Josie's POV
The bathroom was en suite. I should have guessed, nothing but the most lavish for the mega rich with possible mob ties Vladimir Sedof.Not that it was discernable from how austere the room was. I took a hot shower in a bathroom big enough to accommodate five of me, ignoring the bath tub and hurried back in to the room proper. I only had on a skimpy towel and for some reason I didn’t want to dwell on, I most definitely did not want him to walk in on me when I was clad in the towel and nothing else.Making a beeline for the door, I locked it before I could heave a sigh of relief. My phone and bag was there on the bed waiting for me, but that was it. The clothes and shoes were new, the clothes I’d worn earlier nowhere to be found. While I was in the shower, someone, probably Vladimir, had come in here and put these clothes here.It was best to choose my battles -I mean, itsVladimir's POV December, 1724. Somewhere in Durbent. FLASHBACK Pain. Never in my life have I felt pain such as this. it was in every single nerve ending, running rampant in my blood and in every breath I took. What had gone wrong? The morning had been the same. The weather was dreadful, rain whipping about, signaling an incoming storm, but that's par for the course for Durbent’s weather. Then a frantic call for help in my mind had thrown it all to hell. Nikitin and I were having a routine meeting when Malchi’s breathless yell for help had shattered my eardrums. It took a few seconds to realize that he had contacted me telepathically. Nikitin shared my look of distress. Malchi must have contacted him as well. ‘What’s wrong brother?’ I asked him in my mind. Malchi, Nikitin and I were brothers. Not in blood, because I was the only son of my mother, but Malchi and I share a father. Nikitin cam along much later. He was Malchi’s first stray actually, but he has proven himself invalua
[AUTHOR'S NOTE; THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GORY DESCRIPTION OF AN ASSAULT THAT RESULTS IN DEATH. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER FOR YOU, THEN PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.]VLADIMIR'S POV (CONTINUED)My body was in motion before my brain gave the command. Ten seconds later, I was out of the woods and into the abandoned industrial warehouse a mile just before the start of the woods. It was the landmark I'd seen in Malchi's mind, and somewhere in here, my beloved was bleeding to death. I flashed from one point to the other, my vampiric speed taking me from each corner of the enormous warehouse to track down my beloved. His scent was getting stronger and stronger. Finally, I found him beneath a trap door. Standing stock still, I tried to understand the message my eyes were trying to send to my brain, but it just did not make sense. The body was Sven's. A
Vladimir's POV(Continued)“What the fuck?!” I yelled out, more from shock that she’d dared to hit me rather than from the force of the hit.“Sorry.” Her eyes held more shock and confusion than I felt. A quick glance around showed me that we were still inside Ülenurme Airport, Tartu.Right. So I had been struck by unwanted flashbacks in the airport terminal right after we exited the damn plane.Well, that was embarrassing. It’s a good thing my self conscious days were long behind me.“You were just so still. I almost thought you were frozen, but then you started making those hacking sounds, like you were dying or something.”It had felt like I was dying. To this day, I still have no idea what had kept me alive. Perhaps Alyna and her cronies had gotten over confident and thought me dead long before I actually was?No. Not Alyn
Vladimir's POV(Continued)Forty minutes later, the highway gave way to the inner core of the city proper. Standing regally at the end of the busy business districtwas a skyscraper made almost entirely out of azure glass. At the top of it's triangular edge was an hexagon with an eye in its middle. To anyone else, it was just an odd image to use as a company's logo, but I knew what it was. This is a stamp. A stamp that proclaimed this as the seven's territory. And this, is exactly where I need to be.The car rolled to a stop at it's very entrance, and waiting to the side, just as I knew she would was my childe, Lilya.Next to her was a bear of a man. Standing at a few inches shy of seven feet, he was large, -larger than me- his bulk and appearance was the very reason for the nickname Viking.Plaits run through his hair on one side, and he wore a hard leather vest that
Vladimir's POV(Continued)"You are not welcome here. I demand you leave." The auburn aired woman -and obvious leader of the trio- gritted out as she glared down at us."Is that so now?" I drawled, taking a leisurely stroll towards them.I took perversepleasure in the unconscious way they shrank back from me. "And who are you to tell me where I am welcome?""Magdalene Rilba, head of security." She tilted her head up defiantly.I took another step forward just for the hell of it. The scrap of human specimen with the pockmarked face lifted his fingers threateningly. His aura darkened to gray, a pale imitation of the color of a storm.Average.Just like the furious little red head glaring at me, they were all average in powers. Whatever means she came by her position as their leader, it was not because of her abilities.Average.Whatever a Puhvel
