“Can you blame me for being scarred after what happened when we were kids?” he asked Ty after he finally succumbed to the peer pressure and licked theallucinae. “Besides, I never know when Cole is going to require me urgently,” he added, shrugging the tension out of his shoulders as he seemed to relax slightly into whatever he was feeling.
Lara stood up on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek. “It’s okay to live our lives, Steig. Otherwise we let him take it from us,” she said quietly, clearly saying the words just for him, even though the rest of them could hear. He nodded silently and turned to his wife, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Ena turned away from their private moment as Ty came up beside her, taking the lantern back from her hand. “You’re up,” he said, nodding to the wall.
Ena felt absolutely ridiculous as she approached it and stuck out her tongue tentatively. Just as she was about to make contact, Ty leaned in and whispered playfully, “Just pretend it’s my cock and enjoy it like you did the other night.”
Ena elbowed him in the side—hard. He grunted at the impact and burst out laughing again, the sound a boon to Ena’s nerves as she quickly dragged her tongue along theallucinae.
It was softer than she’d expected, the texture almost akin to sheep’s wool, but significantly more damp and dirt-flavored.
She found it wasn’t bad and turned to look at everyone as she pulled back from the wall.
“Now what?” she asked. She didn’t feel any different, although her tongue felt a bit fuzzy.
“Give it a few minutes, and then you’ll feel it,” Ty said knowingly.
Then Lara started giggling next to her. Ena could tell, even in the dim light of the cave, that the woman’s pupils were wide as saucers. She watched as Lara reached out to Steig, tugging him into her, and the two of them instantly started making out.
Ena snorted, taking a step back towards Ty and Turner. “Are they always like this?” she asked, watching as Lara and Steig started going at it like teenagers.
“Pretty much,” said Turner with a sigh. “Ty and I used to always be the third wheels, but now I guess I’m just a fifth wheel,” he lamented.
“You’re never a fifth wheel, brother. Your presence is more than necessary,” Ty said kindly, patting him on the back. “Come on, come spar with me,” he said to him, walking into the center of the chamber before turning and giving Ena a wink. “My dark goddess needs to just sit back and enjoy herself.”
Ena did as she was told, blushing at the use of her new nickname in front of Turner, and proceeded to sit down on the ground, leaning back against a portion of the cave wall that was free ofallucinae.
She watched as Ty and Turner sparred half-heartedly, both of them clearly starting to feel the effects of the moss, as they laughed and dodged each other’s sloppy blows.
Steig and Lara were huddled in the corner of the cave somewhere Ena couldn’t see them, but she could hear their giggles and whispers in between their low moans and sounds of kissing.
She leaned her head back against the wall and tried to assess herself.
Did she feel any different yet? She didn’t quite know. The effects were supposed to bring her closer to Iblis, but she didn’t feel more chaotic or anything, she just felt…relaxed. She reached out to touch the floor of the cave next to her. The rough rock felt so harsh and cold against her fingers. Was it always this cold? She dragged her fingers along it until it almost tickled, and a giggle beyond her control burst from her throat.
Okay, it seemed shewasfeeling the effects now.
She continued her explorations of the stone, rubbing the rock debris on the ground between her fingers, and watched with glee as Ty and Turner sparred, both of them having removed their shirts and worked up a sweat.
Suddenly, it all felt a bit overwhelming—the noises and the movements and the feelings, so Ena closed her eyes. She could sense her Knowing and her Gift pulsing inside her—not violently, not like they did when she was scared or in danger—they were simplythere, present and alive.
Everything was heightened—without even trying, she Knew the stone underneath her, felt it breaking slowly in infinitesimal ways, and sensed theallucinaegrowing unruly on the wall behind her. Both of them there in such an intimate way—almost as if they were an extension of herself. The feeling of it reminded her of the Summoning—the glimpses of it she remembered anyway. The way she Knew a hundred different things at once and had become one with them—but she’d been close to Gaia then, not Iblis, and she wondered vaguely how the feeling could be so similar.
She giggled again, the thought making her laugh for some reason. Her giggles escalated into full-blown laughter, and she knew she probably sounded like an insane fool, but the feeling of it lifted her, filled her chest with glee and made her cheeks ache.She realized she was happy—joyful even—not just because of theallucinae, but because Ty was there, shirtless, sexy as all can be, and… she hadfriends.People she trusted now, people who understood her and accepted her—all of her. And she was having fun—she was letting go and enjoying herself, not worrying so much about her path or serving her Goddess. It was freeing, and so wonderful.
Ena…
She turned to her left, looking into the dark, the smile fading from her face. Was that…?
Ena!
That voice…coming from the dark. It almost sounded like her sister. It almost sounded like Greya.
And she sounded in trouble.
Ena stood up, staring into the black void of the cave as if she could make out what was there just by staring hard enough. She took a few steps forward, bringing her lantern with her, but she didn’t see anything.
“You okay?” Lara asked suddenly from behind her, startling her.
