Born in Blood (The Sentinels #1)(48)

Now he sat in his office and studied the tiny object that he’d waited three hundred years to hold in his hand.

It didn’t look like it could offer him the power he’d been promised. Less than two inches in diameter, it was paper thin and tarnished to a blue green. It might have been mistaken for a piece of trash if not for the odd, winged bird etched into the metal.

Rubbing his finger over the ancient artifact, Zak felt the gnawing sensation in the dark pit of his heart.

It was a familiar ache.

It had started when he was barely five and he’d realized that his brothers were destined to become his father’s heirs while he was doomed to a suffocating existence in the middle of f**king nowhere, surrounded by superstitious serfs who’d taken one glance at his peculiar eyes and claimed his mother had slept with a demon.

Ignorant peasants.

Boris and Viktor had been easy enough to get rid of. The two had been ruthless bullies to Zak, but they’d also been as dumb as a box of rocks. And once Zak had started to come into his powers, it’d only been a matter of time before he could put them in their graves.

Boris had been disposed of by the simple process of having his dead lover make an appearance in the woods. The fool had tumbled from his horse in shock and broke his own neck. Viktor had been a little more difficult, but eventually Zak had stumbled across the body of a recently shot poacher whom he used to pull Viktor from the stables and snap his neck.

It had never occurred to him that his father would refuse to make him his heir. He was, after all, the only remaining son.

But the bastard had coldly informed Zak that he’d never allow a deformed brat to claim his title.

This time Zak had taken matters into his own hands, quite literally, strangling his father and hiding his body. Hours later he’d used his powers to ensure his father appeared long enough to formally proclaim Zak as his heir before he allowed his father’s dead body to tumble to the floor.

From there he’d traveled to Saint Petersburg, confident he’d at last satisfy that sense of emptiness.

Instead he’d been consumed with fury as the nobles had treated him with the same contempt as his father. He’d managed to forge a place for himself at court with sheer cunning, but it hadn’t been enough.

And then he’d met Anya, who’d revealed to him the power to make certain he’d never again be treated as anything less than a king.

As if the thought of Anya had conjured the witch, she stepped into the office and crossed to where he sat behind his desk. “You have the coin?”

“At last,” he confirmed, his fingers continuing to stroke over the copper coin.

Anya leaned against the edge of the desk, her slender form barely covered by the microdress that was a brilliant shade of yellow.

Why she bothered to play the role of sex kitten defied logic. He never wasted his time or energy on a project unless it promised reward.

And any reward he’d gain by taking the witch to his bed had already been reaped.

“The female?” she demanded, placing her hand flat on the desk and leaning sideways to study the artifact in his fingers.

Zak shrugged. “Tony’s disposing the body.”

Anya wrinkled her nose. “The servant has seen more than is good for him.”

“He still has his uses.”

She reached a hand toward the coin. “May I?”

Zak smoothly rose to his feet and stepped away. “No.”

Her face flushed at his uncompromising rejection. “You can’t be afraid that I might try to steal it?” She gave a short, humorless laugh. “We need one another.”

“Certainly you need me.”

She muttered something beneath her breath as she pushed away from the desk and headed for the door. “Fine.”

“Where are you going?”

She halted, glancing over her shoulder. “It’s time for my pedicure.”

“It will have to wait.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I want you to take me to the temple.”

The witch froze, her expression wary. “Now?”

“Yes.”

“But . . .” She shook her head, licking her dry lips. “I haven’t prepared the sacrifice.”

He held up the coin. “Then get prepared.”

She slowly turned back to face him, her movements wary, as if she feared his response.

Smart witch.

“And what about you? Are you fully prepared?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have convinced yourself that you’re destined to succeed, but have you considered the consequences of failure?” she muttered in defensive tones. “We can’t be sure that using a surrogate will protect you.”

He smiled with a cold arrogance. “Don’t worry about me, witch. Take me to the temple and I’ll become nothing less than a god.”

Her eyes flashed with fear. “You should at least consider the danger.”

“I would be flattered if I truly thought you cared, Anya,” he mocked. “But we both know your only concern is losing your luxurious lifestyle.” He carefully plucked a bit of lint off the sleeve of his white satin shirt before lifting his gaze to stab her with a lethal glare. “Or at least that had better be the only reason you hesitate.”

Anya wrapped her arms around her waist. “Sometimes you frightened me.”