The Misadventures of Annika Brisby (26 page)

Light,
she thought.
There isn’t any light!
The eyes began to glow with blue flames, like two pilot lights in a gas stove. They erupted into spinning wheels rimmed with green, like Talvi’s eyes
.
A fragment from an earlier conversation they’d shared pushed its way into her head.

“You just have to look into the other person’s eyes and concentrate on those particular thoughts.”
She focused all of her remaining energy on these green-rimmed eyes of blue as she thought frantically over and over:

Talvi, where are you? Help me! I need you! Help!
Her eyes were wide open, but she could see hardly anything at all. Her field of vision had filled with a murky gray and finally black. She was deaf, blind, powerless, and voiceless. She felt numb and devoid of emotion, and it barely registered when an arm grasped her around her waist and she felt her feet lift off the floor in a sudden, rough, jerky movement. Her breathing was shallow and she was still in her stupor as her arm fell to the side. She didn’t even have the strength to lift it up. She could faintly hear the heavy breathing of the man and after some time she landed in a heap on a soft surface. A pair of strong hands seized her arms, pushing her onto her stomach as they tore at the complex laces of her gown. The swelling in her throat had begun to recede and now she felt a fear like no other she’d experienced in her life. It welled up inside of her until she was able to voice it. Her screams and shouts grew louder and louder as her body lay in its nightmarish coma. Terrified, she began to shriek and cry hysterically, but she was too weak to fight his strength.

“Annika! It’s me! Annika, wake up! It’s me, it’s Talvi! Listen to my voice! It’s me, I’m here now; you’re safe!” She was crying hard, causing her makeup to run and sting her eyes, and even though they were wide open, all she saw was darkness. She could barely move her head. She didn’t recognize where she was, but all that mattered was the voice beside her. Talvi eased up on his grip, and brushed her hair out of her face with his trembling fingers.

“Can you speak to me? Say something if you can.”

“Something?” she replied in a whisper choked with sobs.

“Listen to me,” he said quickly. “I have to make sure that you haven’t been bitten by him. Don’t be alarmed, but I have to strip you of your clothes.” He took her arms out of the sleeves and reached underneath her chest to pull down the dress that had covered her so beautifully only moments earlier. Her skin prickled as it touched the cool air, reacting as the gown passed over her shoulders, stopping at the small of her back. After a few seconds he flipped her onto her back, still crouched over her, and pulled the dress down her legs and over her bare feet. His warm hands sliding down her skin was a welcome diversion to the fear she had been trying to forget. She felt his hands lift an arm, and then the other, and then they were on her neck, brushing her hair away. There was a relieved sigh, and then he sat her upright, dressing her like an overgrown doll. She felt the fabric fall over her head, and she could smell his scent on it.

It must be one of his shirts
, she thought. He lay her down again and covered her with heavy blankets. Her ears searched for what she couldn’t see. Footsteps walking away, footsteps coming back. Two thuds as he kicked his shoes to the ground. Water being poured, and then dripping into the basin. She felt the bed sink with his weight beside her and a cool wet cloth cleaning the smeared makeup and tears from her face. It was so soothing, so calming, but her mind and body felt completely exhausted. There was a knock on the door.

“Go away!” Talvi gave a severe warning. But the door creaked open anyway.

“Is she alright? Did he bite her?” a deep voice asked. It was Finn.

“No, he didn’t. She’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? Maybe I should look, just to be certain.”

“I
said
she was going to be alright!” he snarled.

“Well, I’ve gotten the situation under control. For better or for worse, not that many guests saw what happened. If you like, I can stay with her and let you get back downstairs.”

“Finn…” Talvi said, exasperated. “The sun will be rising in what, two, three hours? I’m certain our remaining guests can cope with my absence. I can’t go back down there like nothing happened, not when
they’re
both under our roof. She’s not leaving my sight; do you understand?”

“Yes. Right. Well, as long as there is no physical wound, she should be fine in a few days,” Finn said informatively. “She’ll need plenty of sleep, and you’ll need to keep her warm. I’ll send Mother up in the morning. No need to trouble her at this hour if there’s little else that can be done.”

“Tell the others to leave us alone, would you? I don’t wish to see anyone.”

“Not even—”

“Not
anyone
!” he said, raising his voice to his brother. Finn shut the door behind himself and there was nothing but silence. Annika realized now that they were in Talvi’s room, far away from the noise of the festivities at the other end of the large villa. She was suddenly very grateful for his light sleeping habits and the remote location of his bedroom. The peacefulness was a welcome retreat for her ears and her mind, and she began to see faint shadows in the lamplight. He stood up and walked to the door, locking it tight.

