Free Summoning Sebastian by Katriena Knights

pissed off anyone in power in Russia got tossed into it. And Tunguska, of course, and the meteor that had buzzed Chelyabinsk. And mammoths, but I was pretty sure there weren’t many of those trotting around the countryside these days. I could be wrong.
    â€œIf you say so,” I conceded. I still wasn’t looking forward to it. It was still winter. It was going to be cold. There was just no way around that. “Why do vampires even hang out there? Don’t they have problems with torpor and, I don’t know, becoming frozen?”
    Her smile was amused but not patronizing. “They stay warm. The nights are long in the winter. Vamps like places where they can stay awake twenty-four seven three months out of the year. They don’t like the cold, but it’s a trade-off. Me? I’d rather sleep than freeze, but what do I know? I was born in much warmer climes.”
    Oh, nice. An opportunity to ask her something more about herself. “Whereabouts?”
    She frowned. “I’d have to look it up. I honestly don’t know what it’s called these days.”
    So much for that. I decided not to push any farther. It would seem weird. “Well, if you’ll give me a second, it might still be early enough to get hold of my sister and see what we can find out, if anything.”
    â€œOkay. Good plan.”
    I stepped to the other side of the room and sat on the edge of the bed to call Gwen. I had serious doubts she could help me get a visa posthaste, plus I was pretty sure I’d need some additional miscellaneous documentation to get into Russia. Stuff probably beyond her scope entirely. But with Gwen, you never really knew.
    She answered on the third ring, which I hadn’t expected. “Hey, Nim. What’s up?”
    I roughly outlined the situation while she made yes, I understand and I am sympathetic to your plight noises. When I had finished, she said, “I can talk to somebody about the visa. But you’re going to need a couple other bits and pieces.”
    â€œAny idea where I might be able to scare that up quick-like?”
    â€œWell, yeah.” There was a definite “duh” in her tone. “Dad.”
    Well, there was a twist that hadn’t occurred to me. I knew Dad—and Mom, for that matter—ran all over the world researching topics for the books and articles they wrote. Last I’d heard, they were in Alaska researching one of Dad’s books, which might or might not have been about polar bears. Not too far from Siberia, point of fact. But it hadn’t occurred to me that he might be able to pull strings that could get me into one of the countries he’d traveled through.
    â€œDad? Really?”
    â€œWell, yeah. Of course. He spent about a year in Siberia when he wrote that book about the Soviet labor camps. Seriously, do you pay any attention to what your parents do for a living?”
    â€œNot if I can help it.” If I did, they’d make me read their books, and I didn’t care much about either polar bears or Soviet labor camps.
    Gwen made a noise of severe sisterly disgust. “Anyway, yeah, he got all hobnobby with some muckitymucks in the Russian government while he was out there. I’m sure he could get you into the country, no problem. There’ll be a catch, though, I’m sure.”
    Uh-oh. “And what might that be?”
    I could hear the smug in her tone. “They’re visiting Chelyabinsk right now. Dad’s writing an article about the meteor and its aftermath. If you go to Siberia, you’re going to have to visit them.”
    I banged my head against the wall. “God, Sebastian had better appreciate this.”
    Colin returned after a time to find Roland and me poring over the Internet, trying to find out what documentation I would need in order to get into Russia. It was a last-ditch effort on my part to avoid talking to my parents.
    No, that wasn’t it. I didn’t