Blood Moon, page 10
part #1 of Lord of Shadows Series
"I’ll be seeing you again one day," I replied with a wink and turned from the trio.
"If you ever need someone drowned-- or something, you know where to find us," blondie called after me and giggled. I shook my head, not rising up to the bait. As if I’d needed someone to take care of my trash for me.
It took me only a fraction of the time needed to get to the willow tree, to get back to where we fought the Vodyanoy. I looked around, but couldn’t see her, nor any sign that she’d stuck around. The first thing that came to mind was that I called on the shadows and probed the surrounding area. Nothing. I breathed out and focused more intently. I needed some hint as to where she might had gone.
"There!" I almost cried out, as what passed for a heart rocked in my chest. I moved north east, running as if my life depended on it. Katya’s prone body lay there beside the road.
Chapter Sixteen
"Katya? Hey! Wake up!” I yelled holding the woman in my arms. "Fuck! I shouldn’t have left you alone earlier. What the hell did you do to yourself?”
Her icy cold body didn’t do much to comfort me. I wanted to warm her up, but I was almost as cold as her. A fire, yes, I needed a fire. Luckily I always had a flint near me, but I needed a safe place first. Closing my eyes, I drew on the shadows in my vicinity. To my luck, I found a rather large hollowed out tree in my vicinity. Placing her there, I climbed atop the tree and searched for a couple of dry pieces of wood and branches.
The fire blazed hot at the tree’s entrance. Using my shadows, I prevented it from catching flame. Next, I enveloped her with the same shadows like a blanket and lay beside Katya, my arm around her. I lost the track of time how long we’ve been like that when her body suddenly became hot. She first shuddered, followed by white foam frothing from her mouth. I picked her up and squeezed her stomach. She hurled all of it out on the ground and started crying.
"Katya," I whispered to a maelstrom of feelings that ripped at my insides. I could have actually lost her, so I put my arms around her and squeezed hard, not caring about how she felt. She did the same for a long moment, easing up against me, but then pushed me away violently.
"So you fucked them in the end, huh? You stink like sewage!"
I looked away, sad at the way she pushed me off her, again, but angry at myself. What had I expected anyway?
"I guess," I replied, not able to look her in the eyes.
"I just reported to Hana," she said. "Using my unique Vampyre trait. I can spirit walk, as in project myself outside of my body and travel great distances very quickly."
She sighed and knocked her neck, then stretched out her arms.
“Huh? You what?”
“Spirit walked. I just told you. What, you deaf now as well? Anyway, since you were too busy caring for yourself, I tried to let Hana know everything was fine so they wouldn’t have to resort to eating Andrej. Or hurting Vera."
Was there a tinge of jealousy in her voice when she mentioned Vera? I could have sworn there was, but why would she?
"I’m sorry," I whispered. "I know that I fucked up, and put the two at risk, but--"
"No, but! I told you mere hours ago, Ivan! You don’t think with your head. Why? Shouldn’t you be more careful and act smarter after what you’ve been through? Give him a little bit of power and he thinks he’s a god!"
I’ve had about enough of her degrading me, but I earned it this time. I listened to her, and I took it to heart. She went on for a while longer, and I pretended to listen, but I couldn’t. My pride wouldn’t let me.
“Oh fuck! He’s still alive?” I cursed as the oarsman appeared from behind a tree. "How the hell did he survive along the Vodyanoy?”
"Guess so. He followed me, but I didn’t feel anything at all when I concentrated on him. It’s like his soul has evaporated, and only an empty shell has remained. The poor sob should be sent to the afterlife. We did this to him after all."
"Right. Do you want to go first?" I offered. Katya didn’t need to be told twice. She was hungry and angry. Once she was done, there was barely any blood left. Still, any was better than none at all. His blood tasted as if it had spoiled for some reason, bitter and swampy, diluted. But even the little bit we’d gained from him, was more than enough to survive the night on some reserve power. And we needed every drop we could get after using most of my power up during the battle, while she seemed to have used up hers doing the spirit thing.
