by Gaja J. Kos
She smiled at the thought of breaking down Veles's back door, the humor lessening the frightful realization that she’d had no other option at that moment; she couldn't have done even a half shift in the state she was in without losing consciousness. And even now, she felt the black abyss approaching, creeping over her mind in its steady pace.
She pulled herself deeper into the house, lying down in her imposing wolf form on the parquet that stretched down the length of the hallway. With a last burst of energy, she managed to vocalize a howl, alerting Veles to her presence inside his home. She had made it loud enough for him to hear even if he had decided to stick to his offer about pinning her against a tree trunk and had gone out into the woods. She let out a wolfish whimper at the ravaged state of her body, but her mind clung to the thought of the dark-haired god, soothing her uneasiness.
There was darkness, but there was also something else stirring the air. She tried to open her eyes only to find out they hadn't been closed to begin with. The deep black shade of her surroundings was real. Rose carefully moved her body, blindly reaching through the darkness. As she moved, she realized she must have shifted back into human form during the time she had been unconscious.
There was something about the density of the air that felt unusual, giving off a feel of imbalance. She swiped her hand in front of her in a slow movement, trying to understand the sensation. There was air, but as she reached farther to her right, there was something other. A light prickle of energy connected with the tips of her fingers, sending a mild jolt of electricity up her arm. Avoiding sudden movements, she merely repositioned her hand slightly, until the connection was broken.
Blowing out a steady breath of air, she reached towards the unnaturally dense field of air again; her own energy began to stir beneath her skin as she approached it. Her fingers connected with the unknown power, but she was prepared for the gentle feel of electricity creeping up her arm. The prickling continued to search her body, and with a silent gasp, she realized it wasn't trying to invade her or scare her off. It was communicating.
A flame of her own power licked across the skin where the other had touched her, the two energies blending. The sudden link made her gasp, and the darkness retracted before her eyes, revealing an image of a familiar cave.
Even with the shock of the sudden change, it didn't take her long to realize that she found herself in the White werewolves' den. Her vision was blurred with the overwhelming feeling of panic, but the sensation wasn't hers. A sharp sting in her hind leg caused her, and the other, to turn and look.
A dart had implanted itself into the thick white fur, and with a chill Rose knew she once again found herself positioned within a dying body, this time of a female were. Calming herself as she did when Veles had linked her to the first soul, she prepared to accept and absorb all that was happening to the White were. She focused on feeling the pain but did not let it cloud her perception.
Her veins burned as the toxin progressed through her. She had experienced it before, yet the pain dug into her with lethal intensity. Growls and whimpers echoed through the cave, but the White were she had found herself in kept her eyes shut. She was fighting to survive. The body shut down in an almost catatonic state as the venom spread through it, emitting that unmistakable stench of staleness.
Rose and the dying werewolf hadn't noticed it before, but now it appeared as a signal–the toxin couldn't live within the body. It couldn't even lift the soul from it without bringing imminent death to the flesh, the kind that would destroy any opportunity of resurrection. The werewolf lay on her side, soft whimpers acting as the sole indication that although she was dying, there was still a spark of life inside her.
A pair of thick, strong hands grabbed the werewolf's head from both sides, turning her so her muzzle faced the ceiling. She opened her eyes as much as she could, and through the slits of vision Rose could see another had approached. The hands holding her head were from someone in human form, but the giant mass coming to stand over the White's body was a fully shifted werewolf, yet one that seemed to move much more like a Homo sapiens than an animal.
He reminded her of the wolf-men usually shown in horror movies. The supernatural community always frowned at the incorrect anatomy and representation of werewolves, since the creature always looked more like something between a half shift and full shift, although the thought that humans believed in that particular shape of a werewolf and not in something closer to reality pleased them at the same time. But the unusual wolf-man leaning over her wasn't part of some horror flick. He was undoubtedly real.
He bared his teeth, saliva dropping from the side of his muzzle. The White were closed her eyes again and howled as claws sank into her face. Rose didn't need to follow the movement to know what he intended to draw into the flesh. She could feel the toxin seeping from his claws, burning its way down to the skull. The White werewolf shuddered as the mark was completed, and bones that weren't supposed to move began to shift their positions.
Rose knew what to expect from a transformation from wolf to human form, but the dying werewolf didn't. Rose felt her pain spiking with the change, followed by something that should never have happened during a shift. The threads with which the soul still clung to the body began to snap until the soul had nothing to ground itself with. The werewolf had fully shifted by the time the final link between the spirit and the flesh severed, and the change of form was what caused that last connection to dissolve.
Tears burned Rose's cheeks as the darkness spread around her once again, and with a small gasp of surprise, she noticed she was glowing. Her skin shone with a thick layer of pure gold energy that extended into flames of olive green. The air around her was dense, and she realized more souls had approached her, encircling her.
Rose opened herself to their presence, willing them to enter her aura of energy.
