'Your Highness, how does she do that?' the guard standing by the door asked. 'I've never seen anyone move so fast.'
'Quiet,' Drago ordered. 'And stand guard! Her speed is no match for Katya's strength, so be prepared to attack if Katya shifts.'
Eve wanted to tell him her daughter was under too deep of a trance to even bat an eye, but she refrained. She needed to concentrate and dig past the mayhem she was encountering in Katya's mind.
She saw images dancing in her mind's eye--all of herself in her daughter's memories-- embracing Katya, playing with her, brushing her hair, kissing her goodnight. She also observed other images of Eve teaching Katya the art of combat, showing her how to wield a sword and how to use a bow and arrow.
Eve's eyes stung with tears, but she kept on, pressing further into her daughter's mind as she remembered the night Balkathan's army attacked them.
Their village never stood a chance. Eve swallowed hard, ignoring the searing pain in her head as the memory resurfaced.
She told Katya she wouldn't be long as she went into the nearby woods to feed, but by the time she'd returned, she'd seen the bloody aftermath of Balkathan's attack. Villagers lay dead with their throats torn while all the houses burned with raging fires. A few remaining Lycans stayed behind, destroying what was left of the village and she attacked them as her heart raced with real fear.
The five remaining Lycans had been no match for her. She was a four-hundred-year-old vampire who had survived many wars, had fought many battles. She threatened the last surviving Lycan with a slow painful death if he didn't tell her where Balkathan had taken his prisoners.
The Lycan had laughed cruelly. 'It's too late, demon bitch. All the prisoners have been turned. The men are going to his army barracks and the women will serve in his harem.'
Before he could say another word, Eve had plunged her silver dagger into his chest. She searched for Katya frantically that night, amidst the debris and smoke and dead bodies, but couldn't find her.
Despair and fear filled her as she realised her daughter was one of the prisoners. Her daughter's beauty was unmatched and Eve realised with dread only a fool wouldn't place her in his harem--and Balkathan was no fool.
Eve inhaled sharply, opening her eyes as she stared at Katya's serene expression. She closed her eyes again and went deeper into her daughter's mind. She saw the suffering her daughter had endured in Balkathan's lair--the torture, the repeated rapes from Balkathan's wolves. Eve felt sick and dug deeper to see if Balkathan had raped her daughter. He hadn't. She almost sagged with relief.
The other women in the harem had accepted their fate, but Katya had fought back, bravely and courageously until the rapes had stopped and Balkathan had sent her to isolation in a dark and filthy place. Katya was starved. She wasn't allowed to bathe. She was given hardly any water to drink. In addition, her cell was filled with night crawlers of all kinds--crickets, worms, ants. A rage grew in Eve's stomach, rising to her breast, choking her. She wanted to kill that demon bastard for what he'd done!
No wonder her daughter had gone mad.
Slowly, she retreated from Katya's mind, placing her deeper in sleep at the same time. When she withdrew completely, she looked over her shoulder to the guard. 'Help me put her in bed,' she said huskily.
The guard rushed forward and lifted Katya in his arms while Eve drew back the covers. He laid her down and she covered her daughter. She blinked rapidly, refusing to cry as she stared at the sleeping woman who was once a happy, vibrant beauty with her whole life ahead of her.
Eve bent down and kissed Katya on the forehead, whispering, 'I love you.' She straightened, drawing in a long, shaky breath.
'Are you all right?' Drago asked deeply.
She gasped and spun around. He was standing directly behind her, his expression unreadable except for the telltale muscle working along his jaw.
She didn't respond as she removed her dagger from her belt and slit her wrist. Drago cursed roughly and grabbed her hand. He pressed his palm on her cut.
She looked up at his handsome face darkening with concern. 'You're confusing me for a mortal woman,' she said coldly. 'I am neither, not mortal, nor a woman. I'm a vile creature, remember? Let me go.'
His mouth was grim as he let go of her hand and she turned to her daughter. Leaning over her, Eve placed her wrist on her daughter's mouth and let a few droplets of blood touch her lips. Katya murmured in her sleep and her tongue flicked over her lips, licking the blood. Satisfied, Eve drew back.
'Go get Hesta,' Drago ordered his guard. 'Quick! Tell her she must stitch a cut.'
'It's not necessary,' Eve said. She lifted her wrist and they both watched her wound slowly fade and disappear. 'It will take my daughter a day before her madness disappears. I've made sure she sleeps the whole time. She'll be ravenous when she awakens, so you must make sure there is plenty for her to eat.' She stepped away from him. 'I will take my leave now.' She then went for the door.
'The housekeeper will prepare a chamber for you,' he said abruptly.
She turned to look at him. 'I won't be staying.'
'Where do you think you're going? You must be here when your daughter awakens.'
'I must go.'
'You don't strike me as the kind of woman who gives up.'
Her eyes welled with tears and she inhaled sharply. 'I haven't given up,' she said. 'I know where Balkathan hides and I'm going to his lair to kill him.'
Chapter Three
