Chapter 5

He's insane. One against five? And he can't shift?

What the hell is a blood drinker? I urge Molmith onward, squeezing my legs around him and wishing I'd done something to keep in shape in the past few weeks. Squats. Squats would have been very helpful for sitting on this oversized excuse for a horse.

"Can you like, not make this so hard on me?" I grit out. To my surprise, Molmith's gait evens out, smoothing across the forest floor behind where Lesath disappeared. "Oh." I sigh in relief. "That's much better."

It's almost like he understood me… but that's impossible. He's a horse. A mean murder pony. It would be silly to think he understands anything but sugar cubes and blood baths.

The clang of steel-on-steel echoes through the forest, sending a flock of colorful birds winging from the trees, and more spinning out from the underbrush.

"Shit."

There are six of them. Blood drinkers, Lesath called them. I squint, trying to piece it together. There are three women, probably around my age, mid-twenties, huddled together, tied to the back of a horse. One of them is weeping openly, and the sight knocks the breath from me. This could have been me. I could have been one of these women, tied up by something Lesath said wants "nothing good" with these women.

Fuck that noise.

These women are in ripped jeans, one shivering in what could only be a swimsuit coverup, and another glaring daggers at the big warrior men fighting Lesath.

Lesath's horse rears back, and he jumps off in one fluid motion, just as the big grey warhorse crushes a man's skull as easily as an eggshell. When one hisses, fangs extending from his mouth, I flinch back. Disbelief wars with what I'm seeing in front of my eyes. Seeing is not believing, because it takes me a minute or more to grapple with what's unfolding before me.

My mouth drops open.

The blood drinkers are vampires. Fuuuuck. This is so not good.

Lesath dodges as one of the men goes for his neck, fangs nearly scraping the flesh there. He grunts, kicking the thing away before driving his sword into another. Blood spatters and his muscles bunch as he cuts through them, like a vicious dancer.

Jesus. He's… wow.

One of them falls, dark maroon blood staining the narrow game path, pooling around his nearly severed neck. I clap a hand to my mouth, gagging.

Beneath me, Molmith paws the ground, like he wants to get in on the action.

"Hell no," I whisper. "Stay put, dammit." I should've listened to Lesath. I don't want to see this. I don't want to be taken if Lesath isn't as good as he thinks he is. My gaze strays back to the trio of women, the shivering one sobbing quietly as the others shush her. One stares with wide eyes at the battle raging before us. It's oddly quiet, save for the vampires hissing and the sound of steel on steel as their swords clash.

It's disgusting. But it's clear from the bloodied and bruised faces of the women that these mother truckers are bad dudes. Real bad. Their wrists are swollen and bloodied from where they've been tied up, and they're wearing sneakers and flip-flops.

That jolts me back to reality.

They're from Earth. They've been captives. They're hurting and scared.

They're just like me.

Fuck these vampires. Fuck all of this.

I slip off the horse, none too gracefully, thudding into the green groundcover and sending up a swarm of strange pink bees.

"Go sting ‘em," I tell them, clearly out of my mind. "Molmith, do what you gotta do, buddy. I'm going after the women." I slap his flank, half-shocked when the bastard doesn't kick me into orbit.

He takes off, charging into the fray with hooves flying. I watch him, thunderstruck, for a second before turning back to where the women are tied behind a riderless horse. I race across to them, and they flinch back from me as I approach.

Goddammit. The hood and cape. I probably seem totally feral.

I push the hood back, and they stop cringing, except for the crying one, who can't seem to get it together. Which I get, I really do, but I'm trying to help, and I don't want the vampires to see me.

"Shhhh." I say, raising a finger to my lips. "I'm from Earth. Oklahoma, to be specific. And Dorothies, we aren't in Kansas anymore."

"No shit," one of the women manages through a makeshift gag, staring at me with too-bright eyes. At least, I think that's what she said. Her dark hair falls past her shoulders. It's greasy, like she's been a while without a bath. My hands clench at my sides. I stare at the rope anchoring them to the horse, at the bruises across their faces and arms, and think of Lana. My sister had bruises like that.

