Dark Curse

«I did not recognize the vampire, Vikirnoff,» Nicolas said. «He was fairly young. No more than three or four hundred years old. Why are they turning so young?»

Natalya was quickly making her way to stand by Vikirnoff. She always was near her lifemate, especially

if a vampire was in the area. Nicolas didn't want the couple there. It was petty of him and made him feel ashamed and even stupid that he wanted more time alone with Lara. He had always been so self-assured, but now he feared losing her, feared she would leave him-or stay with him because of the lifemate bond, but never find it in her heart to love him.

It was pitiful to think that he wanted love from her. He had been self-sufficient all of his life and it made him angry to think he needed her. Yet here he was afraid-afraid-she would ask sanctuary from her kin.

Nicolas turned to Lara and held out his hand. «Let me take a look at your injuries.» He pulled her to him and lifted the hem of her sweater.

Lara caught at his wrist and glanced toward the strangers, obviously uncomfortable. «The fire spear cauterized the wounds for the most part. I lost a little blood, but not enough to worry about, especially once I packed it with soil. But you're a mess.» She touched his face with gentle fingers.

Fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso. Beloved, allow me to see. I must heal you before I can see to my own injuries.

Give me a minute. Her fingers sought his, tangled and held on.

Nicolas tried not to be so happy about her clinging to him. He brushed his lips against her forehead before performing the introductions aloud. «Lara, this is Vikirnoff and his lifemate, Natalya. She is your blood-kin.»

It set his teeth on edge that he was so petty that he rejoiced she was distressed in the company of her father's sister, but he couldn't help the rush of satisfaction. Nor could he help the need to heal her wounds without a moment's delay. It hurt to see her injured. He swung around to face her, his palm sliding beneath her sweater to press his hand over the wound. At once heat leapt from him to her. Startled, she looked up at him with her enormous green eyes and he felt dizzy-drowning.

It was a strange feeling to be so off balance and he didn't like it much.

Nicolas slid his hand away as fast as he'd touched her, stepping to her side so that he could draw her beneath his shoulder, one hand sliding around to her back where his fingers snaked beneath the sweater to lay over the wound.

Natalya stared at her twin's daughter, her eyes filling with tears. «You look like him-like me-us.» She leaned back against Vikirnoff for comfort. «I'm Natalya, Razvan's twin sister.»

Lara swallowed the ball of fear blocking her throat, locking her body so she didn't stumble back and away as she wanted to do. She reached behind her until she found Nicolas's wrist to steady herself. «I don't look anything at all like him,» she denied. Aware she sounded like a child-even her voice was higher pitched-she took a steadying breath and tried again. «He had dark hair streaked with gray. Mostly he's gray. And his face is etched deep with lines, not at all smooth. He's thin, and white.»

Carpathian men do not go gray unless they are tortured beyond endurance. It takes.. .much… to produce gray hair, thinness and deep lines .

You have deep lines.

I have been in countless battles and made many kills. More and more I believe your father has been fighting Xavier to save not only his family, but perhaps all Carpathians.

We are not Carpathian.

Dragonseeker blood is strong. You are Carpathian.

A single sound of distress escaped before Natalya could stop it. She touched her tongue to her lips and made a visible effort to recover from the news of her brother. «We need to help your lifemate. He needs his wounds healed and blood fast. Perhaps you would care to accompany us back to our home?»

Lara's fingernails dug into his palm. Nicolas brought her knuckles to his mouth and nibbled on her skin to distract her. «We were on our way to visit with you when we were attacked. Thank you for the invitation."Yes or no ?

Her eyes met his, her nod nearly imperceptible.

«Thank you, we will come.»

Vikirnoff casually brought his hand to his mouth and tore open his wrist, extending his arm toward Nicolas. Several bright drops of blood splattered onto the ground. Lara gasped as the sight hit her like a blow. She closed her eyes, unable to watch as Nicolas took the proffered wrist.

Nicolas hesitated. «Natalya can take you up to the house,» he offered.

Lara kept her eyes closed, trying not to draw the scent of blood into her lungs. Her stomach lurched, but she shook her head. «I'll wait for you."Just get it over with .

Nicolas politely closed the ragged tear on Vikirnoff's wrist. «Thank you, but I can wait until we are out of the open.»

Vikirnoff opened his mouth to protest. His gaze brushed Lara's ashen face and he shrugged. «We had better hurry then.»

Natalya glanced at Lara sharply, then at Nicolas's ravaged body. Her lips tightened but she didn't voice a protest. Nevertheless, Lara knew she wanted to and that one, small glance shamed her. Nicolas had fought to save their lives, and had done so without flinching from the task. His body bore many deep wounds, but he only had considered taking care of her injuries, slight in comparison to his, yet she couldn't stand the sight of him taking the blood necessary to restore his strength and take the pain from his wounds.

It is no one's business but ours why we both choose our path. Nicolas flicked a warning glance at Natalya that had Vikirnoff bristling.

Natalya put a restraining hand on his wrist and shimmered, shifting into mist, before taking to the air. Vikirnoff followed her.

«I'm sorry.» Lara blinked back tears burning in her eyes. «I feel so ashamed.»

«There is no need for that. You may have saved my life with your quick thinking.» Nicolas touched his neck where the collar had stopped the vampire's teeth from ripping him open. The bite wouldn't really

have killed him, and he had been prepared for the shock and pain of it, bracing himself to give himself the time to rip the heart from the chest, but she certainly had cut short the battle, giving him those precious few seconds longer. «That was quick thinking and ingenious on your part.»

The praise in his voice made her color rise. «Can I help you heal? I'm not the best healer, but I have some skills.» She had no idea how to help him with the injuries, but he looked so alone and she hated being the one to make him feel that way. She wanted to show solidarity, even though her inability to watch him take blood delayed his getting help. She felt awkward asking, but she couldn't let it go. «I know the Carpathian healing chant. My aunts learned it from their mother and they taught it to me, but I don't really know how to actually heal wounds very well. Maybe you could teach me what to do, just in case this happens again.»

He smiled down at her, his expression tender. «It will happen again. Here, we can gather the richest soil we can find, mix it with our saliva.»

«The healing agent in yours is probably much stronger than mine.»

She chose a spot directly under the trees. She wanted a place where flowers grew in abundance. The plants were dormant, but the soil lay beneath the snow, black with minerals. She mixed the soil and saliva and made a compress for the wounds.

Earth with healing properties, flower beneath the earth do see, twine your essences, fill these wounds gently, apply your healing boon.

She breathed into the mixture, chanting softly in Carpathian, unaware she did so. She added her own special blend to aid in healing him.

This man is a shadow but of the light, help him to heal to resume his fight.

She was a little hesitant, afraid of hurting him, but she pressed the mixture carefully into the gouges on his chest and into his abdomen with gentle fingers. There was a small silence as she worked carefully, making certain to cover every scratch. She could barely breathe with the feel of his skin beneath her fingers, with the heat of his body so close. He remained very still, almost holding his breath, but her heartbeat followed the rhythm of his in exact synchronization.

«How long do you leave this on? I can't get past putting dirt into a wound.» Her voice trembled a little.

«I should be able to clean it off in a few minutes.» His hand cupped her chin and raised her face up to his. The pad of his thumb slid over her lower lip in a little caress.

Lara's gaze locked with his. Her breath stilled in her lungs. A shiver of excitement whispered down her spine. There was raw hunger in his burning black eyes, a desire that seemed to match the sudden smoldering in the pit of her stomach. Heat spread. Arousal skimmed over her thighs and breasts.

Nicolas bent his dark head toward hers. His lips brushed over hers, feather-light, a question, a demand, a soft entreaty and a firm insistence. She answered, drawing him into the soft haven of her mouth.

I'm so glad you're safe. Her voice was shy.

Nicolas let his lashes fall, blocking out all sensation but the wet, velvet heat of her mouth. He could get lost there, eating her up, drinking her in. Molten lava poured into his veins, thick and hot, fueling every

desire.

He deepened the kiss, took more of a command, pressing her a little to see if she would respond. It was getting more difficult to keep his hands off of her when the demons roared and his body hardened into one unrelenting ache. Everything inside of him knew Lara was the other half of his soul, the keeper of his heart. He feared she would never feel the same.

Her hands came up to curl in his hair, but she was tentative in her response, a little shy, not quite swept away as he wanted. He let it go. This wasn't the time or place, and she wasn't quite ready for that next step with him. He would have to be satisfied that she was reaching for him, even meeting him part way.

His hands were gentle as he allowed them to slip from her face. He loved the sexy, slightly dazed look in her eyes.

«Can you shift again?»

She blinked several times, her small teeth biting into her lower lip. She nodded.

A slow smile softened the hard cut to his mouth. «Follow the image in my mind and hold it. Each time you practice you will become more adept at it. When we get to Vikirnoff's home, it will not take more than a few minutes to make things right.»

She knew he meant taking blood from Vikirnoff. He was swaying a little, she noticed, and the lines in his face seemed etched a bit deeper. There was no reprimand she could find in his mind, no looking down on her because she couldn't abide the thought of his taking someone else's blood. She found the genuine acceptance he gave her humbling and maybe a little healing. She breathed a little easier. «Let's go then. I don't want you to have to wait any longer than you already have.»

He took a step to his right, holding mist uppermost in his mind and in hers. She felt the change almost immediately. The rush of adrenaline nearly stopped her from shifting, but she pulled back and let go of her physical body. It was much easier to accept the change this time and she was both exhilarated and proud that she managed to shift into mist and streak across the sky with Nicolas. She knew he was holding the image for her, but she didn't care. She'd done the impossible and it felt like a huge milestone to her.

I've learned a lot tonight, Nicolas, thank you.

He brushed her mind with an intimate warmth that poured over her like warm honey. Her heart contracted. He was finding his way inside her, past every barrier she'd erected from childhood. His gentleness was so unexpected when he was such a dangerous, arrogant man. He made her feel as if she were the only important person in his life. He didn't care if Natalya didn't approve of her-she was enough for him just the way she was and his acceptance went a long way toward making her feel much more confident in herself.

The house was built into the mountainside, so artfully arranged it was nearly impossible until one was right up on it to see it. Lara and Nicolas shifted on the rock steps leading to the cool shade of a porch, all built out of the same stone. Lara enjoyed the feel of going into a cave. The front looked like a home, with windows and a door, but made out of the mountain itself. The house itself was well lit with bright hanging lights, marble floors and gleaming polished wood everywhere.

«You have decided to settle here,» Nicolas said, looking around the warm room.

«Unlike you and your family,» Vikirnoff said, «my brother and I only spent the last few years hunting together and never in one location. Prior to that, we moved from region to region filling in where no ancient was posted. It will be nice to have a home after so long. Nicolae and Destiny are settling here as well. We will be able to help guard the prince and the women and children in the hopes of rebuilding our people.»

Lara was grateful for Nicolas's hand on the small of her back, connecting them. He was also in her mind and it steadied her to face Natalya, who did look so much like herself. If Razvan had looked like her at one time, he no longer did, but Natalya could have been her mother-or sister.

Natalya waved her toward a deep, comfortable-looking chair. «Please sit down. It's amazing to finally meet you.»

Nicolas took her hand as she sank into the thick cushions, his thumb sweeping over her palm in a gentle caress.Will you be all right for a few moments without me ?

Her stomach lurched. When had she become such a coward? Was she so thrown by the scent and sight of parasites and silver eyes that she could no longer cope on her own? Maybe it had been death in those eyes and the scent of decay? Whatever childhood trauma she had dredged up refused to go away. The door had cracked open and she had to deal with it.

She glanced up at Nicolas. He looked so calm, so in control, so at peace while she was churning with doubt. He had to deal with her past as well.

We will do so together. Again he flooded her with warmth, making her feel a part of him and not so alone.

Yes, we will. And I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.

Nicolas bent to brush a kiss across the top of her head.Reach for me if you need me, otherwise, I will keep us separate .

She moistened her lips. Of course he would think to pull his mind from hers to prevent her from «seeing» or feeling what was happening as he took blood. She nodded to indicate she understood, managing a small, reassuring smile.

Natalya watched Nicolas leave the room with Vikirnoff. «Is he good to you?» she asked abruptly. «The De La Cruz family has a certain reputation and they live by their own rules.»

The question startled Lara and she was uncertain how to answer. «We've only just met.»

Natalya nodded. «And he bound you to him, but the ritual isn't complete. Do you know what happens to the man if the ritual is completed?»

Lara shook her head. «I know only what my aunts told me in stories. I was a child and my memories of most of those years are vague, so I'm guessing some of it could be inaccurate as well. I often don't know what is real, planted by them, or my imagination.»

«It must be very confusing for you.»

«Yes, but I'm learning a lot.»

«I'm sorry I make you uncomfortable. I'm extremely happy to meet you, after all, you are my niece. Colby, who is a lifemate to Rafael, is your half-sister. Razvan was also her father.»

Tension locked her muscles and stretched her nerves. Natalya had deliberately inserted the information into the conversation to see her reaction. Lara kept her face carefully blank. «I've been having a few flashbacks that may indicate that Xavier possessed Razvan's body in order to seduce women and get them pregnant, so he could feed on the blood of Dragonseekers.»

Natalya winced. «He wanted to use me that way. Razvan convinced him that I didn't have strong enough Dragonseeker blood to be useful. He protected me my entire childhood and throughout the years after. I didn't realize what was happening to him until recently and then I thought he had somehow turned vampire or was in league with them.» She leaned forward, her blue-green eyes locking with Lara's. «Do you know if that's true? Do you know if he's still alive?»

Lara bit down on her lower lip. What did she really know about Razvan? Her childhood memories had been faulty. She remembered little until the trauma of seeing the parasites. Was he evil? Had he turned evil? Was he even still alive? There were so many conflicting pieces of memories rising now that she didn't know the truth. «I can't help you, as much as I'd like to. I don't have any answers. I see things that indicate to me that Xavier not only possessed Razvan's body, but he injected him with something that took his will-not his mind completely because he tried to resist, but ultimately, it appeared as if Xavier was making him do terrible things and Razvan was unable to overcome the combination of drugs and spells that Xavier wove.»

Vikirnoff and Nicolas came back into the room, catching the last part of the conversation. Nicolas didn't look quite as drawn. He sat on the arm of Lara's chair, his body positioned protectively toward her. «Possession and taking over minds, making people into puppets, was Xavier's forte. No one had his skill and he continued to perfect it over the years. It was one of the things the prince and he disagreed on. Some things shouldn't be done.» Nicolas tangled his fingers in Lara's hair. «Xavier felt the Carpathian people used mind control to get their way and he had every right to do so as well. It was difficult to argue with his logic.»

«Because there was truth in it,» Lara said.

Nicolas nodded. «At the time, I felt we were using our mind control for good, and he wanted to use it to further his own ends, but lately I have learned that I certainly used it for my own selfish purposes. It is much easier and faster when I want cooperation so I just do so without thinking.»

Vikirnoff made a sound of disgust. «To ease someone's fears is not the same thing as making them do things they would never ordinarily do,» he objected.

«Such as give blood?» Lara asked.

Vikirnoff shifted forward aggressively. Natalya put a gentle hand on his arm. «You have scars on your wrists, Lara. I found a ceremonial knife that had been Xavier's and when I accessed the memories, there was one of a young girl Razvan was using to feed from. Xavier came in and tried to take her blood as well and she was able to escape the cave with the help of two dragons.»

Nicolas's hand curled around the nape of Lara's neck. «That was Lara. Her aunts were caught in the form of dragons and were too weak to escape as well. We are going back to the cave to determine their

fate as well as to try to figure out what happened to Razvan.»

Vikirnoff sat up very straight. «That cave is one big trap, Nicolas. We barely escaped with our lives. Xavier left guardians and there were signs that the chambers are still in use at times. We have been watching it closely, but no one goes in there, it is far too risky.»

Nicolas's long, strong fingers began a slow massage on her neck. «We are well aware of the risk, Vikirnoff, but we cannot live with ourselves if we do not find out the answers to our questions. The aunts risked everything to save Lara. And the evidence that Razvan has for centuries-not a few years, but centuries-endured torture. He is Dragonseeker, which means there is the possibility that he could survive.»

«We saw him attack Natalya,» Vikirnoff pointed out. «He was in her head, tracking her, trying to lure her to him, to use her against us.»

«But was Razvan in his own mind? Or was it Xavier possessing or controlling Razvan? Lara and I need to find the answer to that question. And her aunts have been imprisoned long enough. Dead or alive, and we do not expect to find them alive, we want to bring them home.»

Vikirnoff took Natalya's hand. «You knew Razvan better than any person alive. Could this be possible? Could it have been Xavier controlling Razvan?»

She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. «I don't know, Vikirnoff. I truly don't know. He only came to me in my dreams. How could Xavier intrude on dreams?»

«How can Xavier find a way to imprison and keep from suicide one of the most powerful Carpathian women? Rhiannon's lifemate was murdered, yet Xavier managed to force her to have triplets with him,» Nicolas pointed out. «I knew Rhiannon and her lifemate. She would have followed him if she could have.»

Lara cleared her throat. «The aunts talked about her often. She was held prisoner by Xavier and once she had the children, she stayed alive willingly to help protect them and teach them as much as she could about the Carpathian and mage cultures. She imparted knowledge to them at a fast rate because she knew eventually Xavier would murder her, and he did.»

You didn't tell me this. Nicolas's voice slid into her mind with ease.

I'm getting bits and pieces now. Now they just come to me. She didn't know if she was happy about it or not.

Nicolas didn't like her feeling so confused. In close proximity to Natalya, Lara was already edgy. She hid it well, but she was uncomfortable, her memories still too raw. Twice she rubbed her wrist, although he knew it was habit more than pain, but the gesture served as a reminder of her traumatic childhood.

«I want to go with you,» Natalya said. «To the cave. Ihave to go.»

«Natalya,» Vikirnoff cautioned.

«No, it's Razvan. I have to see if there's a chance we're wrong about him. Maybe we'll find something, a clue to what's been happening.»

Vikirnoff muttered something under his breath. «The cave is a death trap. You were there, Natalya, you

know it is.»

«He kept me away from Xavier. I could be the one with the nightmare childhood. I could be the one he experimented on and fed off. Razvan saved me, Vikirnoff. I love my brother and if I can at least clear his name so his children think better of him, then I owe him that much.»

Vikirnoff shook his head. «It is insanity to go back there. You know that.»

Nicolas understood exactly how Vikirnoff felt. The last thing he wanted to do was to take Lara back to the underground labyrinth that Xavier had created.I have to go, Nicolas. If it was your family you would go .

The problem, he decided, once your heart was involved, all logic went out the window. It mattered little that he knew it was dangerous, but now he understood her needs and that made the decision not quite as easy as it had been when he had no emotions. His eyes met Vikirnoff's, for the first time understanding the difficulties with keeping women safe.

«The caveman method had value,» Vikirnoff stated.

«I agree,» Nicolas said, sighing inwardly.I said I would take you. I do not go back on my word .

«Then we go tomorrow night?» Natalya asked.

