BOOK 2 - Viktoria Ch. 03

Viktoria relaxed and yawned as Lurky moved away from her house. He carried some protection in his swords that made him resistant to magic, and she'd had to use a lot more than expected to keep him bound to her bed, and on the other side of her wards.

She'd suspected the vampires wouldn't be leaving. She might have to, after she found out if Ember and Musette were truly safe and aware of what they were dealing with. They could come with her when she left. If vampires had lived here for so long there were undoubtedly other supernaturals as well. She'd felt Port Storm was a powerful place, but as much as she liked it here, she did not like the drama supernaturals inevitably caused. She was only allowed as much freedom as she had because she didn't attract attention to herself.

Rising from the bed she went into the bathroom and took a hot shower as she mulled over what she needed to do. The first thing on her list—stay away from vampires. Although until figured out what was happening with Ember and Musette that wouldn't be easy.

Lurky represented a dangerous temptation she couldn't allow herself to give in to. Not when she was so close to getting everything she'd ever wanted. Well, almost. More than anything, she wanted to know what it felt like to be loved. Not for her looks, or as symbol of conquest, a prized possession, or a coveted trophy to be put on a shelf and shown off by a man who loved what she represented, but cared nothing for who she was.

She'd hurried the sex with him as much as she could, trying to make it feel good, but business like. He'd given her some of the answers she wanted, she'd given him some of what he wanted. Now, with him gone and she out of his reach, she allowed herself to imagine what it would have felt like to have him touch her.

His hand on her ankle when he'd dragged her down the bed had been cool, but the heated sensations running under her skin had been anything but. His fingers were strong, his skin rough from years of handling his swords. She had no doubt his hands always knew what they were doing, and did it well.

But he hadn't needed to touch her to make her hot and ache. He had done that the whole night with just his eyes. When he focused on her she felt it even when she wasn't looking at him. The times his black eyes had turned blacker and the predator in him had looked out at her made her want to run. Not in fear, but in anticipation of what would happen when he caught her.

He would have bitten her. That was an absolute truth, just as she knew she wanted him to. His fangs should have frightened her, but she'd bet he knew how to use them for a lot more than feeding. Would he trace them over her skin, the sharp points making her anticipate when he would strike? When he did, would it be a sharp thrust or a slow penetration?

And his muscles. So many muscles under that golden-hued skin. She imagined laying back, letting him do all the work instead—his arms rigid as he caged her in and held himself over her, the power in his thighs and back as he surged against her with her legs wrapped around him, the hypnotic sight of all those ridges on his stomach bunching and flexing as he took her with the single-mindedness he would dedicate to making sure they were both sated. She'd come tonight as she'd used him, but when he brought her to orgasm—

Viktoria's hand flew from between her legs to twist the hot water faucet. She screamed as cold water poured from the shower head onto her overheated body. Shivering, she lectured herself. Lurky, no matter now tempting, was a vampire. Vampires coveted. Vampires enthralled. Vampires could not love. A man, especially a vampire, would ruin everything. This close to her goal, she couldn't even let herself imagine Lurky having a place in her life. No, she couldn't even picture him while she touched herself. That way lay madness.

She hadn't come so near her freedom only to lose the chance to her overactive libido pining for a creature of darkness who would never appreciate her.

Focus, Viktoria. Find out if your friends are okay, then leave this place.

There probably wasn't anything she could do for Musette if the problem was she couldn't wake up, but there was someone who could probably help. Viktoria dried off, put on warm pajamas, and climbed into bed, thinking of her sister to guide her dream as she drifted off to sleep.

Lurky appeared instead, invading what should have been a safe space with his tempting, predatory presence. He stalked her from dream to dream, inserting himself into her hopes and future. In her dreams he kissed her with passion that offered so much more, accompanied by the words of love and devotion. Words she and her sisters had never heard from any man before, other than as false promises to trick them.

"He's kind of cute. Are you going to keep him? You'd better not let Mother see him!"

Her sister's teasing voice wrenched Viktoria from the fantasy and Lurky was swept away, leaving them standing in a room of white. Disliking the all white palette, Viktoria moved the dream to her house, where the furniture was dark and comfortable. "Memory." Viktoria turned to face her. All her sisters shared her pale skin and platinum hair, but their eyes were varying shades of blue. "I didn't reach for you."

