Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
He took the child from the little play set and ran into the forest in wolf form. She was very frightened and screamed, so he kept his hand over her mouth. When she bit him, he slapped her. He ran with her for miles until he came to the middle of Dimitri’s preserve. Rudlof waited for him there, and he gave the child to him.
Vasilisa walked right up to Vovo and slapped him hard across the face. “You horrible little toad. You slapped a child because she was terrified and she bit you when you stole her from her mother, and you put your hand on her mouth so she couldn’t breathe? Or cry out to her mother or grandmother? You are the most pathetic, horrible excuse for a Lycan I can imagine. I am almost glad you committed treason so I can tell myself you were never one of us.”
She turned away from him. “All Lycans are one with the land. With each other. To know that ones such as you exist sickens me.”
Afanasiv left behind mirrors reflecting the rot inside him. Vovo could blink several times, but he could never be free of seeing his self-centered life and the sins he’d committed and intended to commit. Afanasiv pulled out of the man’s mind, caught the chains of glittering silver and, without a word, caught up the man and his son, one under each arm, and took them out the door and into the forest to one of the oldest trees with thick, sturdy branches.
In spite of the kicking and screaming and both attempting to shift into their wolves, they were stripped and chained with silver hooks so that it could drip into their bodies and kill them slowly. Death by silver was excruciatingly painful to any Lycan. Straight across from the two men, Belka appeared to be hung, as well, so her husband and son could see her painful death. In truth, she was an illusion. Her death had been swift and her body had been incinerated completely. She would not be added to any memorial wall, her name would never be mentioned and the land would not welcome her ashes.
“Polina,” Andros said, “I would like you to take Lada into the other room and attend to her wounds. She has several. Before she came home, we cleaned them thoroughly, but she was handled roughly, so the lacerations are deep. The stitches might have opened.”
Lada shook her head. “She’s my daughter, Andros. I shouldn’t leave this to you.”
“I want to do this for you,” he said, turning her toward her mother. “Please let me do this without you in the room. Some things are not for your eyes.”
Polina wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Come with me, Lada. Let them find out what Rudlof knows by whatever means they can. Sometimes it is better to allow them to work without you present.”
“In other words,” Rudlof said, squirming and struggling against the burn of the silver torture. He panted, his mouth open, gasping for air as he fought for the ability to speak. “They have bound me with silver, and you see how it burns into my flesh. How it torments my wolf. You would feel it if they didn’t shield you.”
“Lada.” Andros framed her face with both hands and looked into her eyes. His voice was very gentle but compelling. “I have asked you to leave the room. Please comply with my wishes.”
“Yes, of course, Andros.” She brushed her lips against his, featherlight, as if daring to make the move on her own, before allowing her mother to lead her out.
“All others are excused,” Andros continued, looking around the room at the practitioners of the Sacred Circle.
“Andros, we had no idea of the conspiracy against you,” Stepan said. “We follow the ways of the Sacred Circle, but we are Lycan first.”
“I’m aware.”
“I would like to stay, if you don’t mind,” Stepan continued. “I want to know what happened to my granddaughter. It was bad enough to realize that somehow Nikita had allowed demons into our Circle, and they had taken over our minds to the extent we didn’t realize they were using us to do their bidding. I have so much to make up to my daughter for.”
“She doesn’t blame you.”
“The conspirators would have used her to harm you and the other royals. That was their goal. I have no idea what the demons wanted with you, but there seemed to be something there, as well,” Stepan continued. “To know that I wasn’t strong enough to protect my family, the Lycans and the royal family from harm is humbling.”
“The man you call Nikita was a mage of great power. He was very well versed in appearing to be a Lycan and a member of the Sacred Circle.”
The ancients guarded the surrounding forest in case any demons had been left alive and were in hiding, waiting to attack the unwary. They provided unseen escorts for those going back to their homes, making certain they weren’t attacked and taken over.