by Gaja J. Kos
Evelin opened her mouth, but Rose didn't want to give her the chance to object just yet.
“It wouldn't be anything invasive. In fact, all I want to do is get close enough to get a clean whiff of the toxin.”
Chapter 19
Rafael seemed delighted to be in Rose's arms; she almost couldn't believe how well the werewolf had recovered in the span of a few days. Evelin stood a short distance away so she would not interfere with the scent Rose needed to pick up, her emerald eyes never leaving the lively cub. Rose sat down in the armchair, positioning Rafael in a way that would keep him comfortable but left the marked leg in her direct line of smell. She closed her eyes and began to lower even the most basic shields she normally kept up in non-dangerous situations to keep herself from getting overwhelmed by her surroundings; to analyze the scent, she needed her abilities unobstructed.
Pushing past the unique smells that enveloped the werewolf and spoke of the few months of life that had already imprinted on him, she didn't have to search far for the vile stench that lurked underneath. She locked her senses on it, taking it apart note after note until every nuance of it was recorded in her memory.
Putting the shields back up, Rose kissed the cub on the soft white fur between his ears and placed him back onto the bed. Evelin took a step closer, her widened eyes searching Rose's face for answers. She looked smaller than usual, standing at the far side of the room. Even fragile. But Rose knew better.
“It's stale,” she answered the questioning werewolf in a soft voice.
Evelin covered the distance with supernatural speed, throwing herself around Rose, who returned the embrace. She could feel Evelin's relief and the fear that had taken hold of the werewolf in what must have been very long moments before.
“He's all right,” Rose whispered, tightening her embrace to emphasize the words.
When she finally composed herself enough to break away from the hug, Evelin sighed a soft thank you. Together they walked outside, coming to a stop on the sunlit pavement that stretched in front of the house.
“Nathaniel should give him a checkup. He knows more than my scent exam can tell you. But I think Rafael will be okay.”
Evelin looked at her, Rose's awkward phrasing filling her gaze with questions as Rose searched for the right words to explain her suspicions.
“I don't think he was injected with the toxin, but Nathaniel will be able to prove it with certainty. I think the reason he survived is that he went unnoticed. The gash on his leg is the same as the WV carved into the faces of the victims and was probably placed there when someone sliced the letters into the werewolf lying on top of him. If the venom hasn't forced him to shift until now, I don't think it has the capacity to hurt him in any other way.”
She gave Evelin a rundown of what she had smelled in the cave, withholding the immortal nature of how she came in contact with a living carrier of the toxin.
“I'll let Nathaniel examine him.” Evelin nodded, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks. “It's silly, but I had a hunch that Rafael wasn't in any true danger. That's why I wanted him to get over the shock of what he had been through before giving him into someone else's arms.”
Rose dipped her chin, placing her hand on the were's shoulder. She understood the power of hunches; it must have been powerful for Evelin to trust it, especially since she was clearly very protective of the young werewolf. “I know you'll take care of him.”
With those words, Rose left a much calmer Evelin standing in the afternoon rays of sunshine while her mind was already set on the final task she had planned for the day.
Veles had told her he would know when she needed to get in contact with him. Rose wasn't particularly amused by his mysterious immortal ways, but she had no other choice but to take his word for it. She chose the less popular streets as she made her way towards her apartment, enjoying the solitude they offered. She sat down on a secluded bench and lit a cigarette, fumbling it between her fingers to ease how foolish it all made her feel. Concentrating hard on Veles's image in her mind, she materialized a thought about needing to talk to him and sent it his way.
“I must be going crazy,” she muttered under her breath and dragged on her cigarette. Supernaturals, immortals, heightened senses, and intuition were one thing, but communicating via mind links belonged to a completely different level. She half expected it to be a joke to get her to fill her mind with his appealing image more often.
“A hint of crazy keeps the boring away.” The velvet voice washed over her skin, followed by a pair of masculine hands wrapping around her from behind.
“Hello, Veles,” she said to the god whose hands traveled farther down her chest, almost making her forget they were located in the middle of the slightly deserted, yes, but still very much public street. “Uh, do you mind?”
He only wrapped his arms around her tighter, bringing his mouth to her neck. A soft moan escaped her as his lips brushed up and down her skin, lingering on her slightly elevated pulse.
“Are you all right?” His voice was a deep whisper.
She maneuvered her body to the side, lining her face up to his. “Sebastian talked to you?”
Veles nodded, brushing the tip of his nose against her, and pulled her upwards into a gentle kiss.
“So I can assume I didn't cross over into your land?” She returned the kiss before giving him the opportunity to answer.
“No.”
He placed his forehead against hers, cupping her face in his hands. “Besides, you'd remember if you had spent the night with me.”
She let out a husky laugh. “That, I believe. I'd probably have more marks on my neck to prove it as well, yes?”
