Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series)

by Mesick, Catherine

  I felt a brief stab of guilt when he mentioned GM.

  "It's not GM," I said.

  "But she must have questions by now," William protested. "She must wonder what my intentions are."

  I couldn't help smiling. "That a very old fashioned phrase, William."

  William did not seem to share my amusement. "Are you telling me that your grandmother has never had any questions about me?"

  "I wouldn't say she's never had any questions about you," I replied. I was feeling worse and worse about the turn the conversation had taken. "But she hasn't had any questions about you since we returned from Russia."

  My mind slipped back briefly to a dark crypt—a crypt that William had rescued me from. Back in October, William and I had both traveled to Krov, Russia. We were very lucky to have survived the trip.

  "Why hasn't she had any questions?" William demanded.

  I took a deep breath—I had a feeling William wasn't going to like the answer. "Because GM doesn't know you're in Elspeth's Grove. She thinks you stayed in Russia."

  "What?" William stopped walking and stared at me, his expression angry and incredulous.

  He continued to stare at me, and I began to feel distinctly nervous.

  "Your grandmother doesn't know I'm in Elspeth's Grove," he said slowly. "So she doesn't know that we've been meeting?"

  "No—I was afraid she would forbid me to see you."

  "Katie, I insist upon meeting your grandmother." William's anger seemed to swell up and surround both of us. It felt like a solid, tangible thing. "We cannot go on like this."

  "You've already met her," I said. "Twice."

  That was true, though my bringing it up was really more of an excuse than anything else. GM had glimpsed William briefly in our dark kitchen back in October, and he had come to visit us at our house in Russia once all the trouble was over. It was at that second meeting that William had told me that we would have to part forever. I had told GM what he had said then—I'd just never told her that he had later changed his mind and come back to me.

  "Katie, you know what I mean," William said sternly. "I want to see your grandmother. I want her to know I'm here. I don't want to see you without her knowledge."

  "William," I said, feeling panic rising within me, "what if she says I can't see you?"

  "We'll deal with that if it happens," William replied firmly. "But it's best for her to know. She loves you—she wants to protect you."

  I thought bringing GM into things was a mistake—I thought it was too risky. But at the same time, I could see that I wasn't going to win the argument.

  I sighed. "All right. I'll see if I can set something up."

  Anger flashed in William's eyes. "Set something up? Katie, you're not taking this—"

  William stopped suddenly and glanced around sharply.

  I looked around, too, trying to see what had attracted his attention, but we appeared to be completely alone. As we stood silently, I noticed that the woods around us were quiet and somehow watchful—just as they had been when I had walked through them earlier.

  I thought once again of the fact that there were no houses nearby.

  William continued to stare at a fixed point somewhere off in the trees.

  "William, what's—"

  "Katie, get out of here," William whispered. He didn't turn to look at me.

  "William?"

  "Katie, go! Run!"

  I turned to do as he asked, panicked by the tone in his voice.

  I had not gone very far when someone stepped out of the trees and blocked my way.

  I looked up and found myself staring into the calm, pale eyes of a vampire.

  His name was Innokenti, and I had met him in the Pure Woods in Krov, Russia.

  He was friendly.

  Sort of.

  "Hello, little one." His voice, as I remembered only too well, was silky and just a little superior. His brown hair fell in a straight line to his chin, and his clothes were as picturesquely antique as they had been the last time I had seen him—he appeared to have stepped out of the Middle Ages.

  I noticed with some surprise that Innokenti was speaking English—when we'd last met he'd spoken only in Russian. I knew that he was centuries old—I supposed he'd had plenty of time to learn.

  Innokenti's presence here in these woods was deeply disturbing. I had believed that I would never see him again after I left Russia—and I certainly hadn't expected him to show up in my own small town. Seeing him again was like being revisited by a nightmare.

  "Innokenti," I stammered, taking a step back. "What are you doing here?"

  He bared his teeth in a smile that was far from reassuring—especially since it allowed me to see the unusually sharp outline of his teeth.

  "My friend and I," he said, "have traveled thousands of miles to pay you and William a visit. How fortunate we are to find the two of you together."

  Innokenti sent a significant nod over my shoulder, and I turned quickly.

  Standing next to William now was a man I didn't recognize—young, tall, dark of hair and eye, dressed all in black. William was staring at the newcomer with dislike, his body tense, his expression set into harsh lines. For his part, the newcomer was smiling malevolently at William.

  I had the distinct feeling that the two of them knew each other.

  Innokenti gestured to the young man. "Shall we go over so I may make introductions?"

  As Innokenti and I walked the short distance that separated us from William and the stranger, I had to remind myself that Innokenti had never done me any harm—in fact, he had actually given me information that had proved to be very helpful.

  But no matter how hard I tried to calm myself, I remained uneasy.

  Both Innokenti and his friend gave off a palpable air of danger.

  As we reached William and the stranger, both of them turned to look at me. I could see a muscle working in William's jaw, and the stranger's smile deepened as he looked me over with unpleasant scrutiny. His eyes met mine, and I was startled by just how dark they were. They were eyes with the depth of night in them.

