Dark Destiny (34 page)

Her fingers involuntarily slipped away from his hair, her arm dropping to her side. "I'll agree with the quite ill part. I'm not doing a very good job of controlling my body temperature. First I was freezing, then hot, and now I'm cold all over again."

"I am going to do my best to heal you, Destiny, so lie still and do
not
give me any trouble. A man can only take so much."

His voice was far too loving for her to worry. She smiled as her lashes drifted down. "I wish I were human so I could dream about you all the time."

"I thought you did dream about me." That drowsy note in her voice caught at him. He bent his head once more to brush a kiss over her mouth. "Go ahead and sleep now, Destiny. I will put you in the shelter of the earth when I am certain all traces of the vampire's poison are gone."

She didn't answer him. The choking lump blocking her throat came out of nowhere. No matter what he did, there would be no way to erase the taint of the vampire. She had accepted it as a fact, but she wasn't certain Nicolae ever would. Or even if he could. Destiny had no idea how to resolve the problem and she was far too tired to think about it any more. She allowed herself to drift, lulled by the soothing rhythm of the water and the warmth spreading through her body as Nicolae began the slow, meticulous healing process of their kind.

Nicolae worked for a long time, repairing the damage done by the microbes, checking every organ, every vein, ensuring that there were no infected cells lurking in wait to attack again when she was at her most vulnerable. Despite his painstaking care, he felt uneasy, as if he had missed something.

He knew the moment his brother began to unravel the safeguards to enter the chamber. He heard the musical voice of his brother join with his as he chanted. As always he felt grateful for Vikirnoff with his strength and loyalty, guarding his back and ready to aid him in times of need.

Nicolae pulled out of Destiny's body, swaying with weakness. He flashed his brother a quick glance, mostly to check that no" harm had come to him while they battled their enemy.

"How is she?" Vikirnoff asked courteously.

"Stubborn. Gutsy. Impossible." Nicolae's voice was clipped as he sent Destiny into a deep sleep. Only then did he allow his suppressed rage to swirl dangerously close to the surface. The earth beneath their feet rolled slightly and the water in the pool bubbled ferociously. "She should have called me to her side the instant there was a hint of trouble. If she had, none of this would have happened. Instead, her life was endangered and I nearly lost her."

Vikirnoff shrugged his shoulders with casual strength. "It makes no sense to get angry with her for not calling you to her. I see no reason for your anger."

"You were reprimanding me for allowing her to hunt in the first place, Vikirnoff. Now I am not supposed to be upset with her when she throws herself directly into the path of danger?"

"She had no one to raise her, to guide her. She was taken from her family at the age of six. Everything she has ever learned she learned from you. You taught her to hunt, to rely on herself and her own judgment. You would not have thought to call
her
to
you
. You did not think to call me to you. She does not fear death, only capture by the undead, and you know she is determined that will never happen again. She is like you. Independent. Courageous. Do not fault her for those traits. They are admirable. You are the one capable of stopping her. Force her back to our homeland."

Nicolae wanted to argue with his brother. He wanted to point out he was far more experienced, far less vulnerable and much more powerful than Destiny, but none of that changed the truth of Vikirnoff's words. She was acting just as he had taught her. She hadn't called him because she was accustomed to relying on herself. She hadn't sensed the immediate danger because she had been thinking about Nicolae. He knew a good part of his reaction was fear for her, but another part was based on the incorrect assumption that after he made love to her, she would turn to him naturally.

Sighing, Nicolae raked a hand through his hair, leaving it more disheveled than ever. "I am not going to say you are right because I could not take it if you smirked."

"I do not smirk," Vikirnoff claimed.

"Yes, you do. And I detest that after all these centuries, you are making sense. Frankly, it is scary."

"It is only that you are not making sense since you acquired a lifemate. I hope that does not happen to all men. It would be a shame."

"Your sense of humor is not improving," Nicolae pointed out dryly.

"I do not have a sense of humor," Vikirnoff answered.

"I had not noticed," Nicolae teased. His smile faded quickly. "She did well."

