Shaking his head, Anton forced himself to hold completely still. He had to overcome his baser instincts, had to think through the lust for blood and sex. If he was going to win this little game of hers, he had to think. He had to stay calm.
A high-pitched laughter cackled through the forest, a strange combination of human and hyena. The sound bounced around the foliage, seeming to leap from tree to tree as it taunted him. Indignant anger burned to life inside him, feeding the predator until Anton could concentrate on nothing but the need to catch his prey. He was so hungry . . .
He launched himself like a cannonball into the woods. Only one tiny thought held itself above the heated red haze of lust and hunger: water. He could just hear it over the rushing in his ears, the splash and babble of running water. If he could wash her scent off of his lip, he could track her.
His head rose sharply as another thought pierced the predatory fog in his mind. Perhaps Valkyrine was headed to the water anyway. There were few better ways to lose a pursuer than to drown one’s scent in water. A feral smile bared his teeth to the night air. She would not get the best of him again.
He burst free of the trees and found exactly what he was looking for. A small river wound through the forest, its black water lapping at the rocks along the shore. The crisp clean scent helped clear his head, despite the decadent reside teasing his nose. Anton growled. Soon he would rid himself of the tantalizing scent and he would find its source. Valkyrine had flustered him, but he was not a newly turned vampire. He was a solider of the warrior Aldric--and he would not be so easily escaped.
Carefully lowering himself to the rocks, Anton leaned over the glassy surface to scoop out a handful of water to clean himself.
Pale white arms rose from the water before him. Anton’s lips parted, his eyes widening. A beautiful feminine face peeked up at him from the water. Mesmerize, Anton stared into emerald green eyes glowing with a soft soothing light. His body leaned forward, drawn by the sensuality of the woman in the water. She smiled at him, wrapping her delicate arms around his neck. Anton didn’t even have time to register fear as she pulled him down below the surface.
The icy cold water broke the spell. His nerves spasmed as the grip around his neck tightened. Fighting back a wave of limb-numbing fear, Anton gritted his teeth and closed his hands around the rusalka’s wrists. The water nymph laughed under the water, sending a torrent of bubbles rising to the surface.
Kicking out with all his strength, Anton was rewarded by sharp grunt as his feet connected with the rusalka’s chest. His head broke the surface and he quickly located the nearest bank. Movement by the tall grass caught his eyes and he growled as Valkyrine waved at him from the shadows. The moonlight cast a silvery radiance on Valkyrine’s hair and her eyes glowed a ghostly yellowish green. She smiled, her perfect white teeth flashing in the moon’s light.
“I hope you and your brother enjoy your swim,” she sang out. “I know the rusalki aren’t as fun as I am, what with preferring their men breathing, but they should give you a nice warm up so you’re ready for me.”
Anton clenched his teeth, struggling to hold onto his temper and not lose himself completely to the animal this woman seemed to raise to life inside him. The rusalka burst from the water, her glowing green eyes shining brighter as she lunged for him again. Anton jerked around, grabbing a handful of her long white hair as she tried to embrace him. Long legs wrapped around his waist and he hissed as her flesh pressed against him. Valkyrine’s laughter echoed in his ears as the rusalka pushed him underwater again.
“I hope you and your brother enjoy your swim.”
Anton froze, momentarily forgetting to fight against the rusalka. Kurt. Valkyrine had suggested that Kurt was being lured into the same trap he was. If one of the watery sirens managed to get Kurt into the river with her . . .
A sudden icy fear closed like a vice around his heart and squeezed his chest. No. No, he couldn’t let that happen to Kurt. Not again.
Wild determination lit a fire inside him and he roared beneath the water. With a few jerks of his wrist, he wrapped the rusalka’s hair tighter around his fist and jerked hard. The rusalka hissed under the water, her hands momentarily spasming open in surprise. This time when he kicked out, he aimed for her face.
Her shriek pierced the otherwise silent watery world. She twisted sharply, swimming away from him with the lighting quick grace of a sea snake. Anton didn’t wait to see how badly the female was injured, or if she was coming back for him. Holding a picture of his brother in his mind, he turned his attention to getting out of the water.
Swimming harder than he ever had in his life, he reached the shore in few quick strokes. He scrambled free of the river and stood stock still, listening hard for some sign of his brother. The night air chilled his skin even further, helping to ease the manic need that Valkyrine had stirred inside him. Heat still pooled in his body despite the chill, kept hot by the lingering scent of the aroused female hiding somewhere in the trees.
Anton gritted his teeth and forced his mind away from the spirited woman. Sun goddess or no sun goddess, vieschtitsa or no vieschtitsa, his brother could be in serious trouble. Nothing else mattered.
Finally he caught his brother’s scent in the breeze. Valkyrine’s laugh echoed behind him, but he ignored it. He turned toward his brother and ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, as fast as his vampiric body would allow. All the while he cursed himself and his brother for not taking the time to get the lay of the land. They should have spent tonight doing reconnaissance and put off the confrontation until tomorrow.
