Winter's Kiss (30 page)

Now Mia was asking her to become her aide. Nika couldn’t say no. It would be an honour to perform such a duty, to hold such a high position within the castle. It was more than she could have dreamed of so early in her time there.

She nodded and then smiled.

“Good,” Mia said and turned away from the garden and began walking towards the doors. “I require someone to tend to the guests and show them to their quarters.”

Nika followed her, desperately absorbing everything Mia said so her first task as her aide wasn’t a disaster.

“It is set to become a regular visit so they have been assigned permanent quarters.” Mia walked through the doorway and turned down the corridor. “Are you following?”

“Yes,” Nika said and hurried along beside her.

Excited by the thought that Mia thought so highly of her, she found it hard to concentrate on everything that Mia was saying. She had worked hard since Winter had left, determined to rise through the ranks and attain a position of power so the werewolves wouldn’t frown upon her love for Winter and she could be with him when he returned. Each day she did the tasks that she should have done throughout the night when she had been waiting for Winter instead. She preferred it that way. The mad rush to get everything done wore her out so she could sleep and wake refreshed to watch again. Waiting. She felt as though she would be waiting for eternity for his return.

Everyone had been so kind to her since she had walked back into the castle that night, trembling and alone, her heart broken. They had helped her adjust and looked after her. They had taught her about werewolves and shown her how to use her abilities. She couldn’t thank them enough, but she couldn’t muster the strength to show her happiness and gratitude either. Her thoughts were constantly with Winter.

Would she ever see him again?

Would he ever return?

Several times, she had been tempted to take a horse from the stables and go to him, but she couldn’t remember the way. She hadn’t paid attention to the
route
Winter had
taken
through the woods and she didn’t want to get lost in them. She didn’t want to end up in her old village. It had
taken
a lot to put all that pain behind her—the loss of her father, his betrayal, and the sight of the village burning. All that death. It still made her cold just thinking about it.

“Wear something nice tonight. The guests will be expecting it,” Mia said and continued down the hall when Nika stopped.

She looked around and realised that she was in front of her
bedroom
door.

Opening it, she walked into her room, the same room she had stayed in when she had first arrived. For the first few weeks after Winter had left, it had still smelt like him. She had refused to allow the other women to take the bedclothes for cleaning. None of them had understood. They had all looked at her as though she was mad for wanting to keep the smell of a vampire in her room.

She sat on the edge of the four-poster bed and stared out of the windows, remembering the way Winter had looked when he had stood there that day and she had gone to him to convince him to stay in her bed. The memory of his touch and the way he had held her still warmed her and she knew nothing would ever change that. No matter what happened, she would always have those days that she had spent with him, and she would always love him.

A smile touched her lips, fond and affectionate, full of happiness.

For the first time since Winter had left, she felt happy, and she knew it was because Mia had chosen her to be her aide. Mia had given her a purpose and a rank amongst the werewolves. She had taken her first step towards the power she so desperately wanted. When she had that, she would ask Mia to contact the Validus and Winter. Mia would know how to get in touch with them.

She was willing to work as hard as it took to achieve that power. When she had it, she would have Winter. He would come back to her then.

They would be together again.

She was sure of it.

Going to her wardrobe, she kept Mia’s request in mind as she scoured her clothes for a suitable outfit. She had to look good. Whoever these guests were, they were clearly important if Mia was making such a fuss. If her mistress was so concerned with how they viewed her, then she should be too.

Her hand stopped on a rich yellow dress that made her think of sunshine and brought a smile to her face. Today she would shed her normal black clothing and wear this so everyone would see how happy she was to be here. She wanted them to know that she appreciated their kindness. She didn’t think she would ever be able to put her gratitude into words. She had never been any good at voicing those kinds of feelings.

When the dress was on, she paused in front of the full-length mirror. She had only worn it once and it was tighter than she remembered it. The strapless hard corset pulled her waist in and pushed her breasts up so they formed a modest cleavage. She hoped that if the guests were men they wouldn’t ogle her. The idea of a man’s eyes on her made her blush and, for a moment, she considered changing into a less revealing dress, but then Mia’s words came back to her. Mia always wore dresses that gave her a fantastic cleavage. If it was fit for her mistress, then it was fit for her. Tonight she had to work as a hostess alongside Mia and she had to look as beautiful as her. It was impossible, but she was going to give it her best shot.

The long bell skirt flowed in soft layers of silk and fine muslin down to the floor. She had almost fallen over in this dress before. Her feet had a tendency to tangle in the material. She pulled a face at the skirt and hoped that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself tonight.

She brushed her hair and loosely pinned the golden waves up, leaving volume but drawing them away from her face. They tumbled from the back of her head in tousled threads, brushing her back and leaving her shoulders bare.

Her
green
gaze shifted to her neck.

Winter’s bite mark was a deep pink scar now, still healing slowly.

One of the women in the castle had said that the mark was a scarlet letter and would never fade to soft pink. Nika touched it, stroked it lovingly. She hoped they were right. She wanted it to remain always so pronounced.

She wanted everyone to see that a vampire had bitten
her,
and that she belonged to him.

Her fingers caressed the mark and then moved across to the hollow between her collarbones. She stared at it, fingers motionless against her pale skin. At some point, she had lost the gold cross that her parents had given her. She had searched everywhere for it, convinced that she must have left it in the training room or that it had fallen out of her pocket in her bedroom. It was gone

and, although she resented what her father had done, she missed it. It had been her only reminder of her old life and her family. It was precious. It was gone.

