Page 29 of Cry of the Firebird

"I'm not going to hurt Yvan. He's my friend too. I was shocked to see you both on my doorstep. If he knew you were here, Eikki would be turning over in his grave."

"Yeah, well, if he were alive right now, I'd probably kill him myself for not preparing me for any of this." Anya cringed at the bitterness in her voice. She had never, ever spoken badly against Eikki before.

In the last few days of wandering about Skazki, her anger had grown with her fear. It was a deep, simmering fire in her belly, and she wasn't sure when it would explode.

Trajan frowned, his eyes reading something in her face that she hadn't wanted to give away. "Come and eat, Anya. We can discuss Eikki and his reasons for things when you're warm again."

Anya nodded and followed him to where Yvan was waiting in the kitchen. He had made some soup from what was left of their supplies and had set the table for the two of them.

"You're not eating? Yvan's cooking isn't that bad, I swear," Anya said, shooting the firebird prince a wink. He had taken over cooking duties after Anya tried to make him something to eat on their first night.

"I already ate," Trajan replied, pouring himself a wine instead. "I want to hear more about your adventures, Anya."

So Anya and Yvan told him about their week of magic, re-hatching, Vasilli's attack, Baba Yaga, and running.

Yvan rose and went to the sink to clean his bowl. "I came here hoping that you would be able to help. I didn't know what else to do."With her. Yvan didn't need to add it for Anya to feel it.

"I've already sent for Izrayl and Cerise. Once they arrive, we can get to the bottom of this and make a plan," Trajan said, twisting the stem of his glass between his long fingers. "As forwhat Tuoni did to you, Anya, we might have to try and find someone with more magical knowledge to confirm that he's damaged Eikki's memory magic."

Yvan crossed his arms. "The firebird couldn't sense any harm in what he's done, just broken what was already there."

"And you trust the firebird?"

Yvan nodded, already looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Yes, because Anya freed us, and it likes her more than me. I'm going to turn in. Sleeping rough with this one complaining has taken it out of me," he said, nodding at Anya.

"Because your surly company and incessant snoring have been a delight to put up with," Anya responded.

Yvan smiled and lifted his middle finger at her rudely, surprising a laugh out of Trajan.

"When did you learn that?" he asked.

Yvan grinned. "Anya taught it to me after she kept doing it at my back. She tried to tell me it meant thank you, but she smiled too much when she did it."

Trajan laughed even harder.

"Oh, Anya, I've missed you," he said.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Surprise and delight filled Anya the more she talked with Trajan. She might not fully remember him, but she knew she liked him.

"So how did you know Eikki?" Anya asked, washing her bowl and cup.

Trajan huffed out a breath. "It's a long, complicated story."

Anaya hazarded a guess by his suddenly guarded tone. "One that you aren't going to tell me?" She turned and jumped as she almost crashed into him. He was standing only inches from her, his autumn scent washing over her. Something buried deep in her psyche told her that it was comforting because she was safe when she was with him.

Stupid memory, why can't you come back enough for me to know why I should believe that.

Trajan moved past her to wash up his wine glass. "I'll tell you, but not tonight. It's not only my story to tell, and I don't want to keep you up later than necessary."

"You said you were going to prove we've met before," Anya said, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to sleep just yet. The bed in her room had a powerful allure after days of sleeping on the ground, but not as powerful as the man infront of her. She had been dreaming about him all week, and her curiosity wasn't going to be satisfied until she knew why.

"I'm a man of my word," Trajan said, his smile wide enough to make heat curl unexpectedly in her stomach. "Follow me, and I'll show you."

Trajan led the way through the house before opening the door to a large sitting area. Anya bit back a gasp of delight. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a fire burned in the large stone fireplace. There were heavy rugs on the floor, and paintings hung on any wall space the bookshelves didn't occupy. It was a real private library, and she had never seen anything like it outside of movies.

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