«The night after,» Vikirnoff corrected. «I want to do a little reconnaissance before we go and we have to attend the warriors' council. Jacques's baby will be named in the warriors' circle. It is important we all attend to support Jacques and Shea. Should something ever happen to Shea, Jacques could not survive it. Their son would have need of our entire community.»

The warriors' council… where he had intended to support Gregori in their bid to keep women away from fighting. Nicolas nearly groaned aloud. «Have you heard news of the prince's lifemate? I assumed she was having problems again.»

Natalya looked down at her hands, her expression sad. «Not only is Raven having problems, but evidently Savannah is as well. It doesn't look good. Gregori is working with both of them and Syndil has been working with the surrounding soil, but both women are bleeding, their bodies trying to reject the babies.»

A burst of pain in Lara's head had her wrenching her hand free of Nicolas in order to press at her temples. Her mind seemed to splinter for a moment, and a door cracked open. She had a brief glimpse of a sobbing woman, blood on the floor and piles of dirt around her. Xavier stood over her smiling with satisfaction.

«Sometimes we must make small sacrifices for the greater good, my dear. One lost child to ensure that the death of many continues is not too small of a price to pay.»

Bile welled up and she stood fast, pushing Nicolas away from her and rushing from the house to stand outside in the fresh, cold air where she could breathe. Nicolas came up behind her, placing gentle hands on her shoulders.

Lara shook him off, taking a step forward, breathing fast. «Don't. Don't say anything yet.» He had seen that small vignette of her past. She had felt him there at that first burst of pain, before either realized what

was happening.

«You cannot possibly think you are in any way responsible for anything Xavier has done. He wanted immortality and he was angry and bitter that he did not have it and the Carpathians did. He wanted every power our species had as well as his own. When Rhiannon's lifemate was murdered and she disappeared, we knew he had been plotting against us for years. Of course we had no way of knowing the extent of the damage or what he had done. He is a master mage, and undeniably powerful. The seeds of hatred and his descent into madness began centuries before you were ever born.»

«His blood is in my veins.» She gestured toward the house. «In her veins. He set out to destroy an entire species in the foulest way he could think of.» She looked at him then, her eyes sad, shamed. «You know that's what we saw. More experiments. He's done something, has been doing it all along, to make the women miscarry, to make the children die.» She tilted her head in challenge. «You don't know him the way I do. You can't kill him. You can't stop him. He is the most despicable creature on the face of the earth, the most evil.»

Nicolas understood what she meant. Xavier had murdered his own son. Had kidnapped, raped and forced Rhiannon to bear him children and then, after using her blood for years, had murdered her. He had imprisoned his grandson and experimented on him, tortured him and used his children for a blood supply. He had murdered his grandson's mage wife. There was nothing he could find redeeming about Xavier. He'd never liked him in the old days when the mages and Carpathians had a strong alliance.

«It isn't all mages, you know,» she said softly. «My mother was mage.»

«Fel ku kuuluaak swam belso,"he whispered.

Beloved. Was she beloved? Could someone as strong as Nicolas possibly really understand, accept and love someone as damaged as she?

His mouth curved even as he kissed her again. We both know I am not without my faults, as much as I would like to pretend otherwise. You need to eat this night. We will go to the inn .

She nodded. «I want to check on my friends anyway. Let's go.»

Nicolas glanced back at the house. Lara needs a little time. I will take her to the inn to get some food. We can meet after the warriors' council and check out the cave before we bring the women .

A feminine voice gave a small huff of disdain. The women ?

Lara's voice echoed her aunt's. There you go with your women theme. I suspect you have hidden issues, Nicolas .

You have no idea. She was feeling benevolent toward him now, but after the warriors' council, she wouldn't be too happy.

Chapter 12

The inn was bustling with activity when Nicolas and Lara arrived. It was always necessary within the village to keep up the pretense of being entirely human. Many Carpathians often went to the dining room and appeared to be eating dinner. It wasn't difficult for Nicolas to shift into immaculate clothes, giving Lara a long, swingy dress that swished around her ankles.

Lara patted her hair, surprised that it was down in a long freefall of red-gold silk. She glanced up at the tall handsome man who made her feel beautiful. His male beauty struck her, a mixture of danger, animal and pure sensual male. She swallowed the sudden need rising and managed a quick smile. «Did you remember makeup, too?»

He tangled his fingers with hers and brought his hand in a possessive gesture to his chest as they entered the lobby area where even the villagers often gathered for drinks. «Of course.»

As close to him as she was, she instantly felt the difference in him. The moment they stepped inside where there were others, he went from her gentleman to fiercely, primitive male. It happened in a heartbeat. He even smelled different, a combination of musk, spice and wild outdoors. The cut of his mouth was sensual, yet held a cruel, warning edge. His heavy-lidded eyes brooded, drifting over the competition as if marking each man. The hand at the small of her back was distinctly possessive. He even moved that scant fraction of space closer to her, so that he seemed to be everywhere, dominating her space.

Or maybe the difference was in her. She was intensely aware of the darkly handsome man prowling at her side, all raw sexuality and power. Women turned their heads and stared at him with greedy eyes. Their gazes followed her with some disdain and a lot of envy. She was certain she didn't look woman enough to handle a man as blatantly sexual as Nicolas.

The moment she thought it, he brushed across her body with warm air, as if he'd breathed on her bare skin. Her nipples tightened and heat rushed through her bloodstream. She glanced up at his face, at the raw hunger in his dark eyes each time his gaze slid over her. She touched her tongue to her lower lip and instantly his gaze was riveted there.

«You have to stop,» she whispered, a blush creeping up her neckline to bring color into her face. «You're making me…» She broke off, hardly able to breathe properly. She'd never felt quite like this before-excited-sexy-wanted. It was amazing and practically incomprehensible that she could draw the undivided and completely focused attention of a man like Nicolas De La Cruz. She wasn't adventurous. She wasn't beautiful. She certainly wasn't sexy, although he made her feel that way and it was a little intoxicating.

She was all too conscious of his fingers splayed wide just above the curve of her spine. Heat spread from every pinpoint as they crossed the bar to the dining room. Music pulsed in the bar and a few couples swayed to the beat, holding each other more than they danced. A few feet from the arched entrance, Nicolas stopped abruptly, his fingers settling around her wrist to swing her in front of him.

Her breath caught in her lungs as he pulled her into his arms. She fit perfectly, her body going soft so that she melted into him, so close she was nearly sharing his skin. Hard muscles rippled and prowled, a heated, seductive slide that sent a shiver of awareness down her spine and had her breasts aching. She felt the hard bulge pressing tight into her stomach, the thick, unashamed evidence of his desire for her. Her mouth went dry and her stomach muscles knotted.

Nicolas bent his head, his lips skimming her exposed neck and the pulse beating frantically in rhythm with the music. «Relax for me.» His voice was rough with a mixture of seduction and lust, almost as if he was

making love to her instead of dancing with her.

His tone sent a million butterflies winging in the pit of her stomach. Moisture dampened her thighs and sent an electrical current spiraling through her body. It was her first real experience with such an overwhelming sexual reaction and her emotions were all over the place. Every single nerve ending seemed to have flared into life. Every cell was very aware of Nicolas moving so close to her.

«I don't know how to… I've never…» She didn't know whether she was telling him she'd never danced and had no idea what she was doing, or whether she was trying to tell him she'd never had sex and didn't know the first thing about tempting a man.

Nicolas tightened his hold on her, his arm locking her against him as they executed several intricate dance steps across the floor. She felt as if she was floating in the clouds, light and airy and in perfect tune with him.

«You are temptation itself.» His lips brushed against her earlobe as he whispered the words.

Teeth nipped, the smallest of bites, leaving her breathless. Arousal fingered her breasts, her thighs and teased at the junction between her legs. He was seducing her, there on the dance floor, and she didn't even want to resist. She touched her tongue to her lower lip, fighting nerves, determined to see this night through.

She wanted him, wanted to belong to him, in spite of his arrogance and domineering ways. When her mind was merged with his, she could see his determination to learn, to make her happy, to be the man she needed. How could she not want him? Aside from that, she found him the sexiest man alive.

He turned her, brought her back into the shelter of his body and just the way he did it, so commanding, strong and protective, sent another rush of heat surging through her bloodstream. His scent enveloped her, the spicy male tang that was exclusively his mixed with the scent of musky male arousal making for a potent combination. The slide of his hands caressed the sides of her breasts, her rib cage and tucked in waist before settling over her hips to pull her tighter against him.

Another surge of moist heat dampened her thighs. Her breasts ached, felt swollen and needy. Every muscle tightened to the point of strain. She couldn't think anymore, swaying to the throbbing music on a rising tide of desire, in a hazy fog of sexual enthrallment.

He bent his head again, this time to nuzzle her neck, his tongue touching the pulse pounding so frantically. Ordinarily she would have instantly retreated, but the small series of licks accompanied by the gentle scrape of teeth sent her temperature soaring. Flames danced over her skin, centered between her legs and filled emptiness so that her body craved more. His lips were unbelievably warm and firm, his teeth a torment, wracking her body with longing. She could barely breathe, her heart pounding loud enough for both of them to hear.

Nicolas recognized the danger the moment he stepped in close proximity to other men with Lara. The binding ritual wasn't complete. She could still slip away from him. The call of the demon rose to a wild, demanding roar. He saw every shift of the eyes, the way the men watched her as they moved together in perfect rhythm across the dance floor. He scented the heightened sexual awareness.

Lara didn't realize how alluring she was, a mixture of innocence and fantasy. Her skin glowed, her eyes classic bedroom eyes, large and soft and enthralling. A man could drown in her eyes-he was drowning. And having other males in such a close environment was triggering the beast. He could feel it clawing at

his gut, making demands to claim his lifemate, make her irrevocably his. More than that, his own fears of losing her heightened his animal instincts, the primitive side of him that demanded he take what was his. He was walking a thin line, trying to court her as she deserved and at the same time, remain stable when his lifemate was just out of reach. It was never easy for a male to balance civility with his own predatory nature and coming to the inn made for a volatile situation he hadn't counted on.

He drew a deep breath into his lungs and scented-Lara. Her feminine call sent blood pounding in his groin. The feel of her soft breasts nestled against his chest nearly drove him mad. He was desperate to hold her, to touch her, to touch all that satin skin. Each moment in her company had escalated his need of her. Need had built so slowly at first, and his desire to court her had kept him from realizing how the fire in him had grown and spread until it was a storm threatening his control.

His shaft pounded with blood and his hammering heartbeat. His need was brutal now, a continual, unrelenting demand that was merciless. His erection wasn't going away anytime soon, not even if he had the opportunity to bury himself deep in the haven of her body. And through it all, each time he looked at her, each time her shy gaze met his, it tripped a strange sensation in the region of his heart.

He wanted to be equally as tender as he did violent. He wanted her to want him with every cell in her body, in the same frightening way he needed her. He had had an utter misconception of lifemates, or maybe it was just different with Lara. He had thought she would save him from the darkness and the chemistry would be good, that they would have several lifetimes to find a way to love one another. He hadn't expected her to touch him in places that he thought were stone cold. He hadn't expected to feel such tender, protective emotions so fast or so strong, but she was really light to his darkness, in all the ways he hadn't expected.

His lips drifted over her pulse, as he inhaled her scent. Her long silky hair slid over his face, a few strands tangling in the shadow along his jaw. He pressed her hips into his body, massaging the terrible ache that refused to go away. Touching her wasn't enough. Even now he could feel his teeth lengthening and sharpening as his entire being demanded he assuage the hunger rising in direct proportion to his sexual needs. He was on the very edge of his control.

Eyes glowed with red flames. His teeth touched her pulse, scraped back and forth in a mesmerizing rhythm. He was close-so close to taking what belonged to him, making her his, yet she had been willing to escape into death rather than be forced.

He had never experienced such raw, primitive lust, welling up, a fever of hunger so sharp and brutal he could barely think straight. His soul, long ago punctured with holes until there was only darkness there, black and ugly and filled with death, she had spilled shining light across and somehow, by some miracle, he felt hope. And his heart, centuries gone from the world-longer even than his soul-she had restored so that he could feel soft inside when he'd forgotten if he ever had.

A small groan escaped his throat and he fought harder, urging the demon to settle down, to be patient and wait-that Lara was worth waiting for. And in the end, what he really wanted was for Lara to give herself to him. To want him. To make the commitment on her own because she had genuine feeling for him. His teeth receded and that hazy red disappeared from his sight as the music faded away.

Lara stood swaying, her body tight against his. He could hear her heart beating the exact same rhythm as his. He lifted his head slowly, reluctant to allow her out of his arms. «You need to eat something.» It was mundane-true-but so far from what he wanted to do he could barely get the words past the need clogging his throat.

She nodded, but stood there, so close to him her soft body was imprinted on his hard one. She tilted her face to look up at him. Her eyes were shy, but glowed with an inner light that made him intensely aware of his sexuality. Her skin was luminous, her eyes bright, her body like warm silk beneath his roving fingers.

«Lara?»

She lifted her hand to his face, her touch gentle, tender even. «I want to remember this moment always. I don't have many wonderful memories, but dancing with you is an incredibly beautiful experience and I want to savor this night.»

Merged with her, he could see the truth. She wanted to hug their time to her, hold on to it to take out later and replay, moment by moment, no matter what happened in the future. Her response brought a surge of hot blood that nearly destroyed his hard-won control, but along with it, his heart responded, a painful ache of longing to be loved by this woman.

His hand slid down to the small of her back to guide her to the dining room. He cleared his throat. «I hope we make many such memories together. I will enjoy every one.»

«Before anything else, I need to check on Terry and say hello to Gerald,» Lara said.

Nicolas felt the instinctive animalistic reaction swirling in his gut at the idea of Lara in a small room with her two mail friends. He nodded his head, forcing a smile. «Why not use the house phone to call them first? Make certain they are up to visitors?»

The hard knots in his belly relaxed when Gerald told her he's just gotten Terry to sleep and was going to bed. After reassurances all was well, Lara promised she'd come by earlier the next evening to see them.

Nicolas unashamedly used his influence to secure a table in the darkest, most secluded corner of the room. A single candle lit the table with a soft glow and he dimmed that as well as blurring their images to prevent anyone from interrupting their time together. He held the chair for Lara to slip into and then took the one closest to her, blocking her body from any prying eyes that might manage to slip through his thin shield.

Lara felt cocooned in Nicolas's heat, caught in a sexual web that seemed to only increase, even as he casually summoned the waitress.

«What looks good to you?» He ran the pads of his fingers up and down her bare arm in a slow caress, almost as if he didn't realize he was doing it.

Just the deep timbre of his voice sent a heat wave through her body and, in combination with his touch, she swore flames licked at her skin.

Lara cleared her throat. «Something light.» She wanted to leave, to be alone with him. She wanted desperately to explore the sensation of fingers trailing up and down her arm, all over her body, in her body. Desire rose so fast and sharp she felt the walls of her feminine sheath clench with slick, hot heat. «I'm not really very hungry.»

He murmured something to the waitress she didn't catch, didn't care. She could only look at him, the pure lust etched deep into his too-handsome face, the dark hunger in the depths of his eyes. Knowing it was there for her, that his entire focus was on her, added to the building excitement. Her nipples pushed

against the fabric of her dress, rubbing with each subtle movement.

Nicolas leaned toward her, and sent a stream of warm air bathing her breasts right through her dress. She felt the lick of his tongue curling around her nipple. Gasping, she drew back, color stealing into her face as she realized there was a small wet spot right over her engorged nipple.

«No one can see us,» he murmured. «I have to see you like this-wanting me.»

«I think you've managed to accomplish that already.» Even her voice was different. Husky. Sexually charged. An invitation. She couldn't take her eyes from him, mesmerized by the sheer, naked longing on his face. She had never, under any circumstances, imagined a man looking at her like that, let alone a man such as Nicolas De La Cruz. «You have this way of making me feel as if you are so focused on me you don't see another woman in the room.»

«Why would I want to see another woman? You are the only one who matters to me.» He continued to absently brush his fingers up and down her arm, absorbing the warm, silky texture of her skin. «You are my woman.»

His softly spoken tone, like black velvet rubbing over her exposed skin, caused her womb to clench and moisture to gather at the junction of her legs. She twisted her fingers together in her lap beneath the table as trembling began to work from her toes to her head. The music seemed to be playing in her head, or maybe it was the rush of her own blood keeping time with his.

She felt starstruck, unable to speak when her body was shaking with need of him.

Nicolas tugged on her arm until she gave up her hand. His long fingers stroked over the ridges on her wrist, now much fainter than they had been. «Promise me if I drive you to feel so hopeless again, if anything or anyone does, you will tell me.» He brought her hand to his chest, over his heart, his fingers still stroking those long caresses up and down her bare skin. «I know I am not an easy man to take, nor will I ever be, but I want only to secure your protection and happiness.»

She managed a nod. «I promise.»

He leaned closer to her, his lips inches from hers. «And I want to feel your body under mine and hear you scream with pleasure. I plan on taking my time, having you over and over all night long until neither one of us can stand up, until you cannot think, only feel. I want to give you every sensual experience that I can.» He brought her hand to his mouth. «I have waited several lifetimes for you, Lara.»

His voice was gentle, low and very sensual, his black gaze hooded, but there was nothing gentle in his eyes. Turbulent. A violent storm raging. A hunger that was so sharp and savage he looked ready to throw her onto the dining room table and rip her dress from her body. The thought added to the temperature rising fast inside of her. Between her legs she was so hot she felt on fire. He hadn't really touched her, yet she wanted him almost beyond imagining. The lines etched in his face spoke of control-only by a thread and a part of her wanted to shatter that control, to know what it was like to be thrown on the table and taken by a man whose hunger for her was insatiable.

She blushed and hastily looked down at the table as the waitress approached.

She cannot see you clearly. His voice brushed intimately against the walls of her mind, making her entire body tingle with awareness. She wanted to be out of the inn and into his bed. She could barely breathe anymore with desire swamping her.

The waitress placed the bowl of vegetable soup in front of her and left without speaking. Nicolas kept possession of her hand. Lara dipped the spoon in the bowl, took it out and then began making little waves with it.

«Are you afraid of me?»

Her gaze jumped to his. «Not of you. I've never had sex before. You seem very experienced.»

A slow smile softened the edge of his mouth. «I had many centuries to learn technique and speculate what I would want to do with my partner, should I ever be so lucky to have one. Our males can be quite obsessed with the idea of sex, but as a general rule, it is not fulfilling without our lifemate. Perhaps that is a safeguard for our women as well as the other women around us. My sexual appetite is raging and if just anyone could assuage it, I am not certain how long I could stay in complete control. We are not human, Lara, and we may appear tame and civilized, but we are not.»

He didn't look tame or civilized to her. He looked powerful and dangerous and far too sexy for a woman as inexperienced as she was. She wanted him with every fiber of her being.

«You have to eat so we can get out of here,» he reminded.

If that was what it took, she was willing. She scooped a little of the broth into the spoon and stared down at the bowl of soup. Her stomach lurched unexpectedly. «I don't think I'm as hungry as I thought I was.»

