Ashes of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 2) Read online

  “Was there something else you wanted to ask, Mychal?”

  “How is she?” There was no wondering whom the ‘she’ was that he was referring to.

  “She is healing. She doesn’t speak of the visions or of you. I can tell both are on her mind. You really need to talk to her, Mychal. Ease her suffering a little.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “You’re making excuses. I don’t know why you have such a goddamn chip on your shoulder about us. We won’t bite and we won’t judge. Come for a visit sometime. I know that you could teach me much about fighting demons. I know Katya would like to know too.”

  Isabelle had never met anyone more lonely or isolated than herself before. At least now, she had people around her that understood exactly what she was. They didn’t know what Mychal was except that he was a hunter of rare skill.

  “I don’t know, maybe I will drop by.” He was trying to sound casual and was failing.

  “She is shy, Mychal. Give her a chance. She can’t turn her gift off so don’t be so hard on her about it.”

  “I will keep an eye on Vasilli. I know the Darkness have a leader based here called Ragana. Perhaps he has business with her.”

  “Thank you, Mychal. Be careful. He may be wounded but Vasilli is still a real bastard.”

  “I’ve faced worse.” The phone line went dead, leaving Isabelle cold.

  ***

  Mychal fiddled with the silver cross that hung about his neck. Vasilli in the city was a bad sign. He knew that Ragana tended to keep a low profile and play it relatively safe rather than face him. Vasilli’s presence in Budapest was something to keep a close eye on. He wouldn’t use the discretion or secrecy that Ragana usually showed. She feared Mychal, and she feared what he could do. Vasilli did not.

  Mychal ran a hand through his thick hair and rubbed the back of his neck irritably. He didn’t know why he felt the need to ask Isabelle how Aleksandra was. He already knew. He had been watching Silvian’s mansion and the drama that always seemed to be unfolding.

  Perhaps it was in the hope that she would tell Aleksandra that he had asked after her. He had acted like a cold-hearted brute towards her and felt the bizarre need to atone for it. She scared the Hell out of him and he had no idea why. He felt like a jittery racehorse whenever he was around her. One thing for sure was that Aleksandra was meant to re-enter his life, but for what purpose he couldn’t imagine. Vasilli could send something terrible to the mansion while she was inside. Mychal knew he owed her a life debt. The late night visits would continue and at least now, he had a valid excuse to be there.

  Chapter Eighteen- Demon Whispers

  The wind was howling through the icy forest, kicking up snow and branches and beating them against the wooden shutters of Baba Zosia’s caravan. She was wrapped in thick woollen shawls and making tea. She couldn’t stop thinking of Aleksandra, ashamed and guilty about her treatment towards her. What she had seen had struck fear into the core of her being. Fear for not only herself but of what the tribe might do. In the old days, the demon marked would have been killed on sight. She remembered that over thirty years ago a woman gave birth to a son that grew to look nothing like her husband and had a demon mark upon him. She had been stoned to death twelve years later and the boy had disappeared. Baba Zosia didn’t want to see that happen to Aleksandra. Banishment was the only way to save her.

  The wind screamed again and she heard the whisper of voices carried on it. No one should be out in this kind of storm. Pulling a cloak tightly around her, she opened the door.

  The fire pit at the centre of the caravans was still burning despite the wind. She couldn’t see anyone moving about. Something with big wings swooped at her, making her fall on the icy slush. Looking up in the sky above her, she saw masses of huge bats circling the camp. No, not bats. She rubbed her failing eyes and strained them.

  “Lord save us,” she whispered as they fell onto the camp. Horrible screeching echoed through the wind, as the roofs of the caravans were ripped open like paper. Screams of frightened people were cut short as they were dragged from their beds and torn apart by sharp black claws. The cries of the children were deafening as monsters came for them. A creature landed in the mud in front of Baba Zosia.

