Chapter 4
The ritual had changed everything and nothing.
Lirith could feel Adrian constantly now a warm presence in the back of her mind, steady as a compass pointing north. It comforted and terrified her in equal measure. She'd never been tethered to anyone before, never had someone's life force humming alongside her own cursed existence.
It made her vulnerable. It made her stronger. It made her care in ways the curse had never prepared her for.
"You're brooding again," Adrian observed from his desk, not looking up from the map they'd been constructing. Two weeks had passed since Corvain's attack, two weeks of deepening their understanding of both Ebonveil and each other.
"I don't brood. I contemplate ominously. There's a difference."
He smiled. "My mistake. You're contemplating ominously again."
Despite herself, Lirith laughed. She'd discovered she liked his humor dry and unexpected, surfacing when she least expected it. "I was thinking we need to go deeper into Ebonveil. Your grandmother wouldn't have stayed in the threshold regions. If she was truly seeking understanding, she'd have pressed further."
Adrian's smile faded. "Agreed. But that means taking me with you, and I'm not exactly equipped for supernatural survival."
"The bond should protect you. Partially, at least." She moved to stand behind him, looking at the map. "There's a place called the Luminous Grove. Supposedly neutral territory where different entities coexist. If anyone has information about a mortal woman crossing over fifteen years ago, it would be there."
"Supposedly neutral?"
"Nothing in Ebonveil is guaranteed," she admitted. "But it's our best option."
Adrian was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "When do we leave?"
"Tonight. The veil is thinnest at midnight." She hesitated. "Adrian, once we cross, things will be different. The entities there won't see our bond the way Corvain did as weakness. They'll see it as a novelty. Curiosity. Some will want to test it."
"Test it how?"
"By trying to seduce one or both of us. By offering temptations. By seeing if our connection is real or just convenient." She met his eyes. "I need you to understand in Ebonveil, desire is tangible. Whatever you feel, whatever you want, it manifests. You won't be able to hide it."
A flush crept up Adrian's neck. "I see."
"Do you?" Lirith moved closer, genuinely concerned. "Because if you harbor any secret desires, any hidden wants, they'll know. And they'll use them."
Adrian set down his quill carefully. "Lirith, I'm a twenty-three-year-old scholar who's spent most of his adult life buried in forbidden books. I'm not exactly... experienced in matters of desire. But I understand the risks."
Something in his vulnerability made her chest tighten. "That inexperience might actually help. Less for them to exploit."
"Unless they exploit the inexperience itself," he pointed out.
"Well, aren't you cheerful."
They prepared in companionable silence Adrian gathering research materials, Lirith centering her power. As midnight approached, they stood before the veil point she'd created in his study, a shimmering doorway that looked like heat waves over summer pavement.
"Last chance to reconsider," Lirith offered.
Adrian took her hand. "Not a chance. Let's find my grandmother."
They stepped through together.
The transition was smoother this time, their bond acting as a bridge. Adrian stumbled only slightly as Ebonveil's reality asserted itself the twilight sky, the impossible architecture, the weight of ancient magic pressing against his mortal soul.
"It's beautiful," he breathed, staring at the landscape.
"It's dangerous," Lirith corrected, though she understood his awe. "Stay close. Don't accept anything offered. Don't make promises. Don't…"
"Visitors!"
The voice was melodious and came from everywhere at once. Three figures materialized from the luminescent flora surrounding them ethereal beings that shifted between genders and forms with fluid grace. Nymphs, Lirith recognized. Nature spirits native to the Grove.
"How delightful," the lead nymph purred, circling them with predatory interest. "A succubus and her pet mortal. Or is it the other way around?" They laughed, the sound like wind chimes. "I'm Solis. These are Verdant and Twilight. Welcome to the Luminous Grove."
"We're seeking information," Lirith said firmly. "About a mortal woman who crossed over fifteen years ago. Evelyn Blackwood."
"Information costs, sweetling." Solis moved closer to Adrian, who tensed but held his ground. "But we could be persuaded to trade. You both have such interesting energy. So... connected. We haven't seen a bond like this in centuries."
Verdant manifested beside Lirith, running translucent fingers along her arm. "Why limit yourself to one mortal, lovely creature? The Grove offers pleasures beyond singular devotion. We could show you both what it means to truly transcend boundaries."
Lirith felt the offer's pull not just the promise of pleasure, but of understanding. These beings existed in perfect harmony with each other, sharing everything. No jealousy. No possession. Just pure, multifaceted connection.
It was seductive in ways that had nothing to do with physical desire.
"We're not interested," Adrian said, his voice tight. But Lirith felt his curiosity through their bond academic interest warring with something more primal.
"Aren't you?" Twilight appeared between them, splitting their joined hands. "The scholar who's never let himself want anything beyond knowledge. The succubus who's afraid to want anything at all. We could free you both from those limitations."
The Grove responded to their words, flowers blooming in patterns that suggested intertwined bodies, pleasure given form. Lirith felt the curse stir, recognizing opportunity. Three powerful entities, willingly offering essence. She could feed for months on what they provided.
And Adrian she felt his pulse quickening, felt his mind racing with questions about how such beings maintained their balance, their connection. He wanted to understand, and in Ebonveil, want was dangerous.
"No," Lirith said, pulling Adrian back to her side. "We're not here for games. Just information. Name your price a reasonable one or we'll seek answers elsewhere."
Solis's expression shifted from playful to impressive. "You resist. How... unexpected." They gestured, and a path through the Grove illuminated. "Very well. Information for information. Tell us the true nature of your bond, and we'll tell you what we know of Evelyn Blackwood."
Lirith exchanged glances with Adrian, who nodded slightly. "We made a bargain," she explained. "He provides essence through controlled feeding. I provide knowledge about Ebonveil. In the process, we created a connection deeper than either of us intended. Now we're bound not as master and servant, not as predator and prey, but as partners."
"Partners," Verdant repeated thoughtfully. "How quaint. And limiting."
"Or," Twilight countered, "how powerful. A bond chosen rather than compelled. That's rare here."
Solis studied them for a long moment, then smiled genuinely this time. "Your grandmother came through, mortal. She stayed in the Grove for several months, learning from us. A fascinating woman. Hungry for knowledge like you, but..." They paused. "She wanted to go deeper. To the Heart of Ebonveil. We warned her against it, but she went anyway."
Adrian's hand tightened on Lirith's. "Did she survive?"
"We don't know. Those who reach the Heart rarely return unchanged. If at all." Solis moved toward the Grove's center, where darkness pulsed. "The path is there, if you're foolish enough to follow."
"We are," Lirith said before Adrian could respond.
The nymphs laughed. "Of course you are. The bound ones always are." Verdant touched Lirith's cheek gently. "A warning, succubus. The Heart amplifies everything. Your bond will be tested. Your hunger will be magnified. Your choices will define you."
"They already do," Lirith replied.
As they walked toward the path, Twilight called out one last time: "If you survive, come back. We'd love to hear what you learn about partnership in the dark."
The path swallowed them, and the Grove's light faded behind them. Adrian's hand found hers in the darkness.
"Together?" he asked.
"Together," she confirmed.
And they descended toward the Heart, where answers and horrors waited in equal measure.