Alterations

by Lucretia Stanhope

  “Did you wipe Lucian from all of their minds? That is disgusting. Henry was his friend.” She frowned at the list.

  He raised both of his eyebrows. “Scary isn't it? I'm hungry, are you going to work with me and the fire witches, or can I drain you and tuck you in?”

  “The third option is that you teach me something useful, and then you can decide if you want my help or my peace.”

  He clicked his tongue and laughed. “Enjoy this while you can, but know when I want your peace, I will take it. Don't make me remind you again how fragile your little boy is in my hands.”

  She thought as they walked, she needed a minute to herself to get away for the night. To do that, he would need distracted. “Speaking of fragile, how often do you take him for bonding?”

  “Often enough.”

  “Are you going to teach me the veil?”

  “Not yet. You have yet to prove worthy of that.”

  They neared the woods outside of the colony. “Really? I completed your silly task. I have your father wrapped around my little finger, and I have the fire skill you need. Let us not forget I also possess the child you crave and a calm you never dreamed possible. What am I missing?”

  “Cunning.”

  “You keep thinking that, Matvei, it will be your undoing.”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her. “I like you sassy.”

  She pushed out of his arms and smacked him. “I like you at a distance.”

  “What is your fascination with Mikhail?” He pulled her close again and bit her neck, drinking deep.

  “Stop it. He never does that to start with. Why does he bother you so much?” She tried to push away, but he held her tight and drank again.

  “No one bothers me, sweetheart. Go play. I'm still looking forward for a reason to move on with you.”

  She walked away, felling he was still off his game. His anger was subdued but starting to return. Once the rage returned, she would know how deeply he craved the peace, and get a better idea of how useful the newest skill was going to be against him.

  She turned and watched as he made his way back to the school, to teach Brac, she assumed. He didn't have the needed skills to do that, not like he wanted to. Even Gina wouldn't provide the challenge the witches needed to master the skill.

  By the time she got home, it was getting late. She ate a fast meal and went to her room. She called the wraith and looked at the school to see they were still practicing. After she was sure, she let the wraith go. With her shadow stone in her hand, she pulled on her cloak, and stepped into a shadow in the corner of the room.

  When she stepped out into the compound room, she was dazed by the darkness. She could feel the veil tear and stepped into it. It let out on council grounds in the middle of the woods. She tugged the cloak tight around her and rushed to meet Mikhail.

  She kept her eyes down and quickly made her way to the section of the woods where they used to meet to talk privately. As she hoped, he knew that was where she would come.

  He looked up as she approached. “I didn't, I don't sense you. How?”

  “I'll explain later. Are they here?” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “They will be in a few minutes, not here, but in the barren realm. When I don't show up, they will step out.”

  “Okay, where is that?”

  He took her hand and they started deeper into the woods.

  “How is it I don't sense your aura?” he asked when they stopped.

  “Magic.” She winked at him. “It's a spell in the cloak. I want this to be a missing vampire, or it needs to look like another vampire did it.”

  “How are you intending to kill him? He will be less to contend with than Dmitry was, but nothing a human can overpower.”

  “I understand that, let him drag me back through to the other realm. I will use the sun and then fire. He will be ashes. And easy to get rid of.”

  Mikhail swallowed and gave her a weak smile. “You know once we do this a few times, the ball won't stop rolling, even if we want it to. The siblings will panic and start attacking each other.”

  “Good, it will save me some work.” She tugged off her cloak and held it folded over her arm.

  “You feel so magical. The baby is making you buzz already.” He looked at her and smiled.

  “Don't be creepy. I'll give you a nip when we are done, if you behave.” She smirked at him.

  He shook his head. “No, I don't need that kind of temptation. I also need my head clear, because yours is not.”

  A cold presence stepped up to them. Gwen started acting.

  “Thank you, Mikhail. I will let Timofei know. Excuse me.” She turned and regarded the winged beast behind her. She kept her fear in check and showed no signs of being startled. She tried to use her best 'I am a queen' tone. “You are?”

  The creature shifted to a tall, thin man. “Pavel. You are the much-rumored queen?”

  “Gwen.” She reached out a hand.

  He took her hand and kissed the top of it. “You hum with power.”

  “I will leave you to your business. Timofei will be expecting me. Pleased to meet you, Pavel.”

  “Join us.” He arched a brow and did not release her hand.

  She anticipated and hoped for that reaction. It had been the same with them all. Curiosity, attraction, and temptation. She called the sun inside of her. She knew Mikhail would know what she was doing, but Pavel would have no reason to know. For all he knew, she just pulsed magic and heat.

  Mikhail started to step toward them. “Pavel, we can discuss the resource issues now.”

  Gwen was not startled by the hand around her wrist that drug her along through the veil. Once they were on the other side, she felt teeth sink into her neck.

  The wails that filled the air reminded her of the first time she killed for Dmitry. When Pavel fell to the ground, she called up more fire and burned him until there was nothing left but ash.

  “Remind me not to get on your bad side, boss lady.” Mikhail stepped beside her and put an arm around her. He looked at her neck to see the bite was already gone. “You need to get back before Matvei comes here looking for you.”

