The Misadventures of Annika Brisby (25 page)

“I know you can feel this power between us,” he continued. “I knew that day when I watched you follow Runa and I into the bookstore. I was devastated by the idea of never seeing you again, yet here you are in my arms. Why do you think Anthea knew about you when you met her? Or Finn?” He stared into her eyes, and Annika was shaken to the core. It had been so easy to dismiss him like every other man in her life, but then again, he was not a man.

“As I said before, you’re the only one I want, and I know you’ll come around eventually. I just hope it’s sooner than later. I’m dying to kiss you again, even if that’s all you would permit me to do.” He cradled his hand around the back of her neck, forcing her to look deep into his burning eyes, and she was lost in a world where only the two of them existed. Annika suddenly had a flashback to the day she first met him in the bookstore. She recalled with disbelief that she had seen this very image of her standing here, held tightly against him, about to be kissed. But it wasn’t a strange vision anymore. She was living that very moment right now. She curled her arms around his neck, trying not to fall on her weak knees. It was as though they were meant to be here, in this very moment, in this room, together. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. Every word that came from his lips sounded so perfect, like something out of a dream. He looked so handsome in the dim light, the music was intoxicating and sensual, and he was holding her tight, spilling his heart out to her.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she finally managed to ask. He bent his head down and sealed his mouth to hers, and she could taste the sweet cake he’d been eating earlier. Her heart wanted to shoot out of her chest and break through the windows to join the stars, but luckily it remained in place, thumping wildly as his arms tightened their grip on her. Sure, he’d danced with every pretty girl at the party that evening, but he hadn’t kissed any of them, and certainly not like this. They danced for a while longer, her head resting on his chest as he held her close.

“I don’t know why I listened to Yuri,” she accidentally sighed aloud.

“Yuri?” Talvi asked curiously. “What did she say to you?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said, silently kicking herself for saying anything at all. He held her away from him just enough to look at her.

“Tell me what she told you,” he said with a face that left no room for glossing over the truth.

“She just thought I was a bad choice for you because I’m mortal, and that I should leave you alone because it’s unacceptable and impractical. I don’t know, I don’t remember everything she told me,” Annika said, avoiding too many details.

“I think you can do better than that,” Talvi instructed. “Tell me the rest of it.”

“She said…she said that you were only being nice to me because…because you wanted to try out an American girl,” Annika confessed.

“Those were her exact words?” he asked, still looking down at her. She couldn’t say yes, but her face gave her away as she recalled a few more fragments of what Yuri had said.
“He’ll say anything…he only changes long enough to get what he wants…”

Talvi was quiet for a long time, now that he understood his own twin sister had been the cause of Annika’s rejection all along.

“She told you that night at the Tortoise and Hare, didn’t she?”

“How did you know?”

“Because it makes complete sense as to why you ran hot one moment and then cold the next,” he said quietly. He was trying his best to conceal his anger, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that his blood was boiling.

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said anything about it on your birthday.”

“No, I’m glad you told me. If I’d known this earlier I doubt I’d even be here tonight. You don’t begin to understand how upset I am right now,” he said through clenched teeth. “When was the last time you saw that scheming snake of a sister, anyway?” he asked Annika, looking around anxiously for that bright red dress among the crowd.

“I haven’t seen her in a while. Oh, don’t go yell at her now! Don’t ruin the moment. Just forget about it and dance with me,” Annika tried to convince him, but it was pointless. Asking him to forget about what Yuri had said was like asking the stars to stop shining.

“Something isn’t right,” he muttered, looking at his pocket watch. “I haven’t seen her for nearly an hour. Don’t go anywhere. I shouldn’t be long.” Annika didn’t want him to leave, but her arms fell helplessly to her side as he let her go. He was gone before she could protest.

Turning around, she saw Runa still dancing with Zaven while Sariel had her hands full with two fairy boys who’d both asked her to dance and were bickering over who got to be with her first. Annika didn’t want to interfere with her actually dancing that night, so she just tried to keep her within her view.

