"The wolves love her," Trotsky said beside me.
"The wolves?"
"Valerina's not called 'Princess of the Wild' for nothing, Anastasia," he said. "Those wild beasts think of her as one of them."
"How could they be so tamed?" I said in amazement.
"They are only like that around her, but mind you, they're not tamed at all. I still have scars from a wolf attack many years ago," the General said and chuckled. "The day I found her and her sister in a mountain cave, still wrapped in a bundle of rags, they were guarded and fed by a Luna wolf who had several pups herself."
"So the girls were raised by wolves?" I asked surprisingly.
"I know, it's hard to believe unless it's some ancient folktales or legends, eh?" Trotsky said, "But it's true, I swear. Anyway, the girls grew up, clever and strong, they reminded me a lot of my own daughters."
I looked back at the huntress, who was now followed by the canine pack. She was smiling at them and bending over to scratch the head of a shiny, glass-like white fur wolf. The other one, the size of a polar bear, leaped over for her attention. Its gray complexion looked as sharp as steel and its clawed paws could slash and tear flesh from bones. It was hard to watch without a pang of worries. But the wolves just licked her hand in recognition. The rest of them even wagged their tails and whimpered softly. They all knew her, either by scent or by some sort of bond.
After a while, the pack moved away and went back into the forest. Valerina came to join the group again. Her cheeks blushed in happiness. Then our eyes met. I could see pools of icy blue brightened against the whiteness of the snow.
I was fascinated by the puff of her warm breaths every time she exhaled. I was immune to the cold, but I wished she would share her warmth with me. Vale pulled her red hood over her head again as if to hide her face away from my gaze.
"You like one of my god-daughters, don't you, Grand Duchess?" Trotsky said suddenly. He looked at me with a cheeky gleam in his mischievous violet eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous, Trotsky," I said with a defensive scowl.
"Tell me anyway! Maybe I can find the truth by comparing your lies," he said with another chuckle. "Your eyes are not glowing with hunger when you look at her. It does not reveal predatory craving but mating..."
"Stop it before I rip your head off!" I growled, but the General merely laughed.
"I know of the strength you hide within that delicate body of yours, Your Highness," Trotsky said. "I dare not challenge you and shall remain silent now. But you must know: not believing in love is like not believing in gravity."
I gave the man a death-glare. The General put his hands up as a sign of surrender.
"She probably has a lover already, hasn't she?" I turned my face away from the vampire.
"I don't recall her being with anyone as of late," he scratched his beard thoughtfully.
“What about that Damir boy?”
"How about you ask her yourself?" Trotsky said with a knowing smile.
"No need.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away. “Nothing good will come of it anyway. I'm a vampire and she's a human. She has a life and a future. Damir could give her children and a warm family. I should stay away from any of it."
"Ah, finally I know my girl really got Anastasia Romanov wrapped around her fingers!" Trotsky laughed again. I gritted my teeth.
"Are you matchmaking your god-daughter with me?" I hissed in a low voice that only him could hear.
Trotsky bombed another unapologetic laugh. Valerina and her sister turned around to look at us. The General then turned to me again.
"Anastasia, in such a desperate time like this, none of us expect to be alive very long," Trotsky said truthfully. "If the opportunity presents itself, why not seize it? It might be too late to look at love twice these days, don’t you think?"
I frowned at him, but he turned away from me with a smile on his face.
WE CONTINUED ON A SLOW ride like that until we reached the Cossack Camp.
Krasnoff walked with his soldiers towards us when we got off the sledges. The Cossack leader greeted me with a stiff nod. Ark and the Alpha stood behind their General while Vale stayed away to my left.
"You might want to see our training of the soldiers," Krasnoff said and led the way to the field. This area was located behind the buildings and bordering the woods and hillsides.
I could see the Cossacks practicing their combat strategies and self-defense all over the place. A row of young soldiers, both men, and women, was firing metal-tipped arrows from their crossbows at the targets. The soldiers marched about as we strolled through the field.
The hunters joined them with enthusiasm. A moment later, we saw Damir appeared. He saluted the two Generals then smiled brightly at Valerina, who smiled back.
"Damir, how about you show us your new invention?" Trotsky said. The boy looked both nervous and excited as he nodded and gestured for us to follow.
There was a large tent set in the middle of the field. Inside, the cold had ceased a little. Both the hunters and the Cossacks stepped into the tent with us.
"I have designed a new armor for us," Damir said and pulled up the lid of a big wooden chest. It contained many sets of shiny metals, beaten into various shapes to fit the body.
"It's light for movement and hard to break," he said and pulled out a small piece of armor. Damir beckoned a soldier to come forward and then placed the armor on his shoulders.
"This is to prevent us from getting bitten by the vampires," he said. "And these vambraces have two hidden daggers underneath like claws. A hunter can squeeze the daggers out under the sleeves in a close combat."
"That won't kill a vampire, you know that," the Alpha spoke for the first time.
"Of course not!" Damir smiled as if she had fallen into his waiting trap. "I know about their strength and speed and I have been searching for what could stop them. Then I had an idea to use quicksilver."
"Quicksilver?" Vale said with a frown.
