by Gina Rosavin
"Is that my father's file?" she asked, raising her gaze to his.
"It is."
Suspicion teased at her, but she couldn't quite solidify the thought. "Is there some problem?"
"Nothing that concerns you."
Katerina finally let her anger free. "Enough of this. What the hell game are you playing?"
Adrian shrugged and folded his arms. "I don't play games, Kat. Tell me, why did you really come here?"
"No, answer my question. Why are you reviewing my father's file?
"If you must know, your father's services are no longer needed."
Her eyes widened, and her anger was quickly replaced by shock. "What? You're going to fire him? Because of me? You really are evil, aren't you?"
"If all you plan to do is stand there and make outlandish charges, then please excuse me. I am a busy man and don't have time for this."
She fought the urge to storm out. Where would that leave her and her family? He'd left her with absolutely no job options, at least not in what she'd been trained for. But running to take a job at McDonalds did not help her get her family away from him. And it didn't ensure her parents were secure. No, she would do what she had to, to keep them safe.
"I came here to tell you I'll do anything you want, if you'll free my family." The delighted gleam in his eyes alarmed her. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life? Anything? Had she really said that? She could only imagine what he would want in return. She backed up one step, but he caught her wrist and drew her near.
"You should be very careful when making such an arrangement. Do you know what you've just done?" He drew one finger down her cheek and she shivered.
"What I meant was…I'll work for you. I didn't mean for you to…"
"Bite you? Ah, but Kat, that is not what I had in mind."
His arm slid around her waist, effectively trapping her against him. His fingers rested on her cheek, then moved slowly down her throat. He paused there, and the presence of his hand was suddenly a threat.
"Adrian? What do you mean?" She struggled to keep a stammer from her voice.
"I want you. But not just as an employee. All of you. In my home, in my bed."
Her eyes widened. The very mention of sharing his bed had her knees trembling. She recalled their encounter the night he'd been injured. Hell, that night had never been far from her thoughts. She hadn't expected this to be his stipulation, and wasn't sure she could do it.
"That's not what I intended."
"I'm sure it isn't. But if you want to bargain with me, that is my condition. There is no negotiation."
"Why? Do you take pleasure in tormenting me, my family?"
The slight tremor in her voice wouldn't be noticeable to most mortal men, but Adrian heard it clearly. He wanted to ease her worries, but doing so would reveal his vulnerability where she was concerned. He would not expose such a weakness. He steeled himself against the panic he read in her gaze.
"I'll do whatever is necessary to keep you near me."
She was silent for several moments. He resisted the urge to read her thoughts. He would know soon enough. She took a deep breath, holding his gaze. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and nodded. "All right. You can have me. The way you…want. But not the rest of my family. I want them completely free of your influence. Totally."
He admired her single-minded strategy. It didn't matter what he promised her. Her family would always serve him, he had seen to that. Now was not the time to enlighten her. He would have both her and her family. Forever. If he had to stretch the truth to bring her to him willingly, so be it. Her family's services, while certainly worth the cost, were easily replaced. She was not. He would do whatever it would take. Besides, the situation would only be temporary.
"Very well, Kat. I will gladly trade your family for you. You are much more delectable and to my liking, anyway. I will tell your father of your decision." He picked up the telephone and buzzed Greta.
"Wait!"
He raised his gaze and shrugged. "There's something else?"
"This is not my decision, you forced me into it with your games, threatening to ruin my father. My parents depend on that money. I need to make some arrangements first. You can't simply cut them off, as if they…" She stopped when he held up his hand.
"Du Lac Enterprises offers a handsome early retirement package. Your family will not want for anything. Do you really think I am such a monster? Please, Kat, give me more credit than that."
Her shoulders lifted as she took another deep breath. He could read the doubt in her eyes. Pressing her lips together nervously, she nodded.
"All right. But he'll be crushed. I have to talk to him."
He smiled, though he had the rather odd urge to shout with triumph. "Don't worry, I will explain it all to your father. He will understand. I'll send a car for you and your belongings in," he glanced at his watch, "four hours. We'll dine together and from there…" He shrugged.
"So soon? I can't just pack up everything in four hours. Friday. I'll be there Friday."
He didn't want to wait three days for her. He wanted her now. But it was best to allow her to take the time she needed. He couldn't risk anything else increasing her resentment toward him. Soon enough, she would realize she belonged by his side.
"Very well. I'll send the car at ten a.m." Kat nodded and turned toward the door.
He stood before her in a flash. "Wait."
She lifted her gaze to his. There was an air of defeat about her, and that bothered him. He lifted her chin.