“What happened?” she asked in a barely audible whisper. He sat on the bed next to her, burying his face in his hands.

“Vaj is what happened. I’ve never seen anything like that before. He was holding you in a trance. I don’t know if it was his idea of entertainment, to see how far he could push you, but…he pushed you too far.”

“You heard me call your name,” she sighed.

“Yes, I heard you in my mind,” he said softly. “I could feel your terror. It makes me sick to know what you experienced. I didn’t think he was so powerful, that he could have that strong of an effect. You have to promise me that you’ll never go near him again. It’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t ever want to see him again,” she mumbled.

“I can’t make that happen. He’s here for other reasons, and you must beware what he and Konstantin are. You have to turn and walk away if you see them again and you’re alone…but there’s no excuse for that anymore. I don’t want you out of my sight after sunset.” Talvi lay down beside her with his head resting on one hand; the other hand had taken the cloth and was wiping her neck and shoulders. “I don’t want you out of my sight at all. Not even for a second.”

“Why can’t I move my body? Why can’t I see anything?” She felt thick and lightheaded again.

“You’re going to be weak for some time. You might feel drained for days. I have no way of knowing how soon you’ll recover. Speaking of which, you need to sleep.” He crawled under the blankets, arranging her body so that her head rested on his bare chest and one arm curled protectively around her back while the other hand stroked her hair. She wanted to ask more questions, but she was too exhausted. She felt his breath and his chest shudder. He was crying.

“I’m so sorry I ruined your birthday,” she whispered, unable to hug him back or even see him. Her heart broke to know he was shedding tears over her.

“Hush. It’s nothing you’ve done, you poor little dove,” he said, trying to comfort her, but the pain in his voice was something he couldn’t hide. “Don’t even entertain that notion for a second.” While she drifted off quickly, he gazed out the window until the stars began to fade with the light of dawn. Only when the sun had risen was he able to sink into sleep.

recuperation

Annika drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the next day. Talvi didn’t leave her side until there was a soft knock at the door. He ignored it, but the knock came again.

“Talvi, sweetheart, open the door,” a woman’s voice said patiently. He got up and let in his mother, who was carrying a tray of food and a little teapot. Together they walked over to Annika, and sat on the side of the bed.

“She doesn’t look as bad as I had expected. That’s good,” Althea observed. She took her pulse, her temperature, and asked her son if Annika had slept soundly or not. “Make sure she drinks all of this. I brought enough food for both of you, but only she is to take the tea. Let it brew a few more minutes and then put a quarter of this in it.” Althea pointed to a small glass bottle containing a dark liquid.

“What’s in that?” Talvi asked.

“It’s a blend of reishi mushrooms, milk thistle, and dandelion root,” his mother replied. “The dandelion root might make it taste bitter, but it will help purify her liver. Even psychic attacks leave behind toxins,” she explained. Talvi nodded with concern, and set the tray on the nightstand as his mother left. He propped Annika up on his mountain of pillows and poured a cup of tea, blowing on it to cool it down.

“I’m so tired. I just want to sleep,” she argued.

“You can sleep after you drink this.” He held the cup to her lips and she drank the herbal concoction, spilling some down her chin. He wiped it away with his hand and lifted the cup until she had finished it all. He didn’t touch the food beside the bed. Instead, he tucked her close to him and read a book while she slept. He only roused her every few hours or so to have her drink the rest of the tea infused with medicinal herbs.

The next time she opened her eyes, she could see the dreary grey afternoon sky through the window. She heard only the rain falling and the soft deep breaths of slumber above her head. He had laid watch over her diligently all night long. Even if she wasn’t staying long, he’d proven himself to be sincere, and she couldn’t deny the electricity between them, especially after the things he confessed the night of the dance. She yearned to feel him closer to her, to feel his flesh touch her own. Her hand ran across his chest and stomach, studying how smooth his skin was, and how his strong muscles rippled underneath. She slid her hand down again, touching her fingertips to the waistline of his black pants, but the arm that had been holding her close caught her wrist and gently pushed the hand away. Annika looked up at him with a guilty grin.

“I feel better,” she said.

