Unhallowed Redemption Read online

  “Then why did you ask?”

  She averted her gaze, but not before Alexei caught the flash of lust in her beautiful dark eyes. He didn’t need to see it, though. The emotion came off her in waves. He cut his gaze briefly toward his brother to confirm Konstantin sensed it as well. What the hell were they going to do about this? It was a dangerous road to go down, because it could end in her death. She didn’t deserve to die simply because she and her friends had decided to go poking around a cemetery late at night.

  This wasn’t her war. She’d lost a friend to death ten years earlier and still blamed herself. Clearly she had gifts, and might even have been chosen for some part in all this, but he’d be damned a second time if he’d allow his hormones to lead to her demise. It wasn’t right or fair.

  When she finished eating, they resumed their tour, but Alexei could barely concentrate on pointing out pieces of furniture or paintings. He was too busy watching the way her curvy ass moved in those pants, or imagining what her breasts looked like. He caught a glimpse of red bra strap just at the edge of where her tank top strap rested on her right shoulder, and it sent his mind racing to when they’d seen her dressed in only black underwear before.

  They were both playing with fire here, but Alexei couldn’t stop the lust in his body. He didn’t want to stop it. He only wanted to lick every square inch of Faina’s curves, and plunge his cock deep into her pussy. Was she a virgin? He didn’t believe so, which made her all the more desirable. None of that awkward first time stuff to worry about. They couldn’t get her pregnant, and they were immune to STDs. It was the perfect situation.

  Except for the fact that if they were foolish enough to also lose their hearts to her, she’d have to die.

  Except for that…

  But he still wanted her. He caught the scent of the shampoo she’d used, and he swore he could smell desire on her as well. He’d been able to do that from the first moment she’d relaxed earlier this morning and decided to trust them. Was it possible she wanted them as much as they wanted her? Would it do any real harm just to make love to her once?

  She had an affinity for supernatural beings. Maybe she’d be curious enough to try it, no strings attached? Then they could all have some fun at least while they waited for the vamps and the others to figure out how to get along. Then Faina could go home, unharmed.

  But even as Alexei formed that fantasy in his imagination, he knew it was futile to pretend this striking woman wouldn’t crawl so deep under his skin he’d never get her out. If she were in Chicago, he and Konstantin could simply project themselves there. There were no boundaries, other than the covenant that Dagon had been forced to make with Sargatanas in order to break their contract with the demon. And no woman was immune from that. It was set in stone.

  If they fell in love with her and didn’t sacrifice her, Sargatanas would take her and they’d be back in his service for eternity.

  * * * *

  Faina was overwhelmed by the time they escorted her to the formal dining room for dinner that night. They had candles and soft music playing. She recognized the Tchaikovsky piece and asked if they always ate meals so formally.

  “Yes. Just because we live in uncivilized times doesn’t mean we have to eat like barbarians.”

  She resisted the urge to laugh at Konstantin’s remark and the snotty tone of voice in which he’d delivered it. She understood what he meant, and thought it was kind of quaint that they made a big deal out of dinner this way.

  Alexei pushed in her chair after she was seated, then took his place at the head of the table. Konstantin sat across from her, and it occurred to her she had no clue how old they were. “May I ask a question about your human lives?”

  “You may ask us anything you wish.”

  A staff member Faina hadn’t yet met poured wine, and then Magda brought in the first course and placed the bowls in front of each of them. They both stood to the side, against the wall, just like servants used to do in families rich enough to have them. Faina wondered if it was all right to speak freely in front of them, but imagined there wasn’t anything she could ask or say that they hadn’t already heard.

  “Is this cabbage borshch?”

  Alexei grinned. “We thought we’d surprise you tonight with traditional foods from your own country.”

  “Thank you.” No one had ever done anything so meaningful for her. Memories of Bill McMasters, the biggest mistake of her life, tried to crowd in, but she pushed them away. Taking her to a yearly festival at her church hardly equated to the same thoughtfulness as this meal they’d had prepared for her tonight. And neither of these men were Bill, or ever would be. Bill was a lying, cheating pig. These two were trying to redeem their lives. There was no comparison.

  “You’re welcome.” Alexei lifted his glass, so she did the same, taking a sip. “Is that what you wanted to ask us about our lives?”

  “What? Oh. No. It’s not. I wondered how old you each were when you…when you died. I assume you don’t age now. Correct?

  “That’s right. We don’t. I was thirty-four, and Konstantin was thirty-two.”

  “That’s too young to die.” She tasted the borshch, which reminded her so much of home that she had to blink back tears. “Did you have wives and children?”

  “No. We were dedicated to the cause in those days.”

  “What did you do for a living?”

  “We didn’t work,” said Konstantin. “We were nobility.”

  He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth to do so. “I see. It must have been difficult to watch Russia torn apart like that.”

  “It was horrible and confusing. So many people fighting for causes they didn’t even understand. And there was no way to get news of what was going on from one end of the country to the other, which meant a lot of false rumors reached our ears. Communication was slow when it happened at all. We lost touch with family members and friends. One didn’t know whom to trust as the war went on.”