"I'm hurt, Shadow. You never call. You never write." Memory crossed her arms over her head as she stretched full length on a black leather sofa. "You're the only one allowed to be free. I wanted to make sure you're not messing things up for the rest of us." Memory narrowed her dark blue eyes. "You're not messing it up for the rest of us over a man, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Viktoria sighed. "I know what it means for all of you. I won't fail so close to passing the test. I wanted to see if Dream could come visit. One of my friends can't wake up."

"I'm here, Shadow." Dream appeared before them, wearing blue and white striped pajamas and tasseled slippers. "Humans really wear this stuff?"

Viktoria grinned. "Not all of them. I was cold."

"Good." Dream's pajamas poofed into fluffy white clouds around her body. "What happened to your friend?"

"I'm not sure yet," Viktoria admitted. "All I know is she's asleep and can't wake up. Can you come for a visit?"

"Mother might let me come see you." Dream tapped her chin with a finger. "I haven't left Pohjola in a while, willingly or otherwise, and you haven't had any problems since she let you move out."

"I'll come, too." Memory sat up. "If it's safe for two of us, it's safe for three, and I haven't left home in ages."

"It will be nice to see you both again, but don't tell the others or we'll have a riot," Viktoria said. "Ask Mother and let me know what she says."

"We will!" Dream winked. "Back to your sweet dreams, Shadow."

Dream and Memory laughed as they faded away and Viktoria's dreams were once again invaded by a black-eyed vampire.

She ran, but he caught her. This time instead of keeping the vampire at bay, her shadows were disobedient and twined them together. Dark tendrils supported her back as he laid her down and knelt between her knees, one of her legs propped on his shoulder. He started at her ankle and explored with his mouth in agonizing slowness, dropping kisses and gentle bites that hinted of fang onto her skin.

She wanted to feel his bite. To let him mark her and have him as hers in return. This man would be different than all the rest. He would not claim her as spoils. Her shadows adored him. They'd never go to someone not meant for her.

His black eyes darkened and his fangs grew as his mouth traveled from her knee to the top of her inner thigh. Would she feel his fangs when his tongue was inside her? His hot breath touched her aching core just before the tip of his tongue—

"Shadow!" Dream shrieked.

Viktoria jolted and sat upright in bed. Dream's voice had not come from the sleeping world. Stumbling to the french doors, she threw them open and rushed onto the balcony. She blinked in the sunlight, then groaned and closed her eyes.

Their Mother was going to kill them all.

Dream and Memory were astride a giant swan flapping enormous wings as he circled over her property, hidden from human sight on the edge of the Soul Paths he traveled.

Viktoria dropped her wards, turned and sprinted through her house, coming out the door into the yard as the swan drifted gracefully downward to land. She put her wards back up. "What are you two thinking? You stole Mother's Sieluluntu?"

"She won't miss him." Memory snorted as she slid off the giant bird's back. "That woman will never need her soul bird. I'm not sure she even has a soul."

Dream dropped to the ground beside them, patting the swan's wing affectionately. "He wanted to get away too, and the Soul Paths were the fastest way for us to get here."

Free of his passengers, the swan curled his long neck around Viktoria and nudged her. She stroked his head and dug her fingers in where his feathers met his beak. His eyes closed in bliss as she rubbed at that particular itchy spot for him. "Thank you for bringing my sisters to me. The property is walled and warded all the way around. You are safe here, and no one can see you."

He gave a contented honk and poked at the ground with his beak as he wandered around.

"You two may as well come in so I can tell you about Ember, Musette, and vampires." Viktoria waved at the door. "But don't blame me when Mother makes us all go home and locks us up forever."

*****

"Shall I give you Ember's check, too?" Michel batted his eyelashes at Viktoria. "Please, you simply must take it. I have called her, mais alors, sa passion n'est pas pour moi. She has eyes seulement for her bête noire!" He batted his eyelashes even faster and fluttered one hand to fan himself. "Ooh la la, if I had such a beast I would only have eyes for him, aussi!"

Viktoria smiled. "Of course, darling. I'll see she gets it."

"Bien!" Michel pirouetted on his toes and sashayed into his office.

"Bête noire?" Dream asked.

Viktoria nodded. "I met Ember's vampire at the showing we had here last night. He's the scowly, growly type."

