A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(43)

“Just what I see.” Jovi huffed, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “There’s clearly something going on between you and Jax, but neither of you is addressing the issue. It’s how tension builds up.”

“Who else knows? Does Field know? Did Aida tell him?” I was frustrated by my own inability to hide my emotions.

“Aida would never tell anyone anything if you confided in her.” Jovi shook his head. “I’m pretty sure Field picked it up just like I did. Besides, he spends a lot of time around Jax, so he’s probably noticed some changes in him, too, since the war. Honestly, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure you two out. What happened, though?”

“How should I know?” I scoffed, looking away and moving back to my locker to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

I took a couple of deep breaths and turned around to face them. I was going about this the wrong way, abandoning my core ethos in the process. I was embarking on a dangerous and potentially deadly mission to an unknown planet. I had to leave these emotions behind; otherwise I’d get killed, especially since Jax and I were on the same team again, working together.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway.” I changed my tone, fiddling with my belt buckle. “No need for you guys to worry. There’s nothing to discuss. Whatever tension there is, it’ll fizzle out. I can’t be bothered. I’m an independent succubus, and a warrior, for that matter. I have no time to waste appeasing a Mara with underlying emotional issues and zero communication skills.”

I saw the way Jovi and Anjani nodded slowly before exchanging glances. I knew what they were thinking, because it was the same thing bothering me on the inside: did I really believe what I’d just said, or was it just my defense mechanism pushing the concept of Jax away because I didn’t want to get hurt?





Harper





(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)





After we geared up and packed our backpacks and travel bags, we rode the flying horses back to Luceria. Everyone was waiting for us up on the platform, beneath its faux roof spell. As vampires, we’d adapted Corrine’s combat suit designs to cover our heads and faces, too, complete with protective goggles and gloves, as a means of moving around in the daytime.

We shot through the bright blue sky, our horses neighing as our entire new team flew toward the white marble platform. The whole of GASP had gathered there, our parents included. We landed smoothly and went to our families first.

Serena and Phoenix were standing next to Mom and Dad, wearing smiles and making sure to project the pride and concern they felt toward me. I hugged them both first, then kissed our parents on both cheeks.

“Honey, I have to say, agreeing to your nomination was easier than I expected,” Dad said, “but watching you go is something else.”

“You be safe out there, okay, baby?” Mom said. “Remember everything we taught you, and don’t get in over your head. Know your limits.”

I felt her raw emotions, a heartwarming mixture of love and motherly concern, so I hugged her tightly, hiding my face in her hair for a good minute.

“I promise I’ll be careful, Mom,” I whispered, trying to pass on some of my resolve to help settle her nerves.

I then took Dad’s hands in mine and gave him a cool smile.

“It’s a recon mission, Dad,” I said gently. “You heard Field—we’re on a tight leash. We’ll be okay. All we have to do is observe and investigate, then report back to GASP.”

“I trust Harper will do just fine,” Serena chimed in. “She’s one hell of a tough cookie, and she can definitely handle this.”

“I’m aware, Serena,” Dad replied, then frowned slightly. “I’m just concerned about the fact that the Oracles haven’t been able to summon any visions about Neraka. Past, present, or future.”

That came as news to me, but, at the same time, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Their visions usually took some work to summon and weren’t always accurate. The last time Phoenix, Aida, or Vita had gotten unexpected visions, it had been during the war against Azazel. Those circumstances could easily qualify as disasters, and their absence now sort of gave me comfort.

“Surely their instincts would’ve flared up by now regarding Neraka,” I muttered. “The absence of visions may not necessarily be a bad thing.”

“What if it’s connected to the asteroid belt Rewa talked about?” Phoenix added a fair point. “It might be capable of interfering with the Daughters’ ability to open portals there… What if it’s something akin to the shroud that once covered Eritopia, keeping it hidden from universal consciousness?”

“Wouldn’t that affect a spell like Telluris, too?” Dad asked, his frown drawn deeper.

“I don’t think it can.” Serena shook her head. “Telluris is a communication spell; it connects our souls. I seriously doubt an asteroid belt would be able to obstruct that. It’s just a physical obstacle.”

“They will be okay,” Draven confirmed, walking over to our side.

I glanced around the platform and saw Caia, Fiona, Avril, Scarlett, and Blaze saying goodbye to their families, hugging and kissing and giving assurances about how they’d conduct the mission. I was as wary as my teammates were about this—on one hand, sure, the excitement and novelty of Neraka was something to look forward to, but, at the same time, the unknown factors and the hundreds of Exiled Maras were cause for concern. Nevertheless, we were GASP members. There was no room for worrying.