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)
Skyler seemed far too young to be the heroine in the stories whispered about her. How she saved Dimitri’s life by sneaking into Lycan territory with two of her young friends. They pretended to be studying wolves in the wild while they were really mounting a rescue operation. Her laughter was contagious, and the soft look of love that came over her face every time she looked at Dimitri was enough to convince Vasilisa that she was genuinely in love with him.
Dimitri’s house was built into the mountainside, very difficult to find. One could walk up on it and never even see it. The interior was well lit despite being inside the mountain. It was also cool without being cold. He had managed to regulate the temperature to be perfect for each visitor.
Dimitri and Skyler were comfortable with their houseguests—Ivory and Razvan, Fen and Tatijana, and Zev and Branislava. The four couples clearly enjoyed one another’s company often. Once again, Vasilisa put together who was Dragonseeker. Skyler, Razvan, Branislava and Tatijana all were Dragonseeker. She was there with Afanasiv, who was also Dragonseeker. That made five Dragonseekers all in one place. It was impossible to believe that was a coincidence.
What was it, aside from having Dragonseeker blood, that all of these people had in common? Vasilisa let the conversation flow around her while she tried to puzzle it out. They had similar characteristics. Loyalty. Endurance. Perseverance.
She glanced up at Afanasiv. He was very quiet, seemingly not paying any attention to anyone, yet she knew that wasn’t the case at all. He was very aware of everyone and everything. He held her hand, fingers loosely threaded through hers, but he wasn’t looking at her. She knew he was in her mind, reading her thoughts, but even that wasn’t enough to pull him from whatever dark place he’d gone to.
They had been summoned to the house of Dimitri and she had been so excited to go, but Afanasiv had been reluctant. He had turned to her, shaking his head. “We shouldn’t go, Vasi. We need to talk. My forgotten memories are coming back, and none of them are good. In fact, there was every reason to forget them. If we go, there might be need to disclose them, and you should hear them before anyone else.”
She should have listened to him, but the call continued, and she had wanted to meet Ivory and Razvan and especially Skyler. She had been wrong to ignore Afanasiv’s reluctance. Now he sat quietly, turning inward, going somewhere dark she couldn’t follow, but it scared her.
The man Afanasiv had introduced as Petru flicked his gaze a few times toward her lifemate. Every now and then, he would glance at the one called Benedek or Nicu as if they were having a private conversation. If they were, she knew they were talking about Afanasiv and were as concerned as she was.
Ivory and Razvan noticed that Afanasiv didn’t join in the conversation, not even when it turned to the slivers of Xaviero and how he had chased them out of Vasilisa’s two brothers and their women. At first, Lada had objected to being examined again, but when Andros explained about the mage being able to spy on everyone, she allowed Afanasiv to shove Xaviero’s sliver out of her. Afterward, she wanted to be alone, refusing even to talk to Vasilisa.
Andros had looked so tired and discouraged that she had wanted to go shake some sense into Lada. It wasn’t Andros’ fault that Olga had targeted her. Andros had practically sacrificed his honor for her. There was nothing she could do, so she’d left with Afanasiv to go to Dimitri’s to see if they had any ideas on why Lilith or the mages were being so persistent or who was behind the Sacred Circle making a comeback that was undermining the royals.
Afanasiv said little to her as they made the approach to Dimitri’s home. She knew he liked Dimitri, so it made little sense to her that he distanced himself from her and from a man he both respected and liked. Before she could question him, his brethren had joined them, and then they were at Dimitri’s home, and she was caught up in the spell and myth of Skyler and Dimitri.
Now, she slid closer to him protectively, feeling guilty that she hadn’t listened to him. Ivory and Razvan studied him with the eyes of warriors. Shrewd. Assessing. Both seemed to see things beyond skin and bone, and Vasilisa didn’t want anything exposed that Afanasiv didn’t wish to reveal. It was no one’s business but his that he had spent time in captivity in the underworld.
The room was suddenly too small, and she found it difficult to breathe. She glanced once more at her lifemate. She was feeling his emotions, not her own. She ran her thumb over the side of his hand, wishing she knew how to comfort him. He was always the one to surround her with his warmth when she needed it the most.