Chapter Fifteen

I got into a fight with 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. The odds were against me.

The urgency of the moment kept Eva on Oliver's heels as he zipped down various hallways, and just as she would have lost him, he stopped in front of a set of double doors that he nearly ripped off the hinges when he tore it open. Eyes wide, afraid to blink in case he flashed away, she hurried after him, covering the last few yards just as he entered the room. Hesitation never crossed her mind. What threat could there be in here, a fortress, a maze, a maze fortress?

Of the areas Eva had visited, the entertainment room was the most comfortable and lived in. The kitchen and living rooms felt formal and unused. Clean and sterile came to mind. Even Oliver's guest bedroom, where she'd spent time healing, had a minimalist feeling, although Eva would be the first to admit the bed and bedding were out of this world comfortable. Maybe after all of this was over, she would upgrade her own bedding again, then with dismay she realized that after the hellhounds' attack, everything might need to be replaced and not simply upgraded. Did she even have a home anymore or had the hounds destroyed everything? Images of the large, soot-covered beasts shaking her mattress to pieces and playing tug of war with Gram's old sofa brought tears to her eyes.

Following Oliver closely into Ravyn's rooms, she instantly encountered complete pandemonium. Wind rushed at them as if trying to force them back from the room. On the floor the stoic bodyguard who had spoken so sharply about leaving Ravyn tethered to her, held a foaming-mouthed Ravyn, who thrashed wildly, as if something were attacking her from the inside while the wind rushed around them, teasing them and whipping her hair into tiny knots.

The other protector stood on guard with claws extended from his hands, scanning the room, preparing to shield the duo from whatever the mysterious windstorm blew into the room. So far, whatever led this attack seemed to be invisible. Eva couldn't help trembling at the thought of hellhounds springing forth from darkened corners of the room. Had the creatures found them here and managed to infiltrate the fortress?

Red hair waved, rising in the air as Delta stood like a Valkyrie in the middle of the maelstrom, ignoring the chaos, chanting as she circled, gesturing in the air with what to Eva looked like weeds in hand. It crossed Eva's mind that as much in awe as the witch had seemed over Eva's ability to see the invisible hellhounds, she spent a lot of time poking around empty air space.

Pushing through the violent storm to Ravyn's side, Oliver knelt beside the two. "What the hell has happened?" he asked furiously. His hands clearly itched to fall upon the helpless woman, but he held them in check, perhaps fearing that whatever held her in its thrall might transfer to him, or his touch might make things worse for her.

Claws out and moving in closer to keep a tight guard on the incapacitated vampire, the shifter shouted, "We have no idea yet, sir. We were sitting in the lounge area here. She was, uh . . . asking Sebastian about his sexual conquest, then mid-sentence she fell over and started screaming. Delta heard and ran in and said something about an attack."

As Eva clutched the door frame, fighting the wind that threatened to push her off her feet, she felt an inexplicable, urgent tug in her chest, drawing her to Ravyn. Uncertain and still clutching the door with outstretched arms, she took a few steps closer as the invisible tightening chain urged her on. Without hesitation, she quickly covered the last few steps and knelt beside the woman, grasping her hands in both of hers, acting on instinct.

Pulling Eva closer to her, Ravyn opened her eyes, blood red as they silently screamed in pain and panic. "Help me, please," she begged Eva as red tears began to flow and her body continued convulsing violently.

Feeling Ravyn's pain and fear as if they were her own, Eva let them flow through her hands and into her, nearly stopping her own heart as they hit her. Not sure what she could do, but continuing to follow whatever was driving her, she worked to stifle the panic, fear, and pain that were overtaking her through Ravyn. Peace and calming, she attempted to focus back on the vampire, mentally urging Ravyn to calm down. Working on instincts to protect Ravyn, she continued to draw in the panic and feed back the calmness. She imagined a protective bubble settling in over the two of them, cradling them in safety and security.

The tug on her chest drew her closer to Ravyn until she was pushing the bodyguard half away in her own attempt for nearness. Leaning in close to Ravyn's ear, Eva whispered, "Drink," and pushed a wrist to Ravyn's mouth.

Still half-crazed in panic, Ravyn pulled her other hand free from Eva's and grasped the offering with both hands before extracting her fangs and biting deeply.

Grimacing, expecting pain, but surprised to find none, Eva shuddered as Ravyn drank deeply from her wrist. Hearing a roar of pain from Oliver, she broke eye contact with Ravyn and tore her eyes to Oliver as his own eyes darkened. In a segue state, Eva's eyes went back to Ravyn's as a wave of guilt flashed through her. Wide, clear eyes filled with guilt stared back at her, and Ravyn removed her mouth from Eva's wrist, pushing herself away as Sebastian also pulled and rolled away with Ravyn tucked protectively in his grasp. But was he protecting Ravyn from Eva or protecting Eva from her?

