Dark Slayer

She felt that peculiar wrenching in the vicinity of her heart that he often produced in her. His simple pleasure touched her. «Where are we going?»

«I want to go to the place where you found the soil for our bedchamber.»

«The cave of gems.»

He nodded. «The soil is pure, so we know that Xavier has not had a chance to spread his poison everywhere. I would like to find how far the infection has spread, how large of an area there actually is. I cannot believe this would be the only place. Once we know how to look, we can send word to other Carpathians to check their soil.»

«You believe we can cleanse it?»

«I absolutely believe you can,» he said.

She tried not to feel a ridiculous glow, but there it was, a silly ember that spread through her body like heat. It truly was frightening how she reacted to him. Embarrassed, she held her arms out and allowed the remainder of the pack to merge with her skin before scanning above them to ensure there was no way anyone could observe them leaving their lair.

They went out into the night, streaking fast through the dark, clear sky. Stars glittered high overhead, spreading a fantasy blanket over them, wrapping them in beauty that never failed to move Razvan. Ivory felt it through him. The wonder. The majesty. The miracle.

She had never looked at her surroundings that way, but with Razvan, she saw everything through new eyes. He felt as if he was sailing across the moon, sliding down a comet, playing hide-and-seek through the constellations. He raced through the scattered bits of vapor rising off the ribbon of a river and she experienced all of it with him. She had flown as an owl thousands of times, but never once had it been so fun or exhilarating.

The owls glided on silent wings over the snow-covered ground as they crossed above a meadow, the female moving into the lead, dropping low to gain the protection of the forest for as long as possible. They flew fast, banking sharply around the trees and through the branches, so soundless the rodents still scurried below, unaware of the danger above them.

They broke from the forest just as the floor dropped away to a valley running between two long mountain ranges, far from the ice caves of Xavier and miles away from the Carpathian village. The owls changed color to make it more difficult to be seen. Razvan went snowy white, while Ivory was darker white with a few dusky spots on her wings, indicating a female.

Let the owl guide your thoughts, Ivory cautioned. Anyone scanning might find one of us within the owl's body if we are not careful.

She had been careful every day of her life since the moment she had clawed her way out of the earth a century after the brutal attack on her. He didn't respond, although he wanted to. He found the warrior in her sexy. Instead he brushed her with warmth and then simply let go of his self, merging deeply within the owl so, should an enemy be seeking them, their adversary would never suspect anything but owls winging their way across the valley.

The moment he allowed the owl completely to the forefront, he was astonished at the bird's ability to hear and see. The thick white plumage, soft and dense, extended to his toes, covering and insulating his body. Soft fringe on the flight feathers muffled the sound, allowing him to soar ghostlike across the sky.

Ivory dropped low, skimming close to the ground now, and Razvan followed, enjoying every second of the silent flight, watching the wind ruffle his mate's feathers as she glided along mere feet above the ground, making them smaller targets. She suddenly rose sharply, wings beating powerfully to bring her high, up toward a peak and then plunging over the other side, talons outstretched as if hunting prey.

Just before they hit the ground, Ivory moved in his mind with a sharp command. Shift.

He landed on his feet, crouching low instinctively on a small outcropping nearly at the very base of the mountain. Ivory did another slow, careful scan of the area and Razvan followed suit.

«This place is sacred. I was directed here by Mother Earth, to this place of immense power. There are magic metals here, and gems for any occasion. The soil is rich and has never been used by any other than me.»

He bowed low, a gesture of respect. «Thank you for bringing me.»

«You are my lifemate.» Ivory said it casually, but inside her stomach knotted.

This was her favorite place, just as his garden had been his. She wanted him to feel the same way about it as she did, to love the spectacular cave, the feel of the soil, to see the beauty of the gems and realize the richness of the metals. Most of all she wanted him to realize the honor they both had been given by their earth mother. No one had ever walked inside the cave before her, and no one would find it after her.

Ivory couldn't believe how nervous she was as she floated just above the stones covering the entrance. She wanted to leave no tracks, and disturbing the snow would do so. She made certain she took a detailed picture in her mind so everything could be arranged exactly as it was before they moved the twin stones opening into the long narrow tunnel that led to the caves beneath the ground.

Razvan realized what she was doing and immediately followed suit. He had a photographic memory. If she wanted the area pristine, he would make certain it was left that way when they were gone.

Ivory floated the two small rocks away to reveal a crawl space low to the ground. They both shifted into vapor and poured into the narrow opening. Ivory wove safeguards to hide the entrance while they were inside and then proceeded along the curving tube, following its direction down into the warmth of the earth. The crawl space was no wider than a small man's shoulders, but in their present form, they traveled fast.

The tunnel began to widen and the ceiling became high enough for them to stand, but Ivory, conscious of disturbing the natural balance of the ecosystem, remained as vapor until she got down into the cave itself. The cave was quite large and wide, terraced with many levels.

She left off her shoes when she shifted to her natural form, letting her feet sink into the rich soil just to absorb the feeling.

«Hurry, Razvan, like this. It is so wonderful-like heaven.»

She flashed a quick smile his way, but Razvan could tell it was a bit tentative. That always moved him. His confident warrior always became a little nervous when she was having fun or being a woman. He stayed just inches from the soil with his bare feet. «I do not know about this, Ivory. I have been in heaven, you know.»

She looked up with a small frown, realized his meaning from the look in his eyes and then she blushed. He loved that-the sweep of color moving up her neck and creeping under the porcelain of her skin when he teased her.

«Put your feet in the soil,» she said, shaking her head at him.

He floated to just in front of her, keeping his feet hovering above the enticing richness of the dark loam. His body bumped against hers. «I cannot quite settle. I am new at this you know.»

«You are always up to something when you give me your little-boy smile.» The one that melted her entire body and left her weak and breathless and ready to do anything he wanted right there on the spot. In a kind of desperation, she gripped his arms and yanked him down. His body slid along the length of hers, sending a shiver of excitement spiraling through her.

Razvan's bare feet sank into the rich soil nearly up to his ankles. His fingers curled around her arms as they stood with only a breath between them. «Ivory!» Excitement shook him. «This is such a find.»

Pleased, she shrugged. «It is not really my find. I was given the location by the earth when I was deep beneath the layers and fighting for my life. I crawled here. Inch by inch.»

She swallowed the dark memories of those difficult days and leaned into him, unconsciously seeking the shelter of his heart. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she already relied on him. It both frightened and elated her that Razvan had become so important to her so quickly.

«I would crawl as far as I could when there was no moon to burn my skin,» she explained. «In the first attempts to rise for a few hours and start the trek, even the smallest light hurt my skin. The pack would guard me and then I would sink beneath the soil and recover until I could manage to gather the courage and endurance to go farther.»

His arm swept around her and he brushed kisses over the top of her head. She wasn't asking for sympathy, she simply was giving him the facts. Everything he was rebelled at the images of her crawling on her hands and knees, dragging herself over the rough terrain on her belly, using elbows and knees to propel herself forward. He hadn't been there to aid her and the thought of her enduring such agony without him to help her left him sick.

He traced the thin white lines segmenting her body, the one around her throat, the one over her upper arms and down the swell of her breast. He tipped up her chin, using two fingers, waiting until her lashes lifted and he was looking into her eyes. «I love you.»

Her womb clenched. Her heart stilled. She could see it in his eyes. Feel the emotion surrounding her, swamping her, lifting her up. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. He shook her with his love. His slow smile made her tremble and she veiled her eyes again as his mouth descended to take possession of hers. The earth trembled beneath their feet.

Ivory tangled her fingers with his as he lifted his head. «I want to show you something. This place is a treasure trove of gems, but more importantly, metals.»

Razvan looked up at the terraced walls with the veins of silver and gold. Along the walls and scattered throughout the dark soil, he could see evidence of sparkling gems.

«Iron. Not from ore, but from a meteorite. It is in its purest form, straight from the skies, Razvan. The protection properties are tremendous. And lead is here as well. I have been experimenting with lead to aid in lengthening the endurance of my coating with protection spells. I can make our weapons of natural metals that do well with magic so we can easily transport them. The coating is essential when we fight vampires.»

«Amazing,» Razvan agreed. «This place is beyond important, Ivory.»

«It was entrusted to me and I have to keep it safe.»

«I agree.» He crouched down even as he was looking around at the various properties she pointed out to him. Scooping up a handful of soil, he let it slide through his fingers. «This soil is not contaminated.»

«Why would it be?» Ivory said. «Xavier has no idea it exists. No one does.»

«The microbes are in the ground, Ivory. They do not stay in one place. They spread. That is what he sent them out to do, spread to far lands and contaminate. That, coupled with the fact that they are nearly impossible to destroy, is why Xavier used them. You can bet he sent his microbes across the sea to every continent. Xavier is a very thorough man.»

«How do you know they are not here?»

«I lived in the ice caves in the middle of the experiments for more centuries than I care to remember. I feel them.»

«Like Natalya said Lara does.» She spun around to look at him. «But she is still mage; they believe she feels them because she is mage.»

He shook his head. «No, she can hide her presence from them because she is mage. That is why they cannot convert her. She is the only one who can at this point.»

«You are thinking that you can find a way to aid your daughter.»

He nodded. «We can find a way,» he emphasized. «I cannot do it without your help. She cannot be converted and lives a half-life in order to keep the unborn children alive. If we can find a way to rid the soil of the mutated microbes, she can be converted.»

«Razvan . . .» Her voice was gentle. «It is most likely the microbes have not found their way in yet. It is probably only a matter of time. As I understand it, extremophiles can live under pretty much any condition, no matter how harsh. If there was a way to destroy them . . .»

«You said yourself, you can reverse what he did.»

«Yes, but not destroy the ones already in the ground. I can stop them, but it will take time. Years even.»

Ivory hated to disappoint him. He was looking at her as if the moon waxed and waned with her. She laid a hand on top of his head. «We will find a way to help her.»

«It is here, Ivory. The answer is here,» Razvan insisted. «In this cave. Life began in microbe form. There is something in this soil that protects against the invasion of the mutated microbes, I am certain of it.»

She sank down beside him, feeling the healing earth move around her as if to cushion and blanket her with its warmth. Whenever she came to the cave she felt as if she'd come home. She'd spent a lot of time beneath the ground here, covered in the rich soil, absorbing the healing properties through her skin.

She scooped up a fistful of dirt and allowed it to run through her fingers like water, feeling the individual properties as the substance moved over her skin. Was it only her imagination because she wanted to do this for him so much, or did she really feel as if there was something different, an element in the soil she was missing?

«You said there is always a balance of good and evil, Ivory,» Razvan reminded.

«Yes, but I deal with what is natural. Xavier twists what is natural into something evil. The microbes started out good, not evil, or at least neutral. They were not put on this earth to harm Carpathians. Xavier changed them for his own evil purposes. Had they been naturally poisonous, I would have no doubt that the cure would be close to them, as is always the case with nature. I can reverse his spell. I am certain I can, given the time to study it. But to find something to destroy what he has wrought . . .»

«It is here,» Razvan insisted stubbornly. «I feel it.»

She looked around her. She had utilized the precious metals and called the gems to her for her weapons and her warning system. She had used the soil for her bedchamber, painstakingly transporting it until she had a full basin. Occasionally she replenished the soil with new, fresh earth, although the healing properties had always remained as powerful as within the cave itself.

She believed in feelings. Ivory was very tuned to the earth after spending so many centuries deep within its rich beds of healing soil. If the metals and gems were the very veins and blood and bones of the earth, perhaps the organisms were her heart and soul.

Razvan had experienced the same connection to the earth. Mother Earth had accepted him, attached her veins to his and encased him in her gems and minerals to save his life. She flowed in his veins in the way she did Ivory's. Perhaps, with his newfound life, he was closer to the soil and could feel the minute differences in ways Ivory hadn't explored yet, but that still didn't make sense. She'd spent centuries in the earth, hooked to the ebb and flow of the earth's lifeblood and she couldn't detect what he thought he felt.

«Clear your mind of everything,» Razvan suggested. «Sit like this.» He lifted his left foot and placed it on his right thigh and tucked his right foot onto his left thigh.

Ivory sat facing him, assuming the position without question.

«Spine straight, relax your shoulders. That is right.» He nodded his approval. «You want to make an oval with your hands, left hand on top of right, with your thumbs together and your middle joints of your middle fingers together. Let go of yourself. Similar to what you do in healing, but mind and body as one, and just let information flow into you. Take it in and let it out. Do not try to hold on to anything. Just be still. Breathe. Match the flow of my breath and then let yourself forget that, too.»

Ivory did as he asked, giving herself up to the moment. To the cave. To the earth. It was not only the connection to the earth, she decided later, it was this-Razvan's stillness, his peace, the way he was one with everything around him-that allowed her to first feel the presence of the organism.

She drew in her breath and slowly lifted her palm, using her body like a divining rod. She slowly turned and found that she'd picked up the existence of the life-form in every direction, as if the soil was saturated with it.

«It is everywhere,» she said, letting her breath out, a little shocked at the widespread dispersion. «I have to figure out what it is.»

«Can we take a sample?»

«We have an entire basin full,» Ivory reminded. «We sleep in it every day.»

Razvan frowned and ran the soil through his fingers again. «I think we should take a new sample, to make certain it was not contaminated in any way by us.»

«I always ask permission before I take anything from this cave,» Ivory warned. «If the answer is no, we go with what we already have. The earth has been more than good to us and we cannot allow greed to creep into our hearts, not even for a good cause.»

«The earth is a mother, Ivory, she saved us. She will want to save the children of her people,» Razvan reasoned.

Ivory smiled. She loved the way Razvan had such faith. Where had it come from? He had been tortured by his own grandfather. His people had believed the worst of him, yet he still had faith in the goodness of the world.

Razvan caught her looking at him with that look on her face she reserved only for him. Tender. Loving. Proud. She probably didn't even know she had that particular look, but it made him soft inside whenever that expression crossed her face, no matter how fleeting. It was enough for him that she knew him and understood why he did the things he did. No one else had to know, only Ivory.

Ivory lifted her hands and closed her eyes, using a melodic voice to plead their case. She was startled when Razvan joined in, harmonizing in his deeper male voice.

Mother, oh Mother, we come to you for aid. Hear our children, hold them close, never let them fade. Mother, oh Mother, our children are dying Catch our tears, we plead with you, stop our crying. Listen to our plea, see what is in our hearts. Hold us together, don't let us fall apart. We ask for the life in the soil to bring strength to our young Heal their wounds, protect our special ones.

Around them the ground shimmered and the gems sparkled bright. Above their heads columns of stalactites hummed, vibrating with the tune of their harmony.

Ivory bowed her head in gratitude and Razvan slid his hand almost lovingly through the soil before they lifted their voices in thanks.

Mother, oh Mother, you are great indeed Your gift is so precious, we're humbled by thee.

Razvan scooped up handfuls of the precious material and, forming a silken pouch, poured it into the bag. «How much will you need?»

«Enough to conduct several experiments just in case it is not an easy answer.» She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. Usually there were no easy answers, but this time, they might have just gotten plain lucky. If there was a life-form that kept the mutated microbes at bay, or better yet, actually destroyed them, she should be able to find it fairly quickly. It wasn't as if she had a lot of combinations to choose from.