“Good. I thought you might sleep another day,” he yawned, and wrapped his arm around her again. She nuzzled back into his chest, but after a while she grew bored with lying still. She began to caress his skin again, this time with her cheek and her lips. She remembered how their bodies had moved so perfectly together to the music at the party. She wondered how perfectly they might move if there were only the music of the approaching thunderstorm.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, trying to appear serious. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

“You’re three hundred years old and you can’t figure out what I’m doing?” she replied with a smirk. The scent of his skin made her body stir.

“No, Annika, not now. You need more rest.”

“I’m sick of sleeping,” she whined. “I’ve been here all day. I’m starting to feel like a prisoner in your bed.” She draped her leg over his hips.

“Stop it,” he told her in a stern voice, trying desperately to resist her charms. She slid her leg up and down the back of his thigh. “You need your strength,” he insisted, breathing harder.

“I think I have my strength back, Talvi,” she said, giving him a prim smile. She lifted up her shirt a little, her fingers dancing over her hip bone, tempting him deliciously. “What I need is you. I didn’t get a chance to give you your birthday present.”

“This isn’t the way I originally had in mind.” He appeared to be in great mental turmoil. “Annika…this isn’t right.”

“What do you mean, it isn’t right? What about the things you said while we were dancing? I thought you said you wanted me,” she implored. His tortured expression softened up considerably.

“I did say that, didn’t I?” he said softly, looking out the window at the darkening clouds.

“And I’ll let you to do a hell of a lot more than just
kiss
me.” She caressed her waist in front of him and lifted her shirt up higher. All she wanted was to be free from this tension built up between them, and there was only one remedy for it. “Are you sure you don’t need to double check me for vampire bites?”

“That was completely legitimate,” he defended, eyeing her bare skin with the deepest hunger. She knew he couldn’t hold out much longer.

“Please…Talvi…look again.”

Konstantin

The once distant thunderstorm had finally reached them, too loud for Talvi to bother snoozing any more. He propped himself up on his elbow and tenderly kissed Annika awake before stealing away to search for his pants. He found a smaller pair of trousers and a shirt and set them next to her but she didn’t rush to dress. She was too preoccupied watching him slide his pants up his long, lean legs.

“I thought you were hungry,” he noted while buttoning his pants. “Don’t you want to go downstairs and eat something besides tea and toast? I’m certain there’s leftovers from dinner.”

“I’ll eat something later,” she said with a weak smile. “I don’t know if I can even
walk
after what you did to me.”

“If you don’t get dressed soon, you may very well never walk again,” he warned her. He sauntered back to the mattress and crawled over her body, pinning her wrists against the pillows. “Perhaps I
will
have to hold you prisoner in my bed, since I haven’t come anywhere close to exhausting all your mysteries.”

“You don’t have to figure them all out right away,” she sassed. He snickered to himself and forced his knee between her legs, then brought down the other to spread them apart.

“I doubt I could even if I wanted to,” he purred, letting his eyes run up and down her naked body since his hands couldn’t. “But what a fun experiment that would be for my little prisoner. I can see you now…chained to my bedpost without a shred of clothing, without any privileges aside from giving…and
receiving
pleasure. I’d reward you with cake and fairy brandy for your good behavior.”

“What if I wasn’t good?” she challenged, trying to pull her arms out of his grip. “What would you do if I misbehaved?”

A devilish gleam lit up Talvi’s face, and his mouth curled into a wicked smile.

“
If
you misbehaved? More like
when
you misbehave. I don’t believe for a second that a saucy, feisty girl like you would take pleasure in taking orders. No,” he paused, shaking his head, “I fully expect you to misbehave…and I fully expect I will have to punish you for it.”

A shudder of intrigue ran through Annika as she considered the infinite possibilities that could entail. He grasped both of her wrists in one hand and let his fingers travel down her ribs, then hesitate over her hip bone, and eventually slip down between her legs.

“I don’t think I can do that again. At least, not for a while,” she sighed, which made Talvi pout.

“Was I too rough?”

“No, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing.”

“What? That it can be wonderful?” he guessed with a sincere grin. She couldn’t help laughing, and to her surprise he let go of her wrists and crept off of her. He patted the clothes that he’d set out for her and gave her a stern look. “Seriously, Annika; if you’re think you’re having trouble walking now, consider this your final warning.”

For as many guests that were rumored to be staying in the sprawling home, Annika was surprised that they didn’t see any of them on their long walk to the kitchen. Sariel and Runa were quietly washing dishes at the sink, but they both stopped and looked at Annika with concern in their faces.

