CHAPTER 202

Naia. She smiled at him, her thick locks being tugged by the stormy weather that had formed overhead. Though he had loved Velvet fiercely, Naia had been the first love of his new life, the woman who had captured his heart and bound him to this place. He had missed her, but those emotions had been set aside by his short, passionate affair with Velvet.

Why was that? The attraction had been intense, but mutual. Had his magic reacted to Velvet's own desires? Or had it been something else?

Velvet. He touched the envelope in his pocket and let out a groan. Eulalie had run off so fast that he had forgotten about Abella's letter!

"Excuse me, I have to take care of something important." He looked up at the sky and grimaced. "Will just take me a few minutes, then we can try to figure out what to do next."

Naia shrugged, her whole body rippling. It was a familiar gesture that brought a small smile to his face.

When he walked inside the house, he paused. When he had first come home, he had practically run through here without a second glance. Now that he had a moment, he could tell that this was definitely the version of the house that usually resided in the Underworld. Meant to be a placeholder for when the true house rested, this building was much smaller.

That made it easier to find Eulalie and Dana sitting in what was normally his room. The Arachne was sitting on the bed, her legs sprawled out around her. Her cheeks were flushed, and she stared helplessly at the floor.

"She isn't saying anything," Dana told him. Her face was shining with tears, but her features were placid, as if watching a boring video. He wondered if she was even aware of the tears. "I don't know that she wants to talk to anyone right now."

"None of us have the luxury of time, but I'm the one who will be doing all the talking anyway." He walked over to the bed and sat next to Dana. "Also, I wanted to tell you that when I go into the Underworld, you have to stay here. If something happens to Beth and me..."

"I become the new Caretaker and inherit Lily." Dana's lip twitched, and then she smiled. "Well, and everything else. But mostly Lily."

"Not if I can't find them."

"Oh. Right." Dana frowned.

"Do you mind if I speak with her alone for a minute?" Mike glanced at the door. "It won't be long, I promise."

"Call if you need me." Dana put a hand on one of Eulalie's glossy legs. The Arachne didn't react. With a nod to Mike, Dana left.

Mike sat next to Eulalie and let out a weary sigh. "I'm not good at this," he began. "I wish I had words of comfort or something other than the fact that I'm sorry. Did Dana tell you what happened?"

Eulalie stared intently at the wall for several seconds before she nodded.

"She did." She looked at Mike. "I...only remember parts of what she said. All I could think about was how I'm all alone now. My mother was the last of her kind until she had us, and now I am the last of my kind. It feels like the whole world is pressing against me and I can't breathe."

Mike swallowed the lump in his throat. "I guess I can't speak to all of that. Your sister and I had something special. It was brief, but devastating. I almost lost myself in my own grief, and I want to make sure you don't do the same." He pulled the envelope from his pocket and handed it over. "Abella wrote this. She was with Velvet at the end, and said it couldn't wait. I wanted to make sure you had it before I go after the others."

Eulalie took the envelope, but didn't open it. "I was planning to come with you, but now I don't know. This will sound dumb, but up until you came back, this whole thing felt like a giant game. Now I realize it isn't."

I wouldn't go that far, Mike thought, but kept that to himself. "You should know that I loved your sister very much. Well, I think I did. I'm still not entirely sure how to define my feelings for her other than that, it's not something I've ever felt so intensely before. I know you feel like you're all alone, but..." He reached over and took her by the hand. "As long as you have us, you will only be alone as you want to be."

Tears shimmered in Eulalie's eyes, and she wiped them away. She squeezed Mike's hand, then held up the envelope. "Do you mind staying while I read this? I'm not very good with strong emotions and wouldn't mind a friend."

"I can make a few minutes. I'm sorry I can't do more."

"Appreciated." Eulalie opened the envelope and scanned the letter. Her face was unreadable, and when she was finished, she folded the letter up and stuck it in her skirt pocket.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"There's a lot to think about." She gestured to his arm. "Can I see that?"

"I guess, but I'm not sure--" he froze in place as she opened her mouth and sank her fangs into his forearm. His body hadn't warned him of an assault, so this had to be something else.

The pressure faded first, followed by the pain. The swelling in his fingers decreased as Eulalie drank his blood and he sighed in relief as he flexed his fingers.

"Did you just heal me?" he asked when she pulled her mouth away.

"Hardly. I drained some of the excess blood and then gave you something for the pain. Your blood didn't taste very good. You should definitely see a doctor about that arm. My bite also has an anticoagulant, so that helped get your blood flowing again and you won't have to worry about clots. I thought I was going to help with whatever came next, but this is the best I can do for now." Her front legs spread wide and she reached under her skirt and pulled out a long silken thread. "Take off that brace, I can make you something better. I'm not a doctor, but you definitely shouldn't be using that arm for anything."

"Yes, ma'am."

He waited while she dismantled the makeshift brace and then wrapped his arm in spider silk. She applied it to his arm like a compression bandage, and he could actually make a fist now with that hand. It was fascinating to watch her weave the accompanying sling, and he thanked her as she placed the final loop over his neck.