Blood Lines - Blood Price Part 9

Where was she? Nikia's head spun when she opened her eyes. A perplexed frown flashed across her face, as she surveyed the shadowed landscape. Dense patches of fog shrouded the ground she was sitting on, so thick that she couldn't see any part of her body below the waist when she looked down.

A memory teased the back of her mind, whispering in a voice she couldn't place. She focused on it, trying to pin down the elusive message. Just as the words started to clarify, another voice intruded.

"Do you think this is wise, Daughter?"

She jerked at the sound of her mother's voice, bounding to her feet. Her eyes sought out her mother's presence and she gasped when Illiana stepped closer, providing illumination with the torch she plunged into the ground. "What's happening?"

She didn't answer. "I didn't expect you to have the courage for this." Illiana shook her head, rustling l.u.s.trous waves of cinnamon-red hair so similar to Nikia's. "How foolish, to push us to this point. I would have allowed you to exist in a small part of my mind. Now, I'll have to destroy you."

The memory returned then, of taking the draught and preparing for this confrontation. Nikia straightened her spine. "Your generosity overwhelms me." She curled her lip, eyeing her mother with distaste. "I'd rather die than share a body with you again."

Illiana nodded her head. "If that is your wish."

Holding herself tensely, Nikia braced herself for attack. She had no idea what to antic.i.p.ate. Would Illiana strike out at her with bare hands or a weapon? She held her breath, determined not to act rashly, thus giving her enemy the advantage. And there was no doubt her mother was her enemy. One of them had to die tonight.

Illiana chose a more insidious method of attack. She flooded Nikia's mind with images of violence, combined with overwhelming pain. She clutched her head, falling to her knees as she screamed. The torture didn't end. The images intensified as Illiana replayed the night Nikia's body had been used as the instrument of her father's death. Valdemeer's conflicted expression of rage and sorrow as he lay on the floor, with his lifeblood pumping from him, ripped into her soul. He had died thinking she was as evil as her mother.

She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the visions playing through them. The attack on Anca was next, when she had bitten her as a wolf. Before she could dwell on that, another memory rose to take its place, of the day she tortured and murdered a couple touring Corsova, just for fun. No one knew about that, except she and Illiana.

The worst image that stayed in her mind was of a young Nikia, barely more than a toddler, preparing a poison under her mother's direction and putting it in a baby bottle, along with sugar-water. Then she crept into the nursery and fed it to her infant brother, Julian. Nikia could still recall how warm and soft he had been in her arms, even as her mother's dark glee at removing the heir to the Protectorate combined with her emotions. She cried out when it came time to relive the way Julian had stiffened and thrashed as the poison took hold. His last strangled cry echoed through her mouth and she slumped to the ground, burying her face into the mud, trying to shut out the images and accompanying pain. "No more," she whispered, taking in a mouthful of mud as she did so. Illiana's cold laugh sent s.h.i.+vers down her spine. "Why did you think you had the strength for this, Nikia?

You are weak. You'll always be weak. There is nothing of me in you."

She managed to gain a shred of strength, enough to lift her head. "I'm thankful for that much." The pain still drilled into her brain but Oksana's voice was rising above it. She struggled to make out the words.

"You are in control."

Her mouth firmed with resolve and she stared at Illiana's feet. Her posture suggested subservience and she didn't look up at her mother, not wanting to dispel that image. Instead, she focused her gaze on the ground under her mother's feet, forcing herself to see through the fog, until she could make out the muddy ground below. Thunder cracked from somewhere above, followed by a flash of lightning. Nikia briefly wondered why her mind had chosen this setting but pushed aside the thought when realizing it had distracted her.

Rain started pouring from the sky in a torrent, soaking her in seconds. Illiana screeched at the annoyance but didn't show signs of seeking shelter. She moved closer to Nikia, standing over her. Her hand settled on the back of Nikia's head, in almost a caressing gesture. The rigid set of her fingers and the way her nails dug into the flesh of Nikia's neck, gave a different interpretation to the touch. "It ends now, Nikia."

"Yes," she said so quietly she didn't know if Illiana heard her. With all her strength, she focused on the ground, imagining a deep hole opening under Illiana's feet. A rumbling sounded but it might have been thunder. Her mother paid no mind to it, as she lowered her hand to the side of Nikia's neck and started squeezing. Her other hand came to join its mate, cutting off Nikia's air supply.

She didn't let her gaze waver, knowing she had to finish this. The rumbling returned, much louder this time and definitely originating from the ground. Illiana's grasp slackened when she looked down. An expression of shock crossed her face and she screamed when a hole appeared beneath her, swallowing her.

