Page 26 of Call of the Ride
Before I could further ponder how to explore this shared power, Marena’s voice brought me back to the conversation. “What do you mean, Vasi broke the Yaga’s curse?” the goddess called over from where she sat on a velvet chaise with Anthia.
Harbison beamed at me like a proud mother before turning to dramatically address the room. “When Vasilisa wrested power from the former Yaga—a feat nohumanhad accomplished before—it allowed us humble seekers to cheat death itself! With the veil becoming thinner every year, we have not only reconnected with lost loved ones from beyond the grave, but hope to one day claim the underworld as our own.”
Chapter 20
Vasilisa
To my horror, the gaggle of humans murmured appreciatively, as if it were agoodthing for the living and the dead to mingle freely. While I was aware occultists like Harbison purchased my tea specifically to brush against the close-under-place, the blue roses were for spirit journeys of the mind, not for unlocking doorways between realms.
I recalled my shock when Veles first appeared to me in the grove following my examination of the fallen wolf warrior. In all my years of ingesting dream tea for spiritual guidance, I’d never expected to call upon the god of the Nav himself. As Baba Yaga, it was my duty to exist on the edge, mediating the boundaries of death so that humans may figuratively cross it and be reborn—alive, but in possession of new wisdom.
For a moment, I wondered ifI’dsomehow been legitimately reincarnated when I clawed my way back from the Nav as Yaga. It made sense, in a way, especially since Marena said she’d had no part in my return the second time. But how could a perfectly ordinary human suddenly wield the power of an ancient lineage of witches?
My heart sank as I remembered Luperca’s cutting remarks that The Devouring began soon after I became Yaga—implying it wasmyascension that sparked the destruction.
None of this was my intention...or choice.
My men must have picked up on my distress, as their muscular bodies were suddenly surrounding me on all sides. Asa smoothly redirected the conversation by asking Harbison pointed questions about their communications with the dead, while Tan angled himself to shield me from view.
“Are you all right, Vashka?” Nox’s rumbling voice was in my ear, gently tugging on our bond as he moved closer, crowding me further.
“Areyou?”I hissed in return, my already raw nerves lighting up with the promise of a fight.
His dark eyes narrowed. “No. I’m actually not, if you must know,” he growled, suddenly looming over me in a manner that was more threatening than protective. “I had to rip a goddamn tracking device out of my body before my father got here...”
“What?!” Tan harshly whispered, half-turning to face us again.
My blood was boiling at this revelation. “Oh? And how long have you known Matthew could track your movements back to me?”
“You think I would actually put you all in danger by keeping something like that a fucking secret?!” Nox bellowed, punishing fury bursting out of him so acutely it caused the occultists to run screaming to the opposite corner of the shop.
My claws lengthened, my body stretching tall to threateningly fill the space as my voice amplified. “I think you’ve kept plenty of secrets in the past, always to benefit yourself!”
Nox threw his head back and laughed—a joyless sound. “Oh, that’s fucking rich, coming fromyou,of all people. Tell me again what sort of deal you made with Koschei, witch? Or is that still classified information?”
That’s it!
With a roar that rattled the chandelier and cracked the jars lining the shelves, I channeled all my strength and sent Nox tumbling backward through the beaded curtain to the room beyond. In an instant, I flew after him, straddling his chest and pinning him to the hardwood floor, feeling ribs satisfyingly crack between my thighs.
“I should have killed you the day we met,” I rasped, tears clouding my vision as I wrapped my claws around his throat, drawing blood.
Nox shuddered beneath me, darkness pouring off his body to wrap around both of us. “I’m not going to fight you,” he choked out. “But this time, you’re coming with me.”
I yelped as I was abruptly ripped off of him and thrust into a void so deep and dark it was as if I were in outer space. Stars winked around me in the eerie silence, so incredibly lonesome in the endless expanse of darkness.
“Nox?” I whispered, terrified to think I was alone in this place.
“I’m here, Vashka,” my Rider’s voice sounded in my head, instantly calming me. “Well, as present as I can be without a body…”
I also didn’t have a physical form, yet Nox and I were still somehow able to communicate. “Is this where you were…last time?” I hesitantly asked, horrified to think of him being trapped here.
“Yes,” he replied, and suddenly the darkness in front of us cleared to reveal Tan and Asa desperately searching the back rooms of the emporium while Cassandra trailed behind, attempting to explain where we’d gone. “Luckily, I stayed physically connected to Tan and Ace, although...” He paused, and I felt his anguish as if it were my own. “I don’t know what happened when Veles’ bomb went off, but I couldn’t feelyouanymore and it fucking killed me.”
I silently absorbed his words. I’d assumed the blast of excruciating pain I’d felt when the bomb detonated came from Nox, but perhaps it was the severing of our bond instead. Apparently, it hadn’t been a permanent break, because while our connection was faint when he’d returned from the darkness, all it took was a reunion in the bath to set things right.
I suddenly wondered if being in this realm affected my ability to interact with the others. Rustling some papers on Cassandra’s work table, I simultaneously sent a burst of reassurance down our bond, smiling in satisfaction as Tan and Asa visibly relaxed.
Nox’s presence wrapped more closely around me. “I suffered here, you know,” he murmured. “Watching you with the others, still tasting you on my lips but not knowing if I could ever return to you. And wishing I’d had the balls to tell you I loved you before we were ripped apart.”
