Notes:
- I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I'm not in a good moment right now 💔
- I didn't want to do in this fic like the Season of Havenfall, where Eva had multiple up and down moments. I thought it was too exhaustive so I decided to skip straight to the point in the next chapter, and add the Lady Of Blood plot in the second half of the fic.
"I had no right to ask you this, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Kamilah. I'm glad I could help you brother."
The flight to France, where Adrian had a laboratory, was long and tense. Lysimachus short and weak breath suggested he wouldn't make it for too long. Kamilah was sitting by his side the whole time, whispering some words in their language to assure him he'd be okay.
When they arrived, Adrian drew blood from Amy. Not a small amount, but the limit, making sure that her well-being wouldn't be affected too. Time passed and tension hung in the air, until the moment he opened his eyes and called for his sister.
"Kamilah?"
With teary eyes, Kamilah ran to his side and they started speaking in their ancient language. It was an emotional reunion and Amy couldn't help crying tears of joy too, knowing it was her blood that made it possible.
The next few weeks were quite a challenge. Lysimachus was still weak and fragile, so Kamilah decided to stay in France for a while longer. Her brother wasn't familiar with the modern world or with the language they spoke. While Kamilah and Adrian were enlisted to teach him English, Amy and Lily were responsible for the rest.
"Witchcraft," Lysimachus' eyes were wide in surprise, as he stared at Amy's cell phone screen. "You can talk to Adrian… through a mirror. It's dark magic."
Lily broke into laughs.
"Uhhhh," Amy took the cell phone back, "not really. This is an electronic device people use for communication."
"And what makes it work?"
"Microchips?"
He stared at her blankly and Amy didn't know what to say, or how to explain further. Instead, she opened the browser and taught Lysimachus he could see pictures of Egypt and even read articles about its history. It distracted him for a few hours, until Kamilah returned to the apartment they rented, from her office in Paris.
"Brother, what happened to your hair?!" She asked, giving a furious glance in Lily's direction.
"You wanted him to feel part of the modern world, so…" she explained. "Amy and I showed him a few haircuts and he liked this one."
"It's called a…" Lysimachus tried to remember, "faux hawk? Look sister, Lily even added some blue details. You should consider changing yours too."
"I always tell her that," Lily agreed.
Kamilah rolled her eyes and then laughed, shaking her head. Grins and laughs had become usual for her. Now she had her brother back, she was always with a big smile on her face.
"So, what's with all those bags?" Amy followed her to the kitchen.
"I stopped by a grocery store," Kamilah told. "I'm cooking tonight."
"What? What's the occasion? I mean, last time you cooked, you confessed your feelings."
A small smile appeared on Kamilah's lips, as she blushed.
"I… We haven't been spending too much time together lately. So I was thinking we should do something special tonight."
"I love the idea," Amy pressed her lips on Kamilah's. "Can I help?"
"Only if you promise to not set the kitchen on fire," Kamilah teased her.
"Hey! I've been living by myself for a while now, I've got some skills. What are cooking?"
"Some traditional egyptian dishes."
Kamilah didn't need to follow any recipes, she just cooked the dishes by instinct. In the end, everything smelled delicious and tasted even better.
"Oh. My. God. This is just perfect," even Lily agreed to join them for dinner.
"A genuine compliment coming from someone who lives of Cheetos and junk food," Kamilah laughed. "I should be proud of myself."
"Even Lily couldn't resist your cooking skills," Amy placed a hand over hers.
"Our cooking skills."
They gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment, before Lysimachus cleared his throat.
"Amy, Lily has informed me about the relationships in the modern world, where you and Kamilah can be legally married. Has my sister spoken to your family yet?"
Amy felt her cheeks burning and Kamilah nearly choked with her wine.
"Uhhh… there's no need," the girl fixed, "not yet."
"But aren't you living under the same roof?"
"Yeah. We probably skipped a few steps, but… modern days?"
"I'll have a long time to catch up with these times," Lysimachus shook his head.
Later, he was feeling tired and went sleep, Lily took a hint and left Amy alone with Kamilah. It was the first time in weeks she had an opportunity of being close to her girlfriend.
"How is he dealing with the fact you're a vampire?" She asked, cuddling with Kamilah on the couch.
"Well," Kamilah answered. "Compared to everything he has been experiencing so far, my nature is not really a problem."
"And how are you feeling, Kamilah?"
"I'm still worried about him, but I hadn't felt this happy in a very long time. I have the two most important people of my life right here with me."
"I'm pretty sure he'll feel stronger when we come back home. And I'll love to introduce him to all the wonders in the Big City."
"Thank you, Amy," Kamilah kissed her forehead. "And I love your optimism."
Only a few days later, Adrian returned from his trip to Prague and concluded Lysimachus was ready to fly to the United States. Once again, he was mesmerized by the wonders of the modern world.
"Where are we going again, Amy?" He asked, following her around the streets.
"We must deliver The Council the summons for an incoming meeting," she told. "Do you remember what Kamilah told you about The Council members?"
"Apparently I should always watch my neck around them?"
"Yes, especially around Priya and The Baron. I don't think you'll have problems with Lester, as he has other interests in mind. And Vega… as long as you vote for him in the next elections, you're safe."
"I'll keep all of that in mind."
As Amy predicted, they had no problems with Senator Vega, who briefly informed Lysimachus about the current politics of the country. Charismatic and manipulative as he was, he easily gained Kamilah's brother trust.
Things went easy with Lester too, who promised to take him to places he had never been, and set him up with the hottest women in the area.
"Amy, are you sure they're so bad as my sister described?" Lysimachus furrowed his brows confused, as they approached The Shrike. "I mean, they look so… welcoming?"
