She sat again. “But why me?”
“You must find answer.”
“Now you sound like Floricita, the reader that got me started with this venture.”
“Perhaps the woman, the Matriarch, you have called her, is threatened by you somehow.” Dorina said. “She put sleep spell to confuse you? Perhaps she try to—how you say—throw you off the path?”
Pita smiled. “The phrase is ‘throw me off track,’ though I don’t think I really believe that. What do I have to threaten anyone? And spinning spells? I don’t know…”
“But you say in dream the woman chanting the same words again and again. Maybe chant was spell”
“Hmm… I hadn’t thought of that, Dorina, but it’s still way too weird.”
She gulped the last of her tea stood and said, “I’d better get ready. Its getting late, and Niko will be here soon.”
Pita placed her empty teacup on the tray. She turned towards Dorina and gave the woman a hug. “Thank you for being so kind. Thank you for your concern and listening to my crazy issues.”
“You are most welcome.” Smiling she gave Pita a final squeeze then stood and collected the tea set. “Do you want biscuit? I leave for you.”
“No, thank you. I’m good.”
****
Niko placed her things in the trunk and came back in the front door as Pita hugged Dorina. “Thank you for having me and all you’ve done.”
“Nonsense.” Dorina waved her hand in dismissal. “You come back soon. I enjoy to have you here.” She turned a huge smile on Niko, gave him a strong, heartfelt hug and clasped his face in her hands. “Take care of Pita and bring her back safe,” she said, then released him.
Niko chuckled. “I promise. Safe and sound.” Then he bent and gave Dorina a peck on the cheek.
****
Overcast skies with a light rain, accompanied them on their ride into the Northern Carpathian Mountains to the cabin. Tall, leaf-barren trees clustered like sentinels along the mountainsides only broken by the primitive roadway that Niko’s car bumped and grinded over.
If the beech trees held any leaves or the pines and spruce, needles, they were too high up to notice from the car’s windows. Pita watched the eerie landscape pass by as they moved further into the forest.
The backseat was laden with supplies they had stopped to pickup after dropping Pita’s rental car off and before they’d left the city. Pita quivered with both anxiety and excitement, unsure which was the dominant stimulant. She slid her attention across to Niko, whose concentration stayed to the one lane roadway. Static became the primary sound that emanated from the radio, so Pita reached over and turned it off.
Niko spared her a glance and smiled. “You okay?”
Shrugging, she nodded. “I think so. I’m not really sure what I feel right now.”
Fixing her attention once again on the forest outside, she thought about Dorina and the security she had become accustomed to around the woman. Like an adopted parental figure, Dorina was calming to her and a comfort. Once again, she headed toward uncharted territory. Pita glanced back over to Niko and took in his handsome profile, the chiseled cut of his high cheekbones, the way the afternoon sun speckled his five o’clock shadow and longish hair golden-amber as it reflected through the trees, giving him a rough outdoorsy quality. A quiver ran through her stomach and she smiled. I’m like a schoolgirl when I’m with him.
Pita averted her gaze back out the window before he noticed her blush. She felt his fingers wrap around her hand and turned back to face him. Smiling shyly because she realized he’d witness her blush anyway, she answered his hold on her hand by entwining her fingers with his.
“My brave girl.” Niko said softly.
“Not brave, clueless. I don’t know what to expect nor do I have the good sense to turn tail and run—no pun intended. Not that it would change anything. I do trust you, though. I know in my heart and somehow sense that you will not let anything bad happen to me.”
“Pita, I will do the best I can, but understand that when you change it will be painful and very uncomfortable.” Niko kept his eyes on the roadway, but his body stiffened suggesting his own worry and anxiety.
“When I had that brief episode by the lake, I remember the horrible sensation that my skin would burst apart, and then of course, I fainted.” Pita opened the window with her free hand and felt the cool rush of air on her face. Hair blew across her face, and she pushed it back behind her ear. “Niko I’m not brave, but I do understand that if this is what I am than I have to deal with it. Getting all worked up and hysterical is not going to change anything, right?”
