Zosime bent forward, taking the corners of her sheer, maroon dress into her hands, as she bowed to Rose. “My Eklektos, may I, please, have this dance?”
Rose cringed, as if the request had caused her actual pain. “You traitor!”
Erik elbowed her. “Be nice. Her power would really help us in the war.”
“I am being nice,” Rose said. “I’m trying to save her from the humiliation of dancing with me.” Her gaze shifted toward Zosime. “I’m not a good dancer.”
Amusement danced in Zosime’s brown eyes. “I know. I’ve foreseen it.”
“Oh. Great,” Rose muttered sarcastically. “That’s just…so comforting.”
“Please?” Zosime said again. Her proud smile made it clear that she knew exactly how hard it was for Rose to say no to that. “Don’t make me bow again.”
“Oh, for goodness sakes!” Rose complained. She climbed to her feet and spread out her arms. “I see what Ligeia meant, now. You literally can’t be refused.”
Zosime chuckled. “Ligeia would have you think that she’s actually tried.”
Rose frowned curiously, but before she could ask, Zosime took her hand.
Rose tried to protest—again—but Zosime was already leading her by the hand, toward the dance floor, and her voice got lost in the music. Zosime swept her around and took her hand, straightening her shoulders and lifting her elbows as they began to dance. Her black curls swept her dark shoulders as she lifted her chin elegantly. “Oh, great,” Rose muttered sarcastically. “It’s a fancy dance, too.”
Zosime laughed warmly. “Do you know what I like most about you, my Eklektos?” she said, as she led Rose in a dance that vaguely reminded Rose of the waltz. “You’re so far from everything that everyone expected the Eklektos to be.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty good at disappointing people,” Rose said distractedly.
Zosime laughed again. “You didn’t disappoint me,” she told her, taking Rose by surprise—so much so that Rose forgot to watch their feet and stumbled.
Luckily, Zosime swept her arm around Rose’s waist, holding her upright.
“Sorry,” Rose mumbled. “I did warn you not to dance with me, though.”
Zosime’s smile deepened. “You know I haven’t always lived here, right?”
“I didn’t know, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Rose admitted. “Your accent is a little different, and you sometimes refer to the Skotalians as if you aren’t one.”
Zosime nodded. “I am a citizen of this kingdom—because I chose to be one, not because I was born here. I came to live here several thousand years ago.”
“Wow,” Rose said, still stunned by her age. “Did you…see it in a vision?”
“Yes and no,” Zosime said, her ruby-red lips curving. “I wasn’t in control of my power, at the time. I saw fragments, here and there, of my future. I saw my best friend—Princess Myrinne—but I didn’t see the Kingdom of Skotalia itself.”
“Your best friend?” Rose said with a smile. “You’re very close to her.”
“Yes,” Zosime confirmed. “I can think of no one I’m closer to than her.”
Rose squinted curiously at that. “Not even Ligeia?” she teased. Her smile deepened, as Zosime chuckled. “Come on. The curiosity about that is killing me.”
“I’m sure,” Zosime said. She leaned closer. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you forgive me for what I told your lover, I’ll tell you what happened with Ligeia.”
Rose narrowed her eyes. “Or you could just tell me what you told Kara.”
“I can’t,” Zosime told her. “Now, is your curiosity worth forgiveness?”
Rose shrugged. “I was never actually angry at either of you. I’m just sassy.”
“Ah, yes. I enjoy that,” Zosime laughed. “Right. So, let’s start with how I came to live here. I, like you, accessed my abilities early. My dreams would often predict the future. My village called me a witch. That, in and of itself, wasn’t bad.”
“That was before the days of burning witches at the stake,” Rose guessed.
“Yes,” Zosime said, “though some cultures still feared them.” Her brows furrowed. “My village, however, had a strong respect for witches. I was never in any danger with them. Unfortunately, I was only ever able to see the future—not change it. When I predicted a particularly terrible year, in which most of my family and friends would die, I tried everything to stop it. We stored water ahead of the drought, but people still died. We tried to keep the peace, but…suffering brings out the worst in people. Everything happened, exactly as I’d seen in the dream. I’d changed nothing. Fate is a cruel, unstoppable force—for most of us, anyway.”
