“Sweetheart.” Sylvie hugged Casey tightly to her and did so with the same loving smile, “I’ve been around two-hundred ay years, and in all that time, I had never been more alohan when you were in France, giving yourself..” Sylvie pulled her arm out of the b and tucked loose strands of Casey’s light-scarlet hair behind her ear. “..giving yourself to whoever you could, seeking and looking..” Sylvie took in a burning breath and finished, “...while I sat here and fooled myself into believing that who I sought wasn’t you…” A siear of blood rolled down Sylvie’s cheek when Casey reached out and interced their fingers. “...you, Casey Rivers, are irrepceable to me. Just know that when I came for you, it wasn’t to…us…” Sylvie felt her body heat up and her blood rushing through her dead veins and then wiped the tear with a smile. “...I didn’t know what would happen, just that I had to.”

  Having said all that o be said, Sylvie simply lost track of time while gazing into Casey’s love-filled golden orbs. tent beyond what she had imagined possible, Sylvie simply held Casey close to her and relished the easy way that Casey molded to her body as though they were shaped just for one another. It was during this admiration that it dawned on Sylvie why Casey insisted on being nude in their interlude. It was the only true fire way that the couple could feel each other without any barriers, mental or physical.

  It was a mellow knock at their bedroom door that she couple out of their little trance, “Sylvie, Casey?” Kody calmly questioned. “It’s ready. Whenever you e out, I will expin it all. It’s been a few hours so we have to get on the road quickly if we are going to make it between both locations before sunrise.” They snickered, “It’s going to be tight anyway.”

  Cupping Casey’s cheeks, Sylvie spoke first. “Sorry about the sex thing.”

  “It’s okay, Taini.” Casey ughed, “I have always been rather sex driven, it was a normal response.” Casey relutly pulled out of the b and grabbed a pair of jeans and a maroohat hugged her frame and ated her chest. “You did this on purpose.”

  “Kody, We are on our way.” Sylvie offered a fatuous yet charming smile. “You think I would purposefully give you blouses that force me to look at that lovely and gigantic chest of yours?”

  “Yes.” Casey adjusted her bra to get fortable.

  With a quick decision to match Casey, Sylvie grabbed a set of acid-washed bck jeans and a blue-gray blouse and pulled it over her own frame and wiggled her own fairly rge boobs at Casey. “There, now we are even.” With a little giggle, Sylvie grabbed her knee-length leather boots and opehe door. “Kody. Walk and talk at the same time.”

  Without much to say, Kody darted down the hall and into the open garage in a fsh. Once Sylvie and Casey arrived and saw the traption that they’d called a bracer all this time, Sylvie shook her head. “That is not what was in the book, Kody.”

  Holding up their hands, Kody motioned for the couple to e over. “It braces, but I ged the shape.” Kody’s green power eyes glowed brightly with excitement. “It’s best to think of this like a miniature magic train.” Pointing to a little reservoir that was soldered to the traption, they tinued. “Two vials of blood. One from you, Sylvie..” They paused to enjoy the st of welded metal, “..the other for you Casey. You mentioned blood and eclipse, so this is how I guess how the arm bracer would have worked.” Kody noticed the fused look in Sylvie’s eyes. “I have the engine modified to use vampire blood to make the speed so great that my mae will melt the portal, and pull itself apart.” Kody smiled, “Melt until it splits. It will be almost like stretg a rubber band to its limit.”

  Vaguely getting a picture of how the ‘train’ would work, Sylvie asked the big question. “Does it work on vampire blood alone? Does this mean we don’t o get whatever is in those barrels?”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Casey offered and suddenly shivered then looked into Sylvie’s full moon irises, “Wow, that was a fast rea.” Casey walked over and hopped on the workbench, “I need a minute, you’ll know when you catch up to what I just felt…” She groaned and closed her eyes.

  Slowly shaking their head, Kody frowned disappointingly at Sylvie. “Unfortunately, no.” Kody offered as soothing as possible. “I used my own circuit designs, but didn’t have time to make it into my nano-circuits, so I had to basically use circuits from your ptop.” Kody scratched their disheveled floppy brown hair, “Yoing to need a op, Sylvie.”

  “It’s okay.” Sylvie offered a her stomach like she was going to be sibsp; It was when Casey rejoihem that Sylvie smiled again. “That is a handy ability, love.” She looked back at Kody. “Okay, keep going, my little genius.”

  With a smile on their face, Kody nodded. “We will need what’s in the barrels to power the engine. See the reservoir of water? That is what heats up and the steam turns the engine…” Kody paused and began pointing out the different parts. “That also will power the coil for the eleag.” They showed Sylvie the bottom, “Notice how the mag is angled? That is how it will stay ‘cmped’ to the ring.” They hahe whole thing to Sylvie. “Feel how the bance is off?”

  Nodding her head enough that her pstic bows clicked, Sylvie affirmed, “Yep. I assume there is a reason for it?”

  It was though a devil had suddenly possessed Kody and their eyes turned bright red. “There is indeed a reason.” Darting through the house, Kody returned with a few bottles of chilled blood. “Drink up while I expin.” Waiting until both dies had begun drinking, Kody resumed. “If the blood was being used as a preservative to whatever silvery-thing is in there, then I am betting that it doesn’t st long in that current form. I think its half-life is crazy short.”

  “So?” Sylvie gulped half of her bottle at ond immediately felt better. “I wish I could hunt, it would clear my head.” Sylvie smiled when her friends agreed by shaking their heads. “Okay, so half-life?”

  Putting down their y bottle, Kody’s eyes kept fshiween e and red. “Right. If it is short as I think it is, we will get to add a little fvor to the portal a split sed before it closes.”

  “Which is?” Casey asked and wiped blood from her lips.

  “Follow along here.” Kody held up one of their fingers. “Powered by blood and radiation. It breaks the portal and then if it falls into the pool as the element goes critical?” Kody closed and opeheir hands. “Boom. A very big one oher side. It might even take out whatever Enas is using oher side.” Kody khat they were suggesting depositing a nuclear explosion, “It should take down a few Shadewraiths as well.”

  “Is there an alternative?” Sylvie asked with her eyes shut, knowing the answer.

  “Not really. Ohe material breaks down and overheats…” Kody paused, “...unless we keep the element cool. Which I didn’t build into the design.” Kody ughed, “It is basically a small nuclear power pnt that is using steam to power everything. We use water in the reactors across the try to keep the core cool.” Kody g their phone and the time. “If we are going to have a shot at this, we o make the decision and leave now.” They shrugged, “It’s the only pn I have, Sylvie.”

  With a heavy breath, Sylvie khat she didn’t have any other current options and this one was highly reckless. “It is what it is. One portal, One pn…one shot.” She gave Casey a quick kiss. “Let’s get on the road, and while we are on the way, expin how I am getting this crap out of the hill.”