by Jane Godman
“No. He is your choice, isn’t he? You couldn’t even stay away from him long enough to keep up the pretense.” His lips twisted into a parody of a smile. “That’s how it always was. Gerald was everyone’s first choice.”
“Don’t hurt him...” The words were out before she could stop them.
He laughed, his face up close to hers. “I won’t need to, Lidiya. You are going to do it for me.”
She shook her head. “Never.”
Reaching past her, he raised his hand, knocking three times on the door. As Lidi tried to squirm away from him, she heard a key turn in the lock, and two men entered. Fighting in earnest now, she kicked out at Vasily and attempted to run from the room.
“Tie her to the bed.” His voice was calm, all trace of anger gone now. “And bring me what I need for the amnesia hex.”
“No, please.” Lidi struggled as the two men carried her easily between them. “Vasily, you don’t need to cast a spell on me. I’ll do whatever you ask—”
Her pleas were cut short when Vasily tied a scarf around her mouth. At the same time, his servants were securing her hands and feet to the bedposts. Panic was like a weight settling on her chest, making the air too thick to breathe. She forced herself to concentrate. An amnesia hex. That meant he was going to make her forget. Forget what? Ged? Never. As long as she had breath in her body and blood in her veins, she would remember the man she loved.
Vasily was lighting candles. Black and foul-smelling, they gave off a thick, choking smoke. Leaning over her, he held out a piece of twine and slowly tied a knot in its length.
“With the first knot, your fate is sealed.” His eyes glittered like polished coal as he started to chant. “The memories begin to fade.”
Lidi twisted her head from side to side. No. Ged. She must keep him in her mind. She could see his face, hear his voice. She remembered dancing with him in Genoa, laughing when she got the steps wrong. There was no spell strong enough to make her forget him.
“With the second knot the darkness descends on your mind.” Vasily held the twine closer to her face as he made another twist.
Dancing. She was dancing and laughing. And there was something—someone—she must never forget. It was important, but so difficult because of the blackness that was creeping into her mind pushing out everything else.
“The third knot is the one that binds.” Vasily’s smile was both tender and triumphant. “Sews the discord and makes you mine.” He took the twine and tied it around her ankle. “While you wear this, your memory will belong to me. Only me, Lidiya, my bride to be.”
Lidi frowned. Had she been trying to recall something? Surely if it had been important, she would be able to remember it? Her head hurt, and every time she tried to think, dark shadows filled her mind.
Gently, Vasily removed the scarf from her mouth and untied her hands and feet. “All done. You should sleep now.”
She nodded. He was right. After all, the day after tomorrow was their wedding day.
Chapter 21
Ged only caught glimpses of Lidi the following day. Although he was slightly disappointed not to be able to talk to her, in her role as the king’s fiancée, she was busy with preparations for the Christmas-Eve ball. At the same time, he was planning Vasily’s downfall. It was hardly surprising their paths didn’t cross too closely. When he did see her, she appeared to be playing her part well and, although he was frustrated that he couldn’t snatch a private moment with her, he had several distractions of his own.
Partway through the afternoon, he tracked down Mikhail and presented him with two requests. “Can you open the gate in the wall of the servant’s courtyard?”
Mikhail nodded. “Consider it done.”
“And...uh, maybe get me something to wear for the Christmas-Eve ball?”
Mikhail started to laugh. “That one is not so easy. Even in Callistoya, you’re not exactly the smallest guy around.” He regarded Ged thoughtfully. “Would you consider wearing something that used to belong to your father?”
“It might feel a bit weird, but if that’s all you’ve got...”
A few hours later, he was standing in front of a full-length mirror in Mikhail’s room, studying his reflection. While it didn’t feel strange to be wearing one of his father’s well-cut, formal suits, it did strike an emotional chord. The garments fitted perfectly and his own resemblance to his father was stronger than ever. It was like looking back in time.
“If he could be here now—” Mikhail’s voice had a rough edge to it.
