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"So call him," Nikki pressed. "Help us so we can help you. Let this man in, even if it's only a little. Bring him here so we can use him, and if he makes a mistake, we will all tear him apart. This is how you make Mei's life mean something. This is what matters most right now. So eat something, and I don't mean that sandwich. Smile at a man. Close your eyes and let yourself pretend it's someone else. I don't care, but you were once the thing men prayed to before battle. You were almost a god, and now you're a legend. Youdeservethe worship of these men. Let them offer their bodies."
Dahlia reached down for her sandwich. "Yeah. That actually helps."
"Good," Nikki said. "Because if it didn't, Cain was going to chain a man in your apartment. My way's easier."
Dahlia actually chuckled. "Yeah, that's why I love him. Ok. I'll eat. I'll even let you help me find a snack. And when I'm back home, I'll reach out to my hunter. I might need another push tomorrow, though."
"I will push as much as you need," Nikki promised. "Believe it or not, you've been my inspiration for the last century. Ever since Cain told me about you and how you both started as the odd ones and you ended up as his protector. And he'sCain!Still, those stories made me believe that time doesn't need to hold us back, and that I can keep up with the changing world."
"The first five hundred years are always the hardest," Dahlia assured her. "Probably less, now, since things are changing so fast. Soon enough, it stops feeling alien and begins to be miraculous."
"I just hope I live long enough to see that," Nikki said.
ChapterFive
DAHLIA
True to her word, Nikki found them a meal. The guy was talking shit, doing his best to impress his friends with how "tough" he was. Together, the women made sure he knew he wasn't as tough as he'd thought. A few bites, some drained blood, and a messy hookup in the back of his car made it the sort of thing he wouldn't report, yet just rough enough that he would definitely think twice before leering at any more "defenseless" women. Then Dahlia headed back to her empty apartment.
It had been days since she'd talked to Thane. The time made her feel like she'd waited too long, and yet she'd promised Nikki. Now that she was fed and feeling more like herself, she was out of excuses. The phone was sitting right there. She'd already spent over fifteen hundred of his hard-earned dollars, and all he'd asked for was a message. She owed him that much, right?
The problem was what came next. She'd asked him to come with her, but what if he'd changed his mind? He was an inquisitor. He could be setting her up, and then bring down all of the eidolon as a special bonus prize. Never mind her lifestyle - like her latest meal - but he knew what she had to do to survive, didn't he?
Maybe he had expectations that she couldn't meet and she was leading him on. When he figured out that she had a fondness for survival, what would he do? Did he think he'd be enough to keep her sustained? When he couldn't, would he run back to the Church to repent all his sins and lead them right to her?
Fuck it. The silence in her apartment was almost as bad as the abyss. It had been more than six hundred years since she'd spent this much time alone, and the other eidolon didn't really count. Even facing down the Inquisition sounded better than the isolation she'd forced upon herself. So, Dahlia swiped at the screen and typed in the number, making up something that sounded like random spam but would give him a hint.
Valerie:Hot babes, cheap apartments, all for the affordable price of $599/mo. Txt back YES for more information.
She looked at it twice, then hit send. Every second took an eternity to tick by. When the phone vibrated with a response, she nearly dropped it.
Thane:YES. Send to email - [email protected]
She quickly opened her phone's browser and made a new email address: [email protected]. Using that, she sent another version of the same thing, but snapped a picture of the view of the courtyard from her balcony and attached it. Once again, she waited.
A simple ding announced a reply. When she clicked the message, it wasn't at all what she expected.
Step 1: make a gmail account for Valerie.
Step 2: add me on weblife.
Step 3: send a message about missing me.
Step 4: don't take so long next time.
Step 5: DELETE this message AND the account.
Evidently, he'd thought this through. She created a new account under the name Valerie, with no last name listed, then a corresponding account on weblife. Within seconds, she was adding the paladin email. It was attached to a guy who seemed to be a fan of Silk Online. Then she sent a message that she missed him. Almost instantly, she had a message pop-up in the chat window.
Thane:How's the weather up there?
Valerie:Lovely. I'm sorry it took so long.
Thane:All good. We still on?
Valerie:I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.
Thane:Story around here is that I've been acting weird because this thing is getting serious with a girl I met online. Been talking about taking a trip to meet her in person.
