Page 6 of Call of the Ride
Marena nodded excitedly, promising to meet us at the hut in the early morning before disappearing into the hidden doorway of the willow.
Veles began to follow her when he suddenly paused and turned to face us again. “Taneer,” he called out, the unexpected hesitation in his tone causing me to raise a brow in surprise. “While you’re there, please ask Cassandra to send Zehra my regards.”
Asa tensed behind me, but before anyone could comment, Veles spun around and vanished into the tree. Confused by his reaction, I glanced at Tan, freezing in alarm when I found a look of horror on his usually cheerful face.
“Mother…” he began.
“Fucker…” Asa concluded.
Chapter 5
Vasilisa
As promised, Marena was waiting for us outside the hut the following morning, ready to guide us to London. The goddess was bright-eyed, with a wide grin stretching across her freckled face—in stark contrast to the very sour shifter by her side.
“Vasi?!” Anthia called out, her arms crossed and hip jutting out, surrounded by more luggage than I felt our trip warranted. “Why would this ‘friend’ of yours think she could enter myvardoat the ass crack of dawn and snatch me out of my bed like a fairytale witch?”
I sighed, already anticipating a long day ahead of us. “‘Thia, this is Marena, goddess of winter’s death, rebirth, and dreams. She has graciously offered us a shortcut to London, which soundsmuchbetter than hours of riding or flying,doesn’t it?”I punctuated my introduction with a pointed look at my friend, silently pleading with her to be on her best behavior.
Although we all know that’s a big ask.
“It’s quite all right, Vasi,” Marena gaily laughed, seemingly unconcerned by the dark cloud figuratively hanging over Anthia’s head. “In fact, it helpedmewake up to be violently confronted by an irate swan in close quarters!” Anthia simply huffed in reply, dramatically flicking her new bangs out of her eyes while maintaining her displeased demeanor.
A smile tugged on Asa’s lips as he patiently waited for an opening to take Anthia’s bags from her. I could feel my hackles rise as the shifter barely acknowledged my Rider’s gesture, although he seemed unconcerned by her rudeness. In contrast, I noticed Tan’s expression was troubled and distant as he helped load the luggage onto the horses for our short ride to the nearest grove, although he seemed far too distracted for it to be because of Anthia’s mood.
This does not bode well for the journey ahead…
“This is your first trip to London, correct?” Marena wrapped an arm around my waist, squeezing me excitedly. “I can’t wait to show you around the Portobello Road Market…”
“Excuse me?” Anthia squawked. “We do notrequirea guide during our stay. As the executor of Vasi’s estate, I have been to London many times to manage her assets and properties, so I am more than familiar with the area.”
Again, Marena seemed unperturbed by the outburst. “As you wish,” she shrugged. “I’m simply tagging along for a couple of errands, including popping into Sotheby’s for the latest auction. I would love to surprise Vel with some modern art to hang up in his gloomy study instead of those dusty old tapestries.”
“What sort of ‘assets’ are you talking about, Anthia?” Asa furrowed his brow in confusion as he helped boost Marena up onto Tan’s horse.
I self-consciously cleared my throat. “Well, as you know, Anthia sells various items for me in underground occult circles, which has resulted in a bit of a nest egg over the…centuries. It’s honestly more than I know what to do with, so I would like nothing more than to share what I have with my Riders…”
“Vasi actuallyownsthe hotel we’ll be staying in,” Anthia matter-of-factly cut in from where she sat alone astride Nox’s Andalusian.
Tan swiveled in his saddle so fast he almost knocked Marena off the horse.“Youown Catty’s?!”
“She owns the entire block, actually,” the swan shifter brusquely replied as she began riding in the direction of the grove, regardless of whether the rest of us were ready to follow or not.
Asa grinned before swinging himself onto his chestnut stallion—Praline—and pressing his muscular body against mine from behind. “I believe that makes you our sugar mama, sweetness,” he chuckled in my ear, making me shiver, although I had no idea what he was referring to.
“Our sugarwitch,”Tan snickered, seemingly recovered from whatever dark mood had possessed him earlier. “Which is brilliant! I simply cannot wait to raid the minibar, blessedly free from fear of the bill being slipped beneath my door!”
Growing more confused by the second, I glanced over my shoulder at Asa. “I’ve never stayed in a hotel before,” I confessed, suddenly extremely uncomfortable with the thought of being surrounded by so much civilization with no nearby forest to escape to.
London is going to be a bit too peopley for my liking…
My Beautiful Sun’s blond curls and pretty face looked ethereal in the dappled morning light, but I caught a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Don’t be nervous, Vasi. We will reintroduce you to society at your own pace, although I suspect the hotel staff will want to treat you like visiting royalty, especially as you are the one signing their checks.”
I chewed my lip, thoughtfully considering his words as I shifted to face the path ahead of us. Even during my brief time as Tsarina, the absolute power that title granted me over my subjects never sat right with me. As someone who’d suffered years of abuse at the hands of my stepmother, I firmly believed respect was earned, not entitled based on age or authority alone.
While the mask of the Yaga often resulted in my reputation preceding me, I’d also tried to embody the fearsome legends as best I could, so the outside world would leave me alone. Mine was an accidental legacy, and although I was thankful for how it brought my Riders into my life, this life still wasn’t my own.
“You changed your fate…”