The belly dancers were now dancing with members of the crowd. Many of the elder guests had retired for the night, but the rest of the party was going strong. The chandeliers spun slowly and were reflecting prisms of color around the room, and some of the fairies who had shrunken back to their normal size were buzzing overhead, sitting and talking on them. Just like the tiny crystals surrounding them, they glittered from thousands of jewels sewn into their garments.

“Well now, that was some performance you gave us,” said Chivanni, having appeared at Annika’s side out of nowhere.

“What?” she asked. “You mean dancing with Talvi?” The other redhead nodded enthusiastically and his wings fluttered with joy.

“Everyone was watching you two. I mean
every one
. You must have practiced that for weeks!” he exclaimed, and a dreamy look entered his cinnamon brown eyes. Annika couldn’t help laughing at how expressive he was.

“No, actually that wasn’t rehearsed at all. I didn’t realize he could move like that.”

“You made it up as you went?” he cried. “Oh that is
so
romantic!” His wings fluttered again, making a passer-by spill some of their wine, but fortunately they were too drunk to care. “I’m going to fetch another glass of wine and then I want you to tell me all about your stay so far. Would you like me to bring you back a glass as well?”

“Sure. I’ll wait here for you.” She watched him skip towards the refreshments and saw a glint of intense red out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw three figures making their way through the crowd in her direction, one of which was the mysteriously missing birthday girl.

Yuri had added a matching silk scarf around her neck, and she was smiling so big that she looked positively radiant. Of the two men she was accompanied by, the one whose arm she held was much taller than the other. His straight golden blond hair tumbled to his elbows, and his complexion was as fair as his eyes were dark. Instead of wearing a suit similar to Finn’s or anyone else’s, he wore a suit that could’ve come off a runway in Milan that week. While he had all the features of a stoic Norse god, the shorter man looked more exotic, which got Annika’s interest right away. His skin was light brown from the kiss of the desert sun. His thick eyebrows and short wavy hair were black as the night, and his eyes were so dark they appeared black as well. They were enchanting, as if he’d lined them with dark makeup, but it was only his long black lashes that gave the effect. He didn’t smile as he caught Annika’s glance, but he held her enrapt for an extra-long moment. He turned to his blond friend, speaking in his ear as he leaned down to listen.

With laser-like precision, the tall man’s eyes shot up and settled on hers. He slowly stood upright again, and lifted his chin, breathing in the air. Yuri gave him a fond embrace, causing him to break his gaze. He gave her a soft smile and spoke to her, giving her a little nudge, and Yuri led him to where Annika was standing.

“Lemme introduce you two…introduce you to,” she slurred. She had obviously made sure that the wine wasn’t poisoned, along with the ale, and probably some brandy too. Without being told her name, the blond man held out his hand which Annika took as though to shake it, but he turned it over and tenderly kissed the back of it.

“So this is Miss Annika,” he observed in a thick Slavic accent. His seductive smile drew her to him immediately; she was completely enthralled by his mouth, his jaw, and his presence. “Yuri did not tell me that you were such a feast for the eyes.” His loose hair fell forward, and for a moment her heart stopped. She felt as though he were a demigod, acknowledging her in all his radiance. He gave her a little nod as his beautiful eyes scanned her face, and his nose breathed her in as if she smelled like the sweetest perfume. She could have sworn that she saw a smidge of envy register in Yuri’s face, but she was mistaken. It was more like a flashing, bright green traffic light.

“This is my good friend Konstantin. He arrived late,” Yuri gushed. Annika withdrew her hand quickly. Konstantin tilted his head to one side, as though he knew she was aware of what he was, and of what he hungered for.

“You will have to forgive Vaj.” He made a motion towards his quiet friend. “He is not very comfortable in these types of situations.” Vaj nodded his head, standing off to one side.