It sickens me, rage unfurling inside like a toxic flower.

"I hope those motherfuckers get their eyes picked out by crows while those bees sting the shit out of them. I wish that giant snake from Anaconda would snatch them up." It's nonsense, but I'm on a roll, and it's stopping them from crying. "What? I watched it really late one night with a ton of pizza rolls and a bottle of Andre Spumante. Good times." I shrug a shoulder, and the dark-haired girl stares at me. The other two are on the cusp of a total freak-out, their lips thin. They've been through hell.

I can relate.

"I need to get you free," I mutter, an eyebrow quirking up at the rope. I was never a girl scout, and knots have never been my thing. Feeding dog biscuits and coaxing animals into carriers? That I can do. Chugging espresso and making things work? That I've got. Charming my way in and out of situations? Check and check.

Untangling knots? Not so much. I spare a second to check on Lesath, but three out of the six vampires are dead now, or at least, they're bloody and not moving on the ground. It's pretty gross, so I don't watch for long. Not like I can help, anyway. Molmith is screaming, doing his best to assist Lesath as the murder horse he is at heart. At least someone's happy. Murder horse does what murder horse wants.

I bite my lip. "We have to get you free," I mutter. My hands trek over my waist, and surprise lights me up as I find the belt and dagger. I slap a hand to my forehead.

Who needs knot skills? Not me! Not with Lesath's knife. I pull it out, and one of the women gasps, tucking her face into another, until all I see is a cloud of curly brown hair. Slowly, I saw at the bindings, watching in satisfaction as the rope frays.

"Hey! Get away from them!" one of the vampires shouts. I glance up, unused to being screamed at, and then a dark shape passes overhead. Not the shade of leaves, either. This is a quick moving cloud, and when I glance up, I see it's not a cloud at all.

A flock of colorful birds descends into the space, screaming their fury, descending on the fight so fast that my vision blurs. One of the women screams, but I can't even speak. Feathers fly, and more than one bird drops to the ground, felled by a blade.

Then they're gone, as quick as they came, back to the skies and verdant greenery surrounding us.

The vampires are clutching their faces, howling at the skies. Eventually, one staggers, his arms hanging limp at their sides.

His eyes are bloody holes, gaping wide in pale faces.

I dry heave and turn away, the sickening thud of Lesath's blade slicing into skin and tendon cutting through the sound of their cries.

The birds stole their eyes. I repeat the thought to myself, over and over, as I cut through the women's bindings with shaking hands. It must be a coincidence.

It doesn't make any sense for it to be anything but a coincidence.

"Coincidence," I say, a manic giggle forcing its way out. "It's just a coincidence."

The women are all staring at me now, and they don't seem thankful.

They're freaked out.

So am I.

"So," I help one loosen her gag, and she throws it onto the ground. "How's it going?"

The dark-haired woman storms off, away from the still-crying woman and the one she's clinging to.

"Motherfuckers," she grits out.

"Wait, maybe don't," I start to say, but stop when she begins stomping her way across the bodies, punting one of the heads into the woods, where it bounces against a tree trunk.

"Ah, right," I say, completely dumbfounded. Shrugging, I turn back to the other women, helping them pull the wreckage of the rope from their wrists. Well, it's not like I blame her. If I hadn't been weak as a newborn kitten when I got out of that tower, I would've liked to use Lesath's head for soccer practice too.

"Oh shit," one of them gasps, her brown eyes wide.

I turn to see the dark-haired woman pull a sword from the ground and stab it through one of the already dead bodies.

"Go get ‘em, tiger," I yell, pumping a fist. "Way to show them."

Lesath's eyes catche mine, and our gaze meets for a split-second before he returns to the fight, barely managing to block a blow from one of the remaining vampires.

When I return my attention to the two women, they're staring at me like I've grown two heads. I pat my shoulder, just to be sure, then realize I'm waving the dagger around willy-nilly and tuck it back into the sheathe.

"Who… who are you?" The redhead asks, her green eyes huge in her face.

