Chapter 37

They arrived in Paris a week later, foot sore and exhausted. After the train"s incident, they had walked for nearly two days before they had managed to catch a series of buses and hitchhiked across countries.

Anya had never been to Paris before, so despite being so tired her eyes were falling out, she was glued to the window, trying to take in all the beautiful buildings and hum of cars and people. She was ridiculously impressed when Trajan fluently directed the cab driver to his townhouse in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

"You speak French?" Anya asked.

"When you are immortal, you need to find things to occupy your mind," he said with a shrug.

They had been walking together as they had traveled and had fallen into talking about Eikki and telling each other about the years they had been apart.

Trajan was as sweet and funny as Anya remembered. She had always found it hard to let people in and talk freely with them, but it was as easy as it had always been with Trajan.

Every time her hand brushed his, Anya had to fight hard not to have an internal meltdown. It wasn"t like she hadn"t ever dated, but there was something about Trajan touching her that made her body short-circuit, just like when she used her magic.

It"s just a stupid crush. You will get over it, she told herself whenever it happened.

Trajan"s townhouse was made of pale gray stone, with long gothic windows, and was one of the only mansions in the area not attached to another. It had a high wrought iron and stone fence surrounding it and a well-tended garden and lawn.

"I called my maintenance people from a town a few days ago, so everything should be uncovered and ready for our arrival," Trajan said, walking up to the front gate. He punched in a code, and the gate swung open slowly.

The taxi holding Katya, Izrayl, and Yvan arrived, and they joined them. Yvan looked around warily as if he expected something to jump them at any moment.

Katya let out an appreciative whistle. "God damn, Trajan, I think I"m going to move in."

"I was going to suggest that anyway. If we are working together, it will be better if we stay together as a group," Trajan said and nodded at Izrayl. "You can help her grab her stuff tomorrow."

"My pleasure," he replied, shooting Katya a wink that she ignored.

Anya moved out of the way to join Yvan. "How are you coping?" He had been wide-eyed and cautious ever since crossing over from Skazki; the new technology and the sheer number of people were enough to stress him out.

"I"m sure I"ll get used to it, but everything is so…loud," he replied.

"I know what you mean. I spent most of my time isolated on a farm, remember?" Anya nudged him with her shoulder. "We can be the old, technologically challenged people together."

"Indeed. How is your magic feeling?" he asked.

Anya flexed her fingers. "It"s still there. I thought once we left Skazki, it would change, but it feels the same. Like flames under my skin."

Yvan smiled. "Good. It means learning should be easier too."

"I have to get a teacher first."

"Don"t worry, I"m sure they"ll find you soon enough." Yvan smiled at her, the first she had seen in days, and they followed Trajan and the others inside.

Trajan went straightto his wing of the house, shutting the doors behind him and sighing with relief to be home as the silence enveloped him. He hadn"t been around so many people consistently before, and he found himself longing for a quiet moment.

A little bit of separation from Anya is also a good idea, he decided. Not that he didn"t want to be around her. He wanted to be around her too much, and that was problematic. He couldn"t look at her and not think about kissing her and wanting to do it again. He groaned in frustration and headed for the bathroom.

Taking off his filthy clothes, Trajan went for a long, hot shower. Water always reminded him of the night Ilya helped free him from Eris.

It had been cold and raining, and he had stood in it, naked as a babe, marveling at the touch of water against his skin. Even cold had held a special kind of fascination.

In the last few weeks, Trajan had wondered just how much Ilya had seen in his visions. Did he see Trajan getting feelings for his descendant? He was sure Ilya would have been vocal about it if he had. He didn"t even know how to classify what he was feeling for Anya at all.

Trajan rested his head against the cold tiles. He didn"t have any experience with this kind of messy emotion. Until a few weeks ago, he wouldn"t have believed he was capable of it. It made him feel like kicking himself for not approaching Anya after Eikki"s death.

So much time wasted. And time was definitely a factor. Anya was mortal, and that was a complication he couldn"t ignore. He didn"t know what his control would be like with a human, and the thought of accidentally feeding on her filled him with deep horror.

After Trajan had got out of the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror to check that his fading energy wasn"t starting to show in any of his human features. The life he had taken from Vasilli"s dragon was almost spent, and he didn"t want to have cravings while Anya was near him. He would have to feed soon, but he would go and check on his guests for now.

Anya was drinkingvodka and laughing with the others when Trajan decided to join them. He was dressed in a collared shirt, rolled to the elbows, waistcoat, and pressed trousers. He hadn"t shaved in a day or two, and Anya liked his stubble too. God, she wanted to kiss him to know what it would feel like against her skin. Her mouth went dry, and her hands started to sweat at just the thought of it.

Get it together, Anya. He"s not the first guy you"ve had a crush on.

"Stop staring," Katya said discreetly, and Anya snapped herself out of it. She drank some more from the glass of vodka in her hands, cursing herself inwardly for being so obvious.

