BOOK 2 - Viktoria Ch. 08

One more chapter of Viktoria and Jael's story after this!

I am debating putting up a sort of bonus chapter for Ember. A few people mentioned they didn't think Stryx had grown or repented enough, so the bonus chapter would be him doing that. For those of you paying close attention to detail and my crazy world-building there are also a few hints in that chapter for things ahead in the series. I won't have what's already posted taken down, so it wouldn't fit exactly since I've revised the story. It would be a Chapter 5.5 - after Stryx shows up to the gallery show and before the Gifted chapter. If you are interested let me know.

Caedmon and Sophie hasn't proved to be very popular/liked so the next story I'll work on posting here will be Book 3 - the strygoi and her vampire in that story will be revealed in the final chapter of Viktoria.

Thank you to everyone who has read my work so far!

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Viktoria's sense of utter contentment slipped away when Lurky did. Even confused and in desperate need of feeding, Lurky and his erotic venom had awakened places and nerves she didn't know she had, every one of them a new pleasure center.

Parts of her were still tingling.

And her magic—Viktoria had always known about her magic. She and her sisters were each born with one particular type of power, and to make things easy, their Mother had named them for it. She didn't like the name Shadow much, but she was glad her she hadn't been named Gout, Scab, or Rickets like some of her brothers born as plagues.

Shadows were a large part of her and she worried when the silver strygoi magic came, afraid hers would be diluted or made lesser. But that hadn't happened. As she opened part of her shadow magic to the strygoi magic to test the connection it wanted, the two twined around one another until they were blended—not diluted, but made into something stronger. Opening herself fully and bonding with Jael had not only given her him, it gave her a stronger her.

She'd seen her new black hair and silver glow right before Jael... left. There was no other way to explain it. Distracted by the changes to her magic, and to her person, she hadn't been able to stop him. He'd felt as happy and sated as she was one moment, and called her Draga. Not quite in the tone Stryx had used with Ember—but Viktoria didn't need the lust Stryx and Ember shared. She'd been subjected to that many times.

When Jael called her Draga, it sounded like love.

Then she'd felt regret from him, and he'd just... left. She didn't know much about being a Draga or this bond yet, but trying to follow it to him hadn't worked. He slipped deeper when she neared him. She called to him, but he didn't come. Maybe he didn't love her after all. But they were bonded now. Had she made a mistake? Had he? Did he not want her because she was strygoi and not just a Draga? She needed to talk to Selene and Ember.

Sighing, Viktoria unwrapped Lurky's arms from around herself, and rose from the bed. He didn't stir. She picked up what was left of her clothes from the floor. Nobody would be wearing those anymore. Letting them fall, she dressed in a new set of leggings and tank top, a garish green this time. Her sisters had terrible taste in clothing and colors. Calling her strygoi side, she examined herself in the mirror. Glowing silver was much better. Would she keep her new magic if there was such a thing as Draga-divorce and Lurky wanted one?

Memory tapped on the door and came in. "Shadow! You're all marvelously whatever, like Ember!" She picked up some of Viktoria's hair to examine its new black color. 'Can you change back or are you always going to be like this now? Oh! Has Mother seen you like this?"

"I can go back and forth." Viktoria spun around and held out her arm. Shadowy tendrils coiled around her body, up to her shoulder and down to her hand. "Look!"

"You don't need light to make shadows anymore?"

"Nope, they come from my strygoi magic now, at least the ones on my body do. I can still pull bigger ones from around me if I need to."

"Has your vampire been awake yet?"

"For a few moments. He called me Draga, but I'm not sure he'll remember what happened. He seemed lucid, but after we bonded he was confused about what was real and passed out again." Viktoria pressed her hand to Lurky's forehead and cheek. "He's burning up. He never felt hot before."

"I think the worst is over. I took you out of all his bad memories, and now that he's fed Mother says his vampire blood will chase out the last of the toxins."

"That might be part of it, but now that we're bonded I feel what he does. He was happy at first, but he was in so much pain before he passed out. I don't think he wants to come back, and I can't reach him. What if what the mage did is permanent?"

"You should take him to see Auntie Kipu-Tyttö," Memory poked Jael. "I didn't take his memories because you said he would want them. But he could lose the pain that goes with them and still be who he is, right? You don't even have to call Surma. He's already here."