“If he was, none of this would be necessary,” Ged said. They spared a few moments of silence to remember the man they had both loved before Ged switched back to a businesslike tone. “Have my friends arrived?”
“Yes. I let them in through the door in the servants’ courtyard. They are in Zoya’s house. Even if Vasily was suspicious, that is the last place he would look.” Mikhail gave him a sidelong glance. “You have acquired some unusual allies during your absence.”
Ged laughed. “That’s a diplomatic way of putting it. I suppose a tiger, two dragons, two wolves, a panther and a snow leopard do appear out of place here in Callistoya.”
They went their separate ways, Mikhail heading down to the ballroom to oversee final preparations for the party while Ged made his way to the east cottage. The light was fading, but there were still a number of people around. Would anyone notice Lady Rihanoff’s bodyguard as he sneaked into Queen Zoya’s home? It seemed unlikely. Everyone appeared engrossed in their duties, all of which were directed toward the forthcoming celebration.
With a final glance around, he ducked his head and stepped into the small cottage. The scene that greeted him was amusing and heartwarming at the same time. Mikhail had clearly brought his organizational skills to bear and arranged some extra chairs around the edges of the room. The members of Beast, together with Hollie and Sarange, were seated on them. There was barely a spare inch of space.
“We’re taking it in turns to breathe.” Khan’s drawling tones greeted him. “There’s not enough room for us all to do it at once.”
“Take no notice.” Sarange rose gracefully to her feet and hugged Ged. “He’s been such a tiger since he found out he can’t get a cell-phone signal here.” She regarded him with her head to one side. “No. I’m never going to get used to that new look.”
Ged touched his fake beard. “I’m so accustomed to it, I’ve almost forgotten about it.”
A flurry of greetings followed, and Ged’s heart expanded as they slipped back into the familiar routine of jokes and fake insults.
After a few minutes, he turned to Zoya, who was listening with a slight smile on her lips. “Is this okay? We’re not disturbing you with all these people and this noise?”
“I like it.” Her voice was firm. “And I want to help.”
“You know what will happen tonight?” Ged spoke quietly.
“Mikhail has told me. I know my son must die.” There was a slight quiver in her voice. “I have accepted that is the only thing that will bring an end to his evil.”
Ged stooped to kiss her cheek. “You are a very brave woman, Zoya.”
She shook her head. “I made him what he is. If just once during his childhood I had said ‘no,’ perhaps we wouldn’t be facing this problem today. I am the person who taught Vasily the power of magic. And I am the woman who chose her lover over her husband...your father.”
“Many people are spoiled by their parents as children. And here in Callistoya, magic spells are not uncommon. Yet in both cases, those people rarely become murderers and dictators.”
Her smile was sad. “Let me take my share of blame, Gerald. I have earned it.”
“What’s the plan?” Torque’s voice broke in on their quiet conversation. “You want things to get fiery?”
“At midnight,” Ged said. “Wait here until then. When t
he clock strikes twelve, come into the ballroom. That’s when the action will start.”
Hollie clasped her hands beneath her chin. “It’s like Cinderella with fangs, fur and scales.”
“Where is Lidi?” Diablo asked.
“Right now, she’s playing her part as the submissive bride to be. I saw her earlier and she was doing a great job in the role, barely even noticing me. Although Vasily was nearby the whole time.”
Khan grinned. “I can’t imagine Lidi is very good at acting.”
Ged laughed. “Luckily, she doesn’t have to do it for much longer. For now, she is Vasily’s fiancée. In a few hours, she can drop the pretense and be one of us again.”
* * *
Ged waited until the ballroom was filled with guests before he slipped quietly inside and joined the crowd. The sight of the beautifully decorated room brought back memories of similar parties when his father had been alive. He took a moment to ride the wave of pain that ricocheted through him.
So many of the faces were familiar to him. There were nobles from every corner of the kingdom, friends and acquaintances of his father, gathered together in one place. Glad of his disguise, Ged took up a position in one corner of the room. Until midnight arrived, there was only one person he was interested in.