A sickening feeling spread from his heart to his stomach. If his desperation to rid himself of the sun goddess’ heat had led him to endanger his brother with his haste, he would never forgive himself.
Up ahead a splash echoed in the night. Anton opened his mouth to scream a warning, but he was too late. A dark shadow leapt off the bank.
“Kurt, no!”
The scream ripped from his throat, but he knew he was too late. Cursing with every fiber of his being, Anton dove into the water, swimming madly for his brother. Blood curdling screams and frantic splashing urged him to swim faster until finally he spotted him.
Another set of glowing green eyes, slightly paler than the last rusalka’s peered at him from behind his brother’s shoulder. Pale arms clutched at Kurt’s chest and Anton’s throat constricted as his brother’s eyes widened. He screamed again.
“Kurt,” Anton gasped. He grabbed hold of one of the rusalka’s wrists, determined to snap it off if he had to.
“Naida, let him go.”
Valkyrine’s voice had an instantaneous effect. The rusalka released Kurt, disappearing beneath the water without a word. Anton didn’t have time to ponder Valkyrine’s intervention, wincing as one of Kurt’s flailing arms smacked into the angry wounds Valkyrine’s claws had drawn down his face. “Kurt, it’s all right, it’s me! It’s Anton!”
Kurt sobbed, his eyes the size of saucers and his entire body trembling. The whites of his eyes glowed unnaturally bright under the moon, making him look half mad with terror. He thrashed around, fighting against Anton even as his brother tried to haul him to shore.
“Kurt, you will see us both drop to the riverbed like stones if you don’t calm yourself,” Anton begged, gritting his teeth as he lurched through the water toward the bank. “Kurt, she is not here. Marketta is not here!”
Throwing out his arm, Anton grabbed a hold of the bank. His fingers dug into the earth, grabbing a giant handful of dirt and roots before hauling himself and his besieged brother out of the water. He threw Kurt onto his back in the grass before kneeling over him. Cursing the woman who’d done this to his kin, he grasped Kurt’s face in his hands, trying to force him to look into his eyes.
“Kurt, I am here,” he ground out, tears thickening his voice. “I will never fail you again, brother, I swear. Look at me, see me. I am here.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Valkyrine�
�s voice barely pierced the haze of self-loathing that threatened to overwhelm him. Anton knew he had to answer her, knew he should turn from his brother and do what they had been sent here to do. Saule did not seem like a forgiving goddess, he doubted she would accept any excuse for failing to do as she’d asked. His jaw ticked, determination filling him with purpose. He had failed his brother once and nothing, not even the sun goddess herself, would make him do so again. Anton shook his head.
“Go away, Valkyrine,” he said quietly. “Enjoy your new life and leave me to care for my brother.”
The vieschtitsa made a small sound of surprise. Anton stared down at his brother, his heart aching as he took in the way Kurt’s body trembled and his eyes stared blankly up at the sky.
“Is it something I did?”
There was a slight tone of dismay in the question and Anton couldn’t help, but turn to look at Valkyrine. She’d once again shed her hyena form, only the black claws protruding from her fingers a sign that she was still ready to fight. Anton didn’t care.
“Yes, but you didn’t know,” he answered finally. “You lured us to the river, but you couldn’t have known what the water would do to Kurt.”
Valkyrine tilted her head, genuine concern bleeding into her pale eyes. “Tell me?”
Whether it was just to get her to go away, or because he wanted to share the burden with someone, Anton didn’t know. But for some reason, he wanted to answer he question. “He is reliving the past,” he whispered. “The loss of his soul at the hands of an undine.”
Valkyrine stepped out from behind the tree. “An undine?” she echoed. “Your brother had an affair with a water spirit?”
Kurt whimpered, his eyes still wide, still unseeing. Anton brushed his brother’s blond hair back from his face, whispering words of comfort in their native tongue. Even his skin, chilled as it was from the water and the night air, seemed warm compared to Kurt’s. The cold that held his brother was nothing nature, or even death, could compare to.
“Her name was Marketta” he murmured, continuing without really meaning to. “I didn’t see her for what she was, I didn’t realize how cold she was inside. Kurt was such a carefree spirit. He flirted with everyone, and god help him he’s lucky he didn’t populate a whole new city.” He laughed and shook his head, gripping Kurt’s shoulder. “The miracle was that he never hurt anyone’s feelings.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Valkyrine scoffed. “Women are not known for laughing when a man leaps from their bed to another’s.”
Anton shook his head adamantly. “Not even the women he left bore him any ill will. It was like they couldn’t. No one could look into his eyes, hear his laugh, and hold a grudge. His joy was infectious.”
“And the undine?”
Anton closed his eyes. “His time with her was temporary, as it had been with all the others. The undine took offense.”
“Water spirits are quick to revenge,” Valkyrine agreed softly.
“I wasn’t there when she grabbed him. I should have been there, but I wasn’t. I found him on the shore of the Baltic Sea, half dead.” Anger burned like a flame inside him. For a moment he was back on that shore, holding his dying brother in his arms and glaring his hatred out into the silent water. “She took his soul and left his body to rot. He would have died.”