Razvan's fingers settled around her wrist and he pulled her to him. «You are a miracle to me, Ivory, whether you think so or not. This place»-he swept one arm in a circular motion, taking in the giant cave-«this may save my daughter. She has been through so much, and as always, you seem to be the key to my happiness. If I can ease her suffering and that of her lifemate, I will feel as if I at least partially redeemed myself.»

«Xavier possessed you, Razvan,» she reminded gently. «I shared your memories and saw what he did. The fault was not yours.»

He shrugged and tucked stray tendrils of hair, which had pulled loose from her braid, behind her ear. «I should have been more careful in my wording of things. I grew up with a mage. I know that words carry power, yet I continued to make mistakes that cost those I loved dearly.»

«You were fourteen years old the first time he took you, and you gave up your life so your sister would be safe. You were a child, Razvan,» she said.

His smile was gentle. «You are so fierce in your defense of me, han ku kuulua sivamet-keeper of my heart, yet you should be called han ku meke piramet-defender.»

«I am the keeper of your heart,» she said, «and I will defend you to the death, Razvan. You are an extraordinary man and I am proud to be your lifemate.» She ducked her head, embarrassed as always when she showed too much emotion. «We should go back to our home so we can study the soil and see if we truly have your answers.»

He caught her chin and took a kiss. Just one. But he savored her, the taste and texture of her, savored the scent and feel of her. When he lifted his head he smiled. «Palafertiil-mate.»

Just the way he said that single word made her weak inside. Soft. Tender. Sexy. She smiled back at him. «That I am.»

«The life-form had to have first been in the meteorite,» Ivory said and slumped down, her arms cushioning her head. «I should have known. It is iron rich.»

«How did it survive coming to Earth?» Razvan asked, rubbing her shoulders.

«I have no idea, and frankly, I do not even care at this point. The soil is teeming with them and, so far, every time you have brought me contaminated soil, they rush to surround the mutated microbes and destroy them while leaving everything else intact.» She turned her head to one side to look up at him. «Do you know where the microbes are produced?»

«Xavier's largest factory was destroyed and he moved to his fortress deep under the mountains. I can find it. But the microbes are not in the soil there. He leaks them down a glacier to feed the water systems and spread to the soil. The last time I hunted for us near the village just below the glacier, I overheard the local midwife speaking of the high rate of miscarriages. I fear the contamination has spilled over into humans. If the microbes infected their gardens, they could begin to suffer the fate of our species.» He massaged her neck with gentle fingers. «You need to rest, Ivory.»

She had been working steadily for three weeks straight, never leaving the lair, not even for food. Razvan had hunted for the pack and for Ivory. He had taken the wolves running nightly and had gathered soil samples from dozens of places, bringing each back to her, but Ivory refused to go with him, preferring to stay and conduct her experiments. She looked pale and worn, with dark circles under her eyes.

«I have a bad feeling, Razvan,» Ivory said. But she gave a small sigh of pleasure as his fingers worked their magic, easing the knots out of her neck. «It has been growing in me for some time now and I feel the need to get this done fast.»

He was silent and she looked up at him to catch the expression on his face. Ivory sat up quickly and turned to face him. «You have felt it, too.»

He nodded. «Growing stronger all the time and the pack has been strangely restless.»

«Something is wrong.»

He didn't want to agree with her, not when she was so worn, but his every instinct told her she was right. «We have to go to the prince with what we have,» he said.

She bit her lip. «I think I am right, Razvan, but I am always so meticulous. I would repeat the experiments a thousand more times and document more evidence. I am still working on the spell to change the existing mutations for when we find his factory.»

She pushed her hand through her hair in agitation. «There is still so much work. You cannot just rush this kind of thing. If we make a mistake, we could do as much harm as Xavier, no matter what our intent.»

They stayed up into the morning hours when her skin hurt and blistered, despite being so far beneath the ground-an aftermath, he knew, of spending more than a century beneath the earth to heal her horrendous wounds. She sank into the sleep of their people. Ivory often woke before she should, agitated and on edge. Her body was unable to move while her mind raced with worry. Razvan made love to her often, easing the tension in her, but she couldn't stop the obsessive drive that kept her working nonstop. Even the soil couldn't seem to rejuvenate her.

He pulled a brush from the table and began to run it gently through her hair, knowing she always found that soothing. He did as well. The feel of the silken strands against his skin served as a reminder to him of the absolute wonder of finding her when there had never been a moment of hope of such a miracle.

«How close are you to reversing the spell?»

«I will not know until I try it, Razvan.» There was a hint of despair in her voice. «I am beginning to see the enormity of what Lara and Nicolas have faced. They do not dare convert her and bear the death of our children on their souls, yet how can they continue without a life of their own?»

Razvan's smile above her head was tranquil. «You endured. I endured. Such is life, Ivory. We hope our children do not have to struggle as we have, but living life well and handling adversity shapes character. I am proud of Lara for her choices and would not take away from her the chance for service to others. She has many years she can continue to live well before it is necessary to convert her. If we fail, she will endure as we did. At the end of the day, we can only say we did our best. We cannot control others, just ourselves.»

Ivory felt his quiet stillness, the peaceful calm that kept him so composed in difficult situations. She allowed that serenity to seep into her and soothe her own turbulent mind. With each stroke, the brush seemed to pull more of the tension out of her soul. Razvan was right. They could only do their best and that was what they had done.

She realized, as he divided her hair into three thick strands and began a tight weave, that she had wanted to show the Carpathian people that Razvan was no criminal to be mistrusted, but was, in fact, a great man who had sacrificed for all of them. Razvan didn't want that. He didn't care about others' opinions. He simply was. That was how he lived his life. He did his best and didn't try to control others.

She took a deep breath. «Okay. I say we go then, find out what is happening and let the prince make the decision to try a larger experiment or keep working. I also need to try the reversing spells on microbes that are out in the field. There is no point in attacking the factory if we cannot permanently stop his work.»

«The more Xavier is harassed, the less time he has to do damage,» Razvan said gently. «If this does not work for us, then we can buy ourselves time by taking down his fortress and making him move again.»

She started to turn her head to look at him over her shoulder, but he tugged on her hair, preventing her. Ivory frowned. «We cannot take a chance on losing him. If he disappears . . .»

«I can find him. Anywhere. Anytime.»

She waited a heartbeat until her pulse settled. «How?»

«He took my blood for well over a hundred years, Ivory. He left pieces of his dark, depraved soul within me. I will draw him as no other.»

She clamped down hard on the surge of bile rising suddenly at the idea of Razvan in Xavier's hands. «You would use yourself as bait.»

«Of course. To draw him to us. He would come.»

His hands were steadier than hers as he secured the tie on her braid. She knew because she reached back and laid her hands over his. «No.» A single word. His single word to her. Now she knew how he'd felt when she'd suggested using herself as bait.

He didn't argue, but then she was getting used to his ways. That didn't mean agreement. He simply bent down and kissed the side of her neck, right over her rapidly beating pulse.

«I mean it, Razvan. We will not destroy his present fortress, even if we need more time.»

His smile was placid, gentle, even tender. His palm cupped the side of her face. «As we do not know if you have succeeded, there is no reason for discord between us.»

She bit his fingers hard and glared at him. «Just so you know, there will be discord between us. A lot of discord. More than any man will ever want to have in his life.»

He burst out laughing, sticking his fingers in his mouth to ease the sting. «I will remember that.»

She gave him a sniff of annoyance and gathered weapons. Razvan had divided his time between helping her, caring for her and working on his proficiency with the various weapons she had. He was a quick learner with astonishing reflexes, and was very disciplined about his practice. He spent hours with the crossbow and sword each night. He practiced tumbling and hand-to-hand as well as throwing the arrowheads. He was quick and intelligent and she enjoyed his company, but most of all his tranquility. He had brought her peace and joy.

Razvan held out his arms and Blaez and Rikki leapt onto his back easily, merging into his skin until he was decorated with detailed tattoos just as the rest of the pack joined with Ivory. They gathered the soil and the documentation of the experiments, and scanned meticulously before streaming out into the night and streaking fast across the sky toward the Carpathian settlement.

As they flew across the forests and meadows, they spotted evidence of vampires passing through the vicinity. Blackened shrubbery. Withered branches. Split tree trunks. In one area it was obvious a battle had taken place: the ground was blackened.

Ivory sucked in her breath. They are out in force.

He will come for me. Again his voice was absolutely calm.

No.

Ivory dipped her wings and circled away from the ravaged wasteland below, taking them through a narrow pass and then over rolling hills dotted with small farms, but she felt his smile.

You will not be smiling long if you keep it up.

I was just saying.

You were provoking me.

I would not do that.

The female owl sent him a haughty look and began her descent, calling ahead to the prince to announce their presence. His house looked quiet. Deserted. She pulled up in alarm and settled into the tops of a tree to use the owl's acute sight to examine the area around the house.

They left in a hurry and they did not shift.

Raven is pregnant, fairly advanced in her pregnancy, Razvan reminded her. Is it possible it is her time?

The bad feeling inside of Ivory got worse. Perhaps we should use our blood call to the healer, she suggested uneasily.

Razvan didn't hesitate. He went inside himself to find the strain of healer blood running through his veins and sent a call: We have need to speak with the prince but find his home empty. We both are uneasy. Is there trouble?

There was a long silence, as if the healer might not answer, and then his voice came. Faint. Faraway. Stressed. Hesitant. My lifemate cannot hold on to the babies. We are in the cave of healing, preparing a birth chamber. Lara and Nicolas have been injured.

Razvan turned the owl's head and looked at Ivory before launching himself into the air, the female following this time. There were no words to say. If Nicolas had been injured, they had to have been attacked-and attacked deliberately. The master vampire-or Xavier-had determined who was saving the unborn children and had made a bid to remove that obstacle to his plans. But how did they know to attack Lara? Razvan questioned, remembering that brief hesitation from Gregori. They think I am a spy in their camp and that I gave up Lara to Xavier.

Immediately Ivory dropped toward the ground, shifting form at the last moment to pace through the snow with quick long strides of energy, radiating a fury that couldn't be mistaken. She had heard that small hesitation in the healer as well.

«We go, Razvan, and we could be walking into a trap. They might try to jump us, and if they do, we will have no choice but to fight our way clear.» She whirled around to face him, a slow hiss escaping. «Someone will die.»

Razvan regarded her with dark, somber eyes, leaning against a tree trunk with casual ease, watching her move like quicksilver through the snow. He loved her ferocious protection, the fine fury that shone through her, radiating out like the brightest moon.

«I will go alone.» He kept his tone quiet, very calm.

Her chin went up. «You will not be their sacrifice. They are upset. On edge. They need a scapegoat and they will make you one. We both know it.»

«One of us has to speak with the prince. You are the better warrior. I do not mind them putting their hands on me or searching me. You would never tolerate such a thing, nor would I be able to allow them to touch you without respect. If you go, there will be a fight. If I go, there is a chance we can get to the prince with our evidence and help them.»

«They do not deserve help.» She snapped the words at him, enunciating each one.

He folded his arms across his chest as she took up pacing again, her hands in tight fists at her sides. He said nothing, merely watched her through half-closed eyes.

She stopped in front of him, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her heart there behind the tears swimming in her eyes. There was nothing more disarming than a warrior woman looking vulnerable and weeping. He lifted his hand to her face in wonder. «Don't cry for me, Ivory. I have always lived with my choices. I have to see that Lara is safe. And I cannot let babies die if we have a way to save them, and neither would you.»

«If they harm one hair on your head-just one-there will be a war such as they have never seen.»

His hands framed her face. He knew it only embarrassed her when he told her he loved her, because she had a difficult time answering him back. And it would probably be worse if he told she moved him as no one and nothing else ever had or would. So he kissed her.

Razvan poured everything he felt for her into his kiss. Infinite love. Complete acceptance. Pride. Joy. Lust. Everything he was, he gave to her. She answered him, sinking into the heat of his mouth, giving herself up to that world of pure sensation mixed with love. She could live there, in his arms, their mouths fused together forever, her body sinking into his, her arms around his neck. Her home. Her shelter. Her everything.

When he reluctantly left the haven of her mouth, he rested his forehead against hers, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. «If this goes wrong, han ku vigyaz sielamet-keeper of my soul-know I will wait for you in the next life. Xavier must be destroyed. Before all else, he must be destroyed. Look at me and tell me you will come to me with your soul shining brightly.»

«You ask too much.»

«I do not, Ivory. I ask you to endure as you have endured for so many centuries, your eye fixed on the task given to you. We have had this time. A stolen moment of happiness. What they do-or do not do-matters little to us.» He placed his hand over her heart, felt it beat into his palm. «We have a great purpose and we must see it through to the end.»

The sob in her throat threatened to choke her as she swallowed it back down. «You terrify me with your calm acceptance, Razvan.»

«I do not control others, Ivory, only myself. I do what I must, no matter the cost.»

«I will hate them with all of my heart if they harm you.»

«You are my light, Ivory. I need you to be that light. I count on that light.»

«You ask more from me than you would from yourself. You would slay them all if they touched me.»

«Yes.» His thumb traced her fine bone structure. «You are the miracle, Ivory, not me.»

His fingers curled around the nape of her neck and he pulled her to him and simply held her in his arms until the stiffness and tension drained from her body and she lay against him, pliant and soft. Their hearts beat the same rhythm. In tune. His soul moved against hers. She felt the brush of his lips in her hair and then he put her away from him.

«Give me your documents and the soil samples. I will let you know if we are clear. If not, I will see you on the other side.»

Reluctantly she handed them to him, ignoring that her hands were shaking. Razvan held out his arms and shrugged off the wolves, then knelt to bury his fingers in their fur, holding their heads and touching their faces as he rubbed their ears and necks before standing. When he turned away from her she caught his hand.

«Razvan.»

He took a breath and turned back to her. «Beloved?»

«You are my miracle.»

He smiled at her and walked away, carrying her words with him. It didn't take courage to walk into the lion's den. Whatever fate waited was nothing in comparison to what he had suffered at Xavier's hands. They would not torture him. Without Ivory they had nothing to hold over his head, no emotional pain they could give him. There was only death. He had accepted death as part of life a long time ago and he didn't fear it.

He walked with an easy pace, circling through the trees, making no attempt to hide his presence. He had left his weapons with Ivory, although he could summon them at will, and the Carpathians would know that.

He felt the first prickle of unease as he drew closer to the series of caves leading to the healing chambers. He knew they watched him. He heard the flutter of wings overhead as several owls settled onto the branches above his head. He kept walking.

Healer, I am coming in.

There was a small silence while Gregori relayed the information to others. Two owls floated down from the trees, shifting before they came to earth, resuming physical shapes. He recognized Falcon and Vikirnoff as they dropped in behind him to escort him. Above his head, the other owls took flight.

They have posted sentries, Ivory, and they are searching for you.

They will not find me.

He didn't allow his smile to show on his face as he entered the cave of healing. I do not doubt you are right. And he didn't. The Carpathian males continually underestimated Ivory. They should have known better, if they gave it any thought at all. Her bloodline. Her intelligence. Her determination to survive. Her hunting skills alone should have tipped them off that they were trying to chase a tiger.

Razvan continued into the tunnel connecting the series of caves. Grim-faced warriors were posted at each entrance. None of the faces were friendly. He felt the beat of their suspicions, the dark recrimination. He had been tried and convicted already. He didn't look at them as he walked past them, nor did he drop his head or quicken his pace. He felt, occasionally, the probe of a mind touch, but he had been with Xavier too long to ever allow anyone into his mind, no matter how strong the probe.

