- It's about the same as you.
- As I understand it!
Boris turned the ignition key, and the bus rumbled softly. I relaxed in the hands of a vampire. Holy shit, why couldn't I have dreamt all this?! If I open my eyes, I'm in my room. And my mom will bring me a glass of juice and smile: "Time to get up, sleepy..."
* * *
Mecislav looked at the serenely asleep girl. Then he turned his eyes on Vadim and Boris.
- Come on, get rid of the bodies. Drag them away from the base so they don't stumble upon you, and come back.
The vampires obeyed. They didn't look to split up the corpses, they easily took one on their shoulders and went towards the forest in big jumps. Mechislav knelt down next to the seat on which Jane was sleeping.
- Where did you find such a miracle?
He spoke very quietly so as not to wake up his new acquisition. It's already his. Although he hadn't seen this girl for more than half an hour, he already knew very well that he wouldn't give her to anyone else. And it wasn't about love or even sympathy. It was about her incredible power.
- It really was like she said. Found her, Andre. But I never understood what I was facing.
- You bet! Otherwise she'd be locked up with him now," smiled Mechislav.
- Is that what you want to do? You don't have to. - Danielle shook his head looking at his friend. - She's a very nice girl. And she's a very freedom-loving girl. If you try to put her on a chain, she'll never forgive. Even if it was a gold chain.
- Did you get to know her so well?
A vampire was looking at a sleeping girl's face. It's not a big deal. Cute, but without the special beauty he was looking for in his women. Although being in bed with her wouldn't be a burden on him at all. Couple of times a week is enough for control. The vampire knew his power very well. Anyone who ended up in bed with him would get hooked on his body, his charm as the worst drug. And that would be no exception. Especially since she already wants him. Why wouldn't she? In seven hundred years, he's been in bed with people who wouldn't have touched him willingly and with tongs. And that snotty girl...
- She won't want you.
Mecislav irritably sparkled his eyes. He would have slapped a friend, but if he woke the girl, he would have to postpone his plans for later. I'd like to do it now.
- What are you, signed up for telepaths?
- No. She just doesn't like beautiful people. Too pretty. And you annoy her because of your power. So she'll fight back.
- And yet she wants me. Her own desire will help me.
- Is that how you want her power?
- Yeah. It's a rare occurrence. She's not just a natural.
- Well, who then?
- You could've figured it out. At first, her power was manifested by Andre. Duchesses... And she has an evil tongue.
- Not only that. She's a pretty mean girl at all. Not with everyone, though. She's got a weird upbringing. I asked her about something...
- Don't pull!
Curiosity gnawed at Mečislav worse than fleas in a hotel of the fifteenth century. He knew exactly what he had found. The girl could not just gather and direct the power, she also called it at her own will. In front of him lay a real witch, one of those hunted by the Inquisition in the Middle Ages. She was hunting, by the way, not just to burn them. But also to put herself in service. A young woman, who knows nothing about herself or her power, but after proper training, capable of moving mountains.
- She was very interestingly brought up. She said she had been taught to read since she was a child. When she was three, she played checkers and chess. Then there were strategic games. I understand that someone seriously taught her to think and compare. Exactly - taught. She herself couldn't have been so judicious at nineteen.
- She's only nineteen? That makes it easy for me.
Vadim and Boris leaked into the bus.
- Boris, you're driving, Vadim, go in the tail, watch your luggage. Danielle, you'll look around and hold Jane. She might start to break out, I don't want her to hurt herself. Is everybody clear? Places.
The vampire stretched out in the next seat, touched the girl's hand with his fingertips and went to sleep.
* * *
I dreamt of a meadow covered in dandelions. Out of town, near my summer house, there was one of my favorite meadows. And in the spring, it was all like the sun. And I liked to go there, lie down right in the flowers and ride on them, dirtying myself and my clothes with pollen. And now I was lying on the grass with my hands spread out. I didn't want to go anywhere, I didn't want to do anything either. I knew I was sleeping, but the dream was definitely better than reality. I didn't want to wake up either.
