CHAPTER#111

"She's gone mad with hunger, but I don't know why." Zel helped Lily strap Dana into the chair. Lily was clearly an expert with ropes - she quickly bound Dana to the chair, immobilizing her.

"That's my fault. I think I may have made things worse." Lily was watching Dana with a sad look on her face. "But on the plus side, I want you to know that you'll never have to worry about him ever again."

"Gah!" Dana lunged forward in her chair, making it tip. The chair sprouted extra legs again, pushing her back upright. She slammed her teeth together, wishing that Lily would come close enough, just for a taste.

"You've got to have something," Lily said. "Otherwise I'm going to go grab a jogger or something. She looks terrible."

"As a matter of fact, I did have an idea." She held up a small vial of a pearly white substance. "It's something I made for Mike earlier to restore his energy. I didn't think it would work on her at first, but the main ingredient has what she needs."

"Hurry up then!" Lily got behind Dana. Her tail wrapped itself around Dana's neck, tilting her whole head back. "I'll hold her, you give it to her."

"Try not to spill any. This is my last batch." Frowning, Zel tilted the concoction into Dana's mouth. "If this doesn't work, I don't know what will."

The taste was exquisite. It reminded her of bacon jerky with just a hint of something bitter in the background. The pain in her stomach receded, and her brain took over her body once more, but only barely. Dana stretched her neck as far as it could go, her tongue licking the rim of the vial.

"I guess she likes it." Lily used her fingers to scoop it off of Dana's lips and into her mouth. Dana sucked on her finger, making sure to take it in.

"More. Do you have any more?" Dana looked around the room.

"Not currently. If you give me time, I can replenish my stock." Zel was writing in another journal. "But I think we're going to leave you tied up for a bit."

"Hey," Lily said, leaning in to examine Dana's face. "Her eyes are back to normal."

"But not her hair or skin. The mental faculties are first to return, though the subject is still hungry." Zel turned the page, drawing something. "What I gave her wasn't enough, but it did serve to restore her mind." She held up the vial, then wrote something else. "We know a minimum amount, which is good news."

"If we had enough of this, could we turn her human again?"

"Doubtful. We've charged the cells, but that does give me an idea." Zel tucked her journal in one of her bags and pulled out another one. She made a couple of notes to herself, then tucked it away. "I'll need access to the Library that Naia was telling me about, but that'll have to wait until the others return. Until then, I'm going to get everything else ready so we can mix up a new batch right away." The centaur moved to the back of the garage where her makeshift lab had been set up.

"I hope they come back soon." Lily brushed a hair out of Dana's eyes with her finger. "Hang in there, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Dana closed her eyes, doing her best to think about anything but food. Her mind swirled in circles, picturing everyone she had met in the last twenty four hours. Thinking of them reminded her that each had their own scent, something that made her stomach rumble. The banshee smelled of lightning storms and peppermints, and the nymph reminded her of seaweed wraps full of rice and avocado. From here, she could smell the cinnamon and spice of the succubus, making her think of spiced cider in the fall, and thanksgiving dinners.

"Getting hungry?" Lily asked. Dana opened her eyes to see that the succubus was using her tail as an impromptu stool.

"Yeah. How can you tell?"

Lily leaned forward to wipe drool off of Dana's chin. "Would it help if I gave you something better to do?" She held out Dana's cellphone. "Sorry I took this. I needed to lure Daryl away from the others."

"You killed him, didn't you?" Dana took the phone.

"I did."

"But why? You told me to forget about it."

"You're right. Killing another person places a terrible burden on your soul. And while you may be numb to it now, I don't think your heart could have taken it if you become human again." Lily laughed. "I, however, had no problem doing it."

Dana shook her head. "That still wasn't your call. But... thank you."

"You're welcome."

Dana unlocked her phone with her fingerprint. A picture of Alex appeared, a photo of her on her motorcycle. She had taken the picture on their last trip, when they had ridden up to some cliffs overlooking the lake where they were camping. Over Alex's shoulder was a beautiful blue horizon scattered with rays of light that had fallen through holes in the clouds above. In her mind, heaven looked more like this anyway.

"You miss her."

"Yeah. I do. " Dana didn't have to ask how Lily knew. She could feel the tears dripping off her chin.

"I used to have someone like that. But that was a really long time ago." Lily sighed. "Between having a broken heart and being a soul eating bitch, I barely remember those feelings anymore."

"Is that what's waiting for me? If I can't fix this?"

"Honestly? I truly hope not." Lily scooted closer, putting her hand on Dana's leg and squeezing gently. "I wouldn't wish my fate on anyone who didn't deserve it."

"Thank you." Dana grabbed Lily's hand and squeezed back. Shutting her eyes again, she did her best to think non-hungry thoughts. Inevitably, her mind brought up the memory of the liquid that Zel had given her. The taste of it lingered in the back of her throat, and she smacked her lips at its memory. It had felt so warm, sliding down her throat, and even now she could feel that same warmth radiating out from her belly.