He knew that would only condemn him further in their eyes, but it mattered little to him. Gregori met him at the third entrance and fell into step.

«You know what they think.»

«How is my daughter?»

«The attack came at dawn as they were out hunting, a time most vampires, particularly a master vampire, rarely rise. They had to have information not only that Lara was the one needed, but exactly where they had gone to hunt.»

«How is my daughter?» Razvan repeated.

«She is healing, as is her lifemate. We had no choice but to complete the conversion and put them both in the ground. They went at her first. She was-mutilated.» Gregori shook his head when Razvan stopped and looked at him. Keep walking. This is a very difficult situation. Without Lara, we cannot break the cycle of the microbe attack. We sense their presence but they hide from us. We have no way to lure them to the surface. Being fully Carpathian, Lara will no longer be able to trick the microbe, but it was necessary to convert her. The women must rest in the ground, as do we, but then the microbes invade, Gregori added telepathically.

«Tell me how she is.» There was a bite to Razvan's voice. He felt Ivory stir in his mind, surrounding him with warmth. Deeply merged with him as she was, she heard every word and knew what his control cost him.

«It will take time, Razvan. The vampire wanted to make a statement. He went after her womb. I did the best I could, but I am not a miracle worker.»

For a moment he couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. His daughter. Lara. She had suffered so much. He found himself on one knee, his head down, dragging air into his burning lungs. When he looked up at Gregori, his eyes burned with ruby red flames and death stalked behind the fire.

I go no farther, healer, until you tell me her location.

You know I cannot. My daughters are at stake here as well. Savannah struggles to keep them within her. One is very weak. We will lose her before this night is gone if I cannot find a way to defeat the microbe.

I bring you our best chance at it, but unless you give me my daughter's location so Ivory can aid her, I will not go one step farther. And you are welcome to slay me, but I take your answers with me.

Gregori let out his breath in a long, slow hiss. «I know you are not guilty of the crime, Razvan. I have spoken out and defended you.»

«I want my daughter to be whole. Ivory can see to it. We will call it my last request.»

Gregori cursed in the ancient tongue, frustrated and angry to be put in such a position. Mikhail. I believe he should have the chance to save Lara's ability to have children when I cannot. I know he is not guilty of these charges. You know what is inside of this man. He has a will of iron, and what he says, he means. He will go to his death, and for what? Tell me, for what?

Give him the coordinates.

Gregori instantly passed Razvan the location.

Ivory sent another burst of warmth. I will ask for Mother Earth's assistance. She has been good to us, Razvan, and I believe she favors you. She will give aid.

He clung to the promise in her voice. Lara deserved a full life. He wanted her to have it all, even if he didn't live to see her happiness. He swallowed the rage and fear and forced a calming breath before he stood and resumed walking, again looking neither left nor right.

Tell me when it is done, Ivory.

Gregori guided him through a small series of caves and tunnels leading lower beneath the ground. Heat rose and swamped them, forcing them to regulate their temperature continually. Large crystalline formations burst from the walls and through the high ceilings, as well as rose from the floor. Instinctively he knew this was the warriors' council chambers, and this was where his fate would be decided.

The chamber held more male Carpathians than he'd known existed. As he entered, the giant columns hummed in welcome. Gregori glanced at him, and then his silver gaze slid around the room, marking each warrior's face. He remained at Razvan's side as the most despised Carpathian walked, head high, through the warriors and straight to the prince.

He inclined his head. «Mikhail. I understand there has been trouble.»

«As if you did not know,» a voice said.

Mikhail lifted his head, his gaze sweeping the crowd. «One more word and this room will be cleared. As you have seen, Razvan has entered of his own free will and the chamber welcomed him. I apologize for that unfortunate outburst,» he added and stepped forward, clasping Razvan's forearms in the traditional greeting between warriors. «Sivad olen wakeva, han ku piwta-may your heart stay strong, hunter.»

«Pesasz jelabam ainaak-long may you stay in the light,» Razvan replied.

«A master vampire attacked Lara and Nicolas as they went out to hunt in the early twilight hours. He knew where they would be. Nicolas fought them with valor. Had he not been the skilled warrior that he is, they would not have escaped. He killed three of the lesser vampires and nearly destroyed a fourth. Nicolas recognized the master vampire as Sergey Malinov. As he slashed up Lara, he told her that his sister sent her regards.»

Razvan didn't flinch. He heard the soft murmur swelling to outrage behind him, but he kept his gaze locked with that of the prince. «And you believe Ivory would order such a thing done to my daughter?»

«No, but the attack was clearly orchestrated, with the victims specifically chosen and information given about them.»

«So there is a traitor among you.»

The prince inclined his head. «I fear so.»

«And it is easier for them to believe that I am the one who has betrayed your people,» Razvan said. «As I already have been branded a traitor.»

«I fear that is correct.» Mikhail sighed.

«I bring you hope,» Razvan said. «Before you carry this farce any further, let me deliver to you what we have found. Ivory worked for weeks to find something to combat the microbes. She has tested this life-form and believes it will destroy any mutated microbe in the earth. She, of course, wishes for more time for further tests, but wants you to see what she has found and make your decision.»

He took the precious pouches of soil from his belt and handed them to Gregori, along with the small book documenting each experiment and her findings. «At least you will have a place to start.»

Gregori bowed to him. «Thank you.»

Razvan. Ivory's voice was tight, putting him on alert. I have found the resting place, but it was being disturbed. Someone with a very large knife has been trying to unearth them.

Fury pounded through his veins and thundered in his ears. Who dares to try to kill my daughter and her lifemate?

I will bring him to you.

Do not come to this place. I think they are about to put me through some kind of trial to determine if I am their traitor.

Ivory hissed in his mind, and a very feminine, unwarriorlike image of retaliation on the lot of them made his groin throb, not with anticipation but in sympathetic pain.

«Razvan, the counsel wishes you to submit for testing from a chosen panel,» Mikhail said. «Ancient warriors that lived under my father's rule. They do not know me well.» He lifted his voice. «Though they are sworn to defend me, they do not trust my judgment and will have the choice when we are done here to leave this council and go their own way without heed, but also without allegiance to our people.»

In essence, Mikhail was giving the ancients this one time of doubt and then he would not tolerate it again.

Razvan shrugged. «So be it.»

Sun scorch them all. O jela peje terad. Ivory bit out each word so that not only Razvan could hear, but Gregori, Vikirnoff, Natalya and the prince-everyone who had given them blood. Her contempt was palpable, blatant, reducing them all to maggots beneath her feet.

Razvan had to stop his grin from showing. He glanced at Gregori. That is my lifemate.

A rare one, Gregori agreed.

He sighed, obviously steeling himself for his task. He beckoned the chosen ancients near. Vikirnoff. Mataias. Tariq and Andre. Each one had to pronounce Razvan clean of Xavier and find no hidden agenda. One wrong thing and they would slay him. Gregori grit his teeth, hating that they had to appease the ancients. To him it was a slap in the face to question the wisdom of the prince.

Had they questioned their own prince, Razvan reminded him, perhaps Ivory would have been spared her ordeal and Rhiannon would not be dead. The war between mage and Carpathian might never have taken place.

Gregori marveled at the absolute calm and acceptance in Razvan. Gregori had no wish for others to invade his privacy to the point that Razvan would have them search his memories and know every humiliation suffered. It was cruel and wrong as far as the healer was concerned.

I love you, Ivory, Razvan sent gently. More than life. Leave me now. Do not let them invade you as well. Although these men would have knowledge of her as he did, the terrible things she had endured. Wipe out the direction of our lair from my memory. He knew she was capable. She was capable of far more than any of them knew.

Ivory complied and then she was gone, leaving him entirely alone once again.

Ivory had no patience for niceties. She marched onto the healing chambers, uncaring of the owls flitting through the trees and the grim-faced Carpathian males falling in behind her as she approached the series of caves. She felt the wrench of a safeguard and dragged the traitor through the mild barrier with her just to show those around her she didn't need to stop and unravel their pitiful safeguard for either her or the spy.

She entered the caves, looking down her nose at the guards, her expression haughty as she stalked through the tunnels, following her lifemate's scent unerringly. As she turned into the third cavern, making the descent, she was forced to protect her captive from the building heat.

Ivory moved through the tunnel, looking at none of the guards, her head up, her eyes unknowingly fierce, the boy, Travis, firmly in her grip. Her crossbow was slung across her shoulder, giving her wolves a clear view of front and sides as she made her way through the chamber.

Falcon made a movement toward her and she heard Sara gasp. She held up her free hand to halt them. «Take me to your prince, Falcon.»

«Put down your weapons, Ivory.»

«I am a weapon. I can bring down these caves and kill everyone inside, including your precious prince, and you know it. Do not argue with me. Take me to your prince now.»

Falcon stepped in front of her, leading her through the long entry, through the tunnel lined with warriors. «Travis,» he said gently, «you will be fine.»

«No thanks to you,» Ivory said with a sniff of disdain. «I hope you are a better warrior than parent, Falcon.»

He flashed her one emotion-laden look over his shoulder, promising retribution, but she merely continued walking. The council chamber was packed with Carpathians, both male and female. Many turned their attention from the trial in front of them to her. She caught a glimpse of Natalya's face, bloodred tears tracking her cheeks, and she felt no sympathy for her at all. She would have liked to give her a reason to cry.

The lines of warriors opened for them, the men parting to reveal Mikhail, his face drawn and tired. Razvan stood to one side, and Ivory tried not to drink him in, tried not to show the relief sweeping though her.

She inclined her head regally at the prince. «I have brought you your traitor.» She pushed the child into the circle.

Falcon caught the boy to him, wrapping one arm around him and holding him protectively. «What are you accusing him of? Being in league with our enemy?»

«Exactly. Were you planning on killing my lifemate in your need for revenge against Xavier? How inconvenient that I found the real culprit.» She looked around at the faces of the counsel, her contempt obvious. «Whatever fate you chose for him, you now have an obligation to put on this boy.»

Falcon pulled Travis closer to him. «She lies to save her lifemate.»

Her eyes flashed at him. «I never lie. Healer, examine him. All of you, the entire mockery of accusers. The shadow of Xavier has found a home. The boy must have been hiding in the woods while we battled Xavier's abominations and we only destroyed one of the four shadow fragments. He carries one. He is your traitor, not my lifemate, who has fought to save a species not worthy of life.»

Razvan said nothing as he looked upon his warrior woman. Fierce. Proud. Unbending. She looked far more regal than the prince. A queen among men, showing her utter contempt of their stupidity. She took his breath away with her beauty. With her absolute belief in him and her ferocious protection of him-in spite of his instructions. She didn't mind very well, but it was worth it to see her dress down the ancient warriors in the room.

«I examined Razvan as you asked,» Gregori said, «although I was reluctant to put him through such an indignity when I already knew he was free of Xavier. I will examine the boy.» He was grateful that he had gone first and no other Carpathian had relived Razvan's memories, although he felt it would shame them to know what the man had suffered, as it did him.

«You will not touch my son,» Falcon said. «No one will touch him.» He laid a hand on the hilt of his knife. His heart lurched. Startled, he looked at his belt. The scabbard was empty.

Travis snarled and flung himself forward, straight at Mikhail, his small arm upraised, his face a mask of hatred as he attempted to plunge Falcon's knife into the prince. Gregori moved to intercept almost before anyone knew what was happening. He caught the boy's small wrist, marveling at the strength in the child as he fought to retain the weapon.

The knife fell to the floor at Mikhail's feet and Gregori held the child to him. «It's all right, Travis. Everything is going to be all right,» he soothed, rocking the boy. «I've got to take him to the surface and remove Xavier's fragment.»

«There are still two missing,» Ivory said. «You will need to check everyone who was there that day. If Xavier managed to find other hosts, everyone is at risk.» She turned cool eyes on Falcon. «Start with him. Perhaps the entire council should search him.»

Ivory. Razvan said her name gently.

«Tell me of the progress, of your find,» Mikhail said. «I want to take you to Raven and Savannah. Will you come with me now?»

Ivory looked to Razvan for the answer. It is up to you.

We came here to save the unborn children.

«I will return as quickly as possible,» Gregori said. «Let me help this boy.»

Mikhail nodded and then looked around the chamber. «We will need everyone to aid us in attempting to save our children. Those of you who do not care to keep your vow of allegiance, I free you from your blood-sworn vow. Go now and do not return.» He waited but no one moved. «I will call when we need to draw energy for the healing chant.» He gestured for Razvan and Ivory to follow him.

Ivory shot another look of contempt toward Natalya and her lifemate before walking beside Razvan, her head up as the prince led them through the crowded chamber. She disliked any public display of affection, but she deliberately tangled her fingers with Razvan's to show solidarity. The entire lot of the Carpathian people could walk into the sun, for all she cared. She didn't have a high opinion of them and so far, other than Gregori and maybe the prince, nothing had happened to change her mind.

Ivory. Razvan said her name again. Gently. A reprimand.

It is merely my opinion, lifemate.

He hid his smile from the others, but she caught the brief flash of male amusement.

Savannah half sat in a bed of rich soil, her face swollen, her body bloated. Raven sat next to her daughter, holding her hand. She looked up and relief flooded her face when she saw Ivory. «Thank God you are here! Lara cannot come. Syndil, Skyler and Francesca have been doing their best without her, but Savannah's body is filled with toxins.» She pushed down the little sob in her voice. «Can you help us? I told Mikhail to find you. I just have this strong feeling that you can help us.»

Ivory forgot all about her anger at the Carpathian people and she crossed the chamber in a rush. Several of the women moved aside to make room for her.

«I am Francesca. We met when we were but girls. It was brief, you probably do not remember.» Francesca smiled at her. «You were in the middle of ten strong warriors and you were difficult not to notice.»

She drew Ivory away from the bed and the suffering woman, and lowered her voice. «I have done all I know how to do. Gregori, the greatest healer among us, will not be able to save this child. If you know anything I do not, please give us aid.»

«If I can counter the effect of the microbes on Savannah's body, can you stop her labor?»

Francesca shook her head. «She is too far along. But we will have a chance to save the babies. The microbes are in the twins as well as Savannah, and they work to kill the babies. One is very weak and the microbes are working against us, shutting down her ability to live.»

Ivory frowned. «I have never tested the reversal spell on Carpathians. Razvan was going to infect himself so I could try it, but we have not had time. I do not think it is a good idea on a woman already under duress. If I knew it worked . . .»

Razvan put a comforting hand on her shoulder, knowing Ivory was uneasy with the idea of trying an unproven experiment on a living person. «Do it now,» Razvan said. «We know where to find the microbes. I will just let them attack me.»

Ivory shook her head. «If Savannah is infected, doubtless they are well entrenched. I need someone who has had them for some time.»

The woman she recognized as Syndil stepped forward. Tall and elegant, she had that same serenity that Ivory had noted before. «I am not pregnant. I know I am infected. Try your experiment on me.»

«Syndil.» Raven's voice was gentle. «You have given us too much already. You are so tired and worn. I am the prince's lifemate and Savannah is my child. I should be the one to do this for her.»