"Oh. This is a shitty meet and greet, huh? Takes some getting used to. I'm Ali. You're safe now." I scrunch my nose, staring up at the trees as I think that statement through. "Well, safer, at least. We'll get you someplace that those vampires won't bother you again." Hopefully.

"Where are we?"

"Vraya. It's a separate dimension…" My voice trails off, because I don't want to be the one telling them they can't ever get home again. That's not good news. I don't like giving bad news. It's one of the reasons I never wanted to finish vet school. I didn't want to disappoint people, much less tell them a terrible diagnosis. My gaze swings sideways, to where Lesath, spattered in blood, chest-heaving, is walking towards us. To be fair, I don't give a shit about disappointing him. Progress!

"We aren't getting home, are we?" The crying woman wipes her eyes, straightening her back slightly.

I wince. "Probably not."

"Thank you," the redhead breathes, and I start to tell her not to worry about it, when I realize her gaze is fixed just behind my shoulder. On Lesath. Her pretty green eyes are wide, and despite the fact she's dirty and her fiery red hair's a total mess, it's clear she's gorgeous.

An uncomfortable emotion ripples through me.

Lesath dips his head. "Welcome to Vraya. You're safe now."

I roll my eyes. When he says it, it sounds like he means it, and the two women opposite us both breathe an audible sigh of relief. How fucking obnoxious.

"Are they?" Acid drips from my question, and both women's attention swings back to me. I clear my throat, mad at myself for freaking them out more. "I mean, you will be once we get you out of these woods!" I spread my hands wide and chuckle like it's no big deal.

Behind me, I hear the sound of flesh meeting shoe, and another vampire head rolls past my feet. The redhead stares at it, then back up at us.

"You saved us," she says softly, her eyelashes fluttering as she takes in Lesath. My gaze slides to where she's looking, and irritation rankles me. Of course he just got done butchering those vampires, and yet here he is, hot and devilish as ever. Maybe even hotter than usual, thanks to the fact his stupid shirt is slashed, revealing more skin and muscle.

"Of course I did. It's our duty to protect and preserve our people."

The redhead steps closer, and I bite my lower lip. Maybe this is my way out. Maybe I can push her at him, and these two will live happily ever after, and she can give him all the scorpion babies their hearts desire.

Rage fires through me, and I step in front of Lesath. Probably adrenaline. I mean, seeing that kind of violence is unusual for everyone but John Wick. Or Buffy. Whatever. When his hands touch down on my shoulders, though, I don't flinch away.

"What's your name?" I ask her, deflecting her attempt to get closer to Lesath. Regaining my faculties, I shrug off his touch. Or try to. He drops his hands, but scoots closer to me, his chest against my shoulders. "How'd y'all get here?"

"I'm Lyn," the curly haired crier says, her eyes wide. Gah, I hope she's not going into shock. I know firsthand how much that sucks.

"Cassie," says the redhead. "And that's Gisele."

There's a crunch, and a severed arm flies past our group. I wrinkle my nose as it smacks into the underbrush, only the fingers visible.

"She's been wanting to do that for a while," Lyn mutters.

"Don't blame her one bit." Truthfully, yes, but also, gross.

"We all have," Cassie admits, but she's not asking me, nope, she's staring at Lesath again.

I laugh, staring her down. "I get it. This one locked me in a tower without food or water for nearly a week after I woke up here." I elbow him in the gut playfully, hard enough to hear him blow out a breath. Okay, maybe not so playfully.

Cassie stares at me, and Lyn lets out a little whimper.

"You said her name was Gisele?" Lesath asks thoughtfully, turning back toward the woman hacking at dead vampire parts. Her face is coated in blood, and it runs down her hands from the blade.

"Maybe you should date her," I tell him angrily. "You two would get along really well."

"Date her? She appears about your age." Lesath's brow is furrowed, his confusion about the term as annoying as everything else about him. I throw my hands up in frustration.

"He's available?" Cassie asks hopefully. "He's not your boyfriend? Or husband? Or something?"

