▪︎ Chapter 106 ▪︎ “Please don’t sound so excited,”

Ophelia looked toward the tightly shut windows with a faintly worried expression.

The blast of air that had swept across the city several hours earlier had startled her enough that she'd nearly crossed the room on instinct. 

The windows had rattled, the walls had groaned, and for several seconds she'd wondered whether something enormous had exploded somewhere beyond the city.

Nothing followed immediately.

Diana's presence had helped take her mind off it, at least until the warnings began.

Stay indoors.

Avoid unnecessary travel.

Do not approach the outskirts of the city.

The instructions had repeated often enough that Ophelia had gradually become less interested in obeying them and considerably more interested in discovering what exactly everyone was being warned about.

Another distant series of cracks reached her ears.

Ophelia tilted her head.

Gunfire.

It was far away. So far, in fact, that she suspected she wouldn't have heard anything at all if she were human. 

Even with vampire hearing, the sealed windows and walls reduced the sounds to faint pops that could almost be mistaken for something else.

Then came a deeper boom.

Ophelia's pointed ears twitched.

"That one was bigger."

Diana glanced toward her while pulling on a jacket. Her lustrous golden hair spilled over the collar as she worked one arm into a sleeve. "You've been listening to them for the last twenty minutes."

"I've been listening longer than that."

"I know."

Ophelia glanced at her.

Diana finished pulling the jacket on and adjusted it around herself. "I'll follow you wherever you're going."

Ophelia's red eyes narrowed slightly. "No."

Diana paused.

"I'm leaving you here."

"No."

Ophelia blinked.

Diana's bright blue eyes met hers without wavering. "I'm going with you."

"Absolutely not."

"I'm worried you'll get hurt."

That earned an immediate reaction.

Ophelia straightened proudly, puffing out her chest as though Diana had just delivered a profound insult. "I'm a vampire."

"I know."

"It is not your place to worry about me."

Diana stared at her.

Ophelia lifted her chin.

"You worry about me."

"That's different."

"Why?"

"Because you're my Thrall."

"And?"

"And I'm a vampire."

"You already said that."

"It remains relevant."

Diana folded her arms. "If you weren't worried I might get hurt when I went outside later, you wouldn't be trying to leave me here."

Ophelia opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

She closed it.

Diana's expression became just slightly smug.

Ophelia hated that expression.

Mostly because Diana had earned it.

After a moment, Ophelia turned away and crossed her arms beneath her chest. "I am a vampire. No matter what happens out there, I won't die easily."

"Not easily isn't the same as can't."

Ophelia's ears angled backward.

She turned again, her long dark-purple hair shifting around her. "I don't want to discover the limits of a Thrall's regeneration using your life."

There was no teasing in her voice now.

Diana's expression softened slightly, but she didn't back down. "And I don't want to find out how much it takes to kill a vampire using yours."

Ophelia's eyes narrowed.

"You're strong," Diana continued. "You're very strong. I know that. But you're not invincible."

"I am considerably closer than you."

"That's not the same thing."

Ophelia's lips parted enough to show the tips of her fangs.

Diana continued anyway. "We met other vampires on the way here. Some of them had lost companions."

That struck harder than Ophelia wanted it to.

Their journey to the Unified Sovereignties had been long. Forests, towns, cities, coastlines, and eventually ocean had passed beneath or around them. 

They'd encountered other vampires along the way, sometimes only briefly. Most had been fine. 

Some traveled alone, some with humans, and others with vampires they'd found after the Divergence.

But there had been stories.

Rare ones.

A vampire who hadn't reached shelter before sunrise.

Another caught by soldiers who'd learned that keeping one incapacitated until morning was considerably easier than trying to kill her outright.

One group that had been smaller than it used to be.

Vampires were extraordinarily difficult to kill.

Difficult wasn't impossible.

Ophelia growled.

The sound was low and distinctly displeased, her fangs fully extending as she bared them at Diana.

Diana didn't so much as flinch.

Ophelia's growl ended in a frustrated huff. Her fangs retracted and her lips curled into a pout.

"If you want to follow me so badly, you're welcome to do so."

Diana smiled.

"Don't look so pleased."

"I'm not."

"You're smiling."

"I can't help my face."

"Yes, you can."

Diana's smile widened.

Ophelia looked away.

She began tapping one finger against her opposite arm while waiting for the sun to finish its slow descent. 

She could feel its presence outside without needing to expose herself to it. 

Every instinct encouraged patience, but the increasingly frequent sounds from beyond the city made patience irritating.

Investigating could be dangerous.

Staying here could also be dangerous.

That was ultimately what undermined her entire argument.

If she forced Diana to remain in the city and flew off alone, only to return and discover that whatever was happening had reached this neighborhood, she'd never forgive herself. 

The image of Diana injured—or worse, dead—while Ophelia had been somewhere else because she'd insisted leaving her behind was safer made the entire idea suddenly ridiculous.

At least if Diana remained with her, Ophelia knew exactly where she was.

Ophelia glanced sideways.

