Engulfed

Dante sat next to Azlynn’s bed. His head hung low. Never before had he felt so helpless. Not since the death of his parents had he felt so alone. He watched Azlynn’s breathing carefully. Her eyes twitched under her eyelids, like she was only asleep and would simply awake at any moment. For maybe the first time in a long time Dante felt truly scared.

“Azlynn, if you can hear me, please, just do something. Call me a jerk, slap me in the face, wiggle your pinky toe, I don’t care, just do something. Just give me some indication that you’re still in there.” Azlynn laid still, the only movement coming from her breathing. Dante’s eyes dropped again. “Please, something. Anything,” Dante pleaded. “I don’t know what to do here. I wish I had Charlotte’s blood magic, or maybe Drew’s Healing drool. But I don’t. I don’t even have so much as a fucking band-aid” Dante said, shocked to find that a sob was caught in his throat. “Growing up, they always told me ’Dante, you’re strong, you can do anything.’ Fucking bullshit, all of it. If I really could, why can’t I help you?”

A tear rolled down his cheek. He sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to fight the tears back. God forbid he should show even the slightest bit of weakness.

“I’m too weak, and you know it. That’s why you don’t rely on me. You’ve taken on the weight of all three worlds, and you make it work. You’re the one who’s strong, not me.”

He paused for a few moments to pull himself back together. He stroked her arm slowly. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then returned to scanning Azlynn.

“Every time I have something, or someone that I love, they get taken from me. But not this time; not you too. I promise, I’ll get stronger, so I can protect you, so I can help you with whatever. I swear, you’ll be able to rely on me. I’m sorry I’ve been so bitchy lately. I’m gonna make it right though. Just you wait and see.”

A tapping sound came from the vent in the corner of the room. Dante went over to the vent to investigate. He stared at the vent, puzzled. Whatever had been making the noise had seemingly vanished. Dante turned to return to Azlynn’s side when something moved out of the corner of his eye. He turned again, scanning the floor. Just as he was about to put his foot on the ground, a small, spotted mouse darted from under his foot, squeaking indignantly.

“What the fu- a mouse?”

The mouse scurried to the far side of the room, and then started growing What was once a small rodent, was now a very anxious, very naked Charlotte.
“Thanks for almost killing me, you boat-footed prick. Don’t you watch where you walk?” Charlotte spat.

“I’m sorry, I don’t assume there’s gonna be a person under my foot every time I step down. And what are you doing here anyway? That mutt Jae is gonna shit himself when he finds out you’re gone, again.”

“How’s Azlynn? Did she wake up yet”
“Uh, no.”
“Is she gonna wake up soon?”
“I don’t know, God, would you please put something on?”
“Do you think Azlynn’s shirt would fit?”
“Again, I don’t know. Why are you here, to molest my girlfriend while she’s sleeping?”

Charlotte flushed bright red and glowered at him. “No! Maybe? What are you talking about?”

“Just put clothes on.” Dante focused on Azlynn’s face while Charlotte rooted through the bag that held a change of clothes Dante had brought in case Azlynn woke up. Charlotte tugged a sweater and a pair of pajama shorts out and wiggled into them. They weren’t a perfect fit, but at least Charlotte wasn’t naked anymore. He hated it when she shifted back into a human without some kind of covering.

“How is she?” Charlotte asked anxiously.

“Still unconscious,” Dante muttered.

“Well I have some important things to tell you,” Charlotte said, still watching Azlynn with apprehension. “First of all, I don’t know how we’re going to get out of here. Firn granted Jae’s petition to take me as his mate, and I have no idea how to get out of it. Second of all, Forest told me that Amanda was looking for something called the Mezzosphere.”

“First of all, who the Hell is Forest, and does he happen to have a box of chocolates? Second of all, what is a metrosphere?”

“Forest was the wolf pup, and Mezzosphere,” Charlotte snapped impatiently. “It’s a place where all three worlds meet, and the barriers between them are weak there. If someone finds it, it will allow them easy access to Heaven or Hell.”

