A Shade of Kiev 2(43)

I headed straight for his sitting room, opened up the glass cabinet in the corner of the room, and pulled out a particularly fine-looking rum from the back of the cupboard. Then I left his apartment, careful to close the door behind me.

I returned to my room and placed the bottle underneath my bed.





Chapter 28: Kiev





After the ritual that evening, I made my way to Tiarni’s room. I knocked on the door. When there was silence, I knocked again and called, “It’s Kiev. Open up.”

The door opened instantly. The short redhead stood in the doorway, hands on her hips.

“What happened to—”

She barely had time to finish her sentence as I leaned down to kiss her. I kicked the door shut behind me and pulled her into the bedroom. Her face flushed and she breathed heavily.

“I missed you last night,” I said.

“What? I came knocking on your door.”

“And I was so, so sorry that I wasn’t feeling well enough to open it.” I sat down on the bed, and gripping her hips, I drew her closer to me, placing both her arms over my shoulders. “And I know that I need to make it up to you now.”

She cocked her head to the side and gave me a sultry smile.

“How will you do that, Novalic?”

“I remember that you mentioned a few days ago how much you’d love to take me to your island… how it’d be just the two of us in that old empty castle… away from everyone… for a night of passion.”

“Oh, Kiev. Yes. Yes,” she said breathlessly.

“Let’s leave. Let’s leave now,” I whispered into her ear. “Take me there. I’m yours.”

“Hold my hands,” she said, grabbing both of my hands.

She mumbled a spell and a few seconds later, after a whirl of colors blinded me, I found myself in another bedroom. It was a much darker room, filled with black wood furnishings and velvet fabrics.

“Welcome,” she said. “You know that not anyone can enter this island. They have to be invited by one of the members of our coven. And certainly not just anyone can enter my bedroom…” She gripped my shirt and tugged me toward her bed.

“Wait, Tiarni. We have all night. Let’s have a drink first.”

Her eyes lit up and she hurried toward a cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out a bottle of blood-red wine.

“I thought you said you didn’t like liquor, darling?”

“I don’t,” I said. “But this is a special occasion.”

She poured out two large glasses. In her excitement to be drinking with me, she swallowed down the wine in a few gulps. I insisted on pouring her another. And another. In the meantime, I was careful to take just a few sips of my own. I kept her so entertained with suggestive quips that she barely seemed to notice that she’d finished the bottle by herself.

Once she was decidedly drunk, she got up and once again tugged at me to follow her to bed.

“First won’t you show me around?” I asked.

She seemed pleased with my request and happily led me out of her bedroom and around the dark, empty castle. We started at the highest level—where Rhys, Mona, Efren and Isolde resided, according to her. There was only one room that she wasn’t able to show me on that floor. A room with a red door. She claimed that it was for witches only.

“It’s where they conduct the most complicated spells,” she slurred. “I’ve been in there before. It’s really nothing interesting. There’s just a round table and a few shelves with potions and things…”

We made our way down the levels, passing noticeably smaller rooms. We continued walking until we reached the bottom floor, where there was a dining hall and what appeared to be a kitchen area. Then I suggested that we take a walk outside. I made excuses to stay out until we finally came across what I’d hoped to see. A cluster of boats washed up on the beach. Old roughed-up boats that probably hadn’t been used for many years, but boats nonetheless.

After that we returned inside. She stopped when we reached the kitchen again and said, “We’re done!”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it! Oh, wait. There’s also the dungeon, but that’s a dirty stinky chamber you wouldn’t want to see. Really nothing interesting down there.”

“The dungeon? What do you keep in there?”

“Humans.”

“I see.” I nodded. “But what will we do for dinner? We may as well get a human from down there while we’re at it.”

Her eyes lit up. “Why, yes, of course! It really is a shame you only drink blood, you know. I make a delicious eyeball stew.”

She continued blabbering about her cooking abilities until we reached a trapdoor located in a corner of the kitchen. She fumbled with the heavy bolt and pulled it open. Hanging on the wall just beneath the trapdoor was a large set of keys. She pulled it off and staggered down the steps, indicating that I follow.