  "Innokenti, get out of here," William said angrily. "And take him with you."

  "Now, now William," Innokenti replied mildly. "This is a friendly visit." He gestured to the stranger. "The two of you know each other, of course. But introductions are in order for the young lady."

  Innokenti gave me another one of his unnerving smiles. "Katie Wickliff, may I present my associate, Anton. You'll have to forgive us—we don't go in for surnames much in our community. Many of us do not like to dwell on the past."

  I looked to Innokenti. "Is Anton a—a—"

  "A vampire?" Innokenti asked. "Yes."

  "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Katie," Anton said. His voice was dark and smoky, and I had the feeling that he was laughing at me. He actually lifted my hand with his ice cold fingers and kissed it. He stared at me as he let my hand drop.

  He seemed to be waiting for a reply.

  I found that my throat was too dry to allow me to speak.

  Anton's amusement deepened. "Too stunned to speak? I have that effect on a lot of women."

  William grabbed Anton's coat and shook him. "Leave her alone."

  Malice lit up Anton's dark eyes. "I'm simply saying hello."

  "Gentlemen, please," Innokenti said. "I believe you're upsetting the little one. Our mission here is a benevolent one. We should all be pleasant to one another."

  William pushed Anton away and rounded on Innokenti. "Why did you bring him? If you wanted things to be pleasant, you should have left him at home."

  "William, your attitude isn't very charming," Innokenti admonished gently. "You should put your antagonism aside as Anton has done. This mission we are on is one of the gravest importance. Anton knows that, and that's why he very kindly volunteered to come with me."

  "Why did he have to come at all?" William said angrily. "If you truly need to speak with me, you should have come alone."

 
"William, you weren't listening," Innokenti replied patiently. "We have come here to see you and the little one, and this is no routine visit we are on. I am a messenger here. Anton has accompanied me in order to look out for my welfare."

  William snorted derisively. "He's your bodyguard? What do you need protection from? Me?"

  "Vampires are strong, but we are not completely invulnerable, William—you know that. And our mission here is a dangerous one."

  William's face grew grim, and he moved swiftly to stand in front of me.

  "Tell me what you need to tell me. But leave Katie out of this."

  I looked around William's shoulder. Anton gave me an unpleasant smile, and Innokenti spread out his hands apologetically.

  "I'm afraid I can't leave Katie out of anything," Innokenti said. "Katie is involved no matter how much we all might wish otherwise."

  William folded his arms across his chest. "Say what you have to say, and then get out of here."

  "Very well." Something steely came into Innokenti's light eyes. "You both have your duties, and you are both avoiding them. This is unacceptable."

  "Unacceptable to whom?" William asked. "To you?"

  "William, you know I do not speak for myself," Innokenti replied. "I speak on behalf of others. You, William, belong in Krov. You belong with us in the vampire colony there. You are valuable to us. You have special abilities—you alone amongst our number can fight the kost."

  "Are you being troubled by a kost at the moment?" William asked.

  Innokenti gave William a mirthless smile. "No—not at the moment. But our kind grows thirstier. You know what that means."

  Innokenti's pale eyes shifted to me. "And you, little one, you too, have a purpose. You are the Little Sun, and you are also destined to fight the kost. You owe us no particular allegiance, but your heritage confers certain obligations and responsibilities—ones that cannot lightly be ignored."

  "Little Sun?" Anton said with a mocking lilt in his tone. "So you're the one. How about I call you 'Sunshine'?"

  "So you say we have duties," William said, ignoring Anton. "What do you want from us?"

  "I propose that you and Katie return with me now," Innokenti replied. "You can return to the colony, William, and Katie can live in the house that was vacated by her cousin, Odette. You can live near one another, and possibly even work with one another whenever a kost rears its ugly head. But I would recommend that you put an end to all romantic involvement. Such a relationship will not meet with much approval."

  "And what if we refuse to go with you?" William asked.

  Anger flashed in Innokenti's eyes. "I would advise against it. But in the event that the two of you refuse, I would return to the colony and explain to them, with a heart full of regret, that I was unable to make you see reason."

  "You would not attempt to force us to return with you?" William asked.

  Innokenti's eyebrows rose. "William, we are vampires. We are not savages."

  William stared at Innokenti for a long moment, and then shook his head. "I don't understand what's going on here. You've admitted that the kost is not an immediate danger. And I can return to Russia any time I wish—you know that. There's no need for me to be in Russia on constant patrol. And you've already admitted that Katie owes you no allegiance. What does it matter to you where she lives? This must be about something else. There's something you're not telling me."

  Innokenti looked off into the trees, and then fixed William with a piercing stare.

  "William, you may not believe this, but you mean something to us—to the whole colony—something that has nothing to do with your unique talents. You are one of us—and we know that this human girl here matters to you. Anton and I are here to ensure your safety and hers. Forces we don't entirely understand yet are gathering. And the two of you would make convenient pawns."

  William was unmoved. "Then tell me what you do know. Give me all the information you have, and maybe I'll consider coming with you. Katie isn't to be involved in this—at all."

