Dark Destiny (44 page)

"I would have done exactly the same thing," Gregori said.

Destiny studied his face. "No, you wouldn't have."

Savannah laughed softly. "Oh, yes, he would."

"If Savannah were infected, I would never hesitate. We are bound, two halves of the same whole. I would not have thought twice," Gregori said decisively. "Are you feeling the effects, Nicolae?"

Nicolae nodded. "I have examined my internal body, and the lesions are already forming in great numbers. The toxins are multiplying at a far faster rate than in Destiny's body. I carry a seed of darkness, even with Destiny as my anchor, and the toxins sense it and feed as if in a frenzy."

Destiny turned on him, her expression fiercely protective. "There is no darkness in you. You're so silly, Nicolae. You don't know yourself at all. I've seen darkness, I've seen monsters. You do
not
carry even a tiny germ of such evil."

His arms immediately surrounded her, held her trembling body safe. "We are not all made up of one trait, little one," he soothed softly. "I know it is hard to think I could have more than one side, but darkness can be many things, including strength. It does not have to be used for evil. One's very flaws can be utilized for good."

"This is quite interesting. Aidan's lifemate, Alexandria, endured a particularly difficult conversion, but he did not report lesions and these things you speak of. We may as well get started," Gregori decided. "I want to know what I am dealing with. I expect this will take much time and energy, so I will heal Nicolae first."

"Absolutely not." Nicolae was resolute.

"Hear me out," Gregori suggested mildly. "Your instinct is to ensure Destiny's health first, but that is not the wisest choice. She has carried the vampire's blood, and indeed was converted by it. Her healing will be much more difficult. I will need much blood to accomplish such a feat. There are only Vikirnoff and Savannah to supply me as my energy wanes. I will have need of you. The surges of power will certainly tip off every vampire in the area to our exact location. There is only Vikirnoff to hold them off. This will be no small struggle, and I will need your strength."

Destiny curled her fingers through Nicolae's, brought his hand to her mouth. Her teeth nibbled nervously on his knuckles. She had spent so little time with other people. Her instincts told her Gregori was powerful. There was a slight chance he could heal them. Deep inside, where it counted, where she would admit things she couldn't face, she knew Nicolae spoke the truth about the darkness in him. She recognized it. It was very strong in Vikirnoff, and it was strong in Gregori. She had learned, from her experience with Nicolae, to discern the difference between the hunters carrying the darkness and the actual taint of the vampire's blood.

But it was there. It was present. She was surrounded by it, and it made her nervous. It also called to the darkness in her blood. She was hot and restless, having to work at controlling her body's temperature. Only her love for Nicolae kept her in the small confines of the cave. If she went along with this, she would be totally vulnerable. Nicolae would be under a stranger's control.

I am an ancient, Destiny. Vikirnoff remains to see to our safety, even though he feels a need to begin his hunt. There is little that can be done to harm me without my knowledge. I will be able to break away from Gregori should there be need. But it is up to you. If you do not want to do this thing, we will not.

She heard the utter sincerity in his voice. It was that simple for him. If she were uncomfortable and chose not to allow the healer to perform, he would calmly go along with her decision.

"You're crazy, you know that?" She gave an exaggerated sigh as she shoved him toward Gregori. Her heart was pounding like crazy, but she would not allow him to suffer because she was a coward.

"In case you are wondering what that meant," Nicolae explained to the others, "Destiny is showing me her affection and complete devotion."

"It sounds familiar to me," Savannah laughed. "Don't worry, Destiny, he's in good hands. Gregori goes around looking intimidating and mean because in the old country the mothers scared their children by telling them stories of the dark one. He liked the image and cultivated it."

Gregori flexed his broad shoulders, and muscles rippled impressively across his body. His expression didn't change. "It always helps when I wish to intimidate Savannah's father."

"The Prince?" Destiny asked.

"Why are you listening to him?" Savannah demanded. "As if my father would ever be intimidated by him. They're best friends, Destiny. He's teasing you."

