"No, you stay here," I said, holding him back by the shoulder. The young man winced at the weight of my grip, but he didn't protest. I turned to Lyra, who was standing alone in the middle of the room. "Go ask her for a dance. Lyra can use some dancing tonight."
"But..."
"Now!"
Damir immediately nodded in panic and left.
Then I got out of the reception hall, walking through the brightly lit corridor of the palace looking for Vale.
Suddenly, a swift motion of someone came at me and pushed me against the wall. My sharp teeth bared in a defensive snarl. Then I found myself pinned into a corner.
But what I was unprepared to see was those piercing blue eyes. They paralyzed me, leaving me powerless as I looked back into them. Valerina and I were standing face to face. Our breathing was ragged and loud with tension. I could see burning passion and anger in her eyes.
After a moment, Vale narrowed her gaze to my lips. I took it as a cue to lean in and merged our mouths together. My hands wound around her, drawing her body against mine. Her slender fingers flew to my hair, pulling at it in hunger. I pulled at the girdle of her skirt and moved my right thigh between her legs. She gasped and drew away from my lips to look at me again.
"Don't you ever put your hand on another girl again," she growled.
"Don't you dare put yours on anyone else either," I snapped back.
We both went silent for a while after our harsh words. Valerina clenched her jaw as she glared at me. Her hands clung to my collar. Then she grabbed hold of my face and began another kissing and sucking with her lips and tongue, a sweet battle I would let her win for now.
Then she broke our kiss wetly. We both were breathing hard.
"You're mine, Anastasia," she whispered, letting her lips linger over mine.
"Whose else?" I breathed.
She gazed into my eyes, like she was letting my words sink in. Then we kissed again, slowly and gently this time, yet with the same fervor. I guessed that was how we fought and made up all in one. My hands moved to her backside and pressed her harder into me, leaving no space between us.
Then I slipped a hand under her gown and through her underpants. She was hot against my chilled fingers, hot and slippery. A strangled sound erupted from her chest, reverberating in the winter night. As I kept fondling her sweet softness, Vale wrapped her arms around my neck and threw her head back from the tingling intensity. I could see the blush on her cheeks. Her blue eyes sparkled like bright jewels, her perfect brows furrowed in pleasure.
I kissed her again and touched her more earnestly, and the huntress seemed to grow weak, losing her strength to stand upright. Then I turned her body around and pushed her back against the wall. A gasp escaped her lips. I paused, unhooking my mouth from hers in concern.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she said breathlessly. “Take me to your bed, will you?"
And wasted no more time, I did.
Chapter 36
Outside the window of the Winter Palace hung a pale crescent moon in the sky. We stood by the fireplace in my chamber. The fire burned away, casting its golden light over our faces. Valerina let me undo the laces of her bodice. Her heart pounded like a moth caught in a flame. I had to remind myself that standing before me was a fearsome assassin on the battlefield, someone who could draw enemy's blood without making a sound, but she was also a human, capable of feeling emotions and untamed desires.
I brought my lips to hers, hoping to dissipate her nervousness. She let out a soft moan into my mouth.
"No need to be nervous," I told her between kisses. "It's not like I haven't seen you before, and obviously it's not like we haven't had sex, is it?"
Vale pulled back to glare at me. Her deep blue eyes sparkled like sapphires against the snow.
"You're so naughty for a princess," she said, which made me laugh and pulled her against me a bit roughly. My hands shredded off the last layer of her garment. She gasped. Her naked body flushed warm against my skin.
"No Anastasia, you ruined my gown!"
"I'll give you a thousand more to replace this," I said. My hand slipped through the gap of her thighs and found her sensitivity. She was warmer down there. Valerina gasped once again. Her hands instinctively wound around my neck. Her fingers tangled in my hair.
"Be gentle, will you?" she said.
"What's the point of being gentle when you know that sex with me is going to be wonderful?" I asked in a teasing tone.
"Geez, you're driving me mad!" she said but then sought my lips with her own again. We kissed until our bodies screamed with needs.
We both fell onto the soft bed with our limbs entwined. Her slender naked body glowed like white snow under the moonlight. It caused an excited flutter in the pit of my stomach. Vale's perfect round breasts arched with those lovely nipples erected like two red berries. I opened my mouth and devoured them with the thirst of her essence.
When I pulled away, Valerina opened her eyes again and stared at me. I sat up just to admire the angel in my bed.
My hand reached out and grazed her warm supple skin with my fingers, moving slowly downward along the valley of her breasts. Valerina squirmed and shivered from the sweet sensation. Her teeth clamped down over her bottom lip with anticipation.
I smiled.
"I like it when you get jealous, you know?" I said as she looked into my eyes.
"Well, I don't."
I laughed, but with a swift motion, she rolled me onto my back, sliding her dainty body atop me. Her warm skin elicited a moan from my lips.
"How is a fierce huntress like you find herself in bed with her prey?" I said, stroking my way down her spine. My cold fingernails trailed over her delicate milky skin.
"I don't want you to look at any girl that way, Anastasia," she said.
"In my heart, no girls can make me look at them that way but you," I whispered. "God knows what kind of spell you cast over me."
