The Romanov's Pursuit (13 page)

Ruth Ann should have known this was some kind of setup. She began to tremble because there was something different about Miss Mary’s taunts today. The venom in her voice was thicker than normal and she seemed agitated about something. There had been rumors swirling around the plantation that Miss Mary had miscarried another baby. She’d apparently lost four but this one had seemed to send her over the edge.

“Well? Don’t you have anything to say?”

Again Ruth Ann shook her head. “No, ma’am.”

“That’s right, you have nothing to say now when my husband isn’t here to protect you. But I bet you have plenty to say when he visits you at night. I don’t understand what he sees in you. You’re so dark and disgusting but yet it’s you he goes to.”

Unable to hold back anymore, Ruth Ann protested. “But I don’t like it, Miss Mary. I swear. I have no choice.”

“You lying little jezebel! Don’t you stand there and lie in my house. You can’t wait to get your harlot hands on him. That’s why God punished you when you lost that first little bastard. It’s such a shame that an innocent child had to pay for the sins of her whoring mama.”

This woman was absolutely insane. She struck Ruth Ann in the heart with the painful reminder. She now had her confirmation that Miss Mary had done something to her baby. Many of the workers had told her that they had seen the mistress giving Angel a special piece of candy before she became violently ill and eventually passed away.

Ruth Ann put the silverware down and faced her mistress. “You did something to my Angel.”

Miss Mary didn’t seem offended in the least bit. “Girl, you’ve lost your ever-loving mind. I didn’t tell you to stop polishing that silverware. Now you best keep working or they’ll be consequences.”

“I don’t care!” Ruth Ann screamed. “You killed my baby. You’re not a God-fearing woman. You’re the Devil.”

Miss Mary sprang to her feet with lightning speed and quickly closed the distance between them before she backhanded Ruth Ann with what seemed like every bit of her strength. This woman who portrayed herself as the dainty southern belle and the epitome of womanhood snarled at Ruth Ann. “It’s time you learned your place. I expected you to pull something like this. Jarvis!”

Just then two of the drivers from the field appeared. It appeared that they’d been waiting in the wings all this time waiting for Miss Mary to give them the signal to enter the room. Each of the men grabbed Ruth Ann by the arms, one on either
side
and proceeded to drag her outside in time to see a well-dressed white man place Nathan on the back of a cart with two other workers she recognized from the field.

“I hope you gave your little boy a hug and a kiss this morning because this will be the last you’ll see of him.” There was actual glee in the other woman’s voice.

It suddenly dawned on Ruth Ann what was actually happening. Miss Mary, taking advantage of her husband’s absence, had sold off her son. As much as she despised Master
Randolph
, she knew he wouldn’t have allowed this transaction had he been here. Even though he was a disgusting pig, he seemed to actually have an affinity for Nathan. Ruth Ann had suspected her mistress was up to something but this was by far worse than anything she could have imagined. She’d already lost her Angel, she couldn’t lose Nathan too. She began to struggle in earnest. “Noooooo!” she screamed. “Don’t take him! Please! I’ll do anything! Don’t take my baby!”

Nathan turned in her direction and reached out to her as the horses pulled that cart away. “Mama!” he called out.

“Nathan!” She screamed!

Miss Mary cackled with apparent glee. This so-called Christian woman was celebrating why Ruth Ann’s heart was breaking in many pieces.

With a
strength
,
she didn’t know she had Ruth Ann managed to break free and raced toward the cart which was already a fair distance away.

“Mama!” Nathan tried to break free from the man holding on to him.

The horses that had been previously going at a slow trot took off in a full run, making it difficult for her to catch up. As she ran, Ruth Ann tripped over a rock and stumbled to the ground. “Noooo!” She screamed.

Strong hands grasped her arms and began to shake her. “Nya. Wake up.”

“Don’t take him!” She screamed.

“Nya, it’s just a dream.”

“No!”

