Nadia smiled crookedly:
- But I wouldn't advise you to come at me. I'll pour holy water over you before you dissolve. There's a whole bucket of it here, I walked on purpose.
- You won't make it. I'll kill you before you do.
- And you're gonna lose the fight. I think Nadia can do you some damage. And you've never been a good healer, your abilities are in another area. And I don't like your blackmail either. You realize Jane's a very responsible girl - and you're trying to put pressure on her sense of duty?
Danielle... My darling...
- Indeed," Nadia supported him. - What kind of news is this? One seal is enough for both your eyes and your eyes. Jane, be quiet, I know what you can say. But Mechislav should not use such methods.
- So I shouldn't use such methods - or I'm wrong after all - the vampire sneakily specified. - Which one of you three knows enough magic to test my words?
- I," Danielle frowned. - I'm no magician, but I've heard and know enough.
- So what do you say?
- In terms of strength and credibility, you're absolutely right. Other than that... I can't assess the situation that accurately.
- At least I can do it. I'm being reasonable. And I can't get help from my people now. And Duke can.
- It seems that your fights are already going on face to face," Nadia frowned.
- The fights, yes. But that's not what this is about. I don't remember if I talked about it, but the more vampires in the Prince's vertical and the stronger they are, the more power he has.
- Not a problem?
- Mecislav means that the surname for a vampire is a trick of power. And the vampires from his vertical, the nestlings of his nest, the children of his blood are the batteries with which he is fed. The closer these vampires are, the better.
- Yeah. And Vadim and Boris are in captivity and can't use batteries," Nadia thought.
- But Duke is covered in them like a mutt with fleas. But I'm just a trick of power, what good do I do?
- Principled, -Mecislav's voice was soft as a silk scarf. And he also slid on his skin, making him involuntarily shudder and move. One word he managed to pronounce as if he had invited everyone present to an orgy in ancient Rome.
- Jane, you're not just a trick, you're also a source of strength. And that's exactly the quality I need you for. The stronger our bond, the stronger I am. I wouldn't ask you to stay with us if you were vampires, but...
Nadia shook her head.
- Argue with a vampire?
- Jane, you don't have to do this.
Danielle. My love.
It was after his words that I realized that I would even go to the Second Seal. And even to the Third Seal. At least let me get stamped on all sides! I don't want him to die. And if that's what it takes to be safe, so be it. And let Mecislav say that as long as there is no love between us, - he just doesn't understand anything. Let Danielle not love like I do. Let it be somehow different. Let him leave me and get carried away by someone else. I won't hold him back. And you can't see the tears if you don't pour them in front of people.
Let Danielle do whatever she wants. He paints pictures, writes poems, walks the world, seduces other women, but let him live. As long as he's alive, the rest doesn't matter. That's all I want.
I looked Mieczysława right in the face.
- The Second Seal is the same as the First Seal?
- Almost.
- But it doesn't have to be sex?
- It doesn't have to be, curly.
- Then promise me it won't end in bed.
- I'm not gonna do anything to make you feel bad, baby.
- That's the problem.
There were sparks playing in the green eyes.
- Do you think you can succumb to temptation, Curly?
You think so? It's more than ninety percent likely. Even knowing that Nadia and Danielle are there, can I resist? Mecislav is the irrepressible power of sex.
- I don't have good math. But I don't want to do anything I regret.
- I'm not gonna hurt you, Curly. I promise you that.
What was his promise worth? And what was my request worth? I knew the answer. Three kopecks. To both questions.
- Then we must hurry. Shall we go to the room?
- Jane, you sure this is what you want? - Nadia couldn't resist.
- I don't want to, but we don't have a choice either.
- Jane...
- Yes, my love?
- I love you, too.
- Let's hurry up.
Mecislav stood up from his chair with one gentle graceful movement and gesture invited me to the room. I shook my head and also invited him to go forward with a gesture. The vampire did not argue and slipped through the door. I unwittingly admired his gait.
