Page 2 of Cry of the Firebird
Anya started in surprise and looked up at the tall man before her. He was wearing an immaculate black suit and was staring at her like he knew her. Black hair framed the cheekbones of a handsome, pale face with intelligent black eyes. He was close enough that she could smell his aftershave, a strange blend of cypress, winter ice, and ash.
Anya glimpsed down at his shiny, black shoes, not a speck of dust or dirt on them anywhere.Not a local; that's for sure.She looked around at the still-empty cafe and back to the man, waiting for an answer.
"No, it's not taken," Anya said, confused.
Tourists were few, and Anya had seen no one so polished since she had briefly lived in Moscow.
"I'm Anya," she added.
"Yes, I know," he replied as he sat.
Alarm bells started going off in Anya's brain, not only because he knew her name but because he smiled at her, and no one ever did. His alluring smile turned his handsome features into something gorgeous and dangerous. He held out a hand to her.
"And you are?"
"You can call me Tuoni because that's what Eikki always knew me as."
"Like the God of Death?" Anya asked, taking his outstretched hand. Tuoni, in Karelian mythology, ruled the Land of the Dead with his children.
Tuoni smiled, his midnight eyes flashing with silver fire. "Oh, good. You've heard of me."
CHAPTER TWO
Anya's palm tingled alarmingly as Tuoni tightened his grip, and black shadows shivered around their hands. She pulled hers away quickly and rubbed at her eyes.
You must still be drunk. Eikki had loads of weird friends. Remember the fortune teller with gold teeth and only one ear? He's probably just here to pay his condolences.
Sudden cold pressure built behind her eyes, and Tuoni laughed softly.
"Perhaps you are still drunk, so let me try to put you at ease. I reallyamthat Tuoni."
Sweat prickled the back of Anya's neck. "Even if you are, how is that supposed to put me at ease?"
Tuoni smiled. "I'm here to talk to you, Anya, not frighten you. Unless you can see my true form, and that's what's disturbing you?"
True form. Eikki used to tell her stories about magical creatures and beings that used glamor and guise to hide their true forms and to lure unsuspecting humans to violent deaths.
"Unless your true form is wearing a suit far too nice for this place, then no, I can't see anything," Anya replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She didn't rattle easily, but the longer Tuonistared at her, the more her hand burned with the imprint of his touch.
"That's strange. I'm sure Eikki once mentioned you could see things," he said with a slight tilt of his head.
"Yeah, sure he did," she scoffed. "Maybe in my PTSD-induced nightmares after watching my parents die." Nightmares that had come back after she had seen Eikki mauled by wolves in the forest.
"I'm not talking about any nightmares, Anya." Tuoni was watching her with a predator's interest. "It is a shame that you don't. It's a useful talent for a shaman to have."
"So you're here to pay your condolences to Eikki?" Anya interrupted, her patience running out.Just play along, and he'll leave.
"I've come to talk to you about Eikki and your family legacy."
"Legacy? You mean the farm and his estate?"
Liisi came back to refill their coffees. "Who is this nice man you are talking to, Anya?"
Tuoni's brilliant smile flashed across his face. "I'm Eikki's lawyer from St. Petersburg, here to talk to Anya about her inheritance," he said.
"I knew you were no farmer with that suit," Liisi replied in shaky English.
Anya cringed internally at her pronunciation. Her parents, a schoolteacher and a lawyer, had taught her English, Finnish, and Russian as she grew up, hoping they would all travel when she got older. After their deaths, Eikki had continued their lessons.