Page 7 of Cry of the Firebird

Things are going to get strange, Tuoni's voice rang through her head. He couldn't have warned her about this?

"You bastard," Anya muttered.

He had known it was going to hatch.

Back in the sitting room, Yvan was sitting on the couch, his eyes dancing over her as she gave him his coffee.

"Venäläinen. As in related to Ilya Venäläinen?" he asked cautiously.

Anya's brows rose in surprise. "Yes. He was my grandfather Eikki's grandfather."

"So many years gone." Yvan's vocabulary seemed to come back to him as he let out an impressive list of expletives. He rubbed a hand over his face. "You are Ilya's heir, though? A shamanitsa and a gatekeeper?"

Anya shook her head. "Not even close. I didn't even know about the gate until two days ago when Tuoni told me, and even then, I didn't really believe him."

"Tuoni was here? That can't be good. If you are not a shamanitsa, then who is guarding the gates to Skazki?"

"Apparently, no one. My grandfather was the last gatekeeper, and he never told me about any of this."

Yvan's dark brows rose. "No one is watching the gates to Skazki? Are they even shut?"

"Yes? Tuoni told me they will be for months yet. Plenty of time for me to go through Eikki's books and learn how to close them," Anya said with far more confidence than what she felt.

Yvan put his coffee down and put his head in his hands. The scent of ozone grew again as he muttered under his breath.

"Did you just call me an idiot?" she demanded.

"You can't just learn gates magic in a couple of months," Yvan said irritably. "I need to leave. Now that I'm reborn, he'll find me and kill you because you have sheltered me and don't know how to use your magic."

"Slow down," Anya said, keeping her voice steady. "Who will try to kill you?"

"My brother, Vasilli. He may already know I'm here…" True fear flashed in Yvan's strange eyes, and his skin flickered with flames as his panic mounted. Anya hesitated, wanting to comfort him, but unsure of him. She reached over and patted his warm shoulder, the fire not burning her as it danced across her fingers.

"Breathe, Yvan. If you change back into the firebird, we can't figure any of this out, and I can't help you," Anya said with the same tone she used on distressed animals. "Maybe you should try to sleep?"

"I've slept long enough, and you can't help me," he snapped.

Anya pulled her hand away, her patience gone. "You know what? Figure it out on your own. I've got animals to feed. The kitchen is through there, and the bathroom is that way. If you set my house on fire, I'll shoot you."

Anya didn't know if Yvan was disorientated or crazy, but she wasn't about to fight with someone who didn't want her help. She didn't have time for gods, magic, or fairytale creatures fucking up her life. She hoped that by the time she went back inside, he would be gone, and then maybe her life would go the fuck back to normal.

CHAPTER FIVE

Anya spent the next hour doing chores and cursing Tuoni. She didn't want to deal with gates and magic and men that turned into mythical birds, no matter how handsome they were.

He seems to know things about Eikki and Ilya. Maybe he can help you,her conscious pricked her.

Anya dismissed the thought immediately. Yvan didn't want her help, and she didn't want his. It wasn't her problem he had a murderous brother after him. What the hell had her family been doing with a firebird's egg, and how did Yvan know Ilya? He could leave, but she needed answers first.

Anya left the barn full of determination, charged through the back door, and slammed directly into Yvan. He cursed as he half turned into the firebird, feathers and fire pushing through his skin before sucking back again in seconds and leaving him smudged with black ash.

"I'm sorry!" she said, reaching to steady him but then pulling her hand back.

He hadn't liked it when she touched him last time, and she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. He was taller thanshe expected, the pants of Eikki's he had found barely brushing his ankles.

"It's okay. The bird is quiet again," Yvan replied. He pushed a plate of fresh bread at her. "Are you hungry? I baked because there was no food anywhere, and also, I wanted to apologize. I was…not polite to you before. I was in shock. I still am, and I'm sorry."

"I'm not hungry, but thanks." Anya didn't know what to make of that. She fixed herself another coffee and sat down at the table. Yvan sat opposite her, the light in his strange eyes glowing as he watched her.