I wanted the answer to that question. That is why I am lying here on the ground looking pathetic with my head bleeding. They did a poor job of weaving magic to tie me to the earth.
How many? And describe them, please. She ignored his high-handed order to leave. She was born into the house of Korolyavolk—the royal wolf. She was royalty, and while she didn’t hold that over the head of her people, no stranger was going to tell her what to do on her own land.
You are one of the very modern women who simply ignores anything her partner wants or needs.
She felt him heave a tremendous sigh. It was there in his mind. She might have found humor in the situation, but there was something else she caught a glimmer of—the smallest of scars, although its thickness gave her pause. That scar shouldn’t have been there in his mind. It wasn’t a barrier. He had those in abundance, hard walls she couldn’t penetrate, nor was she attempting to do so. That thick scar wasn’t actually in his mind; he’d been thinking of it in some conjunction with him. Sorrow had been instantly overwhelming.
She glimpsed startling shades of color, bright visions he tried to suppress or tone down. She got all of that in that one small glimmer that came through on their extraordinarily narrow connection. He was extremely good at keeping the energy from a telepathic connection from spilling into the air around them.
She went back over the words he had used. Ignore anything her partner wants or needs. He had used the word partner, a good thing. Why would he need or want her to leave him in a dire situation? You came with other men? Are you alone, or are they here waiting to help you when this trap is sprung? That had to be the answer. He had his friends secreted close by, and they had the situation well in hand. He was afraid she would tip off his assailants, and they wouldn’t show themselves.
No, I am afraid it is just me that came in this direction. We set out in different directions looking for Dimitri, a friend of ours. He resides here a good portion of the year. We thought it best to find him without calling out. There are vampires in the area. You seem a bit overrun at the moment with enemies.
She thought it sweet that he didn’t ask her if she knew Dimitri or where his residence was. Clearly, he didn’t want her to have to give up a friend or deceive him.
Yes, I ran into a betrayer and three of his associates on my way to aid you. They are dead, and I’ll have to send someone to deal with their bodies. There are four government agents staying at the inn. I don’t trust them at all. They were making inquiries about my brother. One specifically asked me if I had a man.
You told him you did.
He made it a statement.
There was a perverse part of her that wanted to deny it. I did.
Thank you, my lady. I would have no problem challenging him to a duel or fighting for the honor and privilege of your hand, but I fear I am far too ancient. The years have not been kind to my soul.
She tried not to allow her heart to accelerate. If she could feel emotions through the earth, he might be able to. He was an ancient. That was bad—really bad. Sorina had spoken briefly to her about ancients and how they sometimes locked themselves away in a hidden monastery somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains. The monastery was covered in clouds and a mysterious fog that kept Carpathians and humans alike from going near it. The ancients entering the monastery were extremely dangerous men, and it would take multiples of their strongest experienced hunters to destroy them should they ever turn. She had paid close attention to the lore of Sorina’s culture—it had been fascinating to her. Now, facing the possibility of having an ancient as the man she would spend the rest of her life with was daunting.
She wasn’t a coward, and she refused to flinch away from what she had been raised from birth to be. Fate had destined them to be together. She wouldn’t run now. They were together for a reason. She had a certain set of skills, as did Afanasiv Belan. Those skills had to somehow mesh together. When they were somewhere safe, they could discuss how.
Why would you want me to leave if you are trapped with no one to aid you?
The trap is set to capture you. They are luring you here. There are vampires, and they have conspired with demons. They are after the other half of my soul. They know you guard it, and they intend to force you to give it up.
How would they force me to do that?
Torturing someone you hold dear is usually where they would start. They might torture me in front of you, but I doubt they would try. I have been subjected to torture many times over the centuries and did not break. You have not had such a pleasure, so they could decide to start on you. There was a distinct edge to his voice and mind when he introduced that possibility.
Vasilisa was caught on a couple of things. He had been tortured numerous times, and he made that sound as if it were nothing. And someone she cared about might be tortured in order for her to give up his soul. Now she did have to work at keeping her body completely in tune with the earth, matching the heartbeat, keeping her breathing even so there was no possible way even a demon created for the sole purpose of reporting movement on the surface of the earth would be able to detect her.
If I didn’t come along, what were you going to do?
I hoped to pull the image of you from the one they have prisoner and bring you innocently traveling along to rescue me.
He made it sound like she was going to be walking along the yellow brick road with a picnic basket. It took her a moment to realize he’d deliberately pushed the image into her head to make her smile—not to make her head explode. She needed a better sense of humor. How do you know about the yellow brick road?
One of my friends, Dragomir, reads to his daughter quite often. He thinks it is good for all of us to read to children. He claims it makes us sensitive.
He sent her the image of a bull in a china shop destroying shelf after shelf of very fine china. She found herself smiling in spite of the situation. Her smile faded when she realized the vampires and demons had another prisoner.
Who do they have?
He didn’t want her to know, obviously, or he would have informed her by now. She tasted fear in her mouth for the first time.
Do not react when I tell you. We will free him. Your brother Garald. The man you called a betrayer delivered him into their hands.
I will be walking along the path and allow them to think they can attack me.
You cannot, lifemate. The one person more dangerous than any other is me. If you were to succumb to their desires and give up the other half of my soul to save your brother, I would be lost. They could command me. There are none here that could defeat me in battle. My friends would try, but I doubt it is possible unless Dimitri, Razvan, Ivory and even Skyler join them. You must not risk such a thing.
Vasilisa bit down hard on her lip. She heard the urgency in his voice and felt it in his mind. He meant every word. Tell me how to keep your soul safe and how we can save my brother.
He was silent for so long she was afraid he didn’t have any ideas, but then he sighed. You are not Carpathian. You are not familiar with the ways of our people. It was a statement.