Nicolas frowned. He had given one blood exchange as well as giving her blood twice. She was already Carpathian enough that regular food wouldn't sit well with her, but she needed nourishment. She pushed the contents of the bowl aimlessly around. He very gently took it from her hand and held the broth to her mouth.

Lara shook her head. «I've always had a little trouble eating food. Usually soup is one thing I can get down as long as it is only vegetable, but the smell of it is making my stomach rebel. I honestly don't think I can.»

Nicolas reached with his free hand to curl his palm beneath the fall of silky hair to caress the nape of her neck. «You have to eat, Lara. You've had one complete blood exchange and taken my blood twice. You cannot go without sustenance. I'll help you hold it down.»

It was the last thing she wanted to do, but he was looking at her with his incredible eyes and she found herself nodding. In her heightened state of awareness, the slide of his mind against hers was almost sexual, a caress, much like the brushing of his fingers against her skin. Her breathing turned ragged. There were so many erotic fantasizes playing through his mind, and each one was more shocking than the last.

He certainly wanted to sweep the items off the table and lay her across it, peeling back her dress one inch at a time until he could see and touch her hot satin skin. Lara touched the tip of her tongue to her lips, fighting for breath when her lungs refused to work. His gaze held hers captive, never blinking, never looking away, until she felt consumed by him.

I think that will do. I cannot wait another moment. Can you walk out of here?

She blinked and looked down at the empty soup bowl. While she'd been examining the images in his

mind, he'd been feeding her, but as she had looked and fantasized herself, her rising desire had obviously affected him. She smiled at him and this time a good deal of the shyness was gone.

I can make it to the door if you can.

He held out his hand. Lara placed hers in it. The black eyes held hers a heartbeat longer.The moment I get you out of here, I'm stripping every last bit of clothing off of you. I want to feel you and see you, not just in my imagination, but the real thing .

There was a warning and a promise in his tone. He was back to being the dangerous predator and this time, she was his prey. The knowledge should have frightened her, but instead, her entire body reacted with heated anticipation. Along with that shiver of anticipation that crept down her spine, she felt the flush of arousal sweep through her body at the drawling caress in his voice.

He yanked open the door and they stepped out into the night, his hand on the small of her back, just at the base of her spine. His long fingers caressed the curve of her bottom under the thin material of the dress he'd fashioned for her. The fabric was heavy and burning against her sensitive skin. They hurried down the stairs into the street where snowflakes drifted down to melt against their hot bodies.

Nicolas didn't wait, impatient to touch her. He swept her up into his arms, cradled her against his chest, barely remembering to mask their presence when he took two running steps and leapt into the sky.

Lara looked up at his face, almost savagely beautiful, the lines so sensual, the dark eyes hooded and possessive. His arms were enormously strong, his body hot and hard. He buried his face against her neck as if he couldn't wait, not even until they were safely in their underground lair. His teeth scraped over her skin, his lips feathered back and forth, his tongue took small tastes that drove her crazy with every touch.

His breathing roughened, his black eyes filled with torment and shadow as he found her mouth with his. He kissed her like a man starved for more-as if she had become a craving he couldn't resist and he was desperate to have her. Their tongues danced, long, open-mouthed kisses she drowned in. The hot, sweet taste of him was addicting and Lara wrapped her arms around his neck, tunneling her fingers in his thick mane of hair.

The night sparkled. Above, the moon gleamed silver through the fluff of the gray clouds. Snowflakes drifted down, tiny white diamonds that floated lazily to the ground below. Beneath them was a white carpet of dazzling crystals spread across the meadows and draped over the tall trees. Even the shadows had a silvery shine to them.

Lara turned her face up to the night. She'd always felt so out of place unless she was caving, hiding by day so the sunlight couldn't touch her skin, and trying to keep others from noticing. Now, here in the mountains, with night closing her in, she felt truly alive for the first time. She turned her face up again for another kiss, melting against Nicolas, into him, burrowing as close as she could get.

Hayfields and crystallized bogs passed below as he swept her away, floating through the clouds, the flakes brushing her hair and skin and she turned her face up to try to catch the snow on her tongue. She laughed softly, happy and excited. Her body pulsed with heat from the slow, sultry teasing of his teeth and tongue driving her mad with desire.

I love this feeling. And she did. She wasn't in the least bit afraid when he set her down on the firm rock at the entrance to his lair.

Nicolas could barely breathe with wanting her. He stripped away her long, flowing dress before they were inside the cave, unable to wait one moment longer to be skin to skin. She stood at the entrance with the snow falling softly all around her, the moon sliding in and out of the gray clouds to illuminate the wealth of satin skin.

His lungs burned for air. A fire raged in his belly and spread to his groin. «Lift your arms over your head and turn around,» he instructed, his voice roughening.

Lara felt the power of being not only a lifemate, but a woman, in that moment. She stretched her arms above her head, a slow, graceful movement that lifted her breasts. She heard him growl, a deep rumbling that only added to the slick heat gathering between her legs. Her hair spilled around her face and flowed down her back, a silky, sensual slide that added to the gathering heat.

His gaze burned over her, making the ache in her body grow with each passing second. She began a slow turn, just a little self-conscious, watching the tension in his face, watching as each muscle tensed, grew taut. He stepped toward her and her mouth went dry.

«You are so beautiful, Lara.»

He made her feel beautiful whether she was or not. He made her feel sexy, the only woman alive that could make him burn. He crowded her close to the cave entrance, his body aggressive. Her hands came up to press against his chest. He caught both wrists and slid her palms down the heavy muscles of his chest. As he did so, his clothing was gone, leaving behind hard, hot skin. Beneath her palms, his stomach muscles tightened and knotted in anticipation.

Her breath caught in her throat. She gasped at the heat pouring from him. Her gaze slid down his taut body.

«Look at me.»

At the rough command, her gaze jumped back to his eyes. The dark arousal caught and held her there as he continued to press her palms down his body to his heavy, aching erection. Her lungs burned as he closed her fingers around the thick, hard shaft, pulsing with life, with hunger, with such need. The naked lust blazing in the dark depths of his eyes nearly had her body rippling with shock. She felt her deep response, slick hot heat, her inner muscles contracting and spasming, desperate for him.

«Do you know what I want from you?»

She shook her head, unable to look away from the demand in his eyes.

«Complete surrender,fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso . Beloved, nothing less. I want everything you are. That is who I am.»

She had known all along he would want that. Her fingers stroked caresses along the thick shaft. He felt like velvet-encased steel, so hard, jerking and pulsing compulsively beneath her exploration. She traced each beloved line with the tips of her fingers, wanting so many things.

«Taking my blood is a part of Carpathian lovemaking.»

He refused to release her from his black, demanding gaze. «There can be no compromise here, Lara. Not for either one of us. You have to trust me with your body or we can wait until you do.»

She was suddenly afraid. She shivered with need, her body desperate for release, her mind craving him, wanting the experiences his hot gaze promised. He would accept nothing less than total surrender, putting herself into his hands and trusting that he wouldn't do anything she couldn't cope with. His mind was left open to hers, allowing her to see every erotic image, everything he wanted from her. Color swept up her neck, into her face, but she didn't look away. She wanted whatever he would give her, but along with the hot kisses and his body possessing hers, she saw clearly how he planned to seduce her into accepting his taking of her blood.

«If I can't?»

He bent his head to hers, holding her gaze captive. «Then we will certainly enjoy ourselves along the way.»

She didn't pull back, instead, she turned her face up to his. His mouth was hard and hot and demanding, sweeping her into a storm of desire so that she shuddered beneath his kisses. His lips moved over her face, tracing each detail, her high cheekbones, her smooth jaw, the small dimple in her chin and then took possession of her mouth again.

He lifted her into his arms again, never breaking the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing as close as she could get, rubbing her body along his, desperate to relieve the building pressure deep inside of her. She was so wet, so hot, so frantic to have him.

Nicolas took her through the tunnels fast, straight to the chamber where the large bed stood. As he lowered her to the mattress, he waved his hand toward two soft candles, wanting to see her face, to see the need there for him. She reached for him and he caught her hands and pinned them to the mattress.

«Do not move.» It was a hiss of a command.

He bent over her, drinking in her body, sprawled across his bed, open for his exploration. He actually trembled, hot lust clawing at his stomach and pouring into his groin. He knelt on the bed, still locking her wrists to either side of her head. Very slowly he lowered his head, forcing himself to be patient, to slowly savor the texture of her skin.

He nibbled his way down her throat to the curve of her breast. She writhed beneath him, her hips bucking, a flush spreading across her body.

«I'm so sensitive.»

He smiled as he flicked his tongue over her nipple. «You are supposed to be.»

Lara gasped, unable to comprehend anything but the feel and need driving her. The sensation of his tongue and teeth rasping against her nipple sent electricity arcing to her belly and thighs, and sizzling deep within her feminine core.

He took her breast deep into his mouth, suckled strongly, teeth scraping with deliberate intent along her nipple. She cried out, arching her back, unable to remain still as he ordered. The combination of pain and pleasure sent shock waves rippling through her system. His mouth was relentless, driving her wild. He took his time, dividing his attention between her breasts, flicking his tongue fast and hard, then suddenly using slow, long licks as if savoring each stroke.

His fingers slid down her arms to caress the sides of her breasts before cupping the soft weight in his palms. His fingers tugged until she came off the bed with frantic little whimpers of mindless pleading.

She wasn't holding back at all. She left herself, mind, heart and body open to him and it was humbling. She trusted him with her body and her trust was a priceless, overwhelming gift. After everything he had done, she gave herself wholly into his keeping, trusting him to know what he could and couldn't do, trusting him to stretch her limits without going too far. More than anything, he wanted to be worthy of her faith in him.

His mouth moved over her skin, down her flat stomach to dip and play in her belly button. He felt a rush of desire for her so strong it shook him. He had always known that when he found his lifemate, he would want-no, need-to rule her until the dawn broke, yet never once had it occurred to him that he would feel the intensity of love. It shook him as nothing else could, the need to worship her body, show her with his body without words, how he felt.

His need was no longer about the lust driving him so hard. It was no longer about sating his own appetite for her. He needed to love her with every touch of his hand. Every stroke of his tongue. Every thrust of his body. He wasn't a gentle man. He didn't have pretty words to tell her how wrong he'd been. He only had his body and the terrible love that shook him beyond anything he'd ever known.

Her skin was warm silk, so soft he wanted to burrow deep. She tasted like the night, clean and perfect and so damned beautiful it made his heart ache. He caught her thighs in his hands, pulling them apart, stopping for a moment just to drink her in.

Lara's face was flushed, head tossing side to side on the pillows, her breasts heaving, her hips bucking. She didn't try to hide her reaction to his touch and her stark need of him made him want her even more.

Lara looked at him, his expression almost savage as he lay between her legs. His black eyes glittered, even glowed a little. More than once she'd felt the scrape of his teeth over her skin-over every pulse point. Her heart had thundered in alarm, but he never broke the skin or took advantage of the frantic desperation building inside of her. Now he looked a conquistador, his midnight-black hair spilling around his face, lines etched deep, his sensual mouth set in firm, ruthless lines. He slowly bent his head and she stopped breathing.

His mouth clamped over her, tongue stabbing deep and she heard her own keening wail. He licked her like a tiger, almost an attack, not the gentle lapping of a kitten, but long, rasping strokes that stole her mind. He held her down when she tried to crawl off the mattress, black edges around the exploding stars in her mind. She felt the edge of his teeth nipping and scraping at the pounding beat of her pulse, so deep inside of her-and somehow fear added another dimension to her pleasure.

Lara shuddered, the firestorm in the center of her body building until it was out of control. She couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't stop the pressure. She thrashed beneath his marauding mouth, the wicked tongue and teeth that drove her higher and higher. And then his finger slipped into her channel and her hips bucked wildly as every muscle tightened to the point of pain. His tongue fluttered against her most sensitive spot.

She cried out his name, her hands fisting in his hair, holding him to her as her body flew apart, the flames scorching her from the inside out, burning white-hot and spreading like a storm from her center to her breasts and down her thighs.

Before she could catch her breath, Nicolas knelt between her thighs, lifting her legs over his arms, the

thick head of his erection pressed tightly against her entrance. He felt hard and hot, yet velvet encased, adding to the building inferno. Her breath caught in her lungs and she stared up at his face, carved deep with sensual lines as he began to invade her. He slid deeper, slow inch by slow inch, stretching her tight muscles, forcing his way through the stranglehold of hot slick wails, sending lightning whipping through her body.

Lara gasped when he halted, coming to the barrier of innocence.

«Breathe for me, han ku kuulua sivamet . Take a breath and relax.»

Keeper of my heart. The words in his native language were beautiful when he uttered them, soft and tender, turning her heart over. She forced her body to relax. Nicolas surged forward, the bite of pain increasing her sensitivity so that her nails bit deep into his shoulders as she tried to anchor herself.

He began to move, long hard strokes that sent flashes of heat spiraling over her body, searing her thighs and scorching her belly. Her muscles tightened more, clamping around him as he plunged even deeper, angling her body so the friction on her most sensitive spot was hot, demanding and never let up. She felt the pressure gathering and building until she was afraid she might lose her mind.

He picked up the pace, pistoning into her, the sound of flesh meeting flesh loud in the silence of the cave. Her breath came in gasps as the fire continued to build, stretching her beyond her ability to cope. She could only plead for release in between breathing raggedly. She was going to burn from the inside out, just go up in flames or die from sheer pleasure if he didn't stop.

She heard his heart thundering in her ears. Her mouth filled with the taste of him and her teeth lengthened, pressing against her lips. Before she could think, before she could fear her own reaction, he reared back, then began a harder rhythm, pounding into her, that drove everything but pleasure from her mind. She was burning alive, screaming, as her body nearly convulsed, clamping down on him to squeeze and milk.

He yelled hoarsely, emptying himself into her, leaning over her, his eyes glowing hot with flames, his teeth in evidence. He made no attempt to hide from her dazed, shocked stare. Aftershocks rocked her as he bent slowly to her neck. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, even with her body still shuddering with pleasure. A part of her screamed inside, another part wanted to feel his teeth sink into her neck.

His lips feathered over her pulse. She felt the teasing scrape of his teeth, but he never penetrated her skin. He kissed his way up her neck to the corner of her mouth and when he smiled at her, his teeth had receded.

Still buried deep, he moved and sent electricity arcing through her all over again.

«I can't move.»

«You do not have to move. It is going to be a long, pleasurable night,parafertiilm ,» he promised softly.

Chapter 13

Lara stood at the wide entrance to the cave, listening to the soft melody coming from within. Women's voices. The faint sounds produced instant memories of her aunts singing to her when she was alone and distressed, deep in the maze of caves beneath the ice mountain. For a moment, she stopped to listen.

«I know this song. It's a lullaby,» she said. «It sounds beautiful in the Carpathian language. I used to sing it for the children in the camps where I lived. When I realized no one understood the language I switched to the English version. I was never certain exactly what the last line meant, but the melody and lyrics always comforted me, and also the children I sang to.»

«The song is sung by mothers before the child is out of the womb,» he explained. «While the mother is waiting until the night she can hold her child in her arms.»

Nicolas sang to her in a melodious voice, one that sent touches of heat streaking along with the comfort. Tumtesz o wake ku pitasz belso. Hiszasz sivadet. En olenam g?idnod. Sas csecsemom, kunasz. Rauho jo?e ted. Tumtesz o sivdobbanas ku olen lamt3ad belso. Gond-kumpadek ku kim te. Pesanak te, asti o juti, kidusz .

She interpreted the lullaby. «Feel the strength you hold inside. Trust your heart, I'll be your guide. Hush my baby, close your eyes. Peace will come to you. Feel the rhythm deep inside. Waves of love that cover you, protect, until the night you rise.» She looked at him. «What does that last line mean?»

«So many women were losing their babies,» Nicolas said. «Women tell them that love will protect them until they are ready to be born, to come into our night.»

«It's so beautiful.»

Everything about the night seemed beautiful now. Nicolas had spent hour after hour making love to her, seemingly insatiable. They had taken a short break to enter the warmth of the mineral pool, only to have him take her there as well. He knew every inch of her body and the hot look he gave her made her blush, as if, with just a small encouragement, he might take her right there at the entrance to the women's cave.

«I don't really feel like I belong here, Nicolas.» She twisted her fingers together. «I don't know anyone. Natalya isn't going to be here.»

It wasn't that she was terribly shy, but gathering with the Carpathian women at such an emotional time, when she already felt raw and emotional was a little daunting.

«Raven asked for all women to attend and she asks very little of our people.»

«I don't think she meant me. She doesn't even know me.»

«Everyone knows about you, Lara. This is a very small community and we share a common communication path. When she put out the call for all the women to join her, she definitely meant you as well. I would attend with you, but it is a woman's ceremony.»

«Natalya's a woman,» she said stubbornly, under her breath. «And she isn't coming.»

Nicolas framed her face with both hands. «I know I am asking a lot of you, Lara, but this is an ancient ceremony and one small detail may help you remember more of what you saw in the ice cave. Our children rarely survive the womb, let alone outside. They cannot go to ground as they should where the parents can protect them. Our women cannot even provide food for them. We need to know why these

things are happening and you might have valuable clues that will aid us. This could be the single most important time for our people.»

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. «I can't make the memories come back. When I look too hard, everything is just a blank slate.»

«Protection for you,» Nicolas said. «But your aunts were not hiding these things from our people. If that were so, they would have erased your memories, not preserved them.»

«Nicolas?» A woman materialized quite close to them. «Is this Lara?» She smiled in welcome, her face unlined and serene, in spite of the strain she had to be under. Her hair was bright red and hung in one thick, elaborate braid down her back. «I'm Shea Dubrinsky, Lara, Jacques is my lifemate. We can't thank you enough for coming. Nicolas tells us that you may be able to give us a few more pieces to the puzzle to help us find our answers.»

Lara took a deep breath, glanced at Nicolas and then back to Shea. «I can't just conjure up the memories, but I catch a glimpse now and then. If it helps, I'm more than happy to tell you about them.»

«We do plan to enter the ice cave as early as tomorrow evening,» Nicolas added. «If you can give us that extra time, by aiding Raven and Savannah to hold on a little longer, there is the possibility of finding out more clues.»

Shea frowned. «I've been researching this problem for some time. We know at this point we're working against a combination of things, including toxicities in the soil. In order for the soil to rejuvenate and heal us, we absorb necessary minerals through our skin. Every area has different minerals and various levels of richness, but we're finding more and more toxins as well. Our species is tied to the earth and we can't survive without the soil. If Xavier introduced something, a compound, a parasite that over the centuries has slowly killed our species, if we find out what it is, I believe we have a chance to combat it.»

Shea was trained as a doctor and a researcher before Jacques claimed her.

«I have a memory of Xavier when I was about seven or eight, just a glimpse of a woman who must have just lost her baby. There was soil in the room with her. Xavier was very pleased that she lost the child.»