"Dawn is creeping up quickly. Maybe we can make it to the inn before the sun is up. This time, we really do need rest. No fights, no stupid things that can get us killed, just rest. Understand?" Katya more ordered than offered. I was fine with it. My bones felt weary, and we hadn’t rested ever since waking up as a Vampyre.
“That’s fine. I need some rest as well," I replied, a smile painted on my face. “After all, we still need to take care of a certain target.”
She scoffed but didn’t give me any more crap.
"Even if we don’t make it to the inn before the sun is up, we have enough to pass for ordinary humans. Our skin won’t shrivel up. Though stick to the shade whenever possible."
"Yes, mam," I replied sarcastically, but I guessed she didn’t feel like arguing, at least not now.
"Say, do you know why you lost against Hana?" she asked, startling me.
In fact, I hadn’t even thought about it. Didn’t even have the chance to really.
"Not really except that she seemed very strong."
"True. I felt power radiate from her, but that’s not the real reason. You lost because of the sunlight which sapped all of your power. I reckon you fought on about ten percent or so. Maybe slightly higher."
"So the next time I fight her should be on our terms. During the night."
"Exactly," she replied, flashing me a smile. God was she beautiful.
Lost in conversation, we arrived at the inn just as the sun was about to rise. Outside stood a group of clerics tending to their horses. They spoke in a language I didn’t recognize, but it wasn’t like I cared about it. Katya pulled me inside hurriedly past the men and tapped her fingers at the desk impatiently. Just when you needed them, the innkeeper was nowhere to be found. I looked around and found her talking to some patrons in the far corner.
"Mam?" I called to get her attention, waving my bag of silver coins. She excused herself and rushed to us, a wide grin on her face.
"A room and a bath again?" she asked, recognizing our faces. I nodded and put three silver coins in her hand.
"Please, some food and wine as well," I added as katya rounded the corner, willing to get away from the onlookers.
"Coming right up, sir!" she called after me as she pocketed the silver. I could feel her eyes linger on my back, so I used my shadows to look back. Had I imagined it or was she smiling?
"What kept you so long?" Katya asked as I entered the room.
"Food and wine. We might as well eat, no?"
She frowned.
"Why? It tastes like sawdust, unless its meat. And even that isn’t too good unless roast heavily. The wine sure works though," she smiled. "Haven’t had any for a long time now that I think about it."
"Well, I’m glad that I ordered some then. Can it restore our health or energy?"
She shook her head sadly.
"No, nothing. But hey, the wine sure can get us drunk if drink enough."
I chuckled, remembering I had the red liquid only once in my life, and a sip at that. Tonight though, it would be a different story.
A knock on the door made me turn from icy beauty. I opened the door and let the three maids in. Two carried buckets full of hot water, while the third held up a tray with a bottle of wine and three large pieces of meat.
“Ladies,” I nodded appreciatively and handed them a piece of silver.
“Oh? What a cavalier you are.”
"What?" I asked embarrassedly, shying away under her gaze.
"Well played, sir," she teased and took the bottle and gulped down a good glass at once. "Come sit with me."
"And the bath?" I asked, motioning for the water. Katya shrugged, then got up and started undressing. When I stayed unmoving, she looked over and motioned for the bath. I couldn’t help but smirk as I undid my pants and shirt, standing naked before her.
She tied her hair in a knot and got in first, kneeling with her back to me.
“Use the soap, will you?” she said pointing at a white bar of something. It didn’t exactly look like what I was used to, but it would pass. I got in from behind and poured water over her back and shoulders, then rinsed her slowly with the bar. She remained quiet until I was done and turned around toward me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I swear that from today on, I’ll first take care of you, no matter what, and then the rest.”
“Shh,” she whispered and pointed for me to turn around. I handed her the soap and knelt in turn. Her cold, soft hands caressed my body wherever it touched. I couldn’t help but squirm in delight.