Rose frowned at that last part, but Zosime didn’t elaborate. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s kind,” Zosime said with a smile, “but it was many millennia ago, now. I barely remember it.” Her smile turned wistful. “I do remember the night Myrinne came to me, though. She’d heard of me. Because of everything she knew would happen, because of the role she would play in your story now, she needed someone with my power. So, she came to see me—as I grieved for loved ones.”
Rose’s frown deepened. “You weren’t upset that she came to you then?”
“No,” Zosime said. “She was kind to me. She comforted me, even.” She smiled, as she noticed Rose’s confusion. “I know the princess acts cold and aloof most of the time, but she has another side to her. Much like your lover—who has a soft side—despite her tough, devil-may-care attitude. People are complicated.”
Rose lifted her eyebrows. “Modern idiom—used correctly. Impressive.”
“I studied well,” Zosime said. Then, with a laugh, she added, “I may have also used my power to confirm you’d make that specific comment afterward.”
Rose laughed at that. “Cheater.”
Zosime smiled. “Princess Myrinne stayed with me for months afterward. She’d lost her own family, so she knew how I felt. We became friends, and when she left to return to Skotalia, she told me that I didn’t have to come with her, that she could find someone else if I didn’t want to. But I realized that I did want to.”
Rose blinked in surprise. “So, you gave up your life for a friendship?”
“It’s odd that you would be surprised,” Zosime said, “being the one who regularly tries to sacrifice her life for her friends.” She offered an apologetic smile.
“Ah,” Rose said, wincing a little, “you saw that, too, then.”
“I saw many visions of my future,” Zosime told her, “and I liked the role I would play. I liked my relationships, my career, my beautiful garden… I saw no reason to refuse myself such a future. So, I came here—and joined the kingdom.”
“And somehow became Ligeia’s girlfriend and ex-girlfriend,” Rose said.
Zosime laughed at her insatiable curiosity. “Wife and ex-wife, actually.”
Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. “You were married? And divorced?”
“That is what it means, isn’t it?” Zosime chuckled. “Vampires live a long time, my Eklektos. Sometimes, we fall in love. Sometimes, we fall out of love.”
The music changed, transitioning into a faster, bouncier song, and Rose found herself dancing a faster dance with the ancient vampire. “What happened?”
“Must something happen,” Zosime said with a shrug, “for a fire to fade?”
“Do the fires always fade?” Rose asked hesitantly. “In your experience.”
Zosime smiled and glanced over Rose’s shoulder, at the blue-and-black-haired warrior, who’d returned to her table and was drinking a glass of wine. “You want me to tell you how long your relationship with the Viking warrior will last?”
“What? No, that’s not what I…” Rose trailed off. “I just wondered if…”
“I see the future, my Eklektos,” Zosime said. “I can tell you if it’ll last.”
“You see that?” Rose said breathlessly. “Right now? You already know?”
“You seem scared,” Zosime pointed out. “Are you
afraid of what I see? Don’t you want to know if your mischievous heartbreaker will break your heart?”
“No,” Rose told her. The answer came from somewhere deep within her, before she even considered the offer. It was something she knew without a doubt, something she felt with every fiber of her being. “I don’t want to know if she’ll break my heart. I just want to enjoy our love while it lasts. She’s worth the pain.”
“What a lovely sentiment,” Zosime said. “She’d be a fool to let you go.”
A surprised smile spread across Rose’s face. “Thanks. That’s really nice.”
Zosime stepped back when the song ended, and once again, she bowed, lifting her sheer gown with her fingers—in a kind of curtsy. She straightened and smiled, amused by the flustered look on Rose’s face. “As a royal advisor, I had to learn the traditions and etiquette of this kingdom very quickly,” she explained to Rose, “and I did so—happily. But it’s still so much fun to watch the person they respect the most completely uproot their idea of proper. You’re quite the treat.”
“I don’t get it,” Rose muttered. “Why would they respect me…most?”
Zosime didn’t answer that. Instead, she glanced over Rose’s shoulder, at the table, where Kara, Erik, and Elise sat. “Your warrior seems a bit nervous.”
Rose nodded. “She’s worried you’ll tell me the truth.”