"Your vampire is probably the same way. They all are. I like this human though, he seems fun." Memory tugged the skirt of her dress down. "Do all your clothes have to be so tight and short?"

"He's not my vampire. I just borrowed him for a little while." Viktoria smirked. "And you should have brought clothes with you if you didn't want to wear mine."

Memory scoffed. "Yeah, borrowed him for a little while. When has that ever worked with one of those? I can't remember a single time."

"I didn't let him bite me."

Dream gasped. "Fibber! I saw what he did after—"

"That doesn't count!" Viktoria whirled on Dream and pointed a finger in her grinning face. "You shouldn't be spying on dreams I didn't finish!"

"I wouldn't be able to see it if it wasn't what you dreamed of, Shadow." Dream's voice softened as she tangled her fingers with Viktoria's, clasping their hands together and settling them over her heart. "It's the impossible thing we all want. Dreams are the only place we can have it."

Michel burst from his office, pulling a large rolling suitcase behind him. He pranced to Viktoria, holding out two checks and a scrawled note.

Viktoria squinted, trying to read the message. For as fastidious as Michel was about his appearance and the running of his gallery, he had atrocious handwriting."What's this?"

"A man comes to my gallery so early in this morning! He has a commission spéciale pour vous! He did not know how to get in touch with you. I took his name and number in case you want to speak with him. That one was no bête noire, but he was inquietant. Be cautious ma petite, if you see him. That one to my mind brings araignées." Michel shuddered, led the way to the door and opened it, letting them file past. He locked the door and beamed as a taxi pulled to a stop in front of the gallery. "Parfait! D'accord! I go to les boissons très grand et speedos minuscule, alors, à bientôt!"

He kissed each of the women on both cheeks and swirled into the cab.

"He is adorable," Dream said as Michel's taxi pulled away. "Do you have more humans like him?"

"I don't 'have' any humans, but even if I did, there's only one like Michel." They climbed into Viktoria's car and she called Ember.

"Hello, Viktoria." Ember sounded relaxed and content through the car's speakers, not at all like she'd seemed last night.

"Ember, how are you? How is Musette?"

She sighed. "I'm... I'm fine. Musette... her condition hasn't changed."

"Does her condition have to do with the men who came to the show last night with Stryx?"

"What? No of course not." Ember hesitated. "Why would you think that?"

Viktoria debated how much to to admit she knew. She wanted to find out more about that spark of magic that had passed between her and Ember. And if Musette's condition had something to do with magic her mother might be able to help. "I know they were all vampires, Ember."

Ember gasped. "You... you know about them? How? Are you..."

"No, I'm not a vampire, but some things I know about might surprise you. We didn't get to talk much at the show, and Michel gave me your check. He's hurt you're ignoring him in favor of your new bête noire, by the way."

"My what? You know I don't speak 'Michel' as well as you. And I'm not ignoring him, he called me six times in five minutes and didn't leave a message."

"Your black beast."

Ember chuckled. "I'm not telling Stryx Michel calls him that."

"I already heard." A man's low voice intruded on their conversation.

"Damn vampire hearing," Ember whispered into the phone.

"I also heard that."

Viktoria broke in. "Can we meet? Without Mr. Scowly-Growly?"

"No," Stryx snapped.

"Hold on a moment," Ember must have pressed the phone to her chest as not all the words came through.

"—dare you forbid—"

"—touch them when they're out—"

Viktoria's eyebrows rose and Dream clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"—put my sword in your—"

Memory snorted. "She's got a sword?"

"She didn't before," Viktoria replied.

"—but the sun—"

"—doesn't matter!"

"—my Draga—"

The tone and innuendo in Stryx's voice made Viktoria want shift in her seat and cover her sisters' not-so-innocent ears, as if with those two words alone they were going to be thoroughly corrupted by eavesdropping on something a lot more intimate than an argument about Ember meeting her friend.

Although she didn't know what 'draga' meant, Viktoria imagined Lurky's deep voice saying those words to her in that tone as he prowled up her body, and resisted the urge to turn on the air conditioner.

Vampires bad. So very, very, bad.

But she wasn't sure anymore if bad was bad or not.

Ember came back. "Can you come to me now? I'm with Musette, but I have to go somewhere later this afternoon."

