The Gift

Chapter Thirteen

Rose was dozing off in the passenger's seat. Vladimir had been driving through the night, they needed to get to Germany to the elves territory. His brother had started an uprising against Queen Maila; he was the one that resurrected the undead. His own brother and Teo, they had deceived him.

He had overheard Constantin and Teo discussing their strategy the night before. His undead army was positioned around the globe ready to attack at their command. He was after the Crown, he would attack the elves first to send the Queen a message. He would torment all; unicorns, elves, werewolves, nymphs. If that didn't work he would attack humans, until the Crown was in his hands he would stop at nothing.

"What are you thinking?" Rose asked him as she yawned.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," he said with a small smile on his face.

"Seriously? It's too early for my brain to process your cheesy lines." She answered.

"You know you like it," he countered with a smirk.

"Bliah, please don't make me throw up." Rose said while mimicking a horrified expression. I did kind of like it, I guess.

"Aha! I knew it. You like my corny lines, my cerise." He said triumphantly.

Rose pursed her lips and looked out the window. "Where are we going?"

"Germany," he replied.

"Germany? What's there, your other castle?" She asked with an eye roll.

"No, elves."

"You know, unlike you I am not able to read your mind. You need to fill me in here," she pointed to him.

Vladimir looked at her, her cheeks was burning up once again. He decided she needed to know, she was part of their world. "Killing you was not the only thing my lovely brother has planned." He told her as his fingers gripped tighter at the steering wheel. "He is planning to take over the Crown from the werewolves, and I need to stop him."

Rose looked at him through narrowed eyes not really understanding. "He is your brother, your twin correct?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"So, you are going against your own brother?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She asked, it seemed odd to her.

"Firstly, he tried to kill you," he started explaining.

"Yeah, but you didn't even know me two days ago," she challenged.

"True, but don't you see he broke the rules. Going after someone that he thought was human endangers our existence. Secondly, he is planning on killing everyone so that he can rule the world. Last time he had his hands on the Crown, the misery he spread was unfathomable. The werewolves are good rulers, unlike him."

"I see, and why are we going to the elves and not the werewolves?" She pressed.

"To warn them. He is planning to attack them using his minions. The undead."

"The undead are his minions?" She gasped.

Vladimir looked at her from the corner of his eye, "what do you know of the undead? They only exist in the five prophecies."

"My dreams, visions whatever those are, have been flooded with the undead the last year," she told him.

Vladimir shocked stared at her.

"Eyes on the road mister! I did not get saved from your brother's murderous intentions to die in a car crash." She scowled at him.

Vladimir chuckled at her statement. "You do know I have superior senses than you. Thus, I can keep my eyes both on the road and at you."

"Last time I checked you only have one pair of eyes, not two." She huffed at him.

"You were saying...," he urged her.

"Oh yeah, I see these undead attacking me. I get saved though every time, except the last one, by my golden wolf," she informed him. "The last vision I had, my scream was able to cremate them, but you know it's just a dream."

Vladimir hit the breaks so fast that if Rose wasn't wearing her seat belt she would have ejected through the windshield to the turf. Rose held on to the side of her seat taking fast, sharp breaths to calm herself down. As soon as she managed to slow down her heart rate she turned to him; her skin paler than ever, her lips a thin line.

"What is wrong with you?" He hissed.

"Get out." He ordered her and before she could blink he was at the passenger's side opening her door. "I said get out."

"You do not get to order me around, I am not one of your royal subjects." She said unwilling to move an inch from her car seat.

"Fine, then we'll do it my way," he said and before Rose had a chance to react he unbuckled the seat belt and carried her out of the car and into the woods.

"You should see a specialist. I thought I was messed up, but you mister are off the charts," she snapped at him.

"Be quiet little one and listen," he told her.

"No, you listen. I get that you are royal and all, and that you used to rule the world," taking a deep breath she continued, "but you are not the boss of me," she yelled.

Vladimir was quick to get out of her way. "This proves I'm correct," he told her. Rose turned her head at the direction he was pointing at. The sound waves her scream had produced had ripped anything and everything that was in their path into little pieces.

"Why are you so shocked little one, you are the daughter of Mars," Vladimir voiced.

"I ne-never...I never did this before," she stuttered still in shock from the destruction she had caused. Realization hit her, "You! You made do this. You got me so mad I couldn't control myself." She accused Vladimir.

"I wanted to see if your vision has any truth to it," he explained.

"So, what happens now?" She asked as she kicked a rock with her left leg.

"Now, you need to train. You need to learn to control it and use it at will," he said.

"Now?"

"Not now, now we need to get to the elves' land." He said as he picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the car.

"I do have legs you know," she pointed out.

"I know," Vladimir said - but the truth was that he liked holding her close to him, the smell of her sweet scent was invigorating to him.