Destiny looked skeptical. Gregori didn't intimidate her nearly as much as Vikirnoff, but only because of Savannah. The way Gregori looked at the petite woman negated every vestige of menace in his eyes. Vikirnoff was without emotion, simply watching all of them with his flat, cold stare. It was only his intense loyalty to Nicolae that kept him there, that allowed him to take Destiny under his protection.

Vikirnoff is no different from me before I found you. He must hold on until he finds his lifemate.

Just hurry and do this, Nicolae, before you find out I'm not nearly as courageous as you think I am.

Nicolae framed her face with his hands, ignoring the others. "Stay right here while Gregori is working on me."

She looked into his dark, intense eyes. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Someone has to watch over you."

He closed the scant inches between them, claiming her mouth, storming his way straight to her heart. She kissed him back hungrily, a little desperately, afraid for him. Nicolae held her close while her heart beat frantically against his.

"Hurry, Nicolae, before I change my mind." It was a soft whispered plea.

Gregori opened the earth, searching for a bed of deep soil. Nicolae seated himself in the lush richness, drawing Destiny down beside him, his hand firmly enveloping hers. She found herself clinging to his strength, her mind remaining firmly merged with his. Her body was trembling. There was so much riding on this—their entire future.

No, there is not, Destiny. Our future is secure together whether Gregori succeeds or not. The difference is whether we will be able to bring children into the world.

Children? There you go again, bringing up that subject out of the blue. In all the times we were making love, you never once mentioned children.

I thought it best not to.

Her Nicolae. Understanding her. Going along with her teasing because he knew she joked when she was afraid.

And then she felt him. A power like no other she'd ever experienced. Gregori. The dark one. Healer of the Carpathian people. His spirit was immensely strong, a hot white light moving through Nicolae without preamble. She felt Nicolae's insides burning hot, but not painfully so. The healer examined him thoroughly. She knew Gregori was aware of her presence, but he paid strict attention to Nicolae's body.

Destiny had no idea of time passing. She too was studying the effects of the vampire blood on Nicolae. His body had the blood of the ancients and it was fighting valiantly, but she could see the damage that had already been done. She didn't make the mistake of gasping with her physical body, but she was appalled at the destruction.

Nicolae had calmly endured it. And he meant to continue to do so should Gregori be unable to rid his body of the hideous toxins. Her respect and love for him grew to new proportions. She emerged at the same time as the healer withdrew.

Gregori let his breath out slowly. "Nasty stuff, vampire blood."

Savannah rubbed his neck soothingly. "It moved away from you."

"Yes, I suspect it has some knowledge I have come, to remove it. The fear is a good thing. If it is afraid and moving from my presence, I should be able to find a way to remove it from Nicolae's body."

"Can you help him?" Destiny asked anxiously.

Nicolae noted immediately that she hadn't said "us." He tightened his fingers around hers. "I cannot turn vampire, Destiny," he assured her quietly. "I have you as my anchor."

Gregori shook his head. "It is puzzling how such a minute amount of vampire blood could infect you so quickly. You have lesions everywhere; they are spreading across every organ. Alexandria did not have such a thing or Aidan would have told me. He described to me his healing of her in detail but there was none of this."

"Destiny has whole colonies of them," Nicolae said.

Gregori frowned. "Savannah, we will need candles, and the bag we brought with us from New Orleans. We did not need it for Dayan's lifemate, but I fear we will need all of it here."

Savannah nodded. "It's lucky we didn't use it." She produced a large satchel and tossed it to her lifemate.

Nicolae inhaled the contents of the satchel deeply. Vikirnoff followed suit. Destiny was startled by their reaction. She took an exploratory sniff. The scent was of earth. Clean, fresh dirt. It smelled different from any she had ever encountered. She looked at Nicolae. There was something close to rapture on his face.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Soil from our homeland," Nicolae answered, awe in his voice. "How did you come to have such a gift?" he asked Savannah.

"Julian Savage, one of our people, had it brought many years ago to New Orleans. He stored it in a hidden chamber and left it for us when we became lifemates," she explained. "It was a shocking but very welcome surprise."

