~~Mia~~
“No!”
“Yes.”
“No!”
“Yes.”
Mia glared up at Julisa as she jumped into the tetrad’s path.
“No!”
Julisa glared down at her, leaned down, and brought her face within inches of Mia’s. Unlike Livian, she didn’t have any hair, but the quartet of big black horns filled the role, almost like a giant evil crown. Fitting.
“If we’re going on this journey together, I will not have a cannam at my heels, little soul.”
“Well then, you don’t have to come! Romakus and Livian and the others will be plenty. We don’t want an army with us, anyway.”
With a long, heavy snarl, Julisa snapped her tail behind her and dug her talons into the stony ground.
“I have put too much of my life into the Damall’s goals, unmarked. I will do what I must, to ensure we succeed.”
“Well that–”
Julisa reached out with one of her many hands, and pushed Mia aside. Ass to the ground, Mia squeaked as she borderline bounced, but jumped back to her feet in an instant and dashed for her egg.
Julisa got her claws on it at the same time Vinicius got to his feet. She moved for the exit, but Vin was already there; he hadn’t moved to stop her from getting the egg, but had gone for the exit from the get go. Smart.
“Vin, if she hurts that egg, kill her!”
Julisa, eyes wide with some mix of rage and surprise, stared down at Mia as she held the egg with one arm, leaving three arms free to flex their claws.
“You can’t kill me. Romakus will bring every demon in the mountain down on you if you so much as hurt me.”
Mia scrunched up her nose, and clutched her necklace, Vin’s leash. Not with any sort of malice, but because she had to grab something to show the evil bitch that she was serious.
“I don’t believe you. Romakus knows I’m important, and he knows Vin will be a valuable ally.” She stomped her foot. “Let the egg go!”
“No.”
Vin laughed. Not a big, dramatic, fun laugh. A quiet, dark, rumbling chuckle. He stepped toward the tetrad, crouching slightly, arms spread, and readied a pounce. Except he couldn’t pounce her, not without potentially destroying the egg.
Julisa’s eyes flickered between Vin and the egg, and she slowly dragged her claws across it. A hostage.
There was more going on here than the egg. Julisa was a mean bitch, the sort who enjoyed bullying people, but that wasn’t exactly uncommon among demons. Something Mia was doing was drawing the demon’s attention though, to the point every time Julisa looked her way, she either had on a mean scowl, or a hungry grin, like she was planning to do something to her. She probably was planning things, many things, some violent, some sexual, some both, knowing demons. But what the fuck was it about Mia that had this woman so damn hostile?
Mia followed the woman’s eyes to Vin. Lightbulb moment.
Before she could say anything, Julisa put the egg down, and marched up to Vin, challenging him to stop her. He didn’t, checking with Mia, and Mia stared after the naked demon’s back as the tetrad waited for permission to leave without ever looking back at her. It didn’t come, so she pushed Vin aside, and Vin let her pass. He looked confused, too.
This couldn’t go on. Mia stomped after Julisa, walk turning into a jog as the damn woman and her long legs covered ground much more easily than Mia could. Tall people sucked.
“Julisa!”
“Silence. Leave me be. Your stupidity puts everyone at risk.” Julisa rounded a corner and climbed up a slope into a big alcove that Mia had been avoiding. It had the air of a ‘enter at your own risk’ alcove, and sure enough, it turned out to be one of Julisa’s.
Unluckily for Julisa, Mia was feeling risky. She could summon her batlam rune if she had to, hopefully, and Vin was steps behind her, ready to tear Julisa apart. And for some reason, Vin seemed quite willing to help Mia, no leash needed. It wouldn’t be hard for him to just step back and let Mia potentially get killed, and if he only interfered after the fact, he could get the leash and free himself of it. But he seemed to want to keep her alive, and Mia was going to take full advantage.
She climbed into the alcove, and Vin followed in behind her. Right behind her. Mia squeaked as the colossus walked over her and past her into the alcove, and stood with both sets of arms folded across his chest as he glared at Julisa. And because it was a really convenient place to stand and avoid potential death, Mia stopped between Vin’s legs, and also glared at the fujara tetrad.
“You and I need to get along, Julisa, if we’re going to be working together.”
“Working together?” With a heavy snarl, Julisa cracked her tail behind her and marched up to Vin. She spared him a solid glare before aiming it down at Mia, while dialing up the anger to scorching. “We do not work together. The Damall are going to drag your ass across Hell, and save our world. You are a tool. Do not get it twisted.”
“That’s not how it’s going to work!”
“Yes, it is.” She squatted down in front of Vin, but kept her burning eyes on Mia. “Every day, you are given more leeway you do not deserve. You have the child of Belial, maybe the last child of the Old Ones, on a leash! The fact we do not simply bind you and take you to False Gate as our prisoner, our toy, is beyond me. You… stupid… deluded…” She reached for Mia.
It wasn’t an aggressive reach. She wasn’t going to cut Mia up with her claws or anything. But Vin disagreed with that risk assessment, and he grabbed Julisa’s wrist. This time, she didn’t simply give in, and fought to yank her hand free hard enough she pulled the heavy titan’s weight forward. Wow, she was strong.
Mia bit back a squeal as she stepped back, almost fell down the hole out of the alcove, and instead fell on her ass as the two giants clashed. Julisa still had three hands free, and she used them, two grabbing one of Vin’s and pulling, refusing to let the giant get his weight under control, while her last hand slashed out at his chest.
She drew blood.
Vin roared. A proper, full on scene out of Jurassic Park roar, and Mia covered her ears as the sound vibrated the walls of the alcove. He still had one hand on one of Julisa’s, and that was all he needed to whip her across the room harder than he had the day Mia found the egg. The tetrad slammed against the wall, her reflexes getting her palms to the rock and stopping her from splattering her brains against it. But the throw still knocked the wind out of her, and she fell to a knee.
Vin wrapped a hand around her throat, and lifted her like she weighed no more than Mia. Her legs and tail dangled, and she grabbed his wrist and forearm with all four hands. The ten-foot demoness was a tiny doll compared to Vin.
Rumbling, he pulled her in close, and glared into her eyes.
“I should kill you,” he said. “I should have, then.”
“But you didn’t.” She snarled in Vin’s face, but there was no hiding how much she squirmed. “Why?”
Mia raised a brow. Why had Vin spared Julisa, all those centuries ago?