by Gaja J. Kos
Rose released the breath she had been holding and relaxed into the pillow. “There truly is nothing left?”
He only nodded, keeping his hand in hers.
He grip tightened as she remembered. “The simargl...”
His words were spoken like caresses, but even he couldn't hide the sadness that lurked underneath. “He died a warrior's death. And he died saving someone that had made his existence worth living after more than a millennium. I have seen his soul, Rose. Do not regret his actions. The simargl certainly does not.”
Rose let the tears fall down her cheeks, but the touch of Veles's warm skin calmed her sobs.
The god's voice was even softer as he continued. “You gave him meaning, Rosalind. It's not a bad way to go...”
She wiped away the tears with her free hand and managed a weak smile.
“Okay, happier things, then,” she said, tracing her fingers up and down the back side of Veles's palm to release what was left of her sadness. She knew she would mourn the simargl's death for a long time to come, but she understood what Veles had said, and wanted to give the being's final actions the respect they deserved, not undermine them with her own uncontrolled emotions.
She was much calmer by the time she spoke again, her mind clearer. “I saw the wolf-man claw Jens with the toxin. It should have killed him, right? Why didn't it make him shift into anything or experience something soul-ripping like it did with the rest of its victims?”
“I have done some research while you were out,” Veles replied in that cool, collected tone that made it seem as if he had merely rummaged through a library; but Rose knew the kind of knowledge he had in mind wasn't the kind that could be found in books.
“As long as you are linked with the bond of The Dark Ones, you cannot die as individuals. The toxin tried to burn through your werewolf, but was denied its final stage.”
Rose's fingers paused on top of his hand. “I understand that the bond makes us stronger, more aware. But how does that prevent death?”
The god's expression softened, his eyes falling on her face. “It doesn't only bind you together as a pack. The same connection is established between your souls. Once you have better control of your power, you will be able to feel it, Rosalind. The power that links the seven of you makes it impossible for one of the souls to be ripped away from the rest of them.”
“So to kill us, they would have to get us all? And at the same time?”
He nodded, his features regaining some of the seriousness that had rested upon them before. “It makes you safer, but when the knowledge of what the bond does spreads, and I do fear it will spread once the ancients realize you have regained the powers of your ancestors, it will also urge those who oppose to try and take your group down. And that's a double-edged sword...”
“Because to be who we are, we have to remain a group,” she finished for him. “I understand.”
Silence fell between them again, and she knitted her eyebrows together in thought. “The Gamayun is ancient. And she wanted for us to become The Dark Ones.”
“Because the shift in the power structure of the world suits her. However, not everybody will be of the same mind... You have grown so much stronger, and the link between you will gain power the longer it is established. You will jump high in the hierarchy of supernatural beings, higher than many would like you to.”
“Even if we're on the side of good?” she asked, her fingers once again wrapping around his hand.
“Rosalind, no one with that much power can be purely good.”
Chapter 46
Doctor Xu released Rose from his care the next afternoon. Her energy was balanced well enough that he didn't need to keep her constantly by his side, but she got the same order as Jürgen and Tim–to come back at least every other day for a sixty-minute therapy; although if she could, he much preferred to see her in his office continuously for the rest of the week.
Ileana was waiting for her across the street at a secluded, but comfortable cafe that most of Doctor Xu's supernatural patients and their friends or family frequented. The autumn weather was still warm enough for them to sit outside; Ileana chose a table at the far side of the patio where they would have the most sunshine even when the sun began to lower down towards the horizon as the afternoon progressed.
A fresh cup of coffee was already waiting for Rose when she joined her mother, falling into her tight embrace before taking a seat next to her so that they would both face the warm rays of day. Wordlessly, Ileana handed Rose the cigarette she had been craving ever since she woke up at Doctor Xu's. Rose planted a kiss on her mother's cheek and enjoyed the first few smokes in the silence they deserved.
“I know we've never discussed this, but after everything that has happened, I have to ask,” Rose began, exhaling a long breath. “This power, the one that's mine... It had to come from somewhere.”
Ileana's expression was nearly unreadable, but the words had an edge of warmth to them. “Your father, yes.”
“Please don't tell me it's Veles,” Rose breathed and caused Ileana to erupt with that charming, wolfish laughter.
“Oh, no, shit, no,” she managed to verbalize in between the chuckles. “He's charming, I'll give you that, but he definitely isn't my type of man. Not enough muscles on that lean body of his.”
Rose smiled at her mother, who fought hard to chase the amusement away and return to the subject at hand. With a few small after-laughs, she finally calmed down enough to speak.
“You hadn't exhibited any unusual powers until the Gamayun brought your pack into this mess. That's why I chose to remain silent. I was trying to protect you, Rose.” She sighed, trailing her hand through her daughter's loose strands of hair. “After more than two decades, I truly believed you would spend your life as a regular Black werewolf, nothing more.”