Her eyes popped open and the cart carrying her lifeline away was gone as was the plantation and Miss Mary. It took several moments to figure out where she was. It had been a nightmare, one she hadn’t had in a long time up until a few days ago.

The last thing she remembered was her encounter with Blade. She’d been trying to figure out the magnetic pull she had toward the twins. Nya must have been so deep in thought she’d dozed off and had been transported to a time where every day had been a living nightmare.

Cutter and Blade sat on the bed, their faces etched with identical concern. “It was just a dream, Nya.” Blade stroked her face.

It was a comforting gesture that calmed her down. She realized that her cheeks were wet with tears that must have fallen while she slept. Nya couldn’t remember the last time she’d allowed herself to cry. She didn’t think she was capable of shedding tears but apparently she still could, and she had a feeling these twins had a lot to do with it. They were making her feel emotions she thought had died a long time ago and Nya wasn’t certain if that was a good or bad thing.

Nya caught movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed a figure by the door. She turned to see a blonde woman who bore a striking resemblance to the twins staring at them, her face lined with disapproval.

“Why is there a naked vampire in your bed?”

Chapter Twelve

Nya realized Elizabeth Romanov would be a problem as soon as their eyes met. It was clear the witch didn’t like Nya on sight and the feeling was mutual. Having dealt with Adonis’s insane mother, she wanted nothing to do with the woman who had looked at Nya as if she was beneath her.

Unashamed of her nudity, she’d rolled off the bed and didn’t bother to cover herself as she strode to the bathroom to clean herself up. By the time she’d finished her toiletry and returned to the room, it was empty and fresh clothes had been laid out for her.

She was thankful to be outside to get some free air. The twins had offered her the use of their garden which was beautifully landscaped with interesting garden ornaments and exotic flowers. It looked like a fantasy fair garden, a pure work of art, and being in the middle of it made her peaceful. Out here she could just be still and forget the world around her. Her past was inconsequential, there were no twins and no worry. She took a seat on the bench and watched two butterflies dance together. She released a long sigh.

Now that she was alone out here and the men were inside dealing with their mother, Nya had time to think. Now more than ever she needed to plot her escape. The twins were getting to her. She’d shared things with Blade that she hadn’t with anyone else, not even the two people she considered her closest friends, Christine and Giovanni. She didn’t want to care for anyone else because it hurt too damn much. Before she got in too deep, she’d have to find a way.

“A penny for them.”

Nya nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a deep voice that didn’t belong to Cutter or Blade. She looked up to see a very handsome blond man who looked a lot like the twins but with subtle differences. She recognized him right away as he had been a part of the group that helped take down Adonis and his band of rogues.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“That’s one of the advantages of teleportation. You can appear in places without detection.”

Warlocks and witches were the only groups of immortals who could teleport at any age. Vampires and shifters often gave the appearance of teleportation but it was simply superhuman speed. “You would only need to sneak up on me if you were spying. Were you?”

He smiled. “No, actually, I
just came
out here because like you, I needed a little fresh air as well. Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing to the bench.

Nya shrugged. “I couldn’t stop you if I wanted to, could I?”

He chuckled. “Probably not.” Steel took a seat on the bench next to her. “How have you been since I last saw you?”

“Fine, I guess.”

“Have you really? You sent my brothers on
quite
a
merry
chase.”

Her defenses were raised at the implication. “I didn’t ask them to chase me,
in fact
,
I was quite clear that I wanted to be left alone, but your brothers are stubborn.”

“That they are, but go easy on them, they’ve been through quite a bit.”

“You mean with Catherine?”

Steel raised a dark brow. “They told you about her?”

“Yes. Blade did at least. He said she got involved with some unsavory characters, one of them being Adonis.”

