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)
What does Xayvion want? Petru asked, pushing the query into Afanasiv’s mind so gently and softly, Siv nearly missed it.
Olga would be programmed to acquire what the mage was after. So would the army waiting inside her for the word to emerge into battle.
We need to count them anyway, Siv said. We both have demons within us. Mine is dark and thoroughly entrenched in me, and if one of them feels my presence, he will only see me as another demon. I do have my lifemate as my anchor. He was essentially asking Petru if he could embrace his demon and not fall after so many centuries of honor.
I would not leave you to defend your lifemate when I have given my word to you. Adalasia told me my lifemate is alive. She would never lie. In any case, I ensured that she did not. You know I can hear lies. I would not betray my lifemate after waiting so long for her.
Petru wore the oath to his woman carved into his back. As before, he didn’t hesitate once they made up their minds. They counted the shadows planted in Olga’s body. At least six vampires and as many demons. Petru moved through her body a second time to ensure they didn’t miss any of the shadows clinging to bone, muscle or organs. Two more vampires were revealed.
There must be guidance. One in charge. In her brain, whispering orders. Afanasiv was certain they would find a tiny shadow watching the royals, making certain that Olga did exactly what Xayvion needed her to do.
A splinter, then. Like Rudlof carries in him, Petru agreed.
Rudlof does not have a splinter of Xayvion. If there is one in Rudlof, it is no doubt Xaviero. He is locked in the underworld. This is getting to be very, very dangerous, Petru. I believe Xayvion has his sights set on annihilating the Lycans, as he did the Jaguars. To do that, he must remove the royals. All of them. He has gathered them here in one place. He has an army waiting to take them out. We need to see what his plan is.
Afanasiv was grateful Petru was with him. If there was one ancient who was excellent at strategizing, it was Petru. It was not going to be an easy task to find that sliver in the folds of the brain and slip into it without detection. The only way they could know how the mage planned to kill the royals and wipe out the Lycans was to access his brain. He wasn’t actually present at all times in the sliver he had placed in Olga. That would require too much energy to span the distance, but the small piece of himself allowed him to use her sight. He could hear. He could instruct her. Ensure she carried out his orders. He was a powerful mage, and there was no doubt that he could kill given the right circumstances. But it was a two-way path. That sliver of Xayvion, the tiny slice of himself he had planted in Olga’s brain, was a direct path to the mage’s mind.
There were telltale colonies of microscopic parasites around Olga’s organs and quite a few wiggling in her veins. Her heart wasn’t blackened as of yet, but it was shadowed, already discolored.
My lady, you know where the child is? You know the army of vampires and demons you will face when word is given for them to attack?
Petru had begun the search for the tiny bump amid the folds and crevices that made up each quadrant of the brain. Afanasiv wanted to make certain that Vasilisa understood what they were facing just in case something went wrong. Xayvion was extremely dangerous and powerful, but Siv and Petru were betting their lives it would never occur to the mage that anyone would be so foolish as to try to access his memories, using his sliver as a portal while he was using it as well.
Yes. She sounded tense. Siv, don’t do it. You have enough information. We can fight them off. We know he wants to kill us all, and he’s brought his army to do it.
Afanasiv had an uneasy feeling that what was inside Olga was only the opening salvo. If this was really the opening gambit to Xayvion’s scheme to wipe out the Lycans, there had to be more. A lot more.
Dimitri, reach out to Fen and Zev. Call in everyone close. Have the wolves search. Read the land. I believe there are more vampires and demons hunting us and any Lycans they can find this night. Vasilisa, have one of your brothers send the warning to your people to beware, to arm themselves.
One of us would have to be outside to send a message that would be heard throughout our entire territory.