Pure (Book 1, Pure Series)

by Mesick, Catherine

  I was disappointed that Odette was gone. I really wanted to see her.

  GM patted my hand. "I know you haven't seen your cousin very much since you've been here, but it probably is best that you don't see her this morning. You should go back to bed, Solnyshko. Try to get more sleep. I'm going to call a doctor."

  I went back up the stairs, and I was surprised to realize that I was out of breath. I went to my room and climbed into bed. I had wanted to stay up, but now that I was lying down again, I was happy I had done what GM wanted.

  I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep.

  I woke up several hours later when I heard clanking sounds just outside my door. GM came in with a tray. I sat up, and she set the tray across my lap.

  "What's this?" I asked.

  "It's lunch. Unless you decide you would like something more solid," GM said. "It's chicken broth and juice. And, of course, you have your water. The doctor said you should force fluids. He also said that if the fever doesn't come down by tomorrow morning that you should come in to see him. I couldn't find a thermometer in the house. I wish Odette had stopped in to see me before she left. I could have asked her to pick one up. I'll have to wait till she comes back now. I can't leave you alone."

  I looked down at the broth. "Thanks, GM, this is perfect. Solid food for lunch doesn't sound too great right now."

  After lunch, I fell asleep again. When I awoke, the light peeking out from behind the closed curtains had dimmed, and the day was clearly wearing away. I took a deep breath. My chest and my throat weren't as sore as they had been, and the chills I had felt seemed to have gone away. My mind was clearing, too. Things were not nearly as hazy as they had been for the few hours I had been awake earlier.

  My thoughts turned to William and the way he had looked last night. I wished I knew where he was. I remembered suddenly that I had called for him once, and he had come to me.

  I hesitated to call him now. GM would surely not be happy to see him, and his presence would be hard to explain. I would have to wait till after she had gone to bed to try calling him.

  I realized that I would have to go out myself after GM was asleep, too. I had to go back to the stone ring and retrieve the clear fire again. Odette was likely to be out at her ball, so getting by her wouldn't be a problem.

  Now that Gleb's plane had landed, it was even more important for me to retrieve the clear fire. Gleb was likely to be back in Krov, and he would be after me. I reached for the iron cross I wore all the time now. I understood now that the cross could throw Gleb off my trail, but he surely knew that my family had once lived in this house. The vampire Innokenti had said that Gleb would find me. This house would be one of the first places he would look.

  I couldn't let that happen. I had to go out myself and find Gleb before he showed up here and became a threat to GM and Odette.

  I frowned as I realized that Gleb was unlikely to be alone – Innokenti had said as much. Galina seemed to be working for him, and I'd heard that he had a son. Aleksandr had also mentioned a 'keeper' – the man I had seen in the cave in Elspeth's Grove with Gleb. That could be Gleb's son, or it could be someone else.

  The presence of other people worried me. I could use the clear fire on Gleb. I doubted it would work on regular people.

  All of that was several hours away, though. I figured I should rest until then – maybe the aches in my body and my fever would go away by the time it was clear for me to go out.

  GM soon brought dinner up to me – more juice and broth, which was fine with me. I still wasn't in the mood for solid food.

  "Is Odette back yet?" I asked GM.

  "No," she said, frowning. "I do wish she would come home soon." GM leaned over to feel my forehead again. "You do look a bit better, but you're still hot. I wish I knew how high your temperature was."

  I took another nap after dinner and was awakened by a ringing telephone downstairs. The phone continued to ring for several minutes, and I tried to tune it out. I did drift off once more, but I soon woke up again.

  The phone was still ringing.

  It suddenly occurred to me that something might have happened to GM. My room was dark now, but I quickly got out of bed, and then swayed dizzily. I forced myself out the door and down the hall. I stopped just short of the stairs, when I heard the ring of the phone cut off abruptly.

  "What do you want," GM snapped. "Of course I knew it was you. We have caller ID, you know."

  There was a brief silence.

  "What do you mean your son's gone?"

  Another silence.

