Page 39 of Temple of Magic and Bone

They drove out into the dark streets, and Elektra tried to find the meditative calm she always fell into before a fight. It would have been easier if she wasn't surrounded by Vanth's scent, which made her want to climb all over him.

Fuck, this mating cycle. That was all it was. Surely. It didn't matter what Vanth said about wanting to kiss her before it started. Her body couldn't be trusted.

It was terrible timing to be trying to attract a mate, and Vanth was a demigod, for fuck's sake... She looked across the bench seat at him, and suddenly, all the hang-ups she had disappeared. He was perfect for her, and it killed her that they hadn't met before all the mess with Lazarus started.

Vanth knew all about the strangeness of her abilities and wasn't afraid of her bloodthirsty side. If they made it through the fight with Lazarus and her mating cycle, then she would try and court him properly. If he wanted it.

Something in Elektra settled at the thought, and she couldn't blame it on her crazy fae impulses. She really liked him.

"I don't know what's going through your head right now, but if you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to have to pull over and kiss you," Vanth warned her playfully.

"Focus on the road, or we'll crash," she replied.

"Lucky we are making a stop then." Vanth pulled into a Greek takeaway drive-through and ordered them gyros. "I need to fuel up before a fight, and you need to fuel up for what I'm going to do to you later."

"Ah, big promises, necromancer. We could die before then," Elektra said.

"I'll find you in the Afterlife and fuck you there. Dying won't save you," Vanth promised, and they both laughed.

"I don't know what it says about me that your nonsense does it for me," Elektra said, unwrapping her gyro.

"I'm just a mystery that way," Vanth replied. "Maybe it's my secret demigod power."

"Somehow, I doubt your sense of humor is it. Orcus is a big hitter, Vanth. I don't know if you have properly considered what you are capable of," Elektra said before biting into her food. She groaned. Gods, she was hungrier than she realized.

Vanth hummed thoughtfully. "I'm trying not to think about it. If I start, I will spiral and won't be able to focus on what's in front of me. I'll want to bury myself in research and try to learn the limits of my power. I can get a bit nuts when I'm hyper-focused on magic. Right now, I need to be hyper-focused on stopping Lazarus and his cult from doing any more damage. Once he's dealt with, then you are next on my list."

Elektra swallowed a mouthful of food. "I am?"

Vanth nodded and then looked uncertain. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I think I am. Is that weird? I barely know you," she replied and quickly shut her mouth so she didn't spew any of her sudden anxiety out onto him.

Vanth smiled at her. "You actually know more about me than anyone else, besides my mother. I didn't have time to make some bullshit mask for you. You know exactly what I am, what I am capable of. You're not intimidated by it, and I've never really letanyone see that side of me. The world knows me as some low-level necromancer who cleans up bodies for rich people. Not exactly a sexy or glamourous job."

"Depends on who you ask," she replied. He was grinning, and it made her feel reckless, so she added, "Your face isn't half bad either."

"Wow, look at you go, charmer," he laughed. He reached over and lightly flicked her ear. "If you think the face is okay, wait until you see the rest of me."

Elektra was still laughing when they passed into the streets of the mage's district. The citadel of mages stood in the center of it all. Elektra rubbed at her eyes and stared at it. It was built like the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome but was much taller. It was like a fortress of stone and not what she had expected at all.

"If you look at it from different angles and different times of day, it changes. The inside is also bigger than the outside. Making it look as boring as possible was a way to say, 'We are no threat. We are harmless, boring scholars who won't accidentally release a demon from another dimension,'" Vanth said and gave the tower his middle finger. "Pretentious assholes."

Elektra raised a brow. "Why am I not surprised you don't get along with the establishment?"

Vanth shook his head. "You got it all wrong, princess. They don't get along with me. I went there with the best of intentions. I wanted to learn. They just didn't know how to teach me. The necromancers there only do basic shit like summoning ghosts. Anything else terrifies them. They let me do independent study, but after I had worked my way through their library, I quit. They must have decided I was going to be a danger to Inferno in the future, so they started sending assassins after me."

Elektra reached over and rested a hand on his knee. "I'm sorry you have had to go through that. You would have been a cherished asset at the Temple of Magic and Bone. You still wouldbe. I don't know if there are many reapers left, but you will have a place amongst them if you want it. If not, you will be an ally."

"It would be nice to be able to talk necromancer magic with people who aren't idiots. I'll keep it in mind," Vanth replied and placed his hand over hers to keep it there.

The address Andres had given them ended up being a house in a middle-class suburb in a cul-de-sac. Each property had active wards and looked neat and tidy, even in the darkness. They were the kind of places that were full of well-paid, respectable people in society who had families and mortgages.

"This doesn't feel right," Vanth said, looking around. "This is the mage version of Legoland. Why would Lazarus be hiding out here?"

"Maybe he's not. It could just be where one of his followers lives," Elektra replied and stared at the painted white fences and perfect gardens. "These kinds of places freak me out."

Vanth's brows shot up. "Me too. It's the creepy sameness of it that messes with my head."

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