He nodded, squeezed her hand and then let go as the roadway became rougher. The tires bounced mercilessly over the ruts and tree roots.
To distract herself from worry and to work out the new feelings and situations facing her, Pita said, “I remember as a young girl, being totally infatuated by the supernatural. Witchcraft, vampires, spellbinding—I didn’t read about these things, I consumed them. One of my favorite TV shows was a Gothic soap.” She smiled. “My mother hated them, but I soaked up every vampire and werewolf series I could get my hands on but…” She hesitated. “I never even considered any of it real. It’s natural, I guess, to wonder at the possibility, but deep down…I don’t know. Society doesn’t teach us to believe anything outside of the traditional realm of religious beliefs.”
“It’s real.” He sighed. “Sometimes I think organized religion is more of a fairy tale bent on squashing anything different or occurrences which the scriptures cannot explain.”
“I guess that’s where the stories come from, or at least that was Dorina’s explanation.” She leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes a moment then said, “I think what I’m trying to say is I’ll do whatever I have to do, and I will not wimp out, but I’m scared to death.”
Niko slowed and steered to a stop as far off the road as he could. He reached over to her and pulled her to him. The way he stroked her hair and held her, spoke more than words could.
Pita relaxed against him, absorbing the strength of his presence and letting the warmth of his body heat away the chills of her anxiety. They sat that way for a few minutes, and then Niko gave her a reassuring squeeze. “We’d better get going.”
They drove a bit further then hit another huge rut as Niko turned into a tighter track off the main road. The sunlight all but disappeared with the denseness of the trees, and Niko switched on the headlights. “The cabin is just a little further.”
“You weren’t kidding when you said it was out of the way.”
The car climbed upward, winding along what Pita could barely call a narrow road. She noticed the trees thin out, then got her first peek at the cabin. Small and crude, but it emitted a rough-hewn natural beauty.
A small porch wrapped around the front and evergreens scattered throughout the dooryard. Sunbeams lit the tiny cabin and bounced off the windows temporarily blinding them until the angle changed, and Niko pulled up to the front porch.
“It’s primitive, but has everything we need.” He said shutting the engine off and opening the car door. “Stay here until I check everything out.”
“Okay.”
Pita watched as Niko disappeared around the back of the cabin and then stepped out of the car. The sun’s height in the sky told her it had to be late afternoon. The forest was quiet; no wind tickled the leaves above. Not even birdsong broke the silence.
A chill raced up her spine along with the eerie sensation that someone or something watched her. She pivoted slowly around searching the forest for the offending stalker, though she saw nothing. The sensation got stronger then the loud crack of a twig jolted her back around to find Niko approaching from the other side of the car.
“You okay?” he asked as he opened the trunk.
“Yeah, it’s just so quiet. I guess I got spooked.” Pita opened the car door, released the seat, and then began to gather the supplies while Niko emptied the contents of th
e trunk onto the porch.
After several trips from car to cabin, they had everything inside. Remembering her purse, Pita stepped out onto the porch to get it out of the car when she froze in place.
Her hands covered her mouth on reflex to stifle a scream, just as Niko came up beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
She turned wide-eyed to face him, her mouth forming an “o.”
“It’s okay. They’re with us.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Niko, there is a pack of wolves out there. Are you telling me every one of them is a person?” She turned to glance at the animals that stood patiently. Waiting. Pita counted eight wolves in an assortment of colors from light tan, grey, and black, some were a mixed combination of all the colors.
“Yes. You will get to know each and learn to trust them as I do.”
A large grey stepped forward. It tilted its head to the side and perked it ears. Niko dropped his head in a slight nod. The wolf pawed at the grass then turned and re-joined the others. Pita watched as they melted back into the forest.
“What just happened?”