  "Galina, you're talking nonsense as usual."

  A pause.

  "I cannot possibly leave here. Katie is ill. You'll have to call the police – there's nothing I can do."

  The front door opened, and someone bustled in.

  "Annushka, I'm home!" Odette called cheerfully. "Annushka!"

  "Odette, please do not shout," GM said. "I will be with you in a moment. I'm trying to get rid of Galina."

  "What does Galina want?" Odette asked.

  "Galina claims that Aleksandr was just taken forcibly from their home and that she herself has been injured. She wants me to come over to see her. I'm trying to convince her to call the police."

  "Oh, no," Odette said. "You know Galina doesn't trust the police. You must go to her – help her. If you are with her, maybe you can convince her to be sensible."

  "I can't leave Katie," GM said. "Yes, you heard me correctly, Galina. I'm not coming."

  "Go to Galina," Odette urged. "I'll stay with Katie."

  "What about your ball?"

  "The ball is not important," Odette said firmly. "This is an emergency. I'll stay here and look after Katie. Galina needs you."

  "Well, you are a thoughtful girl, Odette," GM said. "Galina, I am coming over to help, but I want you to know that I do it against my better judgment."

  GM put the phone down rather more forcefully than was necessary, and moments later, she hurried out of the house.

  The front door slammed, and the sound jolted me out of my daze. I had frozen when I'd heard that Galina was on the phone. And I was disturbed by the fact that she was claiming that Aleksandr had been abducted. The real Aleksandr had been abducted some time ago, and Galina knew that. Did Galina mean the Leshi? And why was she claiming that she was injured?

  I started down the stairs, leaning heavily on the banister.

  Odette was in the hall surrounded by bags – no doubt the result of her day's shopping. She looked up at me and smiled.

  "Katie! I see you are doing much better."

  "Odette," I said, "we have to stop GM. I think something's not right about that phone call. Galina isn't—"

  I stopped. Odette was looking at me, puzzled.

  "Galina isn't to be trusted," I finished.

  "What? Katie, how could you say something like that?"

  I reached the bottom of the stairs. I wished now that GM, Aleksandr, and I had let Odette in on our conversation the other day, even if she would have thought we were crazy. She currently had no idea what Galina was really like.

  "Odette, I don't have time to explain everything, but Galina's dangerous, and whatever she's planning won't be good for GM. You have to believe me."

  Odette snorted. "Galina is dangerous? Don't be ridiculous. I have known her ever since I was a child. She is as good as good can be. Who told you something so absurd?"

  "Aleksandr, for one," I said. "And GM herself doubts her. And then there are the—"

  I almost said 'vampires,' but I stopped myself just in time. "Then there are the people in the town. They all suspect her."

  "Nonsense," Odette said. "Have you really been listening to the people in town? I've told you how superstitious this place can be."

  "Yes, Odette, but—"

  Odette gave me a level look. "Katie, please believe me. Galina is not dangerous, and she is not going to hurt Annushka. Trust me."

  I began to feel a bit foolish. I was dizzy and weak from the f
ever. Maybe I wasn't thinking straight. "I guess you're right, Odette."

  Odette smiled. "Of course I'm right. Now you, Katie, are looking much better than you were this morning. You do feel better, don't you?"

  "Yes, I do."

  Odette gave me a knowing look. "You know, I can see it. You want to go to the ball with me. Don't try to tell me you don't. I can see it in your eyes. And now that you're better, there's no reason why you can't go."

  "But, GM wouldn't like it."

  "Annushka won't mind, especially not now that you're better. Actually, she'd be happy you were out enjoying yourself. Think of it – the beautiful gowns, soft lights, lovely music, handsome young men. Deep down, don't you really want to go?"

  I pictured the things she mentioned, and I found myself longing to go the ball. "Yes, I would like that."

  Odette smiled. "Wonderful! Thank you, Katie. I'm so glad you're going with me. Let's go upstairs and get dressed."

  Odette gathered up all her bags and hurried up the stairs. I followed her much more slowly.