Rose closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's touch, not wanting, but needing to ask the question. “Who is he?”
“Bogdan was one of the Vedmaks. And his preferred animal to shift into was wolf.”
Rose let the silence remain for a few moments, giving herself the time to wrap her mind around the fact that her father had belonged to the race of power-ridden shapeshifting warlocks.
“You said ‘was’...?” she asked carefully, rubbing her thumb across the aching spot a needle left on her hand. It would bruise, but she didn't truly care. She expected her father had long since entered Veles's realm and accepted it. But it was a far easier concept when she hadn't known a single thing about him.
Ileana's voice was solid, but Rose knew her well enough to understand just how much effort her mother had put into fighting for it not to break. “He was hunted down for his indiscretion with me.”
“The Vedmaks aren't supposed to have offspring with anybody who isn't a witch...”
“Yes,” Ileana whispered as she released a long breath. “When Bogdan refused to give up my name, refused to offer his pregnant girlfriend for them to kill... They knew he had a non-magic mate, but not the specifics to track me, to track us down. So they took his life instead.”
“Because what I am shouldn't exist,” Rose added softly despite the rage that had begun to stir inside her.
Ileana merely nodded at her daughter's comment, her hand wrapping around Rose's knee.
Rose finished her cigarette in silence, her mind racing. “You tried to protect me, because if this version of father's power hadn't surfaced, nobody would have known about my heritage.”
“I regret my actions now. You should have been aware of the possibility of what you may become, but I was afraid to take the chance, afraid that someone else might learn about it and take you away from me.”
Ileana's fingers tightened around her daughter's knee, and Rose placed her hand over her mother's grip. “Bogdan was powerful enough to hide our relationship even from the Kresniks. Sebastian was your guardian from the day you were conceived, but even he was blinded by Bogdan's magic...”
Rose's chest tightened at the th
ought of how Sebastian must have felt; he should be the all-knowing guardian, and from his point of view, he had failed. “And that's why he was so upset when I started to slip away from his care. He couldn't understand it.”
“He came to see you when you were still unconscious, you know,” Ileana said, her voice somewhat lighter than before. “He can't see or feel you at all, Rose, not anymore. You have become a being of power and as such cannot have a guardian.”
Rose fumbled for words, but Ileana saved her the effort. “I explained to him, what little I could. He was terrified that you had truly died and that your body was all that had been brought over once Mračaj was destroyed.”
Rose felt the tears rising to the surface but fought them off. “Oh, Sebastian...”
“He was cursing Veles, cursing the Gamayun for involving you into this, but from his outburst, I managed to figure out something that helped calm him down, or at least take the edge off all he's been dealing with.”
Ileana took a sip of her coffee and released her grip on Rose's leg to light a cigarette of her own, the sound of her daughter's Zippo cutting through the silence. “He mentioned the migraines and the blackouts that followed, but he didn't, couldn't know what they meant. But I do. You have lived so long with the power in its dormant state that your body tried to fight the change once it began.”
“Similar to the first werewolf shifts.” Rose nodded, finally understanding herself, what her body had been trying to do. “It tried to reject the power when it became active.”
“Something had to knock you out to prevent your body from tearing itself apart. Just like the pain and the blackouts that accompany the first few shifts of werewolf children.”
Rose nodded again, her eyebrows knitted together. “So now Sebastian understands that this power truly was within me all the time?”
“I had to tell him about Bogdan's concealment spell, but yes, he does.”
“But despite it all, he's still pissed at Veles, isn't he?”
Ileana smiled, and it was one of those warm, motherly smiles that spoke of comfort. “It will take him a long time to stop blaming Veles for what happened to you. Especially since he wasn't completely wrong.”
Rose sat straighter in her chair, her gaze searching Ileana's face. “What do you mean? I had the energy within me all along, Veles isn't responsible.”
“He may not have done it intentionally, Rose, but he did kick-start your power. The bond of The Dark Ones brought it closer to the surface, made it possible for someone to call it up. But it was Veles who did it in the end.” Ileana wrapped her hand around Rose's as she sat in silence, putting all the pieces together.
“So the green flames are his...”
Ileana paused, letting the cigarette smoke fill her lungs before releasing the air. “I know you love him, Rose, but I'm afraid it won't be able to last. Not without struggles, at least.”
Rose looked up at her mother; seeing the strain on her face made her realize she meant it.
“I don't understand.”
Ileana wrapped Rose into a half embrace, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “You carry some of his energy within you. And two beings of the same power can't be together for long, not without destroying one another or becoming a force that destroys everything else.”
Rose straightened herself back into her chair. “You know he won't give up that easily. And neither will I.”
“I know, honey. And you know you will have my help and support. You always do. But if nature does decide to turn this into a worst-case scenario, be prepared. And enjoy your god as much as you can before it does."
