I moved up the stairs, Suiko with me.

  “What’s on your mind?” she asked. I shrugged, then went about brushing my teeth and taking a quick shower. She hovered nearby, waiting.

  “Just tired,” I said, hanging my head and let the water wash over me. Her hands ran along my back, and I couldn’t help but be humored by the idea that if this were a horror movie, a ghost’s hands on my back during a shower would have been a terrifying moment. Instead, I leaned into her and closed my eyes.

  “You two need alone time?” a voice asked. I turned off the shower, figuring I was clean enough, and opened the glass door to see Jalee. A golden wing in the other room showed me her sister was in there, standing with her back turned so as not to see anything she shouldn’t. An interesting choice, considering she was from their world, and nudity didn’t mean anything to them. Seeing my glance, Jalee grinned and said, “I told her how humans are shy.”

  “Thanks.”

  Suiko moved into me, signaling she was fine with Jalee having her time with me.

  “Thought I’d get you better acquainted with my sis,” Jalee said. She smiled, then shook her head. “That sounded bad, maybe? I didn’t mean like that. Just, thought you two should get a chance to say hello, without all the noise.”

  I nodded, taking a towel and drying myself before wrapping it around my waist. Together, we went into the other room. Fiare was there, wearing a skirt and tank top that Jalee ’must have given her. Her eyes moved over me, and she smiled.

  “Shy, even though I’ve seen everything,” she said. “Funny.”

  “Just how we are, I guess.” I moved over to the dresser and found some clothes Ahlaksiz had arranged for me. With a glance back, I dropped the towel and pulled on my boxers. As I put on some sweats and a T-shirt, I turned back to face her. “Maybe we prefer to keep the other side guessing. Or… have something to unwrap?”

  “We didn’t come up here to talk about your cock,” Jalee said, not hiding the irritation.

  “Fair enough.” I sat on the bed and waited.

  “Thing is, shit’s messy back there,” Fiare said. “I don’t know the situation here, but it seems things are under control. I want to know what the plan is.”

  “I need a plan?” My head started spinning again, and I lay back, staring at the ceiling. “Tell you what—whatever you two agree to, I’m down.”

  “Meaning?”

  Turning my head to see them while still lying there, I held out my hands. “What makes sense here? Set up base, wait, and see if the hunter finds a way to us? Or what, go back? I really would rather not, but I get that it might be the best move for us.”

  Fiare hesitated, glancing over to her sister. “There might be another way. A better option.”

  Jalee stepped over, hand on her back. “Ferris is with us.”

  I sat up, realizing they were taking something very seriously. As tired as I was, this required my full attention.

  Seeing I was alert, Fiare took a deep breath, then breathed it out. “We think there’s a way to go after the hunters in a different manner. To hit them where it hurts—their access point.”

  “And how would we do that?” I asked. Fiare glanced at her sister again, and I stood. “Out with it.”

  “I think we need the Liahona.”

  Jalee stared at me, waiting, while her sister’s eyes went to the floor.

  “Sorry?”

  “Shit, right, you weren’t there—it’s an item that Jericho has. Something that, we think, allows travel through special regions, such as the way we went to the monster land with the sun disk. Similar, but different.”

  “The irony…” I ran a hand over my face to wake myself up. “And what makes you think it would help at all here?”

  “Because,” Fiare said. “I saw one of the hunters, one of their senior ranks, use one just like it. I was breaking someone free, when I happened upon a room of theirs, in a base out east of where you found us. There was one of those golden things, the triangles you might have seen in carvings and pictures. And this hunter suddenly appears, holding that thing in his hands. He opened it, adjusted something, and then released it so that it hovered in the air a moment, then vanished as if sent back.”

  “You think it has coordinates?” I asked. “You think… we can use this one to find that spot?”

  “Not that spot. To go backward from that spot, find the place where this is, and then end it. Cut them off, so they can’t come back at all, ever again.”

  I processed this, realizing what that meant, and that they were ready for what that meant, too.

