Ashes of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 2)

by Kuivalainen, Amy

“No, I’m not.”

  “In that case, I’m going to go and get in the shower,” she said as she stepped away from him, “What you end up doing, I can’t stop you.” She wrung her thick hair out in a long, deliberate movement and stepped lightly towards the bathroom.

  As she opened the shower door and turned on the taps, Mychal appeared behind her. He stepped into the shower, fully clothed and dragged her in with him, kissing her before she could utter any kind of protest.

  “You’re crazy, you know that?” she said when she finally could, “You could have kissed me like this out there.”

  “I hesitated and now I’m not. Besides I decided I liked your see through dress.”

  “You have an unfair advantage.” She took hold of the hem of his shirt. “May I?” He nodded and she relieved him of it, dropping it to the tiles. She touched the silver rosary that hung against his chest before she dared place her hand on the tattooed muscle underneath.

  “Did this hurt?” she asked as she traced the outline of the massive cross.

  “Not as much as getting these did,” Mychal tapped the scars on his back. “They still hurt when demons get too close.”

  “My hands do too. It feels like they are burning all over again.” Mychal took her arm and gently rolled her gloves off before dropping them next to his shirt. Even now, she was shy and she tried not to look at them. He placed them back on his chest.

  “That feels a lot better than fabric. You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.” Her hands against his skin was ten times better than she imagined and she had the sudden powerful urge to relieve him of the rest of his clothing.

  “You are painfully beautiful when you blush. You really have to cut it out.”

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “It is going to lead to more trouble.”

  “If this is what you call trouble then I want a lot more it,” Aleksandra said truthfully.

  “I think that we first need to get you out of this shower and dried off.”

  “You’re so bossy.”

  “You have no idea how bossy I can be.” Mychal turned the shower off and grabbed a towel off the rail. She pressed the water tightly from her hair. He wrapped the towel around her and lifted her out of the shower amidst her protests.

  “You were taking too long.” He took the other spare towel and dried his hair.

  “Can you please unzip me?” she asked as steadily as she could manage.

  “What a question,” Mychal said. “How are your bruises?”

  “I’m a bit sore, but I don’t notice them if I’m distracted.” Aleksandra felt warm fingers on her back as he slowly unzipped her wet dress. “Like right now, I’m very distracted and I don’t feel a thing.” He slid the straps off her shoulders and kissed her bare skin.

  “I like distracting you.” Aleksandra turned to wrap her hands around his neck and she kissed him. Her dress fell into a wet heap on the ground and his soaked jeans joined them. He carried her out of the bathroom and they fell onto her bed in a mound of towels and damp skin.

  In the midst of the chaos, Aleksandra felt his lips, hot and perfect move down the length of her neck and she fought out at the towels separating them. He let out a low laugh, such an unusual sound for him and helped her until they were skin to skin. Her fingers traced down the deep scars of his back and wished that she could remove the pain he carried.

  “You remember that night in the church when you touched them?” he whispered. “I almost gave into you then and there. You were like a frightened little rabbit standing up to a lion.”

  “Is that why you kissed me?”

  “I’m not really sure why I did that. Impulse, anger, I don’t know.”

  “You made a strong impression, whatever your intentions. I wanted you to do it again, without the anger, for a long time. Thank God, you didn’t make me wait forever.”

  “I shall make up for it.” He kissed her long and hard. Aleksandra felt something deep inside of her begin to crack. A barrier she didn’t even know she had.

  His eyes caught hers and she was surprised by what she saw. They were dark and heavy, like when he was angry. It was a look full of promise. His eyes flashed golden for a moment and she jumped.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Your eyes changed. They sometimes do that. It surprised me.” She brought her mouth up to his in an act of reassurance. “I’m not afraid of you, my love. Or what you are.”