  “The stories you could tell firsthand blow me away. All of this is only history from a book to me. Even my grandmother wasn’t born until it was over. She had stories her parents told her, but it still didn’t seem real to me when I’d listen to them. Just being here, in this house, and listening to you two talk about those days brings it alive for me.”

  The second course was holubsti, and Faina declared the stuffed cabbage rolls just as tasty as the ones her grandmother had made them each year when they’d come to visit. “Do you remember everything from your human lives?”

  “Yes,” said Alexei. “And everything we’ve seen and done since our deaths.”

  “Does your family know you’re still…alive? That’s not really the right word.”

  Alexei shook his head. “No. We never tried to contact them. We didn’t want to put them through such a thing.”

  “That makes sense. It would only hurt them.”

  “It would have frightened them to death. If you think your parents’ reaction to your story about the demon appearing to you was bad, you can’t begin to imagine what our parents and siblings would have said and done.”

  She nodded, then changed the subject and chattered on about her job. She tried to imagine what it would be like to die, then find out you were alive again, but not in a human way. She couldn’t imagine how frustrated and powerless they must have felt as they’d watched everyone they knew grow old and die over the years.

  What was it that Konstantin had said? Their existence wasn’t all fun and games. She understood now what he’d meant. The world moved on and changed, and they were stuck in it, unable to interact in ways they wanted to.

  She’d always imagined being a supernatural being would be the coolest thing in the world. You could do anything you wanted to do, go anywhere you chose, and live a lavish life the way these two did. But she understood now that they weren’t really living at all. They were simply existing, stuck between death and life in a horrible game that another creature had placed them in.


  And now they were in a war once again. It was suddenly clear to her that they wanted no part of it. They wanted to be human again, and she didn’t understand why they shouldn’t have that chance. Everyone deserved a second chance, didn’t they? She wished there was some way she could give it to them.

  Chapter Seven

  The rest of dinner consisted of chicken Kiev with nachynka, and poppy seed cake for dessert. Faina hadn’t eaten such a large meal in years, and by the end of it, Konstantin and Alexei had her laughing so hard she wiped away tears as they told her stories about some of the crazy things they’d tried as children.

  Alexei had been convinced they could make wings and fly, and Konstantin had been obsessed with making shoes that would walk on water. “Talk about irony,” said Alexei. “Now we can do both if we want.”

  “Do you think it was prophetic?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Do any of us ever know what effect our actions will ultimately have?”

  Once they left the dining room, they led her outside to an enclosed patio where they had a view of the setting sun through the trees. Faina breathed in the scents of a warm autumn night, listening to insects sing and wondering whether Heidi, Erin, Dani, and Shayla were listening to the same sounds right now. Were they safe? Would she ever see them again?

  “It’s getting late,” said Konstantin. “You should get some sleep. You didn’t get much last night.”

  As soon as he said it, she yawned, then giggled and covered her mouth. “You two have got to stop doing that. One of you suggests I might be hungry and I am. Now you suggest I’m tired, and suddenly I am.”

  “We’re not using our powers, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Well, it must be the power of suggestion then. Do you two have to sleep at all?”

  “A little, but not as much as you do.” He stood and took her hand. She didn’t let go of it until they’d walked her to her room, but then he surprised the hell out of her by kissing the back of it in a sweet, old-fashioned gesture. “There’s a bell chord right next to your bed. Simply pull it if you need anything. Sleep well.”

  When Konstantin finally released her hand, Alexei kissed her cheek in the way a father might do to his daughter. “We’ll see you in the morning for breakfast. Magda will show you where we like to eat it.”

  Faina watched them walk down the hall and then turn the corner. She touched the spot where Alexei had kissed her cheek, not at all surprised to find it still warm. How the hell was she supposed to sleep knowing those two were right here in the same house?

  She’d been tired a moment ago, but now her body felt charged, as though a storm were brewing close by. She wasn’t sleepy at all, though she should be after barely sleeping last night, and after everything she’d heard and done today.

  She brushed her teeth and washed her face, but the tiredness was definitely gone. Even though the house had AC, she opened her windows to let in the night breeze and sounds. She sometimes slept that way at home, and it soothed her, even when it was warm outside. She donned her favorite pair of PJs and curled up on her side, but within a few minutes, it was clear she was not going to sleep anytime soon.

  She turned on the light next to her bed and walked over to a bookcase, perusing the titles. Most were books on the lives of Russian saints, or collections of sermons. How odd that they’d have books like this in their home. Reading them certainly wouldn’t help her sleep, but they did have an entire library at her disposal. Surely she could find something to help her relax.

  Faina started to look for her robe, but decided it didn’t really matter. A pair of cotton shorts with Bugs Bunny on them plus a spaghetti strap tank top wasn’t exactly underwear, and it’s not like they had a houseful of people she was likely to run into.

  She couldn’t find the library and was about to give up and return to bed when the smell of cigarette smoked tickled her nose. She followed it, and finally heard Konstantin’s and Alexei’s voices, coming from the patio where they’d sat with her earlier.