  “You’d go through, knowing you might not be able to come back,” I said.

  Fiare nodded.

  “Fuck.” I went to the door, hand on it, and turned to see Basty on the dresser. Suiko’s balls of glowing light showed in the mirror above the dresser, but I didn’t see them otherwise. Interesting.

  “We’ll have to talk to Jericho about this.”

  “Do we?” Fiare asked.

  I turned to her, eyes narrowing. “I’m not taking it without his permission, and if you try, I’ll stand in your way.”

  “Of course,” Jalee said, while her sister simply stared. As much as most of these ladies had been eager to join the team and equally eager to jump in the sack, that didn’t seem to be the case with this one. Fine by me, because this was a huge ask. She was putting me not only in an awkward situation with Jericho, but we’d only barely made it out of the monsterverse and hunter situation. What she was proposing sounded at least as dangerous, if not more so.

  I would do it, but at the moment all I wanted was to sleep. If I’d had my way, I would have stayed put and found a pattern of barbecues, fucking, and parties. Of course, then I would have missed out on one hell of an adventure.

  “Can it wait for tomorrow?” I asked, holding the door open for them.

  Fiare gave me a glare, then stomped out of there. I couldn’t help but think of her like a pouty child. Jalee put a hand on my shoulder, kissed my cheek, then went after her sister.

  “Suiko,” I muttered when they were out of earshot.

  The ghost appeared next to me. “Yes?”

  “Mind keeping an eye on them tonight? We don’t need another war with the gargoyles. If she tries anything, wake me.”

  Suiko agreed, and as soon as she floated off, I collapsed into bed, eyes closed.

  4

  I woke to a major urge to take a shit, barely registering the shouting from the other room until I had the door locked and was going about my business. Suddenly the door in the room banged open and Kinara was shouting for me.

  “One sec,” I said.

  Starting to wipe, I did a double take as the lock moved, then the bathroom door opened.

  “Excuse me,” I protested, really hoping it didn’t stink. “Do you mind?”

  “I do,” she said, arms folded. Past her, Milrae paced, then Jalee entered the main room, too, glancing in to see what I was up to. Seeing as I was starting to guess what this was about, I bit my lip, finished taking care of myself, then pulled up my pants and washed my hands. Nobody said a word until I turned and dried my hands on the towel, at which point I saw how pissed Kinara was.

  “Sorry,” I said, wishing we could just move on from what had happened when under the control of Akame. “I wasn’t fully myself.”

  “What, all last night?”

  “No, what?”

  “I’m not mad at what happened.” She stepped in, lowering her voice. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “Oh, I’m pissed about all of it,” Milrae said. She turned, pointing to the doorway. “And no, you need to go find yourself some breakfast. This is not the time.”

  I had to assume that was Lizzy at the door and was sad to hear they were taking this out on her, too. In fact, I wasn’t going to stand for it. Stepping out past Kinara, I took her hand and was glad to see she didn’t resist. Together, we moved into my room and I said, “Lizzy, wait.”

  She hesitated, just outside the door. Milrae and Jalee didn’t like that, clearly. But I was committed.

  “Listen, I didn’t tell you all because I wasn’t sure how,” I explained. “Neither of us were in our right minds because when the mask takes over, it seriously takes over.”

  “You don’t—” Milrae started.

  I cleared the distance between us, still dragging Kinara, and kissed her. “Again, I’m sorry. Honestly, I don’t even remember much of it—sorry, Liz. But, you know.”

  “I do,” she replied. “It’s all a blur of shadows, craziness… ecstasy.”

  Milrae cleared her throat.

  “What exactly is going on here?” Kinara said. “Because, I gotta say, I think it’s taken care of. We should move on.”

  The look on Milrae’s face showed she wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t protest further. In fact, she was looking my way with intense lust.

  Unsure where to go with that, I asked, “Do you want me to get this conversation about the Liahona started with Jericho?”

