JEOPARDY: The Cursed Soldier.

12. Yummy Soleria Snacks

The cold wind blew through their clothes in the crescent-lit night.

The three vampires relished in it. The Soleria wind. It was July hot everywhere, but Soleria, which added to the many reasons why they loved Soleria and wanted it for their home.

"I don't know who picked this house... But I love it." Amara exclaimed, taking in the luxurious mansion before them. It was big and beautiful. With three floors, a pool, a garden, and a medium-sized garage. The surrounding wall and the electric gate were a bonus that ensured privacy for a house built in the middle of a very busy city. "I just have one question, beyond the scenic appearance: How will we live here during the day?"

Meera silently conceded with Amara's question. The house was picture-perfect. But not functional. Not when it was made of glass.

Vampires burned in the sun. And that surely included sun rays refracted through glass. It was their eternal curse, right there with their intense thirst for blood and their sharp tempers.

"The answer to your question is already inside the house." Caiden answered in that dead tone he always used with Amara, before disappearing into the house in a blur of motion.

"Seriously?" Amara eyed the space previously occupied by Caiden with a scoff. "How the hell do you put up with him? Is it the mysterious bad boy aura?" Amara taunted, settling her eyes on Meera. "Is it his looks? Is he that good in bed?"

Meera was used to Amara's tendencies of stirring the pot, so she simply ignored her and followed Caiden into the house.

What she found there froze her, but only for a second.

Caiden was standing in the middle of the dimly lit but fully furnished sitting room, kissing a woman in a thin strap satin dress. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, so she quickly shook it off and sauntered to the pair.

She heard Amara's scoff from beside her. But didn't glance her way. She just kept moving forward until she reached the still-kissing pair.

"Oh! We have company." The girl, who looked no older than 25 years old, moved her large brown eyes from Caiden to the two other ladies, after she had detached herself from him.

"Anika," Caiden enunciated what must be the girl's name in a thick accent. Anika's eyes immediately lifted to his face, but Caiden's eyes were on Meera and Amara as he cocked his head at them. "meet Meera and Amara, my traveling companions. Ladies, this is Anika, the sorceress who will help us walk in the sun."

Meera ran a more thorough appraising eye over the witch. She was not only young but also beautiful. With her shoulder-length dreadlocks, caramel skin, and brown bow-shaped lips. She was a head-turning beauty. The way she was looking at Caiden, like he hung the moon and every star in the sky, told Meera that they had already screwed. Multiple times.

Something solid but hollow settled in her belly.

"Anika, you can start the ritual." Caiden's soft command interrupted Meera's appraisal of the girl. Shifting her focus to following behind Anika who smoothly started for the stairs.

"Follow me. Everything is ready. I was just waiting for you." At Anika's words, Meera flashed into the ritual-prepared room with her vampire speed, beating Anika and Caiden there. Amara joined her a second later with a smug smile that said, 'I know what you're doing.'

Meera rolled her eyes. So what if she needed to do something to show the 25-year-old witch that she was not only prettier but also more powerful than her?

Her peace was short-lived when Anika and Caiden arrived together, spotting identical expressions. Like they were the couple, and she was the third wheel.