Zosime smiled. “Well, let’s go put her mind at ease, shall we?”
Rose followed her back to the table. “Or you could tell me the truth.”
Kara handed her wine glass to Elise and stood. She met Rose and Zosime at the edge of the dance-floor. Her eyes narrowed at Zosime. “Everything okay?”
“I didn’t tell her the secret,” Zosime said, “if that’s what you’re asking.”
Rose flashed a sassy smile at Kara. “I’m still going to find out, though.”
Kara’s gaze shifted toward Rose—icy and heated, all at once. She leaned in and whispered in Rose’s ear, “What happened to keeping your eyes on me?”
Rose blushed at the reminder. “Zosime demanded that I dance with her.”
“Hmm,” Kara murmured with a smile. She plucked the yellow rose from Rose’s hand and held it up. “So, this is what I have to do to get you to dance with me.” She grinned, amusement gleaming in her light blue eyes. “Bring you roses?”
“Zosime’s methods were actually much crueler than that,” Rose told her.
Zosime leaned in, to whisper conspiratorially in Kara’s ear, “I bowed.”
Kara’s grin tilted mischievously. “Ah. So, that’s the secret weapon.”
Rose shot a deadly glare at Kara. “You better not.”
Kara snorted, “Don’t worry. I’ll wait until we’re alone.” She brushed her mouth against Rose’s ear, as she murmured, “I think you’ll enjoy the way I do it.”
Heat rushed to Rose’s face. “I…have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Liar,” Kara whispered. She returned her attention to Zosime. “Are you sitting with us?” She glanced toward Princess Myrinne’s table, where Ligeia stood, occasionally glancing their way. “Or did you want to flirt with your ex-girlfriend?”
“Ex-wife,” Rose corrected, her eyebrows lifting. “Zosime was married.”
“Really?” Kara said—though she didn’t seem too surprised. “Interesting.”
Zosime smiled. “I promised the Eklektos I would sate her curiosity,” she informed Kara. “So, I suppose I’ll be staying with the two of you for a few hours.”
“I didn’t know you were curious about threesomes,” Kara teased Rose.
Rose rolled her eyes so hard that it actually hurt. Unable to hide her smile, Rose turned to Zosime. “Kara’s turning everything you say into a dirty joke.”
“I know,” Zosime assured her. Her smile matched Rose’s. “I’ve…”
“Foreseen it,” Rose finished. She nodded. “Of course you have.”
“So, basically,” Kara laughed, “Rose is the only one not in on the joke.”
Rose shook her head at the two women, who were both laughing at her. “I’m glad this joke worked out for you guys,” she muttered dryly, but her sarcasm didn’t really come through as she said it. The amusement, on the other hand, did.
With no homicidal queen to interrupt them, Rose soon realized that the Skotalians really enjoyed their parties. Enough so—that they never seemed to end.
After about an hour or so of listening to Zosime’s stories, Kara suddenly straightened. She smiled at the sound of clanging metal. “Who’s sword-fighting?”
“Some of the warriors, probably,” Zosime said dismissively. “Every time they get a good bit of blood-wine in their system, they wind up outside, fighting.”
“You think they’d object to an outsider challenging them?” Kara asked.
Zosime chuckled, “I think they’ll refuse to hurt the Eklektos’s warrior.”
Rose glanced at Kara, her eyes wide. “I think I’m glad they’ll refuse.”
Kara’s smile didn’t waver. “I can beat a ten-thousand-year-old warrior.”
Zosime lifted a dark eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“I’ll make them fight me,” Kara said with a smirk, “and I’ll win.”
Rose stared blankly at her. “Kara, I think you’ve had too much to drink.”
Zosime waved her hand. “I told you. This is how all of the warriors get.”
Kara stood. She shrugged out of her leather jacket and handed it to her very concerned girlfriend. “This will be fun! I haven’t used a longsword in years!”
“You’re not making me feel any better right now,” Rose complained. She shot a desperate look at Zosime. “Listen, I don’t know how you do what you do, but I need you to tell me how to talk my girlfriend out of getting herself killed.”
Zosime chuckled at Rose’s seriousness. “Say nothing, and she’ll survive.”