Nikia's vertebrae jolted under the strain of Illiana's hold, as she anch.o.r.ed her hand into her daughter's hair and brought her into the hole. Together, they fell into the bottomless pit. Illiana's screaming didn't cease but Nikia closed her eyes and turned her thoughts inward. She hovered on the edge of oblivion and reached for it. Quiet darkness beckoned and she wanted it more than anything.

Pain shocked her eyes open, as it emanated from her arm. She looked down and saw a jagged cut there, as if made from a small knife. Whoever had carved it meant it to serve as a message.Return .

Atar! What was she thinking? Illiana's essence was drawing her away with it but she couldn't go. She had to return to herself. She jerked away from Illiana's hold but found it wasn't so simple as that to escape. Invisible bonds anch.o.r.ed her to Illiana, who seemed to find a measure of satisfaction in ensuring Nikia's destruction along with her own.

Panic seized her and she thrashed, still falling. She reached out, searching for something to grasp in the pit. The sides were smooth and slippery, as rain flooded the trench. It was more difficult to breathe but she drew in a lungful of air and shouted, "Atar, help me."

She looked up and a hand extended into the pit, although they must have fallen too far by now to let anyone reach them from the ground above. She didn't question it further when she was able to reach up and grasp his hand. Her descent arrested immediately and she flinched when the bonds binding her toIlliana snapped with a sharp throbbing sensation. Illiana's screams of rage carried to her but her mother's body continued falling, into the oblivion from which she couldn't return.

Meanwhile, the hand offered was Atar's and he pulled her up, despite her lack of resources to a.s.sist him with the task. As he brought her out of the hole, her feet touched ground and the stormy landscape disappeared, morphing into the confines of the small cabin where Oksana had brought her. Atar crouched over her, concern evident on his face, mingled with shock.

Her hand trembled when she reached up to touch her head. It had been so long since she had known a day without even a light headache that she had nearly forgotten what it was like to be pain-free. Her thoughts were clear, despite a bit of lingering confusion and she was whole. Not a trace of Illiana remained. A smile creased her mouth and she reached for Atar, placing her palm on his chest. "She's gone."

He stared down at her, perplexed. The silence lengthened between them, until he muttered something and rose, hurrying from the cabin.

Nikia's brow furrowed when she turned to her cousin, who seemed unmoved by the events. "What's wrong with him? Does he still doubt me?"

A faint smile showed through her cool exterior. "I'm sure he believes you, Nikia. He was drawn into your mind when you called for him. I think his ability to answer is what has shaken him."

"How so?"

Oksana shrugged. "I told him only someone who cared deeply for you, who had a connection with you that was more than superficial, could bring you back if you needed help. Only someone who believed could answer your cries for help." Her smile widened. "When cutting your flesh failed to bring you back, he acted instinctively, reaching out to you in a gesture that should have been impossible with his mindset. I don't think he knew he believed you until that moment when his spirit joined yours and brought you back from oblivion."

Nikia blinked, struggling to process what her cousin shared. Did that mean Atar loved her, had faith in her before Oksana initiated the spell? Had he been standing beside her even before he knew it? Again, she questioned if he loved her. Could it be possible that his feelings were the same as hers, despite the adversities plaguing them? Had a reciprocal bond formed between them during the short time they had known each other, instead of being one-sided, as she had believed? She asked the question aloud.

Oksana shrugged. "I don't know if he loves you. Only he can tell you that. You should go to him." She waved her hand around the small room. "You may sleep here tonight. Gran doesn't need to know."

Nikia nodded, swallowing the sodden ball in her throat. She gathered her courage and sat up, waiting for some physical sign of the battle her mind had waged to impose itself, other than the stinging pain in her arm where Oksana had cut her. She looked down, noticing for the first time she was soaked to the skin, with her hair hanging in wet strings in her face. The taste of mud befouled her mouth and clumps of sludge clung to her sleeve when she wiped her face. Prior to confronting Atar, she needed to wash.

Before she could make her request, Oksana said, "There is a small bathroom down the hallway, if you go through the kitchen. I'll bring you a change of clothes, since those are ruined."

"Thanks." She got slowly to her feet, hesitating when she stood. "Do you think I should speak to himfirst?"

Her cousin shook her head. "No. Give him time to think through the situation. When your body is refreshed, you will feel more like undertaking the task before you."

Chapter 10.

All through her shower, Nikia had dreaded searching for Atar and confronting him about what Oksana revealed. She hoped his response would be affirmative, that he would agree with her suggestion to recover the money from her other accounts, travel far away from Eastern Europe, find a place to settle into a quiet life and live happily ever after for the rest of their days. The more likely response would be a denial of his feelings, followed by the information that he was still taking her back to Corsova.