  Anger flashed once again in Innokenti's cool eyes. "Katie will be involved in this no matter what you want. There's a price on the girl's head, and there are two separate groups after her. I am telling you that she is not safe."

  "Who's after her?"

  "I cannot tell you that William. I am merely a humble servant of a greater power. I have told you too much already. I have only been authorized to tell you that it's in your best interests to return with us."

  "Then the answer is 'no,'" William said. "I'm not going with you and neither is Katie."

  Innokenti's eyes flicked to me. "Perhaps you should let the little one decide for herself. After all, she is the one in the greatest danger."

  William took a step toward Innokenti. "I won't allow Katie to be tricked into anything by you. That cousin of hers that you mentioned so cavalierly a few moments ago tried to kill her. If Katie goes back, her cousin may return, too, and try to finish what she started. Krov is far too dangerous for Katie. She's safer here with me."

  "What do you say, little one?"

  There was a strong hint of warning in Innokenti's voice, and I felt a wave of fear wash over me as I met his pale gaze.

  "I—I want to stay here with William."

  Innokenti displayed little outward reaction at my refusal, but he suddenly seemed to radiate rage. He turned toward William.

  "I'll give you one last chance. The girl doesn't really know enough of the world to make a reasonable decision, but you know something of the true darkness that exists out there. If you don't care about your own safety, then you should at least consider hers."

  "We're not going with you," William said curtly.

  Innokenti spread out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "As you wish, William. But remember this: I tried to help you."

  Innokenti backed up a few paces, and his eyes flicked to me once more. "You cannot remain with him, little one. They will not allow it."

  He melted into the woods. Anton gave me a wink and a smile, and then he too, seemed to vanish into the trees.

  I looked at William. He was staring at the spot where Anton and Innokenti had just stood. His face seemed set in stone.

  After a moment, he looked around at me.

  "We need to go to your house now. I need to be able to protect you."

  Chapter 2.

  William and I walked through the trees in silence.

  I was rattled, and I could tell he was worried.

  Cursed, damned, outcast.

  Those were words that William had used to describe himself on more than one occasion, and words that had floated through my mind back at the skating rink.

  In a way, those same words could be used to describe me.

  I let my mind stray to the words it had shied away from before.

  Vampire. Sìdh.

  They were words that did not properly belong to this world. And yet I knew they were part of this world all the same.

  William had been one of the Sìdh once—a race of bright, immortal creatures of great power. And then he had been attacked by a vampire and turned—though how long ago this had occurred exactly, I did not know. The Sìdh had cast him out, taken his memories, left him to wander. He had found an unexpected home with the vampires of Krov, Russia—the village in which I had been born.

  And I myself was a descendent of the Sìdh. My grandfather had been sent to Krov to found a line of humans with Sìdh blood—something the Sìdh did every so many generations in fulfillment of an ancient treaty. The children of such unions were gifted with a unique ability, and an obligation, to combat evil spirits of great strength and age—particularly one known as the kost.

  A kost was an evil spirit inhabiting—and animating—a human corpse.

  My mother was the only child of this particular Sìdh union, and like all those before her, she was known as the Little Sun. She was ordained by her birth to be the protector of Krov, and in this capacity she had fought and imprisoned a kost named Gleb Mstisl
av in his family's crypt. And he had worked in secret to poison and kill her.

  My father had died shortly before her in an ordinary accident—he had died while hiking. And I had been left an orphan in the care of my grandmother, GM, who knew nothing of my grandfather's true nature or my mother's purpose in life.

  And then this past October Gleb had escaped from his crypt, aided by his son Timofei and my own cousin Odette. Gleb had come after me in Elspeth's Grove, hoping to kill me. My struggle with him took me to Russia, where William and I had worked together to destroy him.

  On my mother's death, I had become the new Little Sun, though I didn't even know any such thing existed. And shortly after my sixteenth birthday I had begun to have visions, which I had learned were meant to help me in my battle against creatures like Gleb. But after Gleb had been defeated, and I had returned to Elspeth's Grove, the visions had stopped.

  I had thought that it was over—that the darkness in Krov was something I had left behind forever. I had thought that I was free to live in Elspeth's Grove in peace with William.

  But there were vampires from Krov in Elspeth's Grove now, and if they were telling me the truth, there was a price on my head now.

  I shivered as I thought of Anton and Innokenti. How long had they been following William and me? How long had they been watching us? Had they seen me at the house with GM?

  I didn't want her to be in danger because of me.

  "How did they find us?" I asked William.

  William blinked as if I had startled him out of his train of thought. "What was that?"

  "Innokenti and Anton," I said. "How did they find us? I'm sure I never told Innokenti that I lived in Elspeth's Grove."

  William laughed—a strangely humorless sound. "You need not have told Innokenti anything. He has ways of finding things out."

  William lapsed back into silence.

  "You and Anton appear to know each other," I said after a moment.

  "Yes," William replied reluctantly. "He lived in the vampire colony in Krov at the same time as I did."

  "The two of you don't get along?" I asked.

  "No."

  "Why not?"