Page 51 of Leviathan's Song
“Guarding my family’s estate,” I corrected. “Still,” I added, glancing between the imposing forms of the constructs, “I acknowledge it’s a little overkill.”
“Pretty sure just one of them is overkill,” he muttered. “What happens if one gets hit by something big enough to break it? Like a cannon? Or a bomb?”
I shrugged and considered the golem. “Their magic would pull them back together. It would continue fighting until something shattered the heartstone. That’s why their heartstones are embedded so deep inside,” I explained. “Combat golems are built to protect the heartstone, so that it’s hidden, while people who own a personal golem usually want the beauty of the stone on display.”
He nodded and glanced at Ryo, with its heartstone floating in the air above its shoulders. “Well, now what?” He turned to me.
“Now…” I answered, opening one of my duffle bags and pulling out some rock climbing harnesses. “We put these on.”
* * *
We spentthe day nestled in an oiled hammock suspended around Leothen’s neck. Domm had too many moving parts for me to consider allowing him to carry us; I didn’t relish the idea of getting squished between all the moving boulders. Leothen’s torso and shoulders were a single piece, so they provided a stable surface for us to rest against.
Just above us, the construct’s loosely curled, chiseled hair provided the perfect cubbies to store our bags and provisions. I’d needed to bundle up thoroughly against the chill, but other than that, I’d really enjoyed spending the hours talking with Levi, watching the scenery below as I listened to him sing, and playing with the cards and calling stones we’d packed for entertainment.
I loved his spirit. He was gregarious, mischievous, and easily amused, and he enjoyed teasing me gently and being teased in return. I quizzed him relentlessly about all the pranks he’d pulled on Grim and Jordan—everything from releasing a dozen fluffy baby bunnies in Grim’s room to papering Jordan’s room with Twilight posters and wearing a Team Jacob shirt whenever he was around.
He was far too curious about different ways he could startle Sidney into shifting unintentionally, and I wondered briefly if I should warn her before deciding it wouldn’t do any good. She’d just be tense all the time, waiting for him to jump out at her like a jack-in-the-box. He’d seen the violence she was capable of. They would have to figure out their relationship with each other on their own.
When I asked him what had happened to the men who came to my shop last night, I assumed he was teasing me when he said he didn’t know.
He gave a casual shrug. “No, I’m not joking. Sometimes it’s better not to know. My best friend happens to be a reaper. No, not just happens tobe—heisa reaper. It’s who he is through and through. I learned a long time ago that sometimes I don’t want answers to the questions I have. And even when I do want answers, he doesn’t always feel obliged to give me them.”
I probably looked like a gaping fish with the way my mouth was hanging open. “Maybe you don’t want answers, but I do! Those guys came after me twice!” I should have called enforcement regardless of the illicit sedatives.
Levi sighed and reached for me, quickly pressing a kiss to the top of my head before shifting his gaze between my eyes. “Grim might be a tight-lipped ass, but he’s not going to let those men ever come near you again. If there’s anyone in the world I can trust, it’s him, and he knows how important you are to me. He’ll make sure you’re safe from them.
“I honestly don’t know what happened, though. They were long gone after I got back from taking you to the Gate. Have you ever tried to catch up to a vampire when he starts running? Or a pretentious-ass reaper who can spawn a shadow horse out of nowhere? In thedark? I’ll tell you how many times I’ve tried.None. I have to hang on to my dignity around those two when I can.”
The absurdity of his description was just too much for me, and I burst out laughing. “All I can picture is a little kid on a tricycle trying to keep up with his big brothers on their cool-kid bikes.” My chin trembled a little as I tried desperately to get a lock on my humor. His pride had already suffered enough.
“Welcome to my life, Empress. It’s alright, you can laugh,” he said indulgently as we swayed in the hammock.
We made camp deep in the Ruined Forests of Azyrdan. The name was a total misnomer; the towering trees were lush and verdant. A millennium and a half ago, dragons had burned the whole area to the ground, and the name had stuck. I cringed at the thought of all the trees we’d de-limbed on the way through. No matter how I tried, there just wasn’t a good way to bushwhack with massive golems without some damage to the local flora.
We’d found a small meadow to park Leothen and Domm, then unpacked what we needed for the night. As dusk fell, Levi set about making a fire while I figured out what we were going to eat for dinner.
I dug through the supply rations, searching for the more perishable items since it made sense to go through those first, and was surprised to find some tiny foil packets tucked inside of one of the bundles. Pulling them out for closer inspection in the dim lighting, I tried to read the tiny print on the back but eventually flipped the connected row over and froze as I recognized the logo on the front.
Condoms.
Had Sidney…? No, she hadn’t had access to any of the food packs. That meantmy momhad packed some condoms in with the food. And these werehumancondoms, which meant she’d made a special trip to the Void for them after I’d informed her I was bringing Levi along.
I. Could. Die.
“Elara?” Levi asked over my shoulder, and I realized I had made a choking sound. I whirled to face him, clutching the little packets to my chest like a squirrel. My face felt red-hot, and my heart was hammering in my chest a mile a minute. I knew I had nothing to be ashamed of, but I still felt caught.
I tried to answer, but only a squeak came out. Levi’s eyes were trained on my hands, and to my horror, a length of five packets hung from my clutches. It was too dark for me to make out his expression, but I knew without a doubt he had no trouble making out what I held.
“Wow, Empress. Big night planned. I’m going to go ahead and get your disappointment out of the way by stating, for the record, that you’re probably overestimating my stamina.”
I knew I looked like a deer in the headlights, but I felt both shockingly amused by his words and intensely curious about the imagery he conjured. None of that came out, just an awkward squawk before I stuffed the condoms back where they came from in embarrassment.
“I didn’t pack those,” I stated emphatically, causing Levi to cackle with laughter. His amusement was catching, and I found myself fighting a grin. The combination of his enchantments and his contagious laughter was so delightfully attractive. “I didn’t!”
He wiped a tear from his eye and bent to pull the strip from the bag for inspection. “I believe you, but what’s the big deal? You’re so shocked. It’s just condoms.”
“I just—” I froze for a moment, feeling like the gears in my head were stuck. “No, it’s notjustcondoms. I was looking forfoodwhen all of a sudden I’m staring at amassive amountof condoms—”