Like a flash, Oliver appeared at Eva's side, cradling her wrist where a few drops of blood still lingered. Snarling, he glared at a panting Ravyn, hidden half behind the shifter guard, who crouched on all fours as if the wolf had already pushed forward to protect his charge.

Still feeling as if in a dream, Eva found herself floating around the room, noting that unlike the rest of the house, this apartment had touches of homeyness around it. Despite the mess, a few plump pillows littered the floor, the sofa turned on its back now looked plush and comfortable. Paintings adorned the walls, and the unmade bed wasn't utilitarian gray, but filled with colors and textures. Eva's attention floated back to Oliver and the wrath emanating from him like the heat from a fireplace and hot enough to burn. Grasping his face, she forced him to look at her, knowing that his misplaced anger wasn't with her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," she whispered to him.

Oliver's eyes regained focus on her, and a horrified look spread across his face as he regained control of the hot anger coursing through him.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry." Looking from Ravyn to Eva, he begged forgiveness from both.

"I hate to interrupt all this going on," Delta began with an all-encompassing wave of her hand, "but in case you guys didn't notice, we have some serious shit going on." Ignoring the exasperated looks everyone in the room sent her way, the witch continued. "That was clearly another attack on Ravyn. A thread similar to what connects her to Eva is the culprit, only this one isn't connected. It's trying really hard to connect, though. Whatever is on the other end really wants Ravyn, and it's attempting to mimic the magic between the two." Glancing at Eva, she added, "Clearly unsuccessful due to previous claims."

"Thank you, Delta, for fighting it off," said a breathless Ravyn, pushing the wolf away as she stood wobbly on her own feet.

Oliver lent a hand to raise Eva off the ground as well but neglected to release his grip on her. Finding she didn't mind, Eva allowed herself to lean into Oliver, basking in his strength, but also finding the terror that had engulfed him.

"That wasn't me," Delta admitted. "All I was able to do was find it and see what it was doing. It was testing the thread between the two of you, basically prodding at you to find a weakness and attach to you. Eva was the one who basically fought it off, strengthening the bond between you both even more. It was like watching a protective shield going up. Whatever or whoever controls that thread knows that you two are attached, and I think it's trying to break the attachment and replace it with its own link to you.

"I'm just guessing here. I've not seen anything like this before. I mean realistically, it could also be after Eva and indirectly attacking Ravyn to get to Eva, but my gut is telling me it's after Ravyn. Eva could be considered collateral damage." Delta no longer spoke to the group but appeared to be talking aloud as she figured things out.

"Was it witch magic or some other kind?" questioned Oliver.

Eva agreed that was a good question. Was a witch searching and attacking or was it something else? Something like her? she considered with unease.

"Definitely a witch," Delta answered with confidence, before amending, "Definitely magic; however, it doesn't necessarily mean that someone isn't paying a witch for the work. And it could have been a witch who called up the hellhounds; at this point, anything is possible." Her head flipped in a double take to Eva. "Uh, Eva, you"re glowing again, even brighter than before."

Twisting and turning her hands and forearms, Eva looked from them to Oliver in disbelief. Upon seeing her white limbs glowing brightly from her fingers and hands up through her wrists and above her elbows, fading under her tank top, she whispered, "Enlightening."

"Actually, it is." Delta scrutinized the glow and looked from Oliver to Ravyn. "I think Eva boosted Ravyn during the attack, and I think she's drawing from Oliver now. How are you feeling now and before the attack?" She directed her questions to Eva.

"Super energized before I put my hands on Ravyn. That's why I did it and why I, uh . . . gave her my wrist. I felt a surge, and it just felt right. Like it was something I was supposed to do."

"Hmm. Driven by instinct maybe? Protection or self-preservation?"

"Afterward, I felt tired for a few seconds, but when Oliver touched me, I surged again. To be honest, I want to run around the room as fast as I can or jump on the bed and touch the ceiling." Eva gestured toward the bed, wondering if it was as comfortable as the one she'd been sleeping in or Oliver's? As the master of the house, surely his was more comfortable. Would he let her lie in it and test out the theory? Maybe she could lie in all the beds in his home and test out their comfort level? Did a vampire need a comfortable bed? Did they sleep in beds or coffins?

Her mind raced, peppered by question upon question. "I feel like I could climb a mountain or hell, even jump a mountain. And my mind can't slow down; it just keeps spinning and spinning." Waving her hands to articulate her point, she stopped mid-wave to study them, as if the appendages were somehow new to her. And they were; sort of, anyway.