"He's not my boyfriend," I start to say, but Lesath's arms circle around me, holding me tight. His spicy fragrance envelops me, and I breathe it in even as I struggle against his hold.

"She's my mate. Forever," he interrupts. "I know this is not your world, so we will do our best to explain Vraya to you as we take you to Idiene Fieldhouse."

"Mate?"

"I thought you said they couldn't make time or room for me." I whirl around, jabbing a finger into his chest. His hard, muscled chest. I jab it again. Yep. Very muscular.

"Idiene Fieldhouse is the safest and closest place for them. Dabin and Danielle can figure it out."

"We can't go home, can we?" Gisele rejoins our circle, sweat beading on her skin, a ferocious expression on her face. What I can see of her face, anyway, considering it's spattered in blood.

I wring my hands, out of sorts. "No, and I'm really sorry about that, honestly, I feel terrible you're here too."

Gisele stares at me, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault, is it?"

"No." I smooth my hair behind my ears. "No, of course it isn't. I just know what it's like to find yourself here, unexpectedly, is all."

"It was unexpected," Lyn agrees, and Cassie nods her head. "I was swimming—I'd just gotten dried off and ready to leave the beach, and then," she shrugs. "I was here. And then the vampires were here, and then, and then," her words break off, and she shudders, turning from the carnage. She starts crying again, and I can make out some muffled words about never getting home.

That explains her clothes, at least.

"I was out on my horse. When I woke up, I thought I'd been thrown… but nothing was hurt. And I wasn't at home," Cassie adds, a faraway look in her eyes.

"I was doing inventory at my bar," Gisele says, slightly manic. "Those fuckers got the drop on me as soon as I realized I wasn't in my bar anymore." She spits in the direction of the vampires.

I glance back at Lesath, trying to figure out what to say to make it better. To make them feel better. I don't know why I'm looking at him, though. That asshole only knows how to piss people off.

"You got a shitty welcome, that's for sure. All right. So, Earth is gone. This is Vraya. There are all kinds of magical things. Men that can turn into animals. Magic." I pause, because that's pretty much all I know. "Vampires, obviously, and ah, these big nasty winged things you don't want to get close to you. They're called harbingers and they want to eat us."

"Dragons?" Cassie asks hopefully, her eyes huge in her heart-shaped face.

"Uh—" I pause.

Lesath shrugs. "Used to be."

"Right. Okay, well, since you're here, it means you're like me. They call us the Starbound. We have stardust in our blood, which means we have magic."

"Shut up," Cassie says, taking this all really well. Honestly, she's annoying me. Too perky. And she keeps glancing at Lesath.

I frown. Which is fine. Let her. What do I care?

"She didn't really mean to shut up." Gisele's wiping her face with her t-shirt, which really, is only making matters worse. I don't want to tell her that, though, considering she's clearly very violent right now.

"Yeah, we have magic?—"

"Is that how you got those birds to peck their eyes out? That was so cool. Disgusting, but cool. They deserved it."

Lesath shifts behind me at the question, his hand bracketing my bicep before I can shake him off.

"What?" I'd forgotten about the birds. "No, no, we won't get to use our magic, because this place is also a misogynistic beatdown, and you have to, ahem, have relations with your fated mate to get your powers. And then you're theirs, forever. And ever. And ever." I sigh, staring up at the small patch of sky visible through the trees. Behind me, Lesath's chest rumbles, and even though he's stifling it, I can tell he's laughing at me.

"Have relations?" Lyn asks, sniffling.

Gisele snorts. "Do you mean sex? Having sex? Doing the horizontal mambo? Doing the hanky-panky? Tapping that ass? Shaking the sheets? Doing it all for the nookie?"

"Jesus christ," I mutter.

"Bisecting the triangle? Screwing? Putting the devil in hell?" Gisele continues, still smearing blood around her face.

"Fucking!" I screech. "Yes, I mean fucking your fated mate!"

"Why didn't you just say so?" Gisele asks. I glare at her. I'm pretty sure I know why they gagged her and not the others.