Ivory's gaze dropped to Raven's swollen, very pregnant belly, and she shook her head. «No. Not you.» She stepped back away from the prince's lifemate. «I will not risk a child.»

«Please,» Savannah choked out. «Whatever you're going to do, do it now. The contractions are increasing. I am fighting to give Gregori and Shea time to prepare the incubation cubicle, but I don't know how much longer I can keep the babies from coming.»

Syndil flashed a calming smile, very reminiscent of Razvan. «Clearly it should be me.»

Ivory closed her eyes. Her scientific need to experiment dozens of time, dozens of ways under dozens of conditions battled with the desperate maternal need to save Savannah's unborn children. To risk precious lives . . . I cannot do this, Razvan. They cannot ask me to experiment on human life without other trials first.

Perhaps the rich soil will buy us the time that we need. Razvan slid his hand from her shoulder down her arm to tangle his fingers with hers.

Gregori came striding into the healing cave, going straight to his lifemate. He took her hand, brought it to his heart and stood quietly looking into her eyes, obviously encouraging her.

«Gregori,» Razvan said, «we brought you a gift of pure, untouched soil. We can bring it to the laboratory and have your people examine it to make certain it is fit for your lifemate. Perhaps the soil will buy you the time you need to prepare for the children.»

Gregori inclined his head, his attention remaining on holding his daughters to their mother while they struggled and clung to life. «You must hurry.»

The weariness in Gregori's voice shook Razvan. He knew how difficult it was to remove a fragment of evil, and Gregori was already stretched thin from trying to keep his children and lifemate alive.

«Can you hold off the birth three or four hours to give Ivory the chance to test whether or not she can neutralize the mutated microbes within Syndil?»

«She is advancing fast. I will try.» Gregori sounded doubtful.

«What of the boy, Travis?» Razvan had great sympathy for the child. Travis obviously loved Falcon and tried to look and act like him. He followed the Carpathian everywhere. He would be ashamed at having attacked Mikhail, even though he wasn't to blame.

Just as you were not, Ivory pointed out, her fingers tightening around his.

«Travis will be fine,» Gregori said. «I removed the fragment and destroyed it. There are two left. We checked everyone who was there. I know you are clean of the mage's taint, but are you certain one did not enter Ivory?»

«Ivory is clean of his evil as well.»

«Then two more fragments are making their way back to Xavier. They will need hosts.» Gregori sighed. «That was my mistake. I wasn't fast enough to incinerate them.»

«I doubt you could have done much in the midst of an all-out battle,» Razvan said. «I am glad the boy is all right.»

«He loves Mikhail as well as Falcon.» Gregori stopped abruptly and shook his head. They both knew the psychological damage the child would have from the incident.

Razvan took a breath and his gaze met Ivory's across the room, knowing she was thinking exactly what he was-Xavier had to be destroyed. He started to clap Gregori on the shoulder in sympathy, but let his hand fall to his side. He'd never had friends, and was unsure the protocol one used.

Ivory looked around the healing chamber. «I need a different place. Somewhere quiet. Healer, you must have a laboratory.»

«Shea does,» Syndil answered. «A very good one. I can take you there.»

«Hurry,» Gregori urged. «Francesca and I will do what we can.»

Savannah let out a muffled sob and shook her head. «The little one, Gregori. She is so weak. I am losing her.»

Ivory had taken a step away to follow Syndil but she turned back toward the birthing bed to see Gregori crouch down beside his lifemate. The frightening Carpathian who always looked invincible and all-powerful seemed so weary and more vulnerable than she thought possible. She hesitated and then went back to him. «Do you talk to her?»

«Yes, but she is not listening.» There was a wealth of sorrow in Gregori's voice.

Ivory looked around her at the quietly sobbing women. Even Raven could not hold back her tears. Ivory bit down on her lip and closed her eyes. At once the anguish emanating from the women assailed her.

Gregori, feel the energy in this room. If she is highly sensitive, she will feel what I do-what you do. They believe-you believe-all of you believe she is already lost. Let me talk to her through you, through our connection. I have some experience with the will to live. Meanwhile, change the atmosphere in here. Anyone who cannot remain positive must remove their presence from this chamber.

Gregori looked at her and then to Francesca. He was too close to the sorrow, and Savannah's anguish consumed him. Francesca nodded her head.

Thank you. Gregori said. Please do speak to her.

The singing changed to the Carpathian lullaby, a soft musical melody, voices raised in song to soothe the babies as labor continued.

Little one. Your trial is great. You must rise above it and cling to life. Endure. I have fought to stay upon this earth, and though it is difficult, I know it is worth it. You are destined for greatness. Let me tell you a story of a great man, a healer among his people, a warrior unsurpassed and his princess. A beautiful woman with long, flowing hair and violet eyes. They love one another very much, but there is a terrible mage, a great wizard, who wishes to keep them apart.

The infants stopped slipping from the safety of Savannah's womb; instead, they pulled back to listen to the rise and fall of her voice, mesmerized by the story she began. Your father will continue the story and tell you of the two little girls, mere babies, but strong beyond belief, who rose up to defeat the evil mage.

She couldn't bring herself to put her hand on Gregori's shoulder to comfort him, so she gave him a quick, encouraging smile. «I told myself many such stories to hold despair at bay. Make them the heroines of the tale, and make the story long and involved and exciting so they listen and concentrate on that. I will work as quickly as I can.»

Ivory waited for Gregori to pick up the story where she had left off. The voices around him fell into a soft accompaniment, lending excitement to the tale the healer wove for his daughters. Savannah added her own voice when she could to bring the tale to life.

Ivory and Razvan followed Syndil out of the caves and together they hurried to the building chiseled into the cliffs. Inside the large main room, Shea, a Carpathian woman with bright red hair, and the human, Gary, who Ivory had already met, worked together with a seamless efficiency that suggested they had worked side by side for a long time and were used to a certain rhythm.

Another woman, who Syndil introduced as Gabrielle, was in a smaller room peering into a microscope. Ivory immediately recognized the silken pouches containing the soil samples she'd brought along with the open book of her records.

Shea whirled around. «I can't believe you have done this,» she greeted. «How did you discover this? These life-forms are foreign to me. I've never seen them before. What are they? Where did they come from?»

Gabrielle looked up. «They seem to be abnormally high in iron.» She stood up and crossed the room, a graceful woman. «I have studied all kinds of organisms and this is new to me as well.»

«Which is why I was concerned with just dumping them in the soil,» Ivory explained. «They will spread, and I believe they will eventually destroy all the mutated microbes, but I have not had enough time to determine what else could happen. I do not know the effect on humans or any other species. Plants. Insects. I have no idea.»

«They don't touch the normal microbes,» Shea said. «You're right, we have to be cautious, but I think you may have found our answer. We need you to work with us.»

Ivory forced herself not to back away from the group. She was unused to being the center of attention and certainly was never in such close proximity to people crowding her.

Razvan. She reached to him for reassurance. The moment she did, she was annoyed with herself. She had become dependent on him.

His soft laughter eased the knots in her stomach. He was there instantly, flooding her mind with warmth. As you should be dependent on me. There is still a part of you that would like to run from me.

That is not true. Well, it might be true, but she wasn't admitting it to herself. She was braver than that.

His voice softened. Went tender. I am always with you, Ivory. In your heart and mind. We share the same soul. Always, o jela sielamak-light of my soul.

Ivory forced a smile as she looked at the research team gathered around her. «I will help as soon as I have tried these reversing spells. Before I try this on Syndil, I want to try it on mutated microbes in the soil. If I can come up with a spell to reverse what Xavier has wrought, then I can teach it to all of you. Any Carpathian should be able to use it. It will be a temporary solution until the new organisms do their job and cleanse the soil. And until we can go to the source of the microbes and destroy it for all time.

«The spell will not reverse the mutation,» Ivory warned. «It is only designed to reverse Xavier's dark command. We cannot really tell if it will work until we use it on someone the microbe is already attacking. I need to make certain this will not harm the living, especially a child. I am a little reluctant to try it on Syndil even now.»

A sudden hush fell over the room. Ivory's skin prickled. The hair on the back of her neck and on her arms stood up. Her breath caught as an unfathomable anguish gripped her by the throat. Around the room, she saw the others freeze in their tracks, their eyes widened in horror. Syndil gasped and began to weep. Shea's face lost all color. The test tubes in Gary's hands began to shake while the glass slide in Gabrielle's numb hand fell and shattered on the floor.

For a moment time seemed suspended. Except, Ivory knew it couldn't be true, because she could feel the rapid thud of her heart, pounding inside her chest like a drum. If time had stopped, so, too, would her heart-wouldn't it? Dazed, uncomprehending, yet fighting an inexplicable urge to weep, Ivory reached blindly out to Razvan and felt the solid connection as his fingers closed around hers.

A broken, anguished cry shattered the stillness. Help me! All healers to the cavern! We are losing them.

Gregori, the impervious. Gregori, the all-powerful. Ivory trembled to hear him so desperate, so frantic, and it was clear the others were equally as shaken. Gabrielle and Shea dropped their materials and bolted for the door.

Syndil started to follow, but Ivory grabbed her arm. «What is it? What's happening?» She knew. She didn't want to know. The outpour ing of grief gripped her heart, shredding it, and she knew she was feeling Gregori's emotions.

Tears had filled Syndil's eyes and begun to spill down her cheeks. «We're losing the babies. They cannot stop the birth.»

«God help them.» Ivory covered her mouth with one hand. Her knees were weak and rubbery and she leaned back into Razvan, gripping his arm to keep steady. They had come too late. Far too late. No matter what they learned now, they had not saved the fragile babies.

Vapor shimmered in the room and then Mikhail was there, his powerful presence filling the small space. «We have great need of you now, Ivory. They are slipping away. You are the last hope for my granddaughters.»

«But I have never even tried it on soil, let alone a child,» she protested, her stomach knotting. Razvan. She breathed his name as her talisman.

You will do this.

She shook her head. «Not on an infant. An untried spell. I will have to summon the dark magic in order to reverse what Xavier has wrought. Anything could go wrong.»

Mikhail's face hardened. «It has already gone wrong. You must.»

She forced down the lump threatening to block her throat, grateful for Razvan's supporting arm. «Mikhail . . .» She broke off, swallowing hard. «There's no guarantee this will work-or even that I will not harm them more. Xavier is a powerful adversary. So much could go wrong.»

«You must do this if we have even a small chance of saving them.» Mikhail was implacable. «Everyone believes you are our best hope. Gregori asks this of you.»

Gregori. The man who had fearlessly gone after the four shadow fragments Xavier had placed in Razvan to allow his possession. Gregori hadn't flinched. But infants . . . Ivory shook her head, swallowed hard and sighed.

You will do this, Razvan repeated with complete confidence.

«So be it,» she whispered, hoping Razvan's calm would rub off on her.

«Make whatever preparations you must, but hurry,» Mikhail urged. Then he was gone.

«Razvan,» Ivory said, her voice hoarse with grief and worry. «You know how evil Xavier's spells are. I cannot go into a sacred birthing chamber and call forth the darkness. Anything can happen.» Even as she protested, she used magic for cleansing, rather than her ritual bath, as time was of the essence.

«Nothing you have ever accomplished has been easy, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved-but you have done it. This is too important not to try.»

She leaned into him for the briefest of moments and then, gripping his hand, rushed to the birthing cave. The swell of voices held heavy grief, swamping her senses. The crowd parted to allow her through, and her heart pounded. Ivory felt as if she couldn't breathe with so many Carpathians gathered around Gregori and his lifemate, pressing close, as if by their nearness they could in some way keep the babies from slipping away to the next life.

«Gregori! « Savannah screamed her lifemate's name as her body expelled the first tiny life into his hands. She panted heavily as she watched him breathing for their child. «Is she alive? I can't feel her, Gregori. Please tell me she lives.» She buried her fist in the soil as another wave of pain ripped through her.

«I've got her,» Gregori said, but his voice was distant. Filled with grief.

Razvan, I cannot bear to see them lose these children.

Francesca stepped close as Savannah's body shuddered again, her face rippling with pain. Francesca's hands guided the second baby into the world. At once her face went distant, as she, too, breathed for the infant.

You can do this, Ivory, Razvan whispered in her mind, his voice gentle as she stood before Gregori and Savannah and the tiny babies laboring for life. You were born for this moment.

I was born to slay vampires and destroy Xavier. Not for this. Never this.

Like everyone else, she was spellbound, watching Gregori, bloodred tears tracking down his face, holding his tiny daughter in his arms while Shea poured the small stores of soil that Ivory had brought with her into the incubator, on top of existing layers of soil Syndil had already cleansed in preparation for the birth of the twins.

The child in Gregori's hands was too small to live, much too fragile. Even from where she stood, Ivory could see Gregori breathed for her. His hands shook, that strong man, the knowledge that he, the greatest healer of their people, was helpless to save his own child.

Ivory swallowed hard, took a deep breath and cleared her mind to block out all the sorrow and anguish, all the negative energy. She'd had Razvan go through each gesture and movement that Xavier had made as he cast his reprehensible spell. She knew he had poured his hatred and need of revenge into his spell as he commanded the microbes. She could do nothing about the mutation, but she could reverse the command. Every detail had to be exact. If Razvan had misremembered one tiny aspect-if she forgot so much as a single motion or word . . .

I did not, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. Nor shall you. You can do this, Ivory. I have faith in you.

She felt the brush of his lips in her hair, the warmth of his breath on the nape of her neck. She took a breath, started forward, and halted. «Gregori.» When he looked up, his silver eyes were so lost she nearly wept. «You have to be certain, Gregori.»

«I am certain,» he replied grimly. «We have no other choice.»

«Razvan, you will have to do the setup fast, but every detail must be precise.» She lifted her face and looked around the crowd. «I am re-creating a very evil scene. Anyone who does not want to be here should leave, otherwise form a large circle of protection in case I make a mistake.»

No one left. Even the Carpathians who had looked upon her and Razvan with distrust and perhaps even loathing now set aside their prejudices and submitted themselves to his direction. They formed a huge circle several layers deep. Those in the room, including Gary, who was human but seemed to know all Carpathian rituals, began a cleansing chant. Syndil, Shea and Gabrielle burned sage and moved through the room, sweeping high and low, paying particular attention to every entrance.

«Gregori, I need you and the babies in the center here.» Ivory pointed to the very center of the ring.

Without hesitation, Gregori and Francesca moved the incubators into the open area Ivory was preparing. Savannah gripped her mother's hand and whispered to Ivory, «Please, please.»

That overwhelming grief shook her. Razvan's voice was closer as he surrounded her with warmth. You can do this. There is only you and our mortal enemy. You were born to defeat him, Ivory. You can do this.

«I need four women. Syndil. You choose those closest to the earth.» She pulled her sword from her sheath. «They cannot flinch once we start. This thing, this great evil that Xavier wrought, will not go quickly or quietly. It will fight back. It will try to break us. So whoever you choose must have the courage to face whatever this evil might throw at them.»

Syndil didn't hesitate. «Natalya. Shea.» As the two women hurried forward, Syndil turned to a young girl. «Skyler. I know you're very young and perhaps I should not ask, but there are few as closely connected to the earth as you and few who have faced evil as bravely as you. Can you do this? Will you do this?»

The girl's face was pale, but she set her jaw and nodded before joining the others.

