Anaconda had not prepared me well for this walk, despite watching the old movie at least a hundred times. At least there would be no giant snakes looming in the swamp.
I hoped.
I caught up to Indra, the only one who I found non-intimidating.
“You have to be careful,” Indra was saying to me, voice low. “Watch your step. Especially if we have to go in the swamp proper.” Ah shit. I knew this was going to happen. Wet socks were going to be the least of my problems, and I prayed that we weren’t going to find anything here other than vampires.
“There aren’t alligators here, right?” I asked slowly. “That’s…somewhere else, yes?” I pulled away from reaching, spindly branches and nearly walked into Indra.
Indra glanced at me in sympathy. What a nice guy.
“Perhaps if you get eaten by alligators I shall collect your pieces and resurrect you,” Akiva offered happily. “Should I feel inclined to do so.”
I ignored him to reach into my bag, dodging my tarot cards once more, and rummaged around until I produced three small bronze charms.
“Here.” I handed Cian the lion charm, Indra the wolf, and Akiva the butterfly charm. I’d received the butterfly as a gift from some college acquaintance, and it wasn’t by accident that he got the one I disliked. Was I being petty? Absolutely.
“A butterfly?” Akiva spat, turning over the bronze piece in his palm. “What is this for?”
“A very pretty butterfly,” I told him blithely. “It’s your ward. And I’m so sorry. It’s the last one I had.” That was a lie. I had three more in my bag that I loved much more than the butterfly. It had been luck that I’d grabbed it with the other two first. “Just put them in your pocket. I keep the wards active on them all the time.”
“You have yourself warded, right?” Indra asked. “And you’re sure you want to come with us?”
I touched the golden rune hanging from the choker at my throat. “Mine will hold out much, much longer than those,” I promised. “But if something happens and you need another one, let me know.”
“You just said you were out,” Akiva scoffed.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Of charms for you.”
Cian didn’t bother to hide his smile and looked over the lion once more before pocketing it. “He did offer to rescue any body parts from alligators,” The vampire pointed out sweetly.
“So he did,” I sighed, though I still didn’t offer him a different charm. “So where are we going?”
“Into the swamp. Into the dark,” Akiva said softly, eyes searching the trees. “Hold onto Indra if you like.”
I didn’t move to do so, and shook my head at his outstretched hand. I had just as good night vision as any of them, thanks to my wolf heritage.
“Suit yourself,” Akiva shrugged, clicking his tongue twice and making me flinch in surprise.
“What was–“ I broke off as a shape hurtled down at us from the sky. Akiva lifted his arm, completely at ease, and a gigantic bird landed on his covered forearm, making soft cooing noises to him as if chastising him for being away.
“What is that?” I breathed to Indra.
“That’s Horus,” Indra replied. “Akiva’s familiar. He’s a bearded vulture.”
“He’s huge,” I went on. At my words the bird suddenly whipped its head to face me and with a start I noticed its bright, crimson ringed eyes.
Akiva spoke softly to him, but I ignored his words to the vulture and simply gawked at the bird. I’d certainly never seen a raptor like him, and it wasn’t every day one landed on a man’s arm only two feet from me while he cooed at it in affectionate tones.
While I stared, Horus took off once more, wings flapping erratically as Akiva tossed his arm upward to help the vulture gain flight.
“He will take us to where Gavin and his trusted wait,” Akiva spoke confidently as he looked to Cian. “And he says they have been here for a while.”
The vampire dipped his head in a nod, then grinned at Indra. “You good?” he asked, pulling the shifter to him and pressing a kiss to his temple.
Oh.
A second later he did the same for Akiva.
Double oh.
Or perhaps, in this case, triple.
Cian looked to me and I raised a brow. “Do I get a kiss too?” I quipped softly, my nails digging crescent-shaped marks into my palms as I fought not to tremble.
“Would you like one?” Cian’s eyes danced.
If he came close enough to kiss me, I was sure I’d do something stupid. Like shift on the spot and bite him.
“Not at all,” I replied, trying to keep my smile in place.
Akiva was still staring at the sky, and when he turned his head slightly I was surprised to see the same crimson ring around his eyes that the vulture had.
“I found them,” Akiva stated after a moment, and took off at a brisk walk, even with his face turned to the sky and eyes looking upwards instead of at the path in front of him. How did he not trip over the logs and branches that littered the ground? Did he not mind the mud splattering his jeans or the long, thin branches that brushed at his hands?
“What about alligators? And uh, swamp quicksand?” I hissed, hurrying to keep up with Indra.
Cian’s voice was smooth and matter-of-fact in the darkness. “Don’t get eaten and don’t fall in.”
Chapter 3
I was tired of walking. Tired of driving, tired of this stupid, not fun adventure that had taken over my night. I should’ve done a tarot reading for myself before getting out of my damn car. Even a quick one, to see just what I was getting myself into down here.
None of the three men seemed like the ‘let’s stop so the witch girl can rest and tell her own immediate future’ kind of guys, so I kept my complaints silent.
Aveline