Destiny could sense Nicolae's eagerness to put to use the treasure the healer had brought.

"We took some of the soil with us, thinking we might need it to aid Dayan and his lifemate when she was so ill, but it was not needed. We kept it for just such an emergency as this." Gregori smiled down at his lifemate. "It was Savannah's suggestion that we bring it along."

Destiny looked into the dark bag, saw the deep richness and felt her palms itch. Nicolae plunged his hands into the soil and closed his eyes.

Vikirnqff. You must feel this. I feel it all the way to my bones. A welcoming such as I have not had in centuries. Our homeland is in this small bag.

Vikirnoff reached into the bag slowly. His hands tunneled deep into the rich soil.
I am sharing your mind, Nicolae. This will sustain me as nothing else could. I feel a sense of peace for the first time in so long. Thank you for allowing me this experience
.

Destiny was sharing it with the two brothers. She sensed the intensity of Nicolae's feelings for his brother and realized that the only way Vikirnoff could feel that love was through Nicolae's emotions.

Emotions you returned to him
, Vikirnoff reminded them.

Returned to us
, Nicolae corrected.

Chapter Nineteen

There was silence in the cave. Destiny looked around her at the candles burning in every conceivable space. Hundreds of them, tiny pinpoints of light releasing a soothing aroma of spice and the scents of healing. Essential oils were warming in small, nearly flat receptacles heated by the flames. These candles were meticulously crafted by the Carpathian people to be used in difficult healing sessions.

Gregori looked even more impressive as he seated himself beside Nicolae, his dark hair gleaming in the flickering light, his eyes liquid silver. Nicolae lay in a shallow depression of earth beside Gregori, his head in Destiny's lap. She stroked strands of long, silky hair from his face with gentle fingers. His dark gaze was firmly locked on hers.

Breathe, little one. You look
so
frightened. You will give me no choice but to kiss that look from your face. Gregori is a great man. He has not condemned us as you feared. Rather, he and his lifemate have welcomed you, welcomed us and agreed to aid us with this healing. You must trust him
.

Destiny took a deep breath, took the healing scents deep into her lungs.
I trust only you, Nicolae, no other. I almost wish they had condemned us. This woman is the Prince's daughter, yet she welcomes me with open arms. She has no idea what lies hidden inside me. I feel guilty every time I look at her, as if I'm hiding some terrible secret
.

What Gregori knows, his lifemate knows. Savannah is Carpathian and typical of our people. None would condemn you. All will welcome you and would seek to aid you. Do not fear belonging, Destiny.

She tunneled her fingers in his hair, gripping with her fists as if she might hold him to her. Her tongue moistened her suddenly dry lips and she lifted her chin, meeting the strange, glittering eyes of the healer. She met his merciless gaze without flinching, trying to convey with a look what she felt. She didn't dare say it aloud, not with Nicolae so certain this man would aid them. She hoped the healer could read that she didn't fear death. She didn't fear anything this man could do to her. But if he harmed Nicolae in any way, she would cut out his heart and incinerate it before welcoming her own death.

Gregori's eyebrows lifted as if he were reading her mind and he glanced briefly at his lifemate.
I do not think my considerable charm has worked on her
.

Savannah looked at him lovingly, her fingers sliding through his hair. "I know you can do this, Gregori." She spoke aloud to encourage Destiny. Gregori didn't need her encouragement.
You forgot to smile
, she told him.
I have mentioned on more than one occasion that smiling is considered important in public relations. I fear I'll never manage to get that through your head
.

If it were possible, his dark eyebrows rose higher, his silver eyes warming with love and suppressed laughter before he turned, completely sober, back to Nicolae.

Destiny watched the man as he simply shed his body and withdrew from them. He became light, energy in its purest, most selfless form. He entered Nicolae's body and began waging the most difficult battle he had ever fought. The tainted blood separated from ancient blood, rushing away from him, straight toward Nicolae's heart, as if attacking its host.