Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
She was aware of the stories that came out of the Carpathian Mountains. How Xavier had murdered Mihai and took his lifemate, Rhiannon, prisoner. Rhiannon was Dragonseeker. She had given birth to three children, Soren, Tatijana and Branislava. Xavier then murdered Rhiannon and kept his children as his blood slaves. He imprisoned Tatijana and Branislava behind an ice wall in the form of dragons. Soren took a mage as a wife and had children, Razvan and Natalya.
Vasilisa stopped at the window to stare out at the snow coming down. She’d never had a problem being alone, yet she had a feeling of impending doom. The cabin seemed far too small, and she could barely breathe all of a sudden. Her lungs fought for air, and the room was too hot. She tapped on the windowsill, a small drumming beat that matched her accelerating heart.
Staring out the window, she caught glimpses of wolves as they came out of the surrounding forest. They were healthy animals, big and in their prime. They had silvery coats that made them difficult to see in the snow, but she had excellent eyesight and could see through the snow flurries, spotting them easily. They slunk across the small clearing, coming straight at the shepherd’s cabin as if drawn by the light she had in the window.
She had a kinship with the wolves and dominion over them. She didn’t fear them and would have thought it unusual if they threatened her in any manner. The moment they caught her scent, they would pay tribute and back off.
Dragonseeker. What would Lilith need with a Dragonseeker? Could it really be so simple as wanting one of them to turn so the legend could be refuted? Vasilisa shook her head. That didn’t add up. Not with the trouble Lilith was going to. She’d lost a few of her demons and nearly lost one of her mages. By all accounts she wasn’t happy.
Vasilisa found it a little disorienting to be in two places at one time, but most of her remained firmly behind in the cabin, guarding Afanasiv’s physical body. He lay as if dead, and several times she went to him and fussed over him, pushing back his unruly hair with the pads of her fingers. She tried to absorb him through her hands. She couldn’t believe how connected she was to him just because they shared the intimacy of each other’s mind.
The wolves surrounded the cabin and one leapt up, giant paws on the window, peering in with amber eyes. She stared him down. She was alpha whether they liked it or not. The wolf held her gaze for a moment and then dropped down into the snow-packed earth once more. He sat back on his haunches and lifted his nose into the air. He began to howl. The other wolves followed suit in a tribute to their queen.
At once, a short distance away, came answering howls. Even farther away, she heard more wolves take up the song. Then, from an even greater distance, more wolves joined the chorus. She envisioned Ivory and Razvan’s wolves joining in. She’d heard Skyler and Dimitri had their own pack traveling exclusively with them, a gift from Ivory and Razvan. If that were so, it was quite a gift and a huge responsibility.
The singing died away, and the wolves began to fade into the snow, intent on hunting. She watched them go with a feeling of sadness. For a moment she had been comforted. She had felt isolated for years, never recognizing how lonely she’d been until she was with Afanasiv. He’d been in her mind, filling all those places she hadn’t realized were lonely.
Dragonseeker. Her brain returned to the puzzle. The wheel of fortune card had come up. First had been the chariot, then the hanged man and then the wheel of fortune. She had pressed forward, forgetting she was deep in the midst of enemies. She needed to regroup and think things through.
What did the wheel of fortune mean? First, the wheel continued to turn. That gave one hope. No matter if she was in her darkest hour, the wheel reminded her that it would keep spinning. Time never stood still. The worst luck turned positive after a short interval. The best luck would also be gone just as quickly. One could always count on the wheel turning season after season.
She continued to stare out the window, a part of her staying with Afanasiv, alarmed at the condition of Karine but grateful Grigor wasn’t nearly as hurt as she expected him to be. She tapped her fingers on the windowsill, finding a rhythmic beat. The snow was letting up again, and now it fell in small flurries to the tune of her fingers. She’d covered Afanasiv’s body with a blanket to keep him warm. The cabin still felt overheated to her in spite of the outside temperature.