I took off my robe and climbed into my casket naked. I’d never slept in the nude before, not even as a human. This was the first time I felt comfortable in my skin. The velvety blanket Traian had given me felt like a sensual massage on my body. My muscles relaxed. Storm curled up next to my neck, resting her furry head on my shoulder, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
I was wide awake what felt like moments later. Traian stood over me, brows furrowed.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I was just checking in on you.”
I felt rested and ready to go. “What's on the agenda for today?”
Traian frowned. “You only slept for three hours. You need to rest more. The sun hasn’t even set yet.”
“I feel great,” I protested, but I didn’t want to argue with him. “However, a bath would be nice.”
This seemed to appease his concerns. “There are salts and oils in the cabinet under the sink in my bathroom.” His eyes lowered to my exposed breasts for a moment and then rose back to my face. “I will procure you some sustenance.”
Storm followed him out the door.
“Thank you,” I called after him, feeling a bit smug.
I padded my way over to the private bathroom on the other side of Traian's room in the nude. Why bother with clothes?
The room had a jetted tub the size of my old bathroom in Seattle, along with a toilet, and a large vanity with two sinks. Not that vampires needed to use the facilities, but sometimes they needed to wash.
While the bath filled up, I checked the cabinet. Inside, I found several glass jars of different colored salts and an assortment of bottles labeled with different scents. I chose pink Himalayan salt and jasmine oil. How funny to find such feminine products in a man’s bathroom. Maybe he had only recently gotten them, for me.
When I stood up, I caught a glimpse of my naked body.
Pale skin, flaming red hair, and a gleaming silver tattoo from my pelvis to my shoulders that looked very much like the tree of life. For the first time since I could remember, I liked what I saw in the mirror. I gave myself a hug and slipped into the hot, steaming water. Even though cold didn't bother me, the heat felt wonderful on my body, just as it had when I was human.
Traian came in with a steaming cup of blood. He lit a few candles around the tub as I sipped my breakfast. I noticed how he stole glances at my body but still tried to be respectful. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t enjoy his reaction or the way he pampered me like a princess. What a luxurious way to start the night.
“Traian, teach me something today,” I said.
He stood next to the tub. I could almost see the gears clicking inside his brain as he thought about my request. After a moment of silence, he clapped his hands. “Very well, I shall teach you the basics of fighting. Every woman needs to learn to defend herself.”
“Wonderful, when do we begin?”
“After you’ve bathed and finished drinking your meal,” he kept his eyes on my face, “I will let you have some quiet time. I’ll meet you in the training area when you are ready.”
I spent a full hour in the bath, adding more hot water every twenty minutes or so. Storm came in at some point, licking her chops. She perched on the edge of the tub, her breath smelling of tuna. I could have stayed in there the rest of the night, but I knew what had to be done. Evil waited for no one, and I needed to be ready. Minutes later, after I had dressed in comfortable gym clothes, I found Traian in the training section of the common room.
“Training time. You need to learn to hold your own,” Traian reiterated.
Finally. I was ready to learn how to protect myself with more than just lightning.
“You are going to walk away from me, and I'm going to jump on you. You need to try to get me off your back without using your powers.”
I nodded and turned my back toward him. I hadn’t even taken three steps forward when Traian latched himself onto my back, his arm around my neck.
My balance staggered for two steps, but I managed to get a solid stance, just as Traian tightened his hold. Had I been human, I would have been gasping for air. Not being able to breathe didn’t bother me anymore, but the pressure around my throat didn’t feel good. I couldn’t concentrate.
How am I supposed to get him off?
I clawed at his arm to pull it away, but he had a death grip on me. His other arm came down, locking my forearms at my sides. Now I couldn’t move.
I stood as still as possible until Traian let go and whirled me around.
“I could have ripped your head off.” He shook me and pushed me away. “Try again.”
After we’d gone several rounds, and I’d lost terribly each time, Rodica came into the room.
