She opened her eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air. "And I didn't even know I needed it."

He jerked his head. "Come on, I want to show you something."

She followed him, almost unconsciously locking step with his.

Adam glanced at her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "So what's with the Houses thing?"

Claire frowned, then realized he referred to the expression she used. "The Four Houses of the Universe. It's the primary religion of the daaeman. I was raised on it. There are four houses, each with a spiritual patron, one for each of the daaeman breeds. When daaeman die, they live between lifetimes in their respective house, awaiting rebirth." She pursed her lips. "Where they figure the aeamon go, I've no clue. I suspect they think we're soulless."

He missed a step. "Demon religion. That's wild."

"Why? They have a culture just like you. Religion, laws, art."

"Yeah, that's what Micah keeps saying. It's just strange. I mean, here demons are a part of our religion. They're the bad guys, the devil's pals. They're the ones responsible for all the evil in the world and are the creatures some people blame for their own bad behavior. Demons possess people, make them do malicious things."

Claire went silent, thinking on what he said. "The breeds once dwelt here, a very long time ago, during your biblical times and long before. They coexisted with humans, even had babies with them."

Adam nodded. "That's what created witches."

"Yes. Now, I don't know for certain, but I'd make a guess that because the daaeman were so otherworldly, so like gods, that they became a legend in your culture. Eventually perhaps they were made into these creatures that spread evil. I can see how they would be perceived that way by humans."

"But Atrika really are pure evil."

She nodded. "Yes. The Atrika are living weapons, created only to fight wars on a scale that has likely never been seen on Earth. The Ytrayi, Syari and Mandari lived with the humans in harmony. The Atrika hunted them and occasionally fathered children on the females, oftentimes through rape. The bridge was open to all the breeds back then, before the Ytrayi tried to rid Eudae of the Atrika."

"Too bad they weren't more successful."

"It's true the Atrika are bloodthirsty, every last one of them. They were designed to be that way. They're the most emotional of the breeds, too. The emotion makes them even more dangerous because they act from impulse and on selfish whim. Ever since the wars on Eudae ended, they've been bored. The other breeds—mostly—think of the greater good of their race before making decisions."

"A bored Atrika is a dangerous Atrika."

"Any kind of Atrika is a dangerous Atrika."

Falling into silence, they walked through a copse of trees in the darkening twilight. Leaves crunched under their shoes and their breath showed in the cool evening air.

Claire caught her breath as the view emerged.