Apotheosis, page 9
Janek blinked in mild shock, and then sucked some blood from his own ration pack. They were all exhausted, and the combination of that plus the violence of the last week served to underline how fragile life currently was for members of either clan. Raw physical contact was as good a place to seek solace as any other, he supposed, although liaisons between clans were unusual. He sipped again from his blood ration – having fed upon the Yuskevich scout relatively recently, his hunger had no edge to it, but he knew that his body needed nutrition.
Anton cleared his throat quietly. “Seriously, I wanted to congratulate everyone on their efforts over the course of this operation. You all went above and beyond,” he said, with pride in his eyes. “We captured every objective with half of the casualties we had originally estimated, thanks to your efforts.”
Zsolt and Anita nodded solemnly. Pekka grunted non-committedly, but he looked slightly pleased. Adela gave a sharp nod of acceptance, before standing. “I need sleep,” she announced, glancing at her sister before heading upstairs herself.
Anton nodded his understanding. “As do we all. Sleep today – in the evening, we leave for Rundāle Palace,” he said, then moved toward the stairs. Pekka, Anita and Zsolt followed him up the stairs, leaving Eliska and Janek alone in the makeshift bar.
Eliska crossed her legs and struck a pose, looking sideways at Janek. “Are you not going upstairs to sleep, also?” she asked.
Janek shrugged slightly. “I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I fell asleep in the park yesterday. I’m not all that tired right now,” he explained.
Eliska laughed a silvery, delighted laugh. “Oh, don’t tell my sister that! She would never let on, but Adela is terribly impressed with your killing spree in Minsk, and that you managed to see her when she was trying not to be seen. If you told her that you stupidly fell asleep in a park in full daylight while surrounded by enemies, I fear it would erase all the respect you earned for yourself last night!”
Janek grinned with self-deprecation. “Well, don’t tell her this, but I’m fairly impressed with her, also. And with you, too: the getaway plan with the speedboat was really something! I was sitting in the bushes wondering how to escape the city centre after the alarm sounded and never thought of using a boat.”
Eliska smiled and nodded her thanks. “It’s what we do, and we’re good at what we do,” she explained – not a boast, but a simple statement of fact. “As I said, Adela is terribly impressed with you, despite her harsh words earlier. I happen to know that she’s staying in the third room in the west wing of the first floor of the palace, and I don’t think that she would be at all upset if you were to knock on her door in the next few minutes.”
Janek blinked in surprise. Aside from regular trysts with young Seducers and Torments – that is, vampires with strong mutations for the trait known as The Coercion – at his home coven, he hadn’t had any relationships since becoming a vampire; his aloof demeanour and unusual skill-set usually made Warriors steer clear of him, and he wasn’t interested in becoming entwined in the schemes of some Manipulator back home. It came as something of a shock to him that an accomplished, deadly and beautiful Assassin like Adela might be interested in him, and he wasn’t entirely sure that Eliska wasn’t just playing a trick on him for her own amusement. “What if Adela decides to shoot me instead?” he asked, only half joking.
Eliska grinned. “Then Marianna will have to learn how to use a different sniper rifle,” she laughed. “Seriously, she likes you, and you’ll be good for each other,” she encouraged.
Janek chewed his lip for a moment, before nodding and standing up. “Thanks, Eliska,” he said, before heading upstairs to find Adela’s room.
Janek hesitated by the door. This wing of the palace was shrouded by almost complete darkness despite the brightening day outside, as it had avoided most of the damage that affected the rest of the building. Adela’s scent was heavy here; Eliska had indeed known which room her sister would be staying in. Wondering whether he was about to take a bullet to the head, Janek shrugged and then knocked twice. Almost silent footfalls preceded the door handle turning and the door opening a crack. A sliver of Adela’s face peeked around the partially opened door, inquisitive. “Janek?” she asked, with a hiss of indrawn breath.
He nodded. “May I come in?” he asked.