“That can be remedied straight away if my wolfie is yearning for more,” the god purred, his lips almost touching hers.
“Words, words, words.” Rose smiled at him and pulled back, taking in the full view of the dark figure.
With one final smile, she got up, motioning him to follow. He fell in step with her, his hand resting on the small of her back. She decided to let the gesture slip; she didn't want to waste her energy on keeping up appearances, and more importantly, the god's physical presence felt pleasing, even comforting. After the twenty-four hours she’d had, Rose found that particular comfort more than welcome. She remained silent for a few moments, pondering whether bringing him back to her place was a wise idea. Despite the initial jesting, they truly needed to talk, and the privacy of her apartment could prove to be too much of a temptation.
However, she didn't exactly feel comfortable taking Veles anywhere else; Frank would probably never stop teasing her if she brought the dark and alluring god of the underworld to his bar, especially if said god was wrapped around her arm, or worse. Keeping the course that would take them to her place, she decided to tackle the actual problem along the way.
“I need to ask you something,” she said, her tone slightly uneasy since she was about to inquire after delicate knowledge.
Veles tilted his head in reply.
“If I needed to know if someone who went missing is alive or dead... You could confirm or deny the dead part, couldn't you?”
His grip around her tightened, unintentionally giving her a glimpse of just how strong he truly was, but it wasn't threatening; it was a yes.
“Libor, Zarja's cousin, went missing in action. She found his trail on a battlefield, but it had cut off abruptly in the middle of the carnage; she suspects he might have been eaten by the hostile werewolves.”
Veles fixed his olive gaze on her. “Why do you want to know?”
“The pack needs to be without any distractions if we wish to be as effective as we can be for the approaching shitstorm. Besides, I care for her...”
“Careful, or I might get jealous.”
The corners of his lips twisted into a smile that let her know there was some truth in his words despite the easy tone; it didn't come across as a threat, but it was a warning nonetheless.
She felt silly but began explaini
ng anyway. “Whatever Zarja and I had is over. I don't wish to resurrect our relationship, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring about her.”
Veles couldn't stop the grin spreading along his face. Rose growled at his amusement, feeling even sillier than before about defending herself. “You're such a dickhead.”
He chuckled, his fangs coming out as he tried to control the outburst of laughter, which only worsened each time he looked at her. She grabbed him by the belt of his pants, pivoting him around to pin him to the wall; she had the element of surprise, but she didn't fool herself into believing the god didn't, in fact, allow her to overpower him. He was still fighting the chuckles when she flashed her canines at him.
She growled, her head raised so as to not break eye contact. The laughing stopped, replaced by the particular seriousness she should have expected, but in the spur of the moment forgot to. Veles observed her with slightly parted lips that revealed the sharp tips of his fangs, and eyes full of flames that didn't speak of power, but of desire. He lifted her, turning them both around in a quick motion that she barely had time to register before she found herself leaning against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. His demand pushed against her, the heat of his body radiating through his clothes. He cupped her breast with one hand while the other remained pressed to her lower back, keeping her steady.
“You want to do this right here?” she managed to whisper, her breath ragged with a mixture of surprise and craving.
He took her mouth with his, the gentle bites on her lips causing her to shiver with uncontrollable lust. He shifted back just far enough for their eyes to meet; there was nothing but the flicker of vigorous green embers inside the dark rims.
“Glamor.” He smiled, his fangs fully elongated.
Instinctively, she angled her head to the side, exposing the long line of her neck. “Just please don't burn away my clothes...”
His deep laugh vibrated as he brought his lips to her skin. “I'll play nice.”
She closed her eyes as she felt his teeth sink into her, an explosion of heat consuming her body. She heard the unmistakable sound of the zipper on her pants, followed by a light breeze against her exposed skin, and as his mouth worked on her neck in a steady rhythm, all that she could feel was the pulsing power of the god spreading through her.
Rose got out of the shower to find Veles stretched across her bed. He had transported them sometime during their rendezvous on the street, wanting more freedom than being pressed against the wall could offer. She threw her towel over the radiator under the windows, climbing back into bed; Veles opened his arms, inviting her into his embrace. She closed her eyes as she pressed her cheek against the warm skin of his chest, savoring the normality of the moment. She kissed her way up his neck, finding the subtle fullness of his lips. He responded by pressing her closer and shifting her slightly so that she found herself sitting on top of his firm body.
“No, no, business first. You tell me what I need to know, and we'll get to the pleasure part after.” Rose laughed, running her fingers through his strands of thick black hair.
He shot her a fanged smile filled with the request to change the order around.
She shifted, positioning herself even more firmly over the god's hips. “Business first.”
“Fine,” he sighed, taking her breast into his mouth for a gratifying moment before laying her down beside him. He propped himself on his elbow, his hand tracing the curves of her body. “What you wish to know is...complicated.”