Because you can't be so beautiful in the world... Old words took on a new meaning next to it. Beautiful as a god. Well, why, why did we even meet?! I love Daniel, I had no doubt about it. But why am I so attracted to another man?! Pulled, despite all my attempts to turn the other way!
I remember being on the couch in the living room.
Mecislav slipped on the sofa next to me. I felt his hands on my shoulders and raised my head.
- Your hands are warm.
- They can be warm when a vampire's drunk with blood.
- Have you had breakfast yet? - I whispered. I wanted to say very different words. To ask for a kiss, a touch, love... But I couldn't let it happen. It's easy to resist others. It's much harder on yourself, on your desire to resist. And the vampire knew it very well. His fingers slipped slowly around my neck, caressing my skin, walked correctly through the carotid artery, smoothing the bite mark - and I shuddered.
- Look me in the eye, baby.
I looked at the bright green lakes. Something shifted, straightened inside me. There was nothing and no one left in the world. Just him and me. His hands gently put my face in a bowl of palms. The first kiss was almost imperceptible, timid and light as butterfly wings. I answered the touch and ran my tongue over his lips. My green eyes opened wide, and I felt I was drowning in them. The kiss was getting stronger and more persistent. My fangs rattled my tongue, and I felt a sharp taste of blood. But I didn't care about it. Now I was indifferent to everything except his hands, his lips, his body... We pressed tightly together, and my body responded to the call of a vampire. I didn't know what to call what was growing inside me. Something warm, alive, hot... I felt the vampire next to me like an icy piercing wind. And this wind was rushing around me, through me, it was in me - and the invisible fire in me was burning stronger and stronger. And I answered as well as I could. The flame rushed up from my body, responding to the icy touch. I could feel the hands of a vampire on my body, but it was secondary. Now, the most important thing was metaphysical sensations. Fire and cold were spinning in and around us, and between us was my blood. The power of the vortexes increased, it pressed on me, and my head was spinning more and more. I fell into the green abysses, flew into nowhere, and could not afford it. If I lost control of the fire inside, it would simply burn me. I moaned, and I heard the low purring groan of a vampire. And it turned out to be the last straw.
The two vortices are the same. I could feel it when they equalized their power more clearly than I had ever felt anything. And they rushed to each other, but not for a deadly fight. Now they wanted to blend into one. Our lips met again, and for me it all blended into one circle. The hot touch of other people's hands and lips, the green eyes, the taste of blood, the smell of his skin, the sound of the sea in his ears - and above all two vortices, rams hitting each other. Waves of sensation rushed through my body, capturing everything in its path. Fire and ice, heat and cold, light and darkness - and I was both, holding everything in me - and giving it to the vampire, and so it lasted forever. I hardly understood that it was over - and Mecislav withdrew from me. We definitely didn't have to have sex. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I could talk.
- What was that?
-
It's the Second Seal, Curly.
- But is it? - I couldn't express myself more clearly, but Mechislav understood.
The vampire looked at me. There was still a green mist floating in his eyes.
- This is really unexpected. What did you do, Fluffy?
- I didn't do anything. But the first time, it was different?
- I expected it to be like that, Curly. But you answered me?
I tried to put on words with what was going on inside me. It was awkward and clumsy. There are no words for this feeling yet. And if they did, I didn't know them. But I had enough for three sentences.
- You were so cold. Your power was freezing me. And I was in pain.
A vampire said something in a language I don't know. I raised my eyebrows.
- Excuse me?
- Don't you understand what you've done, Curly?
- I don't understand anything.
- I've only heard of one case like this. I told you, you accumulate energy and give it to others, huh, Curly?
- They did.
- But then another question arises. If you can accumulate energy and give it away, you can draw energy from other people, act as a weapon, feed yourself and others. And if you want to, you can kill them. That's a dangerous talent, my girl.