Once they were in place, Ivory lifted her chin and began to cast the circle of protection around Gregori and the infants, walking clockwise three times. She held her sword in her right hand, pointing it down, chanting as she walked.

Three times around this circle round Bind all evil, sink into the ground. That which is fire but born of ice, I command thee now to clear this space. Take that which is tainted and burn it pure So that healing may be done in a place that is secure.

Ivory brought out four candles, one to be set in each of the four corners of the circle, representing the four directions and their elements. She set a white candle in the east for air and purity. A red candle went to the south for fire and the burning of evil. To the west she set a blue candle for water, representing cleansing. To the north she set a green candle, representing earth and rebirth.

Around the incubators she lit sticks of incense that filled the chamber with the rich scent of clove to keep out all hostility. To that she added sweetgrass and sage for purity and tuberose to ward off evil. Then as the incense and the candles burned, she took a deep breath, gathered her strength and her powers and lifted her hands in entreaty.

Power of night, mistress of light, I am Ivory, daughter to Mother Earth who healed me.

A rush of memories assailed her. The scent of the earth as it closed around her torn body, welcoming her into the deeper recesses where nothing could reach her. She drew on the healing power that had surrounded her for centuries.

I summon thee to this place to that which is impure and tainted. I ask this for all that is good I know you will do this for me.

She brought her hands down to her sides, palms facing inward against her thighs and kept her head down, looking at the floor as she began to follow the unclean pattern Razvan had shown her. Three steps in, evil began to stir. Its presence whispered across the back of her neck, a faint disturbing prickle, like spiders crawling across her skin. She flinched and fought the urge to brush them off. Xavier's foul taint would do everything it could to lead her astray, to force her into making a mistake. She could not allow it. Her hands swept resolutely upward toward the ceiling. As her face lifted, she crossed her palms, and chanted.

Born of darkness Ancient, old I call thee forth Unfurl, unfold Taint the pairings-

She heard a slow hiss; a hideous voice whispered. Scorpions, stingers held high, crawled from beneath rocks and rushed toward the circle. Skyler wavered, started to lift her foot away from the oncoming insects.

«Stand firm,» Razvan called, his voice carrying complete calm. «Do not break the circle.»

Ivory continued to utter the foul words.

I command you to spread Attaching yourself to womb and seed. Seek out new life I command you to this deed. Taint the milk Wither the seed on the vine Destroy the ilk Unborn and born, with blood thee I bind.

The flickering flames dimmed, nearly went out, so that shadows deepened, creeping along the walls and floors of the cave with grasping fingers. Overhead spiders oozed through cracks and foul voices murmured. Heart's blood bubbled up from the center of the room, a red so dark it appeared black. An unclean stench filled the chamber, polluting the air, contaminating it until they were all nearly choking on the fetid odor. The babies began to cry in protest.

Syndil gasped aloud. Shea and Natalya moaned softly, but they held their ground even though the microbes deep inside them ripped and tore at them. The crowd gasped and looked to one another while women pressed hands to their wombs as they felt the drawing of the microbes as they answered the call of darkness.

Ivory raised her hands in response to the darkness quickly spreading through the cavern. In her right hand she held high a boline, a harvesting knife, the handle of which was set with white bone. The boline was curved, bearing the mark of the crescent moon, made of precious metal from her sacred cave, the sickle edge serrated, ready for harvest.

With great caution, Ivory recited Xavier's foul spell backward, mimicking in reverse the movements that Razvan had so patiently taught her as she placed her feet carefully, weaving the pattern backward with her hands.

Ivory. I see you. I name you. Xavier's voice, harsh and cruel, whispered through her mind. Sickened her. Weakened her. I see you.

«No, he does not,» Razvan said, his voice calm. He flooded her with peace. «He feels your power and trembles. Do not let him break you.»

Using the sacred boline in place of Xavier's bloodstained ceremonial knife, she cut the palm of her hand and allowed her blood to drip over the two babies, just as Xavier had shed his blood over the incubator of microbes. Three drops precisely over each child. The infants shrieked as if burning embers had been dropped on their innocent newborn flesh. Savannah cried out and staggered to her feet.

«Stop her,» Razvan ordered. «She must not break the circle.»

Savannah would have lunged toward her children if her own parents, Raven and Mikhail, hadn't wrapped their arms around her to hold her back.

«What is happening?» Gregori snarled.

«Evil fights back.» Razvan eyed the Carpathian legendary healer bleakly. «It will get worse, Gregori. Much worse. You and your lifemate must both be strong. Talk to your daughters. Sing to them. Be strong for them. Tell them they fight the evil mage in your story for them. Now is their time.»

While Razvan tried to calm an agitated Gregori, Ivory tried her best to silence the babies' screams from her mind. Xavier's evil was hurting them. She was hurting them.

No, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved-you are saving them. You cannot stop no matter what happens.

She forced herself to continue moving, to continue weaving the patterns of the spell. When she had completed Xavier's entire ritual in reverse, she raised her knife to the cavern's chimney and pointed it toward the small sliver of moon that shone overhead.

I call on the lady of the dark moon, She who stands at the crossroads, Who counsels us that we must leave the old before we take up the new. I seek the spiral. Bring me forth to the center of stillness in absolute darkness That I may dispel this evil with light.

Light flashed across the blade of the boline, as if the moon herself had entered the birthing cave. Overhead, the stalactites rocked and vibrated. Crystals sparkled like tiny, faraway stars scattered over the ceiling and along the walls of the cave. Veins of gold and silver intertwined and brightened, throwing light across Ivory's pale face. She placed the sacred boline carefully between the twin girls, the curved blade in the exact mirrored position of the outside crescent moon.

The infants writhed. One convulsed. Their skin grew hotter. Savannah fought her parents, tears pouring down her face.

«Please, Gregori,» she entreated. «Stop this abomination. She's hurting them.»

Gregori wavered, his face a mask of pain. The Carpathians began to murmur protests.

«Let them die in peace,» Savannah pleaded, clasping her hands together, sagging against her father's restraining arms. «Give them to me. Let me hold them as they go into the next life.»

«No, Gregori,» Razvan protested. «Evil fights hard. Stay to the purpose.»

«They wish to live, Savannah,» Gregori said hoarsely.

Once again Ivory lifted her hands. Now there were tiny droplets of bloodsweat beading her body and her hands shook with the effort to bear the weight of evil. Razvan's reassuring presence, his warmth and belief in her, steadied her as she chanted.

I call to the blight upon this earth, I see into your heart. You who were thrown into this soil, transformed and then torn apart.

«I will never forgive you, Gregori,» Savannah screamed, tearing at her own flesh, digging great gouges in her arms so that blood spilled onto the floor. «Never. Do you understand? She's torturing our daughters and you're just letting her.»

Gregori shook his head, the bloodred tears tracking down his face, but he remained stoic, his hands over each writhing infant.

Several women tried to break the circle to rush to the aid of the babies.

«Stop them,» Razvan ordered. «Stay calm. Did you think he would go easily? Hold them. Mikhail, you must stop them.»

«He is right,» Mikhail said calmly. An uneasy stillness descended. Only Savannah and the babies could be heard weeping.

Ivory kept her mind firmly on the ritual, proceeding, trying not to allow the women to distract her.

I call to that which was unmade, and then created to do harm to all. Come to me now as I call your name, so that I may take one and all. Twixt and twine, I seek to unbind, that which was woven tight.

Ivory took her cleansed crystals from a silken pouch hanging at her hip. The crystals had been left in the sunlight for one week, gathering the energies and cleansing properties she needed. She looked over the stones carefully before making her choice. She wasn't surprised when her fingers settled around a large chunk of pumice.

Pumice came from volcanic rock, and though to some it wasn't beautiful, she found the light stone with its beige-white color unique. The airy stone was often used for banishing spells, yet also could be given to a woman to hold in her hand to aid in childbirth. Both rough and smooth, it was symbolic to her of life. She placed the stone in the eastern corner.

I look to the east, the morning light, That which was born in darkness, now bring to light.

She bowed to the east, and made the sign of the cross. Her hands then formed the oval for the sacred heart where Xavier had poured heart's blood over the microbes, her sacred symbol replacing his act of evil.

She lit the pinon pine needle bundle and waved it over the entire area to purify and cleanse, mixing with the cleansing sage. The fragrance added to her power to help exorcise the demonic spell Xavier had cast over the microbes. She handed the incense to young Skyler, who remained in the eastern corner.

The moment Skyler's hands closed around the incense, shadows moved in the darkness outside the circle. Male laughter, ugly and taunting, slid slyly into the cave, echoing around Skyler. Whispers of obscene acts. She felt hands touching her. Sliding inside her clothes-grasping at her soft skin, exposing her. A sob broke from her.

Dimitri cursed and stepped forward. It was well known that he was Skyler's lifemate, although she was still too young for him to claim.

«Illusion,» Razvan said. «She's caught in an illusion.»

Gregori waved a hand toward Skyler just as her trembling hand pulled back to fling the incense from her. She shuddered and held fast, her chin rising, but tears poured down her face. She looked once at Dimitri and then stood stoically under the assault of unseen evil.

There was a beat of silence. Ivory. You must continue, Razvan urged.

Ivory closed her eyes for a moment, took a breath and then selected garnet next. The fiery stone was used to enhance powers in rituals. To defeat Xavier, to overturn his horrific spell, she needed as much aid as possible. She also wanted the extra protection against the darkness in Xavier. Again it was a stone often used in childbirth. Her stone was multifaceted and a brilliant deep red, to combat the dark red of heart's blood. It was said that the great ark had been guided by a garnet, and she hoped the light would give her guidance in her time of great need. She placed the stone in the southern corner.

I call to the south, phoenix rise high Casting your fire as you take to the sky.

Ivory bowed to the south, and then repeated the sign of the cross. Xavier had plunged a needle through the heart of a dove and then burned the body. She opened her hands and released a white dove, bearing an olive branch. The bird flew around the circle three times, reversed and repeated the action, and then winged her way out into the night sky.

The fragrance of Dragon's blood resin, collected and processed from the palm tree, filled the room, chasing away the evil of Xavier's ritual, adding to their protection and exorcising the high mage's abominations, consecrating and strengthening the potency of her ritual. She handed the incense to Natalya, who remained in the southern corner.

Natalya braced herself, but there was no preparing for her brother's face when she looked at him and saw-vampire. She gasped as the scales fell from her eyes and she saw inside him, past the illusion to his true nature. Deceiver. Flesh eater. Laughing as they tortured the infants. She needed to stop him. Drinker of his own children's blood. What had possessed her to believe in him again? She cried out in fear and anger at yet another heartbreaking deception at the hands of her twin.

Vikirnoff hissed with fear for her, his hand going to his sword. It was his brother, Nicolae, who restrained him with a hand over his sword.

«Whatever you are seeing, I do not,» he said.

«Natalya,» Razvan said gently. «See me.»

His words, spoken in a calm command, dispelled the ugly illusion. Vikirnoff let out his breath and inclined his head in thanks to Nicolae.

For a moment, Ivory's trembling hand hovered between two stones: moonstone, one of her favorites, and her bright red piece of precious coral, straight from the sea. The coral was an umbrella piece with fine jagged crevices, without a single chip or break. The piece symbolized life and blood force, and sheltered those from evil with its protection. Not really stone, the coral was made up of many skeletons of creatures from the sea itself, but it could be used for good since the piece was found on a long-ago beach, the life already morphed into a healing, protective element. She placed the coral in the western corner.

I call to the west, bring forth your breath, Let the rains fall, clear and clean.

She bowed to the west and again made the sign of the cross before she sketched the fleur-de-lis into the sky, the symbol of purity, representing the three who were one, removing the abomination that Xavier had sketched before, a symbol of hatred and depravity.

The incense she chose was a mixture of lily and lilac mixed for protection and purity. She handed the stick to Shea, who braced herself in her position in the western corner.

She looked down at the hand holding the incense and saw her mother's hand withering, fading, the flesh shrinking, thinner and thinner, the voices around her stilling until there was silence-the silence of her childhood. Long, endless days of hiding in a tomblike house, the sun burning her skin, the small child huddled in the corner trying to find enough food to feed her shrunken stomach.

«My love,» Jacques whispered aloud. «I am with you.»

Keep going, Ivory. I know you are doubting yourself, but the tide is turning. You are not harming these women or these infants. This evil must be stopped, Razvan encouraged.

Ivory's gaze shifted to him, to his beloved face. Her strength. His belief in her allowed her to continue. She straightened her shoulders and looked in her silken pouch for the last stone.

For her fourth and final stone, Ivory chose a stone whose powerful magic was often used to aid childbirth and fertility as well as for protection. Golden amber, believed to bind earth, fire, air and water, but also highly symbolic of Mother Earth.

Amber, really a fossilized resin, was deep antique gold in color and seemed almost alive with its light. Her stone contained a completely formed honeybee in the exact center. The wings were outspread and the bee was a thousand years old. This particular chunk was her favorite. With great respect she placed the amber in the northern corner.

I call to the north, upon the earth, who can be reborn. I seek to undo this thing.

She bowed to the north, and drew the sign of the cross into the floor, in the exact position where Xavier had poured his concoction of heart's blood, evil and hatred in his black circle. She lit another stick of incense, this time using a precious frankincense and myrrh, a powerful combination for purification and protection. Syndil took the potent incense and remained in the north corner.

Syndil knew what was coming and closed her eyes as her lost brother-kin's face floated in front of her, filling her mind. Savon reached for her, tearing with greedy fingers at her clothes, slamming his body into hers, hammering into her, hurting and tearing while his vampire teeth tore at her neck as he gulped great swallows of blood.

Barack filled her mind. The essences and warmth of who he was. Mate. Protecter. Lover. Everything. He joined with her, holding her close, sharing those memories of that long ago, but never forgotten, attack.

«I will not break,» Syndil said. «Continue.»

Ivory stood in the center of the circle and raised her arms, her tone one of entreaty mixed with respect.

I call to thee, Mother, who once held me tight, Healing me whole so that I might continue the fight. Bring to me the power of all To undo that which was cast in spell.

The room shimmered with life in reaction. Flames leapt high from the candles, casting grasping shadows on the walls. A harsh wind howled through the cavern. The floor rippled with life and overhead the stalactites rocked and vibrated, threatening to shake loose. More dark red dots of perspiration beaded across Ivory's flesh.

Evil burned through her veins, eating at her so that she was rotting from the inside out. The filth tainted her, stained her soul. She could feel the very flesh peeling from her bones. Xavier's face swam in front of her vision, his sly laugh echoing through her mind as he pointed a bony finger, the sharp, bloodstained nail directing her.

Slowly, reluctantly, Ivory dared to turn her head. The twin girls, tiny infants, lay lifeless-corpses, their bodies blackened like her soul. She opened her mouth to give a soundless scream of utter horror.

No! Razvan merged with her, poured his strength into her. Keep going. You must finish this. He cannot win.

Ivory took a deep, shuddering breath, her legs trembling, rubbery, barely able to support her. She needed Razvan's arms around her, his presence close. His mind moved in hers and she summoned her last strength, praying it would be enough.

Give to me the power to right this wrong, Clearing all from this earth that we may continue on. Clear the body, cleanse the soul, Heal the mind and make us whole. Give us once again the gift to raise our young so that we may continue to live.