Then, her hand moved to my front and around my cock. Taken aback, I turned around and fell on my ass, splashing her face.
“Idiot. Sit still, will you? I can’t have your body reek of those nympho’s.”
Her hands moved all over my chest, arms and legs, and again landed around my manhood applying some of the soap on it. With both hands, she started moving up and down along my length, rubbing the white substance in.
I shuddered and growled. Her blue eyes started glowing slightly as she leaned in and planted her lips on mine.
“Let me feel it, but don’t put it in until I tell you to,” she whispered and lay on my body, her breasts right in front of me as her lips landed on my tip. She moaned and squirmed around, parting for me slightly. But then she pulled away.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I groaned and tried to pull her back. She got up and took the bottle from the floor and drank more of the red wine, then sat down in the bathtub, her legs over the sides.
“Not the same day as doing someone else. I just wanted you to feel what you missed tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”
I sighed and leaned back, my shaft still ramrod straight and sticking out from the water. She glanced down and rubbed her foot against it.
“Idiot. You’ve done me displeasure as well, just so you know it.”
I waved her off and closed my eyes.
“Whatever. I’ll get you sooner or later.”
The bath did wonders to both our mental and physical state. We went for days without one, as well as the battle earlier in the muck, and the sex with the Rusalkas. The stench was finally gone, and I felt human again. Well, not quite human. Much more than that.
We dug into the food and what remained of the wine, talking about nothing really important, until she asked me a question that startled me.
"What is Vera to you?"
Taken by surprise, I dropped my glass to the table.
"I-- made a promise to her which I didn’t keep. I broke it in the worst way possible. Before anything else, I need to make it right and get her away from there. I have no idea what Hana has done to them, but it needs to stop."
"You speak with-- such passion and emotion about those two that I--," She broke off for a moment, then took a deep breath and turned toward me. "I want that same promise. Never leave me. Protect me. Love me. Let me be yours. I don’t mind sharing you, in a way, as long as you promise that you’ll never abandon me again."
"Katya, I--"
Before I could respond, she pressed into me and started kissing my neck and chest. She pushed me down and climbed atop of me. But her eyes, they were red and hazy. I cursed at my bad luck. The first time I’d glamored her, and now she was drunk.
"Katya, stop," I said, forcing her off me. "You’re drunk. If you still want me to be yours tomorrow when we wake up, I’ll give you heaven, and a life you could only dream off. That’s a promise I will keep. But not now, not like this."
“And you passed again, loverboy,” she whispered and fell down beside me. “Say, do you remember the clerics from earlier? When I hurried inside?”
“Yeah, I guess. Why?” I asked and placed the blanket over her naked body.
“I think they’re zealots. Or Vampyre hunters in other words.”
I cursed and sat upright.
“And you just now tell me?”
She shrugged.
“It’s not like they know what we are, right? And none of us used our powers when we got here, so they have no idea.”
I cursed inwardly. I used my shadow, but only for a second to check the innkeeper out. Had that been enough for them to figure us out? Deciding to stay quiet, I put my arm around her and lay beside my ice queen.
She started snoring softly in seconds. I cursed myself again as I lay there beside her, gazing at my goddess. "You fucking idiot," I whispered and tucked us both in. Her warmth was real this time, and comforting. It was something I needed and yearned for all these years, and now I finally got it. There was no way I’d ruin it, at least not beyond what I’d already done.
I fell asleep moments after, lost in my thoughts and hoping for a better tomorrow. Whatever could go wrong?
Chapter Seventeen
An image of the room we slept in appeared before me in my sleep. Shadows surrounded me and writhed in every corner, tingling at my every sensation. They wanted me to wake up, to stand and fight, but I couldn’t do that just yet. Instead, I kept faking my sleeping and gathered all the shadows I could in one corner.