“Nothing?” Rose squeaked. Her next words were muffled by a drunken, fruit-and-blood-flavored kiss from Kara. She couldn’t help but lean into it a little, surrendering to the warmth of Kara’s mouth. But then, she pulled back. “Kara…”
Kara pressed a slightly unsteady finger against Rose’s lips. “I’ll be fine.”
“Shouldn’t I come with you, at least?” Rose asked, as Kara straightened.
Kara smiled. “Nah. If you’re watching, they might take it easy on me.”
Rose’s brows furrowed. “That…kind of sounds like a good thing to me.”
“I don’t need anyone to take it easy on me, sexy,” Kara said. “I win with skill alone.” She flashed a wicked grin and added, “And maybe a bit of cheating.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “You’re sure she’ll be all right?” she asked Zosime.
Zosime sipped her blood-wine, smiling over her glass. “Yes. Quite sure.”
Kara’s fingers found the back of Rose’s hoodie and tugged her backward. She smiled down at Rose, her fangs flashing in her mouth. “Kiss me, if I win?”
Rose scowled at her. “I’ll only be satisfied if you come back unharmed.”
Kara’s smile widened. “Mmm,” she murmured. “I do love a challenge.”
Heat rushed to Rose’s cheeks. She sighed, as she watched Kara leave the room. Kara slipped out, heading out of the temple and into an empty cavern area.
Zosime set her wine glass on the table. Her dark, brown gaze lingered on the glass, her brows furrowed in thought. “It was always so simple for me—what I felt for Ligeia. I knew what I felt, and I knew what I wanted,” she said, suddenly serious. “It was easy to be with her, easy to love her. Have you ever felt like that?”
The sudden question startled Rose out of her thoughts. Her bright blue gaze shifted toward Zosime, and she blinked a few times. “What?” she sputtered.
An amused smile quirked at one corner of Zosime’s lips. “I promised to sate your curiosity, remember?” she teased. “I’ve bored you with stories for hours. It’s time for me to finally answer your questions—about my mar
riage to Ligeia.”
Rose leaned forward, an excited smile spreading across her face. “I liked your stories, actually, and I’d understand, if you didn’t want to talk about Ligeia.”
“Aww, you’re sweet,” Zosime cooed, her brown eyes practically glowing with amusement, “but you’re clearly eager to find out. You can barely sit straight.”
“Because I’m not straight,” Rose said. Then, being the absolutely hopeless dork she was, Rose made the classic, ba-dum-tss drumming motion with her hands.
Zosime watched her with a baffled smile. “I don’t know what that hand motion meant,” she said, as a small giggle escaped her lips, “but it was very cute.”
“It means I’m a dork,” Rose informed her. “A big, cringe-worthy dork.”
The curve of Zosime’s mouth deepened. “You’re curious, and that’s fine. I’m happy to discuss my love life with my future friend,” she assured Rose. Her gaze drifted toward Ligeia, who continued to cast quick, periodic glances her way. “You didn’t answer me. Have you ever felt that way—with anyone you’ve dated?”
“I think you’re overestimating how many people I’ve dated,” Rose said.
“With Kara, then,” Zosime prodded. “Did you feel that way about her?”
“What? Simplistically in love? Sure of what I felt?” Rose said. Her brows furrowed, as she thought about it. Finally, she smiled and shook her head. “No.”
“Really?” Zosime said, her dark eyebrows lifting in disbelief. “Not at all?”
“My feelings for Kara have never been simple,” Rose told her. “They’re complicated and disorienting. Sometimes, they’re so intense, I can barely breathe. They always have been. Simple? Sure? I’d never use those words to describe it.”
Zosime lifted her glass to her lips. “What words would you use, then?”
Rose felt the sudden urge to smile, and she shrugged shyly. “With Kara,” she said, her chest fluttering, “everything always feels so…bright and explosive.”
A slow smile spread across Zosime’s face. “You mean like…fireworks?”
“Well, I was thinking more like an exploding star,” Rose said, frowning, “but yours sounds sweeter.” She looked up at Zosime. “I know, now, that I love her, that this crazy intensity is love, but there was never anything simple about it.”
The Reign of Darkness Page 43