Now it was her turn to hesitate, but only for a moment. She stepped further back behind the door, opening it halfway to allow him to enter, and closed it behind him. As he turned toward her, he realised that she was completely naked, and the sight of her took his breath completely away. She was standing at the now-closed door, leaning against it with her legs crossed and arms splayed at a downward angle, flat against the door. Her skin was fair but lightly tanned, and her platinum blonde hair floated around her face like a halo in the darkness, accentuating her sparkling blue eyes and light mauve lips. She wasn’t tall, but she had the perfectly proportioned body of a dancer, with long legs, a small waist, full breasts, a graceful neck, and arms whose slenderness belied their murderous strength. She had lithe strength rather than bulging muscles; steel almost hidden under beautiful velvet. A thin line of dark pubic hair led his eyes to the cleft of her crossed legs as she pushed herself away from the door and stepped toward him. Her arms snaked around his neck and her hands tangled in his hair as his own hands found her waist. She kissed him deeply as his hands moved up to her breasts, and she moaned softly as he squeezed, the musky taste of her lips flooding his senses. Returning her kiss, he raised his hands to her shoulders and then pressed her arms out, grabbing her hands, and pushed her forcefully against the door, hands to either side. Her breaths came in husky gasps as they kissed again, and she hooked one leg around his as he moved his mouth down to her neck. With exquisite care, he dragged his fangs across her neck, just shy of drawing blood, and she shuddered in ecstasy. Freeing her hands, she began swiftly unbuttoning his army jacket, and once she had freed the last button, Janek shook it off onto the floor. Adela immediately grabbed his undershirt, stained with sweat and grimy with dirt and blood, and pulled it up over his head before kissing him again. He pushed her back up against the door with one hand, away from him, so he could pull his boots off with the other hand, one by one. She sucked the fingers of the hand he had used to push her away while he used the other to get rid of his socks and then his camouflage-patterned pants and underwear. Her breath came in pants as her eyes drank in his naked body, his long, muscled form rippling with every movement, and then she kissed him again, clasping her hands behind his neck. Wetness spread down her legs in anticipation. With a single fluid movement, she lifted herself up off the ground, wrapping her long legs around his waist, and impaled herself on his hard shaft. She made a shuddering, whimpering noise as she slid down until she fully enveloped him, her wetness dripping down his groin. Janek grabbed her buttocks and lifted her a few inches before pulling her toward him again, filling her with an intense stroke. Adela sucked on his mouth, kissing him intensely as he lifted her and moaning as he thrusted. Before he could lift her again, she used her leverage to lift herself and shoved herself down hard, making small, urgent noises, then did it again and again. Every time she raised herself, she smeared her wetness over his stomach with her clitoris before forcing herself fully down onto his cock again. Her moans grew in intensity as she pleasured herself with his body, and after only a couple of minutes she was shaking as she came, her rhythm derailed by her orgasm. Janek stepped forward and pressed her sweating body against the solid wooden boards of the door, pressing her against it as she maintained her grip around his neck. Her vulva throbbed and a low, gasping moan erupted from her lips as he pierced her against the door, her eyes half-closed in post-orgasmic agony. He pierced her again, slowly, savouring the sensation of her wet warmth surrounding him, before starting a fast pace of deep strokes that slapped her bare bottom against the rough wood behind her. The pitch of her moans started to rise as he continued, until finally they transformed into incoherent, overwhelmed squeals of delight, and she reached one shaking hand down to push his pelvis away from her, imploring him to stop. He slowly released her legs and she stood, resting against him, gasping; they waited in that position for thirty seconds while her shaking subsided, then she slowly kissed him, slowly stroking his cock with one hand, her eyes searching for his in the darkness afforded by the room. After a couple of minutes, her breathing had returned to normal, and Adela stepped away from him toward the centre of the room where she had set up a soldier’s swag as a bed. She lowered herself onto the swag on all fours, and looked over one shoulder at Janek, saying simply, “Fuck me again.”
