Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (39 page)

"Daniel,
I believe it's your turn to patrol." Russell smiled.

"Violet's
already on guard," Daniel said.

"Do not
disobey me, Daniel."

"I don't
take orders from a stuck-up, conceited–"

"Daniel,"
Nate interrupted him. "Go. I got this."

"You
sure?"

"I can
handle a jerk like him." Wisps of smoke rose up from the fallen log
we were sitting on. Nate lifted his hand to reveal a charred hand
print. Daniel turned and walked away into the darkness, shooting
Russell a warning glare as he left.

"And how
are you, my little Firecracker?" Russell asked, smiling at
Nate.

"Great,
until you showed up."

Russell
laughed and took another step forward. He paused when the ground in
front of his foot erupted, spewing forth a jet of flames. He
narrowed his eyes at Nate, who smiled back.

"I only
came to talk," Russell said. He sat down on a small rock opposite
us. "How are you, Mikhail?"

"I'm
okay," I said, looking away from him and taking a sip of
water.

"That's
good to hear. It must be rough on you, with everything that's
happened."

"Would be
easier if you left him alone," Nate snapped.

"I mean
no harm," Russell said. "I'm merely intrigued by his
powers."

"Then go
talk to Anna," I said.

"But she
is not human," he replied. "You live such a fragile and urgent
existence. I cannot help but find myself drawn to that."

"You know
what happens when the moth gets drawn to a flame," Nate said. The
campfire roared to life for an instant, and then died down. Nate
stood and stepped over the log, heading back to the small building
where Sebastian was sleeping. "Come on, Mik. We're
leaving."

"Sure," I
said. I didn't bother looking over my shoulder to see if Russell
was following, but I hoped he wasn't. We had just reached the
building when I heard my name being called. I glanced over my
shoulder.

"You
forgot this," Russell said, throwing me the water bottle I had left
by the fire. I caught it and went inside without saying a thank
you.

We sat
and talked quietly in one of the empty rooms, until Violet and
Daniel returned. As expected, they were both angry at Russell for
trying to separate us, but were also glad to hear nothing had
happened. With Violet back, we went to sleep. She watched over us
until the sun rose and she was sure Russell could not try
anything.

*****

When I
opened my eyes, I was alone. It was still dark outside, and
moonlight spilled in through the open window. A cold wind danced
along my skin, biting and nipping, bringing my attention to the
fact that I was naked and uncovered. I sat up, looking
around.

"You're
awake," a deep voice sounded from behind me. I didn't need to look
to know it was Russell. My heart leaped into my mouth, beating
violently. Where was Violet? Where was anyone for that
matter?

In a
flash, Russell was on top of me. Looking down the line of his naked
body, I could see him raring to go. His lips pressed to mine, cold
and tingling. He forced me onto my back, straddling my waist. His
hands ran over my chest, pausing to pinch and rub at my hardened
nipples. I threw my head back, gasping.

"You like
that?" Russell purred.

"Yes," I
breathed. His fingers repeated the movement over and over. Inside
my mind, I was screaming at myself for not saying no, and for
letting him do this to me. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to say
the word.

He
crawled back to take hold of me in his hands, working me into an
erection. His head lowered, tongue darting out to lick the inside
of my thigh. I pushed myself up onto my elbows, staring straight
into his smouldering eyes. His fangs extended, he bit down into my
thigh, the shooting pain making me cry out.

"What's
wrong, Mik?"

I opened
my eyes. Everyone was still there. I was covered in sweat and
struggling to regain my breath.

"Bad
dream?" Violet asked. She was laying to my right, behind
Sebastian.

"Yeah,
bad dream." The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in a mix
of red and orange. I fumbled absently at my thigh, finding no
indication that I had been bitten. "I'm gonna get some air," I
said, trying to smile.

"All
right, don't go too far," Violet said. "And don't be long. Russell
will be up soon."

I nodded
and pushed myself to my feet. I found a nice quiet spot on the flat
roof of a nearby building, and sat with my back to the crumbling
chimney pots, staring off into the distance. My first sex dream.
Since that night in Rachat, I thought my first would have been with
Ash. But no, of all the people, it had to be Russell. Not Ash, my
first real friend and lover. Not Daniel, who I had seen naked, or
close to it, more times than I could count in the last couple of
weeks, and who had snuggled up to me in bed most nights in Aldar.
Not even Nate, who had been a good friend to me since we met, and
had seemingly developed feelings for me, even if it was my fault
they were there. No, it had to be Russell with his smooth pale
chest, and dark smouldering eyes. I slapped myself. Something was
wrong with me. Perhaps, everything that had happened in the past
month had finally gotten to me, and made me snap. I thought my
psyche must have been broken and twisted to even be considering
Russell. I didn't move until the sun was almost set. By then Violet
was up.

"I was
just about to come get you," she said.

"Sorry. I
had some thinking to do."

"Anything
you wanna share?" Daniel asked. He sat up and wiped at his
eyes.

I shook
my head. "Personal stuff."

The
second the sun was down, Russell was at the door of the building.
"Everybody up," he shouted. "You've had your rest." There was a
collective groan from most of the building.

Daniel
and I waited outside with our things while the others finished
repacking and eating breakfast.

"Evening,
Mikhail," Russell said, appearing at my side out of nowhere. I
jumped, my breath escaping me. Daniel gritted his teeth.

"Evening," I replied, trying to steady my breath and avoiding
his eyes. He moved to stand in front of me. He was wearing a tight
black tank top that showed off every contour of his upper body,
just as I dreamed it. Blood rushed to my cheeks.

"What'd
you do to him?" Daniel asked, his lips curled.