Diana caught her looking.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're still worried."

"I am reconsidering whether I should throw you into a locked room."

Diana laughed softly. "I'd get out."

"I'd lock it very well."

"I'd still get out."

Ophelia's lips twitched despite herself. "Stubborn."

"So are you."

"Yes, but I'm allowed."

Diana shook her head and stepped closer.

Outside, another distant boom rolled across the city.

This time, neither of them smiled.

───

Lavinia could feel the excitement building inside her as the sun approached the horizon.

She wasn't sure excitement was entirely appropriate considering what was happening beyond Oakridge, but appropriateness had never had much influence over vampire instincts.

Violetta paced across the room.

That alone was enough to tell Lavinia things had worsened.

The purple-haired vampire crossed one side of the lounge, turned, then came back. 

Her expression shifted somewhere between concern and lingering disbelief as she listened to another report.

Lavinia had been surprised too.

Artillery.

The military was using artillery against wildlife.

She'd initially assumed Violetta was exaggerating until she'd heard enough scattered reports herself to understand that the animals weren't merely large.

Apparently, "twice as large" hadn't applied evenly to everything created by the Second Divergence.

The spiders were the part Lavinia disliked.

Two feet tall was already unacceptable.

Nine feet tall was offensive.

And there were apparently enough of them to swarm defensive positions.

Rosaline had finally switched off the radio nearly an hour earlier after deciding that listening to increasingly frantic reports while being physically incapable of helping was accomplishing nothing except stressing Violetta.

Violetta had protested.

Rosaline had ignored her.

For once, everyone else had sided with Rosaline.

Lavinia looked down at her hands and extended her nails.

They were elegant even at their full length, more like polished weapons than anything human. She flexed her fingers thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure how we're supposed to fight giant spiders."

Evangeline looked toward her. "Hit them?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm serious." Lavinia turned her hand over, studying her delicate fingers. "I don't think my nails are going to cut it if we're dealing with a literal swarm of wildlife."

"They'll cut the spiders," Valerie said.

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know."

Lavinia retracted her nails and leaned back.

Something nagged at her.

It wasn't exactly a memory.

She looked toward Violetta. "How far away is the nearest manor or castle?"

Violetta stopped pacing.

"The one we visited is almost sixty miles from Oakridge."

"Is there one closer?"

Violetta thought for a moment. "There's another manor approximately twenty miles away."

Evangeline's expression brightened with understanding before anyone else spoke. "You want the armory."

Lavinia pointed at her. "Yes."

They hadn't even considered the idea of an armory during their earlier exploration because there hadn't been a need for weapons.

The manor they'd visited had possessed an armory, but at the time, weapons had seemed unnecessary and they hadn't thought of them. They were vampires. 

Their hands were already more dangerous than most weapons humans could carry, and nothing in the manor had threatened them.

Now the thought of entering the armory felt obvious.

Lavinia couldn't have explained exactly why.

She knew what would be there.

Not the individual weapons or their exact arrangement, but the knowledge sat inside her with the same peculiar certainty she'd experienced with other parts of vampirism. 

Nobody had taught her how to extend her wings. Nobody had explained how her blood could heal humans or create Thralls. Some things simply became available when they were relevant.

Weapons intended for vampires were one of those things.

She looked around.

Nobody appeared confused.

That confirmed it.

Violetta's gaze became distant for a moment before she nodded. "Even if everything in the armory is a cold weapon, taking the detour may be worthwhile."

Valerie tilted her head. "I wouldn't mind using a gun."

"You'd run out of ammunition," Lavinia said.

"That's what I was thinking." Valerie tucked some orange hair behind one pointed ear. "From everything we've heard, shooting things works perfectly well. The problem seems to be that there are more things than bullets people conveniently have loaded."

Adelaide nodded. "And human firearms aren't designed around our strength anyway. If we're going to the defensive lines, we'd probably be more useful with weapons actually meant for us."

"Exactly."

Violetta looked toward the clock.

The last direct sunlight was disappearing.

Everyone felt it.

Lavinia smiled.

The excitement inside her peaked as the sun finally slipped beneath the horizon.

Almost immediately, the atmosphere changed.

Everyone rose.

There was no need for Violetta to order them into motion. Dresses were straightened, phones secured, hair briefly adjusted, and whatever small preparations each vampire considered necessary were completed quickly.

They'd been waiting for this all afternoon.

Ten minutes later, they were ready.

Violetta reached the exterior door first.

Lavinia stood just behind her with Gwendolyn practically pressed against one shoulder and Valerie beside the other. 

Evangeline looked almost cheerful about the prospect of fighting giant animals, which Lavinia decided was concerning even by vampire standards.

Violetta opened the door.

Cool evening air entered the safehouse.

Then every vampire stopped.

Wings.

The sound came from overhead.

Heavy, rhythmic flaps were followed by the rush of displaced air as something descended toward the building.

Lavinia stepped outside and looked up.

A vampire dropped from the darkening sky.

Her wings spread broadly to slow her descent, long dark-purple hair streaming behind her. 

