She stepped back from the men, holding firmly
to her carryon. All around her, Anca heard a babble of voices speaking a
language she didn’t understand. The train station was modern, but it still
seemed alien to her. Having Demi beside her was strangely reassuring, though he
was as alien as anything else surrounding her.
He tucked her bags under his arms and held
his bag. “We’ll get our tickets and secure our luggage on the train. Once we’re
settled, we’ll pick up something to eat in the dining car.”
“Okay.” Her stomach grumbled at the mention
of food, and she followed him with renewed vigor. Nerves at the upcoming
meeting with her father still caused her stomach to churn with nausea, but
hunger was making its presence felt.
When they stepped into the train station,
Anca’s eyes scanned the boards with the schedules. Each schedule was in three
languages, but she didn’t know any of them.
Demi walked to the ticket counter without a
pause in his step. He set down the suitcases and peeled off a few bills from
the bundle he withdrew from his pocket. He asked for two tickets in a language
she didn’t recognize. The short, balding clerk quickly processed their request
and slid two tickets across the counter, along with a key ring.
As he returned the money, key ring, and
tickets to his pocket, Anca’s eyes caught the money clip around the wad of
bills. It was gold, etched with intricate swirls. A tear-shaped ruby gleamed in
the center of the clip, cupped by two hands etched from gold. She reached out
to touch it. “It’s beautiful.”
He slipped the clip in his pocket. “It is
the symbol of our country. It represents our Protector shielding the life
source of our people.”
A frisson of fear worked its way down her
spine, though she had no reason to be afraid of his words. “What is the life
source?” Life source sounded so…ominous.
Demi hesitated. Finally, he shrugged. “I
don’t remember what the ruby represents. The symbol is as old as Corsova
itself.”
She studied him more closely. His eyes slid
from hers, and she knew he was lying. Why? “How old is that?”
He shrugged. “Some say as old as time.”
Anca turned when someone spoke sharply
behind them. The man seemed irritated with them, and she realized they were
blocking the line.
After lifting their bags, Demi voiced a soft
apology to the impatient customer, and they moved deeper into the station.
She stayed near him, feeling overwhelmed by
the odd similarities and striking differences between Gara Constanta and Grand
Central Station. “When does our train leave?”
“Twenty minutes.” He walked without
hesitation through the station, leading her to the right platform.
Anca followed him onto the train, and they
moved through four passenger cars before entering a car with doors on each side
of the corridor, but no open seating. Her stomach clenched as he began reading
the numbers. Had he booked them into a private compartment?
They moved through two more cars before he
stopped before a door marked 15. “This is our compartment.”
She cleared her throat. “Ours?”
He turned to her, quirking his brow. “Is
there a problem?”
She licked her lips nervously. Anca was
unable to say she didn’t want to be confined to close quarters with him. “It
seems like an extravagance, is all. We’ll only be on the train for…” She
trailed off, not able to finish her statement without knowing how long the
journey was.
“You can spend the next two hours resting,
Anca. It’s nicer to travel in a quiet compartment than amid the masses.” He put
down the case in his left arm and fished the key from his pocket. He opened the
door and stepped back, indicating she should precede him.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and
stepped into the private compartment. Anca flipped on the light and grimaced.
It was as small as she had feared. A small table and two chairs, positioned
near the sole window, were bolted to the floor. A loveseat was near the table,
and there was a low shelf she assumed was supposed to pass for a bunk built
into the wall below an overhead luggage rack. The bunk was barely big enough
for one.
She moved aside so Demi could enter. He
brushed against her side with his stomach, and her flesh suddenly seemed
hypersensitive. She imagined she could feel the warmth emanating from his skin
through her shirt. “It’s cozy,” she said with forced cheerfulness.
He didn’t bother to respond as he stacked
their luggage on the rack. His expression was inscrutable when he turned back
to face her. “Would you like to accompany me for a drink?”
She shook her head. “I’m tired.” She ignored
the twinges of hunger in her stomach and pasted on a smile. “I think I’ll lie
down for a while.”
He walked to the door.
Anca frowned when she realized he wasn’t
going to say anything. For some reason, that irked her. It must be too much
effort to try to convince her, or ask if she would rather eat than drink. After
all, he’d been the one to suggest they eat on the train, when they could have
stopped at that McDonald’s they passed on the way. She glared at his departing
back, but jumped with surprise when he whirled around.
She attempted to smooth her expression into
one more innocent as he stood there staring at her, without speaking. She
cleared her throat to break the thick silence. “Yes?”
“I have the key, so I will let myself in.”
She nodded.
“Don’t let in anyone else. I’ll deal with
the ticket agent so he doesn’t disturb you.”
Her eyebrows felt as if they rose of their
own accord. “Um, okay.” Who else would come into their car?
He nodded briskly and turned away to open
the door. He stepped through and closed it behind himself. The sound of the key
turning in the lock followed his departure.
Anca paced the confines of the private
compartment, frowning at his strange edict. She went over his words in her mind
several times, but she couldn’t find any reason for his warning.
Her legs seemed to go boneless, and she
collapsed onto the narrow bunk. What if the people her mother had protected her
from were still after her? Was she putting herself in danger by going into
Corsova? Did someone still think she was a threat?
If she hadn’t been so afraid, the idea would
have been laughable. She could assure anyone who might be worried that she
wanted no part of her father’s wealth or status. And, surely, he must have
both, if someone had tried to harm his heir.