She emerged from the small bathroom wrapped in a gray towel, to go in search of the clothing Oksana had promised. Nikia froze in mid-step when she saw Atar standing with his back to her, staring out the small window of the bedroom. The set of his shoulders suggested resolve.

He whirled around when she took another step. Their eyes met and a loaded silence fell between them, with each waiting for the other to speak first. She moistened her lips, searching for the right thing to say.

He must have found the words first. "Had she really controlled you all that time?" He took a step closer, his expression revealing he wanted to believe her, needed to. "Illiana planned the crimes you're accused of. It wasn't you?"

She shook her head, taking another step toward him. "I was aware of what she did, but it was as if my presence was squeezed into a tiny cage in the back of Illiana's mind. I could see through my eyes, feel through my body but couldn't stop her." She closed her eyes, reliving the futility of her struggles over the years, how painful it was to stand by and be able to do nothing.

His hand on her cheek opened her eyes and she saw the tenderness in his gaze. Everything she wanted to say bottlenecked in her throat, refusing to emerge as anything other than an incoherent moan when he traced his fingers down her throat, pausing to stroke her neck.

His arms were comforting when he drew her inside them, holding her in an embrace that demanded nothing but offered everything. Atar's heart thudded against her ear and she snuggled closer, letting the sound lull away her remaining pain. She pressed her hands against his back, anchoring him. Her brain urged her to confront him about the future but her heart wanted only to bask in his touch.

She turned her face and craned her neck, to put her lips against his neck. Hunger stirred but it was secondary to her need to prove his trust in her. Her nerves sang with tension when her mouth hovered over his carotid artery. He stiffened but didn't pull away. Very slowly, she licked the spot, straining for each telltale signal his body emitted. He s.h.i.+vered but she didn't know whether from pleasure at the sensation or lingering mistrust.

Nikia allowed him to feel the point of her teeth, pleased when he didn't draw away. His breathing increased slightly but he stayed still when she scratched his skin delicately with the tip of her fang.

Immobile under her mock a.s.sault, his heart betrayed him by thumping even faster. She still didn't know if it was pleasure that caused the reaction, so she sank her teeth through his skin. His indrawn breath clued her in to his surprise and possible pain at the action but he withstood it. She lifted her head, examining his expression. Her stomach quivered when she saw the warmth in his eyes. Fear and mistrust weren't visible. Only...she hesitated to identify the emotion and her brow furrowed when she considered it.

He didn't give her time to a.n.a.lyze further. Atar lowered his head, taking possession of her mouth. Unlike her cautious advances to test him, there was nothing hesitant about his touch. His mouth devoured hers, his tongue surging through her lips to sweep around the confines of her mouth, exploring every inch. He tasted of theLavazza coffee anddraniki Oksana had served them before they undertook the process of banis.h.i.+ng Illiana. A faint hint of peaches from the compote offered as dessert offset the bitterness of the coffee and b.u.t.tery potato flavor of the pancakes. Blended together, the flavors were all exotic and sensual, piquing her appet.i.te further but for him, not blood. The peppermint of her toothpaste brought a refres.h.i.+ng contrast to the mix and she thought, as he lifted her into his arms, that she had never tasted anything so divine as him.

He carried her to the pallet, kneeling and placing her atop it in one smooth motion. She reached for him again when they separated during the change in position, finding him immediately. He followed her onto the pallet, supporting his weight on his arms as he stretched out over her.

Nikia stroked a strand of his hair, staring deeply into his colorless eyes. "I need you."

He turned his head to kiss her hand, licking her palm, before speaking. "I need this too." A slight grin teased his lips. "I hope I'll be conscious afterward this time."

A blush warmed her cheeks. "I promise not to hit you with anything again."

He let more of his weight settle on her, bringing his face close to hers. "I'm more concerned that you'll still be here."

"I won't leave you again."

The unnerving intensity in her gaze must have convinced him because he dropped the serious expression and leaned close enough to nip her bottom lip. She parted them in antic.i.p.ation of another kiss but his mouth ventured lower, nibbling a path down her neck, to her chest, where beads of moisture from her shower still glistened. She moaned when he licked them away with tiny swipes that gradually lengthened, until his tongue was flitting into her cleavage under the towel.

He was much closer for a second, as he relaxed his arms, before his legs took over supporting him.

Nikia wrapped her arms around his back to hold him close but he pulled away enough to make her miss him, even though they were still touching.

