Chapter 8

“Sure,” Reive nodded calmly, gesturing to the monster. “Put it here and go out. Wait outside and guard the entrance. And don’t you try to stick your nose in here. See how you’re scaring the lady!”

The necromancer gestured with his hand and the horrid scream-producing zombie gave me a nod.

A cold wave ran down my spine.

For a second, a blood-red flame flashed in his eye sockets. Then, everything became as it was before.

It occurred to me that this zombie was very lucky: he still had his eyeballs. Now they were yellow-grey, with black pupils. From a distance, they might seem quite normal.

If they didn’t flash with such a hungry red light, of course.

I desperately wanted to huddle against Reive. To seize his hand, to hide behind his back which didn’t shudder like mine from each movement of the zombie.

Then, I realized: a man who could raise the undead was much more dangerous than the undead he raised.

I shifted my gaze to the man I’d met just a couple of hours ago. During this time he’d already managed to knock me out with a spell and save me from a suffocating seizure.

A multitalented man, wasn’t he?

Then, he looked at me in turn. His lips curved in a kindly smile, which it was hard not to respond to.

“Don’t be afraid, little one,” he said, “Zomzom’s already left.”

“Zomzom?” I blinked my eyes in surprise.

Reive shrugged his shoulders.

“A derivative from ‘zombie’. I’m not good at making up names. But we must call him something.”

He spoke as if he was inventing a name for his pet cat. He gestured a little with his long aristocratic fingers and I couldn’t take my eyes away from these unobtrusive movements.

Reive was a unique man. Something in him had broken loose from the ordinary world pattern. Small details, such as manner of speech, his habit of always holding his head high, a certain cautious choice of words not characteristic even of the high-born. All this made me take a closer look at him, attracted my attention and inspired a vivid interest in him.

“Well, you can make up a name yourself if you like,” he offered and waved his hand, as if turning up his palm invitingly.

That’s how it was! Of course, there was nothing supernatural, but still, none of my friends had ever done this.

I inclined my head and narrowed my eyes, “Why did you raise this zombie and how?”

Reive chuckled, moving a little closer again, “Little one, I believe I’ve already told you about this...”

I was a bit nervous because the half-naked necromancer was once again less than an arm’s length from me. I got up from the branches and made a small step towards the entrance, trying imperceptibly to examine the zombie who had settled himself near the cave entrance.

Reive took a deep breath. At this time, I was looking at the motionless body of the zombie. He was sitting on the ground, legs crossed and head lowered. If you didn’t pay attention to the horrific wound on his chest, scary with congealed blood, you might think he was a regular homeless guy.

But the zombie slowly lifted his head and turned to me, as if sensing my gaze.

An icy band of fear wound around my spine, and down into my stomach breathing out its icy breath inside me. A shiver went down my spine. I felt like a hunted animal. I stumbled backwards. And suddenly (I didn’t understand how), I found myself in Reive’s strong arms.

His warm arms embraced my waist. My back was pressed up against the man’s broad chest. Above my ear, I heard quiet but blood-tingling breathing.

The air was forced of my lungs. I shuddered, feeling every nerve become painfully sensitive.

Reive put his chin on my shoulder, embracing and pressing me into his body. Then, his lips touched the nape of my neck.

Oh, the Dark and the demons...

The blood rushed to my head. I closed my eyes, feeling a dizzying pleasure from this touch. Weightless and teasing.

What was this? Was I going mad?

“Of course, we could discuss the nature of necromancy as one field of magic,” Reive said in a purring voice, without lifting his lips from my skin, “but I’d like to do that a bit later...”

He ran his nose along my neck and bit my earlobe, sucking it a little, almost wresting a moan of pleasure from me.

I couldn’t breathe. Just delirium...

His hands came down softly, pressing me into him more firmly. He slid his hand down my legs aiming to pull my dress.

“No, stop,” I gasped in fright, grapping the fingers on his hand.

Reive released my earlobe and said hoarsely, kissing a delicate area behind my ear, on the hairline:

“Are you nervous? Don’t worry, I haven’t had sex for a long time either...” And then, he chuckled in a strange way and added: “I bet even longer than you. A little bit longer...”

He caressed the length of my neck with his lips and suddenly bit its nape.

A hot wave struck somewhere lower down. Damn it, he was driving me mad!

“No, I... Reive, I won’t do... this with you.” I said.

It seemed to me that now I ought to feel better. But suddenly, the man turned me around to face him, holding my waist firmly, and looked closely at me.

His dark-brown eyes scorched me and carried me away to some unknown gulf, deep and enticing. It called to me, as if this gulf was exactly where I was meant to be.

No one had ever looked at me like that.

Then, the necromancer raised his hand and softly touched my lips with his finger. He passed his finger over my lower lip, both stroking and caressing me.

From this movement, sparks flamed in my stomach.

“Why?” he asked so feelingly that I wanted to let him do everything.

I blinked slowly and opened my eyes. I swallowed hard with a gulp, and trying to stop my voice trembling so treacherously, said, “Well, first, I hardly know you...”

“That’s not a good reason, little one,” he said smoothly, gliding his hand behind my head and drawing me to him. “You want it yourself.”

His low voice echoed inside me with an alarming aching vibration.

I shivered. His every movement was so confident and determined, but, at the same time, careful and sensual, that I couldn’t help but react. I responded to his movements like a cat does towards its owner’s hands.

Still, having taken a deep breath, I said, “And second, I’m a virgin.”

Reive froze. Then, he leaned back a little, looking straight into my eyes. Without any of the irony or mockery that I would have expected, to be honest. Who ever heard of a girl who was a virgin at twenty-three? It meant that she hadn’t caught any boy’s fancy so far.

Of course, there’s another possibility: the girl might be high-blooded. Among the nobility, marriage was only welcomed with a virgin.

I, alas, came from the first category. During all the time I studied at Academy, masculine attention was centered on everyone but me. I didn’t know, maybe, I wasn’t attractive enough for my fellow-students, or, maybe, I didn’t find anyone whom I liked.

Reive sighed deeply. He suddenly smiled, gently passing his bent index finger along my cheek.

“Of course, the first time shouldn’t be in a cave, little one...”

I looked at him. I couldn’t believe that he was smiling. My necromancer friends would hardly be embarrassed by such things as the spiritual sufferings of a virgin who didn’t want sex in a bear’s lair.

Reive drew back as if with effort. Continuing to hold my hand and gently stroking my palm with his thumb. As if he didn’t wanted to let me go. His brown eyes shining with a honey tint in the setting sun, spoke more eloquently than his words. Alas, I couldn’t read exactly what they said.

Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and looked somewhere to the side. As if he’d seen someone behind my shoulder.

At this moment, it also seemed to me that I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye.

I felt terror: either the bear had come, or Zomzom had gone mad and decided to eat our bowels anyway.

However, there wasn’t anyone.

When I looked at Reive again, he had turned pale with his jaw clenched. He let go of my hand and smiled stiffly.

Suddenly I felt cold.