Epilogue
Fall had turned into that rainy, misty weather that descends upon Ljubljana every year and refuses to leave until the first snow covers the ground or, if you were truly unlucky, until spring finally warms the concrete city. The pack sat around their usual table on the patio at Pri Sojenicah, their slightly warmer bodies shielding them from the cool evening air. It was almost as if their gathering was nothing more than one of the old, regular ones, except for the addition of the entrancing dark-haired god that continued to exchange buying rounds for the table with Frank.
The werewolf seemed more than glad to have his friends back, to have them sitting in his bar and enjoying their usual pints of beer. He didn't want to miss the chance to show them just how much he appreciated it. And in Frank's terms, there was no better way to express it than with free alcohol.
Jens had fully recovered from the toxin; Nathaniel had run several tests on him in the days that followed his release from doctor Xu's care, but none of them had shown any remains of the venomous liquid in his system. He sat with his brother on one side and Veles on the other, which produced several strands of conversation that propelled the pack into uncontrollable outbursts of laughter. The fuck chart was back in the game, but by the way Jürgen looked at his brother, it was more than clear he wouldn't mind giving him the second spot, as long as the werewolf was there to take it.
Ileana's words still hung over Rose's head, but instead of allowing them to consume her, she turned them into the warning her mother had intended them to be. Veles's fingers were gently wrapped around her hand, his thumb brushing up and down in even strokes.
The touch of his skin filled her with the warm sensation of his presence. And she intended to hold on to it for as long as she possibly could.
The 24hourlies
Copyright © 2016 by Gaja J. Kos
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This one is dedicated to every person who’s fighting their inner demons—as insignificant as you think they may be.
Chapter 1
A light snowfall began outside shortly before Damir came home from the office. The traffic had been as teeth-grindingly slow as it always was when first snow fell. They had been lucky that winter had chosen to come late. It didn't matter that the watery blanket of snow hadn't actually succeeded in coating the road with even the thinnest layer of white. The mass of workers commuting out of Ljubljana drove as if there was nothing short of a blizzard outside. And that meant it took Damir nearly twice the time to get back home.
He kicked off his leather boots and followed the welcoming scent of his wife down the corridor and into the kitchen. Lara was standing by the stove, her long golden brown hair tucked neatly in a French twist, which gave Damir a clear view of her slender neck. Dressed in light gray sweats, the soft fabric flowed around her body while simultaneously framing her curves. The effect was stunning.
He allowed himself a second or two to observe the beautiful being that was his wife before he came up behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist.
“Hi, honey,” Lara said, the softness of her voice revealing the smile that stretched across her lips when Damir traced his along the line of her neck. “Just one more pancake to go.”
He tightened his embrace, turning Lara around, and pulled her into a sensual kiss. He reveled in the feel of his wife’s mouth as it opened for him, reveled in the warmth radiating from her skin. She always had the strength to wipe away any traces of the dragging hours he had spent at the office.
“With blueberry marmalade?” he asked in a whisper when they both came up for air.
His wife shot him a wide, bright smile, knowing just how much he enjoyed the taste of her blood after blueberries. “I figured you'd need something sweet after a long day.”
He let a silent yes beam from his gray-blue eyes, and watched, with no small amount of pleasure, as Lara's entire face lit up as he received the answer she had undoubtedly b
een hoping for. Tracing her hand through the shoulder length dark blond curls that cascaded around his features, she found the softness of his lips one more time before returning to her pancakes.
With the alluring idea of his wife’s sweet, potent blood that would be his in less than an hour, he stalked upstairs and pushed into the bedroom.
He stripped off the Italian cut black suit and hung it on a small outside rack attached to the wardrobe; after being in his office the whole day, the smells of his coworkers and clients tended to seep into the fabric. And with Damir’s somewhat augmented sense of smell picking everything up, he wasn't too keen on the idea of transferring the stench onto clean, odor-free clothes.
This was home, and he wanted to keep it as devoid of work as possible.
He got a fresh pair of warm sweats out of a drawer and pulled them on. Vampires weren't afflicted by cold, but they could sense it—and the feeling wasn't one of Damir’s favorites. Unlike his wife, who never seemed to mind even the most freezing kind of weather, he much preferred the summer days. Lara used to tease him that he only liked the heat because he couldn't experience, not truly, the horrid sensation of bloated fingers and sticky skin due to sweat.
But Damir, on the other hand, loved her sweaty body. Especially if he was the reason for those seductive beads trailing down her form, exploring every seductive nook.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, reminding him to continue with his routine and hurry back downstairs, where his wife and her delicious scent waited for him.
Unbuttoning his shirt as he walked over to the bathroom, he felt a pang of tightness tugging inside his body. Although he had had a small amount of packed blood for lunch and the container did its best to keep the liquid as fresh as possible, the blood never carried the same amount of nutrition value as the one obtained directly from the vein.