Janek smiled his appreciation for her appetite, walking over toward her and dropping to one knee. Pushing on one buttock to open her slightly, he used the other hand to guide his penis into her, hearing her moan “Yes!” as he pushed all the way in. He reached forward with both hands and grabbed her hair, pulling it into a single handful at the nape of her neck, then used one hand to grab her shoulder for even more leverage. He set up a slow, strong stroke, causing a wet slapping noise to fill the small room, almost loud enough to drown out her low moans. After a short while, Adela began pushing back against his thrusts, and her breathing became shorter. Janek sped up, driving his cock into her with every thrust, and Adela’s moans began to sound like lusty sobbing as she began to climax. “Fuck me!” she ordered, and he complied, sweat dripping down his abdominal muscles and adding to the wetness surrounding his groin. He stood up and pushed her head downward, raising her backside high in the air, and began thrusting into her as strongly and as quickly as he could, holding her waist with his hands. She was shuddering and moaning beneath him as he pulled her onto him, trying to get as deep as possible, then he started to shake with his own orgasm. Pulling out from her, he felt his body spasm as he came, and he dripped sticky semen onto her back and buttocks, panting with exertion. After along moment, Adela lowered herself gingerly to one side of the swag, facing him, and patted the other side of it for him to lie down on, which he did. Wrapping her arms and legs around him as he regained his breath, Adela smiled languorously. “I’m not sure how you had so much energy left after the antics of the last few days and nights, but I’m certainly glad you did,” she whispered coyly.
Janek kissed her and contemplated telling her that he had fallen asleep in Gorky Park yesterday but decided against it. Instead, Janek replied, “I’m glad you didn’t put a bullet between my eyes when I knocked on your door.”
Smiling slightly, Adela shrugged. “That would have been satisfying, but perhaps less satisfying than the pleasure I just had out of you.” She grinned mischievously. “Besides, I can always shoot you tomorrow.”
Janek fell asleep wondering whether she was joking.
That evening, Ana and Tomaz arrived in Minsk. They had finished handing command of the battalions over to the Matoušek generals, and Ana had decided to pick up her squad and head back to Odesa. Luka would have a new shipment of matériel ready to be sent north to bolster the Matoušek defensive effort to solidify the route between Odesa and Rundāle Palace, and Ana wanted to personally escort it up the Dnieper to avoid any possibility that the Karpati might attempt to hijack it in retribution for her own previous work. Anton’s squad of Matoušek soldiers was heading back to Rundāle Palace, so it seemed that they would part ways at Minsk. Each squad was loading their equipment into separate medium trucks, ready for their respective journeys. Anton was speaking with Ana, providing some details of the tactics that had been used to take control of the forts and Minsk. Janek contemplated what had occurred between him and Adela: on the one hand, she was an Assassin for another clan, and if political winds shifted, House Matoušek may one day be hostile to House Ardisi, making their relationship worse than unwise. On the other hand, happiness was elusive and worth taking wherever it might be found, for tomorrow either of them might fall to the fangs of their enemies. Regardless of its wisdom, Janek discovered that he genuinely liked Adela, and that was a rare and valuable thing. Shrugging with resignation, Janek lifted the last crate of vacuum-sealed blood rations onto the tailgate of the truck for Zsolt to stack against the wall. Turning, he saw that the Matoušek squad had already finished loading their equipment and were gathered a few metres behind where Anton still spoke to Ana, and Janek started making his way over toward them. Before he had taken more than three steps, however, Anton and Ana broke off their conversation, and Ana started jogging toward the cabin of the truck, motioning her squad to get into the back. Janek paused momentarily, looking toward Adela and wondering if he had time to say goodbye. Adela gave him a small smile and wiggled her fingers in a tiny wave before turning on her heel and making for the Matoušek truck. Eliska grinned at Janek and waved to him before also turning and following Adela. Janek raised his hand to wave back as Ana passed him, casting a chiding look in his direction, which caused him to turn and jog toward the truck himself. As he settled on the bench seat along one side of the truck, he found himself hoping that the journey back to Odesa would be swift and uneventful, so that he could return to Rundāle Palace all the sooner.