Viktoria cleared her throat. "Perfect. Two of my sisters are with me. They know things too, and might be able to help Musette. Tell us where to meet you."

*****

"The vampires here are weird," Dream announced when they parked in front of the enormous house on top of a cliff.

"Because they live in a nice house instead of a gloomy castle or holes in the ground?" Memory asked.

"Well, there's that," Dream pointed at three people in front of the house, "and then there's that one, standing half-naked in the sun. Bête-noire, indeed."

Stryx still carried the imperious air Viktoria wasn't sure she liked. He had a firm grip on Ember's left arm as he held out his shirt to her, leaving scratches and bites on his chest and back on display. He snarled at a second vampire who had his eyes squeezed shut, and held Ember's right hand in a death grip.

The curly-haired vampire ignored Stryx as he stood still as a statue, like he thought the slightest movement would cause the sun to notice he was there and burn him.

Ember was almost unrecognizable with long black hair and her eyes and skin glowing silver. She radiated magic, but bit her lip as she caught sight of their car.

Dream smacked Viktoria's thigh. "You didn't tell us she's a witch."

"She wasn't before." Viktoria tapped her finger on the steering wheel. "I've never seen her looking like this."

Soră! The word sounded in Viktoria's head, louder than at the gallery, and now it had an echo, as if two people had said it not quite in unison. "What are you mixed up in, Ember?"

Memory opened the rear door. "Hurry up. I can't remember meeting a witch like this one before."

The three of them climbed out of the car and approached Ember. Viktoria eyed Ember up and down. "Marvelously monochromatic is my thing, darling."

Ember's nervous smile spread into a grin. "I can't seem to help myself. This just sort of happens when I... "

"Use magic?" Memory finished. "Don't be shy about it. I'm Memory, by the way. We can feel your magic, and we can tell this place is full of vampires."

Ember elbowed Stryx who stopped glaring at the other vampire and greeted them. "Ladies."

Memory waved a hand at him, a gesture dismissing Stryx as a threat and a topic of interest. "We've seen lots of vampires before." She turned her gaze to Ember. "A witch like you, though, I've never seen before. And I remember everything that's ever happened in Pohjola."

"I'm Dream." Dream hugged Ember.

Stryx growled when Ember pulled her arm away from him to hug Dream back.

Dream laughed. "You were right, Shadow. He is a scowly, growly one."

"I have a name." Stryx muttered.

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Shadow?"

"They're the only ones who call me that. I prefer Viktoria."

"Your name being Shadow explains a few things." Ember tilted her head. "There's someone else who wants to meet you." She turned to the curly-haired man. "Norrix, that's enough practicing for now. Let's go inside."

Norrix spun on his heels and fled through the door behind him.

Stryx smirked.

Ember smacked his chest hard enough to make him wince. "He's helping. It's been eight thousand years since he's been able to stand in the sun. Give him a few minutes to adjust."

Viktoria and her sisters followed Ember and Stryx into the house. Norrix had his back to the wall just inside the door, fending off a blond haired, blue-eyed vampire poking a finger at him.

"Get lost, Alaric." Norrix swiped at him.

"I'm just checking to see if you're well done or not."

"You're going to be done for if you don't fuck off."

Ember chuckled. "Ignore the angelic one. He's impossible to get rid of once you speak to him."

Alaric faced Ember and pouted, his eyes widening as he took in Viktoria and her sisters. "First twins, and now triplets!" He closed his eyes, fell to his knees, and clasped his hands together in prayer. "Please, whoever arranges these things, let me be next and send me quadruplets."

"We're not—"

"Don't bother." Ember led the way through the house. "He'll be useless the rest of the day now."

Viktoria was relieved and disappointed to not see Jael, although they passed several other vampires.

Stryx pulled Ember to him and kissed her. "I will make arrangements for the flight. We'll leave as soon as you are ready, now that we know Norrix can be in the sun, too."

She nodded, then turned to lead the way up a winding staircase to a tower room. A tower that had not appeared from their view of the house outside. Ember didn't knock, just opened the door and went in.

A red-haired vampire sat next to Musette, who resembled a sleeping princess in one of the two beds in the room. An ebony-haired woman with lilac-colored eyes sat up in her bed.

Viktoria sucked in a breath as the power from the woman with lilac eyes washed over her. This woman's magic was even older than the magic she wielded over shadows.