He popped open the case and pulled out Elena’s parka. He slid the sleeve over her free arm, then ripped open the Velcro that would allow it to be secured over her other arm. “You are accustomed to fending only for yourself, Slayer. You must change your mindset. Anticipate her needs—like food for example.” He opened the small case wider to show Nikolai a stash of protein bars. “She will be of no use to you or any of us dead.”
And suddenly, Nikolai felt like a total prick. The Time Folder was right. He hadn’t taken her needs into account at all. It would be cold in his homeland. She was still weak and would need nourishment. It was time for him to pull his head out of his ass and start thinking clearly. Even if the markings meant nothing, this woman was in his care—at least for the time being.
Darvaak closed the suitcase and wrapped Elena’s fingers around the handle. “Despite misgivings on both of your parts, Itzov, you should consider turning her completely. Her odds of survival would increase dramatically.” He slapped Nikolai hard on the shoulder. “So would yours.” After moving several steps back, he bowed to Elena. “I’ve no doubt we will meet again. You are welcome in my home anytime. I wish you luck and wise choices, Elena Arcos.”
Enough of the sappy farewells. They were running low on time if he was going to make it before the sun rose over the Carpathian Mountains. Nikolai placed his hands on either side of Elena’s neck and began the chant that would invoke the transporting spell.
Chapter Ten
When the pressure of teleporting faded and the ground finally solidified under her feet, Elena opened her eyes…and screamed.
Nikolai clamped a hand over her mouth. “Silence or we’re dead.”
Crap. They were dead anyway. The stone wall they stood on was no more than two feet across, which would seem plenty wide except for the fact they balanced at least five stories up and it was snowing like crazy.
Her eyes locked on what appeared to be a frozen moat below with miles of forest stretching out beyond. Holy crap. They’d landed in a scene from Lord of the Rings or something.
“Don’t look down.”
Right. Too late.
He reached down and took the suitcase from her hand.
Damn, she was sick of this—sick of being terrified, sick of being ignorant and helpless, sick of depending on him for everything. But right now, she had no choice because he’d landed them like a couple of birds perched on the freaking wall of a castle or something a billion feet above the ground in the middle of a snowstorm.
Then it occurred to her that he could only teleport to places he’d been before. Why had he ever been here?
“Hold on to me,” he whispered.
She grabbed his belt loops on the back of his jeans. He had no coat on over his T-shirt. He had to be freezing, since her teeth were chattering and she wore a parka. Served him right.
She shuffled along behind him, keeping the same foot forward until they reached a huge window in the building at the end of the wall. He pulled his dagger out of his boot and jimmied the lock until the window swung open inward. He paused, holding his breath as if listening, then stepped over the sill and into the room, turning to help Elena. Once inside, he silently closed the window behind them.
A blow came from behind Elena’s knees, sending her to the floor right before a heavy crack filled the blackness.
“Aleksi,” Nikolai whispered.
“Niki?”
Then the sound of a match striking. The tiny orange flame grew as it took hold on a candlewick. The unmistakably perfect form of Aleksandra, dressed in something so sheer she might as well have worn nothing at all, waivered in the flickering light. “Why are you here?”
Nikolai rubbed the back of his head. “To have my skull cracked, obviously.”
She ran to a basin on a small table and retrieved a wet a towel before returning to him. “Here, let me clean it off.”
Elena remained on her knees but covered her nose and mouth. The smell of his blood was unlike anything else. It was a magnet pulling every molecule in her toward him. She rolled in a ball on her side to prevent her body from crawling to him on its own. She gulped a breath of air through her mouth to keep from smelling it, but she could taste it.
“You hurt her,” Nikolai said as Aleksandra wiped the blood from the back of his head.
“No.” She rinsed the rag in the basin and put it back on his head. “She can’t possibly be that fragile. If she is, we’re all dead.”
Nikolai grabbed her wrist. “Meaning what?”
“We can’t talk here. Go to the forest—to the big tree where we played as children.” She grabbed a huge brown fur from her bed and placed it in his arms. “Go now, Niki, before they come.” She pulled Elena to her feet and shoved the suitcase at her. “I’ll follow soon.”