And with that, he stepped back into the command center and closed the door behind him. But not before Mara followed him inside. Feeling her close behind him, he half looked over his shoulder.
"Now that we have a bit of space, are you okay?" he asked.
"I am now," Mara quickly replied. And indeed she did sound significantly better than she had just a moment ago.
Turning towards her, Lash found the willowy blonde with both hands covering her face, her wide eyes brimming with tears.
"It really is you, isn't it," she said, dropping her hands to do so. Lash smiled.
"In the flesh," he replied.
Tucking a spare strand of hair behind her ear, Mara looked at him with an almost embarrassed smile as she reached up to brush away her tears. Yet there was no denying the relief and the joy in her expression, her happiness literally shining out of her eyes.
"So much has happened, Lash. So many things ..." Mara paused as the tears reappeared and her resolve began to crumble. "The attack on my compound, the escape to Bluthold, then the attack that killed everybody. I didn't think my guard captain's message would even get out of the enclave."
She paused again to wipe away her tears and paste her smile back on.
"Just when I thought all was lost, there you are. Ingamon Lash. My childhood friend, now High Lord and Lord Commander of the Qos Viran." Her face then collapsed into a maelstrom of pain, sorrow, embarrassment, and relief.
"You saved me, Lash!"
Quickly stepping forward, Lash gathered her in and held her close as she sobbed against his chest, trembling with the power of her emotions.
"You saved me," she hoarsely whispered between sobs.
"Hush and be still," he murmured against her hair, rubbing her back consolingly as she shivered. "You're safe now. And you will never be in danger again, Mara. You have come home. Now the swords and might of House Lash will guarantee your safety!"
"You have no idea how much that means to me," Mara replied, the trembling fading and the sobs subsiding.
They stood quietly for a moment just holding each other. Then Mara took in a long, steadying breath.
"It will probably take a while for me to process everything," the Ventru lilith confessed. "But I don't want things to be awkward between us in the meantime. Could we ... try acting as though over a decade hasn't passed since we last saw each other??"
Lash thought her question over for a moment. He then nodded.
"I think I know you well enough that we could make that work," he said, his expression thoughtful yet reassuring.
"Thank the Dark Father!" she breathed with no little relief. "There's a part of me that wishes I never Ascended, that I was still living on your father's estate with my family."
Mara paused there to look up at him.
"But there's also the part that has accepted the responsibility that comes with being a lilith. Of maintaining and improving my holdings and providing for my m'tada. And guiding and nurturing our people, working to ensure our continued survival."
"Of course you have accepted that responsibility, Mara," Lash said with a smile. "Clan and House aside, you were always the strong and honorable one amongst our peers. Better than Bazo, Narya, Karaad, even me. I had to become Qos Viran to gain the strength and honor you were born with."
Her tears finally drying, Mara smiled sadly.
"Who would've guessed when I was helping you to pass your entry exam for acceptance into the Ventru nestari training program that you'd end up as the Lord Commander of the Qos Viran?" she asked, looking up at him.
"My father," Lash straight faced replied and they both laughed.
"He worked you hard, there's no denying that," Mara said, her smile slowly brightening as she remembered better days spent in the Lash household.
"But it made you into the vampire you now are. And I'm glad it did, because, before they put me into that suit, I had a premonition that the powerful male I knew you would become, was destined to come and save me!"
"Oh? Considering I had no idea you were called to Ascend, I certainly didn't," he said with a wry chuckle. "I was rescuing Amylia, not Mara Darktower."
"Maybe so, but I always suspected that someday you'd be Lord Commander of the Qos Viran," Mara said, her sad smile becoming a playful grin. "And I must say it looks good on you, Lash."
Lash smiled before respectfully bowing his head.
"Thank you, Night Mistress," he said. And quickly got a punch in the arm.
"Nope," Mara said, moving close to give him a light push in the chest. "You're not calling me that." She folded her arms beneath her breasts. "Not 'mistress', or 'queen', or any of those honorifics. And certainly not that horrible name the Conclave gave me at my Ascension."
Lash chuckled as he held up his hands in mock surrender.
"Okay, okay, no honorifics. But I see you certainly have become lilith level bossy."
Mara actually blushed and dropped her hands to her sides at that.
"Sorry," she said. "But you get nothing done with m'tada unless you command them with either words or the cloud. I guess I'm used to doing that by this point."
"Fair enough," Lash said with a smile. "Well, I know I don't have to say it but I will. You have House Lash as your shield, Mara, and Clan Ventru as your sword. All that we have, is yours."
Mara smiled, her eyes tearing up. Then she was stepping forward to once again wrap her arms around his powerful body, the big vampire returning the favor to pull her in tight.
"Thank you, Lash," she said, taking a deep breath in before squeezing him even tighter. "Ash me, you smell good!"
"Easy there, Mara," he said without relinquishing the embrace. "Don't make this weird."
She immediately looked up at him, a brow raised.
"What's weird about saying you smell good? Like really, really, really good?? There's nothing wrong with that, my alpha prime friend. Nothing at all!"
"Day Witch's pyre," he groaned. "Somebody told you!"
"Uh, no," Mara quickly replied. "I have lilith nose now, remember? They didn't have to tell me. I could scent you as soon as I stepped into that hallway." She put her face back against his chest.
"Of course you stepping out of that door looking like a vampire god didn't hurt, either. You certainly didn't look that good at the funeral."
