Dark Guardian (40 page)

At once the wind picked up, the storm increasing in strength, becoming violent, hurtling branches and foliage in all directions. Now the mountain erupted, spewing hot lava at Lucian, the mixture shooting into the sky, seeking its target. The molten, spewing, fiery rocks forced Lucian to take cover. Jaxon held her ground, scanning the skies, waiting quietly for the fiend to show himself.

The creature burst from the ground only a few feet from her, with no real warning, flying straight at her with outstretched talons. With dirt raining down on her, Jaxon had only a split second to react, saw only jagged brown teeth and red-rimmed eyes and razor-sharp claws coming at her. She hurtled herself to one side, rolling away, careful to keep her eyes on the hideous creature. It wasn't easy, moving so fast and keeping her gaze fixed on the monster. He was grotesque, the most loathsome thing she had ever seen. The vampire's breath nearly knocked her out. He reeked of decay.

The undead whirled around, his arm extended toward her, lengthening, growing before her horrified stare, thin and misshapen, reaching to grab her. She forced herself to remain completely still, trusting in Lucian. At once she felt incredible power flowing within her, through her. The vampire nearly reached her with one long fingernail. It was grotesquely twisted, long and ugly, a dull yellowish gray. It came within an inch of her skin. Smoke curled up black and strong, and the nail withered black, hissing in the cold night air. The charred blackness spread like wildfire, racing over the gray hand and up the gnarled arm. The vampire screamed, the high-pitched sound hurting her ears.

Jaxon stood her ground, not moving an inch, staring at the monster. His eyes were black empty holes, his nose gone, flesh sloughing off his bones. He hissed at her, an ugly sound of hatred and defiance, a promise of retaliation. Flames erupted on the creature's body, breaking out all over as it rose, screaming, into the sky. The rains pouring forth from the clouds seemed only to add fuel to the flames.

The vampire raced away from Jaxon, moving across the night sky in a fiery streak of orange and red. Jaxon sagged against a thin tree trunk, her legs rubbery. The monster was fleeing, terrified of Lucian's power. Even as she allowed her breath to escape, she felt the next ripple of evil in the air.

Chapter Fifteen

Lucian! Do you feel that? The others, his friends, have come to aid him
. Jaxon cried out the warning, her eyes anxiously searching the sky in an attempt to spot the fleeing vampire. If the others had arrived to aid him, the master vampire would certainly return to fight.

The undead do not have friends. Each is out for his own gain. The master vampire will use the others to wear me down. The others can be used by us.

How? What do we do?

They are seeking you, my love. They wish to find a woman to remove their sins and recover their souls. It is impossible, but they will not accept that.

What should I do?

There was warmth filling her mind, strength pouring into her Lucian was close by; she could feel him.

Just look beautiful and sexy. Choose one to be flirtatious with, but do not allow either to touch you, not even a slight scratch. Keep both of them in sight at all times.

And my big he-man will come and rescue me
? She was annoyed, and it showed in her sarcastic tone.

His laughter was soft and sexy in her mind, brushing at her skin like gentle fingers.
They will most likely fight each other and save me the trouble. I will be waiting for the strong one
.

Then you think the ancient one will return.

Three against one? He will like the odds and come immediately.

Two. There are two of us
. She was even more annoyed with him than ever.

A vampire would never expect a woman to participate in a battle, angel. It is not done. Our women are filled with compassion, not with a penchant for violence.

She wanted to stay irritated but found herself laughing instead.
Then he's in for a surprise, huh? But you think I have a penchant for violence? I've been incredibly sweetnatured, while you've been arrogant and impossible
.

You do not understand the difference between arrogance and confidence, but I will teach it to you.

I can't wait for the lesson
. Jaxon's alarm system was working overtime now, the air becoming thick with waves of malevolence.

She searched the skies above her as she moved away from the trees so she had plenty of open space for maneuvering. It was strange to be facing an enemy as depraved as a vampire without so much as a weapon. For a moment her confidence wavered, but instantly she felt Lucian moving within her, strong and assured. He was very close by; his presence was too strong for him not to be near. That made her feel better, and she had his memories of many battles to draw on. While she waited out in the open under the drizzling sky, she examined as many of his encounters with the vampires as possible, paying close attention to the strategies Lucian had used with his brother. One of them often lay in wait while the other drew their enemy to them. Lucian was basically employing the same strategy.

