Birth

[Valeriya]

She did not want to turn from the sky, but Regus drew her aside. His expression was soft but the eyes remained dangerous, jutting through the downy like claws stretching out of fur. Valeriya had never experienced such an expression before. Her mind was a tangle of confusion just as her heart was split with joy and warning. She let herself be drawn in. Her cheek warmed with his caress, like the soothing lick of sunlight itself stretched its fingers and brushed her skin. Her lids lowered and she felt the softest touch upon her lips. Her heart beat ferocious in her chest, unlike any other time. She'd hunted in darkness and silence, heart pounding. She watched Radenyi, heart beating like a drum. Then there was the anticipation of the sunrise. The blossom of light that sparked her heart with excitement made her breath catch and her heart soar.

This was so different. She had finally seen what the Eye saw. This was the man she dreamed of her whole life, there in the flesh. She had waited and waited for this moment. The time had come for her to seize her destiny and restore all the Khylsty once knew. Rasputin's legacy was reborn in Armande. Armande, the name filled her mind. Her kiss grew wilder as the thoughts spun intricate plans. The crystals around her neck clinked together. The little bones in her hair clacked with the movements. Her heart beat harder and harder, her chest grew tighter and tighter. The cold was gone until only their heat remained. The blanket puddled at her feet. She was a beast, and he was uncaging her.

Her mind howled in triumph. She was free.

She was free.