Kat went to sit up but Viktor slowly shook his head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hold you for just a bit longer. I was frightened I had lost you. If it is okay with you, I need a tad more reassurance you are really here before I let you go."
Grinning from ear to ear, not afraid to let him see how she liked the fact that he wanted to hold her, Kat reached up and placed her hand on the nape of his neck. It took little encouragement for Viktor to lean forward. Their lips met. It was as if a match had just touched the edge of the kindling of a fire. It began as a spark that radiated and built throughout her body. It burnt all her self-doubt. Eliminated all her insecurities. This amazing feeling left Kat anticipating the eternity Viktor's embrace promised.
Their kiss was life affirming, all encompassing, and she whimpered as he pulled away. Opening her eyes, she found Viktor smiling and knew without all doubt it had been just as devastatingly beautiful for him as it had been for her.
Mocking annoyance, he raised an eyebrow before saying, "There will be more time for distractions later, Katarina. Now I need you to hear what I have to say."
"Then you have to let me sit up. If I stay in your arms any longer I can't be held responsible for my actions."
His expression of surprise at her boldness made Kat laugh out loud. She grinned over her shoulder when the proof of his attraction rubbed against the back of her thigh as she scooted from his lap. Kat immediately regretted her decision to leave the comfort and safety of his arms, but she could tell Viktor felt strongly about what he wanted to tell her and she respected his judgement.
She smiled as he fussed to make sure she was comfortable and then he held her hand lovingly as he began to speak. The deep baritone of his voice mixed with his exotic accent wrapped around Kat, transporting her to the place and time Viktor spoke of.
"Long ago, very near where you sit right now, a warrior, a commander in the ancient Grecian army, was wrongly accused and executed. He suffered because of another man's jealousy."
It all came rushing back. Kat remembered the story Bjorn had shown her with his magic apple and nodded. She was surprised at Viktor's calm demeanor as he continued the story she knew was about his death.
"But this isn't the important part. What is paramount to this tale is what happened after. The commander had relentlessly prayed to Zeus, the Father of the Gods during his trial. So, because the commander was faithful and had been his entire life, Zeus came to the warrior in his final hour with a promise of retribution and resurrection. He told the commander that he would indeed die a traitor's death but that his journey was not to end there.
"For you see, Zeus, in his infinite wisdom, knew that the world would always need honest men to right the injustices and defend the weak. So he told the warrior that his traitor's grave was the just the beginning. The great god told the commander that because he had been a faithful servant in his original life, he would be given eternity to continue his crusade.
"Zeus gave the warrior's body thirty days to lie dormant and rejuvenate before he rose under a new moon on the darkest of nights. He called this warrior the Unum, which in the language of my youth means the One, and he said this warrior would be the leader of the Kings of the Blood.
"The Father of the Gods let the Unum call the men who had been loyal to him in his original life into the service of the Kings, with a stipulation. The men had to freely accept what the commander offered at the time of their death. The responsibility to serve a higher purpose and to remain unknown for their heroics was non-negotiable. They were to be unseen at all costs. Zeus went so far as to allow the Unum to give the gift of their eternal fraternity to the ancestors of the men he had fought beside."
Kat squeezed Viktor's hand in support, waiting patiently to tell him the bastardized version of his story that Bjorn had shown her.
"As with everything, there was a price for everlasting life. The Unum and his comrades would live as they always had but once a month, on the night of the new moon, they would need to consume blood. Not as a parasite, but only taking the small amount needed to maintain their God-given powers. They were commanded to leave the donor as they found them...unharmed and healthy."
Viktor stopped speaking, raised Katarina's hand to his lips, and lightly kissed each of her knuckles. The look in his eyes coupled with his lips on her skin, was making clear thought harder to achieve. With a twinkle in his eye, grinning like he knew what effect he had on her, Viktor went on, "Now, amica mea, this is the part I want you to pay special attention to. It's the best part of this tale, in my humble opinion."
Kat laughed out loud at Viktor's comment, and said, "When have you ever been humble."
Shrugging with a grin, Viktor continued, "Zeus did not want his champions to live a lonely existence so he made a promise to the Unum that each King would have one woman to love, one woman to share eternity with. She would be all the King ever needed. The light of his soul and the love of his heart. She and she alone would possess the ability to communicate directly to his heart and know his secrets, both spoken and unspoken. This woman would know his truths and share his beliefs. His mate would be his only nourishment. He would know the instant the keeper of his heart, or his custos animae, was born and their bond would be immediate.
"Now, the Father of the Gods was smart and having loved many," Kat chuckled at the raise of Viktor's eyebrows as he gave mention to Zeus' many affairs, "knew that if a man had the chance to know when the woman of his heart was born and could track her at any time, he would most likely be there to claim her as soon as she was of age. So Zeus made an absolute rule for the Kings-he said the custos animae had to come to her King of her own freewill and in her own time. The only exception being if her life was in mortal danger."
Viktor paused and Kat watched emotions flow through his dark eyes. Unconsciously nodding, he began again, his voice lower, more serious than before, "The only other stipulation was that their mating, blessed by the gods and completed according to Zeus' law, was consummated by the King's three thousandth year. If not, the King would die, and because of his service enjoy eternity in the Elysian Fields and the keeper of his heart would be free to live out the rest of her days as she saw fit."
Kat started to speak, but stopped when Viktor slowly shook his head. For several seconds they simply stared into one another's eyes and then, as if reaching a monumental decision, Viktor stood and pulled Kat up in front of him. With her hands in his, holding her eyes hostage, he spoke with a certainty that made her tremble, "You, Katarina Romalesky, are my custos animae, the keeper of my heart, the woman I have loved since before you drew your first breath. Look into my heart as only you can. See the truth of my words. Feel the strength of my love. This is all for you. I offer myself and all that I am to you. I am yours to love or to leave, the choice is yours."
There were no words. Her heart was beating so hard and fast Kat thought she might pass out, but there was no denying the truth. It was just as he'd said...she knew. It was all right there. She could see who he'd been and who he wanted to be, what he'd done and what he wanted to accomplish, everything was in her consciousness as if she'd experienced it herself. It was all so amazing and miraculous and that was just the tip of the iceberg, because at the forefront of three millennia of life was so much unconditional love and acceptance that Kat couldn't stop the tears that flowed freely down her face.
"Oh, amica mea. Don't cry. You are not stuck with me. It is your decision."
Shaking her head so hard she felt a little dizzy, Kat tried to speak through her emotion but barely managed a whisper. The look on Viktor's face changed from disappointment to confusion, which she could tell he wasn't at all used to. For some crazy reason his befuddlement gave Kat a case of the giggles and before she knew it, she was gasping for breath.
Holding tight to Viktor's hands, she took several deep breaths and once Kat could speak again, she said, "No, you big dope, I want to be stuck with you. I mean...I want us to be stuck together. No, hell, that's not right. I'm screwing this all up. You were so eloquent and I sound like a hooker trying to get out of community service. What I'm trying to say is I love you. I never imagined it was possible and we have a serious age difference, but I love you with a love that defies an explanation."