"I need to touch you."

She nodded, closing her eyes when his fingers sought out the folded triangle of towel and loosened it, letting the terrycloth fall open. She s.h.i.+vered when he licked one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, carefully avoiding the nipple. His breath whispered across the sensitive bead and she squirmed, arching her hips. He breathed a husky laugh before transferring his teasing attention to the other breast, which he cupped in one hand and lifted. His tongue wriggled against her nipple just long enough to make her grunt with frustration when his mouth slid lower, away from the nipple begging for attention.

He buried his face against her stomach, inhaling. Her skin m.u.f.fled his voice when he said, "You smelldelicious, like strawberries. I could eat you all up."

The idea of him eating her flooded her already wet p.u.s.s.y and she arched against him again. "I used the pump hand soap on the sink for my shower." She hadn't wanted to use the opened bar she had found in the shower.

He ignored her explanation, letting his mouth do more creative things than form a reply. She moaned when his tongue reached her mound, lightly stroking it. Fire burned inside her p.u.s.s.y, igniting liquid heat in her p.u.s.s.y. "Please taste me."

He was slow in complying, moving his tongue in tiny increments as he went lower, until his appendage finally reached her slit. It slipped inside, taking a taste of her, before moving out again, parodying the thrusting motion his hips would make soon. "More," she said through a groan.

Atar's tongue surged into her, evidencing he was finished teasing. He circled her c.l.i.t with small licks, pausing to flick across the tip of it several times, until she was almost screaming with pleasure. Her hands had buried themselves in his hair and held his head against her as close as she could get him. She thrust her hips to meet each surge of his tongue when he licked her slit, alternating between her c.l.i.t and opening.

His tempo increased, as did the wetness of her arousal. She pushed against his face, raising her hips in a futile attempt to get his tongue deeper, although he was already in as far as he could get. Her thighs tightened around his head when convulsions started deep inside her, building in intensity as they radiated outward, causing her p.u.s.s.y to pulse in time with the beat of her heart as an o.r.g.a.s.m swept over her.

She cried out at the strength of the pleasure, trying to hold him against her as he s.h.i.+fted. She thought he was pulling away and murmured a protest, clenching her fingers tighter in his hair, until she realized he was only sliding up her body. When his c.o.c.k hovered at the entrance of her still throbbing p.u.s.s.y, her eyes widened with shock. Could she? "Atar?" Her uncertainty was as clear in her voice as she knew it must be in her expression. "I don't know if I can take all of it."

"I'll go slow." True to his word, he eased the head of his merged c.o.c.k into her opening, stopping when her body showed any sign of resistance. "If it hurts, I'll stop." As he spoke, he rolled over, holding her close, so that their positions were reversed. "On top, you can control the thrusts."

Nikia held her fear at bay, giving Atar the same amount of trust he had finally displayed to her. She nodded, signaling both that she heard him and that he could continue. For good measure, she added, "I'm ready."

Unhurriedly, Atar lifted his hips, letting his engorged c.o.c.k fill her p.u.s.s.y. He stretched her to the limit but in a pleasant way. She burned at the unaccustomed length and breadth of his c.o.c.k but it wasn't exactly painful, especially when he began moving in and out at a slow pace. Soon, Nikia had adjusted to his size and was meeting each thrust with her own, pumping against him, setting the pace. It was almost instinctual when she led them into an ever increasing pace, bringing his c.o.c.k as deep inside as she could. Another o.r.g.a.s.m was building in her and she clutched Atar's waist, digging her nails into his flesh. "I'm close."

Sweat beaded his flushed face. "Me too." His clenched teeth made his words difficult to discern. "I can't last much longer in your hot, tight p.u.s.s.y."

She rotated her hips in a circle as she bore down on him. Her p.u.s.s.y convulsed around him and his c.o.c.k spasmed. Their cries mingled together as his first spurt of satisfaction spilled inside her. Their hearts pumped in synchronicity, causing their genitals to spasm in concert. For a moment, they were one being,a consciousness split into two bodies but each half of the whole. Not complete unless together.

The fanciful thought flitted through her mind as the wave of euphoria took her away from the world for a few minutes, to where they were soaring together, above the clouds.

They must have slept for several hours. Nikia awakened abruptly to the sound of helicopter blades overhead. It was such an incongruous sound to the peacefulness of Temhoe that it awakened fear immediately. Atar was spooning her from behind and she turned to waken him but found his eyes already open, alert and full of wariness. "Do you think it's those men?"

"Who else would it be?" He rolled into a sitting position, gaining his feet to move to the window. Over his shoulder, as he parted the curtains, he said, "You have to tell me why those men want you, Nikia.