What she couldn't say was that she didn't want Oliver to let go of her or to let go of the energy pulsating from him. It was all she could do just to stand there and not lean into him until his arms caught her up and held her tightly, filling her from head to toe in his delicious energy. She admitted, "I'm not really feeling like myself right now."

"You sound like a rechargeable battery. Taking energy in and letting it out, only you"re not using electricity." Tapping her finger on her mouth Delta, considered it all. "Interesting,"

Horrified, Eva asked, "Am I some sort of parasite?" The glowing dimmed as she stared at her hands in horror.

"No, no." Delta seemed to consider it, apparently not noticing Eva's horror. "Neither Boss Man nor Ravyn seemed harmed by this exchange . . . well, possible exchange. In fact, it clearly helped Ravyn in this instance."

Oliver shook his head and shrugged, as if the exchange hadn't affected him at all. Eva continued to resist the urge to pull the man holding her even closer, wrapping herself in him like a blanket of comforting, sexed-up, snapping, sparkling energy. He would be horrified. Ugh, it was horrifying; her thoughts were starting to alliterate! Focus.

"We're still working with hypothetical situations. I think if what I'm seeing is correct, it's more of a symbiotic exchange, perhaps mutualism, but we don't understand much about what's occurring. Reminder, people: it"s all conjecture until . . . well, until it's not. Exchanges of power potentially are positive to all the parties involved, and I'm not certain if you keep any of the power for yourself, or just enough for survival."

"These threads, these bonds need to be broken now," Oliver demanded, not noticing the hurt that surged though Eva. How could he act like she was a parasite, after Delta just said she wasn't? Was the idea of having a single thread to her so repulsive that he would endanger them all by having it destroyed? Did he even consider it would leave Ravyn vulnerable to whatever had attacked her? And maybe she'd misread the room, but she sort of thought Oliver had some interest or attraction to her, or at least thought enough of her to not recoil in disgust.

"Oliver," Ravyn said gently, "destroying it will just leave us all vulnerable. Right now, the only protection we may have are these bonds. If I have a soul still, that parasite was trying to attach itself to it. I feel that deeply."

"Yes, Eva can protect you. But who is protecting her? In this whole scenario, she's the only one apparently vulnerable! She's the only one who's nearly died from a hellhound attack. She's the only one whose home has been destroyed." Oliver's anger simmered in his voice as well as the air around him, so thick and heavy it nearly slapped Eva in the face. Unexpected relief flowed through her when she realized it was concern he felt about her, not disgust, but it also made her question why his opinion of her mattered so much to her.

Sebastian interjected with more than a tinge of anger and a hint of fear that he tried unsuccessfully to keep hidden. "Yes, but your friend Ravyn paid for your—for our—protection, and quite the sum, if I'm not mistaken. It has been promised to her. An oath was sworn." Looking toward Eva with a sneer that nearly crumbled her, he added, "We don't even know what kind of creature she is. Clearly, she's been in Ravyn's head. She could be lying about everything and is part of whatever plan there is to get to Ravyn. You're acting like some love-struck, smitten boy who can"t see past the tits in front of his face."

Oliver's eyes instantly went black, so quickly that Eva couldn't even react. With a roar, he leaped the few feet separating them, grasping a snarling, now choking Sebastian by the throat. "You dare threaten her? You dare question my loyalty?" Lifting him from the ground, Oliver snarled with fangs extended and enraged black eyes filled with blood as he held the man"s life in his hand. Kicking and thrashing, Sebastian's hands formed claws, fighting to rip Oliver's hands away from his throat.

With a shriek, Eva froze as Oliver tackled the larger, broader shifter with his lithe form. This couldn't end well, but for whom she wasn't sure. Shaking off the initial shock, she looked from Ravyn to Delta, speechless in her hope that one of the two would end this standoff before it turned deadly. Delta used the time to examine the split ends of her long hair and Ravyn simply rolled her eyes at the men.

"Sometimes they like to posture and pull this crap," Ravyn explained casually to Eva. Then, changing her tone to a near roar unlike Eva could have imagined from the woman, she screamed, "Boys! Stop! Now! You are frightening our guest and new friend Eva. Sebastian, quit spouting nonsense and quit provoking the man who quite literally signs your paycheck. I don't need you to speak for me. And Ollie, stop acting like a child ready to tear anyone apart who touches his toys."

Smiling apologetically at Eva, Ravyn shrugged, her tone once again calm. "Not that you're a toy, dear. I just like comparisons; it makes a monologue punchier, if I do say so." The actress gave a nod to her chosen profession.