“Well, she was in league with my father who was working with Adonis, and in the twins’ minds they hold Adonis and our father responsible for her going down the path she did, but the truth is she knew exactly what she was doing. They, of course, would defend their mate and try to find the good in them. That’s the one thing about those two, they have a tough outer exterior but on the inside, they have good hearts. They’ve always tried to find the good in things even when there was none, like our sister Petra for instance. There are people who are simply born rotten and though I cared for her because she was my sister, I saw her for what she really was. Cutter and
Blade
, in particular,
felt there was a chance for redemption with her. And maybe there was but my empathy isn’t as strong as theirs.”

Nya didn’t know what to say to that. The twins were multi-faceted. They had so many layers and she had only skimmed the surface.

“What did you think about Catherine?”

Steel curled his lips and looked as if he wanted to spit on the ground. “The only good thing about her was her beauty. She was a master manipulator and what she wanted she got. I always thought…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

“No, you can’t just leave it there. What were you about to say?”

He sighed. “I mentioned this theory to my brothers once before but neither one of them was willing to listen. You’ve met my sister Sasha and her mate Niccolo, of course.”

Nya slowly nodded.

“Before they were together, Niccolo was mated to my sister Petra, but I always sensed there was something unnatural about that bond. I kept my thoughts to myself because they were clearly smitten with each other or so I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shortly before my father died, I learned that he and sister had cast a spell on Niccolo to make him think Petra was his true mate.”

“That’s possible?”

“Apparently. My father was a very powerful warlock but I didn’t realize such a spell existed. I searched through all the spell books and even consulted with ancients which
is
when I discovered a secret compartment in my father’s office. He kept scrolls that featured spells from the dark arts.”

“Black magic? Like the kind Adonis used to practice?” Nya shuddered when she thought of the mystical art that she believed had corrupted Adonis’s mind. She didn’t know much about it but she’d seen what it could do to people who practiced it. It had driven Adonis mad, while his mother Beatrice, who’d practiced it for centuries to keep her youthful appearance, had literally turned into a demon.

“Exactly. I believe he was using those scrolls to bolster his own powers. To give a little bit of a crash course on what happens when one
practices
black magic
is
if it’s performed by a human, it can be deadly. An example of that is Beatrice. The demon that had attached itself to her had been lurking within her for a very long time which is why it had been so difficult to destroy. For a vampire who practices it…well you see what happened to Adonis. It turned him rogue and drove him mad.”

“What about warlocks and witches?”

“It corrupts the soul. Turns it completely black. The person that once was disappears and becomes a being of pure evil.”

“Blade kind of told me a little bit about your father, and how he was very power-hungry and thought that immortals should rule the Earth.”

Steel nodded. “He had various schemes; one of them was to create the ultimate immortal which was how Niccolo Grimaldi had come into play. I’m sure you know that when immortals breed with a different race of immortal like a warlock and a shifter or a vampire/shifter for instance, that the offspring will take on the characteristics of both parents.”

“Like Jagger.”

“Yes, like my nephew Jagger. My father thought if he had an army of cross-breeds he’d have unlimited power at his disposal and Niccolo Grimaldi was a prime specimen in Ivan’s eyes. He believed that Niccolo would be perfect for my other sister Petra because at the time Petra displayed a great aptitude for magic and had some of the same ideals as him. But there was one problem: Sasha. It was clear, at least to me, that there was a connection between him and Sasha, but my father stepped in and changed things before Niccolo was none the wiser and smitten with Petra. I didn’t understand it at the time because I wasn’t aware of the scrolls but after finding them, I know how he did it.”

“
Obviously
,
his plan didn’t work and Niccolo ended up with Sasha. After Petra died, why didn’t your father continue his plan to manipulate these cross-breeds?”

“Because he didn’t count on Adonis’s hatred of the Grimaldis. Adonis had Petra killed because he believed that she was his true mate. We all did at the time. Looking back, I realize my father knew otherwise and it probably guilted him enough to drop that plan.”

“So what does any of this have to do with Cutter and Blade’s mate Catherine? It’s my understanding that she was a witch. Her union with the twins wouldn’t have created a hybrid.”