“Ah,” Valkyrine breathed. “That is how you came to be in Aldric’s service.”
Anton nodded. “He agreed to turn Kurt and myself in exchange for our oath of loyalty to him.”
Valkyrine was silent for a moment. Again, Anton knew he should say something, do something, to get back on track. A thousand words of seduction and flattery leapt to his tongue, a thousand strategic actions teased his muscles. He could save their mission, could complete the task the sun goddess had given them. But he just couldn’t muster the will.
“I have to get him away from the water,” he said quietly, resignation weighing his shoulders down even further. Sliding his arms under his brother’s body, he hefted him in his arms and stood.
“Come with me,” Valkyrine spoke up suddenly.
She turned and started to walk away, not waiting for an answer. Anton stared down at his brother, his heart twisting as Kurt shuddered. It killed him to know that the memory of Marketta was still so strong that the memory of her icy embrace kept his brother prisoner. During the times when the memory of the undine held his brother in its grasp, Anton always wondered if Kurt would ever be warm again.
Not even the blood of the sun goddess burning in his belly could ward off that chill, Anton thought sadly. He followed Valkyrine through the woods, having little choice but to trust the woman. He didn’t know where they were, didn’t know where to go now that Aldric was gone. He clenched his teeth. What more could she do to Kurt than has already been done, anyway?
They continued on until they finally reached a small cabin built into the side of a gently sloping mountain. Anton tilted his head at the sight of the humble abode and it’s splintered boards and run down appearance. It was hardly more than a shack leaning against the rocks for support.
“You have a . . . lovely home.”
“I have little need for a house,” Valkyrine said dryly. “Do not feel the need to feed me false compliments. I was a prisoner too long, I prefer to spend my time outdoors.”
She opened her front door without a key. Obviously she had no fear of thieves or thugs. Then again, Anton reasoned, he imagined the thieves and thugs would have more to fear from a vieschtitsa than the other way around.
“Come in, vampires.”
“I would think that a daughter of a sun goddess would spend a great deal of time outdoors,” Anton commented, carefully maneuvering his brother inside without jostling him too much.
“I spent all of the daylight hours outside, true,” Valkyrine admitted. Her eyes sparkled with that strange greenish yellow flame as she stared out the open door. “But I was always warned to stay inside at night. My mother did not want me out in the world if she could not keep her eye on me.”
A hint of anger warmed her voice and Anton felt a sharp stab of remorse in his gut. If he did somehow manage to salvage their mission, he would be taking away the life Valkyrine wanted. An image of Saule, power shining like twin suns in her eyes, flashed in his mind’s eye. If he was not successful in their mission, the sun goddess would see them reduced to ashes. They could not hide forever from her wrath.
“Please, put your brother on the bed,” Valkyrine offered. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to help, but do feel free to use this place as your own until you can bring him back.”
Her kind words only seemed to make his guilt all the sharper. Anton steeled himself against the sick feeling and concentrated on settling his brother on the small bed against the wall. The sheets were plain white cotton that had clearly seen better days, but they smelled clean.
“You are showing a great deal of kindness to my brother and I,” he forced out, trying to keep his voice calm. “May I ask what we have done to deserve such consideration?”
“It is not kindness,” Valkyrine corrected him. “It is common decency. It was my little game that put your brother in this state. You have offered me no wrong, I would considerate it blight on my personal honor if I didn’t try to make amends.” She paused, her gaze dancing over Kurt’s still trembling form. “How do you bring him out of this?”
Anton swallowed past the lump in his throat and returned his attention to his brother. “Nothing I have ever tried has worked. I can only wait for him to come out on his own.” He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m afraid it could take hours.”
Valkyrine stepped closer to the bed. “May I try something?”
A rush of protectiveness crashed over Anton and he turned to eye Valkyrine suspiciously. He stepped in front of his brother, putting himself between Kurt and the vieschtitsa. “What are you going to do?”
She held up her hands in the universal sign of innocence. “If he is stuck in the memory of an
undine’s cold soul-sucking embrace, then perhaps the warmth of a living body could help call him away from that memory?”
Anton flinched. A warm body was one thing he could not try himself--not with his own flesh holding the chill of death. He wasn’t ice cold to the touch by any stretch, but his skin could never be mistaken for the living.
He nodded slowly, gratitude for the suggestion taking the edge off his suspicion. “I am willing to let you try. Thank you.”
Valkyrine crept over to the bed and slowly climbed in next to Kurt. At first, his brother didn’t seem to even notice Valkyrine. Then she carefully slid one hand over his chest, spooning his body with hers and putting as much of her naked flesh against his as she could. Anton watched Kurt’s face, desperately hoping and searching for some sign of release from the ghostly arms of the undine.
For a few moments, Valkyrine stroked her hand over Kurt’s chest. Her fingers danced over his pectoral muscles and glided down his stomach, swirling through the faint trail of hair. She pressed her palm flat against his belly and slid it back and forth. Still Kurt did not react, his eyes remaining wide open, his body shivering as if he was freezing.
Revenge in Vein, The Complete Series Page 11