Small lines appeared along Shea's forehead as her brows drew together. «He has had several centuries to perfect his attacks.»

«Or introduce something that took place over time,» Nicolas suggested. «I have to take my leave.» He bowed low in a gesture of respect toward Shea. «We have a warriors' council this night.»

She made a face at him. «The all-important 'keep the women at home barefoot-and-pregnant,' council? Yes, I'd say you have decisions to make. Maybe I should stay home and forget all about my research, just leave it to Gregori and Gary. I do have a son to take care of.»

Lara frowned. «I don't understand.»

«Nicolas didn't tell you? The men are having a meeting tonight and discussing whether or not women should be allowed-allowed-to fight vampires, or whether we would do much better staying home having babies.»

«I believe it would be a good idea to leave now,» Nicolas said, and cupped Lara's face in his hands,

bending to kiss her right in front of Shea.

Lara blushed, but she kissed him back, her eyes shining. Before she could protest or ask questions, he began to shift. He wasn't going to debate with Shea Dubrinsky over whether or not women should be out fighting vampires. It was going to be a heated enough discussion between the men. It was not a decision any of them would take lightly, but something had to be done to save their species. He sent Lara a wave of warmth and disappeared into the night.

Lara stared after him, not quite believing that he'd abandoned her to a group of strangers. Besides, she frowned after him, he'd taken the coward's way out and left before she could voice an opinion on the issue of men allowing or not allowing anything a woman did.

Of course I will listen to your opinion.

The intimacy of his voice made her blush all over again.Don't leave me too long .

I will return as quickly as possible.

She could hear the reassurance in his voice and it made her smile as she looked down the tunnel leading to the deeper chamber inside the cavern. «Are there many women here?»

«At the moment, we have about a dozen so we're more than glad that you have joined us. There aren't that many of us here in the mountains. We've had to send delegates to the warriors' council to speak for us as well as report back to us. Unfortunately, the men may have a legitimate argument and if so, we'd all like to hear it so we can have a chance to agree or disagree for ourselves.»

It was obvious to Lara, Shea was trying to keep an open mind, but the subject irritated her. According to Nicolas, she was a modern woman who had gone through medical school, had a reputation as a valued researcher and felt the men were moving the women backward instead of forward, but she was trying to be fair and wait to hear all the facts. Lara liked her.

Shea waved her hand toward the interior. «Let me introduce you to the others.»

Lara followed her down the narrow, winding tunnel that led deeper beneath the mountain. Like the caverns Nicolas occupied, this one was warm rather than part of the network of ice caves beneath the glacier and as they descended into the depths, the warmth increased. Sconces lit the way, small flickering subdued lights that glowed rather than danced. The muted lights played across the crystal growths in tunnel walls. Varied with color and shape, the lights created a dizzying display, making the wall almost surreal. In the dreamlike state, she felt almost as if she was walking backward through time to the warmth and safety of the womb.

As she entered the main chamber where the women were gathering, the illusion became even stronger. Two women, Raven and Savannah, lay in the center where black soil, rich in minerals, covered their bodies. Around them, in a loose semi-circle, women had gathered to sing the Carpathian lullaby softly, swaying back and forth as if rocking a baby.

Two other women, one tall and elegant and one thin, young and very fragile-looking, stood on the outer edges of the soil, hands lifted, both singing a soft, melodious rhythm as they moved their feet in an intricate pattern.

«Syndil and Skyler,» Shea whispered. «They rejuvenate the earth itself. They're calling on the minerals

and healing properties to come forth to aid us in saving our children. Both have been invaluable in restoring toxin-free soil to us. Skyler is working as Syndil's apprentice and already, she's very good.»

It was a beautiful sight, the two women performing an ancient ritual of cleansing the earth, and calling on Mother Nature to help save their children. Lara listened to the introductions, but all the while she was watching the ceremony, her heart swelled, and her mind followed every graceful sway of hands and feet. She knew the ceremony, in some part of her mind. The phrases were familiar to her, the rhythm and patterns, as if long before she was born she had been given the tools to cleanse the earth.

Her feet ached to join the two women, her hands fluttered, rising to trace a flowing arc in the air. She felt the pulse of the earth beneath her. Her heart began to change rhythm to match the song and the beat. Oh yes, the words were there, ancient and beautiful and filled with the power of women.

Oh, Mother Nature, we are your beloved daughters. Lara dipped low, bowing out of respect, her feet turning of their own accord to pick up the graceful spin Syndil and Skyler completed on two of the four corners surrounding Raven and Savannah. Instinctively, Lara took the third corner.We dance to heal the earth. We sing to heal the earth. We join with you now. Our hearts and minds and spirits become one .

The music was already there in her soul. But they needed a fourth. The other women danced and sang, their voices growing in strength, but they needed one more voice. They weren't strong enough. Lara looked to Syndil, a faint frown on her face. They needed to adjust their footing. «Do you feel it?»

A hush fell over the women. The warm cave pulsed with the suspension of power. Lara should have felt embarrassed to have all eyes on her. She had never done this before. She wasn't certain she was right, but something felt-off. She looked to Syndil. Power emanated from the woman, vibrated in the air around her. Her aura even pulsated.

Syndil frowned. «The dance is off balance, but there is little we can do about that.» She glanced at Skyler. «What do you think?»

«It's working, but it's not exact.» The teenager shrugged. «We can only do the best we can do. We need four and we have only the three of us.»

Syndil nodded. «I adjust the dance and notes of the song by the amount of toxins I feel through the soles of my feet. With this soil we have to be especially careful because we're preparing it for the babies.»

Lara nodded, still frowning. She raised her hand to feel the power pulsating through the room. «Some of the weaves are off a bit. We need a fourth weaver.»

«There is no one. The others can contribute to the power, but they can't produce the healing song of the earth.»

«There is no other from your lineage?» she asked Syndil.

Syndil shook her head. «Not that I know of. We suspect Skyler is of the Dragonseeker line, but we don't know. She heard the earth screaming, so if she isn't, she, like me, is empathic toward the earth.»

«She has Dragonseeker eyes,» Lara agreed.

Skyler's eyes were too old in her young face. And Lara could see traces of Razvan there. This then, was

probably one of the children Xavier had forced Razvan's body to produce in order to feed off of her blood. Somehow, the girl had ended up with the Carpathian race. The thought was unsettling and for a moment she wanted the comfort of Nicolas's arms. Without thinking, she reached for him. At once he was there.

You have need of me?

She felt foolish. She wasn't about to lose a child, yet she was shivering because a teenage girl had the eyes of her father.No. No. Everything is fine .

You have only to touch my mind with yours, Lara. I am with you.

His reassurance made her feel safe and comforted and for the first time in her life she felt as if she belonged.

I'm fine. This time she said it with conviction. She spoke directly to Raven, meeting her troubled gaze squarely. «We need Natalya.»

The women all looked at one another. «Natalya is a warrior. She says she cannot feel the earth,» Shea said. «She doesn't have the sensitivity for it.»

Lara's eyebrow shot up. «Really? Is that what she said?»

Shea and Raven exchanged a long look and then Raven frowned. «Mikhail told me she could not heal the earth in the way her family could. Is that not true?»

Lara pursed her lips. «Natalya pulses with power. I would be shocked if she could not.»

«Call her in,» Raven said.

«She's at the warriors' council, speaking for us,» Shea reminded.

«Call her back,» Raven said again, and this time it was a command. «If there is hope to save these children, then this is far more important than the discussion going on with the men. In the end, Mikhail will come to a decision on whether women will fight with their men or not and we will all abide by it.»

No one was going to point out that the reason they needed Natalya at the meeting was to make certain their voices were heard. Raven rarely-if ever-pulled rank as Mikhail's wife, but there was no doubt she wanted Natalyasummoned .

Raven's face was streaked with tears, and her anguish weighed heavily on the women. Raven had survived one loss, and now another child was slipping away. Beside her, Savannah was pale and drawn, closing her eyes, concentrating on holding her babies to her.

Both women could communicate with their unborn children, which made the loss all the more difficult to face. The babies were real, with personalities already developing.

«Call her now, Shea,» Raven insisted.

Shea reached out to Razvan's twin.

«Why is Shea reluctant to call her back,» Lara whispered to Syndil.

«Natalya is different,» Syndil answered. «She's the oldest surviving female Dragonseeker and as such, her blood is extremely powerful. Beyond that, she is a force to contend with in every other way and she walks her own path. I think having to hide from Xavier, she became a loner over the years. She's always pleasant and respectful, but she has a tendency to keep to herself. One rarely sees her without Vikirnoff.»

Lara wasn't surprised that Natalya was a loner. Natalya exuded the air of a very confident woman, but she was Razvan's sister and the granddaughter of one of the most evil men ever born. She'd most likely spent her earlier years looking over her shoulder and afraid to trust anyone at all. Lara wasn't certain she could overcome her own traumatic childhood in order to commit fully to Nicolas. She could certainly understand her aunt's reticence.

Natalya strode in with her easy, casual grace, her blue-green eyes wide with questions. «Raven? You have need of me?»

Raven nodded. «Lara and Syndil feel you are the only one to aid us in this and I am-we are– desperateto save our children.»

Natalya glanced around the cave and then to Lara. «I don't have any experience in healing rituals, but if you tell me what to do, I'll do my best.»

Raven let out her breath. «Thank you, Natalya.»

Savannah's long lashes lifted. Her eyes were swimming with tears. «My daughters thank you as well. They're trying to hold on, but my body is rejecting them.» She wrapped both arms around her middle and rocked gently. «I tell them I want them to stay with me, but they feel my body attacking them.»

Raven nodded. «I can't bear to lose another child.»

The naked sorrow in her voice tore at Lara's heart. A tall, elegant woman with waist-length thick black hair immediately knelt between the two pregnant women, laying a hand on either of them.

«Francesca,» Natalya supplied. «Lifemate to Gabriel, healer, and adopted mother to Skyler. She's an amazing woman. Now tell me what you want me to do.»

Lara was happy to have her there. She didn't know any of the women, and looking at Skyler was like looking at herself as a young girl. A little lost. Very much alone. Traumatized. The teenager made her feel exposed. Natalya was clearly a puzzle to the women, although it was obvious they admired her.

«This is about healing the earth first,» Syndil explained. «We've found the richest soil we could and have coaxed more minerals in it, but we have to heal it from all toxins.»

«And parasites,» Lara muttered under her breath.

Shea spun around. «What did you say?»

Lara wished she hadn't spoken, but they were all looking at her expectantly. She pressed her fingers against her suddenly throbbing temple. «I'm sorry. I was thinking out loud.»

«No, I need to know what you said,» Shea insisted.

Lara shrugged. She didn't want to talk about her childhood, or even think about it. «Xavier always experimented with parasites. He was never satisfied with them and always looked for ways to use them. He once said they had been more useful than any of his most gifted mages. I can't imagine that he would do anything without that being his first thought. He could create toxins for the soil, but what if he created a parasite that entered the host body and prevented pregnancy?»

Francesca stood up slowly, her eyes meeting Shea's over the tops of both Raven's and Savannah's heads.

«We checked for foreign microbes. We scan the bodies of the women all the time,» Shea said. «Gregori would never miss something like that.»

«Maybe,» Lara said, «but Xavier is a master at working with microscopic amoebas. And when you're dancing to heal the earth, you're looking for modern-day toxins.»

Shea frowned. «Do you have any idea how many toxins are found in a newborn's umbilical cord or in breast milk? The soil is what we live in, what rejuvenates us, yet our children can't go to ground with us or use the most perfect nutritious milk nature can provide. I could name every chemical we've found in the soil, most of which cause cancer and…»

Raven laid a restraining hand on her sister-kin's arm. «Lara, our water supply and our soil are fed from the purest of sources, the glacier. Even with that, Syndil has to heal the earth.»

«I'm just saying maybe your glacier isn't the purest of sources. Xavier owns the ice caves. The caves run for miles beneath the mountains, an entire city really. His mountain is above your homes and his glacier feeds your water supply and seeps into your soil. You've discounted him because you think he's dead. Well, he's not. No one is going to kill him. And he hates the Carpathian people. If he could have, he would have found a way to introduce something into your systems to make your bodies reject a pregnancy.»

Lara ran a hand through her hair. «I'm not saying it isn't modern toxins, I'm only saying you might want to look to your past for answers as well.»

She couldn't believe she was voicing her opinion to the circle of women. Growing up outside the ice caves, she had stayed under the radar by remaining as quiet and meek as possible. She had learned that if she wanted to remain with a family or in a camp, she had to keep from being noticed-not too easy when her hair banded with color and her eyes changed as well. The gypsies she had been with had been kind to her, but they were superstitious and her strange appearance along with her psychic abilities often made her unwelcome.

«Don't be uncomfortable,» Francesca encouraged. «We need as many new ideas as possible.»

«Well, Xavier isn't just a possibility as far as I'm concerned, he's done something to cause this. He might be spreading toxins to the land, and the water, but I would bet my life that he introduced something to Carpathian women that cause them to reject their children.»

«We checked the women thoroughly,» Francesca said. «And not everyone has the problem.»

«Let's get this started again,» Syndil said. «Raven and Savannah need rich soil to aid them in strengthening their bodies.»

«Oh, my God!» Shea spun around, wide-eyed, her gaze meeting Francesca's. «We've checked the women, but men determine the sex of the child, both in human and in Carpathian. We didn't check the men. Our problems started with a disproportionate number of male children.»

Francesca obviously tried to suppress her own excitement, opting for caution after so many disappointments. «Maybe. It's logical, but we have to continue to explore every avenue open to us.»

Shea nodded her head several times, but squeezed Raven's hand. «We're going to help Syndil and the others make this the best soil possible for you and Savannah,» she said. «And then I'm going to my laboratory and figure this out. All you have to do is hold on a little longer.»

Raven nodded, but there were white lines around her mouth and desperation in her eyes. Lara had to look away from the open grief on her face.

Some of the other women must have seen Raven's face. They once again formed their loose semi circle. A fire in the corner held a large pot and Francesca put several large stones of various composition into the water along with bunches of the small blue flowers and the bitterroot mandragora. While she added other herbs and ingredients, several other women lit aromatic candles. At once the scents of lavender and jasmine filled the air. The women began to sing the Carpathian lullaby.

Lara found herself joining them, lifting her voice, feeling the overwhelming sense of love for the unborn children, calling to them to stay in the womb, safe and protected, waiting until the moment they were born and could be held in loving arms.

Power surged in the room and it held a subtle difference. Feminine energy was every bit as potent as male, but it held roots of nurturing and compassion. Part mage as she was, Lara was very sensitive to the differences, sorting through individual threads and finding that the layers being woven around Raven and Savannah held genuine love and absolute harmony. The women had come together with one purpose-to save the babies-and no matter how each was different, from different backgrounds, their minds and hearts held the exact same objective and intent.

The strength of the combined women was amazing. She felt bolstered by it and encouraged not just to be part of the amazing sisterhood, but to feel balanced and confident in herself and the others as a whole.

Lara looked around the cavern at all the women, drinking in the sight, soaking in the feeling of unity. Power lived in each of them, as it did in all living things and they gathered that positive energy and used it for the best of all purposes-saving lives.

She added her voice, a soft melodious plea, a soothing comfort to the unborn children. The women connected, so that they could feel each other, close in their minds, and they also felt Raven and Savannah, and through them, the children.

Savannah's two daughters were nestled close, listening intently and trying to ignore the spasms that occasionally clamped down on them. Raven's child was a boy. Her body was desperately trying to abort, laboring hard to rid itself of the intruder. The boy was in great distress, torn between fighting to stay with his mother, and gaining peace by leaving. Raven crooned softly to him, rocking gently, her empty arms folded over him as if she was cradling him.

Syndil signaled to Skyler to take her position at the corner of the immense bed of soil prepared for the two pregnant women. Natalya and Lara took the lower corners. A hush fell over the cave until the only

sound heard was Raven's labored breathing.

Syndil's arms rose into the air and the other three women followed suit. Her feet began a pattern of dancing, her body swaying gracefully as her hands flowed in elegant lines. Skyler waited several heartbeats, humming the melody in perfect tune with Syndil until her feet took up the rhythm and she started the first line of the chant two lines behind Syndil. Lara took her cue from Skyler, waiting instinctively until her feet and hands, of their own volition, began to move. She felt the song of healing rising from inside to burst out. The air shimmered with power. And then Natalya joined them.

Their voices rose in song and they danced an intricate pattern to the sound of their bare feet patting the dirt as if drawing music from the very center of the earth. Lara felt the song, felt the dance, through the soles of her feet. She knew each step before she took it, each graceful movement of her hand and sway of her body before she made it. The song was loud in her mind, in perfect harmony with the other three dancers, perfectly tuned to the notes of the earth itself.

Oh, Mother Nature, we are your beloved daughters. We dance to heal the earth. We sing to heal the earth. We join with you now. Our hearts and minds and spirits become one.

As she sang the song, this time it was right, the women merging into one unit with the earth, in accord with the sky above them and the hot core beneath them.

Oh, Mother Nature, we are your beloved daughters. We pay homage to our mother and call upon the North… Syndil bowed low and swept into a circle.South , Skyler repeated the move in perfect synchronization with Syndil.East . Lara dipped low, a sign of respect, spinning with the other two women as Natalya went next.West . All four women completed the fourth bow and turned at the exact same moment.Above and below and within as well .

Power burst through the chamber, alive now, visible threads linking all of the women in the room, drawing on their energy.

Our love of the land heals that which is in need. We join with you now, earth to earth. The cycle of life is complete.

The soil warmed beneath their feet. Raven and Savannah gasped as the wave of heat washed over them. The color of the soil darkened even more into a rich, fertile black, sparkling with minerals.

Lara felt the joy of the earth through the soles of her bare feet, moving up through her legs to infuse her body with strength and happiness. As part of a cosmic whole she was one with the women, one with the universe and had a complete feeling of confidence and accord. For that one moment in time, she had no fears, no vulnerabilities, part of a greater whole. She was flooded with almost a euphoric feeling of well-being, transcended by the energy and peace surrounding her.

The dancers stopped swaying and the women buried their hands in the richness of the fertile soil, far more valuable to them then the richest gold mine. They all should have been drained and weary, but the soil infused them with energy.

Syndil's face reflected the joy Lara was feeling, her eyes shining with wonder.

«This is what our soil should be for our women,» Syndil said. «And with four of us, we can do so much now.»

«I feel a difference already,» Savannah said, relieved. «My cramps are far less.»

Raven bit her lip and shook her head. «It isn't helping me. The contractions are getting stronger.» Despair was in her voice.

Lara, one with the other women, reached to connect with the child. Fear swamped her mind, pain followed. She had the sensation of being torn from her safe haven. She choked back a ragged cry. The little boy was conscious of what was happening to him and he kept reaching out to his mother.

Raven tried to shield him from the pain and the continual battering on his tiny body. More than the physical assault against him, Lara felt the subtle flow of something else. She frowned, glanced at Natalya and then the others to see if they caught it as well. They were all caught in the same fear and grief of losing the child.

