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Chapter thirty-three

T hat night, we drank and partied like it would be our last. I hadn’t been separated from my family since we had all come together as one. I stopped myself from thinking about how much I would miss them and how worried I was about leaving. The faster I accomplished our objective, the faster we would be reunited.

Though the nymphs couldn’t fight worth shit, they knew how to throw a party. Brilliant light shows stretched across the sky while ribbons and streamers fluttered through the air. Their food was delicious, and the wine flowed freely the entire evening. The music was transcendent as we all bounced and moved to the lively compositions. Even Zerrial joined in.

Gen and I swung each other around, laughing and smiling while the wine and ambrosia took us on a trip. I decided she wasn’t too bad. She knew how to let go and have fun, which was always something I appreciated in an alfar. The nymphs around us began to get handsy as they celebrated the longest day of the year. Clothes began to come off and groups of them moved deeper into the woods.

Levos appeared, sliding his arms around me, his body swaying in sync with mine.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” he said, resting his head against my hair.

I laced my fingers with his, enjoying the feeling of him so close. “Mm, you’re going to get yourself killed, little Atros,” I said, turning around to face him. I slid my hands up his chest until I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Planning on taking another bite out of me?” he asked, a soft smile on his face as he leaned down until our noses touched.

“Azeer, I want to,” I whispered. The feeling of his body against mine was almost too much.

Levos slid his hand through my hair, grabbing a handful, pulling my head back. His golden eyes flickered in the moonlight. His expression was soft and relaxed while his eyes traveled around my face. “I’m not afraid of you,” he said softly.

“You should be,” I whispered, taking in a breath. His caramel fragrance made my mouth water.

He leaned down, brushing his soft, full lips against mine. A small whine escaped me. Levos chuckled against my lips.

“Stop fighting, and let me make you happy,” he said, pressing the sweetest kiss to my mouth.

He pulled away. I peered up into his eyes.

“I don’t know how to be …” I swallowed my pride. “… happy,” I admitted.

His hand stroked the side of my face, tracing down my neck intimately. “Well, I’d love to try, if you’d give me the honor.”

I moved his hand from my face, kissing it softly before stepping away. “We need to focus right now,” I said. “We can’t afford any distraction.”

He ran his hands over his face, exhaling. “You’re right, I know you are,” he said. “I just … I’ve never wanted another this badly before,” he admitted, laughing a bit. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I am going to take this mission seriously, I promise. No distractions.”

I laughed, taking a step towards him. “Thank you for understanding,” I whispered, kissing him gently on the cheek.

I turned away, heading to my hut. In the morning, we would leave, embarking on an impossible mission.

“Ready!” yelled the twins at the same time.

I looked back at Eren, not knowing what to say. I opened my mouth, but he shook his head.

“Don’t say it,” he said, not able to make eye contact with me. “Don’t say goodbye. This isn’t goodbye.”

I smiled, taking a step towards him. “Think of it as a vacation from my overly emotional crazy ass,” I offered, pushing him gently.

“It’s going to be quite boring without you,” he replied.

“Of course it will be. I expect you all to be miserable and bored without me.”

“I promise,” he said. He held out his arms and I raced into them. He squeezed me tight. “Please be careful.”

“I will, I promise,” I pulled away from him with tears in my eyes.

“Okay,” Doria said, carrying bundles of bags alongside her. “These provisions should last you all about two weeks. Hopefully you won’t be gone longer than that, but if you are, you’re on your own for food. I added a water filter in each pack along with a fire starter kit, bed rolls, and some essentials.”

I walked over to her. “Thank you,” I said. “I know you aren’t for this plan, but I appreciate your support and attention to detail when it comes to the survival sacks.”

“Well,” she replied, “trying to prevent you all from dying early on, at least. It’s the least I can do.” I rushed her, wrapping my arms around her small frame.

“Thank you, sister,” I whispered.

“Please be safe,” she said, pulling away. “And I swear, if you or any of the others get killed, I’ll bring you all back and torture the shit out of you.”

I laughed, grabbing a pack. “It’s a promise.”

Gen was behind me. She shrugged awkwardly. I wrapped her up in my arms, pulling her in.

“Take care of him for me, will you?” I said, nodding towards Eren.

“Always,” she replied. “And you do the same for Levos.”

“Deal.”

Zerrial was next, giving me a huge bear hug as only he could.

The twins were setting up the device. Levos joined them, slicing his hand and filling one side of their cylinder. Voz filled the other.

“Ready to make history?” Oz asked, turning towards me as Leenia joined my side.

“We’re fucking crazy,” Leenia commented, a dazed look on her face. We all laughed.

“Would we be us if we weren’t crazy?” I asked.

“We’d be fucking alive, I know that.”

I bumped her shoulder and we both laughed, stepping up to the males.

“Let’s get this shit over with,” said Leenia.

“Here goes nothing,” said Voz. He flipped the switch and turned a dial as the energy surged through the machine. A loud zap shot through the air, a metallic black and purple static door appearing in front of us. It vibrated, pulling the energy from the blood the males had provided.

Oz went to Eren, handing him the other beacon we would need to return home. Once we were all together, we loaded up our packs and weapons, looking at each other.

“Well,” said Oz, “here goes nothing.” He stepped through the rift, disappearing into thin air. Voz followed, then Leenia. I took one last look back at the rest of my family. They smiled, trying to hide their worry. I turned forward, looking at Levos.

He winked at me. “After you, little minnow,” he said.

I took a deep breath, stepping through the portal.

My body felt like it was being pulled apart at every joint. Electricity shot through me as I closed my eyes, locking my jaw to prevent a scream of pain from escaping. I held onto my bag and my weapons tightly, knowing they would be my saving grace. Finally, warm air flooded my lungs as I fell through the air.

Bam! My body hit the ground with a powerful force. I felt bruised and heavy, fighting to push myself up from the floor. I clenched my palms, feeling the warm grit of hot sand underneath them. I coughed, forcing myself up. We were in the middle of a desert. Orange and red sand surrounded us. Mounds of the crap created a dull and treacherous landscape. I looked around, finding Leenia and the twins gathering their stuff as they struggled to stand to their feet.

Bam! Levos slammed down next to me, moaning as he wiped the sand from his face. “Shit,” he grumbled.

“Right?” I turned to Voz and Oz. “You assholes didn’t warn us about that part,” I pushed myself up to stand, feeling as if I was being pulled back to the ground.

Voz came over, dragging his feet through the sand. “It appears,” he said, huffing, “that gravity works a little differently here.”

“No shit,” commented Leenia.

We pulled ourselves to our feet, looking out into the vast landscape of nothingness. Sand cut against my cheeks as three suns bore down upon us. The land was barren, without vegetation or wildlife. So foreign from our home. I took a deep breath, choosing a direction randomly, praying to Azeer we would find what we had come so far for.

And so, our journey began.