“How are you feeling?” Runa asked, walking up to her. Talvi kissed Annika on the head and busied himself with fixing a couple of plates for them.

“Oh, I’m just tired and hungry,” she said nonchalantly, but the ditzy blonde shot her an unusually clever smirk.

“I’d wager you are,” she said with a wink and a grin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s your hair that’s giving you away,” Runa laughed. “Goodness, I’ve never seen such love snarls! And to think I was worried about you…I should’ve known better.”

Annika’s hands reached up to her head, and she felt her cheeks turn red despite herself. Her hair felt like one giant, balled-up dreadlock.

“Come here and I’ll fix it before anyone else sees you.” Runa bade Annika to sit while she found a comb, and then together they sat down at the table, chatting out of earshot of Sariel and Talvi.

“Where is everyone?” Annika asked while Runa worked on a small section of tangled hair.

“It’s almost sunset, so I suspect they’re upstairs in their rooms to avoid the vampires, although Althea and Hilda will probably come back down after they’ve hunted,” she explained, and then a dreamy look entered her eyes. “I was hoping to run into Konstantin and invite him to play cards with me again. He’s such a divine partner to have when playing spades. Or hearts. Or anything, really.”

“What else have you been up to all this time?” Annika asked, not wanting to dwell too much on the vampires staying under the same roof as her.

“Oh, we’ve been cleaning up since yesterday morning. There were a lot of people that didn’t go home right away. At least the pixies didn’t show up,” she said in quite a cheerful voice, considering how much work that must have been. Annika felt a dash of guilt as she imagined what cleaning the ballroom alone must have entailed, let alone the countless plates and wine glasses and silverware used.

“I feel like a jerk—I should have been down here helping you instead of…instead of getting my hair tangled.”

“No, we were actually helping Yuri. Her parents are making her do all of the cleaning up without any fairy magic to make it easy,” Runa said in a hushed voice. She glanced up from her task at hand and saw Sariel and Talvi talking with each other, and turned back to Annika. “She’s in serious trouble for what happened to you.”

“Why is
she
in trouble?” asked Annika. “She’s not the one who attacked me.”

“She may as well have done it herself. She put you in harm’s way! She ran off with Konstantin and left you with that creep Vaj. Konstantin at least has some manners, but his friend…ooh I don’t like him at all.” She shivered a little and combed harder.

“Well Yuri wasn’t counting on a human showing up to her birthday party,” said Annika, trying to give Yuri the benefit of the doubt.

“She wasn’t counting on a lot of things. Sariel hasn’t spoken to her since the incident. You know how much she likes vampires.” Runa said sarcastically.

“I’m so embarrassed. I should’ve walked away.”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Runa said irritably. “You
couldn’t
walk away, that’s the problem. Vampires put you in a trance when they’re on the prowl; that’s what makes them so dangerous. I’ve heard that it’s like being caught in a spider’s web. And we were expecting Pavlo to be with Konstantin, not Vaj. We all know Pavlo, but none of us had met Vaj before. Apparently Yuri lied to her parents about when they arrived, because we didn’t see them until late in the night, and Vaj said they arrived much earlier. I think Yuri went out hunting with them! And if she wanted to dance with Konstantin so badly, she could have found Talvi or Finn to stay near you. Instead she left you with that fiend, and that’s where you got into trouble. I’m just glad the brothers found you when they did.”

“What do you mean?” Annika asked.

“Well,” Runa began, “I ran into Chivanni at the bar and he said you were with Yuri, but when I looked, I saw you were dancing with Vaj and that Yuri was gone, so I told Finn that I thought you might be in trouble.”

“Oh no! Did I cause a scene?”

“Not at all,” Runa informed her, and Annika felt considerably relieved. “All I saw was Finn dash off into one of the darker hallways, and shortly afterward Talvi went running in the same direction. I can’t believe they knew where to find you—especially Talvi since he was outside! You two must have some connection.”

Annika smiled to herself as Runa worked her way through her messy hair, jerking her head from one side to the other. Of all the people under the Marinossian’s roof, Runa was the one she wanted to see the most.

“I’ve never seen him like this before,” she continued affectionately. “He thinks he can hide it, but I’ve known him since the day he was born. It’s so precious to see him falling in love.”

Annika whipped around to face her friend.

“
Love
?” she hissed. Runa looked startled.

“Well, yes. Isn’t it obvious how much he cares for you?” Runa hissed back. In her exasperation, she tore out a few long red strands of uncooperative hair, making Annika cringe even more.