“You would think I would have heard about this before.”

“Not really. Most people don’t even know it exists.”

“Where is it?”

“No clue.” Charlotte shrugged. “But we need to find it soon, because Ted is looking for it too.”

“Well wherever it is, I hope it’s warm.” Dante pulled his coat even tighter around himself. Even in the heated infirmary he was freezing. “I’ve been choking on my testicles long enough.”

“Lovely.” Silence settled over the room while they both watched Azlynn’s pale form on the bed and mulled over what they were going to do next. Dante was about to open his mouth to ask Charlotte how she knew about the Mezzosphere thing, but suddenly Azlynn jerked on the bed. Dante and Charlotte both rushed to her, standing on either side of the narrow bed. Azlynn thrashed again, then her eyes flew open. The startling violet of her irises was so dark it was nearly black, although you could barely even see them because her pupils were so huge. She made a strangled noise, and jerked violently, tumbling off the bed. As she fell, her wings spread, knocking the lamp off the nightstand. Suddenly the only light in the room was the light of the full moon spilling through the window, and the strange light glowing from Azlynn’s skin.

“Azlynn?” Dante said uncertainly. A pale silvery hue was shimmering all around her, like some kind of freakishly powerful aura. Her wings rustled restlessly, and Dante was suddenly reminded of some exotic, wild animal trapped in a cage.

“Azlynn,” he said again, louder this time. She stared at him without moving, and for a crazed moment he thought she was going to attack him. Then, as abruptly as the whole thing started, the glow around her faded. She reached down and picked up the fallen lamp, setting it back on the nightstand and turning it back on. Her eyes had returned to their usual bright violet tinted with pale blue, and her pupils were no longer dilated. She blinked several times, as though she were trying to focus on something.

“Dante,” she said finally. Her eyes flicked toward Charlotte, who was still standing beside the bed, gaping at her. “Charlotte.” Dante had the eerie feeling that Azlynn was reciting their names, as if to remind herself of them.

“Are you all right?” Dante and Charlotte asked simultaneously. Dante shot Charlotte a dark look. She glared back at him and stuck her tongue out.

“What happened to you?” Dante asked.

“It was nothing,” Azlynn said. “It was just an adverse side effect from all the force I used to stop that meteor.”

Dante arched an eyebrow; he greatly doubted that, but he decided not to push her right now.

“Well now that you’re, uh, feeling better, we have a problem,” Dante said. “That Jae guy is determined to make Charlotte his mate. How are we going to get her out of here without starting some kind of war with the whole pack?”

“If anyone can come up with a plan, it’s Azlynn,” Charlotte said firmly. Azlynn and Dante both shot her sideways looks.

“Charlotte,” Azlynn asked slowly. “When did you first realize that you, ah, felt the compulsion to worship me?”

Charlotte looked puzzled. “I-I don’t know. After we got back from Hell, I guess.”

Azlynn looked thoughtful. “How interesting. Any idea why?”

“Because you’re amazing,” Charlotte gushed. Dante pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “This is getting too weird.”

“What could have happened to suddenly make her infatuated with me?” Azlynn asked, frowning.

“Well your dad marked her as his familiar,” Dante said.

“Yes, but I’m not-” Azlynn broke off, her eyes going round as saucers. “Oh!”

“What?”

“The mark,” Azlynn said. “It’s the mark. Of course. I suppose that makes sense. I inherited all his powers, maybe I inherited his familiars as well.”

“Familiars? As in, more than one? You have more crazed stalkers?”

“Most likely,” Azlynn said dismissively. “I’m sure Leviathan had plenty of familiars.”

“Great,” Dante muttered. “Just great. How do you get rid of it?”

“I’m not sure,” Azlynn admitted. Then she brightened. “But there is a bright side to all this.”

“There is?” Dante gaped at her.

“Yes.” A smile crept slowly over Azlynn’s face. “I’m going to use this to get Charlotte out of mating Jae.”