Page 25 of Blood Sings (Beyond the Gloom #1)

Selena yanked at her leather sleeves, the zipper’s teeth gnashing as she rolled them up to her elbows. “What’s next? Cooking their meals and tucking them in at night?”

She plunged into the knee-deep icy water, attacking the soiled pants as if they’d insulted her work. The spray and flood of muttered curses silenced the chorus of crickets and frogs hiding in the bank.

I bit my lip, stifling a snort. “I think cooking’s the last thing they’d expect. Besides, you couldn’t handle mortal food if it came with step-by-step instructions and a personal chef.”

Three weeks had slipped by since we’d fled the Republic. Six more sorties with the Black Guild had left me bone-weary but alive—and so was everyone else. Praise Derzelas for small favors. The missions had been a crucible, forging my control over the Stalkers in ways I could’ve never hoped to achieve. I felt my magic hum through me in waves of strength I’d never experienced.

Harbinger, though… He remained an enigma, his knack for predicting Stalker attacks both infuriating and fascinating. We’d found common ground, if you could call shifting sands stable. He’d started to harmonize with me, actually listening to my ideas during strategy meetings. Sometimes, I’d catch a glimmer of something in those scarlet-gold eyes. Not quite contempt, definitely not approval. Perhaps curiosity? I couldn’t be certain—it vanished too quickly to name.

Even when he ignored my suggestions—which was often—I counted it as progress. Baby steps. I dipped my hands in the water, scrubbing at a stubborn stain. Humans, I reminded myself, hadn’t built their empires in a day. And neither could we.

Selena tossed the still-dirty slacks into the basket by our boots. “Hey!” she snapped, stretching to retrieve another piece of laundry from the pile beneath the willow tree. “You didn’t complain when you stuffed your face with my Red Brownies!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I quipped, then noticed what she held in her hands. I pressed my lips together, trapping the laughter bubbling in my throat.

Selena’s face was a study in dawning horror as she looked down.

Her eyes widened, mouth slackening as if trying to form words her brain couldn’t quite process. No sounds came out. She examined the black male boxers in the soft lantern light, her left eye twitching spasmodically. Then her nose wrinkled, lip curling over her fangs in a look of such utter revulsion that it nearly sent me doubling over.

Her screech echoed off distant, snow-capped peaks. “Ugh! I touched that!” The offending garment flew, landing on the rocks with a wet slap.

“That’s it!” she yelled, throwing her hands up. “I quit! I’d rather sunbathe than wash another stitch of their underwear!”

“Careful, pureblood,” Phoenix called out, her grin stretching to her ears. “Wouldn’t want you catching cooties or anything.”

Selena’s response was swift and decidedly non-verbal, involving a certain finger and a lot of feeling.

I lost it then. Tears streamed down my face as I burst into laughter.

“Et tu, Brutus?” Selena rounded on me, jabbing an accusing finger in my direction.

I raised an eyebrow, still chuckling. “What? It was funny. A little laundry won’t kill you. You’ve survived worse.”

Ember dove into the lake, veins igniting like bioluminescent deep-sea creatures. Her fire magic pulsed through the water, bubbled, and sent up spirals of steam that condensed into a ghostly fog around us. The high-waisted drawers she had on puffed up, bobbing behind her like a Victorian cotton buoy as she glided beneath the floating laundry.

Phoenix arched her back, stretching her arms skyward. Electric-blue sparks crackled between her fingertips before she plunged her hands into the lake. A fresh wave of steam billowed up, carrying her scent of roasted marshmallows. Unlike the other balaur, Phoenix wore garments from this century: a black sports bra paired with low-slung maroon cargo pants, both now plastered to her body and dripping water.

Selena’s hand shot out, sending a spray of icy water into my distracted face. The shock of cold made me gasp, droplets clinging to my eyelashes.

“I’m putting my foot down, A!” she growled. “I didn’t claw my way through decades of military bureaucracy and Healing Corps bullshit to end up as some halfblood’s laundry wench!”

I wiped my cheeks, the spark of stubborn challenge in Selena’s eyes almost worth the impromptu face wash. “No one’s forcing you, but if we want to stay, we pull our weight. Come on,” I nodded toward the discarded boxers. “Show me that famous pureblood pride. Pick those up.”

