Ricardo took a deep breath. “I think she needs to go in alone. None of us have been to the fortress, and vampires can’t teleport very far anyway. We had planned to drive, then hike, but we’ll never make it past the mob out there. You’ll have to teleport, Elena, and taking all, or any, of us would drain too much of your power. You’re going to need that energy to fight and get the royal family out, if need be.”
They had planned to come with her. She felt suddenly ashamed of being so rude to Stefan. “I’d never planned on anything but going in alone. I…I appreciate you guys wanting to help.” She grabbed her snow jacket and zipped it on, then strapped the sword they had taken from the wood elf to her leg using a leather sheath Stefan had supplied. The Time Folder had serious organizational and planning skills. She was glad he was on their side, whatever his reasons. “And thanks for getting me this close. I’m sure thousands of miles less teleporting is going to help a lot.” She pulled the hood over her head and drew the cord so that it tightened around her face. She turned her attention to Ricardo. “And thanks for… Well, you know.”
Eyes still full red, he smiled. “You are more than welcome. I wish you good choices.”
Stefan made a disgusted grunt. “They are actually trying to set fire to my tires. Hang on, everyone.” The motors roared, and he turned the plane back in the direction of the runway and taxied to the end of it. “We will fly to Sibiu Airport to refuel.” He turned back and looked at Elena. “This is as close as I can get you, sweet girl. Good luck.” His gaze traveled down to her belly, then back to her eyes. “To both of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nikolai remained perfectly still as consciousness returned with more pain than mental clarity. After the previous round, he had jerked awake with a start, alerting the guard, who promptly retrieved his uncle, and the interrogations, or rather beatings, had begun immediately. He needed to buy time. He knew Elena would come, and he needed to be as whole as possible to help her when she did. Broken bones and a fractured skull would not enhance his fighting ability.
He cracked his eyes open fractionally. Night had fallen and his cell was dark. What was taking her so long? He’d expected her to teleport in soon after he arrived. Maybe something had gone wrong or she’d decided not to come. No. She would come. Like a moth to the flame, he knew she’d be drawn to fulfill her destiny. He just hoped her destiny included him.
A loud snort came from the other side of the cell, no doubt his bear shifter guard. Nik held his breath and remained motionless. Another snort, then a regular rhythm of snores followed. He cracked his eyes open a bit more and dared to lift his head. Enough moonlight spilled in through a window high in the wall to reveal the hulk of a bear shifter slumped in his chair, sound asleep. This would be the perfect time for Elena to arrive. Most of the fortress was asleep, and he was as healed as he had been since he first got here. Honestly, he was surprised Fydor hadn’t just used his Slayer sword and killed him outright when he refused to swear allegiance. Obviously, he needed him for something.
His stomach churned at the memory of Elena’s agonized face right before she teleported out. He knew why she’d done it. She didn’t have enough power to take him with her. He just hoped she hadn’t heard what he’d said to the Slayers taking him captive. If she had, then she would think he truly hated her, which would explain why she hadn’t come yet.
A haunted scream sounded from somewhere nearby. Then another. It was Aleksandra. The bastard was torturing his sister. His muscles tightened as his instinct to kill kicked in. He had to lure Fydor away from her, even if it meant suffering more injuries or making promises he would never keep.
He straightened and stretched his aching body. “Where’s my uncle?” he shouted, waking the bear shifter from his sleep with a jolt.
Elena flattened against the side of the building outside Aleksandra’s bedroom. Trembling, she refused to look down at the moat or snowy forest beyond. Nik had said teleportation wasn’t possible inside the fortress, so she’d followed his example and landed on the wall, just as he had. Another horrifying scream came from inside, followed by pleading.
“Scream again,” the male voice urged. “It’s why I opened the window. Let him hear you. I want him to suffer so that he agrees to publicly swear allegiance to me.”
Elena wiped the snowflakes from her nose and maintained her calm.
“He’ll never join you. Let him go,” Aleksi sobbed.
“He will join me to save you and his mother.”
“He’s too strong to give in to you.” She screamed in pain again and Elena cringed. Whatever he was doing must have been terrible. Her palms itched with current. She needed to conserve energy, so she consciously willed the charge to recede.
The screaming subsided and he practically growled. “I will bring him to you, and you will convince him. You will either convince him or kill him.”