"I didn't
do anything," Russell said, laughing. "He's reacting to me, that's
all."

"Beat
it," Daniel growled. Russell obliged, smiling at me before he
disappeared in a blur. "Did he do something to you after I went on
patrol?"

"No. Nate
stopped him."

"Then
what the hell, Mik?" Daniel snapped. "Please, tell me you don't
have a thing for bad boys."

"What?
No!" I exclaimed. "I don't know what's happening. I can't explain
it."

"Fuck."
Daniel kicked at the dirt beneath his feet. "You sure he didn't do
anything?"

"Ask
Nate," I said. "He didn't leave me alone for a second."

"Well,
this isn't good. We'd better tell Violet."

Violet
sighed when she heard the news, and suggested I try and suppress
any physical reaction to Russell. The last thing I needed was to
give him any encouragement. That was harder said than done. I
couldn't say I was physically attracted to him, or at least, not
consciously. But whenever he got a little too close, I would
remember the dream and blush with embarrassment and anger. Not just
anger at Russell, but also at myself for even having dreamed such a
thing.

*****

The
weather had started out nice, if a little chilly, but soon took a
turn for the worse. So much worse, in fact, that we were forced to
stop and find shelter only a few hours after we had set off.
Fortunately, the landscape was littered with ruined towns, and
given the size of our group, we didn't have to worry much about
upsetting any small nests of vampires. Not that we ever saw any.
Perhaps, they saw us coming and went into hiding.

I said a
silent thanks to the snowstorm for giving me the chance to rest my
feet some more. They were already beginning to feel a little sore.
At least this time I had some decent walking boots, unlike the
chunky boots the Silver Dawn issued. I curled up inside my sleeping
bag and managed to get a few hours sleep while we waited out the
worst of the storm. Daniel was watching over me when I woke up.
Outside, I could hear the others talking. The blizzard had started
to die down.

My throat
felt dry. I pulled my water bottle out of its pouch at the side of
my rucksack and screwed off the cap. I was about to lift it to my
mouth when it was sent flying across the room. Daniel was stood in
front of me, his jaw and fists clenched.

"What was
that for?" I snapped.

Daniel
didn't reply. He crouched on all fours, sniffing at the floor where
the water had spilled out. "I'm gonna rip his damn throat out," he
growled.

"Daniel?"
Violet asked, peering inside.

"Russell
spiked his water," Daniel said, turning to look at me.

"What
with?" I asked, my body turning cold. Every hair stood on
end.

"His
blood. Has he had the chance to drink any of yours?"

"No," I
replied. "What does this mean? He can't bond with me unless he
drinks my blood, right?"

"Unfortunately," Violet said, pausing. "It's not that simple.
Your dream earlier. Was Russell in it?"

"Shit," I
mumbled under my breath.

"That's a
yes then," Daniel said.

"Will the
dreams go away?"

"As long
as Russell's blood is in your system, he'll be able to enter your
dreams," Violet said. "If he's only added a tiny bit to your water,
then it should pass in a couple of days. Until then, you should
keep a close eye on anything you eat or drink."

"And if
he gets some of my blood before then?"

"Then
he'll be able to get inside your head whenever he wants, even while
you're awake. You'd feel the need to be close to him too, but it
won't come to that."

"Russell
likes to keep up appearances. As long as there's other people
around, he won't force–" Daniel paused, tilting his head to one
side. "You hear that?"

"Dammit.
Nate," Violet muttered. Both Daniel and Violet rushed outside. I
followed as fast as I could. I caught up to them to see Daniel
restraining Nate, who was struggling to break free. Sebastian stood
next to them, his arms folded.

"Let me
go," Nate screamed. "He fucking deserves it, and you know
it."

Violet
was close by, pinning Russell to a tree by his throat. I walked up
to them, noting the burn marks on the nearby trees.

"If you
want him, then you'll have to go through us," Violet
said.

Russell
laughed. His eyes met mine. "I don't know what you're talking
about," he said, wincing as the hand around his throat
tightened.

"So you
deny spiking his water with your blood so you can mess with his
dreams?" Violet asked.

"I can't help it if he
dreams about me," Russell replied. He caught hold of Violet's
wrist, pulling her hand from him. "You forget your place,
Daywalker. I may be younger than you, but I am stronger, and I am
your superior."

By now, most of the
group had gathered to watch the scene unfold.

"Now," Russell
started, glancing over at Nate. "I suggest you get your little rat
under control, before I do it for you."

Violet clenched her
jaw. "Just remember this, Russell. I am not bound by the sun, like
you. If you ever pull a stunt like this again, it will be your
last."

"Marcus would have you
killed."

"I do not care."
Violet's lips twisted upwards as she turned to walk back to Nate
and the others. "I would gladly pay the price."

"I'm sorry you had to
see that," Russell said. "But I do not deal well with death
threats."

"And I don't deal well
with people invading my dreams. Stay out of my head, or I'll kill
you myself."

Russell moved,
disappearing from my vision. There was a cold breath on the side of
my neck. "You think you can manage that?" he whispered. "If you
would give yourself to me, then I wouldn't have to play these
games. I could show you a world you've never imagined, where
pleasure and pain go hand-in-hand."

I spun round, pulling
the knife from its sheath and pressed it to his chest. "If you like
pain so much, then be my guest."

Russell threw his head
back, laughing. "Since I like you, I'll make you a deal."

"Name your terms."

"I'll stay out of your
dreams, and forgive the death threats made against me."

"And in return?"

Russell smirked. "You
let me feed from you."

"Not a chance."

"It's hardly an
unreasonable request, Mikhail." Russell shrugged.