She shouted the words in defiance. Power surged and swelled, filling the room. Electricity crackled. Their hair raised and waved in the bands of energy. A whip of lightning snapped above their heads and then jumped to enfold Ivory. She glowed with white-hot energy, sparks now flying from her fingertips. Her tone changed, booming through the room with absolute command.

The babies convulsed again, their tiny bodies slamming hard into their father's hands, their breath coming in ragged, torn gasps. Both glowed a bright, hot red as temperatures soared beyond what they could endure.

«Hurry, Ivory. For God's sake, hurry,» Gregori implored.

Reverse this spell, I send it back. I call for justice, let this fall upon Xavier's back. I command thee to take him, Bind him, seal him, Let nothing be left or remain. Bring forth your light encompassing this prize As your radiance burns this darkness to light.

The room flashed with light. The flames on the candles leapt higher. Wind rushed through the room, whirling around in a twister motion, spinning through the soil, touching each corner of the protective circle and then subsided as if it had never been, leaving the candles flickering and the room smelling sweet and pure.

Ivory slumped in the center of the circle, and collasped to one knee, exhausted. Bloody sweat coated her body and made her tendrils of silken hair curl around her face. Skyler blew out her white candle. Natalya blew out the red one. Shea followed suit with the blue one. Syndil was last, blowing out the final one, allowing the smoke from the green candle to rise into the air, joining the smoke of the others to mix with the incense and purify the room.

The chamber went silent. Only the sound of breathing filled the room. Savannah struggled away from her father, her desperate gaze on her lifemate and their daughters.

Gregori closed his eyes and then opened them to look down at the tiny infants lying beneath the palms of his hands. Slowly, with great care, he lifted his hands away. His twin daughters stared back up at him with enormous, solemn eyes-eyes that had seen far too much already. Their skin was a healthy pink. Their fragile limbs kicked and pumped the air. Both breathed on their own. His breath burst from his lungs and his body sagged in relief. His silver gaze met Savannah's violet one. She cried out, her joy bursting through the room.

Gregori sank to his knees beside Ivory, reaching for her, not bothering to wipe the crimson tears from his face. «Her spirit is lighter. We can help her fight for life now. There are no words to give thanks. None.»

She rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. «Razvan?» She was nearly translucent. She needed him desperately. Razvan. She couldn't face this crowd alone, not feeling so weepy and vulnerable.

He was there in an instant, reaching to draw Ivory into his embrace. Take my blood, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. As she wearily accepted and buried her face against the warmth of his neck, Razvan looked over her head to the prince.

«The night is nearly over; Ivory must go to ground. The ritual has drained her of strength.»

«You are welcome here,» Mikhail said.

«Thank you, but no. I will take her home where she can rest. We will return when she is stronger. In the meantime, Gregori must teach the ritual to some of your most gifted people so they can protect themselves until the life-form in the uncontaminated soil has a chance to spread and we can destroy Xavier and his unholy factory.»

«But-« Mikhail began a protest.

Razvan swept his arms around Ivory and simply took her away, flying them from the chamber.

Razvan woke with the pack curled around him and Ivory cuddled into his body as if she sought shelter there. He opened the soil so he could look up at the stars on the ceiling, a sense of peace stealing over him. This was the moment he loved. Waking in the early evening when the prisms of the gems embedded in the opening allowed the moonlight to spill into the chamber and across Ivory's face.

He ached every time he looked at her. One small smile from Ivory was enough to make his soul soar. One touch wiped out every memory of the torture and depravity of his past. He had no idea how she did it, or why, when he was with her, the world was such a different place, filled with laughter and beauty and things he'd never dreamt of.

Raja stirred and lifted his head, rubbing his chin over Razvan's arm in greeting. Razvan sank his fingers into the deep fur, a miracle in itself. Already his heart had accepted each of these creatures with their separate personalities. Who had ever dreamed of burying a face in soft fur and having a wolf guard and try to heal wounds?

Take the pack into the next room. I wish to be with my mate.

Raja's answer was a smile, his tongue swiping along Razvan's arm, a rare gesture for Raja. Razvan greeted each wolf as they woke and watched them lope into the next room, leaving him alone with Ivory. He turned toward her, his arm sliding around her waist, his body close as he studied her face again. The shadows and hollows, the exquisite bone structure. Her hair spilled out of the thick braid and his fingers itched to pull out the weave and spread that silken mass everywhere. He loved her mouth. She rarely smiled, but she had a mouth made for smiling-and loving.

There was no way he could tell her of the pride sweeping through him, the lump in his throat, the way his heart sang, and the terrible fear in his heart at her terrifying courage as he watched her battle Xavier's evil. He knew better than any other just how difficult the task had been. He had seen other mages battle and lose with Xavier's spells, and the mutated microbes were the culmination of his evil plot against his most hated enemy. She had chosen her equipment well; each article she used had been cleansed and prepared ahead of time, everything planned meticulously, just as she planned her battles. In the end, though, as things usually did, everything had gone wrong and, instead of trying a practice run, she had fought for the lives of infants-yet she had triumphed. Her finest moment.

He knew she would never see herself as he saw her-or maybe as any other had. She had been magnificent. Pride swelled. Tall, with a woman's soft, curvy body and slender arms, honed with muscle and sinew, her face lifted toward that small sliver of moon shining through the cavern's chimney.

Sometimes, when he looked at her, like he did now, he felt overwhelmed, his every sense so acute, on overload, with his blood thundering in his veins, filling his groin to bursting so lust was a vicious punch in his belly. His skin crawled for her. A spike hammered through his skull and without her touch there was a hole so deep, so wide, it cut straight through his soul. He waved his hand to slide a silken sheet beneath both of them.

Razvan bent his head and breathed into her mouth. Awaken, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. Come to me. Because he needed her. Needed to see her eyes grow hungry for him, the way he knew his were for her.

He gave her that first sweet breath of air, then took one from her to draw deep into his lungs. Her lashes fluttered and lifted and his shaft jerked in response to the sudden leap of his heart. She opened her eyes and all the emotion he could ever want was right there. Her amber eyes were enormous, filled from their very depths with love just for him. An endless well. There it was. Everything.

He smiled at her, a hungry, predatory smile, while she lay stretched out like a banquet before him. Tonight might be their last night together, and he was going to make it special for her. He dissolved right in front of her arms, turning his body to warm liquid, a blanket of heat and sparkling liquid, running over her like a million tongues, fizzing against her delicate skin, nudging her legs apart to wrap around them, run through them and nuzzle the junction between her legs lovingly.

She writhed beneath his administrations, her breath hissing out in a long slow what of shock. The bubbles teased her breasts and the taut nipples that tempted him to return to his physical form. He resisted, wanting her to match the fever of his need. The warm liquid coated her body, suspending her in a pool of bubbling water, seeking every hollow, every crevice, and filling the hot spaces with even hotter liquid.

She cried out when the water began to lap at her, gently at first, teasing her clit, bubbling inside of her, front and back until she was panting, crying out at the probing fingers of water pushing in and out of her. More fingers tugged her nipples and bubbles burst over and in every conceivable opening, bringing her to a fever pitch. He manipulated the liquid again, suckling now, fizzing and probing until it seemed a thousand mouths tormented her.

Razvan. She whispered his name as her body went into a series of orgasms, each one stronger than the last, and she found herself reaching for him, trying to find her anchor while the world erupted into a red haze around her.

He laughed softly, shifting easily, letting her fingers sink into his skin and hold there.

Her arms slid around his neck and she smiled. «I love waking up to you.»

He pressed his forehead against hers. «That is good, warrior woman, because if you woke up with someone else, the world as we know it would end.»

She made a face at him and leaned forward to nibble her way across his chin to the corner of his mouth. «I doubt that. You are the calmest, most accepting man I have ever met.»

Her breasts slid against his chest, soft and full, and tantalizing. Tiny flames flickered over his heavy muscles everywhere their bodies connected. Just touching her soft skin shook him. He kissed each eye and skimmed his mouth to the corner of hers.

«I am Dragonseeker, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. We breathe fire under certain circumstances. Finding you with another male would be one of those circumstances.»

His teeth nipped her full lower lip. Once. Twice. He captured that soft bow and tugged gently, wanting to devour her, to have her for dinner. He felt edgy with need, and just the gentle friction of her body rubbing along his increased his desire more than he thought possible.

«I doubt you have anything to worry about. You are very… inventive.»

Her hand drifted to the inside of his thigh, slid higher, between his legs, to cup his heavy erection. He reacted almost helplessly, pushing his hips into her hand, throbbing and hot, swelling against her palm until her fist was a tight glove surrounding as much of him as possible. Her thumb stroked caresses over the broad, sensitive mushroom head, smearing the tempting pearl drop over the soft, hot tip. She watched the shudder move through him with hot eyes-eyes that sent his temperature soaring even higher.

Her fingers on his skin felt like heaven, the stroking caresses wiping out every ugly memory from his past, so that there was only Ivory and his world with her. Tactile. Erotic. Sensory. His world instantly became one of feeling. His mouth moved over hers. Drank in the taste of her. Nectar. Sweet with just a bite of spice.

«I might like to see you breathe fire,» she whispered into his mouth.

Her tongue tangled with his and his shaft jerked and swelled more against the tight fist of her hand. He deepened the kiss, the hunger blossoming with such urgent demand he felt edgy and a little desperate for her. It might have had something to do with the way her hand moved over his heavy erection and her mouth suckled at his tongue as if it was his shaft.

«No, you would not, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. You like me the way I am.»

She laughed softly, the sound low and wicked, and then she was kissing her way down his throat and chest, pushing him back, rising above him to nip at his belly with sharp little teeth. His breath hitched in his throat. That long, thick, silken braid dragged over his body, adding to the sensual sensations, robbing him of breath and reason. He reached up and tugged loose the tie so he could let it cascade over his body.

She was so sexy, her hair a little wild and disheveled, all soft skin and lush curves with that wonderful steel running beneath it. The combination always aroused him past sanity. His body ached and his heavy erection thickened and hardened somewhere in that subspace between pain and ultimate pleasure whenever she moved over him, her touch rubbing over his hot skin like velvet.

Her tongue licked along his skin, a cat lapping at cream, while her fingers stroked and caressed, drawing the essence from him. Her breath was warm on the head of his shaft and he felt every muscle tighten, but he didn't let himself move. He resisted the urge to catch her head and pull it down over his fiercely burning erection. The anticipation of her mouth, soft and hot and made for heaven, added to the tightening of his body and the need growing like an addiction in his blood.

He loved seeing her eyes, the glazed, dazed look that said she was falling into that same well of need and hunger, yet was still a little shocked and surprised that she could be so helplessly in love. Her hands trembled just that little bit, and as her breasts moved, soft and delicious and so tempting, fingers of arousal teased his thighs and danced over his shaft.

He waited. Holding his breath. Her hair pooled on his hips and thighs. He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of her breath bathing his pulsing erection, the satisfying jerk of reaction, swelling more. Indulgent and lazy. He loved her generosity. The complete way she loved him, not in words, but with this, bringing him pleasure, just the giving of herself to him. That alone was the biggest turn-on to him, that ultimate gift that she gave completely and generously-she wanted his pleasure as much as or more than she wanted her own.

Her tongue flicked out and he groaned, lifting his hips helplessly, following her hot mouth, but she pulled away. Her palm cupped his aching balls, rolled and teased, her tongue sending streaks of fire shuddering through his body when she lavished attention, licking her way back up to his shaft.

His breath stopped. His heart missed a beat, and then began to pound. The roar in his head increased and he swore a jackhammer pounded there. His groin felt like a steel spike. He groaned, a soft, husky sound that seemed to compel her to action. She caught his hip in one hand, her fingers digging deep while the fingers of her other hand wrapped around him like a vise. He heard her heart match his own pounding beat. Heard the rush of her blood through her veins like the swell of a tidal wave. He swore in the ancient language, his voice not his own, but hoarse and desperate, and hungry with demand.

She licked him. Licked the broad mushroom head, swirling her tongue over that firm, velvet-soft tip and savoring the pearly drops he leaked in anticipation. His entire body tightened, shuddered, and this time he growled, the sound low, filled with lust while his vision went hazy. «O kod belso-darkness take it. Ivory, you might kill me.»

He had to be in her mouth, in that tight, moist, secret haven. He caught fistfuls of her hair and pushed her head down on him, needing her desperately, unable to wait a moment longer.

Ivory kept her eyes on his, watching the changes in him, drinking them in, glorying in her ability to shake his usual calm. She loved it when he went all demonic on her, growling and bunching her hair in his hands, dragging her closer, thrusting his hips helplessly. She reveled in the way his eyes went from midnight blue to intense black. The way the stripes in his hair deepened. There was something very exhilarating and intensely sexy about the growls rumbling in his chest, the bunch of the muscles in his jaw, that little tic that made her know he was completely gone into another realm.

They were going out this night to hunt the most dangerous enemy the Carpathian people-the world-had ever known, and either might never return. Determination to show him how she felt, what he meant to her, what he brought to her, was in every mesmerizing stroke of her tongue and caress of her fingers. She engulfed his shaft completely, drawing him deep, hollowing her cheeks to tighten the suction around his hard flesh.

He moaned when her teeth scraped gently and her tongue swirled up his shaft to tease at the ultrasensitive spot beneath the flared head. She pulled her head back until her lips were barely skimming over him, watching him, watching his eyes go wide in pleasure, watching his breath come in ragged, harsh gasps.

«Ivory.» There was demand in his voice.

Gone was her slow, smooth lover, the one who took his time taking her over and over the edge, always in complete control, always the one to give so generously and drive her beyond anything she'd ever known. Joy burst through her and she swallowed him, taking him deep, feeling his entire body react, feeling him shudder again as intense pleasure vibrated through him.

The muscles in his thighs jumped with arousal, his stomach bunched in reaction, the heavy muscles of his chest rippled while his arms flexed. But it was his shaft, jerking and pulsing in her mouth, growing thicker even than he'd ever been, that thrilled her. She loved the way he stretched her lips, reveled in the way the hot length of him felt on her tongue, even the way he thrust in short, staccato bursts deeper down her throat where her muscles squeezed and massaged and milked him.

She had planned this moment, this giving to him, this taking, wanting the raw pleasure for him, the helpless, mindless ecstasy where he didn't have to worry about her or what she was feeling, but only taking what she gave him, what she offered to him. Heat flared through her when his teeth came together like that of a hungry wolf.

He shifted, floating them to the floor, his hands holding her head still while he thrust down her mouth, his eyes narrowed now, watching her throat work, watching the beauty of the woman now at his feet, kneeling in supplication, her eyes locked with his.

Do not look away from me, he commanded.

She had no intention of looking away, or of pulling from his mind. She wanted that exquisite feeling to go on forever. Her own thighs were wet, the junction between her legs pulsing with need for him to fill her, but she wasn't going to stop for anything. She wanted to take him down her throat, to be everything for him, to be used by him, to give him this one perfect gift so he would feel her love encompassing him.

Her tongue stroked and rubbed along his most sensitive spot and she heard a strangled cry escape his throat. His eyes went so deep blue they appeared black with no pupils. She felt his reaction. Burning alive. Going up in flames from his toes to the top of his head. Flames licked over his skin. His blood ran like hot lava, thick, almost too thick to make it through his veins.

Harder. The whisper was in her mind. Oh, Kucak!-star. Ivory, harder. His voice was ragged. Hoarse. Thrilling. Andasz entolem irgalomet!-have mercy, do not stop.