“Shall I demonstrate?” She smirked.
Traian nodded at her.
She stepped into the ring, and he pounced on her like a panther. Over and over, she demonstrated various takedowns and forms of disarmament. I felt like I was watching an old kung fu movie. Their movements were like a well-choreographed dance.
Suddenly, both stopped and sniffed the air.
Rodica rolled her eyes. “The elf has returned.” She brushed off the rock dust from the designer jeans she wore and left the room just as Padrick entered.
“Well, well. Trying to get a head start on me, blood-sucker?” Padrick grinned.
Traian glared at the elf but said nothing.
Seeing that his bait hadn’t been taken, Padrick turned to me. “Are you ready for your lesson?”
I nodded. Been ready for a long time.
I gave Traian a long, deep kiss before leaving the cave with Padrick. Outside, on the edge of a cliff, the elf had me sit on an icy rock. The wind blustered around us, chilling the air. Thank goodness the cold doesn’t bother me. In the eastern sky, a massive, almost full moon rose up over the crags, giving the mountains a cold, bluish feel.
“I want you to close your eyes and breathe in deep.” He placed a blackish-blue stone in my left hand. “This will help.”
I turned the smooth, shining rock in my palm.
“At this point, I would normally tell you to listen to your heartbeat, but you don’t have one, so we will have to find some other internal sound for you to focus on,” Padrick informed me. “Sit quietly, let the energy of the sodalite in your hand calm your mind, and listen to your body. What can you hear?”
I focused on any internal sound I could find. There was no heartbeat, obviously. Occasionally, though, when I took a deep breath—mostly because Padrick had asked me to, not because I needed to—I would hear the air coming into my lungs, expanding the bronchioles, and escaping out through my nose. When I went deeper, I caught a humming sound as the cells purred quietly. Each one had its own little melody, but they all harmonized.
This is me.
“That's it,” Padrick nodded and smiled. “You found it. Your sound…Your signature… Other creatures can hear it too, but you need to recognize yours. When you feel out of control, I want you to listen to the music of your body. This will keep you alive.”
It was weird to hear the word ‘alive’ when my heart was as dead as the rock I sat on. But then I felt a zing under me. I focused my attention on the vibration of the mountain. The quivering was subtle but deep.
Padrick chuckled. “She’s speaking to you.”
I transferred the crystal to my right hand and placed my left on the icy surface of the crag. Hello, I thought.
The mountain responded in a low rumble. A mighty gust of wind rolled down the cliffs above, threatening to blow us off into the valley below. The swirling air around me slowed down. I took my hand off the ground and held it out. I felt a cold palm press against mine.
Padrick gasped behind me.
I opened my eyes and sucked in my breath as a smile formed on my lips.
Before me, in the swirly cloud of snow, a woman beamed back at me. I tilted my head to the side. She copied my movement. Her palms stayed on mine.
“Who are you?” I aske
d.
She mouthed the same words back at me.
“She’s the Wind,” Padrick whispered. “Bless the Goddess, even air responds to you.”
I set the crystal on the ground next to me and lifted my other hand. The Wind met my other palm with her hand. I sat there cross-legged, hands high, with a replica of myself made of snow imitating my position.
She held her arms up, meeting mine, and lowered them as I did mine. Her fingers intertwined with my own, sending cold ice crystals dancing over my skin. Coolness flowed from my left hand, traveled through my entire body, and then escaped through my right. With each wave, I felt stronger, calmer, and less afraid. I knew this was my destiny.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds and saw the silver cord that connected me to Evelina, to Eva, to this place, to Traian, to Padrick, and to the gypsy tribe. It formed a web, where parts were hidden by mist. Different people in my life were on different strands of the net. I saw my mother, Grandma Grace, and Mindy.
