“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
Josie's POV(Contined)“What?” I gaped at him. I’d heard he was rich, an actual oligarch, but it didn’t sink in until this moment. Not until I was staring at a house -nay. Mansion- that spanned acres. I haven’t been anywhere else on the property, but I have seen houses like this on the lifestyle channel. It probably has an indoor pool, a tennis court, football court and a lounging court where fellow insanely rich assholes like him sit and discuss how much better they are than everyone else.“Josie! We meet again my darling!” Lilya, the effusively loud sister of Vladimir boomed as she rushed out of the house.I’m not certain what to think of Lilya Sedof. She was the exact opposite of Vladimir, loud and chirpy where he was cold and austere. They were both pale and striking in appearance though. Where Vladimir was unfairly handsome and masculine,
Josie's POV(Continued)Opening the purse I hadn't dropped despite the last hours of insanity, I whipped out my phone, set it to roaming and dialed my dad’s line. It only took about three rings and mum’s voice came on.“You silly child, where are you?”“Hi mum, I’m in Tartu. I need to ask you and dad something important-”“Tartu?” Her shock was palpable. “How did you get there? Come home, right now! That place is not where you should ever get to!” And she hung up on me. Again.“Well?” Vladimir drawled. I was starting to hate the self assured way he spoke.“There was a connection problem. I will speak with them later. Please leave me alone now.” I refused to tell him that my mother kept hanging up on me.Instead of leaving the room like I requested, he waltzed to the desk like
Josie's POV(Continued) “What are you saying? I have no memory of all these events….but-” “But it feels like she is saying the truth?” Vladimir, the ever knowing sage, interrupted. “What truth? It’s rubbish is what it is! We are from Mexico mum, you told me that, remember?” “We are not Mexican child.. I have never even been to Mexico.” “Anna and I look alike! We have the same hair and eyes!” Okay, in what world I’m I living in where I’m the one convincing my mum that I’m her child? “You and about 12% of the entire population. It’s more a coincidence than anything. Anna looks like me. You don’t even look like Inna. You must have gotten your genes from that homeless lover of hers.” “You are lying to me.” I declared, my brain churning. This was all Vladimir’s doing. He did this. He was threatening them with something. “No I am not. At least right n
Vladimir's POVThree hours. It took three hours for Josie to run out of steam and stop tearing shit up.‘My King.’ The call was quiet, but urgent.‘Yes Roderick?’ I asked of the vamp warrior I had tasked to trail the trio. Roderick was a rogue vamp based in California, preferring to live his days without being affiliated to any coven, earning a livelihood by way of being a mercenary or running covert operations. One such as keeping tabs on my willful childe.‘Lilya just sent the order five minutes ago. The trio are to move on Stravos tonight.’ California was ten hours behind Tartu, and it was a little past midnight here, so it was about two pm in California. Lilya planned to execute her hair brained plan when Stravos should be asleep.Sometimes, that childe of mine disappointed me with her brash actions. ‘Shut it down, a
Vladimir's POV(Continued)"But this is not a wrong move sire. We need Stravos here to figure out the witches’plan." She protested."False. You made this move so that you can remove Stravos from his stronghold, in the hopes that you will finally be able to attack him directly. But make no mistake, bringing him here does not make him vulnerable to you. So your plan will fail."She sucked in a harp breath, glanced away from me for a few seconds before trying another tactic. "Don't you want to know who this breaker is?""I will, in time." Though I already had my suspicions. "You are my favorite childe, and that is because you have a sharp mind, but it is clear now that your mind is muddled. It is the only plausible reason why you cannot see what is in front of you."Her brows furrowed. "I do not follow father.""Your plan. You fail to see the glaring holes in it. What makes you bel
Vladimir's POV(Continued)The room was dark. I’m guessing Josie was able to get her hands on the light bulb in the room. The darkness didn’t impede me from seeing the havoc she managed to wreck in three hours. Simply put, this room is unlivable, at least not until extensive repairs have been made to…….everything.Impressive.I wonder how much havoc I can make her wreak on the witches when the time is right.Huddled in a small corner behind the closet, she gazed at nothing, looking like how she probably felt. Small. Aww, my poor wildcat. But for iron to become unbreakable, it must first pass through fire."Hey Jo, I come bearing treats." I murmured softly, keeping my voice barely above a whisper.She didn’t react in any way that indicated she heard or even knew I was there. I treaded into her line of sight, still, she didn’t so much as twitch. It wasn’t until I n
Vladimir's POV(Continued)“Not you. You are the only surviving member of Ave’s line. Her other two sisters didn’t produce children before their death, so that leaves either Ave’s line or Ivan’s to continue the Puhvel’s dynasty. And honestly speaking, I would much rather have the granddaughter of the peacemaker in power than the daughter of the demon seeking power hungry fool. I’m certain the rest of the clan will agree with me.”“You said they were missing.” She accused.“Your mum and aunt are missing. No one knows what happened to them. Inna disappeared the same night she gave birth to you. Michela about two months later. Ilya and Ave? They are dead. Their bodies were never found, so they are still ruled as missing.”Jo gulped audibly. “How do you know they are dead?”“I just do. It’s more
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