Snapping her fingers at the other bodyguard and baring her teeth, Ravyn ordered, "Jake, take Thor for a walk around the perimeter to check things out and cool off. Put a leash on him if necessary." She lifted a chair with ease despite her small frame, sitting it back upright for her to sink down into as she raised a weary hand to her own head. When Sebastian moved to take a step toward her, she waved him off and snapped her fingers. "Now. I can't be around you when you're like this, and I'm fine. Jake, get him out of here. I dislike repeating myself."

"Yes, ma'am, and I'm not Jake," he grumbled under his breath, moving closer to the now still men, but not quite within striking distance, smoothing his hands uneasily down his khaki pants, uncomfortable with the idea of getting between the two.

"Oliver, come sit with me," Eva suggested, still feeling his anger. Although nothing like the initial blast that had caught her off-guard, it still simmered and snapped through her veins, waiting to once again boil over. Glancing down at the oversized sofa, which still lay on its back with cushions strewn about, she amended, "Maybe you can help me set up the sofa first, then we'll sit here and hear Delta out."

With another snarl, Oliver shoulder-checked Sebastian aside as he stomped toward the sofa. A low growl escaped the frustrated shifter as he left the room with Not-Jake after a long stare at Ravyn, who gestured again toward the door with her head and tense jaw that warned of a reckoning if he didn't listen.

Oliver picked the sofa up with ease, sitting it upright as well as another armless chair.

Eva dropped the cushions back in place, settled onto the edge of the sofa, and gestured for Oliver to join her, again keeping as much contact between them as possible while enjoying the feelings of comfort and protectiveness. She could feel Oliver relax against her, and the brush of him against her bare skin left her craving for more contact, more emotion. Biting the side of her cheek to ground herself, she allowed her hand to rest on his bare arm for a moment before it began moving almost of its own accord the length of his arm, enjoying the feel of his skin.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sincerely as black and red bled away from his dark blue eyes. "I don't . . . I normally don't lose control like that. My deepest apologies." Even if Eva hadn't been able to feel his shame and embarrassment through the link, the sincerity of his words was easily heard as he lowered his head. A part of her wondered if he'd apologized more tonight than he usually did. It struck her that he normally didn't do things he later regretted.

Delta let out a disgruntled noise and closed her eyes, rubbing her head as if warding off a headache. "By the goddess, if you would all just listen to me, we might actually get through what I've learned. I keep trying to sugar coat things, and it gets out of control. You three have a weird connection that is magnifying everyone's crap and causing all this craziness."

Another wave of the hand. Eyes still closed, she gestured toward Eva. "You're some sort of part-demon, part-human hybrid. Still working on the exact type, but it explains the fact that you can see hellhounds, and that you were born of a very human mother. Don't ask," she ordered. "I checked: her mother was human. Don't ask for more details. The details apparently bog us down, and I've had a very, very long seventy-two hours. I've spent more time with my mother than I have since I was seven. I've looked through old books until my eyes bled. I've listened to my sister twitter on and once my day off went kapuff, my D and D group went on a raid without me—idiots—and all of them died. So, I really can't handle any more of anything from you all. Capiche?" Opening her eyes, the young witch examined them all, waiting for a sign of agreement.

Eva's mouth gaped open, then closed, then opened again.

Ravyn appeared to examine her in an appraising way and found her acceptable since she nodded.

"The d-devil really is in the details," Eva stammered, not sure what else to say, then deciding maybe, just maybe she'd misheard Delta or this was all some witchy slang she wasn't understanding, she asked, "A demon? So, you really think I'm a demon?"

They existed? Demons were a thing? Truly? Despite the earlier speculation, it hadn't truly sunk in that she might not be human.

"Oh, no, just half or less maybe. Probably your missing daddy was full or half. Probably full, to be honest. Halflings don't last down here, and nod to your gram that you stayed hidden for as long as you did. But I would most definitely say you've got some demon blood running through you. Just your healing ability alone puts you in the supernatural category, but the fact that you were bit by a hellhound and survived the hellfire so long with minimal treatment puts you firmly in the demon camp. And unless you're lying about seeing the hellhounds up close and personal," Delta reminded her, "like sees like." Turning over a fallen chair, the young witch moved it closer to the three before picking up a large, leather-bound book from a pile near the door.

Settling down in the chair with the ancient book on her lap, she wiggled her fingers before opening it to a book-marked page. "I'd narrowed it down to three, maybe four choices, but this little interaction just knocked a couple off the list. I'm down to one, I think. Yes, I'm fairly sure it's this one. Drum roll . . ." Delta ordered. When no one complied, she sighed and continued, without giving up the fanfare, "I think you're part succubus."