- What am I supposed to do with him? What happened now? - I sounded like a helpless idiot, and I hated myself for it, but what else could I do? Magic is not my battlefield. If only I'd been asked about invertebrates...
- I gave you the Second Seal. But your strength began to awaken. And you resisted me without even knowing what you were doing. If you started to build up your strength, Curly, I don't know how it would have ended. We could have died.
- Are you serious about this?
I stared at the green eyes, but I couldn't understand anything.
- I'm more than serious, Curly. And I'm not gonna dare put a third seal on you before you're in full control of yourself.
I was dizzy from both what I had experienced and what I heard.
- Are you afraid?
- I don't want to risk my life. You agreed to the need, but you resisted internally, curly. You sure as hell didn't want to put a Second Seal. And it almost cost us both our lives. There was a moment when we could lose consciousness, and our combined Power would burst out, burning me like sunlight.
I didn't feel any special guilt about myself.
- I really didn't want to be your last name. And you didn't warn me about the risks!
- In my defense, I can only say one thing, curly. I've only heard of abilities like yours once. And it was a great sorcerer. In your day, he was known as Merlin.
- WHAT?!
That was too much for me. Only the knights of King Arthur we lacked for complete happiness. Dizzy and the vampire gently but firmly attracted me to him.
- He was a last name. And he was far ahead of his time.
A low voice caressed me like the touch of his hands. Now there was no passion in his arms. Calmness and reliability was what I needed most. I could rest in his hands. And I gullibly clung to the vampire. Too much had fallen on me. Too much.
- And now he's alive?
- No. His mistress died about five hundred years ago. And the wizard did not survive her death.
I got scared. And the vampire felt that fear because he pinned me down even harder. My hands slid on my back, but the touch wasn't sexy. It was just a comfort.
- It's okay, curly. I'll be right here with you. And I'll help you with that power.
I'd really like to believe him.
- Seducing my girlfriend, Chief?
Daniel's voice cut through my nerves like a knife.
- This girl should be seduced," said Mechislav.
- Yes, but only if she wants to be seduced," Daniel looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but I wasn't interested in vampire intrigue. I was madly tired. The last time I felt that way was after a five-day hike.
- Go away, both of you, I asked you. - I need a little alone time. Do we have time for this?
- For you, Curly, any whimsy.
Mechislav easily withdrew and went out. Danielle followed him. And I noticed some tension in Mieczysław's gait. It wasn't easy for him to tame our forces either.
Higher Powers! What is happening to me?! And how am I supposed to deal with it?! And why haven't I felt anything before? It's understandable, though. Let's take a bag of snakes. As long as it's tied up, nothing's gonna happen. They'll hiss, bite through the fabric, weave into a tangle and even bite each other, but nothing more. Now try to untie the same sack. And how much more trouble will there be? A lot more! Here I am, too. Something like this has happened. Something that untied the damn sack! What?! The hypnosis I was able to resist?! A vampire bite? Or the second bite when I shared the Force consciously?! I don't understand anything! I DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!!! Mom, get me out of here!
I smiled at the thought of the house. And then I dialed my grandfather's number.
- Leoverensky here?
- Hi! It's Jane! I'm already at home, moved out of Snegirev.
- You lousy bastard, you could have called earlier! Mother's worried, I can't rest easy!
Grandfather's voice was boiling and righteous indignation. I rolled my eyes. Actually, I called for support, not a thug. I wanted to feel like there was something in the world that was unshakeable. Honestly, in case of emergency, it'd be a good idea to have a headwash. For as long as I can remember, my grandfather brought me up, told me how to live and how to be responsible for my actions. And if he knew what was happening to me now, what would he do? Did he come here to help me? I don't think so. Would he have offered to get me out of it himself? That's more like the truth. So I'm gonna do it on my own. But you should've made a good start.
- Grandpa, don't, huh?! We've got some kind of phone mess here! There was a party, and we killed it. I'm not going to buy a new one. I planted a cell phone the other day! I'm calling from a friend!
