Incubus Ascension-Chapter 27

Well, the night had been long, and Olivia and Liam didn’t stop until the sky outside started to turn gray.

By the time morning came, she was lying on her back in the middle of the bed.

Her eyes were rolled up, completely spent and fast asleep with a little smile still on her face.

He sat on the edge of the mattress for a minute, catching his breath, then rubbed his face and took a deep sniff.

The whole room smelled like sweat, sex, and the faint musty scent of the old cabin.

Yeah, this place definitely needed a good cleaning before they left.

He glanced back at Olivia one last time. Her level had climbed to 9 overnight.

He gave a small nod, feeling a quiet sense of satisfaction. All that hard work last night had paid off.

He shook his head, pulled on his clothes, and slipped out of the room quietly so he wouldn’t wake her.

Right as he stepped into the hallway, he nearly collided with Vanessa.

She was carrying a tray loaded with some breakfast things, and the sudden bump made her stumble.

He shot his hand out fast and caught the tray before anything could fall and make a mess.

"Sorry," she said quickly, cheeks flushing a little. "I didn’t see you coming out."

"It’s alright," he told her, steadying the tray and handing it back to her. "No harm done."

He turned to keep walking, but she called after him.

"Liam, wait."

He stopped and looked back at her. "Need something?"

She hesitated, biting her lower lip. "Vanessa. Call me Vanessa.

That’s my name." She took a small breath. "And... I want to ask you something."

He nodded. "Okay, Vanessa. What do you need?"

She looked down at the tray for a second, then met his eyes again.

"Honestly, I don’t feel safe in my apartment anymore. Not out here in the wilderness.

I already caught that plague infection once and almost died. If it wasn’t for you..." She trailed off, then continued,

"I was hoping you could escort us, me and my daughter, safely to the walls. Like a hired guard, I mean."

He thought about it for a moment. This could actually be useful.

He could give her his phone number while they traveled, and maybe get some information out of her about the things that happened inside the city.

He nodded. "I don’t see why not."

Later that afternoon, Olivia finally woke up.

She walked into the main room rubbing her eyes and saw Vanessa, little Rem, and him packing up their things.

"Did I miss something?" she asked, still sounding half-asleep.

He finished tying up a bundle of clothes and looked up at her.

"Kinda. We’re going to help Vanessa and Rem get inside the city. It’s safer for them there."

Olivia’s gaze moved from his face to Vanessa and then to Rem, who was carefully folding some small blankets.

He could see the flash of guilt on her face as she realized she had overslept while everyone else was already working.

"Do you need a hand?" she asked.

Right then her stomach let out a loud gurgle.

He had to fight back a smile. "Maybe you can help after you get some food in you first."

Olivia dropped her head, her ears turning red.

Then she lifted her eyes and gave him a soft glare. "It’s all your fault," she muttered before heading off to the kitchen.

After she had eaten, Olivia came back and started helping properly.

She went over to a pile of old clothes in the corner and began sorting through them.

He could tell she was still thinking about how she had embarrassed herself earlier.

She was working extra hard now, like she wanted to make up for it.

She picked up a folded shirt, then suddenly a spider jumped out from somewhere in the pile and started scurrying across her arm.

"Liam! Hurry up!" she shouted.

He dropped what he was holding and rushed over. The spider was just a small one, nothing dangerous.

With his level at 13, it was easy to pinch it gently between two fingers and pull it off her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She nodded quickly, still looking a bit shaken. "I almost fainted."

He couldn’t help chuckling a little. "I never thought the same girl who took down a mercenary group with machine guns would get scared of a tiny spider."

She glared at him. "I wasn’t scared. I was just... fearful of the bacteria it might carry."

"Right," he said, nodding like he totally believed her, and walked back to his own task with the spider still pinched in his fingers.

After that, the four of them worked together more smoothly.

With everyone pitching in, it didn’t take long before everything was packed up and ready to go.

Since he had already walked this road once, the trip to the wall went pretty quick.

When they got there, he pulled out a simple map he had drawn and handed it to Vanessa.

He showed her the holes in the different sections of the wall and explained how to slip through without getting caught.

Vanessa took the map and looked at his face for a moment.

He could tell she was thinking about everything he had done for her. She seemed to make up her mind about something.

Then she asked, "Can I have your phone number?"

His eyes widened a bit. He had been planning to offer it to her himself, but this was even better.

"Sure," he said, smiling as he handed her his phone so she could put her number in or write his down.

"If you need anything important, just call me.

And if I call you to ask about what’s happening inside the city, please answer, okay?"

Olivia stepped forward and took the piece of paper where the number was written.

"This is the least I can do to repay your favor," Vanessa said quietly.

She waved at them as she walked toward the wall with Rem and her other daughter.

They watched their backs until they disappeared inside.

Olivia stood there for a moment, then said softly, "I’m going to miss them. Especially little Rem."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I have to agree. That kid has her own kind of charm."

Before they could turn around to leave, he spotted two figures coming toward them in the distance.

One had a purple glow, the other red.

As they got closer, he recognized them and let out a wry laugh. He poked Olivia lightly in the side.

"We’ve got company," he said.

Soon the two of them reached them.

It was Pyra, wearing a different set of clothes, and Beatrix in some violet seductress outfit of hers.

Even from a distance he could feel the tension between them.

They looked like they could barely stand being near each other.

He laughed again, shaking his head. "Did my trip just get even harder?"