When you follow a master vampire, you have to look for anything that is consistent, no matter how small. That little piece of dust in the sky was a comet in his wake. I do not know how often I missed it to begin with, but once I did notice it, I would instantly recognize it and lock onto it. The trail does fade over time, but it is as if the touch of the vampire has fouled the air itself, and it takes time to heal.
Vasilisa studied the tiny smudges that could barely be seen against the dark background. Now that she knew they were there, she saw them, but she wasn’t certain she would ever have spotted them in the first place. There were a few places where there were two rows of them. She indicated them.
Why do they appear like that?
He doubles back to see if he is followed,Afanasiv explained.He does it often. He has spies in the trees telling him there are wolves in the forest. He suspects those wolves are Carpathian hunters or the wolf pack that runs with Dimitri and Skyler, or Ivory and Razvan. Both are known to hunt vampires with their wolves.
Do you think they are doing so now?
Not Dimitri and Skyler,Afanasiv said.They are east of here, according to Nicu and Petru. I have no idea if Ivory and Razvan are in the area. These are most likely actual wolves, but they are slowing him down. I worry for the wolf pack, but their presence keeps Garald from harm for the moment and allows us to gain on Vitus.
As he spoke, fiery balls descended from the sky, streaking toward the wolf pack as they steadily weaved in and out of the trees moving to surround a herd of deer. Without thinking, Vasilisa countered, turning the fiery balls to ice so that when they hit the snow-covered ground, they were no more than a flurry of unexpected hail.
I’m sorry,she gasped the apology, but she wasn’t really sorry. These animals were part of her custodial duty. Aside from that, she felt a kinship with them.
No need. I would have done the same thing. You were faster. Go after Garald. I will engage with Vitus.
She wanted to protest, but he was already streaking after the vampire, hurling fiery spears at the dark figure to keep him from attacking the wolves—or her. He clearly didn’t want the master vampire to have the slightest inkling she was anywhere in the vicinity. Vasilisa didn’t waste time arguing. She gave the vampire and her lifemate a wide berth, using the cover of the night that enfolded her as Sorina had taught her. She circled around the larch forest below, feeling a little as if she were abandoning her lifemate.
Once she felt she was in the clear, she put on a burst of speed, abandoning the body of the owl to assume that of the Brazilian free-tailed bat. She added a headwind to give another boost to the already hundred-mile-an-hour speed the tiny creature could achieve with itsaerodynamic body and longer-than-average wings. This was another form learned from Sorina.
In the freezing cold of Siberia, especially there, high in the region where Vasilisa and her family lived with the feral wolves and the independent and fierce people, many of these creatures wouldn’t survive for long. The small amount of time she used their forms as she pumped warm blood through their bodies did them no harm.
She caught up with her brother very quickly, long before he reached Dimitri and Skyler, where they would have been working in their wolf sanctuary. He hadn’t yet come upon the other vampires or demons, and remained unaware that he was in possible jeopardy—or that his brothers were.
Garald skimmed over the top of the snow in the way of the royal family, barely touching the surface. He was light on his feet and he leapt long distances, covering anywhere from ten to thirty feet at a time. When he landed, he did so lightly and in perfect balance, continuing his run without breaking stride. He was beautiful to watch, and she stayed in the sky for just a brief moment longer than necessary to admire him.
He turned his head to his left just as she spotted the “rabbits” crossing the snow using webbed feet. They appeared to be white as they converged on Garald, looking for all the world like the wolves she’d just seen hunting the deer in the forest. They came at him from all directions, attempting to surround him. The creatures blended in with the snow as long as they stayed low to the ground, but when they popped their heads up in an attempt to see where their prey was, they appeared to be a dark blight on the land. They were fast, disappearing in a flash, but the movement caught Garald’s eyes. He was too good a huntsman not to notice.
She dove fast, streaking down from the sky to land beside her brother, going back-to-back with him. “Demons,” she said.
“I got that. How many?” He didn’t question that she had practically fallen from the sky on top of him. That would come later.
“Looks like nine. I counted fast, though. They’re all aboveground. I locked the ground so they can’t come at us that way. They can’t go back, either. We have to find how they came through, Garald.” She was going to have to tell him about Andros and Grigor. Just not now. She needed his full attention on this fight.
“Where’s your man?” Her brother’s tone was just a little bit too sarcastic for her liking.
“Fighting the master vampire. He was on his way here to join with the demons to get to you. You were the target all along.”
Garald looked at her over his shoulder. “How do you know?”
“Let’s take care of these demons and I’ll tell you. Afanasiv will be here when he defeats Vitus.” She wouldn’t consider that there was any other outcome. The sky flashed bloodred and then darkened in the distance. She knew the battle raged. A part of her refused to disconnect from her lifemate, although she knew she should. He wanted her to. He didn’t force her. He didn’t order her. That was so like him, giving her the opportunity to make up her own mind.
The “rabbits” drew closer, coming in from every direction. Garald lifted his sword. Vasilisa lifted hers. Her breathing was slow and even. She waited, feeling the energy all around them. The creatures were feeling a collective triumph as they had succeeded in surrounding Garald. They hadn’t yet lifted their heads to see that Vasilisa had joined the fight.
Demons were cunning and very adept at guile and deceit. They could charm and persuade. They were rarely if ever sincere. She turned that over and over in her mind, making a note to discuss it with Afanasiv. She liked that she had a sounding board now.
The dark blights appeared, lifting their heads almost as one. She noted that they seemed to rise up at the same time, like a puppet on a string. Was someone else out there actually creating an illusion? She frowned. No, they felt too real. These were actual demons, but they were under another’s bidding.
Two seemed to be dragging something behind them in the snow.A body? Her stomach lurched. These demons were after her brother. Whoever that writhing, still-alive person was, it had to be someone close to Garald.
“Garald.” She kept her voice very low. “Have you been seeing someone you haven’t told us about?” Silently, she sent up a prayer to the universe that he hadn’t been. The universe had been so cruel, particularly to their family. Having royal blood seemed to guarantee only one thing—when you loved, you did so with all your heart, and your heart was brutally shredded to pieces.
“Why?”
Just that abrupt question was her answer. “You cannot react to anything you see or hear. Demons are deceivers, and they are doing their best to acquire you. They are dragging something behind them. I believe this is someone who matters to you. Don’t look or indicate in any way that you see them.”
Garald swore under his breath. “Vasi,” he finally said. “She is young. Very young. I should never have even looked at her. Her parents brought her to one of the dinners we held. After, as always, there was a dance. I stood in the ballroom in the shadows the way I do, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her, she was so bright. My heart felt lighter than it had in years. I’m fifteen years older than she is. I might have looked the part of the playboy, but I didn’t want the curse of our family to fall on a woman I loved.”