Vikirnoff nodded. "Yes, she is a worthy lifemate to you. I did not think I would think so with her tainted blood and her wild ways, but she is courageous. A call was put out not long ago. The lifemate of one of our people' was with child and lay dying. Healers were sent for, and our people were called to join together to help perform the healing ritual, even from afar."

Nicolae's heart leapt with hope. "That is so. It was not far from here. The healers must still be with the woman. One of them was Gregori."

There was silence between them. Vikirnoff shared his brother's mind during their battles with the undead, making it easier to coordinate their battle plans. They both had heard the vampire whispering his cruel words to Destiny. He had told her the Prince would not accept her. That Gregori would hunt her. That no one would want her near the other women. They both had felt the answering shame in Destiny. The vampire had known exactly what to say to play on her fear and humiliation.

"She will not accept him. She will run."

Vikirnoff shook his head. "You have no choice but to call him here. He will soon leave for our homeland. You will never get her to go there after what was said. She believes there is no cure for her. Call him. He can do no other than answer. You will find a way to persuade her to accept his healing power."

Nicolae turned the idea over in his mind. Vikirnoff made sense.

"It is possible there is no cure," Nicolae pointed out.

Vikirnoff shrugged. "One can only try."

Before he could change his mind, Nicolae sent the call on the common Carpathian path.
Hear me, healer. We have great need. The blood of the vampire torments my lifemate on every rising. I do not want to lose her. It is a beacon for the undead and prevents our complete joining. I ask that you come when you have assured the life of the woman you are aiding
.

There was a space of time. Water bubbled and the flames flickered on the cave walls. Gems sparkled in the ceiling overhead one moment, then were gone the next. The answer came. There were no questions. No demand to know who Nicolae was or how his life-mate had gotten into such a condition.
I will come at once
.
We will start out next rising
. It was the Carpathian way of selfless service, and Nicolae's heart was so full he could not reply.

"Thank you, Vikirnoff. He will come." Nicolae reached inside his shirt, extracted a rumpled photograph. "A vampire visited MaryAnn in her office and planted a compulsion to call the number on his business card if this woman should come to her seeking sanctuary. I think we need to find her and do our best to protect her. I cannot leave at this time. Will you begin the search? We can make copies of the photograph—MaryAnn has such a machine—and distribute them among our people."

Vikirnoff took the photo, glanced at it without much interest, stiffened and swung his gaze back to the photo, studying it carefully. "Who is this woman?"

"He did not give a name. There was little memory of the conversation and no memory of the vampire himself. I could not 'see' him in MaryAnn's memories. Why? Do you recognize her?"

"Is this photograph in color, Nicolae?" He didn't look at his brother, but continued staring at the picture as if mesmerized.

Nicolae watched as the pad of Vikirnoff's thumb caressed the face looking back at him from the glossy paper. "Yes, it is. Do you recognize her?" he asked again, never having seen Vikirnoff exhibit interest in any woman.

"I have seen her face. Her eyes. It was not real; it was in a dream. Long ago, Nicolae, in a dream. Her hair was as black as midnight and her eyes were as blue as the sea when it is clear and calm. It is the only color I remember, that deep blue of her eyes. I never let go of that memory. Are her eyes blue? In the photo, are her eyes blue? A striking, vivid blue?"

Nicolae's heart surged with hope. "Yes, Vikirnoff. Her eyes are blue and her hair is midnight black. You never told me of such a dream."

Vikirnoff shrugged, but his gaze was glued to the photograph. "There was no reason to tell you of such a thing. A dream only. What do you know of her?"

"We believe she is human and has psychic talent. The vampire indicated she had the gift of psychometry. That is all we know. He claimed he was from a research center for psychics and that they wanted to help her. She is running from someone, probably the vampire. I think it best our people find her first."

"It could take years, Nicolae. I cannot leave you now, while you are surrounded by vampires and hampered by a lifemate who could very well endanger you without realizing it. Her blood is tainted. We do not know if it can be fixed. I do not want to lose you, Nicolae. You know how close I am to the end. Should something go wrong here with you and your lifemate, it will also go wrong with me. Here, I can aid you. Searching for this mythical woman, I can do nothing for you."