  “I would tell you if I could but…”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Her hands moved down his chest, thrilled by the groove of his muscles. Aleksandra slipped into his mind and she felt his absolutely burning need for her. He loved her. She felt it like he did. Deep and all consuming. She felt the huge strength in his body and the deep pain that coursed through him. Very carefully, not to alert him that she had even been in there, she moved out of his mind and into her own. Mychal was looking down on her with his strange eyes as he lowered his mouth to her neck.

  “Relax, Aleksandra,” he murmured against her skin, “you have been mine since creation. You have been made perfectly for me. Let go, Aleksandra, I will catch you.”

  Aleksandra fell into his mind again and she felt the inhuman side of him roar out in sheer ecstasy. It had been waiting for this joining for centuries. It finally possessed her again. It was kissing against her soul and she let it meld with her and consume her. It belonged to her and her to it. For eternity.

  Chapter Thirty-One- The Court in the Woods

  It was dark when they finally landed in Anchorage. There were two Álfr dressed in black waiting for them as they walked off the plane. They escorted them outside where a black limousine was parked and Anya was bundled inside. The tint on the windows was so dark she couldn’t even see out of them.

  “You’re going to have to forgive the night time view,” said Søren, who was sitting next to her. “We are private and there is no way we are going to let an outsider know how to get to our residence. Sit back and relax. We have quite a drive ahead of us.”

  There was a tightness around Aramis’ eyes and a still nervousness about him. Aramis was afraid and that frightened her more than Søren. Anya unbuckled her seat belt.

  “What are you doing?” Søren asked suspiciously.

  “I’m going to have a nap,” she said, “but not next to you.” She climbed over to where Aramis sat, kicked off her heels and curled up next to him. Aramis looked down at her and smiled. “Make sure your brother doesn’t try to kill me in my sleep?”

  “I promise. I will watch over you.” He draped an arm around her shoulder and she put her head on his chest. Almost instantly, her magic rose out of her skin and wrapped its ribbons around his torso. Anya was filled with the warm, light feelings that she usually got from him. The itching under her skin eased.

  Søren glared when he saw it, “What are you doing to him?”

  “Nothing, it’s how it reacts to him,” Anya explained. It had been a long confusing day and it felt good to have Aramis’s warm arms around her.

  Sensing the muscle underneath his shirt caused her to have a moment of less than platonic feelings towards him. She slammed the lid on it as quickly as she could. She didn’t need him knowing that she was thinking about their kiss and with their magic link she was sure he would. She shut her eyes and focused on his heartbeat. After a while, Søren must have thought she was asleep because he decided to start talking properly to Aramis.

  “Watching this is like history repeating itself,” he commented.

  “She is nothing like Yanka,” Aramis said firmly.

  “She is an absolute doppelgänger.”

  “She looks like Yanka, although her spirit and her nature are different. You remember what Yanka was like.”

  “I do,” said Søren coldly, “and so do the Álfr. Why do you think that they are in such a panic about you putting a mark on her? Whether that was your intention or not.”

  “I know they are angry at me about it.”

&nbs
p; “They are angry about a lot of things concerning you. I feel for her, really I do, because she has no idea what you have done to her.” Anya felt Aramis’s heart start beating faster. She didn’t know how long she could keep the act up without leaping across to shake the secrets out of Søren. Why not tell her what was going to happen?

  “I know she doesn’t and if there was a way to remove it then I would see it done. There isn’t. She is not our enemy, Søren. She is good and strong. Her spirit is completely pure. I’m a part of her now so I would know. The piece of magic in me would know. I know all of her emotions. That’s how I know that she was with Trajan this morning.”

  Anya heard the disappointment in his voice and she felt so wretched. Even her grandfather didn’t know how to make her feel that bad. She had thought when she was caught out with Silvian was bad enough.

  “She seems to think that you don’t know.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I can understand how lonely it is for her and up until recently, she was very close to Trajan. She needs that comfort even if he is the wrong man for her.”

  “It bothers you that she still has feelings for him when you’re clearly trying so hard to fill his place. That kiss last night mustn’t have been very good.”