- It's a charming place. It's the only place I can walk in the sunlight - and they won't burn me. You have beautiful dreams, Jane.
A man's voice has torn all the charm of the moment. I sat down in dandelions and turned around. On the edge of the meadow stood Mechislav.
- Your zebra," I said sadly. - And everything started so well! Who the hell brought you to our galleys?
A vampire came up to me and sat down next to me.
- Are you so rude to everyone - or just me?
- I'm being polite to those who deserve it.
- I came to help you.
- It is not yet clear who will benefit more from this help - you or me - I shrugged my shoulders and ripped off a dandelion. A little golden sun reflected in my dream.
- Do you like these weeds?
- And you must like roses the size of a fist. And it's dark-colored.
- I guessed a vampire had a huge bouquet in his hands from nowhere. Why am I surprised, though? It's a dream, which means we can do whatever we want...
In a dream, Katka told Dushka where she was," a quiet voice whispered in her head.
Is it that much of a dream? I'm intimate. I'm not giving up without a fight. But the vampire wasn't going to fight. He just threw flowers on my lap.
- Shit! - I swooped, shoving them aside. - What, are you crazy?
Roses, alas, are not without thorns. And a few thorns got in my knees. And one, the nastiest, scratched my palm when I started shoving the armful.
A strong hand caught my fingers.
- The scratch needs to be licked. Otherwise, the wound could get infected. Let me...
The voice of the vampire was fascinating. Soft, enveloping like a huge silk blanket sliding on the skin - and responding to spasms somewhere deep inside... I would have listened to him forever...
Mecislav wrapped his strong fingers around my wrist and brought it to my lips.
- It's no big deal, Sapienka... Do you know that in one of the old languages the name Julia means "curly" or "fluffy"? You're a very beautiful girl... And you have great hair... Huge eyes to drown in... And a very feminine figure...
He was mesmerizing and bewitching. And I wanted nothing more than to obey that gentle voice. Is it so terrible to have a strong male shoulder next to me? Mechislav won't deceive me or betray me... I'll be as calm and happy under his strength as under his wing... And also...
I was crazy about kissing him. Run your fingers over the smooth golden skin, and then repeat all this way with your tongue. To find out what he tastes like. Soak up his scent... become one with him...
Ow!
Brains have cleared up sharply. Reaching for the vampire, I unwittingly leaned on the ground with my second hand. And I hit the roses that had been dropped. I got a dozen more thorns in my fingers. I would have woke up, but I couldn't. Before I exhaled the curse, I realized what that vampire was doing to me.
I'm just being fooled around like the last institute fool!
And five more minutes, and even that won't be necessary. I'll rape Mecislava myself. In fact, I was ready to do anything to stop the whole lower body from cramping of unquenchable desire.
It took less time to understand than a single exhalation. And I already knew what to do. The vampire was drawing me closer and closer to him. His eyes were half-c
overed, his face was the expression of a bored guy with three more dates today...
Our lips touched.
My whole body is twisted in a cramp of wild lust from his hands, his body, his smell. But my brain has already given the command.
And I clenched my teeth.
- Shit!
The next moment, I flew a few steps away. The vampire threw me out like a kitten and put his fingers to my lips. And when he took them away, there were bright drops of blood on my golden skin.
Well, I did hit him pretty good after all. From the bottom of my heart! But I had to get behind his nose.
Imagining a vampire with teeth marks on his nose, I giggled loudly. Probably shouldn't have done it.
The next moment, Mechislav threw himself at me, knocking me down with all his weight. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have had time to duck. Against a vampire - and with my reaction? Ha-ha-ha. We rolled around dandelions, clutching like two deadly enemies.
When the spin stopped, the vampire was on top, pressing me to the ground with all his weight. Of course he did. If anyone's gonna fight him, it's definitely not me.
- Why did you do that?
There was a childish outrage in the vampire's voice.
- You should have bitten your tongue off at all! Did you think I wouldn't feel my head spinning?! You bastard! Get out of my dream!