“No, it wouldn’t have but as I’ve stated before, power was very important to my father. Catherine hailed from a very powerful family of warlocks and witches. Ivan saw Catherine as the perfect mate for the twins.”

“Why them and not you?”

“Because he had something else in store for me. Something much worse.”

The bitterness in Steel’s tone made her curious about what he was referring to but she thought better of asking. She could tell that whatever his father had done to him still affected Steel to this very day. Nya decided to steer the conversation in another direction. “So do you think Catherine knew what your father did?”

“
Of course
,
she did. In order for this love charm to work, you’d need the active participation of one of the people that you
wanted
to be
bound
together. If you knew Catherine she was a lot like my father. She had a superior attitude toward beings she felt were beneath her and she craved being the most powerful witch in existence. I think it suited her ego to have two warlock mates instead of one.”

“So you think Cutter and Blade were under a charm that made them think Catherine was their mate.”

“I can’t prove it, but I believe they were. They knew she was evil and did horrific things against humanity and they were still quite taken with her, but that’s the nature of the spell, you will continue to feel the bond and want to protect and stand by your mate no matter how rotten they are and were, and Catherine was rotten to the core. There wasn’t a single redeeming quality about her besides her beauty. But once you knew her even that didn’t hold up for very long.”

Nya found this information fascinating. If Steel knew about what their father had done then surely the twins must have known what Ivan had done after the fact. She was surprised Blade didn’t mention it. “What did the twins do when they found out about it?”

“There’s something you have to understand about my brothers. They have a heavy trust in the hands of fate so despite what our father had done, they believed Catherine was somehow their destiny,
if
for nothing else, she was a life lesson. It could very well be possible that without Ivan’s interference, they could have ended up mates. I’m not certain, and I’m not even positive that he did use black magic to create the mate bond between them. It’s just a theory I have because he did it with Niccolo and Petra.”

“Do you think…” this conversation made her wonder about her own relationship with Adonis. There had been times when she’d hated the sight of him but the pull of their mate bond kept her by his side.

Steel placed his hand on hers. “What, Nya?”

“Do you think Adonis might have done the same to me?”

“That’s hard to say. He did practice the dark arts but keep in mind, you were human when the two of you met. I would imagine someone who was bent on the type of power trip that Adonis had been on would have been more selective of who they took as a mate. And that’s not to say anything against you, I mean that he probably would have chosen another immortal, and at the very least someone who had a similar nature to his.”

“Oh.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“Well, I’ve been trying to figure out why I cared about him despite the things he did. I mean, he wasn’t always bad. There were glimpses of kindness in him and when his mother wasn’t around he actually wasn’t bad. He had a sense of humor actually. But every time I saw the light in him, the dark side would come out in full force. He took away so much for me that I’m not sure if I could ever forgive, but I still had feelings for him. Doesn’t that kind of sound like what your brothers went through?”

“Yes and no. Remember, Adonis was a vampire practicing black magic which corrupts the
mind
,
not the soul. You probably saw glimpses of his goodness because there was still some good in him. Have you talked to Giovanni about it? You might have been with Adonis most of your vampire existence but Giovanni knew him before that.”

“It…it’s still painful to discuss. I thought I locked all those feelings away: the guilt, the
shame
,
and even the love. But they’ve resurfaced and I blame Cutter and Blade for making me feel things I wish I didn’t.”

Steel patted her on the shoulder. “I think it’s a good thing because once you work out all these emotions, you can be the mate my brothers deserve. They’ve been railroaded once before and I don’t want to see that happen to them again.”

Nya raised a brow. “And here I thought we were just having a friendly conversation. Did you just come out here to vet me?”

He chuckled. “Take it easy, Nya. I accessed your character a long time ago and if I thought you’d be a
problem for my brothers I’d be
doing far more than just talking to you. I like you. From what I’ve seen you’re very brave and loyal, willing to stand up for what is right. Those are very admirable qualities of any mate.”