unnerved me that I still had no idea what this involved.
He pulled me down closer to the witch. Lilith was so freakishly tall she even towered over Rhys. I sat down on the floor beside the pool as they finished their conversation.
Finally the witch turned to me and, looking me directly in the eye, rasped, “Mo-na.”
The sound of my name coming out of her decaying lips sent chills running down my spine. I stood up again and walked closer to her, gripping Rhys’ arm as I did.
Then she said something else to me.
I looked at Rhys, my eyebrows raised. Even he looked reluctant to translate for me, hardly making me feel better about the situation. “She is asking, ‘Are you ready to become a Channeler?’”
I nodded, even as my stomach churned.
She hissed at me again.
“She wants you to say yes,” Rhys said.
I looked her.
“Yes,” I said clearly.
She chewed on her lower lip and then gripped my hand. She forced me down on to the floor and hissed at me again.
“Sit cross-legged,” Rhys said.
I did as I was told.
Rhys bent down next to me and sat opposite me on the floor. He placed a hand on my knee. It wasn’t often that Rhys betrayed fear, but looking at me beneath the Ancient’s grip, now he did.
The Ancient’s hands closed around my skull, her sharp fingers digging into my scalp.
An excruciating pain erupted from where she was touching me and ran down my neck to the base of my spine. I cried out. Rhys’ grip on my knee tightened.
She spoke again, and then let out a harsh cackle.
I looked at Rhys through squinted eyes, tears of pain dripping down my cheeks.
“She says now is the time that you need to trust me more than ever.’”
Chapter 26: Kiev
N ow that I ’d dealt with my siblings, it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off my chest. I wasn’t completely alone in this madness. Although they were hardly enthusiastic, I trusted that they wouldn’t betray me.
As soon as they left, I hurried back into the bathroom. Anna’s head rested against the wall, her eyes closed, mouth hanging open.
I feared for a moment that I’d already lost her. I gripped her jaw and made her face me.
She was breathing lightly. She had passed out.
“Hang on, Anna,” I whispered.
I picked her up in my arms and hurried back into the bedroom to place her down on the mattress.
I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wet it with cold water before proceeding to wipe her face with it. I rested it on her forehead, and sat by her bed, holding her hand. Willing her to come to consciousness.
I kept changing the towel when it became warm. Helina came in briefly to hand me her perfume, but didn’t stay.
After about an hour Anna came to. I breathed out in relief.
Her eyelids flickered open and she started coughing.
“How are you feeling?”
She laid her head back down on the pillow and looked up at me weakly. I wasn’t sure if she could understand me. Although her eyes were open, they looked unfocussed.
“I’m going to go down and find some more food,” I said.
She muttered incoherently.
I pulled the blanket higher over her, then left the room, sure to double-lock it behind me.
Of course, the lock would be useless if a vampire really wanted to come in. But I hoped nobody had any reason to. It was just there as a mild deterrent. If somebody knocked, they couldn’t come in without breaking the door of a Novalic down. And few people on this island would dare do that.
I hurried back down to the kitchen for the second time within the space of a few hours. Relieved to see that it was still empty, I raced around trying to figure out what the hell I should bring up for her this time that her stomach could handle.
Soup was one of the most easy things to digest. But perhaps the soup I’d given her had been too rich. Or perhaps it had contained too many spices for her fragile stomach. Whatever the case, I had to try again.
Baby food is what she needs.
Unsure of what I was even doing—for I had always been
He pulled me down closer to the witch. Lilith was so freakishly tall she even towered over Rhys. I sat down on the floor beside the pool as they finished their conversation.
Finally the witch turned to me and, looking me directly in the eye, rasped, “Mo-na.”
The sound of my name coming out of her decaying lips sent chills running down my spine. I stood up again and walked closer to her, gripping Rhys’ arm as I did.
Then she said something else to me.
I looked at Rhys, my eyebrows raised. Even he looked reluctant to translate for me, hardly making me feel better about the situation. “She is asking, ‘Are you ready to become a Channeler?’”
I nodded, even as my stomach churned.
She hissed at me again.
“She wants you to say yes,” Rhys said.
I looked her.
“Yes,” I said clearly.
She chewed on her lower lip and then gripped my hand. She forced me down on to the floor and hissed at me again.
“Sit cross-legged,” Rhys said.
I did as I was told.
Rhys bent down next to me and sat opposite me on the floor. He placed a hand on my knee. It wasn’t often that Rhys betrayed fear, but looking at me beneath the Ancient’s grip, now he did.
The Ancient’s hands closed around my skull, her sharp fingers digging into my scalp.
An excruciating pain erupted from where she was touching me and ran down my neck to the base of my spine. I cried out. Rhys’ grip on my knee tightened.
She spoke again, and then let out a harsh cackle.
I looked at Rhys through squinted eyes, tears of pain dripping down my cheeks.
“She says now is the time that you need to trust me more than ever.’”
Chapter 26: Kiev
N ow that I ’d dealt with my siblings, it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off my chest. I wasn’t completely alone in this madness. Although they were hardly enthusiastic, I trusted that they wouldn’t betray me.
As soon as they left, I hurried back into the bathroom. Anna’s head rested against the wall, her eyes closed, mouth hanging open.
I feared for a moment that I’d already lost her. I gripped her jaw and made her face me.
She was breathing lightly. She had passed out.
“Hang on, Anna,” I whispered.
I picked her up in my arms and hurried back into the bedroom to place her down on the mattress.
I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wet it with cold water before proceeding to wipe her face with it. I rested it on her forehead, and sat by her bed, holding her hand. Willing her to come to consciousness.
I kept changing the towel when it became warm. Helina came in briefly to hand me her perfume, but didn’t stay.
After about an hour Anna came to. I breathed out in relief.
Her eyelids flickered open and she started coughing.
“How are you feeling?”
She laid her head back down on the pillow and looked up at me weakly. I wasn’t sure if she could understand me. Although her eyes were open, they looked unfocussed.
“I’m going to go down and find some more food,” I said.
She muttered incoherently.
I pulled the blanket higher over her, then left the room, sure to double-lock it behind me.
Of course, the lock would be useless if a vampire really wanted to come in. But I hoped nobody had any reason to. It was just there as a mild deterrent. If somebody knocked, they couldn’t come in without breaking the door of a Novalic down. And few people on this island would dare do that.
I hurried back down to the kitchen for the second time within the space of a few hours. Relieved to see that it was still empty, I raced around trying to figure out what the hell I should bring up for her this time that her stomach could handle.
Soup was one of the most easy things to digest. But perhaps the soup I’d given her had been too rich. Or perhaps it had contained too many spices for her fragile stomach. Whatever the case, I had to try again.
Baby food is what she needs.
Unsure of what I was even doing—for I had always been
Similar Books
