The Gathering Storm (Katerina #1)

I tried to forget about the terrible dreams when I returned to Smolny.

Madame Tomilov greeted us all and provided a wonderful welcome-back feast.

Elena was happy to be in St. Petersburg again. "I have a present for you," she told me at dinner. "I'll give it to you when we are alone." I'd already written a thank-you note to her parents for the onyx box. But I still did not know who had sent the tarot card-whether Militza had added the card to the gift. Or perhaps the crown prince himself.

My cousin, who seemed a little paler since I'd seen her at the Christmas Ball, rolled her eyes. "What superstitious trinkets are you trying to scare Katiya with now?" she asked.

A shudder ran through me as I remembered that Elena had taken a strand of my hair back to Cetinje with her. What had she done with it?

She ignored Dariya and laughed. Her eyes seemed so much brighter since her trip home. Suddenly, I remembered my nightmare, and I wondered what kind of dark magic Elena had been dabbling in over the holiday. What rituals did the Montenegrins practice in their kingdom? I took a nervous sip of my water.

After dessert had been served, one of the Bavarian princesses leaned over and whispered, "We heard about the tragedy at the Blessing of the Waters. How sad!"

I nodded. "It was Count Chermenensky, my brother's friend." I regretted my unkind words to him when we'd met in the park. I wanted to cry all over again. My poor brother was still grief-stricken.

The girls were horrified to hear this. "We spoke with him in the gardens!" Augusta said. "How terrible!"

Elena shrugged, finishing her lemon tart. Erzsebet gazed longingly at my plate. Glancing at the mistresses' table and seeing them deep in conversation, I slid my tart onto Erzsebet's plate.

"Merci, Katerina," she said happily.

After dinner, we returned to our rooms to get ready for bed. Elena pulled a small silver box out of her trunk. "Happy Christmas, Katerina!" She opened the box as she held it out to me. Inside was a lock of black hair.

"Go on, take it!" she said, nudging me.

I stared at the black curl, tied with a leather cord. "What is that?" I had an ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Danilo's, of course! It's yours now."

"It would not be proper to accept such a thing." I pulled back my covers and climbed into my bed.

She closed the box and set it on her bedside stand. "You are no fun, Katerina. You sound just like your cousin, suspicious of everything."

"She's not suspicious of everything," I protested.

"Just Montenegrin witches," Dariya said as she entered our room and crawled into her bed. "You'd best leave Katiya alone. And keep that blasted window closed tonight."

I saw a flash of pure hatred in Elena's eyes, but it was gone quickly and she smiled sweetly and ignored my cousin. "Katerina, my brother has come to St. Petersburg with us," she announced. "You will be able to meet him soon."

"Lovely," Dariya grumbled. "There are too many of your meddlesome family members in Russia already."

"I would watch what I said if I were you." Elena's voice was still sweet but carried a threat. "We come from a family of old romantics, my brother and I.

He wishes for my happiness, as I wish for his. I would hate for anyone to stand in the way of true love. Including you, Dariya Yevgenievna." Dariya snorted and rolled over. "And what could you do about it?" she mumbled sleepily. "Turn me into a toad?"

"My father would be very unhappy to hear that some stupid girl at Smolny was accusing his daughter of witchcraft," Elena said, not missing the chance to remind us she was the daughter of a king.

Then I heard her mumble something in what must have been Montenegrin.

But Dariya was already asleep, her breathing even and easy, with the faintest carefree snore.

Elena yawned dramatically. "Good night, Katerina. May you have wonderful dreams about a handsome, dark-eyed prince. I am certain he is dreaming about you."

I pretended to be asleep and said nothing. But my heart was pounding. I wondered what sorcery Elena was trying to work with her brother's lock of hair. I remembered everything the princess Cantacuzene had told me. If I was truly a threat to the blood drinkers of Montenegro, why would Elena and her sisters want me to grow closer to their brother?