The fog parted on one of the hidden sections. A man stood with his back to me. Then he turned, his red eyes focusing on my face. Symbols were tattooed on his bald head and exposed arms and hands. The darkness surrounding his body undulated, with black tongues pulsing at his feet. I’d never seen the man before, but I knew without a doubt that this was Octavian.
How can I be connected to him? I thought.
Destiny connects us all, the Wind responded. Some destinies are even more intertwined.
I opened my eyes. I didn’t know how what I’d just seen would play out, but deep inside, I felt gratitude for the vision. It hadn’t revealed any answers, but at least it gave me a heads-up about who the main players were.
“Thank you.” I held her gaze.
Wind bowed her head to me. “You’re welcome,” she said, her voice sounding like a gentle breeze. Her hands let go of mine and cradled my face. “Daughter of Old. Chosen one.” Now her words roared like a rumbling train engine. “May the Moon Goddess guide you with her light.” She released my face and moved away. “Merry meet, Everly.” Then she disappeared into the night.
My eyes looked up at the partial moon peeking out of the passing clouds. Silver. Everything is connected by silver. My grandmother’s cross, the chalice I’d drunk from, my tattoo, the sword and dragon I was supposed to find, the thread that bound me to the ancient and the current, and now the Moon. Her silver light on my face felt like the warmth that the sun used to provide me with when the old ticker had still sputtered away inside my chest.
I turned to Padrick, who’d been unusually quiet. He met my gaze and bowed to me.
“What are you doing?” I uncrossed my legs and brought my knees to chest.
“The Wind and Earth honor you, and so do I.” He knelt on one knee. “I repledge my life to you, Everly. I will do everything in my power to protect you and ensure your destiny is fulfilled. I am yours to do with as you choose.”
I stood up and walked over to him. When I reached out to pull him up to his feet, Padrick took my hand and kissed it.
“My life is yours, I am your willful servant.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I pulled him up. “You’re my equal, not some servant.”
He stood a foot and half taller than me. He took my shoulders and lowered his head until our foreheads touched. “You are the one we’ve all been waiting for.”
“What if I fail?” I whispered.
“You won’t,” Padrick responded with more confidence than I felt inside.
“How can you be so sure?”
He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me to his chest, on which I rested the side of my face and my ear.
“With every beat of my heart,” he whispered, and his heart underscored his words, thump, thump, thump. “You are the chosen one. Your life will not be made easy… It hasn’t been since the day you were born. You will have to work twice as hard for everything you love, but you also will have the strength to do what it takes.” He stroked my head.
Though my strigoi senses rejected the elven scent that rolled off him, I felt like I was at home in his arms, as if I was hugging family. He had been a part of my life, a quiet angel watching over me, since birth.
I felt a second presence approaching. Padrick released me and took my hand. “Your lover comes.”
“If only he would just love me,” I mumbled.
“It will come.” He squeezed my hand, then placed in it the stone he had given me earlier. “You two are destined for each other. Goddess have mercy on anyone who tries to stand between you.”
Chapter 13
“What are you doing with my mate?” Traian appeared on the cliff above me and Padrick.
Though his possessiveness made me want to punch him, I gave Traian a weak smile and waved. Judging by the flare of red in his eyes, my feeble effort to defuse the situation didn’t quite work.
“Teaching her how to control her energy so you can finally bed her,” Padrick declared. “You’re welcome.”
Great.
“Take your hands off of her,” Traian snarled.
“Oh, give it up, both of you,” I cried, pulling away from Padrick. “How are we to work together if you two keep poking at each other’s egos?”
Padrick smirked. Traian scowled. And I rolled my eyes.
“Satra is waiting for you,” Traian finally said in a more subdued voice. “You should never keep a gypsy witch waiting.”
I wonder what she’ll train me on today? I stretched my arms up to the sky and twisted my spine from side to side.
“See you tomorrow, Padrick, and thank you.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek and leapt up to meet Traian.