Niko stepped off the porch and opened the car door. “I think you sensed what was going on.” He reached into the front seat and retrieved her handbag, turning back to face her with that irresistible, lopsided grin of his. “Here you go.”
Pita took the handbag. “Thanks. Is this a test?” She smiled.
“No.” His chuckle resembled a playful growl. “Come, let’s go inside.” He took her hand and led her back into the cabin.
They set about putting the foodstuffs away they had brought with them. After stocking the supplies in the tiny kitchen area and, they moved on to the linens, and finally the luggage. Niko got a fire started; the orange-red flames chased the cold darkness from the cabin while Pita put a pot of coffee on the woodstove and contemplated the silent conversation between Niko and the wolf.
“Niko.”
He glanced up from placing the screen back in front of the fireplace, his eyes speaking his response to her.
“I sensed that you communicated some sort of acknowledgement to the wolf. It feels as though there’s a strong camaraderie between you, a mutual respect.” She said slowly, weighing her thoughts before speaking them.
“He is my brother.” He flicked the hair back from his face as he stood, then crossed the room to her. “Valeriu, we call him Val, is two years younger.”
Niko took her hand guiding her to an old, worn couch, but it looked inviting, comfortable. “Sit.”
With the daylight slowly fading, the fire crackling, and the aroma of coffee filling the air, they sat, and Niko held her close. Pita rested her head on his shoulder, sinking further into the goose down cushions of the sofa, as she shifted drawing her legs up, and gazed into the blazing fire waiting for him to continue.
When he did not, she asked softy, “Tell me about your family and the wolves.”
His chest rose and fell in what appeared to be a decisive sigh.
“Not much to tell about family, really. My brother and I grew up here in a small village near the border of Hungary. My mother came from Hungary, my father here in Romania. Traditionally, the two countries are not the best of neighbors, but my parents seemed to care for one another.
“I have been fortunate to go to America for my education, then on to Paris to study art, as you know. Many never leave the villages where they are born. My brother has never left Romania. He is content to spend his life quietly as my parents before him—aside the shifting ability.” Niko sighed, the sound full of frustration. “I have tried to get Val to come to the United States with me, see what is outside Romania, but he refuses. It saddens me. He is young and yet, he holds such old-fashioned views and traditions.”
“Do you think that Val might be afraid? Maybe he just wants to remain where he is comfortable because of the ability to shift.”
“You could be right. I’ve thought that myself of my brother.” Niko peered into the fire.
Pita shifted to face Niko. “Where does this ability stem from?”
“Some believe the ability to shift a curse, a mutation that shows itself in some and not others. I like to think of it positively like a gift, though others hate it.”
“Hmm…mutation. That works for me. Life is full of strange and wondrous things, though I don’t know why it picked me to hold one of them.” Pita shrugged. “That brings us to the wolves. Who are they? And why are they?”
“They are a small part of the surviving population of shape-shifters here in Romania. We will gather on the full moon in two days time. I am the Alpha, Pita, their leader. I am responsible to protect them and now you. Many would see us destroyed, people who do not understand and fear us. The woman you have visions of and saw on that plane, she is our most dangerous enemy. She and her people hunt our kind. They will not stop until the last of us are destroyed.”
“Why?” Pita’s voice lifted an octave as cold spikes of fear tingled in her extremities.
“Because they believe us evil, a blasphemy put upon this earth by their God’s enemy.”
“Satan? The devil?” Pita asked not sure if she followed the conversation correctly.
“Yes. I do not believe in Christianity as the church preaches it. Thousands of years ago, people believed in Paganism. Now, it is frowned upon, and the church labels it as evil. Those of us who still hold Pagan practices are cast as devil worshipers.”
“I’m familiar with the beliefs. When I was younger, I dabbled in the art of witchcraft and magic. I understand that the Pagan beliefs worshipped the elements-earth, wind, fire, and water along with the moon and stars. People were one with the earth, in harmony with nature. The sixties were reminiscent of the old Pagan beliefs in a weird sort of way.”