  "This way, Katie! Come down to my room."

  I went to Odette's room, the same one she had had as a child when she had stayed with us. I hadn't been in her room since I had arrived at the house again after so many years. I looked around. Odette hadn't changed her room a bit from the days when I had lived with her. Her little rag doll still sat in her own rocking chair in a corner, and paintings she had done on construction paper still hung on the walls.

  It was not the room of a woman in her twenties.

  Odette dropped her bags on the floor and went to her closet. She pulled out a floor-length red gown and held it up to me. As she did so, she rested her hand on my shoulder for a moment, and I felt something tickle my neck. I ignored it.

  "I know this will look lovely on you," Odette said, "and we're about the same size. I told you I had a dress you could borrow."

  She put the dress into my arms and then piled up a number of things on top of it.

  "Now, go get dressed, put on your makeup, and run a brush through your hair. It's fine if you just leave it down – it's such a pretty color. Quickly, now. We don't want to be late."

  I hurried to my room, and in a quicker time than I would have thought was possible, Odette and I were both dressed and headed down the stairs.

  Odette looked really beautiful. She'd left her red hair long and flowing, and her ivory skin was luminous. She was wearing white, and she gave off a palpable aura of glamour.

  "Odette, you look like an angel," I said, when we'd reached the bottom of the stairs.

  Odette laughed and threw a wrap around my shoulders. "Thank you."

  She led me to the door. I was still feeling shaky and my dizziness hadn't been helped by my recent exertions – light though they were.

  "Odette," I said. "I'm out of breath. I don't think I can take walking to the ball. I should stay here."

  "Don't be silly," Odette replied. "We aren't walking – we're taking a cab. I called one while we were getting dressed."

  She opened the door, and sure enough, a cab was waiting outside.

  "Come on, now." Odette ushered me out into the night, and we got into the cab.

  Before long, we were deposited in front of the Mstislav mansion. The place was lit up by multiple floodlights, and the red banners that I had seen earlier were fluttering in the breeze – they seemed to realize that a celebration was under way.

  Throngs of well-dressed people were climbing the wide marble steps of the mansion, and the jewelry of the women glittered in the light.

  A man took Odette's invitation at the door, and we went into a vast hall. Guests were making their way to an even larger room beyond.

  Odette frowned and looked around. "Where is Timofei? He should be here to greet his guests."

  "Who's Timofei?" I asked.

  "Timofei Mstislav – I told you about him. He's the son of Gleb Mstislav. I really wanted you to meet him. He is very handsome. Let's look for him."

  I trailed along after Odette. It was very warm in the mansion, and I began to feel very weak and light-headed. I pressed my hand against my face, and my skin was hot and damp. Soon I lagged behind Odette and lost sight of her completely. I leaned against a sculpture of a Greek goddess swathed in draperies and closed my eyes.

  Having a place to rest felt really good, and I let my body relax. The sound of the crowd began to fade, and I found myself in blissful darkness.

  "Oh, Katie, I'm so sorry."

  I opened my eyes. Odette was standing in front of me. I glanced over at the goddess. I had no idea how long I'd been hanging on her. It was possible I had even dozed off.

  "You must be tired after your recent illness. And I can't find Timofei anywhere. How about I take you somewhere where you can rest, and then I'll keep searching for him?"

  I nodded, and Odette led me to the back of the house, this time going more slowly so I could keep up.

  She stopped by a door and lit a candle. Then she led me outside.

  There was a door in the ground, like a cellar door, and she led me down a flight of stairs into darkness. Then she led me down another set of stairs and into a long hall. She opened a door in the hall and led me into a cool stone chamber that was full of large stone boxes. A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with my illness. I realized that the stone boxes were big enough to hold coffins. In the area that I could see by candlelight, there was a thick black smoke whirling around in the chamber.

  "Odette, what is this place?'

  "This is the Mstislav crypt."

  "Why would you bring me here?"

  "The townspeople are saying that Gleb Mstislav was sealed in this crypt, and that someone let him out."