Lara touched her tongue to her suddenly dry lips, reaching instinctively for Nicolas. At once he was there, his warmth surrounding her, his strength giving her confidence. Steadied, she took a breath and let it out, trying to follow the thread of dark influence working against both child and mother. Before she could find the source, the child slipped farther away.

Raven began to cry, deep wrenching sobs that tore at Lara's heart. «I can't lose another child. He's too tiny to send into the next life without a mother. I have to go with him.»

A collective gasp went up and the women visibly paled.

«You cannot,» Shea stated. «Absolutely not.»

«Mother,» Savannah protested.

«Raven,» Francesca's voice was the sound of calm. «If you choose to follow your son, Mikhail will follow you into the next world. Our people need both of you. You are distraught and not thinking straight.»

Raven continued to weep brokenly. Shea sank down into the soil beside her, wrapping her arms around her while Savannah clasped her hand.

«I don't understand what that means, that Mikhail will follow her,» Lara whispered to Natalya.

«Lifemates cannot exist without one another. If Raven chooses the next life with her child, Mikhail will have no choice but to follow, or he will turn vampire. This cannot be a choice for Raven, especially with Mikhail. He is our leader. Unless Savannah could take his place, our enemies have won and our species will be extinct.»

Lara went very still, fingers of fear trickling down her spine. Nicolas could have turned vampire. She had left the world by her own choice, never fully understanding the dire consequences to him or to the people around him. He had never said a word to her, not one word of recrimination. Nicolas was an experienced hunter. Had he turned, he would have killed many before he was destroyed.

She scooped more of the rich soil into her fists as she looked at Raven's tear-streaked face. «You cannot take the chance with your lifemate's life.» As she had done. Selfishly, without thought of the consequences to anyone else.

Looking around the chamber at the women gathered together to heal the earth and to save the lives of

three children, she realized that each person was valuable in their own way, that each contributed to the greater good. She was part of the circle of life just as Nicolas was, just as Raven and the unborn children were. Each of them was special and important and had a contribution to make. Maybe none of them knew what it was, but they had to revere life-fight for it-count each individual as important.

«Raven, you're needed here by so many,» she murmured aloud, understanding for the first time that individuals made up the whole. «We would all be diminished by your passing.»

«I need you,» Savannah said, gripping her mother's arm. «I need you with me. I'm your daughter. If you only have me, aren't I worth staying here for?» She looked panic-stricken, very white in contrast to the black soil. «Mom, you can't leave me.»

«I know. I know.» Raven put her arms around her daughter. «I just can't bear losing another child. He's so tiny and he wants to live. He's so far away.»

Francesca caught her arms, gave her a little shake. «Raven, look at me.» She waited until Raven focused on her. «You re panicking. You have to be calm so he can stay calm. You have to believe we can save him so he'll believe it.»

«It hurts him and he's in shock,» Raven protested.

«I know, honey. And you're feeling his pain and his fear and it's amplifying your own, but that won't help him. We can. All of us. Look around you. We're all here with you. We'll help.»

Savannah nodded her head. «I'll help, too, and so will the twins.»

Lara reached again for the thread. «There is a dark art at work here. I feel it when I connect with you and the child. You're being influenced to give up and so is your son. You have to fight back, Raven. Don't let Xavier have this child. Don't let him take you and the boy. Buy me some time.»

Francesca and Shea whipped their heads around to stare at her in shock. «Are you certain?» Francesca demanded. «Really certain?»

«It's subtle but it's there. Believe me, I can recognize Xavier's influence anywhere, no matter how light his touch is.»

«I need to feel what you're feeling,» Francesca said. «Natalya? Do you feel it?»

Natalya went very still. She nodded slowly. «Yes, she's right. And the same influence is working in Savannah as well. Not as strong yet, because the twins are merging to bolster their strength, but the weave of dark art is attacking them as well. They won't be able to hold out against it if it continues, at least not until they're ready to be born.»

Savannah placed both arms protectively around her stomach. «What can we do?»

«We have to destroy whatever is attacking them,» Francesca said.

«Should I call Gregori back?»

«And Mikhail?» Raven's voice wavered.

Lara frowned. «We can't take the chance of it retreating once it feels the threat of a male. Carpathian men are the protectors and guardians. It doesn't perceive us as a threat.»

«Can you follow it?» Natalya asked. «Because if you can give me a target, I can destroy it.» She spoke with absolute confidence.

«I can follow it,» Lara said.

«Raven?» Francesca said. «This is your call. Yours and Savannah's. If you believe Mikhail and Gregori should be called back to try to deal with this attempt to murder your children, then we'll summon them immediately.»

Raven and Savannah exchanged a long look. Silence settled into the cavern. The water in the huge pot continued to boil and the soothing scents of lavender and jasmine filled the air. Raven looked around at the women who waited, the women who had all come for one purpose-to save their children.

Raven lifted her chin, leaned over and kissed her daughter and met Lara's blue-green gaze. «Find this thing and let's destroy it.»

Chapter 14

The hum of the crystals greeted Nicolas as he entered the deep caverns. The formations of the giant crystals never failed to astonish and impress him. Only nature could have provided such a wealth of beauty formed with rich minerals. Gypsum, not uncommon in many areas, was not as well known in the Carpathian Mountains. A thousand feet below the earth, with the hot magma burning even farther below it, the soft limestone bed had been cut through by the wash of hydrothermal liquid bubbling up, breaking through from the magma chambers below and filling the chambers before draining away, leaving behind a thick forest of selenite, some over seventy feet in height and a good seven feet in diameter.

Nicolas had seen the giant redwood forests in the States and he had found the trees impressive and grandiose but not even they could compare to the magnificent forest of crystals. He knew the gypsum columns were very rare throughout the world as they were so deep beneath the earth, steeped in heat and bathed in one hundred percent humidity, which made the underground grottoes difficult for even the most expert of cavers to discover, but the Carpathians thrived in the underground environment.

He looked around the labyrinth of chambers, one leading to the next, at the shape and colors of the enormous crystals, and felt awed. He stopped a moment to admire the beauty and soak it in, wishing Lara was with him to share the moment. He felt at peace, as if he might be in the greatest cathedral, as if this place was a gift from the heavens for his species alone. No other species could withstand the high temperatures and humidity for any length of time without being cooked, yet his people thrived here. Standing at the foot of a giant crystal column, he felt very close to any deity that might be looking out for him.

As he descended deeper into the inner chambers, the vibrations increased, tuning to his body so that he felt power ripple through him. As he moved through the separate chambers to get to the warriors' council room, the walls, heavy with crystals, appeared to undulate, a slow rhythmic wave like the gentle ebb and flow of the tide. The continual movement enhanced the feeling of being one with the earth, another tie to

the planet itself and the mountains so rich in everything the Carpathian people needed.

At least for the first few centuries, the mountains had provided for them, but now he suspected Xavier had somehow managed to change that. He hoped to address that suspicion and give credence for his need to re-enter the high mage's black arts labyrinth of caves. The network ran miles beneath the mountains, spread out like a village. There was no way of knowing if any of it was still occupied. Xavier had left powerful safeguards that were death traps.

He and Vikirnoff intended to find another way into the chambers of the dark mage after the council meeting. The entrance they had been using was closed to them, and the parasite venom in the guardian's teeth was a powerful dissuading argument for trying to go through a door primed to kill.

Many of the Carpathian males had already gathered and he hailed them, using the more formal forearm-to-forearm greeting out of respect. With his emotions so new, the camaraderie he felt was somewhat overwhelming. He had always been aloof. For the most part, other than his brothers, very solitary. Within the confines of the large warriors' chamber, he felt the strength of the Carpathian people, the wisdom of the ancients and especially the connection they all had through their prince.

He realized, once inside the deep chamber, that an air of sobriety ran through the men-and the three women waiting there. He raised an eyebrow as he greeted Vikirnoff.

«Raven is having more trouble. Gregori has called most of the women and want them to do their woman magic, as we all referred to it in ancient times. He has no idea what is wrong, but hopes Syndil and the others can stop her from miscarrying.»

«And Savannah?»

«Gregori has not allowed her to get up other than to attend to Raven. He is very grim, so I fear the odds of her keeping the babies are not good either.»

Nicolas glanced at the three women present in the warriors' chamber: Natalya, Jaxon and Destiny. «Shouldn't they be with Raven?»

«The women are aware we are raising the issue of female fighters and have formally asked the three of them to speak on behalf of the others.»

Nicolas shook his head. «We could have a fight on our hands.»

Vikirnoff shrugged. «In the end, the prince will have to make a decision on the issue. Natalya has hunted the vampire and has been independent for a long time. Destiny has hunted her entire life. I am not even certain she could put it down. She was enslaved by a vampire and suffered greatly at his hands.»

«I am well aware of the arguments,» Nicolas said. «And I have discovered it is not so easy to say no when your lifemate is insistent on doing something dangerous. I have strong reservations against taking Lara back to Xavier's cave, but she is probably the one who will be able to unravel the safeguards. She will recognize clues we might miss, and the journey may open her memories even more-memories we may need to aid us in solving the problems our women face.»

«I had not considered those things,» Vikirnoff said. «In truth, I had decided we should just go in tonight if we find a suitable entrance, and leave the women behind.»

«Your woman would not follow you?»

«Of course she would think to follow me if she knew.» Vikirnoff sent Natalya a look of utter devotion. «She does not know the meaning of 'quit.' On the other hand, I have more experience and if necessary, could throw her off for a few hours in order to do the necessary exploring. She would be angry with me later, but I would much rather have her safe.»

«And if you tell her to stop hunting?»

«If Natalya decides it is the right thing to do to stop hunting the vampire, she will stop, but that is the only way. I could dictate to her until the end of days, but she goes her own way and I am proud of her for doing so.»

«You are not going to be much of a help,» Nicolas pointed out.

Vikirnoff frowned. «I've always had a quick learning curve and in dealing with women, I've found it is much easier avoiding a confrontation.»

«We need to have Mikhail make a ruling on this issue.»

«I will add my voice to yours and Gregori's. I believe if we do not act soon, it will be too late. We must have more hope for our males. And we have to find a way to produce more children as well as search the world over for lifemates. The only real hope we have left to us is for our women to produce more children.»

Dayan of the Dark Troubadours strode up, obviously overhearing what Vikirnoff said. «Perhaps we should take a page from our enemy's book and open a psychic center where we can interview women without them being aware we are doing so.»

Gregori moved through the giant crystal forest, Mikhail at his side. Both men looked strained and tired. A hush fell across the council hall.

«Any news?» Lucian asked his younger brother.

Gregori shoved a hand through his thick hair, the gesture weary. «There is little we can do now. I am holding the twins to their mother. They want to live. That is something.»

«And Raven?» Lucian prompted.

Mikhail shook his head. «She is trying to hold on. Jacques and I are both holding the baby to her, but they are getting weaker. Soon I will have no choice but to allow the child to slip away. I dare not risk Raven. She says no, but I cannot take chances with her life.»

«If we can aid you in any way,» Lucian offered. «We are more than willing.»

Mikhail nodded. «The women gather now. There is much magic in the old ways. Syndil is providing the richest soil and Shea has come up with a strengthening drink to aid their bodies in gaining nutrients they seem to be lacking.»

«There is some reason to believe that Xavier has a hand in this,» Nicolas said, raising his voice so all could hear. He related the small cracking open of the door to Lara's memory. «We hope she will

remember more when we go to the ice cave. Perhaps there is a piece of the puzzle that we can find in time to help.»

«Xavier's lair is dangerous,» Lucian said. «If he is alive he would not have abandoned it completely. He had too many of his secrets stored there.» He looked at his brother. «As a healer, Gregori, what kinds of things could he have done, centuries ago, that would cause our women to have these problems?»

«The fact that the problems changed over the years leads me to believe that whatever Lara saw could be real. First we noticed the lack of female babies,» Gregori noted. «The precedence occurred over a long period of time. Because our women as a rule only give birth every fifty or so years, no one noticed that the male count was rising as the female count dropped.»

«His first attempt?» Lucian asked.

«Perhaps,» Mikhail mused. «We would have to talk to Shea about the way he could have influenced the sex of the children, but many of our people were attending his school. In those days, Xavier was a trusted friend. He set up the safeguards for us, weaving strands of magic with natural energy to protect the places we rested. No one ever guessed his jealousy of our longevity would lead him to commit the atrocities that he has over the centuries.»

Gregori shrugged broad shoulders. «His jealousy has led him down the path of madness.»

«He is entirely evil now,» Nicolas declared, «if he wasn't already before.»

Natalya stood suddenly, touching her lifemate's arm with gentle fingers. «I'm sorry, but Raven has summoned me. I must go to her.»

Mikhail's face was drawn and tired as he looked at her. «I appreciate whatever you can do to help us, Natalya.» He pressed his fingers to his temples. «She has asked that I do not interfere with what they are doing.»

Gregori's face was pale as well. «They want Natalya right away.»

Natalya nodded. «Yes, they are calling for me and of course I'll go. Whatever it takes, all of us are behind you.»

Vikirnoff brushed a kiss across the top of her head and squeezed her hand as she took her leave. «Natalya isn't always comfortable within a group.»

«No one is comfortable right now,» Mikhail said. «This is a heart-breaking situation for everyone. If Raven and Savannah cannot keep these children, do you think any of the women who are now pregnant will feel as if they have the chance to carry? And the ones who are not, do you think they will chance the heartache?»

«They will not have a choice, Mikhail, if our species is to survive,» Lucian pointed out. «All of us feel the pain of the loss of our children, but we cannot give up or give in to that heartache.»

Mikhail's eyebrow shot up. «I did not realize you and your lifemate had suffered the loss of a child, Lucian.»

«All losses diminish us as a whole.»

«Words give little comfort when one suffers the loss of a child who is not only the best part of you but part of your beloved lifemate as well,» Mikhail agreed, «but we talk with our child. We encourage him, love him, suffer the pain when he is hurt because Raven's body is rejecting him. He is as real to us as if we were able to hold him in our arms. Raven has lost a son once already. Now there is another and she is losing him to an enemy we cannot see or fight. Each rising he slips farther from us, inch by slow inch and we are helpless to save him. Do you think I want this for my lifemate? Or for yours?»

There was a small silence. Gregori stirred. «We are asking that everyone weigh in with these matters because if we do not have answers soon, our species will not recover.»

«You are a healer, Gregori,» Destiny said. «Do you think our women should continue to try to have children when we have been unable to resolve these problems? Wouldn't it be better to wait until we know what's wrong before we subject our hearts, minds and bodies to such trauma?»

«Our problem is very simple, Destiny,» Gregori answered. «If we do not have children, we die out. Every hour we wait to have female children, we lose more of our males. Yes, it is a tragedy and is a terrible thing that our women must risk losing a child, but our men are without hope. No one can continue without hope.»

«It seems a useless sacrifice to get pregnant knowing the child will die, just to give false hope to a male. In the end, he has nothing anyway,» Jaxon pointed out. «If we cannot safely have children, maybe the solution is to look in another direction. Why not put together a database of female psychics as Dayan mentioned? We could find a way to check them out, record their voices, have our males listen and see if there is a possibility that they can find their lifemates that way.»

Destiny nodded. «We're not utilizing modern technologies for our searches.»

«If you create a database, our enemies will have their targets laid out before them like a feast,» Lucian objected. «Do you think the moment word got out, as it would, that we have stored names and locations of potential lifemates our enemies would not move on that as fast as they could?»

Nicolas frowned. «There has to be a way to protect the database. It does not sound like a bad idea.»

«Our enemy thought of it before us,» Destiny said. «They have a psychic research center called the 'Morrison Center' in the United States. I'm betting they've established them everywhere. The women go to the center, are tested and then they are targets for murder. The database already exists.»

Several of the men without lifemates exchanged long looks of complete understanding. One stepped forward. Nicolas had seen the man once, years earlier, but only when he had passed through the Amazon forest chasing a vampire. Like most males without emotion or color, he had been solitary and rather curt when they had met. His name was Andre. Nicolas had tracked him and found evidence that the man had been wounded in the ensuing battle, but he was long gone from De La Cruz territory.

Andre gave a stiff bow toward the two women before addressing the others. He stood tall and straight, his face a chiseled mask, his eyes hollow. «If there is a database already of potential lifemates, I say we take it over. We have all accumulated wealth through the years, we can buy them out legally, or hack into their system, or just walk in and take over those running the place by using mind control. Once we have control, we turn the site into a fortress.»

«It is a calculated risk,» Lucian said. «The more we expose ourselves the chances of discovery are

greater. The world of computers and modern technology-with cameras on every cell phone and nearly every public place one goes outside of these mountains-raises the danger to all of us.»

«I am more than willing to take that chance if it increases the odds that even one of us will find a lifemate. We cannot afford to wait to give our protection to these women,» Andre declared.

There was a note in his voice that told Nicolas he was asking permission and most likely would go after the database whether it was okayed or not. Judging from the looks on the other males without lifemates, Andre would have a lot of help.

Gregori started to speak but Mikhail forestalled him by moving into the center of the circle. He looked around the chamber filled with many single males, men who had given their lives to sustaining a dying species.

«This opportunity is far too important to pass up, whatever the risk. In any case, if these women are in danger whether they are true lifemates or not, they need our protection. I will meet with you next rising to discuss this issue and come up with a plan of action.»

Andre again gave a small bow toward the women and slipped toward the back of the chamber where he obviously was more comfortable and less exposed.

Mikhail, many of our males are desperate. They could abuse this situation, turning into stalkers of these women if we are not careful. This could become a huge problem, Gregori cautioned.

I am well aware of that. But it is a sound idea and one, once voiced, that cannot be taken back. These men are indeed desperate and they will go to whatever lengths it takes to acquire this list of potential lifemates. If we control the list, we can protect the women.

So be it.

«Once this information is acquired, however we do it, we have to make certain the guardian will stand against any and all who would force them to give it up.» Mikhail took a careful look around the chamber to ensure everyone understood him. «These women are targeted for murder. We do not want to expose them to any more risk than they already are under.»

«It's all part of the master plan to destroy our species,» Nicolas said. «If our enemies can successfully eliminate our women and children, and all potential lifemates, all hope is lost and a good portion of our males will join their ranks.»

«Do we pull back and protect ourselves by calling everyone back to the Carpathian Mountains?» Gregori asked. «We have a better chance of protecting our own by gathering together. Our enemies' numbers have increased and they are now running in packs.» He indicated Nicolas. «We've had disturbing news all of you should hear, including reports of the vampires trying to open the shadow world so their dead can join their ranks against us.»

Nicolas revealed the plot his brother Manolito had uncovered when he had awakened still partially in the shadow world after the attack on Shea. «The Malinov brothers have made an alliance with Xavier. We do not know if Razvan is part of their conspiracy or if he is a prisoner at this point. With the parasites Xavier developed, the vampires appear to recognize one another and yet can hide their presence from us. We can no longer trust that we can so easily detect an enemy.»