"The liquid will go through the blood stream once it is injected into a vampire. It could stop the heart temporarily, and if a large amount of quicksilver goes into the heart..." he said and demonstrated a stabbing motion, flashing the claw-like daggers out. The claws had tiny holes at the tips that were sure to transmit the substance.
"It will kill the vampire instantly," I said.
"Exactly." he nodded. "We also incorporate it into our arrow tips and bullets."
Ark looked at his nephew with a smile of approval. The young Cossack couldn't contain his proud face.
"Is it really effective?" the Alpha asked again in a skeptical tone.
"Well, even I wouldn't volunteer to try it," Trotsky told her. "Let Krasnoff test the weapon."
"You and your hunters could do without our invention then," Krasnoff shot back.
"Oh come on, old man, I'm just joking," the General said. "We are going to fight together anyway. Now, stop that childish sulk already."
Then he turned to me again. I thought he was about to ask me to be their first test subject, but the General just smiled and gestured to Vale to come closer.
"Would you mind showing our new friend around the area, my dear?" he said to her. "I'm sure she would be impressed with our Phoenix’s security system."
Valerina glanced at me briefly. I kept my expression impartial and then the huntress nodded. She turned and just moved away swiftly, expecting me to follow. But then Damir excitedly started to go after her, too.
"Hey, hey, Damir!" Trotsky called him back. "I still need your help around here."
"But...Vale..."
"Don't worry about her. Now, come with me, boy!" the General said and wrapped his arm around the young Cossack’s shoulders. He looked at both Valerina and me with dissatisfaction.
Valerina kept her eyes away from my gaze. Her cheeks seemed a bit flushed, either from the cold or from embarrassment. Then she turned her elegant body around and left the tent.
I followed her.
C
hapter 22
Valerina
AS A CHILD, I HAD ALWAYS wondered why nature had been so kind to such gruesome beings—those cold-blooded creatures, who slaughtered our families and enslaved our siblings just to satisfy their hedonistic existence.
But now walking behind me in a haunting silence was this golden princess, who seemed far from grisly than I had once imagined. I tried in vain to harness my straying mind, but there were still parts of me that felt wild and untamed at the thought of us being alone together. It was getting harder to ignore the ever-royally presence of the great Anastasia Romanov and her piercing golden stare that seemed to burn like a brilliant sun.
Irresistible was her weapon. Yes, she was irresistible and desirable, but I must not let her charms weaken my heart and tinker with my mind. Her beauty was nothing but a sheer predatory lure. Soon she would show her true form to me. It was just a matter of time.
Yet what confused me more than anything was how the General openly offered my companionship to this golden-eyed vampire. I had never doubted his intentions, let alone protested his order; however, I was still unable to stop the growing suspicion. What is my surrogate father planning?
The sounds of hooves pawing on the cloister and the occasional snorts from my beloved horse distracted me from the endless pondering. I walked to where our handsome animals were resting and munching on their share of wet grasses. They were the best breed in the region of Siberia—strong like a mountain ox and fast like stormy wind. The Cossacks gave them to our hunters as a friendship tie many years back. We took great care of them and trained them since they were just foals.
Anastasia and I came to stand before the head-bobbing and ear-twitching animals. A few Cossacks and my teammates watched us from a distance. Obviously, Trotsky had not permitted anyone to accompany the imperial princess aside from me.
"You may choose a horse," I said, pointing to a huge chestnut waiting. "The areas surrounding the base stretch as far as the mountain slope. We can only cover it on horseback. Do you ride?"
But she only answered me with a smirk.
Exasperated by her silent mockery, I walked off to my white steed, Stardust, and swiftly swung myself over the saddle like I had done a thousand times before. All the while, I could feel Anastasia's chilling gaze on my every move. She was never concerned about being caught staring. She was brought up as a princess and got she wanted with no one to object her. I had given up hinting that she had no respect towards me, and when I looked back at her, she would only hold our gaze longer. I looked away, unable to stand the heat of her stare and gestured to the other horse impatiently.
Once Anastasia stepped closer, the horse jumped in fright, raising his front hooves in a wild protest.
Anastasia backed back but she showed no sign of being surprised by the wild reaction. If anything, she looked almost satisfied. I frowned as she turned to me again.
"Horses are not that fond of me, I guess." She smiled.
I bit my lips. My eyes darted to the few on-looking hunters, and they quickly cleared out of the place. Turning my face to the princess again, I caught her smiling with a gleam in her golden eyes.
"You scared the horse on purpose!" I hissed. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to!"
"Horses are instinctive animals," she said with a shrug. "And being what I am, they would never find comfort in getting close to me, unless I've raised them myself."
There was a brief moment of silence between us. Then the princess stepped towards Stardust.
"She doesn't seem to be afraid of me, does she?" Anastasia said, smiling her annoying smile.
"No," I said, holding my chin up. "She's never afraid of anything."
Anastasia looked at me for a moment then before I could say anything, she rushed over and gracefully swung herself onto the saddle behind me. Stardust hissed at the unexpected extra weight and stomped her strong hooves on the ground but settled down again. I was too stunned to speak. Anastasia wrapped my arms around my waist and leaned over my shoulder. Her breath brought out a shivering chill in my body.