His fingers brushed against her hip in a circular motion. “Promise you'll listen until the end.”
Rose didn't like the sound of it; he wouldn't have asked unless he was about to say something that she most definitely didn't wish to hear. But she nodded, knowing she wouldn't get the answer otherwise.
“Libor isn't among the living.”
Rose muttered a barely audible “fuck.” She wasn't breaking any promises by swearing under her breath.
“He is one of the confused souls,” Veles added as soon as she returned her attention to him.
“Why didn't you–”
His penetrating olive gaze cut her off; she did promise. And as much as she was upset that the god hadn't told her about his newly gained ability to gather information from the lost souls straight away, she knew it wasn't her place as a mortal to even possess such knowledge, let alone demand it. Still, they were fighting a common fight, and Veles was aware the souls were the only lead they had. So she nodded at the god, mouthing a silent sorry.
“You were right, you know.” His voice was warmer; it rolled over her like cashmere, caressing her exposed skin. “The confusion was intended. It appears the venom has the ability to touch the soul.”
“Diseases of the flesh can affect the souls?” Rose asked, sensing her promise was relevant only in case her temper decided to act up.
“They shouldn't. But this one does.”
Veles slid closer, pushing himself into her embrace; she wrapped her arms around him, caressing his hair with one hand while she held him tightly with the other. As much as she was surprised, she didn't question his need for intimacy, but accepted it.
“I nearly tore them apart, Rosalind.” He spoke partly into her skin, his head resting in the nook of her shoulder. “I had to lift the toxin from them, but souls aren't meant to be tampered with. It grew into them like mold, spreading thin lines throughout the essence of spirit.”
No words could console the god for the actions he had to take, so she kept holding him safely against her body, grounding him with her touch.
“With the toxin, they were confused, but they were whole.” His voice was strained to the point that it nearly broke off, but he continued with his recollection. “I almost stretched my power out too thin, trying to separate the souls from the disease; it took more strength than I had imagined, but I was successful. However, the price was high. The toxin didn't only obstruct the memories of the soul, it was designed to dissolve them, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind. I managed to resurrect the memories kept in the less damaged parts of the spirits. They could remember fragments of their past lives, but the souls… They were broken...”
“The toxin broke the souls, not you. You managed to give them their memories back. Isn't that better than wandering through eternity not knowing who you were?” Rose spoke softly, her hand still caught in the pitch-black mass of his hair.
“The toxin worked like oblivion. The spirits were empty, but they were also without pain. When I returned their memories, I couldn't animate the whole soul; some of it remained lost. And the parts that did come back were ridden with anguish.”
Rose could feel him frowning as he leaned closer into her touch.
“You gave them a sense of their past lives, of their identities. Every sensation makes a person who they are. Even pain.” She pressed her lips to the top of his head, feeling a rush of power pulse between them.
He eased away, turning onto his back. He found her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “Now do you see why I wanted to do the pleasure part first?”
His smile was weak, but it was there, and it was sincere. Rose couldn't hold back even for a moment longer; she found his lips, pressing the full length of her body against his. She felt his hands encircle her, motioning her to straddle him. She did so without breaking the kiss, drinking in the exquisite immortality of his taste.
Chapter 20
“Introducing me to your friends. I didn't think we were so serious, Rosalind.” Veles flashed his fangs at Rose walking by his side.
She had scheduled an early morning meeting with the pack. They all confirmed their attendance. Even Zarja had sobered up, and the Double J team had managed to not only keep her straight, but immensely improve her mood, which was an achievement all on its own. As much as she was looking forward to seeing the whole pack functional and together, she was less thrilled by the prospect of introducing them to Veles. Simply the thought of it made her growl under her breath.
“They're my pack. They can still tear your throat out if I ask them to,” she growled, but it was more for show than anything else. She had to admit she was glad to find Veles in his typical self-assured mood; it took away some of the graveness of the situation they had all found themselves in.
“Just like any family would, if their loved one's betrothed crossed her.”
Rose bumped into him with her shoulder; she knew she couldn't win this battle, but that didn't mean she would give up that easily. “And you accused me of being serious? Geez, the least you could do is buy a girl a ring.”
He spun her around, trapping her lips in a gentle bite. His fangs lingered on her skin, pressing softly against the plumpness of her lower lip. A steady current of people flowed around them, but she knew they were shielded by the god's glamor. He definitely wouldn't have risked fangs in the middle of the morning rush hour, no matter how arrogant he was. Feeling slightly more comfortable, since she knew nobody would pay attention to them, she leaned into his kiss, her hands traveling down the centerline of his back.
The tip of his fang grazed her lip, pushing her just over that edge where she couldn't prevent a lone sigh from escaping her. “If you continue to do this, we're going to end up against another wall.”