Chapter 27
Raised voices caused Rose to open her eyes. She was lying in the master bedroom, a thin sheet pulled up almost to her chin. She started to move, but the silk fabric that brushed against her body reminded her that she was naked underneath. It took a moment for her memories to return; she had passed out still in wolf form in the hallway leading into the house. Veles must have carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed once she had shifted back.
It was strange to think about an uncontrolled shift, and somehow even stranger to think Veles had witnessed it. He had only seen her half transformed, and she wanted to be the one to show him her true werewolf form. There was something intimate in sharing the shift with a loved one, similar to letting down personal barriers in human relationships. It allowed the partner to see who you truly, and wholly, were.
“Don't you ever fucking accuse me of not caring for Rosalind.” The god's angered tone spilled into the bedroom from the hallway that stretched just outside the door. “You may be immortal, but that doesn't mean I can't rip your fucking soul out if I choose to do so.”
“All of this began after your brilliant excursion into the underworld. And don't even try to deny it.”
Rose recognized the other voice immediately. However, she had never heard Sebastian speak with such fury before, each word carrying an unspoken threat underneath.
“The only people I can't see are those that are already with you. And I couldn't fucking see her, Veles Do you understand?”
Veles took a deep breath; Rose could feel the god's power stir within him even from this distance. She sensed his mood and knew just how much self-control it took not to release his power over Sebastian, drowning the Kresnik in it.
His words came out like cool, lethal blades. “Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you didn't lose contact with her when I showed her the underworld, did you, protector?”
It was Sebastian's turn to blow out a breath. “No, I didn't.”
“And since I know Rosalind has never crossed into my realm, as you so fiercely insist on claiming, whatever caused you to lose your link with her is something even I couldn't have caused.�
� His words were steadier than before, but the energy underlining them wasn't even close to calm; if anything, it began to escalate.
“Guys,” Rose called out, wanting to stop the argument before it got blown out of proportion. They were both powerful beings; she didn't want to see either of them get hurt by doing something foolish and unnecessary. Not to mention she was slightly displeased by the fact they had left her out of a conversation that, in its core, had everything to do with her.
Veles rushed through the door and was by her side with inhuman speed, his fingers entwining with hers, while Sebastian slowly stalked into the room, keeping his distance from the god. Rose wanted to start asking questions about their earlier conversation, maybe even scold them for discussing matters she should be a part of, but she was simply too glad to feel the god's presence to get into an argument. She leaned into the warmth of Veles's touch, bringing his hand to her cheek.
“Are you all right?” the god asked her, stroking her with the velvet tone of his voice.
Rose let out a soft “Mm-hm,” taking comfort from the smooth feel of his skin. He brushed her hair with his free hand, leaning over so his lips almost touched hers. She could feel the god's power pulsing in the rhythm of his heart; it seemed different than the one she had felt from the corridor, and to her surprise, Rose realized the god was afraid for her. A soft smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
“What could possibly be funny?” he asked with a slight frown, but his words were gentle.
Rose's smile widened into a grin. “You love me.”
“Don't let the Kresnik over there hear you, or he'll throw a fit,” Veles said in a mockingly threatening voice. “I'm sure as hell not tucking him into bed if he passes out.”
Rose snickered and pulled the god into a kiss. She felt the anger, the fear within him dissolve, the brush of power that remained speaking only of the purest affection. She wanted him to crawl into bed with her, to feel the length of his body pressed tightly against hers. He must have felt the same, his hand fisting in her hair like a promise she knew the god would keep. Later.
“I'm still here, you know.”
They pulled away from each other, turning to see a deeply dissatisfied Sebastian standing a little farther away, his hands almost curled into fists as he stared at the two of them caught in their embrace. He would have looked threatening, but Rose had known him for too long to be thrown by one of his moods, even if this was the first time she had seen him this angered.
The god successfully contained a snicker as Sebastian remained standing motionless in the center of the room, his large body giving the illusion of towering over them. “Jealous because we didn't invite you to join in the fun?”
Sebastian muttered under his breath. “Fucking prick.”
If Veles had enough self-control to mask his snicker, Rose didn't. She laughed out loud, then apologized to the Kresnik as she gasped for air. She understood his concern, but there would be time for it later. Right now, she needed something less grim to counteract the severity and the confusion of what she had experienced. Lightening the mood during darker times wasn't something that worked only within the pack; it had become a general rule for her.
Finally able to keep her face straight, she motioned Sebastian to step closer. “I'm sorry, Seb. But I can't go from a shitty situation to discussing said shitty situation without at least something more positive in-between.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed as far from Veles as possible. “I understand that, I do, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.”
Rose winced at the pain hidden in her friend's voice, and that was all she needed to pull herself together. She’d had her moment of laughter. It was enough. “I suppose I dropped from your radar again?”
His large, yellow-gold head nodded. “You claiming it was just another migraine?”
Rose pulled herself up, keeping the sheet wrapped snugly around her body as she propped her back against the pillow. “No headache this time. But it was an aura. Although which kind, I couldn't say. Not after this.”
She felt Veles's gaze focus on her; the god didn't move, merely observed. She kept her eyes fixed on Sebastian, trusting Veles to speak when he decided it was time to share a little more of his immortal knowledge.