Vladimir's POV(Continued)“Your kind is not welcome here, king.” Kora Puhvel spat with venom, her grey eyes sparking with the full extent of her anger.Josie’s eyes sharpened at her words and I refrained from wincing. My ever observant wildcat just picked up on another ammunition to use in her quest. Oh, that would be a fun conversation to have later.“Unfortunately for you, miss Puhvel, you are not in the position to decide that.”“Whatever do you mean by that? Speak plainly or I will have you and your followers thrown out on your asses.”“Language. This is a civil discussion, not crude banter, and I will appreciate if you do not test my patience. It is on a very short fuse as it is.” I cautioned, merely letting a small bit of my beastly nature color my voice. She flinched, but then covered it up immediately with
“Vladimir.” I corrected swiftly. “I was in the neighborhood.”“Oh, really? How fortunate for us.” He nodded his head, a small crease above his brow. “I am betting that you wanted to see the sights. The museum is still open, I believe. I will have one of my people take you there.” He snapped his hands and one of the witches guarding him walked forward.The rest of the room -except for the oblivious Josie-, waited with baited breath, dreading my reaction.If I wanted to be a nice man, I would leave, letting rumours fly that Ivan was able to succeed where his daughter failed. However, I was not a man. And second, I was here to ruin them all.My congenial smile spread across my face. “It would be nice to see the city from a native’s point of view. Thank you for the offer, Ivan.”Shock spread across his face at my easy acceptance. All Kora was able to express was her confusion. &ldq
Josie's POVThe puffs of air I exhaled out turned into a gray mist. It was so damn freezing in this place that my breath took on physical shape.The people in the country aren’t much nicer than the weather, let me tell ya.After Vladimir’s strange incident in the terminal, and evadingmy questions, we’d been en-route Axel without further ado. I’m not certain I had any idea what I expected where the company Vladimir insists my family owns is concerned, but it wasn’t the sprawling monstrosity made of glass, or the extremely hostile reception from it’s owners.Honestly, who brings huge, scary men toting archaic weapons to official meetings?Business and I do not mesh, so I have literally no idea what father does or how he conducts his meetings, but if that’s how all meetings went, then it’s no wonder that businessmen w
FlashBack.Somewhere in Durbent.March, 1724.Sven's POV“Little prince.”Careful not to startle Lydia, my pet komodo dragon, I kept my fingers steady even as I moved only my head to glance up at the approaching figure.Even before I looked up, I knew who the familiar voice belonged to. After all, his voice was the same rumbling cadence that read me bed time stories, coached me though my horseback rides and walked me through my sparring sessions; it either sung my praise or gently corrected my mistakes. Besides, he was the only one who ever came to look for me in my hideout.Lydia was done feeding, plus she was weary of humans who were not me, so she turned, her long tail flicking my hand as she trotted back into the out-building.“You know she will make a meal of you one of these days,” he murmured, walking further into my line of vision.His rich brown hair was cut short once again, but it highlighted the brown and gold flecks of his eyes. He was not that much taller than me, but wi
Josie's POV(Continued)“Hello? Are you okay -”“NO!!” It was instant. One minute, I was splat on the ground, having just spilled out of the elevator like a roll of tissue, the world spinning around me, then the next, a flash of light hazel irises, freckles and a button nose.Soft hands gripped my shoulder, and I whirled around instinctively, catching the boy’s wrist in my fingers. And the next thing I knew, a rush of light so bright and warm I went dizzy with it. Then it was over in what felt like seconds. I blinked, and for a single minute, I didn’t understand why there was a gray haired man with sallow skin lying unconscious beneath my feet. The yellow shirt of a store attendant looked so oddly familiar that when reality smacked me in the face, I squeaked and scrambled away on my butt.The warmth rushing though my veins turned to molten heat, threatening to roast me from the inside out. But still, I kept crawling backwards, my stricken gaze on the unconscious boy. My back hit a wa
The Mall, Variku.Monday 12th of August, 2024.8 P.MJosie's POV(Continued)People said that when it rained, it poured. For me, the heavy rain turned into a thunderstorm and now, it was a motherfucking tornado. Of all the terrible ways the day from hell could have gotten even worse, running into Kora was the worst thing that could have happened to me. In a way, it was actually fitting. First, I woke up with the ability to drain people of not just magic but their youth as well. Then I found out that I drained not 1 but 12 women. And now, when my control was nearing it’s limit, I chose to willingly walk into a building with over a hundred people in it -stupid decision, yes I know. So of the hundred, who else would be more appropriate to run into than my cousin?“Hey, cuz. You’re looking especially horrid today.” To accentuate how utterly fucked I was, the elevator dinged as its doors closed, and Kora and her friends were definitely not in it, as evidenced by her cruel words.I bit my li