Some of it had been gathered into a neat, loose braid, while the rest flowed freely around her shoulders and back.

She wasn't alone.

A golden-haired woman rested in her arms in a princess carry, one arm curled around the vampire's shoulders.

The stranger landed.

Her wings folded and disappeared.

For one brief moment, everyone stared.

Then every pair of empty red eyes lit up.

The reaction was immediate and mutual.

Lavinia felt it before she'd consciously processed anything else. Another vampire. A stranger, technically, yet the word felt inadequate almost instantly.

Gwendolyn visibly bounced once beside her.

Lavinia caught her arm.

"Don't."

"But—"

"Give her five seconds."

Gwendolyn looked genuinely pained by the restriction.

The newcomer noticed.

Her lips twitched.

She bowed gracefully, her long hair shifting with the motion.

The scent reached them.

Orchids and cinnamon.

"My name is Ophelia."

Her voice carried a dry composure that somehow matched her expression perfectly.

She adjusted the woman in her arms slightly. "And this is Diana. My friend and Thrall."

Diana lifted one hand in greeting. "Hello."

Lavinia's eyes flicked between them.

Thrall.

She'd known they existed, obviously. Yet this was the first time she'd stood directly in front of one for more than a passing encounter.

Diana looked almost entirely human.

Almost.

Golden hair framed a strikingly beautiful face, and her bright blue eyes immediately distinguished her from every vampire surrounding her. 

She was alive in all the little ways they weren't, though there was something subtly different about her presence compared with an ordinary human.

Ophelia looked over the group.

Her gaze paused on Violetta, then Lavinia, then wandered across everyone else.

For a second, her composed expression softened.

Gwendolyn bounced again.

Ophelia looked at her.

Gwendolyn smiled brightly.

"You want to hug me, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Gwendolyn," Lavinia warned.

Ophelia stared at the white-haired vampire for another moment before sighing. "Later."

Gwendolyn seemed delighted that later was an option.

Violetta stepped forward. "Violetta."

"Lavinia."

"Valerie."

Introductions rapidly followed around them, names passing from vampire to vampire while Ophelia listened.

When they finished, Ophelia nodded toward the distant sounds of gunfire.

"I would love to talk."

A distant explosion punctuated the sentence.

Ophelia's eyes shifted toward it.

"But things seem rather short on time."

"Very," Violetta said. "Wildlife from the Diverged Lands is moving toward the city. We're heading to a nearby manor first."

Ophelia's eyebrows rose. "The armory?"

Lavinia smiled.

"I like her."

Ophelia gave her a sideways glance. "I'm relieved."

Violetta looked at Diana. "We're flying."

"I assumed."

Ophelia adjusted her grip beneath Diana's knees. "She'll be with me."

Diana looked smug.

Ophelia looked down at her. "Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"Your face did."

Lavinia laughed.

For a moment, despite the distant gunfire and everything happening beyond Oakridge, the gathering felt strangely natural.

Then Violetta spread her wings.

The others followed.

Great leathery wings emerged through self-repairing black dresses one after another, stretching outward until the area around the safehouse became crowded with overlapping spans.

Ophelia's wings emerged again.

Diana tightened her arms around her.

"Hold on."

"I've crossed an ocean with you."

"And you complained."

"You dove underwater."

"The sun was up."

"You left me floating by myself."

"You survived."

"Barely."

"You were perfectly fine."

Violetta launched first.

Lavinia followed.

The ground dropped away almost instantly as powerful wingbeats hurled them upward. 

Valerie rose beside her, Gwendolyn close behind, and the others quickly joined them.

Ophelia took off last, carrying Diana securely against her chest.

Within seconds, the safehouse was below them.

Oakridge spread beneath the group, lights glowing throughout the city despite the occasional strange flicker. 

From altitude, the situation at the outskirts became far more obvious.

Flashes of gunfire dotted the distance.

Smoke rose from several positions.

Vehicle lights formed lines along roads leading toward the edges of the city.

Beyond them was darkness.

The Diverged Lands stretched outward beneath the evening sky, an immense wilderness that hadn't existed less than a week ago.

Lavinia could see movement within it.

A lot of movement.

Her smile slowly disappeared.

"Oh."

Valerie flew closer. "What?"

"I think I understand why Violetta was worried."

The forest itself seemed to move in places.

Not trees.

Animals.

Too many to count from this distance, pouring through gaps in the canopy and across open patches of terrain toward Oakridge.

A distant flash erupted near one defensive line.

Several seconds later, the sound reached them.

Artillery.

Evangeline's eyes brightened. "That's a lot."

"Please don't sound so excited," Adelaide called.

"I didn't mean to."

"You absolutely did."

Lavinia angled her wings and accelerated.

Twenty miles.

At their speed, the manor wouldn't take long to reach.

The others followed, their formation stretching slightly as they left Oakridge behind and shot toward the Diverged Lands.

Eleven vampires flew through the evening sky.

Below them, the Tide continued toward the city.

Diana