"What troubles you?"
"You got what you wanted, why should that matter?"
It did matter, but he couldn't let her know. He didn't like the sadness that hovered about her. He studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Until Friday." He leaned over and brushed his lips lightly against hers before he stepped aside to let her leave.
She didn't look at him as she left. This time, he couldn't prevent that triumphant laugh from escaping. She was his, and he would never let her go. And soon, she would be his for all eternity.
Chapter Eleven
Katerina stared at her mother in disbelief. This could not be happening! "You can't be serious."
"I am. As much as it pains me to admit it, I cannot deny it any longer. I have tried to see another path for you, but it always comes back to him."
Katerina's mind swam with what she'd learned. She came to tell her mother what was happening, to get some help, but she never expected this. The destiny Olga had once referred to foretold Katerina's life would be entwined with Adrian's. She let her head fall to her arms crossed on the table. Her mother's hand on her hair brought tightness to her throat. She tried to take a deep breath, but nearly choked as a sob caught.
"My Katerina, I prayed, so many times, but it is not to be. You must be brave, and strong. If you choose the path of resistance, you will be filled with hurt and despair. But if you do not resist, you shall know great joy."
Katerina lifted her head. "I don't understand. How long have you known about this?"
For several moments, a thick silence hung between them. Then Olga looked away, withdrawing her comforting hand and folding it in her lap.
"Since you returned."
"What? You mean you've known all the while I've been seeing du Lac and you never told me?" What was the matter with her mother, keeping such important information from her?
"I hoped something would change. While you were away, safe out of reach, nothing indicated you would turn to him. But since you got back…"
"And you kept this all to yourself. I wish you'd never sent me away in the first place."
"We had no choice. It was the only way to keep you safe while you grew stronger. If you are to be with du Lac, you must be smart, as smart as he is, perhaps more. And now look at you."
"Yeah, ready to be served over to the Vampire King as an aperitif," Katerina muttered.
Olga lifted her daughter's chin. "One thing you do not realize.
Du Lac can easily take you and make you his. Beyond my reach. That he hasn't done so already tells me much. You would be wise to heed that."
"What do you mean?"
"He is enchanted with you. For that reason, you have power over him, and I do not mean magic. What du Lac wants is your essence. He does not want to destroy you, like he did to…"
Olga abruptly released her and turned away. "Who, Mama?"
Olga hesitated before answering, "To so many others. To countless others." She still refused to meet her daughter's gaze.
"If he's so evil, then why am I the one?"
Olga shrugged. "I do not know. But I will tell you this. It is time for your powers to be freed."
Katerina frowned. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. I have no powers and can't do the things you and Papa can."
Her mother looked away again. "There is more I have not told you. I froze your abilities, before you left for the United States."
"You what?" Katerina could not believe what she was hearing. She had powers? Those powers had been denied her? How long would her mother have waited to tell her? If Katerina had not been about to give herself over to Adrian, would Olga have bothered to tell her?
"Mama, how could you? All these years I thought I had no ability, and now you're saying I have powers. What did you do to me?"
"Not to you, only your gifts. Your magic has been frozen, you cannot use it until the spell is cast to free them. You have inherited much, from both your father and me. It is unwise to unleash the fullest capabilities at once. It must be done slowly."
So many questions flooded her mind. She didn't know where to start. "I have powers. All this time I thought…I have powers!" Her voice rose on each word until she shouted.
Olga reached for her hand. "Katerina, please do not be angry."
"What did you expect, that I'd be overjoyed you've been keeping this from me?" The pained expression on her mother's face briefly made Katerina regret her harsh words. But not enough to dim her anger.
Olga lowered her head. "I am sorry. I only wanted what was best for you. What would keep you safe. To have you untrained with such power while you were alone was too dangerous. For you and others you have known."
Her mother's words made sense, and though her annoyance calmed somewhat, Katerina couldn't completely suppress her resentment. The truth had been kept from her. Why did everyone insist on keeping secrets?
"How did you know how to do this?" she finally asked.
"For a time, when I was young, younger than you now, but older than when you went away, my powers were also frozen."
"But why? I don't understand."
"Being a teenager is hard enough without having to worry about magical abilities. I had the benefit of my mother's help. You did not, and for that I'll always be sorry. But it is time now for you to learn."
"And how long were you going to keep this from me?"
"Until it was time."
"I'm moving into his castle in two days. Don't you think that time should have come sooner?" Though she tried, Katerina could not keep the sharpness from her voice. Olga flinched.
