CHAPTER 42

The water sloshed along the banks as the ribbons began to climb into the air again. For just a moment, Beth felt a connection with the small lake, her heart and mind expanding to fill the chamber.

The connection faded when a loud buzz filled the air. A yellow light fell from above like a shooting star, then stopped to hover in front of Beth, weaving about to get her attention. It was the fourth fairy sister, Daisy. She was signing frantically, and Beth had to fight a groan of disappointment as she squinted her eyes in an attempt to focus.

"Someone's causing trouble in the front yard?" It was her best guess, and Daisy, though deaf, could hear vibrations through her wings. Beth's stomach dropped as the call of duty tempered her lust.

Daisy nodded, then shot off for the center of the Labyrinth.

"Guess we'll have to finish our fun some other time," she said as she pulled herself off of Asterion. The minotaur groaned, sat up to help her stand, then flopped back as if relieved.

Beth hastily threw on her clothes and then jogged to the mirror pool. The path they had taken in hadn't been complicated, and it was easy enough to find her way out. Once past the gate, she stood on the edge of the water and looked at her reflection. Even though she had been soaking wet only minutes ago, her hair was starting to curl itself back into how she had styled it that morning.

With a grin, she took a deep breath and hopped in. The water was cool to the touch as the Labyrinth disappeared and she was rushed to the house.

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Back at the cabin, Mike hung his coat on a hook by the door and then sat down in a comfy armchair by the fire. The warmth of the crackling heat was complemented by the pleasant smell of burning pine that permeated the cabin. He let out a sigh and kicked off his shoes, then put them up on the ottoman so that the heat would reach his toes.

"Master." Emery flew up carrying a thermos. "Some coffee to warm you."

"Please just call me Mike." He smiled at the imp, then took the thermos. "And thank you. Is there a full pot? The others might want some."

"But of course, Mas—Mike." Emery beamed and then shot across the cabin to the kitchen. The little imp was surprisingly strong, and easily manipulated the coffee pot despite it being almost as big as he was.

Mike closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Quetzalli came out of Darren's room wearing a thick sweater and leggings.

"Where did you get those?" he asked.

"Dana bought them for me." Quetzalli grabbed the hem of her sweater and lifted it above her belly. "I like how it holds everything in place. I feel far less wobbly this way."

God bless you, Dana, he thought to himself. The dark leggings left little to the imagination, and Quetzalli forgot to lower her sweater when she turned her attention to the loft, giving him a great view of her ass. Up above, Dana had appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a box.

"Velvet said there's some food in here," she announced. "Que, fix your sweater."

Quetzalli straightened out her sweater. Mike looked at Dana, who winked at him.

"Where's Velvet?" he asked.

"She was checking out the barn. Wanted to see how much damage was done."

"What about him?" Mike looked over at Bigfoot. He was sprawled out across the couch now, and he grunted every couple of minutes in his sleep.

"No improvement. Speaking of which..." Dana set the box on the counter and walked over to squat next to Mike. "The arrows were poisonous, but we don't know what it was. I pulled a bunch of them out of myself, and am kind of worried what might happen next time I feed."

"How so?" He leaned forward in his chair.

"The air here is cold, so I packed snacks for myself in a small cooler, which are now in the fridge. But what I mean is that when I eat, my blood will flow for a little bit. That will circulate the poison, and I have no idea what that means in terms of my zombie-ness."

"Oh." He frowned. Would the poison damage her after feeding? The idea that her regeneration would stall out like a car on a cold morning worried him. "You're wondering if you might go through your supply really fast."

"Correct." She patted him on the leg. "Not that I think you'll mind, but I might have to come to the source."

He nodded knowingly. Dana wasn't physically attracted to him, but right after a feeding, she became insatiably horny and would fuck anything she could get her hands on. It was a situation he made sure to never take advantage of.

"Well, it's a good thing we've got Quetzalli to help," he added. "Whatever makes you happiest."

"You're a good guy," she told him, then patted his knee. She went back to the kitchen and opened the box to pull out some cans of soup. "I'll heat some up for you since I'm not doing anything else. Do you wanna go out and check on Velvet?"

"Yeah, no problem." He put his shoes and coat back on before going outside. Yuki was busy inspecting the perimeter she had built. Small fortress walls of ice had been built around the cabin, with nasty spikes made of ice waiting for anybody who may climb them.

"Everything good?" he asked.

"Kind of." She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Her green eyes were blazing with light. "Still concerned about what I sensed in the woods. I'm not taking any chances with your life."

"Neither am I." He gave her a wave as he headed for the barn. It looked like it had been in pretty good condition before the Nirumbi had gotten hold of it. The large door on the front had been torn down, which is where he walked in. He found Velvet right away, standing in the back next to an old Jeep. Its windows had been broken out, and the interior had been gutted.

"Velvet?"