One look at Traian’s face told me he wasn’t pleased with the affection nor was he in the mood to talk. He gathered me into his arms nonetheless, and a moment later, we were in the sky, soaring over the mountains. Padrick disappeared from sight within seconds.
We flew over the beautiful Fagaraşi Mountains, part of the Carpatian range, in silence. Their snow-covered peaks had a bluish tone in the moonlight that reminded me of the Olympic Mountains I used to stare at from the Seattle waterfront. A lump formed in my throat.
Don’t think about it.
The next moment, we dove down into the forest south of the mountains, landing near the mist barrier demarking the gypsy clan’s land. The stillness of the wood had an unnerving feel, as if monsters could be hiding in the mist, waiting to pounce. Then I remembered I was a predator too, and used my strigoi senses to check our surroundings.
At present, we were alone.
I pushed away from Traian, but he took my arm and pulled me back in.
“No matter how much it irritates me to see you with that filthy elf scum…” He drew me closer to his chest. “I can’t leave you here in dissonance.” His lips lowered to mine, but he pulled away a second later, eyes blazing red. “You’ve been touched by the Wind.”
“Yes,” I whispered. “How can you tell?”
“I can feel her on you.” Gazed at my face in wonder. “Impossible.”
I jerked my head back. “Why?”
He closed his eyes for a second. When they opened again, they were dark. “The Elements have no interest in the undead.”
“I must be the exception to the rule.” I shifted forward onto my tippy-toes to close the distance between our lips.
But it didn’t last long, for we were no longer alone.
Traian’s eyes flared with red for a flash but settled back into their usual midnight black. “My love, we have much to discuss. Go learn what you need. I’ll be waiting for you here.”
One smoldering kiss later, I crossed through the mist into the clan’s territory. Leo waited for me ten feet in, his crossbow pointed to my chest.
“Seriously, put that thing away.” I walked past him. “How many times must I repeat ‘I’m not your enemy’?”
“Anything moving without a heartbeat is my enemy,” Leo muttered behind me.
“If that were true, why can I walk through
your wards without flinching?” I cast him a glance over my shoulder.
He never lowered his weapon, but he didn’t say anything, either.
I stopped and turned to face him. He came to a halt with his arrow two inches from my heart and towered over me like a giant, but I didn’t cower.
“Someday you will learn to trust me, Leo. Hopefully sooner than later, for all our sakes.”
He leaned in, his face shifting slightly, revealing the lion within. “I will never trust a bloodless whore.”
What did he just call me? I swallowed down the instant rage I felt. My hands crackled as I balled them into fists. Let it go, Ev, he doesn’t know you. I kept my mouth closed, but I had plenty of things to say.
“Everly!” I heard Traian call in the distance, his voice muffled as it traveled through the magic barrier. “Stop taunting the vârcolac.”
I released the energy in my hands into the snow-covered ground. “We probably shouldn’t keep Satra waiting.” I turned and continued down the path to the camp.
Even though I’d only been here once, I felt like I’d lived in this place my entire life, which is why Leo’s disdain for me felt so jarring.
Before our journey, Traian had informed me that the strigoi are the gypsy vârcolacs’ prime enemy. Their shapeshifting abilities came as a result of the vampires setting up permanent residence in the region about five hundred years ago. Traian had also warned me that these gypsies were much different than the ones most humans were used to.
While most gypsy women had traces of magical abilities, the females born in this clan possessed powers that could topple governments and spark revolutions. The males had shapeshifting abilities, their shape determined by the spirit animal that visited them at birth. Though they harnessed great powers, the Carpatian gypsy clan kept to themselves and stayed hidden. Even Octavian, every magical person’s enemy, had ignored them.
This surprised me. If he really was into collecting magic, why had he ignored this clan? Satra had substantial power, despite her appearance of frailty, and the men who could shapeshift would make excellent warriors in his army. Though, somehow, I doubted someone like Leo would ever work for someone like Octavian.
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