  “Thank you, Mikhail. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.” She hugged him tight. “This is going to work.”

  “For you, I hope it does. For you, I also hope it doesn't. You with Konstantin is a nightmare.” He let her go and watched her closely.

  “No, me as a breeder for Matvei is a nightmare.” She tugged her cloak on and took his hand. “Take me back to the tear.”

  They stepped back on council grounds and they made a fast walk to the tear.

  “Be safe, Gwen,” he said and squeezed her hand.

  She smiled. “When can you arrange the next meeting?”

  “Take a day in case you suffer any for this. Night after tomorrow?”

  “Perfect. I always knew you really were my friend.”

  He shook his head. “I never knew you would be my undoing.”

  “I won't be.” She let go of his hand and stepped back to the compound.

  As soon as she felt she was in the dark room, she held her stone and appeared behind the locked door of her bedroom. She folded the cloak and tried to slow her breathing and heartrate. She made a dash for the bathroom and started the water, running it as hot as she could stand it.

  The cloak would keep him from tracking her, but she wanted to wash away any scents of Pavel and Mikhail. She let the hot water pound over her and she lathered up with rose scented soap and shampoo several times, until the water ran cold.

  She changed into a nightgown and headed down for cake. She was on her last bite when Matvei sat down across from her.

  His eyes were filled with hate again. He crossed his legs. “Where were you?”

  “Showering. I needed to relax after talking with you.” She chewed the last bite and put her fork down. “You look upset, what's happened?”

  He snatched her from the chair. “Don't play with me. How
did you get off realm?”

  “Off realm? I don't know how to tear the veil.” She dug her hand at his fingers on her arm. “Let me go. I want to go to bed now.”

  He leaned in and sniffed her. His lips curled down at the corners. He smacked her across the mouth. “You know if he came home to find you missing, he would be furious.”

  She smacked him across the mouth. “I'll handle your father.”

  “Handle him?” He reached up and touched his face where she hit him. “You are delightful.” He tugged her to him and kissed her, biting her lip and licking the blood. “I don't know if I want to hurt you or hold you. I think both.”

  She pulled back from him. “Help me, or keep your hands off of me.”

  “Now you are talking my kind of trade.”

  She made a disgusted groan. “No. That is not going to happen.”

  “You'd never be the same.”

  “That I don't doubt. I want to navigate the veil, Matvei. You decide what you want. Be reasonable. I have shown you that I can work while under your watch.”

  He walked toward her, matching each step she took back. “Contemplating your deception is exciting. What I want? What do I want?”

  She pushed at him, finding herself stuck. “I'm tired. You come to me when you are ready to be serious.”

  “I'm always serious, pet.” He slowly sunk his teeth into her neck and drank until she felt herself getting weak.

  “Matvei, please. The baby.” She leaned back against the wall.

  He drank more, sighed, and wrapped an arm around her waist as she slipped.

  She felt movement and the comfort of her bed under her. She felt she wasn't alone.

  “Matvei?” She heard a growling sound as an answer. “Teach me, Matvei.”

  “You are not ready.” He sat on the bed beside her and ran a finger over the lines of her face. “Not yet.”

  “Battalion two was on the front line and you lost fifteen men to the ogres.” She closed her eyes and braced for anger. No hit came. She opened her eyes to see him looking at her, studying her face as if the key to the secrets of the universe would be found in her features.

  “You were in the compound?” His tone was filled with wonder and his eyes sparkled.

  “I might have overheard something.” She closed her eyes again. “Teach me.” Her eyes shot opened when she felt a bite on her shoulder. A kiss followed and then more bites.

  “I could adore you.”

  She sat up. “Stop it. I don't know why you insist on biting me. Go away.”

  “You want to walk the veil?”

  “I do.”

  “What would you use it for, aside from having tea with your friends?” He sat her up and put a pillow behind her.

  “I can't tell you that. It would defeat the purpose of our little games.” She didn't fight as he took her arm and pulled it to his mouth. “You are taking too much tonight.”

  “Nah, you are stronger than you think.” He bit down again. “The thing with the roses, how often can you do that?”

  “I can't if you take all my strength.”

  “You can if I let you rest a day? Will you be ready to do it again when father arrives, if I only feed a little here and there?”

  She sat up fully. “You want me to do it to him, not you?”

  “Yes.” A small smile started and grew across his face. “I do.”

  “Why?”

  “It distracts him. I need him distracted.”

  “What are you planning? I won't help you hurt him.”

  He brushed her hair away from her face. “I'm asking you to make him feel good. I will teach you the veil before he arrives home. You keep him subdued his whole visit. I have off realm affairs that demand attention. Keep him here. Keep him happy.”

  “You are planning some sort of claim?”

  He stroked her skin with his fingertips. “Don't you worry with what I am planning, pet. You make your own plans.”

  She felt his hand on her temple and a shock of pain.

  Blackness washed over her.

  G wen stumbled down the stairs on her way to the kitchen. Her head pounded with each footfall and her body felt like it was moving through mud.