"He is?"

"Yes, I was coming to tell you—you're going to have to take the spiders back to your house. Grandmother took some venom from them, I think she's making a new kind of beer, but one of them bit grandfather and he sicced Surma on them. Dream brought them back from Tuonela to save them, but Surma came anyway. And it's too cold. The poor things are shivering and our sisters keep trying to put clothes on them.

"The spiders don't seem to mind the hats and scarves, but they can't walk in socks and keep slipping and sliding all over the place. Because you know, Pohjola is all ice. When I left, Dream, Weaver, and Rainbow were talking about trying to make them some boots or putting tape on their feet." She lowered her voice. "The whole thing seems to be making Mother crazy, so that's a bonus, but I'm afraid she's going to grind them up and use them in a spell if we push her too far. I didn't think I would like them, but they're kind of fuzzy and cute. It's not safe here for them."

In spite of her worry for Lurky, Viktoria couldn't help the snort that escaped her as she imagined spiders dressed in winter wear. In her thousand year self-imposed exile to the human world she'd forgotten how easy it was to let silly things seem all-important. There was nothing that could harm them in Pohjola, Louhi eliminated all threats. Even when they were kidnapped, it was only a matter of time before their Mother fixed everything and they were home again. Living sheltered in Pohjola brought out the joy of being innocent and naive in all Louhi's daughters, where the most dire decisions they faced were what color to make the socks to put on some shivering spiders and whether they should have boots. She clapped a hand to her mouth, but the snort was followed by a titter, then a giggle, and before long she couldn't stop the laughter from taking over. Tears slid down her face and she wrapped her arms around her middle as she doubled over and laughed.

Memory leaned out of the room and whistled for Surma. He, having apparently decided to get along with rather than kill the spiders, bounded into the room festooned in socks on three of his four paws, plus a hat, and a scarf of his own. He carried the four spiders with him—one on his massive head, one hanging from his snake tail, one on his back, and one perched on his chest.

Viktoria laughed until she wheezed and Memory smacked her on the back. "He's not going to be very effective at scaring people away from Tuonela dressed like that. Grandfather is going to have a fit!"

<><><><><>

Convincing the spiders to climb into her bed where it was warm had not been difficult. Convincing a dog the size of a horse, who was supposed to guard the gates of the underworld, to give up his new accessories had been more complicated. In the end, they'd let him keep them, and he hadn't fussed too much about carrying Jael on his back to Tuonela.

Viktoria heaved a sigh of relief as she coaxed Surma onto the ferry. Crossing a desert for a week, even with built-in shadows took a toll. She was in desperate need of a shower and a change of clothes. Bringing Jael with her meant she couldn't use a portal for the trip. He didn't have permission to come and go as family.

Fortunately, the hard part was over. It wouldn't be hard to get her Aunt to take away Lurky's pain. The more pain the Pain-Girl had, the less pain she felt.

"Who is this?" Kipu-Tyttö asked as they disembarked the ferry and approached her home. She touched Jael's forehead. "This one is full of pain. He can supply us for years."

"This is my Lurky. I love him, Aunt Kipu-Tyttö. Will you ease his suffering?"

"Of course my dear." Her aunt winked at her. "I haven't seen so much ruckus as those drunken spiders of yours have caused in decades. Take him up Kipumäki, and face him towards the three rivers." Kipu-Tyttö waved at the hill. "Lay him on the cup-shaped rocks. The stones don't cry for pain."

Surma padded alongside Viktoria as they climbed the high hill, and lay down so she could wrestle Lurky's body into place on the rocks. She put down a basket containing some bread, cheese, and water, and sat next to him, his hand in hers. She regretted not being able to make him more comfortable, but he had to be touching the rocks for them to take his pain, so she couldn't cushion him.

"What name do you call me?" Lurky's voice was hoarse when he roused a few hours later. His eyes were wary, but clear of the confusion she'd seen in them when he'd awakened before.

Viktoria's lips curved in a small smile. "I call you Lurky, Do you want me to call you something else now?" She was his Draga, but she wasn't sure if there was a special term for Dragas to call their vampires. If there wasn't, there should be. It was only fair.

"Just don't call me Jael. I need you to call me Lurky for a while so I know what's real. I feel... different. Part of me is gone. Where are we?"