A chilling wind blew through the very middle of the storm, settling close to earth only yards from where Jaxon stood. A tall, gaunt man shimmered into view. He was remarkably elegant and courtly-looking, his clothes impeccable, not at all what she had expected. He was rather pale, and his teeth gleamed at her when he smiled. He was handsome and compelling, much different from the others of his kind she had encountered. Watching his every movement closely, Jaxon searched his features for hidden signs of depravity.

He has only recently turned, angel
, Lucian informed her softly. Do
not listen to his voice with a human ear
, he added as a caution.

The vampire bowed from his waist. "Good evening, ma'am. This is an unseemly place for a woman to be alone." His voice seemed soft and musical.

You are hearing him as he wishes you to do so. He can manipulate with his voice alone.

It was Lucian's voice that allowed her to unmask the undead and his illusion of soft gentleness. Lucian's voice was purity itself, the sound so perfect it was almost not of the world. Now, in contrast, the vampire's tone grated like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Jaxon tilted her head a bit coquettishly. "I happen to like the peace of the mountains. Even in the storm, it is beautiful up here. Where did you come from? Is there a town nearby?"

The vampire moved slightly, a stirring of strength, his eyes glittering and red-rimmed. "Where is the one who would protect you?"

Jaxon shrugged. "He often leaves for long absences. One of power challenged him, and Lucian doesn't like to be challenged."

An elegant eyebrow shot up. "Lucian? You have named one long thought dead. This cannot be. Lucian is vampire. All Carpathians know this."

"I know only that he calls himself Lucian and says I am to stay with him always. He doesn't treat me the way I thought he would."

"Tell me what your name is."

"Jaxon." She moved away from him, shifting to one side and back to maintain distance as he glided forward. She moved with grace, with feminine, sensuous gestures that kept the vampire's attention centered directly on her. Her stomach was knotting, clenching and unclenching. She made a concentrated effort to keep her hands at her sides. She felt Lucian in her mind, strong and powerful and completely confident. There was no way she could be anything but confident herself. They were one being, one mind, and one heart and soul.

"Who are you?" Jaxon sounded excessively flirty. She felt Lucian wince and stopped herself from smiling.

The vampire bowed again, his manner as courtly as ever. "I am Sir Robert Townsend."

Jaxon widened her eyes to stare up at him in feigned awe. "You're a knight? For real?"

Overhead, the tree branches shook and trembled. From the top of the trees a second male descended. This one was as tall and thin and pasty as the legendary Dracula had been described. When he smiled, his teeth appeared jagged and stained. His eyes were flat and cold yet glowed a fiery red. His gaze was on the other vampire. "Good evening, Robbie. I hope you are not regaling the young lady with your lies, trying to impress her with false titles."

A slow hiss escaped Townsend's throat. Red flames began to dance in the depths of his eyes. "Leave this place, Phillipe. You are not wanted here. The lady and I are talking. Go and find yourself your own woman."

The newcomer smiled, a grim challenge, very clearly a warning. "I have tolerated your presence, Robbie, only because you could be of use. But now I have what I have searched for, and you are more trouble than you are worth. I say to you, be gone."

Townsend hissed again, a growl rumbling deep within his throat. He took a step closer to Jaxon. She was careful not to be caught between them. It would be difficult to defend herself against two of them; she would much rather face one at a time. Her insides were trembling with the realization of the monsters she was facing.
Not human
. They were evil, two of them stalking her and a third somewhere unseen. Close. She could feel he was close.

"The woman has come here to be with me, Phillipe, not with you. I have put up with your ridiculous ego for far too long."

Jaxon sent Sir Robert Townsend a dynamite smile, lashes sweeping down. The tip of her tongue came out to moisten her bottom lip, calling attention to its lush fullness.

Phillipe snarled and leaped at the younger vampire, flying through the air with incredible speed, faster than Jaxon expected. She had seen the memories in Lucian's mind, but the real thing was terrifying. The two vampires came together in a clash of fangs and claws. The sight was horrifying. As they fought each other, they continually shifted shape, one animal after another, hideous growls issuing from their throats.