“Last time I blacked out, and that was it. I don't remember anything from the time I collapsed into my bed until I woke up with you watching over me.” Rose took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. She didn't know just how to explain what she experienced after she had passed out on the floor.
It was Veles's voice that caused her to fling her eyes open. “How did you bring them over?”
She turned to the olive green embers dancing within the black rims. He still looked at her with affection, but he was also gently pouring out his power, trying to reach her own. She felt a flicker of energy rush through her body, touching the god. Veles jerked back at the strength of the effect, but his face was filled with amusement.
“Look at Sebastian,” he said softly as if he was afraid he could scare whatever had risen inside Rose with anything louder than a whisper.
Displeased by the fact that she would be the last one to know what was happening, she nonetheless turned her head towards Sebastian, who gasped in return.
“Your...your eyes are glowing,” he uttered, his breath ragged.
She got out of bed, leaving the sheet behind to stalk over to the antique mirror mounted on the wall near the bedroom door; nudity was the least of her concerns. Besides, Sebastian was present at her birth; if he could stand the sight of a bloodied, bare-butted baby, he could live with seeing her naked. A dissatisfied sigh from Veles let her know he didn't exactly share her conviction, but as she crossed the room to finally see what the two of them weren't telling her, she truly didn't care.
She leveled her face to the mirror, blowing out a long breath as she caught the first glimpse of her reflection.
“What the fuck,” she muttered, lining her face closer to the mirror. The gold filaments in her eyes not only shimmered, as they did when illuminated by the rays of sunlight, but reflected light in a way it made them appear as if they were glowing.
Exhaling a soft “fuck,” she realized it wasn't an illusion. And the sensation was familiar; not exactly identical, but similar enough to the one she witnessed on her skin when the souls had approached her. In a way, it reminded her of Veles's olive embers, rimmed with black, yet unlike the god's flames, the gold filaments in her eyes didn't take any particular shape as they danced over the midnight blue of her irises. They acted as if crushed diamonds had been scattered over the surface.
“A side effect of The Dark Ones?” she asked hopefully when she turned around, only to see both men shake their heads.
Veles walked over to her, a robe in his hand. Rose hadn't noticed when or where he had procured it, but she took it silently, wrapping herself in the silk fabric. She looked into the olive green color of his eyes, and the memory of the flames that had surged from her body as an extension of the gold layer of power resurfaced; their shade and shape was a dead ringer for the embers held within his eyes.
“Is it your power?” she asked quietly, partly leaning into the god.
“Sebastian believes so,” he whispered into her hair as he wrapped her in his arms, bringing her closer to his body.
She leaned back, enough to be able to meet his eyes. “But you don't?”
Veles began to answer, but it was Sebastian's voice that prevailed. “Of course not. He's saving his own ass.”
A frown appeared on the god's sharply lined features. He turned Rose towards himself, gently gripping her shoulders. “Rosalind, I need you to tell me what happened.”
She understood he wasn't talking about the events previous to her blackout. And suddenly she couldn't trick herself into believing it was all a figment of her imagination any longer.
“How did you bring them over?” His voice was soft but underlined with a demanding curiosity.
Rose to
ok his hand and led him back to the bed where Sebastian remained sitting, discomfort showing visibly on his face. She sat down in the middle, keeping the men as far apart as she could while maintaining the appearance of a somewhat intimate discussion. She felt Sebastian needed to hear what had happened to her; maybe not for the same reasons as Veles did, but she hoped her recollection of events would at least calm the tension between him and the god.
Neither said a word as she spoke of what had transpired. She tried hard not to leave out any details since she couldn't be certain what was important and what wasn't. By the time she finished, all she could think about was how badly she craved a cup of coffee and some food to nibble on. Saying as much to the two silent men, Veles extended his hand, inviting her down into the kitchen. Sebastian followed two steps behind them, clearly not any more content than he had been before her side of the story.
The kitchen carried an essence of Provencal style, although Rose knew by the smell and feel of the woods they weren't anywhere near the region. Still, she appreciated the atmosphere as she took a seat behind the white wooden table. Veles placed a delicious-looking pain au chocolat in front of her and returned to the counter to pour her a large cup of coffee. The aroma washed through her senses, giving her a boost even before her lips reached the ceramic mug.
“Those were the missing souls, weren't they?” She set down her coffee, looking at Veles, who leaned against the counter, his arms locked across his chest.
Sebastian observed the exchange, taking a step forward after Veles nodded in reply to Rose's question.
“In which fucking universe is this not your fault?” Sebastian shouted, his hand pointing in Rose's direction. “She dealt with souls, Veles. She's a werewolf. She belongs to the living.”
Veles shot Rose an apologetic look, as if he knew she didn't like being referred to in the third person while she was very much present inside the room, then turned his whole body towards Sebastian. “Not all souls are part of the underworld. These hadn't crossed over before Rosalind got to them. They were stuck somewhere. And I'm betting they were nowhere else but exactly in the world of the living.”