Blood Oath Read Online Free Page A

her?
    She wet her lips. “Why didn’t we just fly
into…what is the capitol of Corsova?”
    “Bulgainia,” he said, before sliding forward
to give the driver instructions to take them to the train station. When he
leaned back against the seat, he turned his face to her. “There is no airport
in Corsova.”
    Her eyes widened. “How do you manage without
an airport?”
    Demi shrugged. “Imports arrive by train in
the capitol, or they are shipped to the harbor at Vachow. We have no need for
an airport.”
    She frowned. “What about the convenience?
Aren’t your citizens bothered by having to travel more than two hundred miles,
er, kilometers if they want to take a trip?”
    Demi shrugged, but didn’t reply.
    Anca sighed and turned to look out the
window. Grayish stone buildings dominated the architecture, but encroaching
Western influence was making itself known. The streets weren’t the narrow
cobblestones she might have imagined. There was little difference from the streets
she was used to, except that Constanta wasn’t nearly as populated as New York.
    She turned back to him. “Is Bulgainia as
large?”
    Demi shook his head. “Constanta has about
350,000 citizens. Bulgainia has ten thousand or so.”
    “Is that your largest city?”
    He nodded. “The population is spread out
among the villages and towns of our country. There are less than one million
Corsovans.”
    Anca shook her head in wonder. She had
imagined Corsova was a small country, but she couldn’t fathom it having so
small a populace. She lived in a city with more than eight million. How would
she adjust?
    Fortunately, she didn’t have to adjust, she
reminded herself. Within a week, this visit would be a memory, and she would be
home. She felt an unexpected surge of nostalgia for the crowded streets and
smoggy air of New York as the taxi wove through the traffic.
    She blinked back silly tears as a car cut in
front of their cab. The driver waited patiently. She wished he would scream
obscenities at the offender, so it would seem more like home.
    “You’re quiet.”
    Anca turned her head to look at him. “I’m a
little homesick. Constanta is a lot more like New York than I would have
imagined, but it isn’t home.” He touched her hand, causing a current of
awareness to shoot up her arm. Her lips parted, and she expelled a harsh
breath.
    He didn’t offer platitudes. Instead, he
said, “We’re approaching the train station. Soon, you will see your father’s
home.”
    She tried to make her smile confident, but
it felt shaky at the edges.
    The driver stopped in front of Gara
Constanta, angling into a narrow parking space left by a departing cab. Demi
slid out first, offering his hand to assist her.
    Anca took it as she scooted across the seat,
though she didn’t need his help. A shiver worked its way up her spine as his
warm hand closed around hers. A dart of disappointment flashed through her when
she exited the car and he dropped her hand.
    The driver got out of the Mini to open the
small trunk for them. He bobbed his head when Demi handed him a wad of bills.
With a cheery farewell, he returned to the cab. Within seconds, three men were
pushing their way past Anca and Demi to get into the car.
    She stepped back from the men, holding firmly
to her carryon. All around her, Anca heard a babble of voices speaking a
language she didn’t understand. The train station was modern, but it still
seemed alien to her. Having Demi beside her was strangely reassuring, though he
was as alien as anything else surrounding her.
    He tucked her bags under his arms and held
his bag. “We’ll get our tickets and secure our luggage on the train. Once we’re
settled, we’ll pick up something to eat in the dining car.”
    “Okay.” Her stomach grumbled at the mention
of food, and she followed him with renewed vigor. Nerves at the upcoming
meeting with her father still caused her stomach to churn with nausea, but
hunger was making its presence felt.
    When