“Don’t worry,” I said, mentally so that only Suiko would hear. “Nothing is going to happen.”

  Another gust of wind came, and this time it was accompanied by my bat sense telling me danger was close. It wasn’t from Lizzy, either.

  We had company.

  4

  We already had enough troubles to deal with, so whatever this new issue was, I certainly didn’t feel we needed to stick around to find out.

  “Move it,” I said, slipping my arm through Lizzy’s and pulling her along.

  We hadn’t gone three steps before Suiko—in the lead now—was flung backward and right through us. At least Lizzy had her answer for how that felt. Confusing, chilly, and a bit violating. For Suiko, not the other way around.

  In the brief instant, we had been one like that, and I’d caught a glimpse of her life—her real life, before her death. A child being buried, tears, the grief too much. Her marriage not holding together through the hardship. Fuck, that was depressing. I imagined Lizzy saw it or another memory as well but didn’t have time to ask, because then we reached that same point and slammed into what felt like an invisible wall.

  I was on one knee, holding my elbow and forehead in pain. Lizzy, at my side, gasped for breath. It seemed she’d been flung onto her back and had the wind knocked out of her.

  “What the fuck was that?” I asked, groaning in pain, and trying to stand.

  I managed to get halfway up before turning to see Suiko rising in a rage. She faced the way we’d come and let out a ghostly roar. Her body expanded outward, taking on a nebulous shape like spilled ink, but in the air rather than on a flat surface. That sight was terrifying enough to make me collapse back to one knee. I scrambled over to Lizzy, sheltering her while very much aware that I was scraping my knees on rough dirt and stones.

  “Something hit us?” she managed.

  “Maybe,” I replied, and looked again to see what Suiko was rising against. Moving toward her, slowly, was a dark silhouetted figure. A woman.

  Even as a barrage of strikes attacked the woman, she continued her slow advance. Nothing from Suiko bothered her. Seeing this, Suiko returned to her normal form, lowering herself back to the ground and flashing over to our side.

  “She’s powerful,” Suiko said.

  “But what is she?” I asked.

  The woman looked familiar, somehow. Perhaps simply a vague similarity to the face in the images we’d seen? She carried in one hand a staff with a pointed end at the bottom, a monster skull on the top. The skull had glowing gems for eyes, a line of horns going around its head.

  The woman carrying the staff had long, black hair similar to Suiko’s but thicker. Her skin was violet. She wore gold jewelry around her upper arms and neck, matching her hoop earrings. A string of little skulls and other bones circled her waist, the bones almost coming down low enough to hide her extensive bush. There was not much in terms of breasts; if not for the bush and look in her eyes, I might have thought her young. She could almost even pass for human, except for the skin color and way her ears moved back into a double point. My mind automatically went to dark elf shaman, but she wasn’t exactly that, either.

  “What indeed,” the woman said, sneering my way. “A goddess? Witch? Or simply… me?” Her sneer faded as she lifted her staff, pointing the skull at me. “And this one, what is he?”

  “Human,” I said, ignoring the wave of worry that washed over me from Suiko.

  “A human in the realm of monsters,” the woman said, tilting her head. “And what does a human hope to achieve in our world?” Her eyes moved to Lizzy and narrowed. “Two humans, and their strange companions.”

  I wasn’t sure how much to open up to this woman, so decided to stick to the story of rescuing our friends.

  “Tall metal things took our friends,” I said. “Do you know where the hunters are that those things are taking them to?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Not a friend of the hunters, at least. That’s a positive in your direction. Those shit-kissers killed my brothers and sisters. Because of them, I’m the last Voidwitch in existence.”

  Mental note—ask my monster ladies what that meant when we found them. For now, I took a step toward her, hands out, and said, “They are the farthest things from friends we could have. In fact, we killed one not that long ago. Beheaded it and all.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is,” Suiko said.

  Lizzy hadn’t been there to know one way or the other, so kept her mouth shut.

  “And you two, the boy and girl who were fighting,” the Voidwitch said. “Why?”