"In Tuonela, the underworld. This is a special place that takes pain and buries it deep so it's never felt again. Do you feel better?"

"Was..." He licked his lips and shifted on the rocks. "Was there a white world?"

"Yes. Pohjola. My home."

Jael squinted at Surma. "Is that dog wearing three socks and a scarf? And is that a snake?"

"Yes, that's Surma. He's real."

"What happened? Do you know? I went to find you, then everything gets confused."

"The mage ambushed you, and you were bitten by his spiders. Their venom did the same sort of thing to you as they did to Musette, and separated you from yourself. We brought you to Pohjola and Memory and our mother were able to help you since no poisoned magic was involved. I didn't realize they would hurt you so much while they were helping you. Memory can take your memories, if you don't want them. I... I told her not to. I thought you'd want to keep them. The real ones."

"I do want to keep them. They... They're about my family. It's just... it was a little overwhelming." His hands went to his shoulders. "My swords?"

Viktoria swallowed. "They were—"

He held up a hand. "No, don't. I think I remember that part."

"But you didn't lose—"

"My life?" Jael laughed, but it was a bitter sound. He got to his feet and paced. "No, I will always have my life, it seems. Whether I want it or not."

"No, I saved—"

Jael whirled on her. "Stop!"

Hatred and revulsion washed over her in waves through their bond. Viktoria bit her lip and shoved down the misery she felt. Why couldn't he feel what was between them like she did? If she could feel what he felt, couldn't he feel what she did? Maybe he did and now he didn't want her. That would be the ultimate irony—live for six thousand years looking for love, only to find it, sacrifice everything, and have him hate her for it. She'd fought so hard for her freedom, earned the right to be free from Pohjola, then bound herself to a man forever, and he didn't want her.

"We only took your pain away. You have to decide what will make you happy. I'll take you back to Port Storm."

Jael snorted. "The mage?"

"I blinded him with shadows and left him tied up. I wasn't sure how they work their magic, but I thought if he couldn't see what he was doing that might stop him. I called Idris to take him away."

More emotions roiled through the bond. Anger. Frustration. Disgust.

"And now?"

Viktoria felt self-pity from him. Yes, he'd gone through something terrible, but she'd had enough. If he wanted to push her away, she'd go. She'd done everything she could to help him. And there were her own confusion and feelings to deal with. If you love someone, set them free, right? Well, she was letting him go. "Now I'll take you back to your home. But if you really don't want your life, no need to wait. Pohjola is a white world, but we still have sun. You're welcome to walk into it."

<><><><><>

"Congratulations!" Dream squealed and ran into Lurky's arms. "We'll have a party!"

He hugged her back with a confused, "For?"

"For winning the fight against the mage's magic and getting rid of your pain. Dream will use any excuse for a party." Viktoria made frantic slashing motions with her hands behind Jael's back.

Dream released Jael, her brow furrowed, but she beamed a smile at him. "I do love any excuse for a party. Wait here for a second, I need to talk to my sister."

"Why don't you want a party?" Dream whispered. "We made costumes for the spiders and everything!"

"He doesn't remember bonding with me. I'm not going to tell him he's stuck with me forever when he can't remember it happening. He wants to go home, so I'm taking him back to Port Storm. Maybe he can remember things better if he's in a more familiar place. If he can't I don't want to be here, where Mother can tell me 'I told you so' when it doesn't work out."

"Oh, Shadow, I'm so sorry." Dream's eyes filled with tears.

"Get him out of here before the rest of your sisters see him." Louhi walked to them and waved a hand. Her soul bird landed on the ground in front of them. "The poor thing will be swamped."

"Mother, he doesn't—"

"I know, Shadow." Louhi pulled her into a hug then pushed her to arm's length and caught her gaze. "You are free to come and go as you like now. So you can come back here whenever, or for whatever reason, you want, do you understand?"

Viktoria nodded. Maybe her mother did know what was happening with Jael. That shouldn't surprise her. Her mother always knew. "Thank you, Mother."

"Take your cursed one home. And don't forget your spiders. Either I'll take drastic measures to get them out from underfoot, or your grandmother will put them in her beer."

Jael and the swan eyed each other. "We're going to ride the swan to your house in Port Storm?"

Viktoria bit her lip and nodded.

"I don't think he likes me."