Gregori nodded. «The enemy has corrupted many of the jaguar-males. We'll be asking Zacarias and his brothers to act as emissaries and try to get those not already lost to join with us.»

The silence in the room was broken only by the humming crystals. The news wasn't good. Mikhail eventually stood. «Many of you may have heard that Manolito has found his lifemate. She is lycanthrope. That species has always gone their own way, but they wield a lot of power and would make a tremendous ally. We need to locate them and send someone to convince them to join with us.»

There was a brief murmur of conversation as the men discussed the possibility of finding the long-absent lycanthrope species.

«And humans?» Jaxon asked.

There was a long silence. Mikhail sighed. «This has been a long-running debate. Most think it is still not the time for acceptance.»

«Perhaps expand our trusted circle. Cullen, Gary and Jubal certainly have proven to be more than reliable,» Jacques said, naming three of their human friends. «Without Gary we wouldn't be nearly as far along in our research as we are. He works hard and keeps our hours. He also watches over the children who cannot go to ground. Mikhail has several friends in the village who have proven trustworthy time and again.»

«And have we considered aligning ourselves with the community of mages? Not all of them followed Xavier, and most were abused and tortured under his rule,» Nicolas added.

Immediately, at the suggestion, heated discussions broke out. Mikhail said nothing, simply let the men discuss the possibility of asking aid of other communities-ones they had protected but had been careful not to reveal themselves to.

Mikhail sat quietly, his senses flaring out to bridge with the power emanating from the forest of crystals. Each geode hummed a slightly different note and as he listened, turning his mind to the notes, he heard the quiet voices of the ancient warriors who had gone before. Each told of the old days when all the species existed in harmony. The reclusive lycanthrope, as powerful as the Carpathians in their own way, but running on a short fuse, the males every bit as protective of their females as the Carpathians, which made for a volatile situation when so many Carpathian males were unable to find lifemates among their own kind. Would an emissary be welcome if they were found? Or would he be killed to protect the lycanthrope society as a whole? Whoever he sent would be at risk.

Leadership wasn't about knowing the right thing to do, it was about making decisions and being willing to accept the responsibility that came with inevitable mistakes. If he allowed his men to reach out to the various species, he could put his people at terrible risk. Over the years the vampire myths had grown and become legends. Few would distinguish between a Carpathian and vampire. Jaguars had turned on their women.

Mikhail rubbed his eyes wearily. Their world seemed too long at war. He had so many problems trying to keep his dying species alive, yet at that moment, surrounded by his fellow warriors, his mind continually tried to reach for his lifemate and check on his child.

When the discussion looked as if it might go from heated to outright mayhem, he broke in. «Mage and Jaguar have mixed with humans and I would guess lycanthrope have done so as well over the last few centuries. Many of the shifters have diluted their blood. They carry the gene, but they no longer can shift.

Shea had a human mother and a Carpathian father. We do not know whether Razvan deliberately impregnated human women or whether he was forced to do so, but we know the children carry Carpathian blood. Our species is not so far removed from any other. We have to have allies and we need to actively find them.»

Mikhail's voice was quiet, but carried the weight of his absolute authority. «We cannot abandon other species to fight the vampire alone. We need to change with the times and become more open to friendship and alliances.»

«The more we let into our circle, the more difficult it will be to protect our women and children,» Gregori pointed out. «We are surrounded by enemies and we do not know friend from foe at this point.»

«Then all of us need to be trained in destroying vampires,» Jaxon proposed. «It should be mandatory, so no matter where we are, we have a chance to get out alive.»

«We train the male children from the time they are born now,» Mikhail said quietly. «I am already passing my knowledge to my son who is in Raven's womb.»

«What about your granddaughters, Mikhail?» Jaxon asked. «Is anyone teaching them?»

Gregori scowled, his silver eyes glittering with something close to a warning. «My daughters and my lifemate will never be allowed into a dangerous situation.»

Destiny's eyebrow shot up. «You can't possibly know that. You can't. No one, not even you have that kind of control throughout a lifetime, especially a lifetime as long as we have. Absolutely all women and even our children should be trained in how to destroy a vampire,» Destiny said. «It only makes sense.»

Jaxon nodded her head. «Why should you only train the male children? Even if a woman never has to use her knowledge, she should have it. You never know when she may be attacked and males are not always by our sides.»

«Why not?» Nicolas demanded. «Your lifemate and every other male whether he is attached or unattached should be with one of our women when they go anywhere. Each and every one of you, and especially our children, should have bodyguards. Ivory died because she left the safety of her family. We lost Rhiannon for the same reason. The moment Xavier closed his school to males and took only our females, we should have refused to allow them to attend.»

There was a murmur of agreement in the chamber and several nodded their heads. Destiny glanced at her lifemate, clearly asking him questions. She scowled at his answers.

«You re talking about something that happened centuries ago, Nicolas. Times are different and the world is different. You can't live in the past.»

«No, but we can learn from it,» Nicolas said. «We lost everything by not protecting our women. Everything . We are down to thirty or so women who can maybe provide one or two lifemates for our males, if we manage to figure out what is killing our children. We cannot afford to think in terms of humans or any other species that have numerous numbers to fall back on. If they choose to forget their women and children, that's their problem, but we cannot. We have to do everything in our power to protect the few that we have.»

«You can't lock up the women, Nicolas,» Lucian said, «as much as we may want to.»

«We could try,» Dimitri, one of the single men, muttered under his breath.

Jaxon shot him a hostile look. «You can try, but I wouldn't count on it ever happening.»

Gregori stirred, drawing all eyes instantly. «Destiny is correct in that our women and children should be taught how to defend themselves. But I agree with Nicolas on this point. No child and no woman should go unescorted. We have too many enemies and if we can no longer detect them, they could walk through our village and would never be aware of the danger.»

Jaxon frowned. «Do you really think any grown woman is going to sit in her home waiting for an escort when she has things to do?»

«We all make sacrifices in times of need,» Gregori said.

Jaxon rolled her eyes. «Then you wait in your house for one of us to come escort you. Try it for a few risings and see how you like it.» She turned her head and met her lifemate's icy gaze. «If I feel like visiting a friend or relative, I'm certainly going to do it.»

«Now you sound like a sulky child deliberately misunderstanding what I am saying to you,» Gregori said. «No one wants to dictate to you. The reality is quite simple. We need children, not fighters, and women have babies not men. We have a surplus of fighters and very few women so the task of giving birth falls to the women.»

«Really?» Destiny's eyebrow shot up. «So what I'm hearing is that Nicolae should be allowed to fight the vampire, but not me because if I get killed we lose me as a brood mare.»

«That is not what I said,» Gregori denied.

«That's what it sounded like to me,» Jaxon said. «And if she stayed home like a good little pregnant woman, and Nicolae was killed, what do you think would happen anyway? This entire argument is ridiculous. Maybe you're looking for some sign that we should know our places in the home and stay there, but we were not born nor raised Carpathian. We have our own baggage that comes with each individual and some of us need to act. Others need to stay in the home and still others want to heal or research or carry on with whatever work interests them. And that, my friend, is our right.»

«I disagree,» Gregori said, his voice quiet, but carrying easily through the cave. «You are Carpathian and as such, there are certain differences in our species we cannot get around. Your first loyalty is not to yourselves, but to our people as a whole. We do what is best for all of us, not just individuals. For instance, our first duty is to the prince of our people. Without him, we cannot exist, so his protection must come first at all times. Every man, woman and child should be taught that, respect that and whole-heartedly serve.»

«I think all women have proven we're willing to serve the Carpathian people,» Jaxon said. «We just don't want to go back to the dark ages when men dictated to women.»

Swift impatience crossed Gregori's face. «Do you honestly believe this is about male versus female? This is about saving a species, not women's rights.»

«So how is it saving the species to have my lifemate go out and fight the vampire, leaving me at home to worry whether or not he's coming home? If he dies, we both do. The risk is great either way. In a perfect

world, neither of us would be fighting vampires, but the world isn't so perfect, is it, Gregori? If I feel the need to stand by my lifemate and help to bring him home safe, you bet it is about my rights.»

Gregori leaned close, his silver eyes slashing at Jaxon. «Why would you think, for one moment, that your presence does anything but jeopardize your lifemate's ability to fight? He is our greatest warrior. No one compares to him in battle. He has fought a thousand years, has more experience than any other, yet you, a female, once human, with so few years you are considered a child in our species, you think that he is not divided when he now battles? That his risk is lessened by your presence? It is more than doubled. He has to have one eye on you at all times. He has to keep his mind merged with yours in order to ensure your safety. Even directing you, he is divided, not wholly focused on the kill.»

«Gregori,» Lucian warned, his gaze going flat and cold.

Jaxon held up her hand. «No, this is why were here, isn't it? To hear both sides of this argument. I want to hear why Gregori and so many others are opposed to the women fighting the vampire. If I don't understand why he is opposed, I will never have a chance to agree with him.»

Then be very careful, little brother, how you address my lifemate.

I speak the truth to her and you know it. You have a thousand times the risk when she is along. She has to understand that.

Lucian's cool gaze swept over his brother.Perhaps, but it is my risk to take .

I disagree. We cannot lose you, nor can we afford the loss of your lifemate. You have too long lived in a solitary world, going your own way and making your decisions based not on saving a dying species, but on Vlad's directive to seek and destroy the vampire. We have a new prince and a new threat that must be addressed.

You are very close to getting your ass kicked, little brother.

You are more than welcome to try.

Jaxon glanced from her lifemate's cold gaze to Gregori's slashing one. «I know the two of you are arguing over this, but I really want to hear what Gregori has to say. Lucian, please.»

She slipped a restraining hand up his arm in a loving gesture that made Nicolas turn his head away and long for Lara's touch. Again he tried to reach out to her but only heard the sounds of the long-forgotten Carpathian lullaby. He turned his attention back to the discussion raging around him, but this time, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Lucian slipped his arm around Jaxon's waist, but nodded his head toward Gregori.

Gregori folded his arms across his chest. «Look at your lifemate in this moment. There is no threat to you, yet he is protective, ready to come at me if I say a word out of place to you. It is our nature, ingrained in us from before our birth, to protect our lifemate. Words and circumstance cannot change that, nor would we want it to change. Do you think this is less so in battle? Before you, he had only strategy and his own life to think about, now he must divide his attention and watch out for you. Even with the knowledge he shares with you of battles, even with his vast experience for you to draw on, you cannot be nearly fast enough.»

«Every warrior has to start somewhere,» Destiny countered. «You have young men practicing. We can do the same.»

«Why would you want to?» Nicolas demanded. «Why would you want to face such a monster and risk your life when it is so precious to so many?»

«I cannot stop,» Destiny answered truthfully. «Perhaps if Nicolae no longer hunted, I would be able to lay it down, but in truth, I am not certain I can.»

Jaxon shrugged. «I've spent my entire life hunting monsters. I don't know what else I'd do.»

«If you had a child?» Mikhail's voice as always was low, but swept through the room.

The crystals hummed low, the sound more melodic and soothing as if trying to bring the two women peace.

Andre and another tall Carpathian once again made their way through the ranks of warriors. Nicolas recognized the lone warrior, Tariq Asenguard, beside Andre. Vlad had sent him out centuries before. Even then he had stayed to himself, losing his ability to see color and feel emotion quite quickly after losing his family. His mother had suffered the loss of several children and in the end his parents had chosen to follow their young ones into the next realm. Nicolas had never seen him smile after that. Vlad had sent him to the North American continent and it was rumored he lived wild for a long time, although now he looked very civilized and would have blended with any business community.

Both Carpathian males bowed toward the women. Again it was Andre who spoke. «If one of our women wishes to go into battle and her lifemate allows such a thing…» There was a hint of scorn in his voice. «… obviously that is their decision, but knowing this is going on, when we have spent lifetimes battling the vampire and have more experience and are willing to sacrifice our lives so that even one woman will live and give us a female child, then we have no choice but to ban together and protect those female warriors. When you go into battle, look behind you, there will be a legion of warriors defending you.»

Jaxon frowned. «Thank you very much, but no. I don't want anyone defending me. I have a partner. We work together. I don't want anyone putting his life on the line for me.»

«If you choose battle and you believe that is your right,» Tariq said, «then our surviving males who look to you and all of our women for hope have the right to see to your protection when your lifemate chooses not to do so.»

Immediately pandemonium broke out. Power surged in the room and the crystals vibrated with anger as the males with lifemates turned on the warriors without.

«Enough!» Mikhail's voice was a whiplash through the room. Instantly there was silence. «What did you think our males would be feeling over this issue?» he demanded of his males with lifemates. «Even among you, the opinions are divided. Most feel very strongly one way or the other about our women putting their lives in jeopardy. Our single males have a huge stake in this discussion and their voices carry as much weight as any other man here. They have sacrificed for centuries and it is their lives-their very souls at stake.»

Lucian nodded his head. «That is so.» It was the closest they were going to get to an apology. «But no one will threaten or dictate to my lifemate. What we do is our decision.»

«Then you are willing to divide our people?» Gregori asked. «You are willing to go against a decision our prince makes?» He threw the challenge in his brother's face, uncaring that Lucian was a legend in their community.

Before Lucian could reply, Jaxon lifted her hands to his face. «Tell me the absolute truth, Lucian. When I go with you on a hunt, is your attention divided as Gregori says? Are you more at risk?» She refused to let him look away from her, her gaze on his.

«It is my risk to take.»

Jaxon took a deep breath and let it out. «You should have told me.»

«To what purpose? You cannot sit at home. If you could, I would have commanded you long ago, but your nature demands you be actively seeking justice.» He pulled her close to him, his large body protective. «I have every confidence in my ability to protect both of our lives, or I would never risk you.» He sent his brother a cool, razor-sharp glare. «There was no need to hurt you with what others consider their truth.»

«Truth is truth, Lucian,» Jaxon said.

Mikhail studied the couple. «You have need of action and to aid the men in ridding the world of the monsters we face. I have need of women willing to be taught, to learn to fight and then to teach our women and daughters. We need women willing to guard other women and be the first line of defense should the battle be brought to our doors. Perhaps this is something you would be willing to consider. If not…» He directed his gaze at Andre and Tariq. «Then I believe you will not be facing the vampire alone in battle-ever.»

Chapter 15

The women moved quickly but calmly to prepare the chamber for the new ceremony, the most important ritual they might ever perform. Several women took bundles of sage, lit them, and began to walk from back to front through the chamber, along the wall, chanting low, asking to cleanse and bless with only positive energy, reaching as high as possible and then crisscrossing the room as they repeated the chant. The smoke drifted through the cavern and when they were done, they added the bundles of sage to the hot rocks lining the back wall.

Four of the Carpathian women braided sweet grass already soaked in water, in long ropes, binding their intent into the ropes, chanting softly their intentions of attracting energy to help aid Lara in her shamanic journey.

Francesca had already prepared potent-water beneath the full moon and she now gave it to both Savannah and Raven to drink. She had cleansed several good-sized rose quartz under running water and then placed them in a bowl of water covered with cheesecloth under the full moon. The rose quartz was the mother stone and often used to effect change and open the heart.

She took the smoothest stones of rose quartz and ametrine from the pouch and gave them to Raven and

Savannah to hold in their hands and rub while the ceremony took place. Next she took braided cowrie shells and placed them around both pregnant women's necks, another call to energy. She scattered rosebuds over the rich soil and added pomegranate to aid in the ceremony of renewed life.

Once Francesca had prepared Savannah and Raven, she took up a small drum, hand painted with a map of the shadow world and various animals of power and wisdom. She took a soft mallet and began to thump in a monotonous beat, using the rhythm of the women's collective hearts.

Lara seated herself close to Raven and Savannah, forming a triangle, while around them, the other Carpathian women formed a tight circle. Now, braids of sweet grass and copal tree resin were added to the smoking sage on the hot rocks along with herbs so that the room surrounded them with the scents of nature. Lara inhaled the scent, allowing the fragrance to carry her jitters away.

This was the most important task she might ever accomplish and she had nearly ended her own life. Had she succeeded, how many children would be lost? She felt she had been put on earth to fulfill this moment, to make this journey and save the three children. Xavier had destroyed so many lives and she was determined that he would not take these women and children as he had so many others.

Rubbing her fingers over a clear quartz crystal for clarity and focus, she pushed all thoughts away and allowed the waves in her mind to come and go and then recede altogether until her mind was a calm body of water, lapping at the edges relentlessly, ready to expand.

In her calm state, she sifted through her memories, long forgotten, and found the faint tracks of mage. She followed the path until she could open the door she needed. Dragonseeker blood might flow through her veins, but she was mage-her mother from a pure line. The mystic ran strong in her and everything she had been taught by the aunts was ready to feed her instincts should she need aid. This underground chamber the ancient women had instinctively chosen to use for their rituals was a place of power where the physical world merged with the spiritual realm. She felt the energy flowing into her, heard the rhythmic sound of a drum and the distant feminine voices chanting. The melodic notes carried her deeper into another sphere.

Smoke filled her vision. Clouds of mist and fog drifted in the smoke. She inhaled sharply, drawing the smoke and air into her lungs, as she set her soul free to travel. She found herself at the border of the two worlds, the chamber where she sat composed and tranquil, at the first stage of travel.

As her vision cleared, she could see a large tree with a labyrinth of roots and a jungle of wide-reaching branches standing before her. Mist of varying colors swirled through and around the branches. Leaves rustled as if alive, silvery green in color, fluttering in the soft breeze. The wind was just strong enough to stir the mist, not dislodge it, so that the she caught glimpses of the thick twisting trunk, leading upward toward the sky and down beneath the soil.

Lara concentrated on the tree. The trunk appeared quite old, grayish in color. There were a few dark knots in the trunk and branches and one or two places where it may have lost a limb over time, but the tree appeared healthy. She continued moving over the ever-expanding meadow toward the tree, her bare feet skimming the fresh grass. As she moved across the field, flowers sprang up under the soles of her feet as if she scattered seeds along the fertile ground. The closer she got to the tree, the more missing branches she spotted, and beneath the tree, held within the cage of roots, old dead limbs lay like broken bodies in a mass grave.

As she approached the tree of life, she heard voices crying out, the sound of weeping, and she felt wet drops on her upturned face. Tears rained down on her, the tears of ancient women who had gone before,

losing child after child to the unknown killer. The tears splashed on the ground to form a stream, each tear merging with another until the stream became a river.

Lara waded through the rising water to get to the wide, thick trunk so she could examine it up close. Faint, shallow marks were burned into the trunk leading up toward the branches where new life waited. Raven's son. Savannah's two daughters. Their souls clung to the gently rocking limbs far above her. She could see the two branches were blackened and hollow, twisted from some disease. Above them were several other brand-new souls as well, clinging to relatively healthy branches, but she could already see signs of the unknown disease eating at the limbs. These then, were the most recent Carpathian pregnancies. The killer had targeted Raven's child first and then Savannah's, but these children were in jeopardy as well.