- Is that how you felt?
- Did you rip those snotty five-rouble phrases off of a novel? Honey, your three-inch eyes, battery one hundred and twenty, sight twelve, in a word - bang-bang! And past!
Mechislav suddenly laughed like a madman.
- You know, you're just insufferable, curly.
- WHAT?! - I'm sorry. - Say what you called me again, you toothed bastard!
- I will. From now on, you'll only be a curly one for me.
- Don't you dare!
- I dare you. And not just that. - Now the green eyes are too close again. And the vampire was suspiciously serious. - I wanted everything to be voluntary, but if you insist... There are women who get violent. You must be one of them, too. Well, I...
I tried unsuccessfully to kick his leg in the balls. Or at least turn around. Yeah, not with my luck. Try to lie down and wriggle yourself when you're lying on a ninety-pound carcass and pushing it against the ground on purpose. The vampire just smiled, showing two centimeters and very sharp fangs.
- You'll still be grateful to me, Curly. Now you're angry, but then you'll realize...
I stopped listening. Oh, my God! They're trying to rape me in my own dream. What would Grandpa Freud say to that? Nothing good, exactly. Well, what can I do? I can't get out. The vampire says something else, but it won't last either. But this is my dream! And I'm supposed to be the hostess here. But what can I do?
I... I can...
Mecislav smiled even more charming - and reached for my lips.
The next moment, the environment changed.
We went underwater with our heads. But I was expecting it, and the vampire wasn't. Mieczysław let me out of his hands and got into the river with his head under the water from a surprise.
Do I have any chance of drowning a vampire?
I don't think so.
I swam to the shore with sharp paddles. I can swim. Although I almost drowned the coach in my day. And who asked me to grab my leg and try to drag it under water. Then I learned that this aunt tried to teach all the children how to dive, but at that moment I just got confused and began to fight back. As I remember now, I pulled my second leg so successfully that I hit the coach on the head. She almost drowned herself out of the blue, and when she came out and spit it out, it turned out I had also put a gorgeous purple black eye under her.
After that, I had to move to another pool.
I climbed ashore and shaken myself up. Mecislav had just dug out of the water and was going to follow me. He's gonna get over it.
- Is it cold? - I did.
- How ugly of you, Fluffy. Drowning a guest...
- Say thank you - not in the toilet. And get out of my dream. I shit on a clearing like this... Wow! Hey, I said get out!
The vampire threw himself to the shore with a sharp comb.
- First, we'll finish what we started. And then I'll leave if you want me to.
I was angry. Now I mean it. You asked for it.
This is my dream. And I can do whatever I want in it.
And I wished for one thing now: to get rid of a vampire who was too insolent. I'd love to flush him down the toilet like some rat!
The water in the river made a noise. More than anything, it really looked like a... yeah, yeah, a giant toilet. Mecislav didn't even bubble before he was sucked into the funnel.
I looked sadly at the dried river. Now there was only a dirty puddle in this place. How desolate it is! Well, I might just not look in there. Isn't it bad in your own dream to lie on warm sand?
* * *
- Bitch!
- Is something wrong?
Danielle was the attention himself. The girl lying in his arms didn't even think to be nervous in her sleep. Her face was absolutely calm and relaxed. And you can't say she was a real wildcat a minute ago. Even if it was in her sleep. It was one of the vampire skills to control other people's dreams. Mecislav could not call himself a virtuoso in this field, but his talent should have been enough for an untrained girl. Behind your eyes. And what instead?
She wasn't seduced.
She knew perfectly well that everything around her was a dream, and it was her dream. She couldn't even clouds her mind.
She managed to kick him out of her dream like... like garbage!
And she did it all without even knowing what she was doing.
Unbelievable. The girl is an amazingly talented mentat. And she knows how to share her power! Well, it didn't work out this time? But this one isn't the last...
- She's a bitch. Rare. But her strength is even greater than her bitchiness. It's a shame we finished those two. I could use a little refreshment. Vadim! Get me a blood bag!
