Legendary Beast by Barbara J. Hancock

Author:Barbara J. Hancock
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-07-11T16:19:55+00:00

* * *

Madeline had slept for so long encased in a crystal coffin on the island of Krajina. This wasn’t like that. Birdsong echoed in her ears. Warm sun caressed her cheek. And the sharp, sweet scent of flowers filled her nose. Not the cloyingly sweet scent of roses from Vasilisa’s garden. But a scent both fresher and more familiar.

Yet what could be more familiar than the scent of a garden in which you’d spent over a thousand years?

Madeline opened her eyes and then closed them right away when a bright blue sky dazzled above her and caused moisture to well up. She sat and blinked the tears away as she opened her eyes again. This time, instead of a prismatic fantasy world glimpsed through salty water, Madeline saw the sloped curve of a mountainside. The slope was awash in a deep violet color that appeared almost crimson by the light of the setting sun.

Spring blossoms painted an entire field of wildflower bushes. The woody stems of the bushes clung hardily to the uneven craggy terrain, and their dark green leaves trembled in the breeze.

“We’re almost there. I wasn’t sure if you’d passed out or if you were only sleeping. I thought I’d better stop for water to make sure it was the latter,” Lev said.

“You don’t like when I sleep,” Madeline said. She didn’t know how she knew it. Maybe it was in the tightness of his face. Maybe even several feet away, she could still see the pulse in his throat.

“Every time you open your eyes it’s miraculous,” Lev said. “Like I’m waking from a nightmare.”

Madeline took the water he offered. She didn’t ask where he’d found the dented container he held out to her. It was a strange cylinder of metal she’d seen before, on Krajina and the train, but instead of being filled with a sweet, sparkling beverage called a “soda,” the empty can had been rinsed out and filled with fresh, cold liquid from a nearby stream.

“Even Vasilisa’s enchantments couldn’t keep humans and their trash completely away,” Lev said.

She drained every drop, ignoring that much of the liquid spilled from holes in the container to dribble onto her cheeks as she drank.

But once her thirst was quenched, she noticed the scent of the flowers again. And then she knew.

She’d been on this mountainside surrounded by these wildflowers before.

The empty container fell from her fingers as Madeline reached for the nearest bush. She plucked a blossom from it and brought the petals to her nose, then stood as a rush of recognition flowed over her. This place was a memory. She whirled around to share her discovery with her companion, but he already knew.

Because he’d been here with her.

They’d been here together.

It wasn’t only the wildflowers she remembered.

He must have washed in the stream. He was wet. His hair dripped into his eyes and his bloody, shredded shirt was gone. Cleansed, his injuries didn’t look as bad as they had the night before. He healed quicker than an ordinary man.

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