Page 64 of Cry of the Firebird

They had traveled on foot until they got to a village not far from Baia Mare in Romania. From there, they hitched an uncomfortable ride in the back of a truck to the closest train station.

The places they had passed through afterward had been a blur. They were heading to Paris, and that was all she cared about. She was too focused on possible attacks and Anya's talent to read her mind if she wasn't careful.

Katya tried not to dwell on it too much. She was the only one with the talent that Anya could connect with, and who knew? Maybe it could be useful in a fight. And one was coming, Katya could feel it in her hunter's bones. She didn't have the gift of foresight like her sister, but her intuition was sending constant alarm bells off in her head.

Katya was finally drifting off to an uneasy sleep when the door to her train carriage opened, and someone slipped inside. She gripped the knife under her pillow and was ready to use it when warm hands pinned her arms down. She took a deep breath getting ready to scream, but hot lips smothered her cry with a deep kiss.

"Please don't try to use that knife on me, Katya. It will ruin the mood," Izrayl growled.

His hands loosened their grip on her arms as his lips found hers again. His hands slid down and rested on the side of her small ribcage. She buried her hands in his thick hair as he kissed her again. Katya's breath caught in her throat as his hand slid under her shirt and started to stroke her warm stomach, achingly slow. His exploring hands began to go south just as Katya fell out of bed onto the hard carriage floor.

"Fuck," she muttered, her eyes snapping open, and the dream ended.

Sunlight shone through the dirty curtains, and Katya groaned in frustration and embarrassment. A sex dream about avolk kroviwas a whole new low.

The door slid open loudly, and Izrayl stuck his head in.

"Are you awake yet? What are you doing on the floor?" he asked.

"I fell out of bed," she said, cheeks burning.

He grinned at her. "Was it a bad dream or a sex dream?"

Katya fought the urge to bury her head under the blanket.

"Ohh, sex dream. Must've been juicy by the look of horror on your face." He started to laugh loudly as she struggled to get up, her legs and arms twisted up in the sheets.

"You're delusional," she muttered.

"Here, let me help, hunter." Izrayl picked her up and dropped her down on the bed. "At least you could get enough sleep to dream. I hate trains. They make me itchy all over."

Katya adjusted the blanket to cover her bare legs. She only ever slept in a T-shirt and underwear and wasn't ordinarily shy. Until now. "Are the others up?"

"No. I was bored, so I thought to see if you were awake." Izrayl sat down on the carriage floor and rested his back against the door.

"What time is it?"

"About 6.30 a.m."

"I should kill you for waking me up this early," Katya said and buried herself deeper in her blankets.

"You were awake already. I didn't wake you," Izrayl replied and grinned mischievously. "Or did I?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I told you. If you're curious—" Izrayl suddenly tensed, and a low growl rolled out of his throat.

Katya sat up, gripping her knife. "What is it?" she whispered.

Izrayl's hair was standing on end, his shoulders bunched up and tense. He held a finger over his mouth, and she shut up. Izrayl quickly pulled her off the bed and onto the floor, shielding her with his body as a dark shadow passed over the window.

"Don't move," he whispered in her ear. "We have company."

"Vasilli?"

"No. Something else." Katya reached for her bag and rummaged around in it. "What are you doing?"

She found the sleek weight of the revolver she always carried with her, even into Skazki. "My good luck charm."

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