  “Where is she?” it hissed.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Answer me truthfully or I shall kill you with such an agony that you will beg me for death.” Summoning her power and her dignity, Baba Zosia climbed to her feet. She wouldn’t get out of this alive so she was going to go out fighting.

  “Go to Hell,” she spat and unleashed her fury.

  ***

  Mychal slipped into Aleksandra’s room after midnight, replacing the wilting rose before he sat down in his usual chair to watch her sleep. You are a sick bastard, he thought to himself.

  Aleksandra was bound to find out about his late night visits sooner or later. If she knew about them already, she was keeping quiet about it. The roses were never in the trash so he thought that was a good sign. You shouldn’t have kissed her. His infernal brain chastised himself daily for it.

  A short gasp from the bed snapped him out of his thoughts. He always sat in the shadows in case she ever woke. The gasp turned into a moan of pain and he got to his feet.

  Mychal carefully moved forward. Sweat was pouring off her. The burned hands above the blankets were out like claws, clenching out in pain as she fought with the sheets.

  “No, no, no…” she started to scream. He clapped a hand over her mouth instinctively. He didn’t want to get caught in her room like a pervert.

  “Aleksandra, wake up,” Mychal said gently. She thrashed out, her hands slapping at him. “You’re okay Aleksandra, wake up.” He pinned her hands together and gave her a little shake.

  “Get away!” she said forcefully. He pulled her to him to stop her hitting him.

  “Aleksandra, wake up. You’re safe, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He brushed the damp hair back from her face. Her eyes fluttered open, full of confusion and terror. Recognition slowly filtered through them and tears began to fall down her flushed cheeks.

  “Mychal…oh God, Mychal they are after me,” Aleksandra said as she collapsed back into him. Tears soaked through his shirt and he put his arms around her shaking body.

  “Don’t worry you’re safe.” He had never had to deal with a weeping woman before and he felt out of his depth. “Would you like me to wake Katya?” Her arms pulled him tighter to her.

  “No, don’t leave me. They’ll come and I won’t be able to fight them off, only you can.”

  “What will come?” Those huge fear filled eyes fixed and he knew. Demons.

  “Aleksandra, I’m sorry.”

  “They’ve…they’ve found the tribe. There’s no one left. They even killed the b-babies.” Mychal didn’t say anything. What could he say? He knew better than anyone did what demons could do.

  “My hands felt like they were burning all over again. I tried to warn them. Baba Zosia wouldn’t let me through.”

  “If they were attacking her then she was protecting you. If she had let you link with her then they would be here already.”

  “They are all dead because of me.”

  “No, they are dead because demons killed them. It wasn’t your fault. Their blood is not on your hands.” As if realising Mychal was there and her hands were bare, she released him and started pulling apart the bedding, searching for a pair of gloves.

  “Don’t do that,” he said as he stopped her. He ran his thumbs over the smooth shiny scars on her hands. “You don’t need to hide them. Not from me.” She finally woke up enough to realise that something was wrong. Her eyes grew wide.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Mychal looked down at her and it was the first time Aleksandra had seen him completely speechless. He let her hands drop and stepped away from where he had been leaning against the bed.

  “I had a feeling they would be after you and I’m obligated to
keep a watch on you,” he said finally, the blankness filling his voice again.

  Aleksandra couldn’t remember waking up. She had felt like she was being sucked into a black hole and his voice had pulled her out and back into her body. She felt the extreme violence and fear of every one of those deaths and it swamped over her. Trembling again, she fumbled for the blankets. Mychal stepped forward and helped wrap them around her.

  “You’re going into shock, so try to breathe deeply,” he said calmly. After seeing her tucked in, he pulled up one of the lounge chairs and sat at her bedside.

  Mychal was frowning at her, more concerned than angry. Tears were trickling out of her and she couldn’t stop them.

  “I thought it would take them longer to hunt you,” Mychal sighed. “They must be eager to find you to manifest in their true forms on this plane, even if it was in Skazki.”

  “Why? Why me?”

  “There could be lots of reasons. None of which I’m going to talk to you about tonight.”