There was a taint to evil. Xavier had used the dark arts against the Carpathians, corrupting his gift, twisting it for his own purpose and now she could see not only the faint track marks, but smell the odor of the malevolence along the trail of dark alchemy. The path led up toward the high branches, but also followed the trunk down to the maze of roots below the earth. She went down the trunk and followed the root system, seeking the source.

Lara drifted down the long trunk, pursuing the tracks, using scent and sight. Once on the tangle of roots, the trail was much more difficult as the tracks appeared everywhere. Shadows leapt out at her, great greedy claws, extended toward her. Moans and wails rose around her. The river of tears continued to rise.

She pressed the pads of her fingers deep into the smooth surface of her crystal and waited patiently. The croak of a frog drew her attention. The small creature floated to her on a lily pad. It leapt from the streaming water to the trunk of a tree, looking at her with large, earnest eyes.

She smiled and greeted the creature formally and with respect, her spirit guide in the underworld realm. Frogs were amazing, magical creatures, potent in both land and water energy. To Lara, the frog symbolized everything the Carpathian women sought. Transformation, rebirth, the bond of mother and child and Mother Earth to her daughters. Unblocking the energy and creating a path for a smoother flowing so healing could prevail, ridding the earth and water of all toxins was exactly what Lara wanted to do. And the symbolism continued further; when frog populations were strong, the ecosystem was in balance and harmony was restored. She was on the right path.

She followed with even more confidence. The frog hopped easily along the root system, moving from stalk to stalk until he found one extremely large and twisted root that seemed to lead away from the rest. It bored deep into the earth and the farther down it went, the more twisted and black it became. Holes pierced the root and the stalk wept black tears.

Lara traced the faint footprint of evil farther, spiraling down the long taproot. The impression of hatred and despair grew stronger until she was caught in its flow and felt the influence pressing on the mother's body to reject the small intruder nestled in her womb. The illusion was strong, mother hating child, wanting it to leave, to get out, that thething inside was a monster not a beloved child.

She resisted sending the little boy reassurance. That wasn't her job. Far away she could hear melodic voices singing a lullaby softly. She concentrated on the heartbeat, on the crystal in her hand that kept her focused on her journey.

The shadows grew stronger and darker. Waves of despondency washed over her. Threads of hatred and rage mixed with the flow of desolation. A weave of incredible power, but restrained, so subtlety was

at work here. She knew that touch. She'd felt that touch all too often as a child. Xavier had humiliated her. He'd made her feel weak and defenseless, unwanted and unloved. He had made her feel as if the people who had brought her into the world rejected and despised her. This was his work. His signature was everywhere. Whatever microbe he had devised to carry out his cunning conspiracy was very close. She was nearing the home of the killer.

She tapped Natalya's mind. She couldn't afford detection until Natalya was ready to strike and she dared not continue until Natalya followed her clear path and joined her spirit to spirit. This part was the most dangerous. Lara was light and airy, floating along the realm with little to alert others to her presence. Natalya was a warrior, skilled in the art of killing, and now, in spite of the fact that she had been mage, she was fully Carpathian. She had lost none of her mage skills, but it was possible the entity could feel her presence as a threat. Lara stayed very quiet until she felt Natalya's spirit join hers.

Lara continued forward, taking Natalya's spirit with her. The entity had burrowed beneath the earth, the negative energy raising the toxicity of the ground so that Lara's sensitive soul wanted to weep. She pressed her fingers against her clear crystal and pushed on, focusing on her mission. Used to the ice caves and the extremophiles she found there, she spotted the killer as it clung to a bit of fungus. It didn't surprise her at all that Xavier had chosen to use such an organism to deliver death.

Extremophiles were given the name because they could survive and thrive in all kinds of extreme conditions, hot or cold, darkness or light, even a salty environment. The microbe was perfect as an assassin. Of course, Xavier had mutated this one to serve his purpose. It was tiny, a chameleon microbe able to merge with cells and appear part of whatever it chose to mimic. She felt the moment the microbe became aware of her presence and the danger to it.

Alarm spread, resounding waves swamping her and she leapt aside as the microbe spit chemicals at her. Droplets of acid hissed through the stem of the root. The tree shook under the assault. She had known that extremophiles spit chemicals at other microbes to protect themselves and their territories so she'd been somewhat prepared, but the sudden aggression surprised her. The microbe went on the attack immediately, raining acid over the taproot in an effort to eradicate the threat to it.

Lara had to lure the thing to the surface so Natalya could kill it and she had to do so immediately. The attack could kill off the last of the baby's strength.Baby . The extremophile was programmed to kill an infant. No baby would be a threat to it. Knowing Xavier, he would have given his assassin the scent of both Dubrinsky and Dragonseeker blood.

For the first time she hesitated. She would have to go back to her childhood and face her demons again. There would be no Nicolas to stand between her and her traumatic memories, but she could not fail this child.

I am here, Natalya reassured.

The echo of female voices surrounded her, uplifted her, gave her renewed confidence with their offer of sisterhood.

Lara looked to her spirit guide. Without hesitation, the little frog who had started in water and transformed to land, began the journey along another root. She felt the warp of time and knew the frog was taking her back so that she would appear as an infant to the assassin.

At once the acid stopped raining down, but now the attack was different, sharp and focused and very complex. It began as a feeling, dread stealing into her mind. A voice whispered to her in the Carpathian

language, a repetitious message of hatred. The insidious tone was poisonous, seeping into her mind even though she knew she wasn't an infant. The disgust was all too reminiscent of her childhood.

She forced herself to continue up the taproot, knowing the microbe followed, feeling its presence as it whispered hideous things. No one wanted her. She was worthless. The body carrying her rejected her, fighting to rid itself of such a parasitic creature. Go! Go! Abandon the host. She detested carrying such a weak, pathetic foreign object. Not a person, an object.

Without warning, something stabbed at her, a vicious hot poker that tore through her outer shell to her soul. The microbe had gotten close enough to attack with a retracting stinger. She saw the probe disappear back into the chameleon of an extremophile. The pain was excruciating. Lara stumbled. At once sharpened points raked at her ankle. She nearly panicked, terrified of being injected with a mass of parasites. It was only the crystal in her hand and the sound of feminine voices rising in melodious harmony that kept her from abandoning her infant state.

She moved faster, her baby cries clearly spurring the microbe on to more vicious action. The murmur of the voice continued, relentlessly pushing at her to give up, to go away, that the body she resided in wanted her gone. Despair was an ever-present companion and now her environment became hostile as well. Attacks came in the form of an army of antibodies. Small chains lashed at her, beating at her in an attempt to drive her out. She realized the stinger had tagged her for attack and now the chains of proteins whipped around and through her.

This was happening to Raven's son and Savannahs daughters.

Outraged, Lara pushed upward toward the traveler's entrance where one realm met the other. No matter the cost to her, she would be bait and bring this hideous killer to the surface where Natalya waited.

As she moved upward, she felt a burning sensation, not on her outer shell, but deep inside, as if her blood was boiling. The stinger had injected her, not with a parasite, but with an incompatibility to her host's blood. Already cells were breaking down, causing hemorrhages. And all the while that voice continued to tell her how worthless she was and how much her host didn't want her there. Waves of despair swamped her continually.

Sound began to drown out the voice as pressure built all around her, squeezing down on her while the sound thundered in her ears and her heartbeat picked up pace. The comforting sound of the ebb and flow of life-giving fluid changed to a fast, hard race that roared in her ears, sounding like a frightening freight train coming at her from all sides.

Lara struggled up the tree, clinging to the sound of the lullaby, forcing the pads of her fingers into the crystal to maintain some semblance of reality. She wept, spurring the microbe on, letting her baby cries whip it into a frenzy so that the organism didn't realize she was doing anything but trying to flee its presence. In response, sensing victory, the killer increased its attacks, pressing despondency deep into her mind while it increased its assault.

Terrified, she fixed her sight on the smoke and mist swirling all around just out of reach. Time slowed, and she felt as if she was wading through quicksand. Her environment became less and less stable, small earthquakes rocking her, pressure squeezing down on her, shrinking her world from every side, fluid building all around her so that she felt as if she was drowning. A swarm of tremors shook the tree from branches to root deep within the ground.

Just when she thought she might not make it out, the little frog was there, swimming beside her, guiding her through the crumbling walls as violent shock waves attacked her. Fissures opened up around her as stability decreased. She made one last desperate push to regain the surface, to find her spot of entry.

Gasping, she inhaled sage and sweet grass. «Now, Natalya, now!» She slumped to the floor of the chamber, in the dark, fertile soil, exhaustion gripping her body and the echo of her childhood nightmares resounding in her mind.

Natalya crouched over Raven, her body as still as a tigress, unmoving, every sense alert, trained on her prey, waiting-waiting. She struck quickly when she detected a faint trace of mage and the taint of dark art. Her weapon was an egg. She rolled it carefully over Raven's wound, drawing the microbe into the center of the egg.

Lara couldn't talk, but she sent Natalya a warning using the common Carpathian path her aunts had taught her.Watch out, it's nasty. Don't let it sting you .

Already the egg was rocking, darkening in color, the microbe sending waves of hatred and despair out into the chamber. A mixture of the foul stench of decomposing flesh and rotten eggs assailed Lara, deepening the feeling of being back in the ice cave. In spite of the heat rising from the chambers beneath them, she shivered with cold, and icy fingers of fear traveled down her spine.

The smoke and incense quickly absorbed the negative energies. Natalya, mindful of the lashing stinger, rushed the new host from the cavern. She called for an electrical storm so that for a moment the night sky lit up as she called down the lightning to incinerate the microbe held within the egg.

Lara rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. Gentle hands touched her face and body as the women searched for injuries. She didn't have the energy left to tell them it wasn't her body that needed to be healed, but her mind. She pried open her eyes and watched as Francesca examined Raven.

Did we get it? Is the baby all right? She didn't have the energy to speak aloud.

Natalya strode back in, going straight to Lara, taking her hand.

Raven closed her eyes and touched her son's mind. Her hands fluttered over her stomach, rubbing gently. «He's at peace. Finally, he's at peace and I feel different. I don't think my body's trying to reject him.»

Francesca immediately sent herself outside her own body, to go seeking in Raven's. A smile of joy lit her face. «This is a miracle. Shea, her blood pressure is fine, there are no more contractions, she isn't bleeding, and her body isn't treating the baby as a foreign invader and trying to dispose of it.»

Lara closed her eyes, pressing both hands to her pounding head. She wanted to weep and laugh at the same time. She was happy she'd been able to find the microbe, but now childhood memories beat at her, images of blood and torture and screaming men and women. More than that was the feeling of utter hopelessness, a seed planted from long ago that she could barely rise above. Her self esteem plummeted, the insidious thread of dark magic preying on her mind.

She didn't want Raven to know what the journey had cost her, but she felt sick to her stomach. Too many doors had opened along the way, and remembering wasn't a good thing. There had been a reason her aunts built a barrier to protect her and the shield seemed to be in shreds. She needed to be alone, far from everyone else where she could pull her fractured mind back together. The problem was-she was

too weak to rise.

Around her, voices rose in excitement. Shea and Francesca whispered in consult, their body language animated. Raven's child was safe and the culprit had been found. The other women rejoiced and Raven wept with happiness.

«What about my daughters?» Savannah's quivering voice quieted the room. «Do I have one of those things in me attacking the girls? Is that why I'm having contractions and bleeding?»

Gregori! I need you. Her cry was heartfelt, a mother's instinctive need to protect her children.

Lara stilled, her heart beginning to hammer inside her chest. She knew what was coming, but she couldn't . There was no possible way with her mind so fragmented that she could go back and face her childhood a second time. Without conscious thought, instinctively her traumatized mind reached out to Nicolas.

Nicolas. Hurry. I fear I'm lost.

«Lara?» Raven asked. «Does Savannah have a parasite in her body attacking the girls?»

For a moment she was paralyzed, her mind frozen, refusing to process information. She was still that child in the cave with Xavier standing over her telling her she was worthless and had killed her own mother.

«Get it out of me! Get it away from the babies,» Savannah cried. «Get it out of me now.»

She could hear herself screaming silently, deep down where no one could hear.

I hear. I am with you. Nicolas's voice was quiet and gentle, but carried absolute confidence.Hang on, han ku kuulua sivamet, I am almost there .

He was coming and he had called her «keeper of my heart.» Lara tried to cling to that, shivering with cold, aware of little around her but the whispers of her past.

Natalya dropped on her knees beside Lara. «You need blood.» She used her teeth to open her wrist, extending her hand toward Lara.

Lara's horrified gaze fastened on the elongated teeth, then touched on the red droplets welling up. The thin crimson trickle turned her stomach. Crablike, Lara scrambled backward away from Natalya, feeling trapped.

All eyes seemed on her and for a moment the expressions seemed greedy and disdainful. Her wrist burned and ached. She rubbed her fingers over the scars, looking toward the chamber entrance, judging the distance to make her escape.

Worthless, pathetic creature. You killed your mother. It is no wonder your father wants you dead. I should let him drink you dry.

Wide shoulders filled the doorway and silver eyes glittered and raked over her face. The scream echoed through her mind, built and built until it was a giant tsunami, bursting out of her, growing and expanding as energy exploded outward.

Nicolas threw Gregori aside and took the brunt of the assault, the powerful energy waves slamming him backward and down. Both he and Gregori shifted into mist as they moved. The force of the blow shook the chamber. Several sconces exploded, showering the cavern with wax and flame. Gregori materialized, his body blocking Savannah and Raven from falling debris.

Lara pulled herself into a standing position and staggered toward Nicolas, remorse adding to her feelings of humiliation and self loathing. He was there instantly, sweeping her up into his arms and glaring at the women. She buried her face against his chest, clinging, wanting to disappear. She felt fractured, fragile, raw and exposed.

«I trusted you with her.» Fury burned through Nicolas, his strong body vibrating with power as rage took hold. He knew Lara's emotions were cutting into his self control, but it mattered little. She had come here already in a fragile state and instead of being bolstered by the women, they had torn her to shreds. He wanted to annihilate them. To maintain control, he stepped back toward the entrance.

Gregori spread his arms wide in a gesture of challenge and there was real anger breaking through the usual cold-stone demeanor. «Take your woman and go. Mage-born, daughter of Razvan, great-granddaughter of Xavier, what do we really know of her? It is bad enough that she endangered our prince with her lack of control, but she has placed every woman in this room in danger.»

Nicolas dragged in his breath, the rage in the pit of his stomach coming to a boil. «You dare to imply that she is a spy in our camp?»

Power shimmered throughout the cavern and the walls undulated. The ground beneath them rolled.

«Stop!» Raven cried out.

«Gregori, you don't understand,» Francesca intervened.

«What is going on?» Mikhail appeared, standing squarely between the two Carpathian males. «You are in a sacred place.»

«She's done a great service, Gregori,» Francesca said. «She found and brought to the surface the parasite threatening Raven with miscarriage. We thought the baby lost to us. She's exhausted and needs blood.»

It was more than that. Merged as he was with Lara, Nicolas felt the press of Xavier's torment. He whirled around with Lara in his arms and took two steps, but Savannah cried out, pushing past everyone to block the entrance to the chamber.

«She can't leave. She can't.» Tears swam in her eyes. «I'm sorry for what Gregori said, but shehas to get this thing out of me. It's trying to kill my children.»

Gregori put a gentle hand on her shoulder, ignoring Nicolas who was still shaking with fury. «I can get rid of it, Savannah, now that I know what to look for.»

Natalya shook her head. «It hides from men. Xavier was very clever. He knew every male scans his lifemate's body to ensure her health. Lara detected it because she lived for years with Xavier's taint all around her. She was able to go on a soul journey to find it dwelling within Raven. She used herself as bait to bring the entity to the surface, and allow Natalya to destroy it.»

Lara slipped her arms tighter around Nicolas's neck and buried her face against his throat. Nicolas nuzzled the top of her head with his chin and then looked at Gregori, dark anger rolling like thunder in his eyes. «Too bad you have condemned my lifemate to banishment as a spy from the camp of the enemy.»

He stepped around Savannah only to find his way blocked by Gregori's solid body. «You will not condemn my children to death because you are angry with me.» His body crackled with electricity, tiny sparks snapping around him.

«Get the hell out of my way,» Nicolas snapped, not in the least intimidated.

When Gregori didn't move, Nicolas placed Lara carefully on the ground well clear of a possible fight zone and stepped up, chest to chest, staring straight into Gregori's eyes, two dangerous predators not yielding an inch. «Do you really want to do this with me?» The anger faded from his eyes so they went flat and cold and a killer stood where a man had been.

«If I have to,» Gregori replied.

A collective gasp went through the cavern. Mikhail sighed and waved his hand toward the two men. The energy field around Gregori snapped off with a small, brightly lit surge before going dark and both men found themselves on the floor, sitting side by side on the edge of the rich soil.

«Enough. You can both leave if you refuse to do other than posture.» Ignoring both men, Mikhail crouched down beside Lara, looking into her eyes. «This is more than needing blood. Francesca? Come take a look at her.»

«Get away from her,» Nicolas growled, his first thought to get to his lifemate, but the women surrounded them, pushing in close to the two men, trapping them inside a circle of protection.

Savannah caught at Lara's hand, tears streaming down her face. «I'm sorry. Please, I'll do anything. Anything at all. Don't let my babies die.»

Lara's body jerked. She'd heard those words before. A man's voice calling out in a desperate plea. Xavier turning to look back at Razvan, his silvery eyes glittering with such contempt and triumph . She gasped, her shocked gaze hunting for Nicolas, her only anchor when the truth clawed at her, tore her open.

Nicolas. He did it for me. He allowed Xavier to take him over so I would be allowed life.

Razvan had inadvertently opened his soul to Xavier when he had sought to save the life of his child. He'd exposed his soul and Xavier had snatched it, able to control his grandson's movements, taking over without having to drain his energy by possessing the body. For her. To save her. Razvan had paid the ultimate price-not death, but soul destruction.

«Nicolas!» She called for him, covering her face with her hands. She was slipping backward into her mind.

«I am here,fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso , and I am not going anywhere.»

«She came back too fast,» Francesca said. She pushed past Mikhail to kneel beside Lara, slipping her arms around her. «She's freezing. Gregori, I need help.»

«She's back in the ice cave,» Nicolas said. He was already there, gathering Lara into his arms and holding her close, his mind merging with hers to hold her steady. He crooned softly to her, rocking her back and forth. «She should never have gone there without me.»

«What has she done?» Gregori demanded, crouching beside Francesca to examine Lara. His hands skimmed over her.

«She used herself as bait. The entity destroyed babies so she regressed and became a child so it would follow her,» Natalya explained.

Nicolas swore under his breath. «She shouldn't have gone back without me,» he repeated.

«She fears me,» Gregori said abruptly. «You have to get her to come back with me to retrieve what has been lost.»

Nicolas searched Gregori's face for a long moment, then he nodded.

Gregori crouched quite close to Lara and looked into her eyes. He nodded at whatever he found there and murmured instructions to Francesca, who once again took up her position at her drum.