“Konstantin, are you going to dance with me on my birthday or not?” Yuri asked playfully. He held out his arm for her and she turned to lead him away.

“Yuri, wait!” Annika blurted, motioning for her to come close.

“What?” Yuri hissed impatiently.

“I thought someone is supposed to stay with me if
he’s
around.” She made a motion towards Konstantin with her head. But Yuri only rolled her eyes and sneered in annoyance, as if Annika’s concerns were beneath her.

“You’ll be fine,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “He’ll be with
me
for the rest of the night anyway. Nothing bad can happen to you tonight—there are too many guests around. Don’t worry about it.” She walked off arm in arm with Konstantin, and didn’t look back.

Vaj watched Konstantin disappear into the crowd, and then stepped towards Annika. He didn’t smile, but he sidled up next to her in a deft move, swaying slowly to the beats of the drums. She was slightly taken by surprise, but continued to dance with him. He kept his eyes closed as he moved effortlessly. Then his eyes snapped open, the whites piercing through the darkness that surrounded them.

“Come,” he instructed and held out his hand to Annika. He didn’t ask; he demanded. Before she could consider whether he was being rude or not, she took his hand and was led into dance steps that were exhilarating and energizing. He cast her out at arms’ length and then reeled her back in. She didn’t know if she should appreciate his strength or fear it. She looked into his black eyes and heard the music fade into the background. The drumbeats morphed into the sound of heartbeats, to her body’s very own rhythm. It was almost as if she were underwater, hearing the music and voices around her mashed together in an unfocused arrangement of white noise. Those eyes were burning a hole in her mind. Those eyes wouldn’t let her move anywhere except where his hands were guiding her. He brought her wrist to his face and inhaled the thin flesh that covered her blue veins. He brushed her wrist across his cheek and set her hand on his shoulder. She shut her eyes and relished the pleasure it sent throughout her body. Her knees bent slightly and she moved against him as if they were one being. He was an incredible dance partner, teaching her new moves right then and there, and she learned from him without any effort at all.

“Where did you learn to dance like this?” he asked her. She snapped out of her trance and looked around. She caught a glimpse of Yuri and Konstantin nearby. Yuri’s eyes were shut in ecstasy as Konstantin tugged at her scarf and buried his face in her neck. She looked around for Runa, but she was so short that she couldn’t see over the tall elves. The sounds of the instruments around her came crashing back to her ears, sharp and nearby once again.

“I, I go out dancing quite a bit at home, actually. I just let the music tell me what do to,” she told him.

“Mmm,” Vaj hummed and smiled almost unnoticeably, as if he was deep in thought, but at least he was smiling. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Yeah, a little. Are you?”

“I’m just waking up,” he said softly in her ear. She felt his soft lips touch her neck slightly below her earlobe. She shut her eyes and the music faded into the background. She was underwater again, with nothing but the swaying of their bodies and the sound of her heartbeat and the drums filling her head. It was a very long time before she could muster the energy she needed just to open her eyelids. They felt like lead weights had been sewn into them, even though her body could move, there was something wrong with her head. She felt like she was drugged; she could see her body but couldn’t control it. She didn’t see anyone she recognized, and the bodies she could see were far away. Like a clever wolf, Vaj had separated her from the flock. Her languid eyes looked one direction, focused, and blurred. Then another direction, focused, and blurred, desperate to see a familiar face. Her voice was tiny inside, and she couldn’t even speak out loud anymore. She tried to shout over the
thump, thump-thump
of her own heart, but her throat was closed up. She saw Vaj smile again, even wider this time, and her stomach turned icy cold. There were teeth in his mouth that were inhumanly long. Even if she’d managed to scream at the top of her lungs, she knew it would be lost in the din of the party.

Stop! Let me go, you psychotic vampire!
she thought. His grip was unrelenting. She began to panic, but her head was too fuzzy to think straight. An image filled her mind of black hair and burning eyes. The eyes were like two black holes; something was missing from them. What was lacking from black holes?