What did your mother do to provoke them?"

She shook her head, aghast. "Nothing. It's not me they want. What have you done?"

"It can't be me. Time has killed off my enemies." He cursed then, letting the drapes close as he hurried back to her. "Hurry and dress. The chopper landed, letting off four people. They seem to be carrying rifles or submachine guns."

Nikia got up so quickly her head spun. She rushed from the bedroom, searching for the clothing Oksana was supposed to have left. She found a stack on the kitchen table and began dressing as she returned to the bedroom. She found Atar fully clad as she entered the room, struggling with the b.u.t.tons on the wool slacks. The matching black sweater was itchy but she wasn't going to complain. "My boots. Have you seen them?"

He shook his head. "Come on."

Abandoning the idea of shoes, she went to him, following him dubiously into the bathroom, where he locked the door and braced it with a small vanity table that would do little to keep out anyone. Her doubt grew as he pried open the small window. "We can't fit through there."

"Yes, we can. I can s.h.i.+ft to a leaner shape and you can transform to a wolf if you have to."

She bit her tongue to silence any further protest and stepped forward when he held out a hand. He boosted her up to the window when she was in front of him and Nikia gripped the sill. Her head fit without difficulty but her shoulders at first refused to go through. She slithered and wriggled as fast as she could, somehow forcing them through. The rest of her body fit through easily and she tumbled headfirst to the ground, twisting at the last moment to avoid a head injury.

She moved out of the way and waited for Atar, who was changing his physiology to fit through the small opening. She saw a leaner version of his head and shoulders slip through the window before the sound of cracking wood in the bathroom caught her attention. She saw Atar struggling and his shape began to morph back to normal as he disappeared through the window. She ran toward the front of the small building as the sounds of running footsteps thudding through the house moved away from the bathroom.

She skidded to a halt upon reaching the porch, where she found a man dressed in camouflage, with his face covered, standing guard. He pointed a nasty-looking rifle in her direction and his finger hovered on the trigger. Instinct urged her to rush past him to get to Atar but reason prevailed as three men emerged,dragging her struggling lover.

His movements were sluggish, indicating they drugged him during the capture. She watched with horror when they dropped him on the rough surface of the wooden porch with little regard for protecting the parts of his skin bared by his partially b.u.t.toned s.h.i.+rt. She winced when they jerked his arms behind him and clapped him in handcuffs. She couldn't stand by any longer, watching this. Instinct propelled her forward, letting her pa.s.s the man with the gun trained on her without fear.

She was growling unintelligibly when she closed in on the men surrounding Atar, so enraged she couldn't utter anything coherent. Who were they? What did they want? She hoped she was screaming those questions but didn't think so. All she could hear was a stream of animalistic sounds coming from her.

They ended abruptly when the man behind her caught her around the waist, squeezing so hard on her middle that he pressed against her diaphragm, cutting off her air supply. She struggled in his arms but he was surprisingly strong. Her vampire blood made her more than a match for any human but this one held her immobile.

"What shall we do with her, sir?" he asked the man standing slightly back from the two who were lifting a limp Atar between them. "Shall I dispose of her?"

Black spots danced before her eyes and she struggled for a breath, wanting just one more before she felt a bullet. Her eyes clung to Atar, hoping for one last visual connection between them. She wanted to communicate with her eyes how she felt about him but he didn't stir.

"No, I'm certain Herr Koenig can find some use for her. Sedate and load her in the helicopter." His accent was thick and Nikia couldn't place it over the noise of the helicopter they had left running but presumed it was German, by his usage of "Herr."

She tried to twist away when the man holding her loosed one of his arms from around her middle to get something from a pack on his hip. The ability to breathe came back and her first lungful of oxygen brought a return of mental clarity. Peripherally, she was aware of Yuri, who had brought her to Temhoe, approaching the man on the porch. To her shock, Oksana was a step behind him, appearing much too calm under the circ.u.mstances. "Help me," she said, catching her cousin's eyes. Her voice was weak but audible.

Oksana hesitated. "I already did." There was a trace of guilt in her eyes, which made no sense.

"Remember, I didn't have to do anything for you." Then she turned her back, keeping her gaze focused on Yuri and the man in black.

Nikia frowned with confusion, until a jab in her neck diverted her attention. She turned her head in time to see the man holding her drop a syringe onto the porch.

"Very good." The man who seemed to be in charge handed over a small pouch to Yuri. "I had doubts you would call if she showed up, but Herr Koenig a.s.sured me you would." He smirked. "Money outweighs blood every time."