«She needs to feel safe and loved, Nicolas,» Gregori said. «Bring her into the center of the circle and hold her so she feels your presence. Stay connected to her mind. A part of her is so stressed from the painful revelations of her past she's unable to deal with more of her memories. We have to invite that part of her to return and it must feel safe to do so.»

«Invite it?» Nicolas echoed.

Gregori shrugged. «Do not worry, I will get back what is lost for her. We dare not leave even a small fragment of her soul in the lower realm too long. If Xavier is alive, he will sense her there and like Lara tracking his evil, he will be able to acquire a piece of her.»

More sage and sweet grass was laid on the hot rocks. The women began the healing chant, the longer version often used to retrieve the soul of someone who had died. Nicolas found every muscle tight, his stomach muscles bunched and knotted in apprehension. He would much rather face a dozen skilled vampires than have to rely on someone else to aid Lara.

I am a healer and I cannot help my children or my lifemate.

Nicolas accepted the brief statement as the closest thing to an apology he would get from Gregori. And he understood what would drive a man to rage now. Impotence. Helplessness. The inability to defend what was his.

Nicolas bent his head and brushed kisses along Lara's cold forehead. She shivered continually, but she was aware of him. Her gaze clung to his and there was trust there. He was grateful for that much from her.

Gregori wasted little time, shedding his physical body and traveling, first into Lara, and then guiding them straight to the tree of life. His experience showed, Nicolas thought. He moved with complete confidence, meeting animals along the way, showing respect as he made inquiries, tracking what Lara had left behind in her haste to bring a killer from Raven's body.

Gregori's manners on the journey were impeccable, even when he found what was lost, politely inviting it home, persuading the stressed fragment it would be returning to a safe environment. The soft healing chant added to the healer's persuasive voice and in the end, the fragment returned to Lara without much trouble.

Gregori swayed a little from the drain of energy. «She needs blood and rest.» He had seen the wealth of childhood memories pouring into Lara's mind.

«I am taking her home,» Nicolas declared.

«No!» Savannah pressed both hands over the rounded curve of her belly. «I feel that thing tearing at my children, hurting them. Making them feel unwanted. I can't wait another rising.» She reached out her hand toward Lara in a pleading gesture. «I swear to you, I would if I could. I know what this costs you, but they're hurting.» Tears streamed down her face and she turned to Gregori.

He was there instantly, cupping the back of her head, pressing her damp face against his chest, but he said nothing-simply waited.

Lara turned back on shaky legs, her stomach knotting at the prospect, but Savannah was right. They couldn't allow the babies to suffer any longer than necessary.

«Absolutely not,» Nicolas said. «I forbid it, Lara.» He ignored the stubborn look on her face. «You barely made it out last time in one piece. If it has to be done, I will do it.»

«How? If a man could do it, the healer would have already. It has to be a woman and that woman has to recognize Xavier's touch. It's very faint and difficult to follow.»

«Natalya can go,» Nicolas said. He was beginning to feel desperate, his skin too tight, his skull pressing down on his mind.

«She cannot and I think you know that. There is no one else.» There was quiet despair in her voice and it shattered him.

The chamber was quiet, but he could feel all eyes on him. His gaze was locked with Lara's. She didn't want to go, and a part of her even wanted him to stop her, but both of them knew she had no real choice. How could she live with herself if she allowed two unborn babies to suffer as she had suffered, when she knew the lasting effects? When she knew the killer would double his efforts to rid the world of the grandchildren of the prince?

Nicolas.

She whispered his name and for the first time he heard love. His heart jerked hard in his chest. This then, was love. This terrible wrenching inside, an ache that was unrelenting. The terrible need to make her world right.

Sivamet-my heart. And he meant it.

I will need blood to make this journey.

He swallowed his protest. She had to go and he had to let her.

Gregori stepped forward, drawing their attention, extending his wrist. «I offer freely, my life for your life.»

There was a small silence. Lara forced a self-conscious smile. «I'm sorry. I have an aversion to taking blood. I'm just learning to be able to take what my lifemate offers.»

Gregori inclined his head. «I understand. And I offer my sincere apologies for my conduct.»

«There really is no need.»

Lara turned in Nicolas's arms, the pads of her fingers skimming beneath his shirt, seeking hot skin. She needed and he provided. It was that complex-and that simple. Nicolas moved back into the shadows and blurred their image to hide his reaction. No matter that she needed blood for survival, for him it was an erotic intimacy that would forever stir a physical hunger. His body hardened as he felt the skim of her teeth, of her lips and the bite of pain that gave way instantly to a flood of pleasure. He stroked back her hair, fingers caressing as he gave her his strength. Even when she sealed the twin pinpricks with a lick of her tongue, he continued to hold her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

Are you certain?

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her blue-green gaze colliding with his. For a moment no one was there but the two of them and, beneath the fringe of long lashes, love-for him-shone bright and enduring. He felt the impact, like a hard punch to the pit of his stomach.

I'm certain. Just don't go anywhere.

He had no intention of going anywhere without her.

The microbe bent on destroying Savannah and Gregory's daughters proved to be faster and more vicious than the one in Raven. It was only the combined strength of the parents and the fact that the entity had to work on both babies simultaneously that gave them the resistance needed to hold out.

She lured the extremophile to the surface and it was destroyed, but not without a cost to Lara. Without Nicolas she knew she never would have managed to survive. He gave her blood, shielding her fragmented mind together to prevent the childhood trauma from destroying her. She wasn't aware when he finally took her back to their cavern.

Chapter 16

Lara woke to a flood of erotic sensations. Nicolas lay on his side, his hot, hard body pressed against her, his hand cupping the underside of her breast while his mouth suckled, pulling strongly, teeth scraping while his tongue flicked against her nipple. He massaged her other breast, pulling and teasing her nipple into a hard peak. His mouth was rough and possessive, claiming her body, branding her forever his.

Another strong pull of his mouth sent arousal spreading in a heated rush from breasts to toes. She felt his arms, strong and protective around her, a safe haven when his mouth was so demanding. His thigh wedged in between hers, giving him access to the welcoming haven between her legs. His hand slipped down her stomach to caress the damp folds.

I want to wake up to you forever-just like this.

His voice slid against her mind, over and into, a gentle thrust much like his hips made, pushing his heavy erection against her thigh. She felt the push of his fingers, the stretch and glide, creating a slick heat that sent waves of pleasure rocketing through her. All the while his mouth stayed busy, lapping at the tight bud of her nipple.

Desire for his touch, his mouth and hands, his hard body, ran deep, rushing through her like a drug. Gentleness gave way to aggression as he feasted on her, his teeth and mouth and tongue claiming her breasts for his own. All the while his fingers moved over her and into her, one moment deep, the next shallow, until she was pushing into his hand, and her body was flushed with heat.

He slid down her body.His . His own personal playground. Her skin was hot satin, her sheath, living silk, and he wanted to know every inch of her. He kissed and licked and bit his way to her thighs, then pulled her restless legs apart to reveal the ultimate treasure. She was already wet and swollen with need, too beautiful to resist. He lay between her thighs and, cupping her bottom, pulled her to his mouth.

Nicolas ran his tongue over her folds, lapping at the moisture there, then straightened his tongue, stabbed deep and used his teeth to rake at the little sensitive bud peaking at him. She screamed and writhed, trying to use her heels to dig in to the mattress and push her body out from under him, but he pinned her there and feasted. She tasted like a spring meadow under a full moon and he wanted all of her.

His large hands kneaded her bottom, the pads of his fingers catching the warm cream and massaging it into her body and exploring every shadow and hollow while he lapped at her like a great cat. His tongue took long, deep strokes, then stiffened and plunged over and over until she was panting, twisting, begging him for release. He watched her with hooded eyes, darkened with lust, soft with love, paying attention to every detail of her reaction. When her breath hitched, when she arched up, and her hips bucked. He felt her muscles contract and bunch in her stomach, felt the ripple of arousal through her thighs.

His body matched hers heat for heat, flame for flame. He loved the dazed look on her face, the whirling green-blue of her eyes sliding to opaque. The rose flush to her body and the tight buds of her nipples. Every gasp. Every moan. It all heightened his raw hunger.

He stabbed at her sensitive bud with his stiff tongue, flicking and teasing before using the edge of his teeth. She gave a broken cry, thrashed and caught a fistful of his hair. He responded by sucking and then using a circular motion with the flat of his tongue. When he thrust two fingers into her she gasped, her orgasm washing over her, giving him another rush of warm honey.

Lara went limp, panting, watching him with that dazed expression. Nicolas smiled and crawled up her body, rubbing his tight balls and the thick length of his shaft over her belly and breasts, leaving a pearly trail behind.

He knelt over her, his knees on either side of her shoulders, leaning forward to brace himself on one hand. He guided his shaft to her mouth, his gaze on her lips as her tongue slid out and touched the velvet tip, licking at the pearl drops like a kitten licking cream. He rubbed the broad head over her lips. Her lashes fluttered, her breasts rose and fell.

«Open your mouth.»

Lara was certain he was too big to accommodate, but he didn't give her a chance to protest. The

moment her lips parted, he slipped inside and threw back his head, eyes closing as if in ecstasy. It was that expression of rapture that made her want to learn, to follow the images and instructions in his mind. She wanted this for him, wanted the heat and fire and the loss of control, and she wanted to be the one to give it to him.

She experimented with technique, getting used to the feel and size of him, the texture and musky scent. She ran her tongue up and down his thick shaft, teased and nibbled at the underside of the flared head. When his breath rushed out of his lungs, she knew she was making headway. She flicked her tongue in much the same way he had until he jerked in her mouth. She tried a small suction and was rewarded with his gasp of pleasure.

You like that?

He swore softly in his native language.I need that. Harder. Deeper . Nicolas couldn't believe that was his voice, the commands really nothing but throaty growls.

Lara complied, wrapping her lips around him, taking him deeper until he was engulfed in hot, moist velvet. His hips bucked. His hand went to her hair, tangling in the red-blond silk while she cupped and stroked his balls with one hand and wrapped the other around the thick base of his shaft. Her lashes fanned her cheeks, her lips a sexy pout as she took him deep and flattened her tongue to draw him out.

Her breath hitched and he felt the warmth fan over him as he thrust deeper, her mouth, hot and wet sliding over his shaft, consuming him. He didn't let her get away with pulling back, forcing her out of her comfort zone again, pushing deeper, breathing for both of them.

I want to feel your throat squeezing all around me. Take me deeper.

I cant. But she wanted to. She was desperate to take him deeper. She felt every wave of pleasure rolling over him and reveled in her ability to bring him the kind of pleasure he gave her. She was just a little intimidated by his size.

You will, because if you don't I won't live another two minutes. He thrust down into her mouth, felt her throat squeeze around him, tight and wet and so wonderful he nearly lost his mind. Her mouth slid up and down him, and then she licked and sucked on his sac before swallowing him again.

As her throat closed around him, he took control, rising a little, shifting his angle so he could thrust, taking her breath, watching her eyes go wide. Even her trepidation as he slid deeper sent flames rolling in his belly.

I can't.

You will. Relax. Breathe. Feel me, Lara. Feel what you re doing to me.

He opened his mind to her, sharing the hot slide, the clamp of her throat, the stroke of her tongue on his sensitized flesh. He reared back, using the silk of her hair and his knees to keep her in place while he began to move.

She followed the instructions he bit out through bared teeth. The harder she sucked and used the flat of her tongue, and the edge of her teeth, the wilder and more aggressive he became, but she couldn't stop-didn't want to stop even though a part of her was nervous. She felt him grow thicker and she tried to pull away. He held her, the seductive whisper moving in her mind, telling her exactly what he needed

from her.

Nicolas suddenly withdrew, moving off of her. She cried out, reaching for him. He flipped her over and with one strong arm around her waist, lifted her, dragging her to her knees, pressing his shaft tightly against the curve of her buttocks. He licked his way down her spine, teasing the firm globes and tasting heat and spice down her very center. She gasped, unsure what he intended, but he held her submissively in front of him, forcing her to wait while he took his time, exploring her body, the body that was his to love, to worship, to play with.

Keeping one hand on the nape of her neck, he held her down, thrusting the broad head of his erection against her soft, wet entrance. She gasped and rocked back. He held her firmly, stopping when she tried to impale herself. He waited until she remained still and pushed deeper through the tight folds, inch by inch, filling and stretching her while her heart beat with his and the air moved through her lungs in rhythm with his.

Her muscles were tight and hot, a fiery inferno encasing him in silk. He caught her hips in his hands and thrust hard, burying himself so deep his balls met her bottom with a slap of sensitive flesh and he nearly howled with pleasure. He began to ride her, a hard, rough ride, slamming home, deliberately going as deep and as hard as possible with each stroke, taking her breath, not giving her time to do anything but rock back with sobbing breaths.

Her breasts swayed with every hard, pounding thrust and he leaned forward, angling his body to get a different position, to go even deeper. Her muscles clamped tighter and tighter, and suddenly fire raced over him as her orgasm took her, but he didn't slow down, didn't let her catch her breath, driving her right back up the pinnacle as hard and fast as he could.

Again. It was a demand, a growl rumbling in his throat. He gripped her hair and pulled her head back, leaning toward her shoulder, his teeth lengthening. All the while his hips pounded with real urgency, pushing her up and up, building the tension until she screamed, the lightning streaking from groin to belly to breasts, ripping through her like a tidal wave.

He moved again, turning her, lifting her, wrapping her legs around his waist so he could feel the slide of her breasts on his chest, so he could take her mouth with his, so that he could drop her down over the hard, rigid length of him and hear her scream with pleasure.

Tet vigyazam. I love you. He couldn't say the words out loud. They didn't seem to be enough to express what he felt inside.

He slowed the pace, savoring the tightness of her channel, the slick heat surrounding him and the way she gave herself so completely to him. He tipped her backward until she was lying half across the bed and he was kneeling, hips surging, never wanting the moment to end. Her eyes were glazing over when he caught her hips and drove desperately into the very core of her again and again.

His jaw ached as his teeth lengthened, his shaft was so hard he was afraid it would burst, but he couldn't stop. He was nearly at the point of no return. His teeth ached. His body ached. Every cell demanded he take her blood. He couldn't quiet the roar in his mind, or the thunder in his ears. He bent over her slowly, letting her get used to being pinned down by his larger, heavier body. He couldn't stop the deep thrusting of his hips, savoring the milking of her tight muscles over his pulsing flesh.

He looked into her eyes, let her see his intent. He kissed her breast, nuzzled her nipple and felt her body's instinctive rush of heat. His heartbeat was tuned to the rhythm of hers and he could feel her pulse

beckoning-seducing beneath his tongue. He tasted her soft skin. Warm satin, the feel of her as addicting as her scent. He bit very gently right along the swell of her breast, the smallest of nips and felt her heart flutter. Felt her sheath pulse around his shaft, felt the hot flood of glorious cream bathing him with her need.

He nipped a second time, a little harder, breaking the skin this time. The taste of her burst into his mouth and flooded his system so that he thickened, his erection growing heavier. Her muscles reacted, clamping down around him like a vise, holding him to her.

Say yes, Lara. Tell me yes.

His tongue lapped at the little sting. His hips took a long, slow, leisurely stroke, going deep and hard, pressing down on her sensitive bud so that as he raked over her, she shuddered with pleasure and arched into him.

He never asked if he could have her body, he took her over and over in any way he chose, driving her to bliss with his insatiable appetite, but he asked permission to do the one thing so natural to him she could feel the need beating and clawing at him.

His lips feathered over her pulse, teeth sinking a little deeper. She cried out, arching her back, her hips bucking hard, sheath clamping down again. Heat rushed through her, flames licked at her skin.

Please, she whispered.

He surged forward, another long stroke that nearly drove her over the edge, but he stopped with the walls of tight muscles pulsing all around him and her keening cry.

Please what?

Do it now while I am so desperate for you. Because it was all part of the erotic pleasure and she was desperate. Every part of her ached for this, this connection, the completeness between them.

Nicolas sank his teeth deep, thrust into her mind and body, all simultaneously, sharing his joy, heightening her pleasure, giving her everything he was and ever would be. Her taste burst through him like fireworks, hot and addicting and so perfect he knew he'd never get enough of her blood or her body. He was careful to keep her body at a fever pitch, to not allow her mind to hold any thought but pleasure and he didn't linger, although he wanted to.

He took enough for a true blood exchange, sliding his tongue over the curve of her breast to close the pinpricks even as he shifted again to lock his arm around her hips and begin another wild ride. He thrust faster and harder, watching her face, watching her eyes go, seeing that dazed look of delight, the sexy pout to her mouth as she gave a husky scream when her orgasm tore through her. Her tight sheath clamped down hard, squeezing and milking and tearing his own orgasm from him. He poured his seed into her, his hoarse cry mingling with hers.

With her body rippling around his, he caught her and rolled to his side, bringing her head into the cradle of his arm.Now, Lara, finish it. He didn't ask. It was a demand, dark and filled with lust, with desperate hunger.

Lara couldn't have resisted if she wanted to. The waves of pleasure rocked her, took her from breasts to belly to feminine channel and back again. The call of his blood was loud, the taste of his essence already

burning the back of her throat. She licked over his pulse and bit down, sinking her teeth into his chest.

His hips slammed into her hard, lifting her body, the bite of pain stimulating him even more. She closed her eyes and drank him in, taking him into her veins, her heart, every cell in her body, while he pumped in and out of her tight sheath. His taste was as primal as he was. A blend of dominance and heat, male and the night. She would forever crave him. It took a great deal of self-control to seal the pinpricks, but she was rewarded instantly.

Her orgasm hit her hard, driving the breath from her body and constricting her muscles tightly around Nicolas. He roared, clamping his hands on her hips while her body locked down unexpectedly on his shaft, tearing hot jets of semen from him. The climax continued, a brutal hot release that tore through his body, so that he plunged into her tight depths repeatedly, flooding her with his seed.

When he could move, he rolled them over so she could pillow her head on his chest. His arm circled her possessively, one hand cupping the underside of her breast. It took a few minutes for his burning lungs to manage to get air. «I want to stay here forever with you, Lara.»

She managed a smile. «We might have to.»

His thumb brushed the soft underside of her breast, back and forth. «I love your skin.»

She ran her hand down his chest to his belly. «I love yours.» She stretched her neck to nibble on his chin.

«Thank you.»

Her gaze shifted away from his. «You know what I have to do, don't you?»

She was going to avoid talking about making a blood exchange. Nicolas hesitated, unsure whether to force the issue, but then followed her lead. She needed to come to terms in her own way. Because she had managed to let him take her blood this one time, didn't mean it would be easy the next time-or even that she could. He accepted that in her, just as he accepted his own peculiar quirks, formed from a lifetime of experiences.

«We have to do it together,» Nicolas corrected. «You lured the entity, for lack of a better word, to the surface and Natalya was able to get it out of Savannah, but it was much easier with me there, wasn't it? Admit it.»

Lara nuzzled his chest with her chin. «Yes. I don't mind admitting it. It seems a bit of a daunting task to check every single woman and Francesca said it would have to be done. She plans to try to journey with me so she can learn Xavier's touch in order to help.»