Her hands came to my face. Her eyes turned gentle again.
"I tried to tell myself that she's just your past," she finally said. "Trust me, I really did. But I couldn't stop myself from overthinking."
"I thought this was about Lyra?"
"You know who I was referring to, Anastasia. Don't dodge it." Valerina said with a shake of her head. Her flowing hair cascaded down her shoulders.
"Sorry," I breathed.
"I can see that you both have a special bond," she went on, "She obviously still cares about you, Anastasia."
"I can't say that it isn't true," I said. "But this bond between you and me simply surpasses any trace of past memories. Now the only thing that makes me feel alive in this dead cold world is you, Valerina."
She looked at me in the eyes for a long silent moment. Her hand came to stroke my hair.
"I love you," was all she said. Then her eyes welled up. I smiled.
"Silly girl," I said. "My heart belongs to you. You have captured it since the first day we met, and now it’s all yours. You know that, don't you?"
She looked at me with a smile before she let our mouths claim each other again, this time more desperate and sensual and hungry. I enveloped her whole body against mine until it felt like our soft limbs were being molded together. Vale's mouth was hot and sleek like sweet honey. We deepened the kiss as my tongue rolled around hers.
That night we enjoyed each other three times. Then we spent the rest of the night with a glass of wine by the fireplace. The snow kept falling outside the windows, and neither of us wanted this moment to end.
AFTER MY SISTER ASCENDED the throne, the Kaiser of the German Empire began leading the global domination. He was enraged that we took a stance against him. So far, the Kaiser’s power had outclassed not only the monarchs of Europe but also New Americas. He broke all treaties of the Allied Nations and had his focus on the Russian Empire once again.
It was the same year the New Disease broke out. Everyone knew it had everything to do with his evil plan. The
disease caused the bodies and faces to twist out of all recognizable shape in the last stages.
The war got worse when the Emperor of Japan opened hostilities by attacking the Russian Eastern fleet.
Alexandra was livid.
This morning when I walked into the busy headquarters’ office, I found my sister staring at the giant screen on the wall. Her hands clasped behind her back. There was a chilling image of the military gathering. It was recorded live at the initiation ceremony of what looked to be several hundred of the German squadron leaders. They stood around a large square surrounded by colossal buildings. At the center bore a huge replica of the dictator's face, Emperor Wilhelm II. Their flags were black with the image of a white lion.
I looked at the enormous screen. All around us were officers in charge of the espionage and strategic plans for the war.
Trotsky and Krasnoff sat around an oval table made of glass at the center. Its transparent surface projected the holographic geography of the world map. They were staring at it as if they were playing a game of chess. I could see the red dots spreading and advancing in various directions. It represented the enemy lines. The conquered countries were marked with the symbol of the House of Hohenzollern, the old German Dynasty.
Russia still bore the crest of the House of Romanov, the two-headed eagle. Queen Victoria of Great Britain and the House of Hanover was still shown on the map and so was the House of Bourbon in France, but there weren't many parts of Europe now that were left unoccupied by the Kaiser's zombie army.
"Do you know what their duties are, Anastasia?" Alex said without turning to look at me. I turned back to look at the gathering mass on the screen.
"Tell me," I said.
"The duties of these officers consisted of everything from protecting the Kaiser himself to organizing and running the Death Camp," my sister said.
"The Death Camp?" I said.
At last, Alex turned around. She wore a long military coat in black as a commander in chief. Her face was grim. For a moment, she reminded me of our father.
"Yes, it's where you're gassed and become one of them," she said. "The Imperial Japanese Army is still pushing through the frontline across Mongolia. We have to stop them, but..."
The screen behind her showed another image of an on-going battle. A dark silhouette of automatons advanced forwards like a wave of giants. Their machine guns blasted ceaselessly at the vampire army. Some of them even spit fire. Everyone was screaming and running through the black smoke.
"Their force is too strong," I said in realization. "Our soldiers can't hold them off any longer."
"The Queen of England still remains neutral," she said with a sigh. "This war is going to be the worst of all wars."
My sister looked at me.
"Alex, what is your plan?”
“You know it’s the only way,” she said and I nodded.
“If so, you take half our army with you to defend against the Japanese force. I will stay here and protect Kremlin from the Kaiser's invasion."
Alex's golden eyes lit up, but then she paused.
"This could work," she said. "But I’m worried that our force will be divided and by doing so, we're not as strong as we should be."
"Alex, I have confidence in you that you can defeat the East easily, but if you stay here, our frontier will keep losing ground, and we can't have both enemies coming at us all at once."
"You're right," she said with a sigh. “I have to go.”
"Then you'll need our help, Czarina," Trotsky said for the first time. "The hunters will go with you."
Though it was an understandable suggestion, something bothered me.
"No, you need the Cossacks," I said, causing them to look at me. "Krasnoff will be a perfect candidate for this mission."
The truth was a big part of me also wanted to keep Valerina close. If Trotsky went with my sister, the huntress would go with them too.
"But then you'll have to face a bigger threat if the Kaiser decides to launch his attack," Alex said. "It's wise to have a stronger protection in the capital, Anastasia."