I groaned and feigned waking up, as not to startle them into accidentally slitting my throat. The blade pressed harder against my skin as I opened my eyes, just short of drawing blood. The two clerics from last night who were taking care of their horses stood in our room.
Katya stood in direct sunlight with a short, glimmering sword pointed right at her heart. She shook her head slightly, just enough for me to notice.
"Gentlemen?" I asked, trying to back away from the blade, but the man pinned me against the bed. With his other hand, he moved the curtain, letting in more sunlight than I wanted to see that moment. I hissed and tried to turn away, but there was nowhere to hide. When I looked more closely, I noticed part of the wall missing. They sure weren’t taking any chances with the two of us, especially with me.
"You don’t like sunlight that much, huh? You could almost pass for one of us," the cleric holding Katya laughed. “And we wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t used your power last night.”
“You what?” Katya snapped. “You idiot! And you failed to tell me?”
I shrugged.
“Not the time, Katya.”
“Just look at the two lovebirds. A fucking baby and a Moroy.”
"Oh, really? You have no idea who you’re dealing with," I said trying to play for time. For some reason, the idiots had waited for the sun to start setting. Most likely because of the amount of alcohol they’d consumed. They stank to high heaven.
"Hah. Did you hear what he just said?" the same cleric laughed. "You’re a baby Vampyre. No matter who you think you are, there’s no chance you can even harm one of us. Now, when it comes to this bitch here, we have orders to bring her back. But you, filthy scum, you’re fair game."
My eyes roamed the surrounding, searching for my shadows, but they disappeared the moment he pulled the curtains aside. It wasn’t long until the sun would disappear behind the tall forest, only a few minutes I reckoned.
"Who’s your master anyway? Why does he want us?" I asked, hoping for a miracle.
"Oh, you’d want to know? If you and Katya had some more time together, maybe she would have told you in time. See, it’s a very powerful-- man, he is. He leads the clergy and the bounty hunters alike, so even if we’d missed you today, someone else would have found you tomorrow or the day after. Sooner or later, it would have been game over for you."
"Wait, isn’t the clergy supposed to be an organization that doesn’t deal with this sort of thing?" I asked. “We often had clerics visit the count when I used to live-- with Dvorak.”
"Oh? With that crazy bastard? Whatever. Ever seen a cleric stay in a place for longer than a couple of days?”
I sighed, shaking my head.
"What danger does a newborn Vampyre pose to you anyway? It’s not like I can cause you any trouble, no? And I haven’t hurt anyone, so can’t you leave me be?”
I had no idea if it would work, but at least I’d try and make them feel too over confident. Maybe they would lower their defenses then and slip up. What’s the worst thing that could happen anyway? Death? I was slated to die anyway.
"None!" said the one holding the blade near my throat and leaned in. "Now, I think that we’ve talked for long enough. Any last thing you’d like to say to Katya before we take her back and burn the witch? But we’ll first make sure to fuck her eyes out before she dies. Maybe she’ll think of you as her flesh melts!"
I looked away, feigning fear. Instead, I closed my eyes and reached out for the shadows again. To my luck, some loose strands of darkness swelled up around me and covered my neck. The cleric didn’t seem to notice at first, but then his eyes widened as if an alarm had gone off in his head.
"He’s drawing power!" the one holding me captive called out, as he tried to slit my throat. The shadow disappeared under his knife, but it gave me time to act. I launched myself upward, slamming my head into his chin. He grunted and took a step backward as he slashed at me with his shortsword.
"Don’t worry about me," Katya said through our link, "they want me alive. I’m safe for now."
I grinned, my canines protruding past my lips.
My feet propelled me off the ground and at my opponent. I struck his face, but my hand deflected off a shimmering light that enveloped his body. Momentarily, I was at a loss. The bastard had a shield of light wrapped around his body. I wanted one as well!
The man grinned in turn and slashed away with his blade. I darted toward the bed, and felt for my own sword beneath the pillow and scowled. The idiots hadn’t looked for our weapons. Fucking beginners.