- Well, you went out without us, so you managed to kill the phones at the same time!
- We went for a walk at home after a walk, too! And that after a couple of bottles! I haven't lost myself yet! Well, I'm all right! I'm alive, healthy, well-fed, uneducated!
It's a good thing Grandpa can't tell a lie.
- That's good. Mother's going crazy in here!
I didn't need that at all. I could feel my heart that every second would be counted, and if Mom made Grandpa fly a few days early, it wouldn't do any good.
- Grandfather, take your time, don't rush home, I'll call you myself! Every day! I promise!
- You'll forget it anyway.
- Maybe I will forget!
I was quiet for seconds before the most important question of the evening.
- Grandpa, I have one question for you.
- And which one? - Now there was a good-natured mockery in his voice.
- You told me what the fascists did to you. Do you remember?
- Yeah. - Mockery's gone cold. There was only a cold burning hatred in the voice. And I got scared. What's there to be in a man so he can hate long dead people? I don't know. I don't want to know. And even less I don't want to know if it's in me. For some reason, I don't think I'm going to like the answer to that last question. The words were falling rocks into the tube. - I remember.
- Has it ever happened to anyone else in our family? Or something like that? Well, didn't anybody walk on coals there, swallow any needles?
- Jane, are you crazy?! - The tension was gradually fading away from Grandpa's voice. Now he could share his memories. They didn't hurt so bad anymore. - I was just a boy when it happened! Who would tell me something! If they had, I wouldn't have remembered! I don't know, maybe somebody had something. Sometimes I remember it myself, I wonder. How did I survive then?! But I survived! And I got to mine! The nurse told me at the time I was hot. All thirty-nine of them. As soon as I moved at this temperature! And as I remember now, I was walking and I didn't think about anything. I j
ust told myself that I was walking in a tulip and a valenki.
- I see," I gave it to you.
Well, at least in one generation, this Force has proven itself. In my grandfather. Only it didn't go any further in him. Life got in the way.
- Why would you ask that?
- I don't know about that. It's kind of lonely. I missed your stories, your mom's buns...
- So maybe we should get there early to feed you some pies.
Grandpa was being ridiculous. No doubt about it. But I could barely contain myself so I wouldn't wail like, "God forbid you! Don't you dare! ».
- Don't! Rest!
- Well, bye then. And don't forget to call! Kisses!
- You, too! I gave Mom a kiss for me! Ciao!
- Ciao!
I disconnected the tube and I stared at the wall. And what did I do? And what the hell does he know? I'll think about it later! There!
There was a knock on the door.
- Come in, it's closed!
- Jane, it's me, - Nadia looked into the room and smiled at me. - So, how are you? Haven't these two jerks driven you to enuresis yet?
- They will," I said, picking up her frivolous tone. - And what are you doing here?
- I thought I'd stop by. Leaving with that fang, you were clearly out of shape.
- I'm not any better now.
Nadia took a close look at me.
- I see it. Don't get dark. What went wrong again?
- I'm a fool, I confessed. But I couldn't surprise Hope with that confession.
- Me, too. So what? So we're living somehow!
- Yeah, but you're just stupid, and I'm stupid with the Force.
Nadia raised her eyebrows, and I mechanically noted that she was far from vampire grace.
- Notice, you're also with initiative.
- That doesn't make it any easier. That canine idiot kept quiet - and we almost killed each other!
- How's that?
- Okay. The vampire used his power for the Second Seal. And for some reason, I took it as aggression. And I answered mine. Do you like it?
- No. What happened next?
- We miraculously didn't kill each other. And neither did you.
- Details?
I shrugged my shoulders and told you how I felt. Adding to it a sudden attack of weakness. And Mieczysław's conclusions. Nadia listened - and from the bottom of her heart she stabbed me in the living.
Ring of Madness Page 45