  “Sometime you will?”

  “Yes.” The silver cross around his neck glowed softly in the moonlight and for some reason it gave her hope. She was still shaking deep inside of her. A cold ball of icy despair was growing.

  “Do you see them?” she asked, “In the day time I mean.”

  “Yes. You’ll probably see them now too. They can look like ordinary humans. If you look further you can see their core.”

  “How do you keep from going completely mad?”

  “You don’t think I’m mad?”

  “I don’t know about totally mad. Usually you’re just mad at me,” Aleksandra replied.

  “There is no excuse I can offer you that will sound sincere. I’m not good with people and you came into my life unexpectedly. I don’t know what to say or how to react around you.”

  “Don’t be mad at me anymore,” she whispered. “I can’t handle it. It’s like a knife to the chest, add demons on top of that and it’s too much. My tribe is gone. My whole tribe. Katya and I are all that remain. How will I ever find the courage to tell her about the bloodshed? The utter swallowing blackness? If you hadn’t brought me back to my body when you did my entire soul would have been sucked out.”

  “We will call a truce then. I will try to be civil, towards you at least.” Aleksandra curled up in her blankets, tucking her knees up to her chest. Mychal’s dark eyes were so focused on her that she felt like he could see straight through her. It was as if he was looking for her demon core.

  “How long have you been spying on the house?”

  “I haven’t been spying,” he defended. She tried not to smile. “Since Isabelle hit me. I had to see what kind of person you are. I didn’t expect you to come to the church the way you did. It surprised me.”

  Aleksandra had thought a lot about that night, about the little boy she had played with and the angry branding kiss. She hadn’t ever had a lover so her experience was limited but if he ever kissed her like that without the anger it would be a powerful thing.

  “I’ve never been the brave one,” she admitted. “Katya has always been the strongest. She has always gone after exactly what she wanted.”

  “It was brave to warn me about that demon. Stupid but brave. Most would have let me die.”

  “You’re being suspiciously chatty.” Aleksandra twisted her fingers in the ends of her hair, a nervous twitch she had. He made her uneasy even when he wasn’t angry.

  “I’m trying to make you forget that you found me lurking in your bedroom.” That faint, sarcastic smile appeared and disappeared once more.

  “I’m grateful that you were. They would’ve…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, still scared he would leave and the demons would come. “They won’t ever get to you, I promise. Here, put this on it will help throw them off your trail.” He pulled out a heavy silver chain. Hanging on the end was a pendent, a cross surrounded by four small ones.

  “A Jerusalem Cross?”

  “A very old, very special Jerusalem Cross. Wear it with no arguments.” Aleksandra hesitated. Right now, her hands were buried deep in the blankets and she didn’t want him to see them. Vanity she scolded.

  Sensing her hesitation, Mychal leaned forward to put it on for her. His strong neck and shoulders hovered in front of her as he drew it over her head. She noticed with some alarm how good he smelt and was relieved when he sat back and she could breathe again.

  “Thank you.”

  “It should help you sleep a little easier.”

  “You aren’t…leaving are you?”

  “Would you like me to stay?”

  “I would like that very much. Despite making me very nervous I feel safe with you around me,” she admitted, her fear conquering her embarrassment.

  “Think about how awkward it is for me. You see every move I make in your sleep. That is unnerving.”

  “You think it’s easy for me to watch you like some kind of pervert all the time? I have to watch you go out nearly every night, trying to get yourself killed. It’s not fun for me either. I’m the one that frets that I’m going to have to watch you die. Don’t make me watch you die. After tonight I can’t handle anymore death.”

  “I will do my best. Is it all right if I sit here? I could make it so you never know I’m here.”

  “Please stay, I couldn’t handle being alone after…”

  “Don’t say it; it will only upset you more. You will have a hard enough time trying to tell Katya about it tomorrow. For now try to sleep.”

  “Will you be here when I wake up?”

  “Perhaps, I don’t think it would be good for anyone to come in and find me in here though.”