Her glare could’ve frozen the entire Black Sea. “I. Loathe. You,” she hissed, reaching for the willow. Branches snapped under her grip, startling a nightjar into a hasty flight. Frogs leaped for safety, creating tiny splashes in the pond.

Twisting the twigs into a makeshift rod, Selena stomped to shore. Her leather suit creaked as she bent, gingerly hooking the briefs. Tears of mirth blurred my vision.

Pearl hid her amusement behind her hand, but the balaurs, less tactful, giggled shamelessly.

“Over here, Lieutenant!” Gale called. Her infectious smile matched the excited flutter of her coppery wings. “I’ll lend a hand, just this once.”

Selena’s arm blurred, swinging her improvised bat. The underwear sailed through the air, a dark kite against the moonlit sky. Gale snatched it mid-flight, balled it up, and tossed it to Pearl.

The varva’s hands became a whirlwind of motion, conjuring a soapy bubble that smelled of homemade lavender bars. It intercepted the ‘ball,’ tumbling it for one, two, three seconds before flinging the now-clean boxers into a small vortex swirling on the bank.

Two minutes, start to finish.

“Show-offs,” Selena muttered, a reluctant smirk hovering on her lips.

Pearl’s shoulders stiffened. Her hand flew to the transmitter, her enchanting giggle cutting off. “Understood, Captain.” She glanced first at Selena, then at me, letting a vixen smile curl her lips. “Almost finished. Our guests could use a little more time.” She winked, then murmured in the softest voice, “Stay on the line for a bit.”

Raising her voice, Pearl hollered, “Our stern-faced captain just called, ladies. Dinner’s ready.”

I froze.

Water lapped at my calves. A faint alarm bell rang in the back of my mind. Why would Pearl lie about Harbinger still being on the line? Curiosity got the best of me. Meeting Selena’s gaze, I gave a subtle nod and brushed the crystal at my nape. Initiate Harmonization. Set target, Outlier Pearl. Open link, Lieutenant Selena Popescu.

The connections blossomed in my mind like moonflowers blooming at twilight, eclipsing Harbinger’s spectral presence. Warmth spread through my chest, accompanied by an electric tingle of anticipation.

My gamble paid off—the Transmitters were malfunctioning again, just in time to catch Harbinger’s grumble. His voice, deep and irritated, sent a conflicting wave of excitement and apprehension through me in a shiver.

“Pearl, I don’t have time for this.”

Pearl ignored him.

Ember erupted from the lake as if chased by a river monster, an empty laundry basket clutched to her chest like a shield.

“Whoa, Ember.” Pearl chuckled, waggling her eyebrows. “Careful not to break your neck. We might need to orchestrate some alone time for you two next laundry day.”

The balaur’s face flushed crimson. She fumbled with the basket, nearly dropping it on her folded dress.

“W-what? No! It’s not… I mean, we’re not…” Ember sputtered, catching my amused gaze and narrowing her eyes.

Oh yes, it was exactly like that.

Pearl tossed her thick braid over her shoulder with dramatic flair. “I just don’t see the appeal. The man’s a walking statue. You can never tell what’s going through his head.”

Ember stomped her bare foot, chittering like an indignant squirrel. “For the last time, I don’t see him like that!”

Harbinger’s spectral presence stirred. Impatience radiated from him, yet he lingered, eavesdropping. Curious.

I focused on scrubbing one of his shirts, sneaking a glance at Selena. She lounged on a flat boulder, inspecting her manicure with an expression of long-suffering boredom. Her drama allergy was acting up again, no doubt.

“So, Projector,” Pearl spoke with a layer of faux innocence, “what’s your take on our illustrious captain?”

My heart did a spectacular belly flop. Nice try, vixen. Harbinger’s presence went eerily still.

“That’s hardly appropriate,” I managed, proud of my collected tone.

“Boo! What’s the point of immortality if you don’t live a little?” Pearl pouted, sweeping her arm to assist Gale with the remaining laundry.

I parted my lips, ready to tell her I had better ways to spend my eternal time than thinking about her captain, when the lake decided to upstage us all.

A colossal wave rose, its crest morphing into… was that a Carpathian bison ?