NINE
Crisis Imminent
The recently appointed leader of the Ardisi’s Odesa coven, Maia Vachnadze, was beautiful, in a carnivorous way. Her dark hair spilled around her shoulders like a waterfall of midnight satin, and her brown eyes caught what little light there was in the room to glitter with danger. Her lips, curved like Cupid’s bow, were a natural dark mauve and were permanently set in a suggestive smile. Her body was voluptuous rather than athletic, all soft curves and tantalising features barely covered by the high-fashion dress she wore, and she lounged in her throne with insouciant ease. She reminded Janek of a cobra: mesmerising but deadly. She was a Touch, possessing strong traits of both a Seducer and a Manipulator, and while there was nothing of a Warrior about her, the swiftness with which she had risen in the ranks spoke of her ability as a diplomat and administrator. She had recently been assigned to lead the Odesa coven by Luka Sidamoni, after the previous coven leader had been assassinated by a Karpati sniper while leading a patrol along the Danube. Janek found himself breathing a sigh of relief that it was Ana, and not he, who would have to navigate through Maia’s schemes while they were in Odesa.
“Congratulations are in order once again, Ana, I believe,” she cooed. Her voice was somehow at once both silver and pure, and smoky with the heat of promise. “Your bravery, and the bravery of your squad, is to be commended. With the capture of Kyiv and Minsk, the corridor between Odesa and Rundāle Palace has been fully established.” Maia paused to dazzle the room with a seductive smile underscored by a glint of perfect, white fangs.
Ana inclined her head brusquely in response. Wasting words on the obvious was never a fast way to impress her, Janek had observed.
Maia’s smile deepened slightly in amusement for a brief moment before her expression turned to one of thoughtful seriousness. “The security of that corridor is, however, under grave threat,” she explained. “Our outposts in Balti to the north-west have been overrun by the Karpati. At this stage, the entire northern part of Romania is firmly under their control, and our attempts to send scouts behind their lines have failed. It is reasonable to infer that the Karpati squads that were in Lviv have been transferred to Balti, in order to threaten our coven at Chișinău. The commander of that coven has also sent images showing a significant build-up of Karpati soldiers – both human and vampire – across the Prut River, in the vicinity of the town of Husi.”
She paused, allowing the seriousness of the situation to sink in. Whether Ana’s recent victory over the Karpati in Lviv had reduced their operational capabilities or not, it seemed that the sting of embarrassment was strong enough to cause the Karpati to expedite their schedule to attempt to drive the Ardisi from Chișinău and Odesa.
Maia continued. “Thanks to your previous heroics, we believe that we have a substantial advantage in weapons and ammunition over our enemies,” she explained. “The Karpati will not want a long, drawn-out campaign of attrition, or they risk draining military resources from their northern front against the von Runstedts. Instead, they will want to strike quickly and decisively to remove us from Chișinău before turning their attention northward to our outposts in Vinnytsia. From there, they would be able to strike at our convoys leaving toward Minsk at any one of a dozen locations spanning the 500-kilometre route between Odesa and Kyiv, aside from threatening Odesa itself. You know even better than I do that we would not be able to defend our convoys under those circumstances.”
As her lips finally relinquished the last vestige of their ever-present half-smile, Maia’s face somehow expressed both indomitable strength and terrible vulnerability in equal measures – a feat that Janek was not entirely certain how she achieved. “Our problem is that we currently lack military might in Chișinău. Large numbers of our human soldiers have been integrated into Matoušek command structures a thousand kilometres from here, and most of the young vampires who joined you on your campaign in the north have remained there, holding tactical outposts along the corridor and defending the surrounding land from encroachment by our enemies. We have very little protection, and few experienced commanders to lead us against the looming danger.” She paused for a half moment in torment, her thickly lashed eyes widening and suddenly glimmering with unshed tears, and half-raised a hand in a pleading gesture as she leaned forward slightly in her throne, the swell of her breasts heaving with barely contained emotion. “I implore you, Ana: do not leave with the convoy back toward Minsk, or Chișinău will be lost. Stay here in the south and deal a firm blow of rebuke to these Karpati brutes who threaten us, who would murder me and our sisters and brothers, both in Chișinău and here in Odesa, smearing our blood upon the very walls of my home.” Maia’s face contorted with anguish, her expression conveying her depth of feeling in a way that no words could.