The people she knew had no need to protect
their heirs from scheming machinations and attempted assassinations. Betsy at
the beauty shop couldn’t care less who took over her lease when she retired,
and no one would challenge Jimmy Phoung for control of his father’s deli when
Phoung-Li passed on.
Anca shook her head, unable to imagine
herself the heir to anything. In truth, she didn’t want any inheritance from
her father. She only wanted to meet him while she still had the chance, and
then return to her real life in New York.
Staying in Corsova to follow in his
footsteps—or whatever would be required from her—was the last thing she would
ever want to do. She would make her father and everyone else realize that
during her visit. There wouldn’t be any danger once that realization sank in.
She felt slightly more in control once she
had a plan in mind. If everyone in Corsova were as commanding as Demi, Anca
knew she would have to be firm, but she could do that. After all, she was a
businessperson and knew how to stick to a plan until she reached a goal.
In this case, her goal was to leave Corsova
without losing her life or her heart. She sensed Demi was more dangerous to the
latter than any power-hungry schemers could be to the former.
A wave of tiredness swept over Anca, and she
yawned. The narrow bunk seemed more appealing than it had a few minutes ago,
and she stretched out on it. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as it looked. The
swaying motion of the train, coupled with the rhythmic sound of the wheels on
the track, soon lulled her to sleep.
The
night sky was a black canvas, with thousands of stars twinkling overhead. She
had never seen anything like it in New York. She could hear the wind blowing
softly through the trees. The lone cry of a wolf rose with haunting intensity,
before others soon joined in, and their cries echoed down the mountainside. The
pack was close, but she felt no fear.
The tumescent moon was nearly full, and it
had a strange pinkish cast. Each time her eyes sought it, her heartbeat
accelerated. She turned her head at the touch of lips against her wrist.
“Soon, it will be time,” Demi said, and his
lips tickled her skin. “In two nights, the moon will be blood-red.”
“Yes.” She knew exactly what he was speaking
of, but she couldn’t recall it when she tried to. Her brow furrowed, and she started
to ask what they were talking about, but her eyes widened when Demi’s teeth
penetrated the skin at her wrist, finding the vein unerringly.
She gasped as the initial pain faded to an
intense pleasure. Anca held her breath, and her eyes closed of their own
volition. She was propped on her elbow, lying in a field in the middle of the
night, but it didn’t seem strange to her. She opened her eyes to slits and
watched the play of emotions on Demi’s face. As his throat worked convulsively,
swallowing her blood, she laid back on the soft bed of rose bay.
He retracted his fangs and released her
wrist as he moved up her body. Her blood smeared his lips, and Anca lifted her
head to hasten the meeting of their mouths. Rather than kiss him, she traced
her tongue across his lips, licking away the traces of her blood. The flavor
was pungent and coppery, but with an underlying sweetness that made her yearn
for more.
Demi had been sprawled beside her, but now
he broke away and rolled over to straddle her. He braced his hands on the
ground, bracketing her head, and he leaned forward to kiss her. His cock
pressed into the softness of her stomach, and her pussy flooded with desire.
Anca tilted her head, offering her neck for
his possession, but he ignored the temptation. Instead, his lips parted hers
gently, and his tongue ventured inside to explore her moist depths. She groaned
low in her throat as his tongue slid across hers. She tried to trap it between
her tongue and cheek, and he chuckled into her mouth.
His tongue retreated, and he eased his
weight down on her more fully. As Demi’s face burrowed into the bend of her
neck, one of his hands squeezed her breast. He rubbed a nipple between his
fingers, causing the sensitive nub to harden at his expert touch.
His other hand traveled down her side,
exploring her ribs, pausing to span her waist, before moving past her hip, and
sliding along her thigh.
Anca stiffened as he sought out her pussy.
He was going too slowly. She longed to feel his cock inside her, and
anticipation had her gyrating her hips impatiently.
He chuckled again as he stroked her swollen
pussy lips, wet with her own dew, but he didn’t venture between them.
She grunted and arched her hips, demanding
without words that he fulfill his unspoken promise.
Demi’s breath was hot against her neck when
he said, “So impatient.”
She tangled her hands in his hair, urging
his mouth closer to her neck as she arched her hips. “Please,” she whispered.
“I live to serve you,” he said with a trace
of gentle mockery. Seconds later, his fangs penetrated the vein at her neck at
the same time his fingers slid inside her pussy and sought out her twitching
clit. He found her wet and ready, and she gave voice to her passion…
“Anca!”
Her eyes snapped open, and she expelled a
harsh breath. Demi’s face was inches from her own, and she first thought she
was still in the dream. Her pussy was wet and aching, and her nipples were
hard. It was only when she realized his expression was concerned, rather than
passionate, that Anca knew she wasn’t dreaming. “What?” she managed to ask in a
dry voice.
“You were dreaming. I heard you groan, and
then you cried out.” Demi removed his hands from her shoulders, where he had
apparently been shaking her to get her to awaken. “Were you having a
nightmare?”
Anca shook her head and let that be her
answer. She remembered every aspect of the dream as clearly as if she had
really experienced it. She wasn’t telling Demi any of the details.
“I’ve brought you food—“
As he spoke, the train went around a sharp
bend, and he fell forward. He landed across her body, and the full weight of
his arousal pressed against her thigh.
Anca’s eyes widened when she felt his cock
against her. Hesitantly, she met his eyes and saw they had darkened. Flecks of
silver seemed to glow around his pupils. The vein in his temple throbbed
visibly, in time with the throbbing of his cock. He was clearly aroused. Had he
seen her dream?
She tried to shove away that disconcerting
thought. Anca cleared her throat. “You said something about food?”