"I thought you had drowned," Cerise said, sipping a martini. She was reclining on a chaise lounge, wrapped tightly in a painted silk kimono and, much to Anya"s amusement, wearing fluffy pink slippers.

A war spirit in slippers. Oh, this new world you live in is something else, Anya thought. She doubted there would be a time she would ever get used to it.

"We were just about to send Anya in there to give you some mouth-to-mouth," Izrayl joked. Trajan raised a brow but didn"t rise to his teasing. Anya flipped Izrayl off and tried not to wish that the carpet would swallow her whole.

Cerise rolled her eyes. "Oh, do grow up. We were actually speaking about some American friends of Katya"s who could help Anya develop her magic."

"They will be hard to track down this time of year. They like to get off the grid, but I"ll try and find them after I get my stuff," Katya said. "Okay, who has a delivery app for Paris? I"m starving, and I need something cheese-loaded."

"I got you, hunter. What do you want?" Izrayl tossed his phone at her.

Anya"s experience with cuisine was limited, so she let them order for her while she did her best to stay out of everyone"s way. She looked at all of them arguing over food and she couldn"t help the smile stretching across her face. She had always wanted more family, and despite the circumstances, they were becoming hers.

Determination to get good enough with her magic put steel into Anya"s spine. If the prophecy that Ilya had about her and Yvan fighting against Vasilli was right, she had to learn fast and would do anything to keep her new friends safe.

An hour later, full of creamy pasta and vodka, Anya said good night to everyone and went back upstairs to her room. It was the nicest room she had ever seen, with blue-grey walls and elegant antique furniture. She flopped down into an armchair and stared at the ceiling. She was too wound up to sleep, but she had to stop drinking and try and think straight.

You have bigger things to worry about than having lascivious thoughts for a thanatos.

There was a soft tap on the door and Cerise"s red head poked in. "You got everything you need, Anya?" she asked, coming into the room.

"Yeah, I think so. This place is kitted out like a hotel," Anya replied.

"It"s a safe house for Trajan"s friends, so he keeps it full of spare toothbrushes and whatnot. We can do some shopping and get you some clothes tomorrow. We can"t have you wandering around Paris dressed like a Skazki cosplayer," Cerise teased. She opened one of the glass doors leading outside and lit a cigarette before studying Anya carefully. "Don"t let Izrayl"s teasing about Trajan get to you too much. He can be a prick, but it"s not malicious."

"It doesn"t bother me. If it annoyed Trajan, I"m sure he would get Izrayl to cut it out," Anya said with a shrug, but the keres"s frown only deepened. "What"s wrong, Cerise? You didn"t come up here just to check I had enough toothpaste."

"It"s about this thing you and Trajan have…happening," she said with an elegant wave of her hand. "You have to understand our kind and your kind aren"t compatible."

Anya laughed. "I know I"m not compatible with Trajan. I don"t think I"m compatible with a normal man, let alone a thanatos."

Anya"s dating experiences had all been a nightmare. She didn"t know what the hell she was doing when she flirted or even knew how to tell him that she felt the way she did. Being around Trajan felt more natural and effortless than anyone else she had dated. He knew her, and she would never have to pretend to be anything that she wasn"t with him.

"That"s not what I meant. There"s nothing wrong with you. It"s what"s wrong with him, Anya," Cerise said, blowing out a stream of smoke. "You saw what Trajan did to that dragon of Vasilli"s. He did that in seconds. Imagine how quickly he could do it to humans. If he loses control with you for a moment and accidentally kills you, he would never ever get over it. He"s never dated a human before, and there are reasons that our kind and yours don"t mix."

"What? Like ever?" Anya asked.

"Not that I"m aware of. I don"t see how it could end well, no matter how careful you are."

Anya chewed her lip before admitting, "I don"t think that"s enough to scare me off. I know you mean well, and that"s why you"re trying to warn me, but I can"t help what I"m starting to feel. I kissed him, and I want to do it again. Badly."

"I knew something must have happened by the goofy way he keeps looking at you," Cerise said, stubbing out her cigarette. "Trajan"s big enough and old enough to make his own decisions, as are you. Just don"t say I didn"t warn you. If you"re looking for a normal relationship, you aren"t going to get it with him."

"I know that, but I"m not going to be a much easier partner with all of the magic and impending doom around me. You know him best. Any idea on the right way to approach him about it?" Anya asked.

"Go and talk to him and find out where he stands in the matter. You"re starting to look all sad and lovesick. It"s always better to clear the air with these things, and that way, there are no hurt feelings. He"s gone back to his room for the night, so think about it." Cerise paused by the bedroom door, her hand resting on the handle. "He"s my best friend, Anya. It doesn"t matter how much I like you. If you make him take this chance with you, and you hurt him, I"ll kill you."