Niko smiled at her and hugged her closer to him then turned her face to meet his by placing his finger under her chin. Their eyes met. Pita felt the gentle weight of his lips upon hers, his tongue urged her lips apart as the kiss deepened. Arms locked into an embrace as their bodies moved together.
That same feeling, an awakening, a primal surge began to grow and spiral within her, urging her to press closer to him and express her need. A quiver began deep inside, becoming more insistent as her sexual desire grew. Niko ran his hands down her sides, then around to caress her breasts, making her gasp. Her head dropped back as Niko nuzzled, kissed, and nipped at her neck, finally sliding his tongue down across the exposed area of her V-necked sweater, gently pushing her breasts up as he kissed the soft flesh.
Pita moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair. She bent forward to kiss the top of his head and then she found his lips on hers once again. Their tongues began a slow dance, twirling around each other, parted briefly to taste each other lips, then entwined once again. Niko’s soft groans filled her ears making the lower part of her body tighten with need. A desperate lust engulfed her. She shifted. Hot and wet, her need surged, pulling her core taut. His hands slid down her back to her buttocks pulling her onto his lap leaving nothing but the thin fabric of their clothing between them, and obvious proof of his excitement.
Above the headiness of her sexual arousal, Pita began to feel a different and strange sensation. Her body began to fill with something she could only describe as an entity, alive, trapped, and trying to get out. Anxiety slid through her to take over her and crush her desire and then suddenly she was back at the little lake feeling as if her body would explode. Niko sensed the change and whispered to her softly.
“Relax, baby. It’s your beast.” He caressed her face and said. “Sexual arousal will prompt the change sometimes. It awakens the beast within.”
A smothering pressure filled her as the entity grew and struggled within her. Her heart raced and her breath came in rapid bursts. She was barely aware of Niko holding her. His voice seemed to come to her from a long tunnel. A crushing pain racked her body like her entire shell was ripping, and she let out an agonized scream.
Suddenly the only sound she hea
rd were her own panic-stricken screams, then she sank into a deep abyss of blackness…nothing.
Chapter Thirty-five
When consciousness returned, she realized she lay in a fetal position on the floor. Niko knelt behind her rubbing her back and calling to her softly, comforting. Unbidden, tears streamed down her face at the pain and fear she had just experienced. She tried to straighten her legs and roll over onto her back, but every muscle in her body protested.
Slowly, she remembered the last minutes before she had passed out. The arousal so intense, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. The closeness as if they were one being and a sort of union of the souls. Then… the pain. She could feel her bones changing and her skin expanding, hear the tearing. The sound, most horrible of all. A shiver vibrated down the length of her entire body. Whimpering, she tried again to move.
“Pita, don’t cry. I am so sorry. I should never have let things go that far. We must not let this happen again.” He pulled her gently into his lap as he sat, back against the wall causing an involuntary groan to erupt from her, but she cuddled into him content to be in his arms. “Not until you have control of the shift.” He stroked her hair out of her face and wiped her tears away with the tail of his shirt. “Please don’t cry.”
“I c-c-can’t d-d-d-do this,” she sobbed. “I-I-t h-hurts s-soooo b-b-bad.” The shivering became more pronounced.
“You don’t have a choice. It is what you are.” He continued to hold her stroking his hand up and down her back.
His words were not meant maliciously, she knew, only the unadorned truth. He was right; she had no choice. The change would happen, and it would hurt like hell, and…Pita shook her head viciously causing immediate shots of pains to wrack her body again. “I-I know,” she whispered.
“Can we get you up off the floor?” Niko asked.
“L-let me just s-stay h-here with you for awhile. I d-don’t want t-to m-move right now.”
She laid her head on his chest comforted by the steady beating of his heart. At least that seemed normal, ordinary. After a few minutes, she trusted herself to speak. “I’m so tired, Niko.”
Curse Of The Marhime Page 15