  “How dare you try to judge my actions. All you did was frighten her.”

  “Come on, Aramis, admit it. You hate that she lets death inside of her.” Anya felt the anger flowing through Aramis and the intensity of it surprised her.

  “Fine!” he replied harshly, “I hate it. I’ve always hated it. Trajan is death and she was suicidal for a long time. Maybe that is a part of the attraction. I don’t know. I do know she deserves better.”

  “Better as in you I suppose. Maybe he makes her happy.”

  “He does, which is why I keep my mouth shut about it. She deserves to be happy not have all of this rubbish being put upon her.”

  “I have to say, brother, that you have lost all of your fight. You aren’t even trying to present a challenge to the creature. I suppose that’s good news for me.”

  “How is it?”

  “You won’t get in my way if I try to seduce her.” Aramis’s whole body stiffened.

  “She wouldn’t fall for any of your tricks.”

  “She has had sex with an inexperienced Thanatos, so I’m sure she won’t stop me trying. Besides her magic is lovely and dark like mine. You know what kind of strong attraction that can bring.”

  “You need to shut your mouth before I make you,” Aramis threatened.

  “You would find that task a little harder these days. You have become completely soft in the human world.”

  A powerful loyalty to Aramis was rising up in Anya. To get back at Søren, she gave a soft whimper and slipped her hand under Aramis’s jacket. Aramis tensed, then relaxed and stroked her hair.

  “It looks like I’m not doing so bad after all, brother.” Finally Søren shut up.

  Anya did eventually fall asleep. She woke as the limo slowed down. She opened sleepy eyes and tried to sit up.

  “Where are we?” she asked as she fixed a part of her hair that had fallen loose. Søren gave a quiet chuckle that slid down her backbone. She tried to ignore him using his power on her and slipped on her shoes.

  “Like we would tell you.”

  Through the front windscreen, she saw they were parked in front of an ornate, black set of gates. As they drove through them, Anya felt a strong rush of unease. If things turned bad for her, their chances of escaping where getting slim. Unexpectedly, she really wished Yvan were there. He would talk some common sense to her and calm her down. But then, she would have to tell him about Trajan and what had passed between them that morning.

  The car stopped again and the door was opened. Aramis got out first and gave her his hand to help her out. They were standing in front of a sprawling stone mansion unlike anything Anya had seen before. Darkness obscured a lot of it. The carvings around the front pillars alone made her stop and stare. A forest loomed behind it tall and foreboding, calling out to her.

  The first woman Álfr that Anya had ever seen was waiting for them inside the door. She had curled auburn hair and small delicate features. She was the most beautiful woman Anya had ever seen even in the simple blue dress.

  “Good evening,” she said calmly, “my name is Bryanna. It is nice to see you again, Aramis, even if the circumstances are less than favourable.” Anya didn’t like the hungry look on Bryanna’s face.

  “It is nice to see you too, Bryanna.” Aramis bowed low and kissed her pale hand.

  “Come, Anya, I will take you to your room.” Bryanna smiled at her. “You are safe here; there is no need to be suspicious.” Anya looked at Aramis who gave her a small nod and she relented. They had turned to walk away, when Bryanna called over her shoulder, “Aramis? Go pay your respects to Ruthann, he is expecting you.” From the slight look of despair on Aramis’s face, Anya knew he was not looking forward to the reunion.

  “I do hope they were not too violent to each other when they were reunited. They are brothers after all and I don’t think Søren has really forgiven Aramis for many things.”

  “Like leaving the Álfr.”

  “Partly, though more to do with his relationship with Yanka. I see now that it’s almost the same story all over again with you.”

  “With all respect, Bryanna, I am not Yanka. I know nothing of her really and I’m getting tired of being compared to her.” Bryanna paused in her step.

  “No, you’re not like her, even though you are of her line. I apologise if I have offended you.”

  “Think nothing of it. I’m very tired and very uncomfortable being here.”