Pushing her sombre thoughts to the back of her mind, she smiled at her reflection and reminded herself that she was happy today. She had taken her first step in climbing the ranks. Today was a good day. She hummed to herself as she applied a little make up, choosing a subtle shade of deep rose for her lips and simply outlining her eyes with mascara and eyeliner.

Satisfied with her appearance, she found a suitable pair of shoes and slipped them on before leaving the room. The air in the hall felt cold against her bare arms and shoulders. The sound of heavy doors slamming echoed through the castle and her heart leapt. The guests were already here and she hadn’t even seen to their rooms yet. Hurrying along the hall, she caught hold of the first set of maids that she came across and asked them to see to the new quarters for the guests. They informed her that they had already prepared the guests’ quarters. She thanked them before rushing on.

Her foot caught in her dress and she almost tumbled down the stairs into the lower rooms. She grabbed the front of her skirt and pulled it up so she could run without fear of falling, and continued on to the kitchens. A tray was waiting on the massive thick wooden kitchen table. The cooks waved her away when she asked if it was for the guests. She took that as a yes. On the tray were five crystal goblets, a large decanter of red wine and a second decanter of blood. She presumed the blood was for Mia, sure that if their guests had been vampires that Mia would have mentioned it.

Taking the tray, she carried it carefully through the castle and held it balanced on one hand as she opened

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the door to the main drawing room to check no one was there yet. Her hand remained perfectly still the whole time she was peering around the empty drawing room. Mikael and Dmitri had taught her to use her strength. The extent of that strength and her incredible balance had surprised her. It came in handy at times like this when she needed to do too many things at once.

Voices echoed in the distance. Her senses said that the guests were still in the main hall. Dmitri was probably greeting them. Once, she had hidden on the balcony around the main hall and watched him greet someone. It had taken almost an hour of banter before he had gone through into the drawing room with the man. She hoped that he would take that long tonight. She needed to make sure the room was ready and in perfect shape for the guests.

She snuck into the room and closed the door. Her gaze scanned the room again, looking for anything out of place. The furniture was straight, the cushions neatly arranged, and she couldn’t see any dust. The maids must have cleaned the room before she had arrived.

Carrying the tray over to the small table near the armchairs and settee, she placed it down and then glanced around the room again. She had only been in this room a few times but she had always liked it. The plastered walls were a rich red that gave the room a warm feeling in the firelight. She went to the large fireplace and placed a few more logs onto the fire before stoking it, ensuring the blaze was bright. The change in strength of light made the furniture look darker. Nika stood with her back to the fire, the blaze warming her, and looked around the room again, her gaze skipping over everything. She really did like this room.

The furniture was ornate and old, worn by age but still fine. It looked as old as the castle but, in her eyes, it only made it better. She liked to sit here sometimes when the castle was quiet and think beside the fire, curled up in the tall-backed armchair. There was something wholly comforting and relaxing about the room when the fire was lit.

Dmitri was never angry if he found her here. Sometimes he would leave her alone and others he would sit with her, either in silence or talking about how dull his day had been. He never required a response from her. She liked to hear about the castle and her kin. She liked his occasional report about the vampires. She liked him. He treated her as though she was his daughter, always greeting her with kind words whenever they met, asking about her. It was nice to have someone so important looking out for her. She even suspected that he had ordered the other werewolves to hold their tongues about Winter and the Validus.

She brushed a piece of lint off one of the armchairs and then looked up at the painting above the fireplace. The battle scene was intricate in detail and colourful, with Mia and Dmitri in demon form and fighting. She had never taken the time to look at it closely.

She didn’t have time now. There was still so much to do and she was dawdling.

Just as she turned to walk away, the main door to the room opened and Dmitri’s strong voice flowed in, full of jest and amusement that almost brought out a smile in her.

She turned to face the door and curtseyed, bowing her head at the same time.

“Since you are here,” Mia said in a kind and warm tone, “would you be kind enough to escort our guests to their rooms so they may freshen up?”

Nika frowned. Already? She had expected them to talk a while before she had to take them to their quarters. She hadn’t even found out from anyone where the quarters were yet.

“Yes, my lady,” she said and straightened up.

She froze.

In front of her was a man who she had met before. Winter’s lord.

Her heart skipped and raced when he smiled at her, a seductive tilt to his lips and his rich purple irises showing a hint of desire. His smile remained in place when he looked across at Dmitri.

The tall broad-built werewolf grinned at her, leaving her feeling as though she was the brunt of a joke that she didn’t know about. She looked at Mia and then back at the two men when Winter’s lord spoke.

“I have set up a new envoy position to improve relations between the Validus and the werewolves.”

Her heart beat so hard that it hurt and she felt dizzy. The soft click of heels on stone made her tense and she turned slowly towards the door.

The moment Winter entered, her eyes widened. Was she dreaming? This was impossible. It couldn’t be real. It was too good to be real.

He smiled. It was the only invite that she needed.

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Unable to contain herself, she ran at him with outstretched arms, tripped on her dress, and fell into his arms, knocking him backwards into the half-open door behind him. It slammed under the force of impact and Winter’s tight grip on her waist was the only thing that stopped her from falling all the way to the floor.