  “No chance of that, I’m always awake first.”

  “You are talking when you should be sleeping,” his voice suddenly became stern. It was not like the commanding tone he had used on Silvian. That had been terrifying.

  “Thank you for being here,” she said as she noticed her wilted rose had been replaced with a fresh one. Mychal would have been the last person on earth she would have thought to be the perpetrator of such a kind gesture. She bit her tongue and tried to hide her shock. Now wasn’t the time to mention it.

  Shutting her eyes, she tried to relax as she saw the frightened bloody faces of her kin. The tears started again thick and fast. Hopefully Mychal wouldn’t notice. His large callused hand gently brushed her forehead. She didn’t open her eyes and he stroked her head until she fell asleep.

  When Katya stumbled into the kitchen early the next morning, she found Aleksandra cooking food and talking quietly to Mychal who sat at the counter drinking coffee.

  “Oh, my God, Mychal!” she jumped.

  “Katya,” he answered blankly. He had a dark aura that radiated, “Fuck off or I will make you.” Very few hunters had that aura naturally.

  “Um…I didn’t expect you to be here,” Katya mumbled as she pulled open the fridge door. What the hell? She mouthed at Aleksandra. Her sister shrugged.

  “I should go,” Mychal said and got to his feet.

  “Hey, don’t leave on my account.”

  “It’s not.” He gave Aleksandra a look full of meaning and a healthy touch of warmth. “I will talk to you later.”

  “I would like that.” They held each other’s gaze long enough to make Katya feel uncomfortable. He broke first and bobbed his head at Katya, all the warmth gone from his face. Mychal turned and left without another word.

  “Okay, what was that?”

  “It was nothing. Sit down Katya we have something to talk about.”

  “We sure do! Man, he has like a presence doesn’t he? Fully hot but shit your pants scary.” Aleksandra served her up some food silently. “You got that face. This isn’t about Mychal, is it?”

  “No. It’s…it’s about the tribe.”

  Chapter Nineteen- Doorways and Holy Oil

  “There is never a dull moment with all of you around,” Silvian said as he and Aramis sat in the library.

  “It’s defin
itely been a wilder ride than I expected,” Aramis admitted.

  “Don’t delude yourself into thinking that life will be simpler if you manage to free Yanka.”

  “I’m not deluding myself. We will have the Illumination and the Darkness fighting for her from all sides.”

  “Have you ever really wondered who was behind her being captured like this?”

  “Of course I have,” Aramis said as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. “There was a name mentioned in the file. Apparently, she was a very high official by the name of Vasya Melenko. I have heard of her a few times since joining the Illumination. I have never met her or anyone who has.”

  “She is a myth that’s why. This is one of the reasons I went rogue,” muttered Silvian, “Everyone is on a need to know basis all the time. Too many secrets covering too many lies.”

  “I thought you went rogue because you wouldn’t give up your incubus ways.”

  “Hardly, I knocked back some pretty interesting offers from many of the high ranking Illumination officials. Not all women either. Some would really surprise you.”

  “In that case, I’m pleased that you’re holding up your end and not trying to bed any of the women here,” Aramis poured himself a glass of wine and sipped slowly. It was a little early to be drinking, but he had found for the first time in a long time that he didn’t care. Trajan was back and Anya was devastated. He lacked the words to comfort her and she was only interested in talking with Yvan.

  “I can’t go anywhere near these women. They all have too many bodyguards. I swear if one person looks at Anya the wrong way Yvan will kill them. I’m surprised that Trajan is still in one piece.”

  “Trajan’s decision is regrettable. Anya is hurting now but she will get over it. She is strong.”

  “How can you be so sure? Women like Anya don’t love or overcome heartache easily.”

  “She is stronger than she thinks. She deserves a better life than what a Thanatos can give her.”

  “That is a matter of opinion. Her love life is the least of our worries. Do you think having both Yanka and Anya on the loose is a wise idea?” asked Silvian.