“Rudlof, where is Alyona? I know she must be somewhere safe,” Garald reiterated. “You would have made certain of that. I’m not at all worried about her, but she should be home with her mother. She’s probably frightened. Was she frightened?”
Rudlof frowned. The little girl. She had been scared. He’d done his best to comfort her. Garald was right, though; she did need her mother. “Garald, why would I take a child away from her mother?”
Afanasiv removed the chains of silver altogether and repaired the burns on Rudlof. He was subtle about it, not wanting to draw Rudlof’s attention or Xaviero’s. He would have to remove the sliver of the high mage and destroy it. To do that, he couldn’t allow the mage to know he had caught a glimpse of him.
Andros had been staring out the window. He suddenly stiffened and turned slowly around to face Rudlof. Each of the royals looked toward the door with trepidation.
Petru warned Afanasiv and Vasilisa.The woman comes with the stench of the demon on her.
On the heels of the warning, Andros walked right up to Rudlof, uncaring that he was close enough that his enemy could have ripped out his throat.
“Did you give little Alyona to Olga?” This time Andros made it a demand, using his most compelling voice. “I command you to answer me.”
Rudlof stared at him in a kind of daze. “I did. I don’t know what she did with her. I haven’t seen the childsince.”
PART FIVE
CHAPTER
17
The outer door opened and closed. Then the door to the study was flung open, and Olga waltzed in. She wore a crimson button-down-the-front dress that clung to her thin figure. Her hair was pulled back in a long, high ponytail. A crimson headband emphasized the paleness of her face. She looked unhealthy, even anemic.
She sauntered up to Rudlof, her hips swaying. “I see you met my wolfie boy,” Olga greeted him, patting his cheek. “He’s very sweet, although a bit boring. He does whatever I ask, don’t you, wolfie?”
“Can the crap,” Andros snapped. “Where’s Alyona?”
Olga jutted out one hip and put her hand on it. “I don’t think that’s any way to talk to your elders, Andros. Or to get what you want. I’m here to negotiate for her return. The terms won’t even hurt you in the least. You’ll probably thank me.”
Andros just stared at her with a look that promised her he would happily end her existence.
Vasilisa intervened. “What is it you want in return for Alyona?”
Afanasiv watched Olga closely. There was no doubt in his mind that Xaviero had informed her they were interrogating Rudlof and would uncover the fact that he had given the child to Olga. It was justa matter of time before they would have that information. Olga had come at once.
She smiled at Vasilisa. When she did, Afanasiv noted that her gums were receding and that her teeth appeared sharper and a shade stained. She turned her head to include Siv in her smile. She gestured toward him. “I want him in exchange for the child. His blood in my veins. Perhaps a child of my own with him. And he has to agree to return to Lilith and stay as long as she requires him to be with her.”
Vasilisa raised an eyebrow. “You believe I would hand my husband over to you first and then to Lilith?”
“You were taught that sharing is a good thing, weren’t you, Vasi?” Olga taunted. “You wouldn’t want that little girl to be fed to the demons, would you? That could happen very easily.”
“Olga,” Rudlof interrupted. “You don’t mean that. She doesn’t mean that. She would never hurt a child.”
Olga placed her sharp crimson nails on his face and deliberately raked down, scoring four long furrows. She laughed as blood welled up. “You always did love my claws, wolfie. Do you love them now? That horrid little child is worthless to me if Vasilisa stands in the way of my negotiations. She will have to bear the child’s death on her conscience for the rest of her life, which will be very long, I’m told. That’s nearly as delicious as taking her man from her. She’s such a bleeding heart.”
“Aunt Olga, why are you doing this? I don’t understand,” Grigor said. “We were always close. You loved Mom and Dad. You loved us. How could you turn on us?”
Olga’s face twisted into an ugly mask, one Afanasiv thought revealed the real woman. “You’re supposed to be the royals who know everything about the land, about your people, yet you couldn’t see what was right in front of your face. I played my part on the greatest stage there is. My sisterstoleVasili from me. He wanted me, but Bronya just couldn’t let me be happy. She was so jealous of my dancing. Men flocked to me, and she wanted the attention for herself.”
Vasilisa shook her head but expressed her denial only to Afanasiv.That’s not so, Siv. My mother loved her. My father loved my mother. I never felt jealousy from my mother. She was proud of Olga’s dancing. She always spoke of her with pride.
Let her talk, my lady. And remember, this is not the woman you loved.
I am beginning to worry that I didn’t know my aunt at all.
Afanasiv was certain none of her family really knew their aunt. When he looked at her, he didn’t see a woman who had been compromised by a mage or influenced by one the way Rudlof had been. He had been in the world far too long and fought too many battles with evil. He knew rot when it came from the inside out. She had been ripe for corruption. She would have run toward it, wanting every advantage.
Do not respond, Vasilisa, no matter what she says to slander your mother. Your brothers need to hear for themselves what and who she really is. So does Rudlof. He is not an evil man. He has been twisted by mage magic, and I do not believe it was easy for them to do it.