"That was over a decade ago," Lash reminded her. "I still had baby fat on my face at that point."
Mara laughed with delight, a deliciously sensuous sound that actually sent a thrill up his spine.
"We grew up together, remember? You were never a baby. You came out of the womb ready to fight."
Then she was looking up at him again, a serious expression on her face.
"Joking aside, I need to ask you something," Mara said.
"Of course," Lash replied.
"I know we were just friends while we grew up. I mean, you and I spent plenty of time together, with my father and my uncle serving your father in many capacities, but Narya was always the one that got your more romantic side." A smile flitted across her face at that. "I can now safely say I was always a bit jealous of her. Even back then, you were pretty amazing. But now we're in a strange spot compared to how we were growing up. I'm a lilith, and you have realized your birthright and have become the High Lord of a powerful House, and an alpha prime male. So I need to know."
Mara hesitated slightly, as if questioning her own words. Then:
"If I go into season, will you help me resolve it?"
Lash didn't hesitate.
"Of course, Mara," he said with a smile, looking down at her. "Besides all of the official stuff, with you being Ventru's only lilith and everything, you are also my friend. Despite you and I not sharing intimacy before, I would be honored to help you resolve your season. It'll be the best hour I'll never remember!"
Mara giggled.
"You idiot. I wouldn't use Compulsion on you. Not for any reason."
"Oh? I actually get to actively participate?" Lash asked with a grin.
"I wouldn't want it any other way," she replied, her smile becoming something more serious. "Not with you."
"Then we have an accord," Lash said, his grin becoming a more serious smile as well. "Just don't fall for me, Mara. The 'L' word turns liliths into ash instantly!"
"Does it now?" she said with a delighted laugh. "I look forward to testing that assertion!"
Before Lash could reply, Dru finally stepped out of the strategy room and cleared her throat. Looking over at her, he smiled.
"Mistress Dru." He then stepped away from Mara to indicate her with a gesture. "May I introduce Ventru's lilith, Mara Darktower? Mara, this is Mistress Druzha, of the Nosferatu."
Lash could almost see Mara roll that one around her brain as she returned Dru's frankly appraising gaze with a steady one of her own. A Nosferatu, sworn enemies of the Ventru, here? Then she was smiling and extending her hand.
"A pleasure to meet you, Druzha," she said.
Dru watched her approach with a measuring look, her hand not rising to meet Mara's. But when the Ventru lilith was close enough, she stepped forward and embraced her instead.
"So glad you're safe, sister," the Nosferstu lilith said with a surprising amount of sincerity. And, after initially stiffening in surprise, Mara relaxed enough to return the embrace.
"Thank you," she said. "I'm glad Lash got my captain's message and rescued us!"
"Yes." Dru smiled and stepped back before looking over at the big vampire. "Truly, we would be lost without him!"
Hearing the emotional tone in Dru's voice, Mara looked from her to Lash, a question in her eyes. Only to see an expression on his face she recognized from their past together, a curious mixture of positivity towards Dru, while being resigned to the connection they had.
"Lost, yes," she agreed. "Just don't fall for him." Mara looked over at Lash with a twinkle in her eye. "He says the 'L' word turns liliths instantly into ash!"
Dru's smile became sensuous.
"So I've heard. But, since it hasn't happened yet, I think I'll take my chances!"
Before either Ventru could respond, a legionnaire was stepping through the door.
"Apologies for disturbing you, Lash, mistresses, but Doctor Jeriko would like to have a word with you before she boards her transport back to Oslo!"
The blonde Storm Wolf looked up from the notebook she was writing in and smiled as Lash stepped toward where she sat in one of the smaller labs in the med bay she had taken over as an office.
"Ah, Lash!" she said as he opened the door. "Come in, please."
Nodding, a friendly smile on his face, the big vampire did just that, closing the door behind him. Not that he needed to; with the rescued liliths awake and scattered throughout the base in an effort to find quiet places to reflect and meditate on their changing situation, the med bay was empty.
However, formed with the same smart plastic the walls were, the door closed made the room soundproof. Which meant Jeriko didn't have to hide.
"Okay, Lash, you have your twenty eight liliths back from the edge," she reported, dropping the superfriendly facade she had adopted as Doctor Jeriko and returning to her more pragmatic self as the commander of the elite Storm Wolves.
Handing him a small folder, she went on as he flipped it open and scanned over the first page.
"My report," Jeriko indicated. "It contains enough truth that the Conclave fact finders won't see the flaws. Unless, of course, they try to replicate the results."
"Which will do what?" he asked, looking up from the report, brow lifted in curiosity.
"Cleanse the bloodstream, as I said it would," she replied. "It just won't rebalance any of the affected systems and reset them to baseline, like the realignment did."
"Ah." Lash closed the folder. "I'll make sure it gets properly buried then. And hope we crush the slave ring before more liliths are captured."
"Indeed. But, if they are, you know where to find us." Abruptly Jeriko smiled. "You run a top notch outfit here, Lash. My compliments. And please pass on my compliments and thanks to Naryan and Narcist for their help. It was invaluable and they were a delight to work with."
"They'll be happy to hear that," he said. "They liked working with you."
"Let us hope such collaboration becomes more, not less, common between our people." Jeriko stood.
"Until next time, Lord Commander." Taking his arm vampire style, she gave it a firm squeeze. Then, with a nod, she was gone in a flare of light.
****