"Don't worry," Amy assured. "You'll be present in the next meeting, where they tend to show their true nature."
"Really?"
"Lily and I always place bets on who will cause trouble in the meetings."
"What's your bet this time?"
"I'll tell you when we finish."
Entering The Shrike was always a nasty experience. As usual it smelled like cheap alcohol, cigarettes and blood. Amy told Lysimachus to avert his eyes, but he was smarter than that. He wanted to know the dangerous territory around him.
"What are you doing here?" The Baron asked as soon as he had his eyes on Amy. "And who's this figure you bring with you?"
"Lysimachus," he extended his hand before Amy had any reaction. "Kamilah's brother."
The Baron let out a sarcastic laugh.
"So you're really alive… what means her blood is truly powerful…" he give a signal to his men, who approached Amy from behind.
As one of them grabbed Amy's shoulder, Lysimachus immediately grabbed his wrist and twisted it.
"Touch her again and it'll be the last thing you do, demon."
The second guard was ready for a fight, when The Baron ordered him to stop.
"Let them go, the last thing I need is Kamilah or Raines coming here and finding some… indiscretions."
Amy gave him one last furious glance before walking away, escorted protectively by Kamilah's twin.
"It seems like you and Kamilah were right, The Baron is truly disgusting," Lysimachus commented, once they walked outside.
"He's a pig!" Amy angered, taking a deep breath to recompose herself. "Speaking of which, wait until you meet Priya…"
For Amy's surprise, the visit to Priya's house was far from what she expected, as soon as the fashion designer put her eyes on them, she grinned broadly.
"Amy! What a nice surprise," she kissed both of Amy's cheeks, making her blush. "And you brought me a new houseboy as a gift… how considerate."
In the next second, she was no longer the target of Priya's attention and interest.
"Priya, no. This is…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Lysimachus took Priya's hand to his lips. "A houseboy? What would that entail? I'd be honored to comply."
Amy could see her fangs descending behind a sly smile. She placed herself between them.
"Lysimachus, I don't think Kamilah would be thrilled. Maybe you should ask her opinion on that first."
"Oh," Priya's expression turned to disappointment and she rolled her eyes. "You're Kamilah's dead brother."
"Not dead anymore."
"We can discuss this some other time, when we're alone at my lovely club."
Priya invited them to sit and have a drink, but after her behavior in Kamilah's party, Amy wanted to make things quick.
"There's no need, I'm only here to deliver you the summon for the next Council meeting."
"Oh," Priya read the summon, "okay. I'll be there."
Amy headed to the door, when she noticed Lysimachus was still sitting, exchanging looks with Priya. She sighed.
"Kamilah won't be happy to know this."
"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Kamilah asked, before she and Amy could leave the house for a date.
"You've asked a million times," Lysimachus complained. "I've already told you, I'm fine."
"Anyways, Adrian will be keeping an eye on you."
"As if I needed a babysitter."
Amy stood patently by the door, as her girlfriend checked her twin brother's temperature again. He let out a sigh in frustration, Amy could tell he was annoyed by his sister excessive care.
"You're feverish again," Kamilah told. "I'm beginning to get worried."
"Kamilah," Adrian assured, "he'll be fine. I've already explained, this low fever is only his immune system getting used to pathogens that didn't exist by the time he lived. Go out and enjoy your night with Amy."
She stared at her brother, Adrian and then to Amy, pondering about her options.
"Okay, but anything you call me and I'll rush back home."
"I promise."
Kamilah drove them to her favorite private garden in New York, where she had set table for them to have dinner and drink some wine. She also put on some music.
"May I have this dance?" Amy asked, taking Kamilah's hands in hers.
"Oh! Amy, it's… it's been a while."
"I'm a terrible dancer, so I won't judge."
Kamilah agreed with a nod and followed Amy into a slow, careful dance.
"See? Not so bad, right?"
"You're right," she sighed. "I suppose I'm just letting painful memories get the better of me."
"Well," Amy smiled, "so let's make some new memories."
Amy squeezed her hand, and Kamilah retributed by planting a soft kiss on her lips. Then, the female vampire deepened the kiss, pulling her closer by the waist.
"I was thinking about what Lysimachus said."
"What?" Amy moaned, as Kamilah's mouth descended to her neck.
"About meeting your family," Kamilah spoke, staring deeply into her eyes. "It's about time I tell them my real intentions, don't you think?"
"Oh, and will we skip the part where you kidnapped and planned to bleed me dry?"
"You'll never stop making fun of me for this, will you?"
Kamilah playfully punished Amy by nibbling on her lower lip.
"I don't think so," Amy laughed.
Kamilah's cell phone ringing interrupted the moment. Amy didn't have a good feeling about that.
"Adrian," Kamilah said, "is there anything wrong?"
"It's Lysimachus, Kamilah. He's not doing well, he collapsed and his blood pressure is dangerously low."
"I'll be there in a second."
They entered the car and Kamilah drove like a maniac through the streets of New York, passing all the red lights. Amy was, at the same time, scared and amazed by her driving skills. When they arrived, both of them rushed to the bedroom, where Lysimachus looked so bad as in the video call Gaius made.
"A-Adrian, what happened?!" Kamilah asked. "H-He was doing well when I left."
"His fever increased," Adrian told, "then he began to look worse and…"
"Did you try to give him more blood?"
"Yes, but it didn't help at all."
"Maybe he needs more of…" Kamilah glanced at Amy, who was standing in a corner of the room. Amy already knew what that look meant. "Amy's blood."
Adrian stared at her in silence for a moment before answering.
"I fear it's more serious than that this time."