  A glance back at Lizzy told me she was no more interested in divulging the information about the mask than I was.

  “That wasn’t a fight,” I said.

  Shit, that earned me a confused glare from Lizzy, and when I turned to the Voidwitch, I saw she didn’t buy it.

  “What, then?” she asked.

  “Er, I’m a man, aren’t I? I wanted her, but she wasn’t having it.”

  The Voidwitch stared at me, then slowly shifted her eyes to Lizzy for a moment before starting to laugh. “Whatever it is you’re trying to hide,” she said between laughs, “must be very important to cause you to panic and come up with a horse’s tit of a lie like that.”

  “It’s not a lie. I tried to…” But even I couldn’t say it.

  “It’s not that I don’t doubt your ability to work that little thing.” The Voidwitch gave me a pitying glance down. In all fairness, the cold was making it smaller than normal. “It’s that I can see through people. As easily as I can tell you’re lying, I can tell this bitch is in heat for you.”

  “What?”

  “She wants your man juice inside her, on her, wherever she can get it. Trust me.”

  “Bullshit,” Lizzy countered, but the Voidwitch had a point—the way Lizzy had spoken up wasn’t very convincing.

  Add to that the way my cock was slowly growing—yeah, our lie was out there. Damn. Suiko shook her head.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Suiko said. “The point is, we’re going after the hunters. Can you point us in the right direction?”

  “I can, but I think I’d rather do you one better.” The Voidwitch grinned. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to come with.”

  A glance at Suiko told me she was thinking the same thing I was—having a local guide could be useful, but something was off about this woman. So much so that we weren’t sure which would end up being worse for us, her or the hunters. Unfortunately, for now, we didn’t seem to have a choice.

  5

  “What is all this?” I asked, watching as the Voidwitch moved from one tree to the next, performing what seemed like a prayer.

  She didn’t answer.

  I turned to Lizzy and Suiko, wondering aloud, “Think she would give us her name, or would she fall under that monster-no-name thing?”

  “We can call her Void for now,” Suiko replied. Her eyes moved from one tree to the next, full of worry. “I don’t like this one bit. Should have stayed on Earth.”

  “And let Jalee’s sister go unaccounted for?” I shook my head. “Not my style.”

  “Is your style getting everyone you know killed? That’s the better option here?”

  I slumped, unable to properly consider what she was saying. Was it my fault we were here? Was there some alternate reality where we would have stayed, and Jalee would have been okay with that?

  “It’s noble,” Lizzy said, standing with one arm at her side, the other reaching across and rubbing her arm in a way that pressed one breast up, showing off cleavage.

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  Suiko let out a deep sigh. “Sometimes I have to ask myself what I’m doing with you all.”

  “You didn’t have to come. You don’t have to stick with us.”

  “Funny thing is, in the last couple of hundred years, I’ve been haunting and living in the spirit realm of sorts, but not until I partnered with you and yours have I felt such worry. It’s scary, but also, I’ve never felt so alive.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  Lizzy eyed us both like we were crazy, then let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe that’s why I stuck around, too. Even if Randi’s always been a bit on the sketchy side, knowing this underbelly of our world existed was… thrilling. Now this? Wow.”

  We shared a smile, not noticing that Void had returned until my bat sense warned me.

  She stood with hands folded, head bowed, and staff stuck into the ground at her side.

  “Before we go, I must ensure we can trust each other,” Void said. “Lie down, so that I might ride you.”

  I blinked, completely caught off guard. “Excuse me?”

  “There’s a connection that one forms on a spiritual level in such an act. To better fight at each other’s sides, which would be extremely helpful when going up against the hunters, we would benefit from such a connection.”

  “No offense, but… no.” I looked to my team to see they were both equally caught by surprise with this.

  “No?” Void approached, hips swaying with each step, and if I was more of a slave to my animal instincts, there would have been no way I could’ve said no. She stopped about two paces from me, running her hands up and down her body. She pinched one of her purple nipples between thumb and forefinger, forefinger on her other hand going to her mouth, running it along the lower lip suggestively. Suddenly, she stopped.

