A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(40)

“So am I, so please stop treating me like I’m made of porcelain and need your help with every move I make.”

I smiled mostly to myself, not willing to poke that bear again, and continued scanning the world beneath. We’d found one of the tallest purple giants in the area, giving us a great tactical advantage with its bird’s eye view.

Some time passed before Anjani cut through the silence, her back leaning against the trunk.

“Tell me about your world,” she said with eyes half-closed.

“My world? What, you need a good bedtime story? Getting sleepy?” I grinned, ready to irritate her into staying awake and alert. I understood that she was most likely exhausted from the trip and the climb, but we still had a few hours to go before Serena would take our place up here.

I needed my succubus sharp and ready to kill anything that dared to come after us.

My succubus?

“If you don’t want to tell me anything, just say so,” she shot back and sat up. Her lips were pursed, and she crossed her arms, crossbow still in one hand and dangerously pointed in my direction.

I moved back a few inches to get myself out of the way in case she accidentally—or purposely—shot an arrow my way.

“My world is incredibly boring compared to yours,” I said slowly. “Yours, on the other hand, is a biologist’s dream.”

“What’s a biologist?”

“The equivalent of your Druids, but less kill-y, more nerdy.”

Judging by the confused look on her face, I hadn’t done a good job of explaining the term. The cultural differences left a gap between us, but I was still very much determined to learn more about her and her world. I figured she’d open up more if I offered some information in exchange.

“A biologist is a person of science who studies and is an expert in all things concerning living organisms,” I continued. “That means both plants and animals. Back in our world, they’re still discovering new species here and there, but they’ve pretty much seen it all in multiple variations. If I were to bring a biologist here, however, he’d probably die of happiness. They love, absolutely love, discovering new life forms. All you Eritopians qualify as new life forms.”

“I understand,” Anjani replied slowly. “Here, the Druids used to be like your biologists. Until Azazel started killing those he couldn’t corrupt.”

Her voice trailed off, making me understand exactly how painful the subject was to her. I decided to dig a little deeper nonetheless. She seemed strong. She could take it.

“Tell me more about your tribe. What was it like before Azazel took power?” I asked.

“It was good. Life was good,” she said, looking out in the distance. “I was born after he came along, but my elder sisters told me stories about what it was like before him. The incubi and succubi had thousands and thousands of miles of land. Our tribe wasn’t the only one either. There were dozens of succubus tribes living out in the wilderness. We helped defeat many invading armies with our strength and prowess in battle and maintained our independence. Then Azazel took over, started killing his own kind and, when there were almost no Druids left standing against him, he turned his sights on us.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she wiped them away quickly, giving me a sideways glance to see if I was looking. I turned my head just in time, leaving her with the impression that I hadn’t seen anything.

Something weighed heavily in the pit of my stomach as I pictured Anjani growing up in such a cruel world, where death and darkness lingered at every corner, where tyranny was the law of the land. I’d been so lucky in our Shade by comparison.

“One by one, our tribes fell, the blood of our sisters soaking the dirt. We stayed up north and limited our movements. We took all possible precautions to keep out of the Destroyers’ way, while the rest of our kind perished or joined Azazel in order to survive. We borrowed magic from swamp witches and Druids, enough to keep our tribe out of sight.”

“Swamp witches?” I wondered how they might differ from our witches.

“They’re gone now, I think. There were a few of them living in the swamps surrounding the eastern citadels. No one knew where they were from or how old they were, but it seemed as though they had been around forever. Their great magic was passed down from generation to generation, powerful spells for protection and healing. We learned how to shield the tribe from Destroyers thanks to them. But after Azazel rose to power and started hacking and slashing left and right, they were gone, though no one knows whether they died or just vanished.”

The more I listened, the more fascinated I became with Eritopia, despite its current state. Its natural weirdness and way of life were different from what I’d grown up with back home, even compared to what I’d seen coming from the supernatural world. The In-Between was full of mystique and dangers that could either save or kill me.

Neither is as enticing or as attractive as Anjani. I held on to that thought for later.

“How do you shield the tribe from Destroyers?” I asked, trying to keep my mind off the fine line of her neck. The curve sent heatwaves through my entire body.

“You’ll see when you get there.” She glanced at me, and her face dropped.

She straightened her back and averted her eyes, visibly embarrassed. It dawned on me that, despite my innocent questions, I was looking at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.