Evergreen garlands had been hung around the room, entwined with holly berries and heavy boughs of fragrant pine. At one end of the room, a giant tree reached the ceiling, its branches twinkling with tiny white lights. At the opposite end, the royal thrones were decked with sprigs of mistletoe.
Vasily lounged comfortably in the king’s throne and anger rose in Ged’s gullet at the sight of him in the chair his father had once occupied. The Usurper. The nickname had stuck, but Vasily hadn’t simply seized a crown that wasn’t his. He was a killer with the blood of dozens of innocent people on his hands.
And you will pay that blood back. Every drop.
Ged’s gaze moved on, his heart giving a leap of pure joy as his eyes feasted on Lidi. She was sitting very still and upright on the queen’s throne. The dress she wore had a scooped neckline and a bodice of intricate beaded lace. Its muted, taupe shade emphasized her dramatic coloring, and her hair was loosely arranged in long curls that hung over one shoulder. Her beauty took his breath away.
As Ged watched, Vasily turned to Lidi. He took her hand and spoke a few words to her. She inclined her head, a soft smile touching her lips. There was something about the action that chilled Ged, but he couldn’t understand why. She reminded him of a doll. it was as if she was lovely to look at and completely empty, with all her usual vivacity gone. He shook the thought aside. She is playing a part, for goodness sake! Perhaps she was overdoing it a little, but that was Lidi. She never did anything by halves.
When midnight struck, she would drop the pretense and run to his side. Her desire to sharpen her claws on Vasily’s face would finally be fulfilled. Even as he reassured himself with the thought, he was left with a sense of unease.
The catering was in stark contrast to the celebrity parties he was used to attending in the mortal realm. No elegant canapés and dainty dishes here. The menu consisted of fish, meat, and salad, plenty of it and piled high. Ged watched as Vasily led Lidi through to the banqueting hall. His stepbrother always had a knack of looking smug. As Vasily smiled into Lidi’s eyes, his self-importance was unbearable. For the first time in his life, Ged had no appetite.
The minutes dragged slowly by. All around him, the other guests appeared to be enjoying themselves. He overheard a conversation between two high-ranking nobles speculating on the absence of the Earl of Vitchenko and managed to hide his satisfaction. Ged knew exactly where Vitchenko was. With Eduard Tavisha, the earl would be assembling his troops on the plain to the south of the palace. The resistance forces were in position, just waiting to attack Vasily’s army.
When Vasily led an elderly duchess onto the dance floor, Ged seized his opportunity. Unable to resist the chance to be near her, he moved to where Lidi was standing. Reasoning that no one would be surprised to see her bodyguard talking to her, he leaned in close.
“Not long to wait now.” His lips almost brushed the shell of her ear and he took a moment to breathe in her delicious scent.
She turned her head to look at him, a blank look in the golden depths of her eyes. “Pardon?”
He had the strangest feeling that he had stepped into an alternate world without noticing. Taking the act a little too far, Lidi. “It’s almost midnight. When the clock strikes, so do we.”
She gave him a tight, formal smile. He knew that expression. He’d used it himself time after time when he wanted to dismiss unwanted strangers, people who thought he needed their advice on how to manage the band.
“Lidi, what is it?” He spoke softly, unable to keep the urgency out of his tone.
“My name is Lidiya and I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I see the king wants me.”
Ged watched her walk away, confusion and hurt competing to be the sharpest knife tearing into his gut. Because...what the hell was going on? As Lidi reached Vasily’s side, his stepbrother looked directly at Ged for the first time. The blaze of triumph in his eyes almost knocked Ged off his feet.
He knows who I am.
As Vasily placed a hand under Lidi’s arm and guided her toward the royal thrones, Ged felt the fragments of his heart fall to the floor. Somehow, Vasily had taken away the Lidi Ged knew and ruined the love they shared.