  “Why uncomfortable?” Bryanna resumed their walking again.

  “Søren was telling me how angry the council is.”

  “What has happened to you is hardly your fault. Søren has been playing his games again. The Ljósálfar aren’t your enemy, they are curious.”

  “Being kidnapped sort of makes me feel like I’m getting treated like an enemy.”

  “You need to understand the severity of the situation. You’re a human of magical inclination and of a line that we do not trust. You’re being made privy to our culture. I don’t know why this gift fell to you, but my advice is for you not to squander it. Be worthy of it.”

  Anya kept her mouth shut and focused on the carpet. If she had bothered to look up, the beauty of the framed tapestries and paintings that lined the walls would have astounded her.

  Bryanna opened a large heavily carved door and walked in. “These shall be your quarters for the duration of your stay. I don’t think it will take the council long to come to a decision.”

  “Did you all hate Yanka that much?” Anya asked. She was beginning to feel like she was in over her head and the water kept getting deeper. There was so much she didn’t know about Yanka and no one seemed inclined to tell her.

  “She was difficult,” Bryanna said tactfully, “and she is also not our problem anymore. Someone will come to bring you the evening meal. Your door will not be locked, but it would be unwise for you to wander. This can be a strange place at night. “

  Finally alone, Anya breathed a deep sigh of relief. The quarters she was housed in were nothing short of luxurious. There was an intricately carved wooden bed with a magnificent swan bed head. There were low, comfortable couches and a bathroom. It was infinitely better than the prison cell she had been expecting. She filled the huge cast iron tub with hot water and bubbles. The Álfr clearly trusted her on some level because the room had a portable phone. It was probably tapped, but she didn’t care.

  Anya settled in the bath and rang the number of the hotel in New Orleans. “Good evening, can I please get connected to room 506?” Anya asked the receptionist who answered. The phone rang and rang.

  “Hello?” a deep voice, husky from sleeping finally answered.

  “Dobry vecher, did I wake you?” she asked softly.

  “You did. How are you?”
r />   “Tired but okay. It was a really long trip with two brothers bickering with each other.”

  “I can imagine. Why is your voice echoing?”

  “I’m in the bath so it’s probably the acoustics.” There was a pause on the end of the line.

  “Well,” Yvan said finally, “I suppose that explains it. I’m surprised they even gave you a phone.”

  “So am I. I have to say that, so far, it’s nothing what I expected. The drama that Søren and Aramis created made me think I was going to be in a cell not a room.”

  “Lucky for them they have been polite. The firebird really isn’t comfortable being away from you. I’m not enjoying it much either.”

  “I don’t believe that. I’m sure you’re relishing the peace and quiet without a highly emotional girl running to you with her problems all the time.”

  “Peace and quiet? What’s that? There are still far too many people around. Hamish and Izrayl alone are loud enough for all of us.”

  “You would miss the bedlam,” she laughed. “I’m missing it already.”

  “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. Look at us. We are like a pair of little girls that can’t handle a night without talking to each other.”

  “I personally don’t like being referred to as a girl. We haven’t really had a night apart since I hatched, with the exception of you being stuck in the dream world with Yanka. At least I could visit your body.”

  “That would’ve made for stimulating conversation.”

  “Like I told you before; you became a really good listener.”

  “The Álfr really didn’t like Yanka. I don’t know how she offended them but it must have been something terrible.”

  “I don’t know much about her. She was already living in Mir by the time I could remember. She had a very big reputation though. Everyone knew stories about her and the fights she had with Baba Yaga. And I knew she was one of the Powers.”

  “I’m getting a bad feeling about all of this. I don’t know, maybe I’m being paranoid. If something terrible had happened, I’m sure Aramis would have told me.”

  “Really? I wouldn’t be so sure. He loved her. People protect those they love and are reluctant to see their bad side.” Anya leaned her head against the back of the bath and looked up at the ceiling. It was painted with a mural of an underwater ocean scene.