Nothing could have stopped her. She was burning for him. Empty inside without him. Desperate for him, for this wild, sexy thrill. She increased her suction as he took control, as his body went out of control. He used her hair, holding her head still while he took her mouth, driving her head onto him until she felt the violent jerk. The swell. Heard his ragged cry of joy and ecstasy as he exploded, the hot jet rocketing down her throat in spurts.

She didn't let go, feeling his shudders as she continued to suck on him, gently now, her eyes locked with his. She rocked back on her heels as she finally allowed him to slide from her mouth. Her tongue did a slow, sensual sweep of her full, swollen lips.

Ivory watched his eyes change, go from that dark midnight blue to a yawning chasm of a deep ocean abyss. So hungry. So focused. All for her. Her heart leapt. Sometimes his hunger could unnerve her, like now, when his body was aggressive and she could feel the steel running through his muscles. It both drew and repelled her, thrilled and frightened her. Razvan was always so in control that when he lost it-as she loved him to-his intensity was terrifying… and rewarding.

His fist suddenly caught in her hair again to drag her up. He pulled her head back, exposing her neck. Her heart leapt. Every bone melted. She felt the burn in her lungs for air. His teeth sank deep, and sheer ecstasy rushed through her body like a tidal wave, swamping her. Her eyes drifted closed. How could she keep her senses intact when that delicious pleasure spread through her like a wave of heat? He drank from her as if he was starving, drawing the essence of life into his body, as if he might never get enough.

She loved it when he was just on the edge of his control, his mouth moving over her in a frenzied passion, and the ecstasy she felt was nothing compared to what her body and taste brought him. She loved touching his mind and feeding the chaotic male heat, the need and lust rising so sharp and terrible he could barely keep from devouring her. His teeth were small bites of pain that only added another dimension to the layers of desire and heat spreading and consuming her.

Every rising it was like this, the need to merge, to feel absolutely one, the heat and fire of their joining. She shuddered with pleasure as he took one last indulgent drink and swept his tongue across the pinpricks to close the small wound. His mouth suckled there for a moment, marking her, a further indulgence he'd never taken before. She felt . . . part of him. Part of his heart. Part of his soul.

His tongue licked at the ruby-red droplets of blood trailing down her throat to her breast. His tongue flicked her nipple and she sucked in her breath, but her hands caught his head to restrain him. Yet there was no restraining Razvan in his present mood. He growled something and took her breast into his mouth, biting down on her nipple and tugging until she cried out with pleasure.

He suckled strongly, ravaging her body, making it his. He took his pleasure from her, yet gave her back tenfold, as if he, too, knew, this could be their last time together. Neither voiced it, neither acknowledged it, but when he took her to the floor of the chamber, she was every bit as frantic as he was.

Her hands moved over his back, her nails digging deep as he laved her breast, sending those delicious flashes of lightning streaking through her. His tongue flicked at her hard peak with hot, slow licks that sent her mind reeling. His mouth took on a rhythmic motion that matched the push of his hips against hers. She could feel the hard length of him lying like a brand along her thigh. Each drag of his body along hers just made him grow hotter and thicker.

Electricity seemed to arc over their skin, sparks of arousal as she gasped for breath. He was switching back and forth, a man possessed, teeth and tongue and hot mouth driving her senseless. There was nothing in her world but Razvan, his hard body, his male scent of sin and sex filling the air around her, burning in her lungs in place of air.

He lifted his head, small flames burning through the piercing blue of his eyes. «Take my blood, Ivory. Now. Right now.»

He lifted her with hard hands, fitting her on his lap, facing him, straddling him, so that she felt the hard length of him, aggressive and hot, against her wet, slick opening. His harsh gasps just drew her further under his spell. She felt mesmerized when he was like this, so desperate for the taste and touch of her. His hands never stopped moving over her skin, claiming every inch of her for his own. She loved the thrill of being his.

She lifted her head to lick over his chest and up to his throat. His stomach rippled. Bunched. His shaft, that terrible, wonderful steel spike, throbbed and pulsed against her thigh, waiting for an opportunity. She licked her lips. Tasted him. His essence. Let him feel what that did to her, deep in her mind-in her body.

Her tongue swirled over his pulse as she nuzzled his warm throat. She loved the masculine feel of him, the heat of him. Her teeth nipped and she moved her body restlessly along his, a tempting enticement, so deep, so primal, she shook with her need. She lifted her face for his kiss, wanting-no-needing his mouth. That glorious mouth that could send her body skittering on the brink of a great precipice, too close to the edge, to that yawning abyss, or send her over, plunging her into a maelstrom of pleasure beyond anything she'd ever dreamt.

Her mouth melted into his. Fused. Welded. So hot. A scorching heat that filled her entire body, turning her fine, white porcelain skin to faint color. She looked up at his face, carved with hard edges, a man's face, his eyes heavy-lidded, possessive. She kissed him again, drinking him in, letting the rush hit her hard before kissing her way to the corners of his mouth. Licking. Tasting him. Biting with small nips to his chin and back to his lip. Tugging. Teasing. Wanting.

«You might kill us both,» he warned.

She moved her body in a sensuous slide over the hot brand of his very hard erection, rubbing back and forth, trying to draw him inside of her.

His body jerked and he groaned. His fingers tightened in her hair, pulling her head back so he could stare into her eyes. «Take my blood now, Ivory.» His voice had gone deep. Harsh. Hungrier. More sensual.

Her heart jumped. Nearly exploded. Her throat constricted. Her tongue already could taste him, that sweet, seductive, erotic taste of him. She felt her saliva form. Her teeth lengthened. She kissed his stubborn jaw, trailed more kisses to the side of his neck where his pulse was warm, alive and inviting. Her teeth grazed his skin.

Razvan sucked in his breath. «Kucak-stars, Ivory.» Sweat gleamed on his body. «I do not know if I will make it through this.»

He turned his head and guided her head to his shoulder, to exactly the vein from which he wanted her to take his blood. His eyes drifted closed as he lifted her hips, positioned himself and dropped her over him so she sheathed him completely.

Her craving grew until she couldn't think of anything but the scent and taste of him. His heartbeat matched hers. Adrenaline rushed through her like a fireball. Her teeth sank deep and he groaned and slammed his body home into hers. He didn't move, simply filled her, pushing his way through tight, scorching folds to seat himself completely within her.

She drew the first sweet drops of hot blood into her mouth, let it explode over her tongue, her body absorbing the essence of him. His hands caught her head, held her against his shoulder, and he bent his head to her soft, warm neck. His tongue licked along her vein.

Her body exploded around his. Pulsed. Rippled with life. Her heart jumped. Every muscle in her body tightened, squeezing down on him like a velvet vise. He gasped. Licked again. Allowed his teeth to graze her neck. Her response was another orgasm, this one harder than the first.

She gasped, tried to lift her head, but he held the back of it in his palm, all that glorious blue-black hair, and forced her to drink. His teeth pierced her neck, sank deep. She groaned, the sound vibrating through his body and surrounding his erection, stroking him, milking him, bathing him in rich, hot cream.

He drank from her while he drove her to another orgasm. And another. Each time his erection grew thicker. Hotter. Longer. He took his fill while she took hers, her climaxes rocking both of them. When they were both sated, they closed the pinpricks and looked at one another.

Razvan moved first, leaning down to capture her mouth with his, his blood pounding in his veins and his groin so full and hard and aching, he knew one more movement, one slight spasm of her body around his, and he would forget who he was. The moment his lips touched hers, it happened. She clenched the muscles of that exquisite feminine sheath and he groaned, broke the kiss and caught her hips in his hands.

He began moving, driving into her like a piston, his body slamming deep into hers, pulling her down onto his lap as he drove upward. Her breasts bounced against him, the friction sending darting arrows shooting to his groin. Her long hair, brushing his thighs, aroused him even more, so that he used the enormous strength in his legs to drive into her.

Her mouth opened. Her eyes widened. He felt the first ripple, strong-like a quake-ripping through her from breasts to sheath so she clamped down on him, dragging his seed from him. Jet after jet of hot seed poured out until he was drained and empty, her delicious screams echoing around him.

It was Ivory who floated them back to the relative safety of the rejuvenating soil. They lay locked together, arms, legs, his body deep in hers, staring into each other's eyes. Her smile was slow. Satisfied. A little shocked.

«You never cease to surprise me, Razvan.»

He licked a small droplet of crimson blood from where it had run down unnoticed from neck to breast in their passion. She shuddered in reaction, producing another fresh wave of liquid cream, hot and unbearably sensual as she clamped down again, draining the last remaining drops his body could possibly produce.

«As long as I please you, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved.»

Reluctantly he loosened his hold on her and allowed her legs to drop from where she had them wrapped around his hips. The movement sent another shuddering pulse through both of them. She rolled over off him and lay with her arms spread out, her body still gasping for air.

«I think you might have killed me. At least my lungs are gone. And I am still having tiny, little, very amazing orgasms. How do you do that?»

He turned his head to give her a cocky grin. «It happens to be my job to keep you satisfied, and I take that task very seriously.»

Her fingers found his. She closed her eyes and just savored him. Being with him. «I want you to know something, Razvan. It is very hard for me to say the things in my heart. It makes me feel silly to say them aloud but you have to know this.»

She opened her eyes, locked her gaze with his and put one hand over her heart. «If things go wrong, and we both know there is every chance they will, this has been the best time of my life. I do not regret one moment with you. You made me feel alive again. You reminded me why I hold my brothers' memories in my soul. And you gave me such a gift of your heart. I want you to know that gift is treasured. I love you without measure.»

The admission meant all the more because he knew it was truly difficult for her to express intense emotions.

«I love you, too.» That didn't quite make it, as far as he was concerned. He sent the emotion to her. Intense. All-consuming. Swamped her with it. Drowned her in it. Let her see into his heart and mind and very soul.

«You move me like no other could,» she said and swallowed hard, blinking back tears. She sighed. «We have to feed well. Ourselves and the pack. This is our best chance to destroy the high mage. He will be weakened by what we did last eve.»

«You are certain you want to take on this task.»

She smiled and this time her smile was serene, matching his. «I have not changed my mind, nor would I let you go without me, as you are thinking. You need me if we are going to succeed, just as I need you. We have a better chance together than apart.»

«We cannot lose this night, then, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved,» Razvan said. «Let us choose our weapons and call the pack. If he escapes us it will be a long while before we-or anyone else-has this opportunity again.»

«He will not escape us,» Ivory said, and there was steel in her voice.

Flakes of snow drifted down as they streamed across the sky away from their home and toward the mountains where Razvan knew Xavier had taken up residence. They had found a small group of human hunters tracking deer through the forest miles from the village nearest to the Carpathian territory and fed well. With the pack sated and everyone at full strength, they immediately began the journey to the glacier mountain where Xavier had gone when his labyrinth of caves had been destroyed months earlier, allowing Razvan to escape.

They traveled through the sky, careful to leave no tracks, but stayed low so they could examine the ground carefully. Once out of the trees near an icy stream, a splash of color caught Ivory's eyes. The wolves reacted with unease. Ivory and Razvan hovered just above the ground, resuming their physical forms in order to study the tracks.

«There is a blood trail here,» Ivory pointed out unnecessarily. «You can see where the carcass of a deer has been dragged from the shelter of the trees through the snow and toward the mountains. It is not wolves who killed the deer, nor human hunters.» She pointed to the spike marks in the snow. «Bats.»

She stood for a long time just studying it. Razvan said nothing, enjoying watching the huntress in her puzzle out the trail. It was highly unusual for Xavier's mutated bats to feed any distance from the caves, but this had definitely been a bat attack. The evidence of the creatures walking on their wings was clear in the snow.

«They ambushed the deer here,» she said. She pointed overhead. «Some dropped from above, some came from below, and they obviously surrounded it. The poor thing had no chance.»

He didn't point out that she hunted with various wolf packs, aiding them in getting through the winter.

Ivory glanced up sharply, her gaze narrowing. «It is not the same thing. They take the blood to their master for evil purposes.»

«That is true,» he agreed. «Why do you read my mind when it just annoys you?»

«It only annoys me when you get that secret little smirk on your face. The male one.» Because he melted her insides with it, and that just wasn't acceptable. Like he thought she was cute or something. Cute. What an irritating word. She shot him a look, a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. There it was again, that little male smirk that made her want to jump his body right there in the snow and ice, with danger surrounding them. «You are distracting me.»

His white teeth flashed. «I am simply paying close attention to the expert so that I might learn.»

«You are deliberately distracting me and I-« She broke off, her eyes widening.

The smile faded from Razvan's face as he followed her gaze to an overhead tree limb. It looked fine to an untrained eye. The snow clung to the needles and weighed down the branches. He caught the flash of alarm in her mind.

«What is it?»

«Up there. High in the very top branches.» Her voice was very low, barely a thread of sound. «The snow is disturbed.»

It took a moment to see what she was talking about. In four small places, as if a bird had landed lightly on the thin branch, the snow had flaked off, revealing a smudge of bark.

«The bats?»

«No, they scratch lines in the snow but the bark does not show through. Hunters followed the bats.» A note of fear crept into her voice. «They do not know who dwells in this place and what they face. We weakened Xavier with our ritual. We turned his hatred back on himself. If he manages to find a hunter . . .» She trailed off.

His stomach lurched at the idea of Xavier getting his hands on Carpathian hunters. Not only would the hunter suffer, but Xavier would be extremely powerful with a Carpathian's blood.

«Are you certain?»

In answer, Ivory shifted, streamed as vapor up to the treetop. She hovered in the air while she examined the branch and dropped back to earth beside him, careful not to disturb the snow. «Definitely Carpathian. There is no scent. Nothing else, just those two small telltale marks.»

Razvan rubbed his hand over his jaw. «We have to follow them all the way in, Ivory, if they followed the bats. You know we will have no choice. We will not be able to leave them to Xavier. If we are very lucky, they will be very strong, experienced hunters.»

«Xavier will not be alone,» Ivory added.

«No, he will not. And he has many abominations to guard him, not the least of which is the undead,» Razvan said.

She reached out to him, her fingers connecting with his. «We go then.»

«All the way,» Razvan agreed.

Ivory and Razvan moved with stealth, careful of disturbing even a single snowflake as they approached the outer rolling hills leading to the mountain where Xavier had begun to build his latest fortress. He needed the deep ice caves and network of caverns beneath the earth where he could conduct his evil experiments and wreak havoc on the Carpathian people. He had chosen an optimal location near the edge of the glacier, so he could use nature to carry his mutated extremophiles into the waterways leading throughout the mountainous range where the Carpathians dwelled.

If the hunters came this way, at least they left no other sign, Ivory said, using their telepathic connection, unwilling to risk sound carrying in the night.

A terrible feeling of dread had been growing in Razvan. As they approached the mountain, it grew stronger. He knew they were closing in on Xavier, but worse, he knew who the hunter-or huntress-was.

Natalya and her lifemate are ahead of us.

Ivory gasped. Are you certain?

Absolutely.

Razvan looked at Ivory and his midnight blue eyes had gone so dark the pupils had nearly disappeared. Small flames flickered deep in the depths and Ivory shivered a little in reaction, a chill sliding through her.

He cannot have my sister. He bit out each word.