I knew it was a crucial decision. We couldn't do it based on our biased feelings, but I just couldn't stand the thought of being apart from Vale. Trotsky caught eyes with me. There was a glint of understanding in his gaze.
"I think we can't underestimate the old enemy of the East either, Your Majesty," the General said. "Remember Russia suffered numerous defeats by Japan in World War II. We're now under great duress."
Alex was silent as she considered it. She glanced at the brutal scene on the screen again.
"I will leave Kremlin to you, Anastasia," she said. "The remaining force will be at your command."
I gave my sister a solemn nod—a vow to protect our home.
Chapter 37
Kremlin needed serious defense against the Kaiser's force. We installed multiple bunkers around the borders. The German Emperor had turned his target towards Russia as predicted. His troop had occupied Poland, our primary ally. Now, he was coming for Belarus, the last of our protection. Soon, our enemy would be at our gates in less than three months.
That wasn't a lot of time to get ready. The rise of the Japanese Imperial Army left Alex no choice but to split half of our force. It was rumored that their gigantic automatons were unstoppable, capable of great destruction and carnage on any scale. My sister had come up with an idea using an autobot called the Mole. It was the size of a warehouse, an enormous subterranean robot that burrowed through the ground and mountains with its sharp driller.
"The Mole is a new invention from our defense facility," Alex had said during one meeting at the headquarter. "Inside the body is a tank that carries explosives and troopers. In the war, the Moles will serve as our war hounds. It's the best counterattack from below where the enemy less expect it."
We were relieved that we found a solution to defend against the army of steel. I hoped our plan would work on the battlefield. We just had to make sure everything was well under way.
It was a freezing morning as usual. My long black coat brushed over the snow-covered square as I was walking through our military base. Viktor was a step behind me, following by a handful of royal guards.
Alexandra spent all her time with the two generals while I took charge inspecting the preparation.
"Our science facility has reported about Konstantin's secret experiment, Grand Duchess," Viktor said once we entered the building. "They found that about a hundred of the Sleepers are still active."
"What does my sister say about it?"
"Czarina is quite preoccupied with other matters," he said. "She asked me to consult it with you. What do you want to do with them?"
I couldn't think of an answer to give him yet as the sound of machinery reverberated everywhere inside the enormous warehouse.
I looked at the rows of gigantic bug-like aircraft below us. The engineers were working like ants to get everything set in stipulated time.
"Are those aircrafts capable of fighting the German fire-proof zeppelins?" I asked instead.
"We're told that this type of aircraft doesn't use fire or any explosive to attack," Viktor said. "It uses electricity, a thousand volts of electricity to destroy a German zeppelin with a single shock."
"Who came up with this idea?" I said, impressed.
"That young man over there, Your Highness." He pointed to someone among the crowd of engineers. "He's been helping our scientists finding this solution."
I looked and saw Damir.
"He's a great inventor," I said. "Bright boy. We're lucky to have him."
Then at the far side of the base, I caught a glimpse of Valerina's red cape. The girl was half-hidden between the craft and machinery objects, but I knew it was her. I smiled and turned to Viktor.
"Don't let the guards follow me," I said. "I'll come back."
Viktor gave a small bow as I walked off.
I found Vale boarding the body of a plane. No one was around there. I went after her. She
was checking up on the interior that was yet to assemble. I closed the metal door of the craft. It was dark inside but my eyes adjusted quickly. It was the bombing airplane by the look of it.
"Who's that?" Valerina's voice came from the far back. I smiled and rushed to her in my vampire speed. My arms wrapped around her dainty form from behind, startling the huntress.
"I half expected to find a knife in my gut by now," I said. "Looks like you've become very slow."
"If I didn't already know it was you, that would be a different story," she said and craned her head around to smile at me.
"I was inspecting the base before my sister leaves," I said. "Then I saw you and decided to come say 'hello'."
"Well, hello to you too," she said and gave me a peck on the cheek.
"You're busy?" I asked.
"Not for now," she said. Her eyes lit up in tenderness. She sought for my mouth, and I leaned in to meet her half way. Our tongues met and entwined. The kiss made me crave her. It had been a hectic week. She was always needed at the base with the hunters, and I was always needed at the headquarter or the parliament assembly. We barely saw each other.
"I miss you a lot," I whispered against her blushed lips. My hand moved down to her belly while the other caressed her breast. She gasped and tried to squirm away from me, but I held her still. "Where are you going? I'm not done with you yet."
I drew my face to her neck and nibbled at her pulse from behind. She involuntarily tilted her head to give me more access. I parted her red cape and slipped my hand under her skirt, down to the area between her legs. She gasped again.
"Anastasia, wait..." she tried to speak but there was a heat stirring up rapidly down there.
"You work too much," I said. "You need a break."
"Speak for yourself," she whispered. "But someone might walk in on us."
"So? Who dares say anything to me?" I said.
"Because you're above all the rules?" she tried to tease me back. I chuckled and started licking and nibbling my way over her elegant jaw and up her sweet cheek. My busy hand gently stroked and fondled her heated region until a soft moan escaped her lips.
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