  “You’re serious…” She thrust out a hand behind her, her staff shooting forward and into her hand. Holding it in front of my face so those glowing crystal eyes were nearly all I could see, she asked, “And if I made you do it?”

  Movement from the corner of my vision told me Suiko and perhaps Lizzy had moved, maybe about to try an attack. I held up a hand to keep them at bay. “Would that create the spiritual bond?”

  My mind reached out Suiko and Basty, ensuring we were on the same page. If we needed to attack here, it would be a coordinated strike, all at once.

  “I suppose not,” Void said, lowering her staff. She didn’t back off, instead moving the glow of those eyes along my body, assessing me. “This armor is of our world. I’ve seen its kind before, but…” She stopped talking when she reached Basty, eyes going wide. “Oh, I see.”

  With that, she stepped back, the glow fading from her staff.

  “Is that over with?” Suiko asked. “Can we get it before time runs out.”

  Void shook her head, glancing from me to each of my teammates. “If he won’t sleep with me, I’d like to watch him. With… you.” She pointed at Lizzy. “I’d watch, as a consolation prize.”

  Lizzy’s eyes went wide, unable to meet mine.

  “Again, no,” I said.

  “Do you really think the others would mind?” Suiko said in my head.

  I considered, then replied, “Maybe, maybe not. The point is, I don’t know. Sorry, I can’t do it.”

  “Even if it means saving them?”

  “Unless I’ve ruled out all other avenues, I don’t know that’s the case.” Turning to Lizzy, who was eyeing me with cautious interest, I shook my head.

  Fuck me, a tear came to her eye! In that moment I wanted to take her and hold her to me, but I knew what would happen next. I’d be like a monster, unable to contain myself.

  “You won’t survive long in this land if you can’t fit in,” Void growled. “A man with a cock as hard as yours acts on it. You don’t waste the opportunity for a good fuck.”

  “Lucky me, I’m not exactly trying to fit in at the moment.”

  “Tell me why. You refuse me, you refuse her—why?”

  “We’re not together, not like that.” I glanced down, willing my cock to go limp. I supposed I was so used to getting hard lately, it hadn’t even really registered. “While a part of me surely would love it—with her, and with you—I won’t.”

  Void’s eyes narrowed, turning to Lizzy. “How’s this make you feel?”

  Silence. We all turned to Lizzy, and she was staring at the ground by her feet.

  “He’s right,” she said. “We share a connection of another kind, but not like this.”

  She seemed to need a hug, but this wasn’t the time. For one, because I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to actually control myself if I got too close, sensing she clearly wanted me.

  Even Suiko seemed to be okay with it, saying internally, “They wouldn’t judge you, not for this. If you want her—”

  I shook my head, mentally cutting her off. As much as I or any of them wanted to justify it, I felt a loyalty to the others. Maybe a stupid human sort of loyalty that would mean nothing in a world like this, but that didn’t change the fact that I would’ve been guilt-ridden if I’d acted differently.

  “Well, a man with integrity is hard to find,” Void said, breaking an awkward silence. “Normally at this point, I’d say to go fuck yourselves. Seeing as you might even say no to that, I’ll say let’s go kill us some hunter pricks.”

  “You’re in?” Suiko asked.

  I wanted to add, “Even without us being willing to fulfill your sexual desires,” but didn’t want to be an ass. I certainly thought it, though.

  “Follow me,” Void said, spinning on her heel and heading for a tree to the left of the V shape. As she went, her plump, purple ass showed between the swaying of her hair, and fuck me, I would’ve been damn tempted if she’d propositioned me again.

  “You did well,” Suiko said, floating past me to follow her.

  Lizzy, however, hadn’t moved.

  I went back to her, unsure what to say. Her eyes rose to meet mine. For a few heartbeats, we simply stared into each other’s eyes; then she nodded, walking past to follow the other two.