Nicolae waved the protest aside. "I'm a hunter, a protector of our people, as are you. We can do no other than what is expected of us. Our honor demands it."

"I will begin the search in a rising or two. It is best to show her picture to some of the local people. If she was in the area, or is expected, perhaps someone knows of her. It will give me a starting point."

"It is possible the vampire managed to get to Mary Ann before this woman made her way to Seattle," Nicolae mused aloud. "Velda would be the one to ask. Nothing gets by Velda and Inez."

Vikirnoff visibly shuddered. "Perhaps you should speak with them. It is best if I stay in the background."

Nicolae's eyebrows shot up. He remained silent, watching his brother with evident amusement.

"I see no reason for your new, strange humor, Nicolae. It is a matter of logic. The women know you and will tell you things they would not reveal to me."

Nicolae snorted. "You are a coward. You are afraid of a couple of sweet elderly ladies. I had no idea."

"Speaking with little old ladies is enough to shake the very foundations of a man," Vikirnoff pointed out reasonably. "They flap their arms and screech like chickens. In truth there is no fear involved, only the painful reality that they will draw undue attention to my existence."

Nicolae sat abruptly on the edge of a boulder. "There is some truth to what you say. I must confess I feel some small affection for Velda and Inez, although I do not know how it happened. They are frightening to me also. Velda has talent. She knows things I would like to better explore. Do you have any idea what is causing these humans to behave at odds with their true nature?"

Vikirnoff shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot detect the touch of a vampire. It is unsettling. The poison used on your lifemate was much more sophisticated than I have ever seen. I do not like the fact that there is some semblance of order among the vampires and someone is orchestrating a great war plan we have never before seen."

"It is possible Gregori knows of this. He is second to the Prince and shares all his information. If they can use such a trap to attack me, it can also be used against our Prince, and he should be alerted to the possibility."

Vikirnoff studied Nicolae's pale face. "You are not taking proper care of yourself. It is necessary for you to be at full strength to fight the call of her blood. If you succumb, we do not know what will happen. I have never heard of such a case before, and we have no way of knowing what to expect." It was a reprimand, delivered in Vikirnoff's usual forthright manner.

Nicolae sighed. "You just have to act the older brother with me."

"If finding one's lifemate means throwing away all reason, I am uncertain whether it is such a good thing." Even as he uttered the words, his thumb slid once more in an unknowing caress over the face of the woman in the photograph.

Nicolae held out his hand. "I will take the picture to MaryAnn's office and make copies for you and show it to Velda and Inez."

Vikirnoff hesitated uncharacteristically. He shoved the photograph inside his shirt. "I will make the copies myself and give you one to show the human women." Vikirnoff stepped forward. "You must feed." He tore his wrist open with his teeth, extended his arm to his brother.

Nicolae bent his head to the life-giving fluid.
This is becoming a regular habit
.

"I have noticed. I am fast gaining the reputation of being a glutton, feeding for both of us," Vikirnoff said dryly.

The ancient blood, strong and healing, rushed through Nicolae's body, filling shriveled cells, bringing strength and power to muscle and tissue. He took what he needed, knowing he would be replenishing Destiny on the next rising. Carefully, respectfully, he closed the wound.

"Thank you for always being my brother," he said formally.

Vikirnoff nodded without replying, his form already shimmering.
I will find my own resting place, close enough to be called should there be need, but far enough to afford privacy
.

The flames from the urn sputtered and went out as if a small breeze had moved through the chamber. A wealth of healing aromas filled the cavern and drifted deep into Nicolae's lungs. He stretched, feeling the tension in his body slowly begin to fade. There were still remnants of anger and fear at the thought of what had been, what could have happened, but Vikirnoff had managed to calm the turbulent storm.

Nicolae began the complicated weaving of difficult safeguards at all entrances to the mountain and the network of caves. He didn't want to find himself sharing their resting place with a vampire this night. Deepening the resting place so that Destiny had even richer soil to welcome her, he floated down into the arms of the earth.