The vampire thoughtfully caught the blood from the bag and from time to time looked at the human girl.
That's a source of strength he won't give to anyone.
If Jane knew what he was thinking, she'd add it to his head: "I'm not selling my cow to anyone. That's the kind of cattle you need on your own."
Or you could water a vampire with holy water.
Mecislav vaguely guessed about it, but did not doubt his victory for a minute. No woman in seven hundred years had ever refused him. Some gave up earlier, others later, but everyone came to him.
And this one won't be an exception.
She'll come running. And with her power, he will be one of the first vampires. Or maybe he'll even join the council.
* * *
I was shaken, and I woke up. Sharp and fast. But I didn't meet you, I didn't open my eyes, nothing like that... I just woke up. But I couldn't hide it from the people around me.
- What's wrong, Jane? - It's Danielle. The voice is disturbed.
- Something pushed me. Something cold.
Danielle looked at me with helpless eyes. Sword was not helpless. I'm the evil one who leaned on him. If there is time, I will scratch his whole face! You bastard! Does he think I forgot that dream? I swore it was his fangs!
- The bus was running smoothly. There was no cocktail. Remember, did you feel cold?
- Yes.
- Maybe you saw something in your dreams? Try to remember?
- I don't know...
- Then look me in the eye. Don't be afraid. I'll help you remember.
Something was in his eyes... Cold, calm, strong. It never occurred to me to argue with him now. Seduction games are over. I had a vampire leader in front of me instead of a vulgar handsome man. The prince. And I obeyed without speaking.
Green eyes tightened, ordered, subdued... I did not resist. I swam slowly in the green cool water - and I enjoyed it. Fatigue and pain were disappearing somewhere. Such familiar pea
ce would come. Calm... That's what I dreamed then! The same eyes - only coal and black. But there was no heat or light in them. They were only cold, fear and the promise of pain. Not calm, but eternal peace and the cold of the grave! I twitched, breaking the bond. I strove upwards, towards the light, towards myself! And I closed my eyes for a moment, blinded by the light of dim lamps.
- Eyes! Black. Whose?
- Black? - I felt Danielle shudder. - Yes, there are black eyes. One of Andre's servants. So he was trying to subdue you from a distance?
- Is it possible?
- When you sleep and he's around. It's close.
I withdrew from Daniel and went to get my gun. I put a sprayer on a bottle of holy water, pulled out my guns.
- Gentlemen vampires, observe safety procedures.
And the next moment, the darkness of the road exploded with light and screams. The bus rushed forward like a thread. I couldn't even make out what was going on. It looked like this to me. The view of the forest in the windshield disappeared, and a vampire appeared on it. Boris, who was driving the bus, did not tremble. Mechislav rushed to help him. He punched him from the inside - right through the glass. The vampire was knocked down into the blue countryside with the rain of shrapnel. I was sincerely hoping that he would also be separated from his fangs. After such a blow! Then there was no time to hope. Two roof hatches opened at the same time. The bus slowed down, and Daniel and Vadim rushed to protect the hatches. Mecislav was protecting the driver. I didn't get a good look at what the vampires were doing, because at that moment one of the glasses cracked - and some strange vampire pressed his whole body against it, knocking him out so that it was easier to slip inside.
- Hi," I said unexpectedly. And I sprayed the holy water bottle in his nose completely involuntarily. The vampire screamed like a madman and disappeared into the unknown, and I took off and threw myself at Daniel, like a madwoman.
- Step aside, Danielle! Move aside!
The vampire obediently flew away. And I aimed at his opponent. An inhuman squeal full of unimaginable pain cut through my ears. And I rushed to Vadim. But both he and Mechislav coped on their own. Vadim threw his enemy out of the hatch and now fixed him with a handrail from his chair so that no one else would get through. Boris carefully looked into the surrounding darkness through broken glass. Mechislav clutched the frame, ripped it, and the windshield remained in his hands. He threw it to the side. Perhaps he would have squeezed the dump truck out on his outstretched arms. How lucky I was to fight back!
Ring of Madness Page 22
