Page 57 of Cry of the Firebird

"Here's hoping it's not bitter," Anya laughed softly.

Trajan was pacingacross the forest floor. Every few minutes, he would stop and touch his bottom lip, the sensation of kissing Anya still imprinted on them. Talking to Anya about it in the forest had made it worse. The way she was looking at him and talking to him was changing. The spark of recognition and affection was in her eyes, filling him with warmth.

From the few times he had caught up with Eikki over the years, he knew that Anya had grown into a unique, beautiful woman, but experiencing it firsthand was a different matter. He'd never kissed a mortal before. Anya had tasted of magic and fire, and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Izrayl sat on a rock not far from him with an amused expression on his face as he watched him pace. Cerise appeared through the trees, her hair standing out brightly against the forest's greens and browns.

"Relax, Trajan. Anya's fine, but I'm not. Whoever thought camping was a good idea needs to have their brain examined. Baba Zosia and Aleksandra are training our girl as we speak, so we have some time to talk," Cerise said.

"I'm such an idiot. Eikki used to speak about Baba Zosia and this tribe. He called her Zosi. He never even told me Anya's real name is Anyanka," Trajan complained as he paced. "Now, she's getting all of her memories back, and she's going to be hurt by how much Eikki took away from her."

"For goodness’s sake, between you and Yvan, there's enough worry to smother the poor girl to death," Cerise said, exasperated.

"It's not like she hasn't been through enough already! She could've died yesterday."

"But she didn't, so get over it," Izrayl replied before adding slyly. "She's rather beautiful in that frost princess, Norse way. Although you already know that, don't you, Trajan?"

Cerise hit Izrayl across the back of the head. "Take your mind out of the gutter. Trajan damn well knows better than to think about going there with a mortal. Right, Trajan?"

"None of your business. It's not like you've never had relationships with mortals before."

"Once we get to Paris, we can come up with a real plan in five-star accommodation," Cerise said, changing the subject. "With any luck, Vasilli won't find out that his stunt with the thorns hasn't worked until we are long gone from here."

"At least in the human world, Anya won't be trailing magic all over the place," Izrayl said, picking leaves out of his hair. "Paris is a good idea considering all we have is rubbish options. Can't go back to Russia. They still have a bounty on us for that time we rescued Anya in Moscow. They are still touchy about all their operatives you killed, Trajan. Last time I checked, the bounty on your head was close to five million euros."

"They had it coming. Anya was alone and defenseless," Trajan replied, without an ounce of remorse.

Cerise tapped her nails against her chin. "Katya could teach Anya how to defend herself while she learns magic. She's great with a blade."

"Just as long as Katya doesn't teach her any of her bad manners," Izrayl grunted. "That girl has some serious issues againstvolk krovi. I wonder what happened to make her hate us so much."

"Sounds to me like you're sulking because she hasn't looked at you twice," Cerise teased.

Izrayl rolled his eyes. "Please, like I could give a damn."

"If you two would get back to the problem at hand," Trajan interrupted.

Cerise lit a cigarette. "Relax, Trajan. Anya is going to learn some magic today, and then tomorrow we go to Paris. Your house will be able to hold us all, and it's a veritable fortress with all the security. Anya can learn her magic and get ready to shut the gates."

"The gates aren't going to hold forever," Trajan said as he began to pace again. "We are going to need to figure out a way to get her back through to her farm when the time comes. At least if she has a little time to explore her talent, she may be able to use the gates without killing herself."

Izrayl stood up and stretched. "We can't leave it longer than another day here. We are putting these people at risk. Vasilli won't be fooled for long, and he will kill these people for sheltering us just out of spite."

Cerise stubbed out her cigarette on a rock. "Well, I don't think I could handle much more of this trudging through mud and lack of hot showers. Also, my supplies are running low. I only have three vials of dead man's blood left," she said and gave Trajan a disapproving look. "We all know that you will be okay for weeks, thanks to that unfortunate incident with Vasilli's pet."

"Let it go," Izrayl warned.

"Don't worry, Anya isn't scared of him over it. Though, in my opinion, she should be." Cerise poked Trajan in the shoulder. "Be careful there, old friend."

Trajan was smart enough not to bite Cerise's bait. He would never want Anya afraid of him, but he wouldn't hide what he was from her. He had missed her and was intrigued by the woman she had become.

They hadn't even left the forest before they heard Anya's laughter, and Trajan smiled and hurried to find her.

Anya was sitting on a wooden stump with some of the tribe's children, teaching them scissors, paper, rock. Yvan stood with them, laughing at their games and arguments. She looked more carefree than he had ever seen her, making her even more beautiful.

"She's very patient with them." Trajan turned and saw Katya leaning against the side of a caravan.

"Yes, she always had a kind heart even though she hides it," he told her as he turned back to watch Anya.

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