My witty comeback evaporated as the watery beast huffed and bellowed, snatching the clothes in its jaws before melting back into the lake.

Gale sauntered to shore, her newly cleaned clothes floating above her head like Aladdin’s flying rug, trailing the scent of lavender and citrus. “Silent and stoic?” She grinned. “Sign me up.”

Her plain jeans and dark, long-sleeved shirt were completely dry. There was something in the way she walked—a subtle sway, shoulders squared beneath the weight of her wings—that inspired me to picture her in blood-red silks, a priestess in Derzelas’ temple.

“Gale!” Ember shrieked, her jade eyes as wide as saucers. She scrambled into a knee-length corduroy dress, somehow managing to look adorable despite the garment’s stiff A-shape and kitsch embroidery. The balaur could make a burlap sack look chic.

Pearl’s hearty chuckle filled the air like warm honey, but Gale wasn’t finished. Her tone shifted, turning serious. “If none of you have dibs,” she said, gliding the folded clothes into her crate, “maybe I’ll make my move today. A little midday visit to the captain’s quarters—”

“You may want to hold on to your plan,” I interjected, aiming for nonchalance as I tossed Harbinger’s top toward the basket. “He and I have a thrilling date with reports and shipment logistics. Could take hours.”

My casual toss turned into a laundry catapult. The hamper skidded along the rocks like a shipwreck washed ashore, leaving a thirty-foot trail behind it. I stopped breathing, counting to five.

Maybe no one—

“What the actual fuck was that?” Selena’s voice slapped me from two directions—both mentally and out loud. Perfect.

I plastered on my best ‘nothing to see here’ smile, mentally kicking myself for the blatant lie with the captain eavesdropping on the other end. Since when did I care which one of them warmed his bed?

Harbinger’s echo in my mind got several hundred pounds heavier, pressing against my thoughts like a lead blanket. It was all I could focus on. He was all I ever seemed to focus on.

“Tomorrow’s another day?” I suggested weakly.

Gale’s grin could’ve lit up a small city. “It’s on. Thanks for letting me know, Projector.” She turned to Ember, giving her a shrug. “Tomorrow it is.”

My smile felt as genuine as a plastic plant. This shouldn’t bother me. Chokehold, I told to the spike of unwelcome jealousy, and it dissipated like smoke in a windstorm.

“Gale!” Ember wailed; her fair brows knitted in distress. “It’s not proper! He’s… he’s our captain!”

Phoenix, emerging from the water with an armload of dripping clothes, let out an ungraceful snort. Gale shook with silent laughter, tears rimming her eyes.

“Oh, you prude!” Pearl cackled, just as Selena muttered, “Fucking children,” her exasperation as thick as a slab of clay.

I clenched my teeth to keep from laughing, too.

“You’re all awful! I hate you!” Ember stomped her rubber-booted feet again, looking about as threatening as an angry kitten.

A rustle at the forest’s edge sent everyone on high alert.

“Wait—” I started, but Gale’d already leaped into action. Eyes aglow, wings spread wide, she unleashed a whirlwind that would make any twister run for its money.

The night cracked open as half an acre of innocent trees toppled with a mere flick of her wrist.

Quakelord let out a surprised yelp, announcing his presence to the world. His magic, previously a whisper, now saturated the air with a cocktail of moss and rain.

Several things happened at once. Branches snapped like brittle bones, terrified rodents fled their homes in a furry exodus, and the lake shrank as if someone had pulled the plug.

Quakelord, quick on his feet, rolled and dodged, whooping in excitement while the earth roared to his defense. His mud walls crumbled under the elemental onslaught—water, air, and fire combining into a force that would give even a legion of Stalkers pause.

Phoenix, ever the silent one, reached into her thigh pocket, drew out a short blade, and swept her arm in a broad arc.

“What the hell?” Quakelord squeaked, plastering himself against a barricade. “Who threw that? You trying to turn me into a pincushion?”

“You pervert!” Ember bellowed, hands on her hips.

Twin fireballs, one golden, the other green-blue, arced around his shield and exploded in a cascade of sparks.

Panic seized my chest, squeezing the breath out of me. “Quakelord!” I shouted, but the crackling flames and shattering earth muted my voice.

