BOOK 2 - Viktoria Ch. 05

"We didn't hide it, or the strygoi. We never needed to before, but we never had the numbers of them we did that time. Mages jealous of their power, vampires unable to have a Draga or create a strygoi, and shifters under their control decided the strygoi were too powerful. They targeted entire families, starting with the last remotest relatives so we didn't put together what was happening at first. But in the end, it almost cost us everything.

"Finding a Draga isn't just about finding someone to care about. Our Dragas make our hearts beat and restore the best parts of us. They bring life to our death, light to our dark." His lips twitched. "I won't lie, if they turn strygoi, we get a little lunacy as a bonus."

He gave Musette a soft smile. "A Draga and her vampire can even have children. No other vampires can do that."

"That's what you are to Jael, Shadow!" Dream squeaked.

"No, I can't." Viktoria shook her head, refusing to allow herself even the briefest thought she could have everything she'd wanted. If she accepted what Jael could be to her, she and her sisters would lose everything. "I can't be all that to someone. Especially someone like him. Not now."

"Why not?" Idris asked.

"He'll want to save me. Rescue me. Help me. You saw how he trivialized me when we fought the spiders. I was fine, and he kept shoving me aside."

"When we find our Draga, there is nothing we won't do, including protect them, as we see it, when they don't want us to. Jael won't force you to accept him—"

Viktoria lifted her chin. "No, he won't."

"—but he won't be able to stand aside while he thinks you're in danger. Especially not him."

The last thing Viktoria wanted was a lecture. She had plans, and couldn't have a man in her life right now, especially one like Jael. She turned to Selene, who had not stirred since they'd come in. "Is she all right?"

Dream sat next to Selene and took her hand. "She's not dreaming."

Idris nodded. "She goes into trances, but—"

"I am awake." Selene accepted Dream's help to sit up. "What brings you back to my tower?"

"Memory left a message for Ember, but I know she's away, so we wanted to tell you," Viktoria said. "We found one of the men who kidnapped Musette. He said the mage he works for poisoned her magic so any mages who tried to take it would be killed. That might be why she hasn't been able to wake up yet."

Idris growled.

The sound raised goosebumps over Viktoria's skin.

"Is there no end to what they will do?" Selene hissed. "It's not enough they kidnap us, torture us, drain our power to use for themselves? Now they want to poison our magic and use us to kill one another? This has got to stop." Her voice cracked. "It just has to stop."

"Do you know how to help Musette, now that we know what the mage did to her?" Idris asked. "If we bond and she turns strygoi, will that fix her magic?"

"I don't see her magic around her, but I will try. It may be just as well she's sleeping if her magic is poisoned." Selene said. "As far as I know this hasn't happened before, and I know nothing about venoms. The strygoi magic is also manifesting differently than before. There's no way to know what might happen if she tries to use her magic, or if you two bond and she turns strygoi. I'm so sorry Idris, even if she does wake, I don't think you two should bond while the venom is tainting her magic. It might not even be safe for you to drink her blood."

Idris' eyes darkened from light blue to black, and menace radiated off him. For a moment, Viktoria saw him as he was when he fought the spiders in Musette's mind—feral and enormous. He pushed away from Musette with barely controlled fury and paced, tension emanated from him. "When Ember returns tomorrow we can go after the mage."

Viktoria stood. "We have a plan to see the mage today. Maybe we can get some more answers or an antidote from him."