  "I heard that," I said.

  "Did you hear who it was?"

  "I heard it was Galina," I said.

  Odette laughed. "Galina does not have the power to break a seal like the one that was on this crypt. It would have to be someone like you – someone with real power."

  My mind was fuzzy. "I don't understand what you're saying. I didn't open this crypt."

  "I'm saying you're not the only one with power anymore. I have power now, too. I'm the one who opened the crypt."

  "You – what?" I was sure I had heard her wrong. "How could you open the crypt?"

  "I'm a vampire."

  Chapter 19.

  I was sure I hadn't heard Odette correctly.

  "You're a—"

  "Vampire," Odette finished for me. "I even have the teeth."

  Odette gave me a mirthless smile.

  A few things fell into place. "So, that's why you've been gone during the day," I said. "You weren't really out shopping all that time."

  "No," Odette said.

  Some instinct made me reach for the iron cross I always wore around my neck now. My neck was bare.

  Odette laughed. "I took the cross back in my room. It doesn't bother me, but it might distract Gleb a little. You didn't even notice. And you know why? Because I didn't want you to notice. I wanted you to be distracted. Just like I wanted you to come to this ball. I have the power of persuasion now."

  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Odette, how did this happen to you? Were you attacked?"

  "No – I wasn't attacked. I chose this." Odette was suddenly angry just like she had been when I'd asked about her parents. "All I ever heard about growing up was you – how wonderful you were. How special you were. How much Galina wished you lived with us so she could teach you. I tried to get her to teach me instead, but she said she could teach only you. She said you had powers. Well, I have powers now, too."

  "You volunteered to be a vampire?" I said.

  Odette was triumphant. "Timofei approached Galina – asked her to help him free Gleb and catch you. Galina turned him down. Then he approached me. I said yes. I don't think Galina had any idea. But I didn't know where you were, and I didn't have any abilities of my own. So, I haunted the Pure Woods until I found a vampire. I was in luck –
I found an old one. My blood is strong. Like I said, I have powers. I unsealed the crypt. And when you showed up on my doorstep I was delighted – I'm the one who told Timofei you were here, so he knew to come back. That's why Timofei and Gleb are in Krov."

  "Then, Galina really is innocent – of everything."

  "I told you that," Odette said. "How dare you insult my foster mother?"

  "But what about the poison?" I asked. "I heard my mother was poisoned and that Galina was suspected."

  "Galina didn't poison your mother. Gleb did. In fact, he used the same poison on her that I gave to you."

  The horror I was already feeling increased a hundredfold. "You – you poisoned me?"

  "The alosa tea was poisoned – the same as it was in the old days. Gleb owned the company that produced the tea your mother bought. When he found out she bought it, he had an extra element introduced."

  "That's crazy," I said. "Gleb would have poisoned everyone who bought the tea. There's no way he could have known which particular box she would buy. It wouldn't have worked."

  Odette smiled. "You don't know what the poison was. It's something that only works on the Sídh. Normal people would not be affected – although I suppose it's not really great for normal people."

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "Vampire blood."

  I felt a wave of revulsion wash over me. "Vampire blood?"

  "In the old days, Gleb had connections. He had vampire volunteers donate the blood. Then it was freeze-dried and added to the loose tea – he didn't really need a lot. And when Timofei decided to come after you, and you came to my house, I simply added some of my own blood to my tea. Mine was fresher though – it dried on the leaves. I added some to those blueberry muffins, too."

  I remembered now that the muffins had tasted odd. And you thought it was canned blueberries rather than fresh, I thought.

  "That's why I'm ill," I said. "I'm sick just like my mother was."

  "Yes, you are," Odette said. "And ingesting my blood also makes you more susceptible to my powers of persuasion. It's too bad – now that you know, you'd get better in a few days if you stopped drinking it. But I don't think you're going to get that chance. I'm going to get Timofei now, and I imagine he'll get his father. I haven't met Gleb yet. But I think we'll both get to meet him tonight."