  “Liz,” I said, jogging to catch up.

  “No explanation necessary,” she mumbled. “I would’ve done the same, of course.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  She slowed, eyeing Void where the witch waited at the tree, seemingly in prayer or with her head bowed in respect of some kind.

  “When she turned the attention on me…” Lizzy shivered, wrapping her arms around her stunningly beautiful body, nipples taut with little goosebumps around them. “It was like nothing I’d ever felt. Like she could read my mind, my desires. I was there with you and the others, and it was beautiful. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than you, and…” Her eyes moved hungrily along my body. “I don’t know what I’m saying, forget it.”

  She took a step past me, but I reached out, hand on her arm, gently. “You want to join us?”

  Although she didn’t reply, her eyes confirmed it.

  I let her go, realizing even that simple touch was too damn tempting. “What would Randi think of that?”

  “Randi seems to think I’m hers, but I assure you that I’m not,” Lizzy replied.

  I hadn’t realized it was like that. With a nod, I said, “Talk to the others when we’re all back together. Especially… Chirop and Milkshake. They seem to be the most opinionated about who is or isn’t part of the group.”

  Lizzy nodded, then almost laughed. “God, it’s pathetic, isn’t it? Like I’m begging for your fucking cock.”

  I shook my head, unsure how to reply. From where I stood it certainly wasn’t pathetic, and it wasn’t really like she was begging, and I hoped not only for that part of me, but the whole package.

  “For what it’s worth, you handled this well,” Suiko said in my mind. “But it’s over. Let’s go.”

  I met Suiko’s gaze, nodded, and led the way over to the tree. Before we went, however, I realized this might be a good time for a piss break.

  “Is there a place to… relieve myself?” I asked.

  Void lifted her head, eyed my cock, and arched an eyebrow.

  “Sorry, I mean take a piss. Nothing more.”

  She saw me eye the nearby tree and stuck a finger in my direction. “You pee on my trees, I’ll tear out your bowels. Just… go right there. Where you are.”

  I blinked, glancing around. “Out here in the open?”

  She nodded.

  The idea made me uneasy, but I wasn’t about to disrespect her trees, as she seemed to truly value them in some way I couldn’t begin to understand. And without a doubt, I needed to piss. Fuck it. I turned, angling my hips, then realized it didn’t matter—it wasn’t like I was trying to aim at a toilet or anything. So, I stood straight, and tried. Dammit, even thinking they might be watching made stage fright take over.

  “Can everyone turn around?” I asked.

  Groans sounded, then a laugh. That didn’t help. Closing my eyes, I imagined waterfalls and rivers, and took a deep breath.

  Finally, a bit of piss came, then the full flow. As my stream went up and over in an arc like a yellow rainbow, I heard another tinkle. With a glance over, I saw Lizzy squatting, moonlight reflecting from the puddle forming beneath her. I quickly averted my gaze, shook off the last of my piss to avoid dribble, and was glad to see I wasn’t exactly hard anymore. Running around while erect got old.

  “You’re... “ Void said, pointing.

  I glanced down, sighed at one more drop that was lingering, and turned to shake it off again.

  “There, happy?”

  “Um…” Lizzy was still squatting. “Anything to wipe with?” When nobody replied, she said, “Void lady, come on. Surely you use something here, right?”

  “I don’t know about others, but I simply…” She made a gesture with her hand, and a gust of wind blew. Lizzy had to catch herself from falling over, made a yelp sound, then looked at Void with interest. “That… that’ll do it.”

  She stood, ready to go.

  “I’m sorry, what’d I miss?” I asked.

  “Lady secret,” Void replied, then pressed her hand to the symbol on the tree.

  Nothing seemed to happen, until I heard a whinny behind us. We all turned to see several horse-like creatures, with feathers along their bodies and horns like elk.

  “What do we have here?” Suiko asked.

  “Our rides, pulled from another plane.” Void approached one, braced herself, then leaped up and onto it. “Well, what’re you waiting for?”