Lone Werewolf Duology (bxb)

4. He Who Speaks in Tongues

With Liam it was different. Despite all his fortune-and-glory, and being twenty-one to Volya's seventeen, Liam felt like just Liam.

While doubts swirled through Volya's mind, Marina watched him with her blue-gray eyes, expecting obedience.

He put the headset on and diligently repeated after the recording, "Hello, my name is Alexei Petrov. Is this your first time in London?"

This was an entry-level English course. He needed it for the internship to work, but did it have to be this boring? "Who talks like this anyway?"

With a tiny nod of her head, Marina indicated Liam, who curled up in his chair, with a slim laptop and headphones. The waves of audio recordings zigzagged across the screen. The guy stopped and restarted the tracks, typing his notes in a separate window.

"He does. You want to speak with him without me hovering over your shoulder, yes?" Marina cajoled. "Or understand what he's singing about?"

Liam's baritonal humming had the titillating quality that unfurled a human soul. Or, at least, Volya's soul unfurled in response to it, then furled right back, sending a pleasant jolt of longing through his core.

"I understand his songs just fine," he muttered.

She looked at him with a certain tilt to her head, a certain expression on her features, as if she'd guessed some secret about him. "You know more English than you let on, don't you?"

Volya dipped his head. "Yes. I mean, we have had it since Grade 4, so it rubbed off. But I never dreamed of fooling James Bond into thinking we're long-lost twins."

"You're in no danger of that, I assure you," Marina replied.

"Fine, I'll give it my best." He hesitated, then added in English. "Ma'am."

Marina cringed worse than when they had discussed his previous English instructions. It must have been his terrible accent.

***

When they stopped at the Rostov-on-Don airport, the bodyguards flanked them. They exchanged clipped lines about Liam touring too far from Moscow and too close to the volatile Caucasus Mountains' region. This situation was too risky, too risky by far!

Volya felt like an ant with a heel hovering above him. One wrong move, and he'd be squashed to ensure Liam's safety, so he stuck to Liam's side like glue. Marina moved in too, in case Liam decided to open his mouth and say something. Fortunately, Liam was just whistling tunes with a strong potential to render hearts asunder.

Having to rely on an interpreter started to actually get on Volya's nerves, but since there was no getting rid of Marina, he might as well ask her about the swarm of Liam's fans.

"How did they know?" Volya asked, eyeing the bright summer tops, banners and posters. Marina interpreted it like she was on an autopilot.

"One of the universe's greatest mysteries," Liam whispered back and redoubled his beaming at his local devotees. They yelped in response.

Volya edged even closer to the popstar, though not for fear of being lost. Liam moved in a personal cone of spot-light, even when he was flanked by the guards, Marina and Volya. He was never in danger of melting into a crowd, be it a thousand times larger than this one.

Volya squinted to study the phenomenon.

Part of it was that Liam was ridiculously tall and just as beautiful.

Full lips and enormous eyes gave his features an air of sensuality even when he rested his face. His gaze had velvet's quality to it, courtesy of the eyelashes so long they had to curl out of the way. The flash of teeth when he smiled charged the surrounding with energy.