He let out a war cry and dashed along the shore, his dark hair glistening in the firelight. My bloodstream buzzed, sending my heart into overdrive. I called my magic, ready to stop them before someone got hurt. This was spiraling out of control.

“Doesn’t anyone care if I’m bleeding? I could be dying here!” he wailed from his latest mud fortress, a trace of humor breaking through.

Tension drained away from my shoulders. They are… playing?

Gale landed atop his mud igloo, her wingtips brushing the clay with soft whispers. “Don’t be such a baby,” she teased, rapping her knuckles on the dome. “Come out and face your punishment like a man.”

Pearl’s steel-toed boot connected with the base of his shelter. “Fess up, creeper. How long were you watching us?”

“Long enough to hear you lot saying that you luv Cap!” Quakelord’s muffled voice rang out, shaking with laughter.

Ember’s wail of despair could’ve shattered diamond.

I snorted, shaking my head as I returned to my laundry duty. How they could switch from hardened warriors to squabbling children in the blink of an eye was beyond me. Playing such games at court was unheard of—and would likely end in death.

Quakelord’s mud cage finally surrendered with a dramatic groan. He erupted like a raging volcano, finger pointing skyward. “I’ve got it!” he crowed. “Let’s trick Ember into confessing her love while Cap’s tuned in!”

If only he knew what a show they were putting on for him.

Gale touched down with nimble agility. “Captain wouldn’t even twitch an eyebrow.”

Ember’s face reached a new shade of crimson. “I never said that!” she screeched, swatting at Quakelord as if he were an annoying gnat.

In the recess of my mind, Harbinger’s specter grew restless. His presence expanded, darkness weaving through Pearl and Selena’s connections, nearly engulfing my consciousness.

“Listen up, Black Guild. Your ‘silent and stoic’ captain speaking. Return to base thirty minutes before moonset.”

Ember’s face paled to match the moonlight. Quakelord shrugged in the way boys often did when caught red-handed, while Pearl’s grin stretched wide, almost splitting her face in two.

“You are no fun, Harbi—”

Click.

His presence vanished before Pearl could finish, leaving an emptiness that shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did.

The Nexus buzzed, and I reached to tap the crystal. A familiar warmth bloomed in my chest, tingles racing along my skin as Harbinger’s voice rumbled through our direct link. “Projector, we both know there aren’t any reports for you to review.”

My pulse quickened, fingers tightening on the fabric in my hands as I raced to excuse my lie. “I need to send a letter to the Republic,” I countered, the half-truth sour on my tongue. Our dwindling blood supply was my burden to bear, not his.

“Then you’ll want Terraknight. He’s in charge of the carrier birds.”

The connection ended with a whisper-soft pop, just a breath against my senses.

Then the Bloodthorn Nexus cooled at my nape, leaving me oddly bereft. It wasn’t the skull-splitting agony of before, but a gentler dismissal that somehow stung worse. How considerate of him to spare me the headache while still wounding my pride.

It took physical effort not to reach back and yell at him, focusing instead on the cool night air against my flushed skin. The moonlight felt too bright, the sounds of the forest too sharp. Everything grated on my nerves.

I clenched my jaw, feeling the tension spread down my neck and shoulders. Why did his dismissal affect me so much? He was just a rude, egotistical man, nothing more.

Selena waited for me on the shore, the daring smirk on her face making me want to dunk her in the lake. Around us, the others were gathering their things, following their captain’s orders with quiet efficiency.

“Not now,” I hissed.

“Jealous, Aurora?” She smirked.

“You’re delusional,” I scoffed and bent to pick up our laundry crate. Maybe if I ignored her, she’d stop talking.

Selena nudged me with her elbow, her eyes drilling into me. “You know, denial isn’t just a river in Solanthia.”

“Go away.”

She let out a cackle.

I squared my shoulders and crushed my irrational anger beneath my iron will. Bigger problems demanded my attention—our blood supply diminished by the night, and the Commander’s explanation about the delayed shipment had failed to arrive.

The forest’s shadows deepened around us as we trudged back to base, and I made a silent vow. These confusing feelings, this pull toward Harbinger, I’d bury them deep. I had to figure out if Sel and I had enough to feed on before it became a real problem—and I’d be damned if I let my irrational emotions stand in the way.