"Try not staring him in the eye like that. He's really friendly." The swan nuzzled Viktoria as Memory hung a crate containing the spiders around his neck. "And he loves me, so he will let you ride on him. Don't kick him though." She climbed up an outstretched wing and settled onto the swan's back, holding out a hand for Jael.

With a wary look at the soul bird, Jael scrambled up the bird's wing to his back and curled himself around Viktoria.

His passengers in place, the swan flapped his wings and leapt into the air, Pohjola falling away underneath them as he spiraled into the sky. It was always night in the Soul Paths, the way lit up by colorful streams of light under them, in shades of green and white that arced across the sky. Swans carried people on their backs flying in the opposite direction.

"What is this place?"

"If a person's soul is destined to come here for their afterlife, they're brought by their Soul Bird when they die. Mother is the Queen of Death. We call the lights the Soul Paths. Humans can see them sometimes. They call them aurora borealis."

<><><><><>

Soooooora, the haunted house's voice cajoled. Come play.

Viktoria stiffened in her seat as she guided her car through the front gate of the vampire compound, which had magically opened. Again.

Jael's brow furrowed. "That's odd. I'll have to tell Karov there's a problem with one of his high-tech security measures. He'll have a melt down."

Soră! The voice bellowed.

Viktoria winced and pushed two fingers against her temple. Apparently the haunted house didn't like being ignored. "Somehow I doubt that's going to solve the problem."

"What makes you say that?" Jael glanced over at her. "Are you all right? Do you have a headache?"

"Not yet," Viktoria said.

But she did have some heartache. And a pain in the ass, also known as Lurky. Since she'd invited him to walk into the sun they had been carefully polite with one another, and she hated it. His eyes were no longer heated, or even predatory when they landed on her. She needed to talk to Selene and Ember, and she needed some time alone.

Don't be sad, Soră. I will get him! I will open all the shutters in the sun! I will slam all the doors! Come play. Come play. Come play!

All right. I'll be there soon. She smiled and dropped her hand. "The problem is your house is a two year old."

The haunted house laughed, a delighted, childish high-pitched sound as an image of a small girl with black hair and silver eyes flipped circles in the air.

<><><><><>

As home came into view relief swept through Jael. This place had always been real for him. It was familiar, and hadn't shown up in the memories the mage had altered. Everything here would be real.

He was exhausted.

Trudging to his room in the lower levels he wanted nothing more than to sleep for a century or so. Maybe Selene would knock him out for a while after she heard how he'd been treating Viktoria.

Alaric blocked his path, disbelief and horror on his face. "Where are your swords?"

Jael turned to slide past Alaric and resume his mindless path to his bedroom, lifting a hand in thanks as he heard the meaty sound of a smack. Melchior thumping Alaric in the head, no doubt.

"Ouch!" Alaric complained, but it didn't stop his questions. "Where is your Draga? Do you have three Dragas? Congratulations!"

Every muscle tense, Jael stopped. Maybe instead of sleep, he needed a fight. He spun, hands itching to go for swords he no longer carried.

Alaric's eyes widened and he took a step back. "Er, not congratulations? Commiserations? Is that the opposite of congratulations?"

Weariness reasserted itself and Jael's shoulders sagged, the urge to fight vanishing. He turned around and headed for his room. The sound of Melchior's hand smacking the back of Alaric's head a second time, and the resulting protest from Alaric, such familiar sounds, were almost enough to bring a smile to his face.

Opening his door he jumped back as it wrenched itself out of his hand and slammed shut in his face. He tried to turn the handle and open the door again. The knob rattled in his fingers, like it was locked, only his door didn't have a lock in the doorknob.

Sighing, Jael leaned his forehead against the door, remembering Viktoria's words when the gate had what he thought was a malfunction. 'Your house is a two year old.'

He'd lived in residences with strygoi before. It didn't always happen, and until now, it hadn't happened here, but sometimes their magic infused the places they lived, letting them hear things in other rooms, know when someone was arriving before they knocked on the door. Or, slam doors in the faces of their vampires. But, for the house to pick up on Viktoria's mood, that meant... had Viktoria turned strygoi when he bonded with her?

Fuck.

He hadn't asked. Jael lifted his head and banged it against the door, once, twice, and on the third bang, it flew open, dumping him onto the floor in his room.