“I think it’s obvious he likes me, but I don’t know about the L—word. From what Yuri told me, it’s the last thing on his mind…especially when it comes to me.”

“Oh really? What did she say to you?” Runa eagerly asked, tugging harder with her comb. Annika struggled just to keep herself sitting on the bench and not on the floor.

“She said she didn’t want me causing problems because humans and elves aren’t supposed to be together. Apparently it’s frowned upon…but I get it. I’m twenty-five; he’s three-hundred.” Runa pushed Annika’s head forward and began working on her hair again.

“I can understand being concerned because he’s an elf and you’re human, but that’s not her choice to make,” she remarked. “Did she say anything else?”

“Yeah…” Annika began, glancing over at Sariel and Talvi to make sure they weren’t listening. “She said he’s just being sweet until he gets what he wants. Remember the night we all went to the Tortoise and the Hare and those three girls were all over him?”

“Yes.”

“Well, she said he loves that kind of attention so much that he’ll never change. She said he was only interested in me because he’s never been with an American chick before. I’m not sure what to think. All I know is that I owe him my life,” said Annika, relieved to feel Runa’s harsh comb had finally been replaced by skillful fingers forming her hair into two long braids.

“It makes so much sense why he hasn’t wanted to see her, now that I know what really happened that night at the pub!” Runa cried, feeling betrayed. “She said you were sick! That makes me so angry.”

“But still…I think I’m coming between them,” Annika pointed out. “Look how mad she got when I cut his hair. Or how she manipulated me into wearing the black dress to see which one of us looked better standing next to her brother?”

“There’s a lot more that’s come between them besides you,” said Runa kindly. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. You should be thrilled to have such devotion. Remember what Pesha said? He’s your Page of Rods.” Annika snorted a laugh at the thought. He was definitely the something of rods.

“Well, either way, love is a pretty strong word. I’m just having fun. I hope he doesn’t get too attached to me. He knows I’m going home at some point, hopefully sooner than later.”

Runa was silent and Annika couldn’t help wondering whose benefit she was saying this for. Was she really that concerned about Talvi getting too attached, or was she more concerned about herself getting too attached? She frowned a little, unable or unwilling to consider the second option as a possible truth.

“How he feels about you is not your decision to make; it’s his,” Runa answered profoundly. “And by the looks of things, I’d say he’s already made it. Just enjoy him while you have him. Things always seem to turn out for the best anyhow.” At that moment, Sariel and Talvi joined the other two.

“Where’s Finn?” Talvi asked Sariel as he set a plate in front of Annika and handed her a fork. “And my father, where are they?”

“They’re in the library, waiting for
them
to wake up,” said Sariel, pouring herself a small glass of wine from a half empty bottle. “Now that the sun’s gone down, they’ll be up and about at any moment.”

There was a scratching at the kitchen door and Runa leapt up to get it. Annika jumped in her seat as two enormous wolves padded into the room, sniffing the air curiously. Runa didn’t seem concerned at all as they glanced around the kitchen like they owned the place. They must have weighed nearly two hundred pounds each. One was dark brown with tan legs and rust colored ears; the other was silvery grey with tan undertones and black ears. Both had gleaming yellow eyes. They yawned lazily, showing their rows of long white teeth.

“I’ll bet you two are ready for a nice long nap by the fire, aren’t you?” Runa cooed as the silver one scratched his head. The other rusty-eared wolf actually nodded his head as if he understood Runa perfectly before they sauntered out of the room.

“Where did they come from?” Annika asked, still feeling nervous. She didn’t remember seeing wolves or any dogs at all since she had come to the Marinossian household.

“They’re sentries,” Talvi replied. “They sleep at night while the vampires are awake and keep watch over them during the day. I’d say Konstantin and his wretched accomplice just woke up,” he said, wrinkling his nose a bit.

“Are they friendly? Can I pet them if I see them again?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t,” he advised as he pulled a piece of crusty bread apart and handed her half. “How do you think their masters dispose of their victims’ bodies?” Annika shook her head. “They literally feed them to the wolves, and those wolves would tear you apart if their masters ordered them to.” Annika shivered to imagine the giant canines feasting on flesh and crunching bones to powder. Sariel let out a sigh and folded her arms on the tabletop to rest her head on them.

“What’s wrong, Sariel?” Annika asked her, eager to think of something else. “I hope you haven’t been killing yourself helping Yuri with all the chores.”