  “What conversation exactly?” she asked. “You mean, if we can use it. Now’s as good a time as any.”

  “Well, then?”

  She scrunched her nose, then nodded and turned to the other two. “He’s right. It wasn’t his fault. He should’ve told us sooner to avoid this being awkward, but it’s not like that sort of mistake is going to end what we have going on here.”

  “True,” Kinara admitted, while Milrae frowned, but didn’t argue.

  “Then can we get this over with?” Jalee motioned to the door. “Send him on his way.”

  “Fuck it,” Milrae said. “Yeah. But you ever put that dick somewhere else without checking with us first, I’m out.”

  I wrapped my arms around her, pressed my lips to her nose, and grinned. “That’s all I wanted to hear. Same goes for you—but let’s be clear, it’s not going to happen. I don’t know what exactly will happen with Lizzy, because the mask has us both. And now it’s… more part of me than ever.”

  “You want her in the group,” Kinara said, shock on her face.

  “Shouldn’t she be?” I nodded at Lizzy. “Look at her arm, what she’s done for us. And since we’re linked anyway…”

  “He has a good point,” Jalee said, then turned to me. “How ‘bout you go get that conversation started, while we discuss your proposal.”

  I started to leave, not failing to notice the way she motioned Lizzy over, even starting to undress as she entered. The other two were watching with as much curiosity as I was. Only Jalee motioned me to leave.

  “It’s only fair,” Jalee said. “You had her without us, now we have her, without you.”

  Lizzy gulped, meeting my gaze, but shrugged. She was down. And Jalee was right. Not only did it feel fair on some level, it was sexy. I wished I could’ve stayed and at least watched, but this was the price I had to pay.

  On the way out, the moaning sounded from above, and I grinned.

  “What’s going on there?” Arturo asked, chilling with Greg in the sitting room, each with a steaming mug of coffee and freshly baked muffins smelling all delicious and blueberry-like.

  “Just… try to ignore it. Any coffee left?”

  Arturo nodded to the table, where there was another mug full and waiting. “Heard the yelling and figured you’d be down sooner or later.”

  “You guys rock.” I took the coffee and a muffin, pausing to breathe in the scent of each. “Mind if I take mine to go? Have to speak to the new team about a thing.”

  “A thing with the place and the other thing?” Greg winked and nodded. “Go man, do your thing. As long as you’re keeping us alive, what do I have to complain about?”

  “Hey, this is the life.” I motioned to the fancy mansion around us. “If only I were able to hang out and enjoy it.”

  “Someday, homie.” Arturo raised his glass, then a flask. “Want it Irish style?”

  “Sure…” I paused, thinking about what I needed to do. “Actually, better to be clear-headed.”

  They went back to it, and I headed for the door. It seemed most of the others were either still sleeping or off doing whatever they did. Suiko was inside me—I could feel her. Amabie was likely in the lake, and Devasla doing her recharge. It was strange knowing that she went back to the monsterverse so often, but less so when thinking that we might have to go back, too.

  Outside, I looked up and saw one of the gargoyles in statue form. She was the largest one, frightening even as stone. It seemed reasonable to have her on display like that. Combined with the wards supposedly protecting us all, I supposed it made sense that we’d had a restful night. More sense than any lack of enemies, at least. I’d been through enough to know how unlikely that scenario was.

  I kept on, sipping my coffee, and paused to enjoy the moment. One more calm before all hell was going to break loose, undoubtedly.

  “Yo,” a voice said, and I turned to see a man jogging around the compound, near the wall. At first, I held my muffin up as if about to throw it at him, then realized it wasn’t a weapon, and the man was Jericho.

  “What’re you doing?” I asked.

  He jogged over, gesturing to his shorts, T-shirt, and running shoes. “Exactly what it looks like. A morning run—something I’m trying to do more of now that I know what’s what.”

  “Just the man I was looking for.” I frowned at his running shoes. “Shit, am I going to have to start running, too?”