He bowed his head, his mind weighed down with the enormity of what had happened. He needed time to process this, to deal with the storm of grief and rage that was powering through him, threatening to destroy him. Inside his head, there was a laughing monster shrieking a single message.
He has won.
An awful hollowness washed over him, replacing the joy he had felt only hours earlier when Lidi had said she loved him. On feet that felt like lead, he turned away. Unthinking, unseeing, he needed to get out of the crowded room, to be alone with the pain that was threatening to crush him. How was he supposed to fight for his kingdom when the only thing that had made his life worth living had been torn from him?
As he reached the door, his footsteps halted at the sound of Vasily’s voice. “My friends, I would like you to raise your glasses in a toast to Lady Lidiya Rihanoff, who has agreed to become my wife.”
At the same instant, the clock began to strike, and Beast burst into the room.
* * *
Even though his heart felt like a lead weight inside his chest, Ged knew he wouldn’t get another chance at this. Whatever had happened to Lidi, surely they could deal with it once Vasily was vanquished? Right now, the plan to take down his stepbrother had to proceed. For all the lives that had been lost. For his father, for Alyona, for Callistoya...
Tearing off his wig, beard and mustache, he strode forward until he was standing beside Vasily’s throne. Around him, he could hear the gasps and knew his likeness to his father was the cause. Slowly, he turned to face the assembled guests.
“Merry Christmas, ladies and gentlemen. In case you haven’t already recognized me, I am indeed Gerald Tavisha, your rightful king. Thirteen years ago, many of you will recall a similar occasion to this. It was one that ended in tragedy. My own engagement party to Lady Alyona Ivanov was the scene of the most hateful massacres in Callistoyan history.”
“Guards...” Vasily half rose from his seat, but Ged placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him back down. He noticed that Lidi appeared confused, as though she had never heard this story before.
You took away her memory!
“This man, whom the great King Ivan raised as his own son, organized that massacre. He wielded the knife that killed your king...my beloved father.” There were shouts of anger and dismay. Many had suspected the truth, but hearing it in this elegant setting confirmed their fears. For Ged, it was cath
artic to finally say the words out loud to the people who mattered. “His were the hands that choked the life from Alyona Ivanov as he tried to get her to reveal my whereabouts before he stabbed her.”
He could see Vasily was shaken by that information. The only person who knew what had transpired between them before her death was Alyona herself. Deeply superstitious, Vasily would fear the spirits as much as he dreaded physical violence.
Vasily got to his feet. “This theater is all very well. But do you believe the word of a fugitive? If this is all true, ask him why he stayed away for thirteen years.”
“You know the answer to that,” Ged snarled. “You cast a spell that prevented me from returning. Enough talking.” He turned back to the crowd. “This murdering piece of garbage is about to die. So are the thugs who have protected him for the last thirteen years. If you leave this room now, you won’t be hurt. If you stay, you must decide where your loyalties lie. Tavisha or Petrov. Choose wisely.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted into action. Some people ran for the door. Others began to shift and range themselves alongside Ged or Vasily. Just when he thought the ache in his heart couldn’t get any worse, he saw Lidi rise from her seat and move to his stepbrother’s side.
So this is where we stand, my love and I. On opposite sides of the enemy lines.
He knew his Lidi too well. Once she declared her allegiance, she would fight to the death.
Unless I can stop her.
The thought lasted half a second, then Lidi shifted and launched herself at him. Ged managed to shift just before she slammed full force into him with her claws slashing and teeth snapping. He had seen Lidi fight. Although he was bigger and stronger, he knew better than to underestimate her. How the hell was he going to get them both out of this alive?
On the periphery of his vision, he was aware of the confusion caused by the appearance of big cats, werewolves and dragons in the middle of the bear-shifter fight. Disorder would help the situation. And Beast were a formidable fighting force. Never underestimate the power of two dragons in a ballroom. Confident that he could leave his friends for the time being, Ged turned his attention back to Lidi just as she dealt him a blow to his kidneys that almost toppled him over backward.