Taylor made

“Wait,” Joey said slowly, holding up one hand. “If you’ve been hiding for twenty years… how old are you exactly?”

Taylor visibly hesitated.

“Well…” she said carefully, “do you mean this body? Or my essence?”

Joey immediately rubbed both hands over his face.

“My head hurts already.”

Cassandra looked far more interested than disturbed.

Taylor folded her hands nervously in her lap before continuing.

“Avalorians reincarnate,” she explained softly. “Every sixty years we’re reborn into a new body.”

Joey blinked.

“…That feels like important information you maybe should’ve opened with.”

Taylor gave him an apologetic smile.

“In order for the rebirth to happen correctly,” she continued, “we have to find a mate before the cycle ends.”

Joey choked slightly.

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed with interest.

Taylor hurried onward.

“I’m fifty-nine years into my current cycle,” she admitted quietly.

Silence.

Then Joey leaned forward slowly until his elbows hit his knees.

“Oh wow,” he whispered into his hands. “I am aggressively out of my league.”

That finally got a laugh out of both women.

Even Cassandra smirked slightly.

Taylor shook her head quickly.

“It’s not like that.”

“You’re an immortal bird goddess reincarnation queen,” Joey replied weakly. “I literally work at Burger Chief.”

“You also fought reptile monsters with a magic knife,” Cassandra pointed out. “You undersell yourself constantly.”

Joey pointed at her without looking up.

“You are biased because you have terrible judgment.”

“Correct,” Cassandra agreed immediately. “And yet here we are.”

Taylor smiled shyly before her expression turned serious again.

“My essence itself has existed for around six hundred years,” she admitted. “Every rebirth is still… me. Same soul. Same memories.”

Joey slowly lowered his hands.

“…So technically both of you are ancient supernatural women.”

“Yes,” Cassandra said smugly.

“And somehow,” Joey muttered, “both of you are interested in me. Which honestly feels statistically impossible.”

“Your confidence training still needs work,” Cassandra sighed.

Taylor ducked her head slightly, clearly trying not to smile too hard.

Cassandra leaned forward next.

“So you need to find a mate within the next year?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Joey immediately went into another coughing fit.

Taylor’s cheeks flushed crimson.

“Yes,” she admitted quietly.

“Oh this poor boy is going to die from stress,” Cassandra mused.

“I’m TRYING my best,” Joey wheezed.

Taylor bit her lip nervously before Joey finally managed to recover enough to ask the important question.

“Okay,” he said carefully. “Who exactly is Leviathan?”

The mood in the room shifted instantly.

Taylor’s shoulders tightened.

“He’s a basilisk,” she said quietly.

Cassandra’s expression darkened immediately.

“…That is unfortunate.”

Joey looked between them.

“I’m getting the feeling that’s bad.”

“It’s very bad,” Cassandra answered flatly. “A basilisk is basically a minor dragon. They are big, powerful, and carry a poison that can kill practically anything.”

Taylor nodded slowly.

“Leviathan leads the lizard man clans. The creatures you fought tonight serve him.”

Joey grimaced.

Taylor looked down at her hands again.

“A long time ago, the Aviary tribes and the lizard clans nearly wiped each other out in a war. Eventually a treaty was formed between our species.”

Joey already looked like he wasn’t going to enjoy where this story was headed.

“I was promised to him as part of that treaty,” Taylor finished softly.

Silence filled the apartment.

Joey blinked.

“…Excuse me?”

Taylor’s voice became smaller.

“If Leviathan mates with me, he can anchor his own essence through my rebirth cycle.” She swallowed hard. “It would allow him to survive indefinitely by reincarnating alongside me.”

Joey stared at her in disbelief.

“So this psycho lizard king has been hunting you because he wants immortality?”

Taylor nodded weakly.

“And political power,” Cassandra added grimly. “Never dying allows him to effectively make himself king forever, which could destabilize a portion of the supernatural world.”

Joey leaned back against the couch slowly.

“Cool. Awesome. Fantastic.” He pointed vaguely into the air. “So now we’re involved in supernatural international politics.”

“Inter-species politics,” Cassandra corrected.

“That somehow made it worse.”

Taylor looked miserable now.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t be involved in this.”

Joey looked at her like she’d said something ridiculous.

“Taylor, people tried to **** you in front of me. I’m already involved.”

“And,” Cassandra added calmly, “Leviathan now knows Joey exists.”

That landed heavily.

Joey frowned.

“What does that mean exactly?”

“It means,” Cassandra said carefully, “that Leviathan is unlikely to view you as irrelevant anymore.”

Taylor looked horrified.

“No… no, I never wanted that.”

Joey stood up suddenly and started pacing.

Honestly, pacing felt appropriate right now.

“So let me summarize,” he said, counting on his fingers. “You’re a reincarnating bird goddess. A giant snake-lizard king wants to marry you for infinite lives. His minions tried to kill us at a carnival. And now we’re all probably targets.”

“Correct,” Cassandra said.

Joey stopped pacing.

“…Okay.”

Both women looked at him curiously.

“That’s your reaction?” Taylor asked.

Joey shrugged weakly.

“At this point I think my brain gave up trying to process things like four supernatural revelations ago.”

To his surprise, Taylor laughed softly.

The sound eased some of the tension immediately.

Then Joey’s expression grew more serious.

“So what do we do?”

Cassandra crossed one leg over the other thoughtfully.

“We prepare,” she said simply. “Leviathan sent scouts tonight. Next time he may send something worse.”

Taylor looked uneasy.

“He will not stop looking for me.”

“Then he can look,” Cassandra replied coldly. “It does not mean he gets to win.”

Joey looked between the two women.

Then slowly nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “Then we stick together.”

Taylor blinked at him.

“You mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

Cassandra’s expression softened faintly.

Joey rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before continuing.

“And as for…” He gestured vaguely between himself, Cassandra, and Taylor. “Us…”

Taylor immediately looked nervous again.

Cassandra looked amused.

Joey sighed dramatically.

“I care about both of you,” he admitted honestly. “A lot. And I’m pretty sure pretending otherwise would be stupid at this point.”

Taylor’s golden eyes widened slightly.

Cassandra smirked knowingly.

“But,” Joey added quickly, “I also don’t want either of you feeling pressured or hurt or like this whole thing is weirdly unfair.”

“It is already weird,” Cassandra pointed out.

“Helpful.”

Taylor smiled softly into her lap.

Then, cautiously, she looked toward Cassandra.

“And you’re really okay with this?”

Cassandra was quiet for a moment.

Then she looked toward Joey.

The bond between them pulsed warmly.

Affection.

Protectiveness.

Something deeper than either of them fully understood yet.

“Since Joey and I became intertwined, he has risked his life to save me and others he cares about. I think that’s one of the reasons I care for him so deeply.”

Joey stared at her for a second.

“…That was weirdly sweet.”

“Do not ruin the moment.”

Taylor laughed quietly again.

“Plus, I don't think I have ever shared my bed with a goddess before,” Cassandra said, winking at Taylor.

“And I never have with a vampire,” Taylor replied with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

And for the first time since the carnival attack—

the fear in the apartment eased just a little.

Not gone.

But manageable.

Because now they had a plan.

Protect Taylor.

Prepare for Leviathan.

And somehow navigate whatever strange, terrifying, emotional relationship the three of them were becoming together.