"I believe the horse is as brave as the rider, and that they wouldn't mind having me, would they?" Anastasia whispered. I wanted to turn around and lash out at the princess, but I held my tongue back. It was no use fighting over this.
"No, we wouldn't," I muttered and pried her cold hands off of me roughly.
"I might fall, you know," she said with amusement thick in her voice and put her hands back where they were before.
I gritted my teeth but found no wit to rebuke. Infuriatingly, I pulled my red hood over to hide my flushed face and tugged on the reins of my horse. Stardust backed herself a few steps before bursting into a speedy gallop, going in the direction of the main gate. The whole time, I could still feel Anastasia's irritating smile behind me.
Snowflakes began to fall leisurely over the paleness of the frozen earth. We raced over the well-worn path until we reached the mouth of the wood. Dark tall trees like columns of black ice soon surrounded us. Then I made my mount slow down into a gentle trot. The path was no longer visible once we went further. Ahead of us was a frozen creek, leaving what little water there was to run through the ice-jagged edges.
The entire ride was somberly silent except for the callings of winter birds over the treetops. All the while, I was ridiculously aware of Anastasia pressing herself against my back. My cheeks grew hotter as the sway of the horse drew our bodies closer. We had gone far from the camp about a mile, and I began to introduce to her all the hidden traps. I knew the areas like the back of my hand.
Suddenly, Anastasia pointed at one of the farthest trees behind a hill.
"What is that?" she asked. I didn't see that far, but I understood what she was referring to. It was a shadowed gimlet-eyed detector buried in a hole of the tree. Its transparent detection screen was impossible to spot.
"That's Vigilante's surveillance system," I told her. "It has digital monitors that unites back at the camp. It can detect the temperature at night and stays awake even if security personnel fall asleep. We have them hooked up around the border about ten miles from the base."
"Does it detect everything that moves in the forest?" she said a bit skeptically.
"No," I said. "The traps and any artificial types of equipment do no harm to animals. The Vigilante detects not the heat but the cold—technically those who are cold-blooded. But don't worry, Damir must have turned it off before you came here."
I could feel her grimace at the way I referred to her kind.
"Is that your Damir's invention, too?"
I didn't know why the question irritated me.
"Damir's been the seeing eye of our operations over the years," I said. "Everyone appreciates his talent."
"Is there something else you appreciate about him?" she asked again. It wasn't the words, but how she said it that ignited my nerves. I turned my head to look at her, but her face was a mask I couldn’t read.
"What do you mean?" My tone came out bitter than I had intended.
"Does he treat you well?" she was clearly ignoring my question.
"At least, he respects me," I retorted. "And I can't deny what's between him and me."
For a moment, I wished I hadn't said that. I could feel Anastasia's body stiffened against mine. We were alone and far from anyone. She could have done all harms to me, and I wouldn't be able to take her down even with all my years of training. Anastasia Romanov wasn't a normal vampire. I had witnessed her strength and ability to attack our hunters. A fraction of my mind had been constantly warning me of this fierce princess.
My hand inched slowly towards the hilt of my hunting blade on my belt. If she moved in a more suspicious way, I would strike without a second thought, but then the blonde princess merely let out a bored grunt.
"Let's move on," she said.
I relaxed my shoulders and drew my hand back from the hidden weapon. We rode through the wood, passing trees with their branches spread out like witch fingers. Then Stardust p
assed by some blackberry bushes that were half dead from the cold but still bore a few leftover berries. I knew she loved those berries so I let her stop to munch on them. The earthy scent of the forest was crisp with traces of rotten leaves. My breath came out in smoky puffs. One in a while Stardust would snort and toss her hair to shake off the snow. I reached over and rubbed her ears.
"What's your horse name?" Anastasia suddenly spoke again. I was somewhat startled by the question.
"Stardust," I murmured.
There was silence afterward. She was thinking something. When I didn't hear her speak, my head turned slightly to look at her.
"How strange," she said softly and bore her golden eyes into mine. I was immediately entranced by that steady glowing gaze once again and unable to look away. "I also named my own horse Stardust."
An accretion of astonishment rose inside me. I didn't know how to take such a playful twist of fate between us. Anastasia stared at me with steady eyes. I could feel her chest rising and falling against my back. Her breath was cold as it brushed over my neck, but it was strangely gentle and comforting. The winter wind blew through her flowing silken hair, swirling it about her shoulders like a golden cloak. The scent that came off her skin was unbelievable. I found myself shamelessly inhaling her sweet scent.
Her perfect lips, plump and forever crimson, parted softly as her face leaned closer towards mine. My heart pounded as I realized I could have fallen prey to her lust again. How could I have been so careless? She was a vampire, capable of devious seduction. She must have been waiting for me to let my guard down and would do anything to lure me in as her prey.
"Don't you dare," I said brusquely and snapped my head away from the bewitching princess. Anastasia let out a sigh of exasperation, and at the same moment, her strong bone-chilling hand reached up from behind me and cupped my jaw, turning my face to her.
Anastasia Romanov (Sequel) Page 11