he was relieved. He was a creature of the night like his brother, but
unlike Alexei, who had lost all humanity, the true Lev still lived in him. He
wasn’t sure he ever wanted to lose that despite the pain he’d have to endure
for all eternity.
What did he have to lose? Lev followed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lev and Alexei stood outside Boris’s mansion for the
second time in one night.
“Why the hell are we back here?” Lev asked. Anxiety
began to lumber to its feet as he remembered what happened inside just hours
ago.
Alexei ran a hand through his hair, took a breath as if
to steady his nerves, then moved forward and took hold of the bars of the gate.
He peered through, pressing his face against the wrought iron. “We’re here
because this is where Carly left through that…that hole. There has to be a way
to reunite the two of you, and I imagine Boris’s house is the logical place to
start. The scene of the crime, as such.” His hand strayed absently to his neck,
to the spot where Boris had drunk his fill.
This was unbelievable. Lev turned to leave. “No. We
can’t go back in there!” Why would Alexei suddenly care that Carly was gone?
Red flags waved high and mightily in Lev’s brain.
Alexei caught his sleeve in one long-fingered hand.
“There will be no rest for you until we try our damndest to get her back. I
know you too well, brother. You will brood, you will cry, you will be hell to
live with…” He sighed.
Lev held up a stilling hand. “Really? That’s why you
brought me back here? To shut me up? It wasn’t out of the goodness of your
cold, dead heart?”
Alexei looked puzzled, even hurt. Then he said in a
somber tone, “We must try. Give it all we’ve got so that you can go on with
your life. Perhaps then you will feed properly; perhaps you will kill. You will
experience your first turning. I will not give up on you.”
Lev rubbed a hand across his stubbled cheeks. His
brother’s motives weren’t pure or selfless. That didn’t surprise him. Yet,
despite knowing Alexei was hoping for failure yet again in order to teach him a
lesson, being back at Boris’s house made a certain kind of sense. He was eager
to give it a try, and his heart leapt a little at the thought he might see
Carly again.
She did disappear in that house, and this may be the
only place where the portal could be reopened. The wheels were turning in Lev’s
mind. There were obstacles: even if they could manage to get back into the
great room, then what? How would they find and open the portal? And, most
importantly, what if Carly wasn’t in it anymore?
His enthusiasm waned when he remembered that even if she
did come back, they would still only have a precious few hours together before
she’d have to leave again, and this time for good.
He pushed the thought away. It was too painful. As a
distraction, he asked Alexei a question that had been burning in the back of
his mind. “Danger lurks here for you, brother. You managed to get away once,
but you may not be so lucky a second time. Are you not afraid?”
Alexei smirked and gave a dismissive wave, though Lev
saw something in his brother’s eyes. Something he could not quite put a finger
on.
“I’m not worried,” Alexei said. “Shall we go?”
“Back so soon?” came an all too familiar baritone. Boris
was on the other side of the gate. He grabbed each of their hands, pulling
their arms through the bars and clamping tightly so neither Lev nor Alexei
could move. The man was powerful, but Lev had the sinking feeling he was being
gentle—that he could crush them as easily as peanut shells.
“Your brother does not tell you everything, Lev. He is a
man of many secrets. Still, I am most grateful to have met up with him again.”
Boris puckered his lips and blew Alexei a kiss. “You are so pretty. Both of you
actually, but lucky for you, Lev, only Alexei possesses what I want.” He turned
to Lev, and although Lev had seen the man up close just a short time
unlike Alexei, who had lost all humanity, the true Lev still lived in him. He
wasn’t sure he ever wanted to lose that despite the pain he’d have to endure
for all eternity.
What did he have to lose? Lev followed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lev and Alexei stood outside Boris’s mansion for the
second time in one night.
“Why the hell are we back here?” Lev asked. Anxiety
began to lumber to its feet as he remembered what happened inside just hours
ago.
Alexei ran a hand through his hair, took a breath as if
to steady his nerves, then moved forward and took hold of the bars of the gate.
He peered through, pressing his face against the wrought iron. “We’re here
because this is where Carly left through that…that hole. There has to be a way
to reunite the two of you, and I imagine Boris’s house is the logical place to
start. The scene of the crime, as such.” His hand strayed absently to his neck,
to the spot where Boris had drunk his fill.
This was unbelievable. Lev turned to leave. “No. We
can’t go back in there!” Why would Alexei suddenly care that Carly was gone?
Red flags waved high and mightily in Lev’s brain.
Alexei caught his sleeve in one long-fingered hand.
“There will be no rest for you until we try our damndest to get her back. I
know you too well, brother. You will brood, you will cry, you will be hell to
live with…” He sighed.
Lev held up a stilling hand. “Really? That’s why you
brought me back here? To shut me up? It wasn’t out of the goodness of your
cold, dead heart?”
Alexei looked puzzled, even hurt. Then he said in a
somber tone, “We must try. Give it all we’ve got so that you can go on with
your life. Perhaps then you will feed properly; perhaps you will kill. You will
experience your first turning. I will not give up on you.”
Lev rubbed a hand across his stubbled cheeks. His
brother’s motives weren’t pure or selfless. That didn’t surprise him. Yet,
despite knowing Alexei was hoping for failure yet again in order to teach him a
lesson, being back at Boris’s house made a certain kind of sense. He was eager
to give it a try, and his heart leapt a little at the thought he might see
Carly again.
She did disappear in that house, and this may be the
only place where the portal could be reopened. The wheels were turning in Lev’s
mind. There were obstacles: even if they could manage to get back into the
great room, then what? How would they find and open the portal? And, most
importantly, what if Carly wasn’t in it anymore?
His enthusiasm waned when he remembered that even if she
did come back, they would still only have a precious few hours together before
she’d have to leave again, and this time for good.
He pushed the thought away. It was too painful. As a
distraction, he asked Alexei a question that had been burning in the back of
his mind. “Danger lurks here for you, brother. You managed to get away once,
but you may not be so lucky a second time. Are you not afraid?”
Alexei smirked and gave a dismissive wave, though Lev
saw something in his brother’s eyes. Something he could not quite put a finger
on.
“I’m not worried,” Alexei said. “Shall we go?”
“Back so soon?” came an all too familiar baritone. Boris
was on the other side of the gate. He grabbed each of their hands, pulling
their arms through the bars and clamping tightly so neither Lev nor Alexei
could move. The man was powerful, but Lev had the sinking feeling he was being
gentle—that he could crush them as easily as peanut shells.
“Your brother does not tell you everything, Lev. He is a
man of many secrets. Still, I am most grateful to have met up with him again.”
Boris puckered his lips and blew Alexei a kiss. “You are so pretty. Both of you
actually, but lucky for you, Lev, only Alexei possesses what I want.” He turned
to Lev, and although Lev had seen the man up close just a short time
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