"That's so romantic," Cassie sighs.

Aghast, I blink at her, and her hand is over her heart, her face the personification of the heart eyes emoji. "You don't get to choose. The stars choose for you. It's messed up."

She reaches for my wrist, her nose scrunched up. "I don't think you understand how tired I am of online dating. It's really romantic."

"I guess." It's really not romantic. Nothing about this is romantic. But who am I to burst her bubble? She's probably just riding an adrenaline high.

"It's not romantic. And what if I don't like men?" Gisele asks. Her hands are on her hips, and she's apparently given up on cleaning the vampire blood off.

I shrug. "I have no idea."

"You won't have a male fated mate, obviously." Lesath's voice rumbles against my back.

"So this isn't about procreation?" Gisele asks, an eyebrow quirked. "I do like men, sometimes, but I do not like babies."

"You're immortal. Immortals have no need of quick or plentiful procreation. The stars choose the mate who is best for you, the best chance of protecting the power of the Houses."

"And you're his fated mate?" Cassie asks me, her heart eyes practically bulging out of her face. "You're so lucky."

I give her a tight smile, even though I'd much rather stop talking about Lesath and me.

There is no Lesath and me. Nope. Never will be.

Lyn shivers, finally done crying again.

"We need to get her somewhere safe," Lesath says. "You all need a hot meal and a roof over your heads. These woods should be safe, so close to my home. Much has changed."

The women share a perplexed look, but I don't bother explaining. I'm too irritated at Cassie to tell her anything else, especially that Lesath's been a scorpion for a century and that he's apparently cursed.

Definitely not a part of the welcome wagon spiel.

"Let's get their horses and go," Cassie says, batting her eyelashes like she's in a mascara commercial.

"I can't ride," Lyn says, scooching away from me. I frown, then realize Molmith's just over my shoulder. Blood coats his hooves, and his lips are curled back again like he's not had enough violence today.

"My neck isn't a carrot, you murder pony," I tell him. "You're scaring her. Cool it."

To Lyn, I say, "It's easy. Honestly. If I can do it, anyone can."

"Just like a nee-sahn," Lesath adds unhelpfully.

"Did he just compare riding that thing to a car?" Gisele tips her head back and laughs. "I guess people die in car accidents, too, huh?" She laughs harder, like this is the funniest thing she's ever heard.

"That's not helping," I tell her. "Listen, just ride with Lesath. Hop up on his gray horse with him, and he'll make sure you don't fall off."

Lesath's gaze darkens.

"We need to get moving, don't we?" I shrug him off. I might be scared of his scorpion, but he can't shift into it. I probably should be scared of him, considering how he just took down half a dozen vampires, but he's too irritating to be afraid of.

Cassie's made quick work of rounding up the vampire's horses, and they're placid and calm, nothing like Molmith or Lesath's gray. Cassie holds one still as Gisele mounts up, as Lesath ties the rest of the horses together. I don't think that's the right word, but one morning on horseback does not a professional horse wrangler make. Not just like a Nissan, after all.

Cassie, despite the dirt and bruises, mounts her horse gracefully, her red hair swinging behind her. I frown at her back, then return to staring at my saddle, which seems higher up than earlier. Molmith casts a baleful eye at me and snorts, clearly finding my efforts hilarious.

"Here," Lesath says, and before I can slap his obnoxious hands away, he's lifting me into the saddle like I weigh nothing at all.

"Thank you," I say reflexively, then clamp my lips shut. Clearly, the women we rescued aren't the only ones affected by adrenaline.

His hand strokes across my thigh, and heat floods through me, his touch answering something my body's been asking for weeks now.

"Don't touch me." The words come out breathy and low, completely missing the bitchiness I aimed for.

Instead of arguing, Lesath simply turns away without a word. He easily mounts the gray horse and pulls Lyn in front of him.

Distress tugs at my chest as I follow him, Cassie bringing up the rear as she expertly leads the string of riderless horses behind her.

I grit my teeth.

Cassie's wrong. There's nothing romantic about this feeling.