"Did you not see what that Reaper did to the others, back in the throne room?" Herakles asked, downright exasperated. "What if the same happened to her?!"

Seeley wasn't moved. He stood by his statement, not allowing himself any kind of fear—at least, none for us to see. "I trust her. She'll contact me when she can."

"That's Seeley-speak for 'I'm crapping my pants,' just so you know," Soul muttered. It earned him a scowl from the much younger Reaper, but, as usual, Soul wasn't even remotely fazed. "Anyway, I think we have bigger fish to fry with finding Death and whatnot."

"Also, we might have trouble," Kabbah said, nervously glancing around. "We are not alone here."

"Ugh, great. What now?" I sighed, following his stilled gaze. About fifty yards to our left, standing atop a stony ridge, were four Hermessi figures. It didn't take a specialist to identify them as Strava's elementals—Aya included among them.

The Reapers swiftly moved into a defensive position, while we clustered together, ready to teleport out of there at a moment's notice.

"How'd they find us?" Taeral asked.

"As we are so close to the ritual's completion, communication among the Hermessi, even across the galaxies, has been significantly improved," the Fire Hermessi replied. "We can talk to one another now, almost in real time."

"Brendel has put out a warning for you," the Air Hermessi added. My skin crawled just from hearing her name.