The Knight's Sisterhood Territory, Variku. Monday, 12th of August, 2024. 5 P.M Josie's POV (Continued) An empty vacuum. That was my brain. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, elevating my heart rate, but the world moved at a snail’s pace. Everywhere I looked was nothing but vibrant colors. So many colors, even a rainbow looked washed out next to them. The buildings, the trees, the ground and even the very air rippled with an array of colors I wasn’t even aware were on the spectrum. I had no idea where I was nor could I order my thoughts. The only thing I could do was watch my surrounding in awe, feeling like I’d been under water my whole life and I’d only just been let up. The colors were deep and contradictory, looking almost like a child tried to paint a picture without giving a rat's ass about the lines. I could see buildings and trees and what not, but the colors made it difficult to immediately identify what I was looking at. And the vibrancy of everything was making my eyes a
FlashBack. Somewhere In Durbent. December, 1724. Sven's POV The sun shone brightly, a rarity at this time of year, but I felt none of its usual warmth today. I ran down Sabnova street, the harsh rays of the sun beating down on me. My hand stayed firmly on the hilt of my sword, hope and fear warring for dominance in my heart. Still, I uttered payers to a god I could only hope truly existed even as I used all of my spare energy to run. I hoped Kros would find me before them, but simultaneously, I prayed he had the good sense to run as far as he could. Far away from here. Even if it meant my life was forfeit, at least he would be safe. The corner ended at a dead end. I’d seen no one behind me, but I didn’t delude myself into thinking I’d managed to escape them. I scanned the area furtively, my panicked gaze latching on to a small rotten ladder in the corner. Half of its rung was missing, but there was still about three rungs left on it. Good enough for me. All I really needed wa
Outside The Knights Sisterhood Territory, Variku.Sunday, 11th of August, 2024.Vladimir's POVHer heartbeat was faint, but steady. It’s been three days since I drugged Joanne, but for some reason, she was still unconscious. I would be worried if the rhythmic sound of her heartbeat didn’t assure me that she was alive and well. For all intents and purposes, Joanne was taking a rather long nap. I could only hope that she wouldn’t need the kiss of a true love to wake up because if that was the case, she was shit out of luck.The wind rustled, bringing a sharp bite to this cold night. The sisterhood’s territory was deserted at this moment, a notion which I was inclined to believe was unusual for them. Perhaps they were all dreading the wrath of the high priestess?Two days ago, after I’d drugged Joanne and had her blood drained -not enough to kill her or send her into shock, thank you very much- my warriors had returned her to her friend’s hotel room. Rupaul Carrignton was not in his room
Braille Mansion, Lourve, Hiiu.Saturday, 10th of August 2024.10:30 AMLilya's POV“The timeline has been moved up. Be ready to move in two weeks,” Yasha’s crispy voice was direct and uncompromising.My lips thinned, but I held in whatever objection I had. “Okay.” I hung up without another word.What could have happened? Did he and Vladimir have a falling out? Of course, the only reason I knew that Yasha and Vladimir had a tentative alliance was because Yasha wanted to rob it in my face that I had fallen out of grace with my sire. I grimaced and quickly squashed that train of thought. Panicking would do me no good right now.All I could do was focus on my own plan. But that led me to the new problem Yasha’s announcement had wrought. Anna met her clan just two days ago. She was nowhere near ready to be chosen by the mark. And I wasn’t her confidant yet. Unfortunately, I was on Yasha's time now, so his word goes.I took out my phone again and dialed one of the only four numbers on speed
FlashBackEstria - February 16,1991.Lady Piia's POV“Enough!” the voice thundered. Leaves rustled and even a few ravens flew away. That’s how bothered the whole surrounding had been by the sudden booming sound. Even from twenty feet away, I shivered at the uncontrolled rage in the tone. But the brown haired waif of a girl who was probably seconds away from being throttled by the irate mountain of a woman stared back defiantly, not a single hint of fear in her expressive chocolate eyes. Albus Nogru, wearing the brown and gold robes of an instructor glowered, her veins bulging as her hands shook, probably from the effort it took not to wrap it around Inna’s neck. “They are people too. They have a right to be taught and you can’t deny them their right!” Inna, my ever defiant, ever reckless friend snapped back loudly. She tilted her chin up, literally and figuratively digging her heels in. I sighed wearily, already knowing what the argument was about even without moving closer. Only
La Niche. Thursday, 8th of August, 2024. 9pm.Jo's POV(Continued)The brown and gold two storey building was at the very end of a cul dé sac. The street was very quiet and the nearest neighbour was about half a mile away. If it weren't for the luxurious cars parked outside the house and the different elite men and women dressed to the nines walking into said building, I would have thought that Vladimir had me brought all the way out here to be murdered.In a way, it sort of reminded me of house of Pulé. I gulped hastily, doing my best to quash the lurid images that sprung up at the thought of that house.Not the time, I admonished the lusty hoe residing rent free in my head."Miss Puhvel?" I turned my head at the voice.Staring down at me expressionlessly from outside the limo was Castor. I blushed for no particular reason and held my hand out to him. Without a word, Castor helped me out of the white rolls Royce limo we just arrived in.Dressed in a sheer cotton pink and white ruffle