Jaxon stayed very still, unable to look away from the two writhing bodies covered with fur and rippling with everything from barbs to horns. It was something out of a horror film. Blood sprayed in wide arcs. Instinctively she leaped back out of range of the poisonous liquid. She bit her lip hard, focusing on the pain to keep herself from being mesmerized by the scene.

The only warning she received was the sudden slamming of a vise around both her ankles, and abruptly she was being sucked beneath the ground. Without conscious thought Jaxon dissolved into droplets of water. Afterward neither of them knew who had done it, Lucian or Jaxon, only that evaporation had been uppermost in her mind, in their mind. Jaxon shot into the sky, streaming upward into the bank of thick mist and fog Lucian had immediately provided for her to merge with. From her vantage point she watched the battle unfold, watched as Lucian materialized for a brief second only to dive beneath the soil and move like lightning through the earth toward the fleeing master vampire.

The two lesser vampires were raking each other with teeth and claws. Crimson blood was spraying in all directions. Overhead, lightning arced from dark cloud to dark cloud and then slammed to earth in jagged bolts At once Jaxon smelled charred flesh and saw sparks erupting all around the two vampires. One screamed, a high-pitched cry of terrible pain, and when the smoke and sparks cleared, Jaxon could see the creature dragging itself across the ground, a huge gaping hole through its chest where its heart had been The searing heat from the lightning bolt had cauterized the monster's flesh, so there was no poisonous blood, but she sensed it was still dangerous.

The second vampire, Sir Robert Townsend, lay motionless, smoke still rising from his chest, where an identical hole had incinerated his heart. Jaxon studied Phillipe as he crawled across the ground moaning and hissing. The sound hurt her ears. Being mist, she had no way to muffle the noise until it occurred to her to turn down the volume. Part of her was still locked with Lucian, monitoring his progress as he hurtled through the earth after the undead. She tried not to be distracted, concentrating on what to do about Phillipe. He should have been dead, lying motionless along with Townsend.

Perhaps the lightning bolt didn't hit his heart straight on. If any part of it is still functional, he can repair himself. Do not allow him to burrow into the soil.

She recognized Lucian's confidence in her, and it gave her the sense of partnership she needed with him. Jaxon focused on the vampire. He was indeed, reaching for handfuls of mineral-rich soil and packing his gaping wound. Using Lucian's memory as a guide, she centered her energy on the sky above her, felt the power moving within her. Even as she did so, a part of her found the beat of the vampire's heart. It was unlike that of a human being. It seemed cold, dead, with no real rhythm, rather a sluggish, irregular flow of fluid through the chamber. She gathered together the electrical particles in the air, moving them with her mind, shaping them into a fiery orange and red ball. When it was large enough for its purpose, she focused on Phillipe. At her silent command he turned his body toward the sky, far too weak from his hideous wounds to fight the compulsion. The ball hurtled from above and struck him, searing easily through his chest and incinerating his heart in one blow.

Jaxon found herself sitting on the ground several yards from the two bodies. She was exhausted and pale, unable to find the strength to stand. It had taken unbelievable energy to use her mind to accomplish such physical tasks. And she knew from studying Lucian's memories that she was not yet finished. Both bodies and any evidence of the battle and all droplets of blood had to be completely obliterated.

She was suddenly aware of hunger moving through her body like a living, breathing entity. Her cells were crying out for sustenance, for replenishment after her sleep, after the battle, after using such energy.

Do not
! The order was sharp in her mind.

It took Jaxon only a moment to realize that her weakness and hunger were affecting Lucian's own abilities. She immediately thought of power and strength, of love and achievement, leaving no room for anything else in her mind. She found, as she did so, that her own strength returned. She was able to once more gather the particles of electric energy together and direct them to the bodies, leaving only fine ash to be scattered by the wind. Every droplet of blood was found and eradicated, all evidence of the existence of vampires or Carpathians banished. When it was over, Jaxon sat in the open meadow with the cleansing rain pouring down on her upturned face and the wind driving out all thoughts other than supporting Lucian in his battle with the most evil monster of all.