  She stood on the threshold, wondering if they’d sense her presence. A single candle burned on the wicker table between their chairs, and every few seconds the glow of a lit cigarette illuminated part of their faces. She caught sight of a tin on the table, as well, featuring a semi-nude woman. She couldn’t read the brand but imagined they must be quite old. Faina smiled. It’s not like smoking could hurt them, and she found it endearing that they sat out here like this, not talking, enjoying ancient tobacco.

  As Alexei turned slightly to extinguish his in the ashtray next to the tin on the table, he turned and met her gaze. “Can’t sleep?”

  She shook her head. Had he sensed her presence?

  Konstantin snuffed his out as well and then stood, holding out his hand. “Come and sit with us. The night is alive with sound, but there is evil on the air.”

  She shivered at his words. “Anything specific?”

  “No. And that’s what bothers us more than anything. We can’t distinguish anything tonight. It’s as if someone has cloaked it.”

  “Do you think my friends are in danger?”

  He smiled and stood, then walked toward her. “No. I do not. Whoever they’re with, those men will keep them safe, just as we’ll keep you from harm.”

  She took his hand, struck once again not only by his warmth, but by the shock waves of desire coursing through her body. She took the chair she’d had before, between Konstantin and the table. Alexei tapped the tin. “Do you know what these are?”

  She shook her head.

  “They’re Egyptian cigarettes, and they’re almost one hundred years old. We found them on a recent trip to Germany, of all places. Still in their tin and never opened. They’re a bit stale, but once in a while we enjoy smoking one. I hope the smell doesn’t bother you.”

  “No. It’s fine. I actually kind of like it. It’s sweet, like incense, not harsh like the tobacco smoke I’m used to smelling.”

  He smiled. “That’s a perfect way to describe it.”

  Faina curled her legs underneath her body and tried to think of something clever to say, but her mind seemed to be in a fog. The only clear thought in her head was what it might be like to kiss them. “What were you two discussing just now?”

  “Besides the turf war?”

  She nodded.

  Alexei cut his gaze briefly over her head toward Konstantin, and then he fixed her with an intense stare that sent her pulse racing and caused fresh wetness to dampen her pussy. “You might slap our faces if we tell you.”

  “I doubt it.” Every nerve ending was on fire. She felt bold and wanton, although she couldn’t say why. Were they doing this to her? No. They’d assured her they wouldn’t use their powers on her. This stemmed from her fascination with them, and her lust. Nothing more.

  “All right. We were discussing what your body looked like naked, and how tight your pussy would be around our cocks.”

  She couldn’t stop the soft moan this time. And it was suddenly vitally important that she tell them about Bill, although she had no idea where the compulsion had come from. “I haven’t had sex in years. There was a man, but he was engaged. I didn’t know that at first. He was an attorney at the firm, and his name was Bill. We had a fling for two years before I found out about his fiancée. She worked at Nordstrom’s on the Magnificent Mile, which explains why in two years he never would walk into any of those stores with me.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Alexei. “That must have really crushed you.”

  “It did at the time, but I was very naïve before I became involved with him. I should have seen the signs, but I didn’t. I never really felt like I fit in here in the US until college. I was so sheltered as a kid and a teen. And I’ve never completely lost my accent, which didn’t help. After all that came out about Bill, he tried to intimidate me into quitting the firm, but I refused. I loved my job. I still do. So I…I’m not proud of this. Of what I did to him.”

  Alexei stroked her arm, and she
took several deep breaths to slow her heart rate and breathing. “It’s all right. Just tell us. We aren’t going to judge you.”

  “He took pictures of us in bed, and I had copies made, just in case. When he tried to get me to leave, I threatened to show them to her unless he left me alone.”

  Konstantin laughed softly. “Brava. Good for you.”

  She smiled. No one but her four best friends had ever told her that she’d done the right thing. “Thank you. It worked. He not only left me alone, he left the firm.”

  “His loss, not yours. But I am sorry that happened to you.”

  “I’m over him. I have been for a long time. But I wanted you both to know he was the only man I’ve ever had sex with.”

  Konstantin brushed a finger along her arm and she shivered. “It’s difficult to believe any man wouldn’t want to be with you.”

  “My job keeps me busy. And I’m really quite gun-shy now.”

  “I can understand that.”

  She swallowed hard. It was now or never. When she went back home one day, she was quite certain she’d never find herself alone with two sexy demons again. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and she couldn’t help but believe this path had been set in motion twenty-two years ago in her room one warm, summer night. Her fascination with demons and other supernatural creatures was an old one, and time hadn’t dimmed it one bit.

  “But I would like to answer your questions.” She stared into Konstantin’s eyes, watching the emotion pass through them. He might not be human, but right now, he looked just as alive as any man she’d ever known. “The ones you said you were speculating about before I came out here.”

  Alexei made a sound that was suspiciously close to a gasp, but she kept her gaze on Konstantin for now.

  “Are you sure?” he asked quietly, his tone implying more than simply acquiescence toward a sexual act. It seemed to carry a heavy weight, which she didn’t understand, but right now she didn’t want to analyze it. She only wanted to know what it was like to hold them and kiss them. To feel them inside her.