Chapter 41

Chapter 41
If someone had told me I’d be traveling with two werewolves to find a vampire for answers about my father, who was also a powerful supernatural, I’d say that person was seriously crazy and needed to be locked up.
But there I was, in the pickup truck with Quanah and Peta, heading toward the mountains where Louis was.
“I didn’t know you had a car. I thought you always got around on all fours.” I teased, holding back from bursting into laughter.
But Peta wasn’t so discreet in the back seat and erupted into a laugh.
“Very funny. Let’s see who’s crawling on all fours when we get there.” I swallowed hard at his threat but couldn’t help the pulse between my legs. “We have cars and bikes, though I prefer traveling on foot. But since you so kindly insisted on coming with me, I had to settle for this.”
“Thank me for sitting comfortably now, because if it were up to my brother, we’d be riding bikes, which is the last thing a pregnant woman needs,” Peta said, and I smiled. Quanah might be the older one, but he definitely wasn’t the wiser.
“Oh, you’re my hero, Peta. My butt thanks you for not arriving there square.”
The trip was long, and I thanked both of them for distracting me along the way. All that banter helped keep my mind off my problems. I was already anxious enough about uncovering more of my past, about who I was.
It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep. No surprise, after all the relentless training days and last night’s sleeplessness. I was utterly exhausted.
I felt that as my power grew with my progress, I got more tired. It was almost like it was draining my energy every time I demanded more from it.
Of course, I hadn’t told anyone about this. Alice and Quanah were the ones closest to me during training, and no one knew, especially the man I shared a bed with. If I told him, he’d probably lock me up, stop the training, or find a way to make me stop using my powers altogether.
“Careful,” I heard a voice whisper, but I looked around and found no one.
But everything was different. I was back in that clearing in the middle of the forest.
“Who’s there?” I shouted, trying to spot someone among the trees.
“This is a warning. Be careful!” Then I recognized the voice. It was him again. I’d never mistake that voice.
“Koschei, I know it’s you!” I shouted, but I still couldn’t see anyone. “Show your face, Nikolai.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to see me anymore.” He appeared before me with just a rustle of leaves.
“I told you to stay away, and that includes dreams too. So tell me, what are you doing here?” My body didn’t shiver or tense as I expected, but it didn’t. It felt like an old acquaintance standing in front of me.
“I’m not near you, though I should be. But I’m respecting your wishes.” I swallowed hard and tried not to listen to what he’d said. I needed to focus. “You’re in danger. You’re heading into a trap.”
“What? How do you know where we’re going?”
Quanah had insisted on keeping it discreet, avoiding alarm and making sure no one knew where we were headed, precisely to prevent an attack. How could Nikolai know?
“I know many things, child. You should be with me. I could protect you from everything, keep you far from any danger.” He took a deep breath and stepped closer, and even though he was just a specter, I felt his presence. “But since you’re with him and want me gone, I can at least warn you.”
“What do you know?” I stepped back, trying to distance myself, but it was useless.
“Louis made a pact. Your father has him in the palm of his hand. He controls all the vampires, and even though Louis hasn’t belonged to a clan for centuries, that doesn’t stop him from being blackmailed.” I gasped, shocked at how he knew all this. “He’ll capture you and hand you over to your father the moment you step into his lair.”
“You… you’re not sure of that, are you? You’re just saying this to make me come to you and accept your help.”
“I wish that were true. I’d love to go there, pull you out of that truck, deal with those two, and finally take you somewhere truly safe.”
He stepped closer again, and my back hit a tree as I tried to escape. His hand rose to my face, holding my cheek before wrapping a strand of my hair with the other. One step was all it took for our breaths to meet, and I gripped his black cloak by the collar.
“You can’t do this.” My voice was barely a whisper.
“I can’t because I don’t want to go against your wishes. You want me gone; you want the wolf.” I felt his body press against mine, and a voice in my head screamed that I should push him away and run, that I should wake up and end this vision. “But you can’t stop me from protecting you. Nor can you resist the desire to want my kiss in this world.”
I took a deep breath, trying to process what he’d said, but his mouth was already on mine, kissing me with the same gentleness as before, his lips unhurriedly claiming mine, sucking my lip.
I vaguely registered moaning against his lips and pulling him closer. But the next second, I was being shaken by firm, large hands. I opened my eyes and sat up with a start.
Quanah was in front of me, his thick brows furrowed, his face twisted in an unfriendly scowl.
“What the hell was that? What was going on here, Bridget? And why can I smell that demon on you?”
My heart was racing. I couldn’t think straight; my brain was in a haze after being woken like that.
“Calm down, man. She’s still coming back,” Peta interjected.
“Calm down? That creature was here. You can smell him…”
“It was just a vision,” I murmured, sitting up better in the seat and clearing my mind, even as his words echoed in my thoughts.
“Just a vision? And what did he want to tell you?” His voice dripped with mockery and anger. I could feel all the rage radiating from him like waves, coming at me, and I didn’t understand why.
“He came to warn us. Louis made a pact with my father. We’re walking into a trap.”
“Ha, that’s a joke!” Quanah paced back and forth in front of the passenger door, running his hands through his hair before looking at me again. “And you just believed him that easily? Or was it after he got you all worked up like that, that you started believing him?”