"We must begin now. But I can't do it alone. I anticipated this and have summoned someone who will help you learn. He arrived yesterday."
"Who? Why can't you do this yourself? You froze them to begin with, why can't you just undo what you did?"
Olga shook her head. "It's not that simple. Your powers, though dormant, have grown. To simply unfreeze them at a moment's notice is too dangerous."
"So who is this man?"
"A very powerful wizard. I trained with him for a time myself, when I was much younger. He was the one who foretold of the daughter I would have, who would grow to be a more powerful witch than anyone has seen in many years. That daughter is you. But for you to properly use those skills requires training I am not prepared to offer."
"All right, so where is he?"
"Wait." Olga disappeared down the hall, and Katerina could hear voices. Anger faded to an ache. She'd been lied to. Again. How could her mother have kept this from her? All those years, those futile attempts to perform magic had done nothing but anger and depress her. Her mother had done that to her.
There was logic to Olga's actions. What would have happened if Katerina had been successful in her attempts to conjure items from thin air, or levitate an object? Or if she'd been seen while doing it? Perhaps her mother had done the right thing. Katerina only wished she had known about it sooner. Everything in the last few months started to make a strange sort of sense. Forces seemed to be working to push her to be with du Lac. And she certainly did enjoy his presence, especially when he wasn't being so…vampirish. She sighed. If she could manage to keep him from biting her, perhaps she could make the most of this. A bitter laugh stuck in her throat. She was in grave danger, how was she supposed to enjoy it? If what her mother said was true, then there was no choice.
Could her mother really help her, protect her? Adrian was far more powerful and his determination to possess her bordered on obsession. Why?
Why was du Lac so drawn to her, to want her so badly?
Was it her magic? She silently scoffed at the idea. She never even knew she possessed any magical capability. If she hadn't known about it, then how could he? Did she dare believe he wanted her simply for herself, as he claimed? He'd given up her family's services rather easily. Now, she was front and center in his world.
She would need her powers to survive what was coming. Could it be true? Did she possess magical ability? Recollections of chanting minor spells with her mother when she was a child came to her, but she never really thought of those spells as anything more than a form of prayer. Besides, if anyone had invoked anything magical, it had been Olga, not her. Could she really utter words and make things happen the way she wanted them to? The more she thought about it, the more her skepticism grew. Frozen powers, magic spells. Perhaps the reality of New York had jaded her to the more basic spirituality which guided her clan. She didn't belong here anymore. She couldn't see what her mother saw, command nature as she could. She was not of this world any longer.
Perhaps that was why she had been so determined to have her own life, away from her family. She had needed freedom and privacy, but now it seemed as though turning her back on her heritage had been a mistake. She couldn't bear giving up her flat, but instead of fleeing to safety with her parents, she had agreed to Adrian's wishes. She would reside with him at the castle, and her hard-fought freedom would be gone.
Her mother returned, accompanied by a tall, dark-haired man dressed in a magnificent velvet burgundy robe that fell from his shoulders to the floor. His dark eyes met hers, and widened ever so slightly. She recognized an eagerness in his gaze which made her uneasy.
"Katerina, this is Stefan Malinay. He will be able to teach you all you need to know."
He stepped forward and extended his hand, and when she took it, he bent low, softly pressing his lips against the back of her hand. When he released her and stepped back, there was a small, pleased smile on his face.
"Your mother did not exaggerate. You have an incredible gift, Katerina."
"Thank you, but I don't…"
"Yes, you do. When your mother and I cast the spell to free your powers, you will experience powerful energy flowing through you. I can already sense it, though it is faint. It's been a long time since your powers were frozen. But once released, I will teach you to harness them and use them properly. You cannot allow anyone to turn your powers for dark uses."
He meant Adrian, Katerina was sure of it. She shook her head. "So you're saying it's true? I do have magic?" Her fear of fulfilling this destiny started to fade. If she had powers, Adrian wouldn't be able to manipulate her so easily.
"Absolutely," said Stefan. "We must begin immediately. Your life is about to undergo a major change, and you will need all of your gifts."
Katerina didn't like the way this man seemed to know so much about her. If it wasn't Adrian dipping in
to her mind, it was this one. Would she ever have any privacy?
"All right, what do I have to do?"
"Your mother will help you prepare for the ceremony. After that…"
"Wait. A ceremony?" This suddenly sounded very primitive.
Stefan nodded. "Your powers cannot simply be unleashed. They must come forth slowly, or there is always the chance you could go mad from the sensation of the energy being released all at once."
"Mad? Wait a minute, if getting my powers is going to reduce me to a blithering idiot…"