  “There you are. You've been sleeping a very long time.” Matvei pulled out a chair and sat a plate of food in front of her.

  She looked at the eggs and bacon. “What did you do to it?”

  “Eat.” He laughed. “When I want to hurt you, I will think of much more pleasing ways than your food.”

  “You gave me more knowledge?” She picked up a fork full of eggs, still debating taking the bite.

  He raised his eyebrows. “I did. To test, you can go see Percy and come back. You do look like you could use a visit. There are a few things you need to know. It is all in your pretty little head, but I want to stress, checking the destination before you enter is vital.”

  As she chewed, she puzzled over his words. There was something in her mind about checking atmospheres. “Just so I have it straight, when I spy on you I get rewarded, yet when I outmaneuver you, it makes you snap on me?”

  “Cute.” He made a quick, not amused smile. “When I catch you missing, you have not outmaneuvered me. However, you overheard me in the compound and that went undetected. That, I appreciate. You left realm and I noticed, that was sloppy.” He nodded at her food. “Eat.”

  “You will always notice. You watch me all the time.”

  “Not nearly as close as he watches you.”

  She frowned and finished her food.

  They walked out together and he gave her a nudge toward the woods.

  “Don't be pushy.” She stumbled forward and looked back at him. She reached out and closed her eyes, feeling the air around her. In her mind, the ability to feel the layers around them was just there. She tugged a small hole and stopped. She held her hand on it and waited.

  “What do you feel?” He stepped closer and put a hand on her back.

  She pulled her hand back. “Out of breath. That was awful.” She leaned back on him.

  “Don't stick your hand in so far when you are testing. Just a finger, wait to get a feel for the atmosphere.”

  “You took me here because there was a bad realm?”

  “No, I took you here because there are a lot of damaged spots. All realms connected here can be accessed from anywhere. Before you get panicked and start hopping realms, you need to understand some of them will kill you. Take the minute to see how you feel. If it feels even slightly off, don't go, reach again, and find a new layer.” His hand rubbed her back.

  She brushed his hand away. “Stop that. Gentle, and you, is unnerving.”

  He chuckled and she tried again.

  She made another small tear and didn't get a bad feeling. “This one feels okay.”

  He reached out to where she made the hole and in seconds, confirmed. “Yes, that is Kyna's realm.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “You can too. Close your eyes and see it. You will probably be abler to see than we are, because of your intuitive connection to things.” He put a hand on her back again. “Close it and try again. Try for earth.”

  She wiped the tear and sealed it again. He smiled approval and she opened a small hole, this time envisioning earth.

  “Okay, the sun will be out.”

  “Go, get healed and come back. I would like to start training Brac soon. Don't dawdle.”

  She looked at him puzzled. He made no sense. “You are just letting me go? What if he comes back?”

  “You were ill, you needed Percy. My orders are to see you get to Percy when you feel even slightly ill. Close the tear when you get back and meet me at the school. You are going to teach Brac all he needs to know.”

  “I will. Thank you.” She wasn't sure how to feel about anything. The last time he helped her, they had a very brief understanding before the tormenting started again. He would never be a trusted ally. He would never be someone she didn't hate. “Matvei, you and Timofe
i,” she paused, not sure how to ask what she wanted without giving away her plan.

  “Go, it will help you to think more clearly. See only Percy, anyone else might leave a track.”

  She stepped through, still puzzled by Matvei and his changes. The peace she gave him seemed to have given him a new plan, not the craving she was hoping for. Once on council grounds, she raced to Percy before anyone stopped her.

  “B eautiful witch!”

  The greeting from Percy was followed by a peace that made everything seem possible again.

  “Thank you, Percy.”

  “Beautiful witch-baby sends love.”

  Gwen looked at his twitching face, trying to grasp his meaning. Conversations with Percy were often like puzzles.

  “Come with Percy.”

  “No, Percy, I have to hurry back. You feel the baby? It's a witch?”

  His eyes flashed and his body twitched. “Kyna, loves Gwen.”

  Gwen felt the room spin. “Percy sees Kyna?”

  “Beautiful Kyna. Happy Kyna.”

  “You can take me to Kyna?”

  “Take Gwen to witches.”

  Gwen felt tears coming to her eyes. “Gwen will be back. Tell Kyna Gwen will come.”

  Gwen allowed Percy to hold her in his aura. Her resolve to pit these monsters against each other was strengthened. Kyna was okay. Percy was somehow connected to her. She would be back when she had more time.

  She left a note for Mikhail with confirmation of their next meeting, and raced back to the tear, back to the nightmare.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “D o it again.” Matvei paced as he watched Brac and the fire witches run through his drills.

  They made good progress under Gwen with the ability to snatch and fling away magic. He found it a constant annoyance that she held back teaching them how to harness stolen power. In spite of his pushing, she refused and he felt near the end of his patience with her lack of willingness to teach them offensive skills.

  His eyes were drawn from the field of students to Sergei as he approached quickly. The cold pulsed from him in a way that announced trouble before he said a word.

  “Sir, site two has been compromised.” Sergei stood ready for a command, or to take the beating as the messenger of bad news.