  “Dunno. It helps, you know. Stay in shape, be ready for whatever they throw at you.”

  “I’m not sure if you’re talking baddies now, or the ladies.”

  He chuckled. “That muffin, though….”

  “Don’t get on me about diet, man. One thing I’ll never do is stop eating what I love.”

  “I like your way of thinking, but to each their own. You were looking for me?”

  “Right.” I glanced back at the mansion, almost expecting the ladies to be watching from the window upstairs. Of course they wouldn’t be—they were likely still getting to know each other.

  I shifted from one foot to the other nervously, then cleared my throat. “It’s about the Ledona.”

  “The…” His eyes narrowed, then lit up. “Ah, the Liahona. What about it?”

  I took a deep breath before blurting out, “I think we need it.”

  At first, he seemed to think I was joking. He suddenly frowned, then started to walk away.

  “This is serious,” I said, following him.

  He started back into his jog, and I had no choice but to jog with him. It was only then that I realized my feet still hurt, and that I’d forgotten to put on shoes.

  “It’s not more important than what we need it for,” he countered.

  “You know I’m not saying that.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him around to a stop. For a second, it looked like he might hit me. “Please, all I’m saying is, hear us out. Maybe there’s a way where you can get us where we need to go, and that’s it. The Liahona never leaves your side! But one of my teammates thinks it’s the key to rid her world of hunters, and trust me, those hunters are a pain in the ass.”

  He looked down at my hand on his arm, and I finally released it.

  “We all want to help each other out. I agree with that.” Rubbing his chin, he said, “We’ll have brunch on the patio, and discuss it then. I’ll need some of my team there, to ensure we agree, and to formulate a plan.”

  Assuming he meant those not currently comprised of stone, I nodded and said, “Perfect.”

  I watched him run off and was about to go deliver the news when movement from the lake drew my attention. Amabie was emerging, waving me over.

  “How much time has passed?” she asked as I approached, nodding to the water. “Care for a swim?”

  “First question—what?”

  “Time.” She moved back into the water, moving around in the shallows. “I lost track, taking care of some new spread of a contagion in Brazil.”

  “Ah…” Eyeing the water, then my muffin—almost done—I shook my head. “Second question, not yet. Still waking up, but I could use an island to sit on.”

  She swam with her upper body out of the water, purposefully trying to tempt me with her exposed breasts while I headed for the bridge. Since we had to wait for Jericho to finish his run and gather his crew, and since some of mine were still sleeping, it wasn’t like we were in a hurry. But I wanted to keep her in suspense. Walking across the arched bridge to the little island beyond, I glanced at her perfect breasts—if I were being honest, of course, all breasts are perfect when one is a fine connoisseur of breasts, as I was fast becoming. Quickly shoveling down the muffin, I found a spot next to the water on the small island and sat, finishing my coffee.

  “What’s it like in Brazil?”

  She floated on her back, three tails swaying. “Aside from the would-be contagion? Wonderful. We can go sometime.”

  “Could go now,” I said, setting my now-empty cup aside, muffin paper within.

  “What’re you trying to escape from?”

  I stood, pulling off my clothes, then glanced at the water and realized it was probably fucking cold.

  “I’ll keep you warm,” she said.

  “Deal.”

  She wasn’t lying. As cold as the water was, she made up for it. Taking first my hands, then pulling me into her, bodies pressed together, it was the first time I understood Olaf saying putting hot and cold together makes sense.

  “You missed me?” she asked.

  I grinned, kissing her neck, wondering how she could have switched like this. “Sure.”

  She laughed, pulling back enough to look into my eyes. “Like I said, lost track of time. For me, it seemed like months passed, and I got to thinking how much I appreciate you all. Especially,” her hand caressed my cheek, “...you.”

  One night passing was barely enough for all this, but I wasn’t going to shut her down. Instead, I leaned in and kissed her. Her hand moved from my cheek, down my abs, and around to grab my ass and pull me to her.