Victor continued out of the room, his power still thick in the air.
“Don’t disappoint me.”
Chapter 3
Kata had lost track of how many years she’d been trapped in the dark, iron-lined cell that was buried six feet beneath Stonehenge. She knew it had to be close to two hundred, but the days had become a continuous blur as she lay on the narrow cot, held motionless in the mage’s spell.
At the moment, it didn’t really matter. Once she managed to free herself, she would tally the time she’d been held hostage and ensure Marika and Sergei suffered for every damned minute they’d stolen from her.
Marika . . .
A dark revulsion spread through her at the mere thought of the vampire bitch.
Amazing considering that four centuries ago she and Marika had been twin sisters and deeply devoted to one another.
The daughters of a powerful Romani elder they were openly prized for their dark, sultry beauty. Their hair was long, and as glossy as the finest ebony. Their eyes were dark and framed by long lashes and their pale features were delicately carved. Their sensuous lips had prompted epic poems and the sight of their lush curves attired in simple peasant blouses and skirts had inspired countless fights among the males of the tribe.
But Kata and Marika had never taken an interest in their beauty. From the time they were old enough to walk they had realized that their true power lay in their magic.
Although not witches, they both possessed the traditional magic of the gypsies. They could heal even the most grievous wounds, they could read the signs of nature to predict the weather, and of course, they could conjure curses that made grown men tremble in fear.
They could also speak to one another mind to mind, no matter how far the distance between them.
They had been destined for greatness until that fateful night that Marika had been called to heal an elder from a nearby tribe. Kata had stayed behind to tend to a child who had fallen and broken his arm earlier that day. If only . . .
No.
Nothing could have altered the fact that Marika had been attacked and drained by a vampire.