She leaned into him for just one brief moment, surrounding him with warmth. No, he cannot. She was fully committed to hunting Xavier down and ridding the world of his evil.

The wind began to pick up as they moved through the valley leading to the base of the outlying hills, just below the bursting peaks of bluish ice. No trees grew on the slopes of ice. Few ever tried to climb there, the sharp-rising ridges were too sheer and jagged. The winds increased as though in protest, and great spears of ice often came hurtling down upon hapless victims. It was a treacherous mountain and most shunned it.

As they neared the first of the hills, they felt the first impact of the safeguard. A low humming began, growing louder as they continued on their course. The pressure inside their heads grew, a painful burst that shook both of them. Ivory stopped and pressed her fingers to her throbbing temples, trying not to cry out.

Even an animal would feel that. No wonder there is no life close by, she said.

Which explains the tracks we have seen, the drag marks and bloodstains in the snow. Razvan placed his hand to her temple and flooded her with a healing warmth. At once the pressure lessened in her head. She glanced at him sharply. His face tightened only for a moment, and when she touched his mind, it took a moment before he allowed her in.

The bats have to go farther than they did in the other caves to find prey, Razvan said before she could protest.

Ivory shuddered. She really detested fighting the bats. They had nasty little teeth and a liking for flesh. The blood trail led to a spot near the base of a small hill that rolled just in front of the sharper climbing flow of ice cliffs. She knew from experience that the ground near the spot where the bats had gone under would be a trap for some unsuspecting creature. If they ventured too near, the ground would give way.

Xavier has not had time to work out a better system, which means he is not in the best of shape, he continued. I escaped when they moved here. He kept me weak, as he did my aunts, because he feared my resistance, but that also weakened him. He had me drained and could not use me to feed. He made do with mage and animal blood.

Ivory didn't want to think too much about Razvan in Xavier's hands. She sent up a prayer that his sister was not in the high mage's fortress. Keeping her safe had been the only thing he had clung to, the reason he had survived. As long as Xavier lived, he was not going to allow Natalya into his hands. And now . . .

She clamped down hard on the thought. I do not want to drop through the bat lair if we can help it.

She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she hovered above the bloodstained snow. The carcass of the deer had obviously been dragged inside, but something else had gone in after it. Flakes of snow partially covered the stains, which meant something had disturbed the snow after the bats had returned to their lair with their prize.

It is an entrance. Razvan was pragmatic. We have dealt with them before.

The ground beneath them rolled. The mountain shivered and a great chunk of ice calved off the sheer cliff towering above them, driving the snow and ice straight down on top of them with little warning. Without hesitation, both reached for the ringed canisters in their war belts and dissolved into vapor as they leapt into the ominous hole covered by a thin layer of bloodstained snow.

The foul stench assailed them first, even before the sounds of highly agitated bats registered. The smell of fetid, rotting flesh burned their noses and offended their stomachs so that they had to fight to keep their present form and not react. The high-pitched angry shrieks swelled in volume as they descended through the narrow tube, scraping like sharp fingernails on the walls of their minds, shredding their nerves to the screaming point.

Scorch marks blackened the stains on the walls although bats continued to pour out of the dark, sulfur-smelling holes in the tube, dropping down to join the fierce battle taking place on the floor of the cavern. Bits of rotting meat and splashes of blood and fur clung to the outer edges of each hole where the carnivorous bats dwelled.

Xavier has been warned that his fortress is compromised, Ivory said, irritation creeping into her voice. Even weak, he is a formidable opponent. I had hoped to come on him unaware. I do not want him to escape us.

He will not give up his fortress easily, Razvan predicted. He has fewer and fewer places to go. He has not had time to fully make this one secure. This is our best chance whether he knows we are coming or not.

Ivory refrained from saying Xavier was expecting two hapless hunters who had inadvertently stumbled upon the bats and probably was joyfully preparing for feasting on Carpathian blood.

Hurry, Ivory, they attack Natalya.

Xavier will order his guardians not to slay them-at least not to slay her. He will want her blood for himself, which gives them a slight advantage, she reassured.

They were close to the bottom of the long tube and could see the bats now. Hundreds of them, with black furry bodies and razor-sharp teeth, claws tipping the toes of their feet and their wings spiked at the tips. Swords swept violently through the mass of bats, slicing heads and bodies, but the sheer numbers were overwhelming. Vikirnoff and Natalya stood back-to-back, faces grim, blood streaking every exposed bit of skin. Both Razvan and Ivory had felt the tear of teeth shredding flesh from their bones and, at the sight of the Carpathians, the haunting memories rose up to taunt them.

Coming in, Ivory warned, using the more ancient common telepathic path that Vikirnoff would recognize. What we are going to do is change the composition of air using our homemade grenades. The fire will burn hot, very intense, and you cannot draw this chemical into your lungs. You will want to panic and go toward the surface, but the fire will race upward, she warned, giving them nearly the same instructions as she had given Razvan when she'd first used her chemical grenades with him.

Razvan reached for his sister, feeling her startle when he used their much older connection, one they had made as children. Fight your way out of the center but stay away from the walls. When we materialize we will use the chemical, and then change back to vapor; do the same instantly, but remember, you will still feel the intense heat.

I understand, Natalya sent back.

Razvan tried not to see the mass of bats attacking her. She looked fierce, her grim face a mask of concentration, her hair striped with the colors of a tigress.

Razvan positioned his body face-to-face with Ivory's. As soon as they materialized, he knew from previous experience, the bats would attack, ripping and tearing at their flesh. Ready, kont o sivanak-heart of a warrior?

Let us get it done, Ivory responded, as calm as always in battle. She could handle nearly any circumstance when it came to fighting without panic; yet when it came to emotion, she wasn't so good at hiding her nerves and vulnerability.

One more thing, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved, I love you more than life itself. Now, Razvan added.

She wanted to hold him. Wanted to say it back to him. But he was already materializing and she had to match his rhythm. She burst onto the chamber floor, noting that Razvan's body, while protecting the front of hers, was angled to shield his sister.

The moment they donned their flesh-and-blood bodies, the bats went into a feeding frenzy, the scent of prey driving them insane. They ripped and tore, hurling their bodies at the Carpathians. The wolves roared, heads emerging, paws digging, ready to leap.

Stay! Stay! Ivory ordered frantically.

Raja and Blaez subsided, calling orders to the rest of the pack, although they snapped at the bats, grabbing heads and shaking, snapping necks even as the bats' claws shredded skin. Razvan and Ivory pulled the pins simultaneously. They had only five seconds to get rid of the canisters.

Ivory lobbed her grenade directly into the center of the chamber amid the sea of fighting bats. Some pounced on the canister, trying to bite through it with sharp teeth.

Razvan pulled back his arm to throw, and at least a dozen bats, drawn by the scent of Dragonseeker blood, leapt on him, the weight of their bodies pulling his arm down as he went to throw the oval-shaped canister.

Vikirnoff leapt forward, swinging his sword, sweeping it across the lot of them, missing Razvan by a paper-thin margin. Razvan sucked in his breath as the bodies toppled from his arm, leaving behind torn flesh. More rushed to feed on the open wounds, but he had already let the canister go.

Now! Now! Razvan warned his sister.

All four Carpathians dissolved into vapor. The chamber rocked with the explosion, the air raining bodies of bats and chunks of rock, ice and rotted carcasses, both human and animal. The flash of light was so bright it pierced their eyes despite them being in a different form. The intense heat ate through their natural shields as the composition of air changed to gas. Fire raged up through the chimney, burning through the holes and cracks in the rock, voracious for the air outside.

The ice melted, turning to boiling, hissing steam as the fire raged with orange-red rolling flames, flashing through the bats' burrows and roaring out and through every crack. The external pressure was so extreme, the molecules of their bodies threatened to collapse inward, imploding like the bodies of the bats. All around them, the mutated creatures erupted into hot flames, exploding as if a bomb had touched them, or simply coming apart.

The noise rushed over them, the thundering violence of a volcano erupting as the fire created its own wind so that it howled through the chamber, looking for hapless victims. The inferno was a fiery hell from which there seemed no escape. Vikirnoff and Natalya stayed only because Razvan and Ivory did, resisting the urge to try to rise to the surface and outrun the conflagration. The rock walls of the chimney blazed an ominous red, but the flames died out, leaving a hideous, blackened flood behind.

Burned carcasses and debris floated in the water pouring down from the melted ice and snow. Ivory led the way out through the chimney and away from the foul stench, taking care to avoid the glowing walls. They turned a corner and the tunnel widened into a large chamber. Ivory held up her hand, halting. The others crowded around her.

«What in the world made you decide to go down the bats' hole?» she asked. She didn't need to look after Razvan's sister, especially if the woman and her lifemate were foolish enough to go chasing Xavier's guardians into their burrows.

Razvan put a restraining hand on Ivory's shoulder, recognizing the cool contempt in her voice. She was standing up for him against the two people who she felt should have believed in him. Some of their wounds were not made by the carnivores.

Ivory took a breath and instantly regretted it as she drew the stench of burnt flesh into her lungs. Now that she took a good look at the two, she recognized the wounds on Vikirnoff. «The undead.» She answered her own question. «You followed a vampire.»

Vikirnoff nodded. «A master vampire. He dropped into the hole. We knew what we faced, but believed we had a good chance to get through the bats, given they had a fresh kill. They rarely get too far from it without feeding first.»

She was grateful he knew that much about the bats. «Xavier has taken up residence here. It is not a place you want to be.»

«Did you come here looking for us?» Natalya asked, gripping her sword tighter and looking around the ice cave. «I should have known the moment I came in that Xavier would be drawn to this place.»

«You were occupied elsewhere,» Razvan pointed out. «You can get out through the tube. That entrance should be clear now.»

Vikirnoff and Natalya exchanged a long look. Vikirnoff cleared his throat. He refused to look away from Razvan. «I will be the first to admit I was wrong about you, Razvan. Natalya suffered greatly when she believed you had turned vampire and had allied yourself with Xavier. We both realize Xavier possessed your body and wanted the world to brand you traitor.»

«I do not blame you for protecting Natalya,» Razvan said and shot Ivory a quelling look when she stirred.

It was the first time he had ever indicated that he might be displeased with her, and it was shocking to Ivory how much it hurt. She moved away from them only to have Razvan catch her arm, circling her wrist with his fingers like a bracelet.

«It is best to leave this place quickly,» he continued. «The bats are his guardians and he will know intruders have arrived. If the vampire has come to aid him, this is no place to be.»

«Yet you are here,» Vikirnoff said smoothly. «You weakened Xavier, didn't you? Last eve, when you turned his spell back on him. That is why you're here today. You're hunting Xavier.»

«And we have no time to waste,» Razvan said.

«I agree,» Vikirnoff returned. «Lead the way.»

Ivory wasn't about to stand around arguing. She knew Razvan wanted Natalya as far from Xavier as possible, but they had this one opportunity and she was going to take it. Vikirnoff and Natalya could do as they wished. For that matter, so could Razvan. He could stay and protect his sister, too.

She took a step away from them, but Razvan didn't let go of her wrist. In fact, his fingers tightened. Ivory glanced down at his hand and then up to his face. His eyes glittered at her, black obsidian with just a hint of blue, but it was his hair that gave her pause. His hair seemed alive, electric almost, bands of black and white sliding through the color. His face was as tranquil as ever, and when she touched his mind, he appeared utterly calm, but his hair, eyes and that tight grasp on her wrist told her something else.

Do you honestly think I care more for a woman who I only held in my memories more than I do you? Because I prefer she is not here? I prefer that you be far from Xavier as well, but I respect your fighting skills and your vow of purpose. This is a path we agreed on, and I will hold to my word, but as your lifemate, as the man who loves you above all else, this is the last place I would want you to be. This is not easy for me, Ivory.

Ivory stood there, heart beating fast, and realized that sick feeling inside of her had nothing to do with standing in an ice cave fortress riddled with traps belonging to the high mage, her mortal enemy, and everything to do with having their first fight.

«We go with you,» Vikirnoff said. There was steel in his voice.

Razvan glanced at him, then at his sister. «So be it.» He brought Ivory's hand to the warmth of his mouth and held her fingertips there against his lips. You matter, Ivory. You are my heart and soul and everything good in this life. Let us destroy this evil and go home where I can show you just who really matters to me.

Had she been jealous? She hadn't even recognized such a petty thing in herself. Why would she be jealous of Razvan's love for his sister? She wanted him to love and be loved by his twin, by his daughters and his aunts. So what was wrong with her . . .

Razvan abruptly dropped Ivory's hand and reached for the hilt of his sword, looking around the cavern, his gaze clearing enough to see the faint mist drifting like poison, curling around Ivory and Natalya.

«He knows we are here,» he warned. «He's attacking, amplifying our fears and emotions.»

Ivory's lips firmed, annoyed she'd been caught in one of Xavier's more basic traps. She began moving cautiously deeper into the series of caves. One chamber opened into the next as they went deeper beneath the mountain. The ice walls were thick and rumbled ominously, the pressure from the tremendous weight causing continual buckling so that they had to watch for huge blocks of ice shooting out of the walls, a natural phenomenon Xavier used against intruders.

«He favors traps in the ground,» Razvan cautioned. «Be careful. We will be walking through a minefield. Once we find the first one, I may be able to guide us through. He favors certain patterns.»

The sound of dripping water was loud, adding to the noise of the ice creaking and rumbling. After a time, the noise drowned out everything else so that Ivory had to remember to keep the volume down and tune in to other things. She had long ago learned to hunt will all senses, but here, in Xavier's domain, the rules had changed and she couldn't count on her instincts.

They rounded another corner and Ivory nearly stepped down onto a floor of rock and ice. At the last second she pulled her foot back, studying the floor. Razvan came up beside her and Vikirnoff and Natalya peered around her shoulders.

«This is classic Xavier,» Razvan said. «He always has a back door to escape and it usually is a trapdoor of some kind. This is not a man who will fight to the death. He runs away to fight another day. The squares indicate his pattern. In recent years, he has had trouble remembering, so he uses the same one all the time.» He looked over the floor. «Seven squares from the opening and to the left is most likely where his escape route is. This room will be well protected. The floor is a trap. He will have a nasty little pet. And do not step into water or touch it as it seeps from the walls.»

Clapping startled them. Above, on the far wall, Xavier appeared, applauding. He looked smaller than Ivory remembered from her youth, and his face was lined and aged, but he was in surprising shape when he should have died centuries earlier. He wore long robes and his beard was a flowing white, perpetuating his reputation as a tremendously powerful wizard. Beside him was his staff, innocent-looking enough, but the crystal ball on the end glowed milky white, and she could make out the dark red spot in the center. Heart's blood, in the shape of an eye, stared back at her, sending a chill down her spine.

«Good then, boy. You have come home and you've brought guests with you,» Xavier greeted. The mage's voice boomed out, and the walls rippled.

Razvan stepped forward, his body partially blocking Ivory's, keeping clear of her arms, but still putting him in a position to stop the force of the staff. He'd seen it too many times not to recognize the real threat to them all.

The floor pitched, threatening to throw them into the room, but Ivory, Razvan and Vikirnoff steadied themselves. Natalya was on a slight incline and the sudden roll sent her staggering. She flung out her hand and her palm brushed the wall.

Instantly the ice cracked and the weight of her body falling forward sent her hand and arm deep into the crack. The ice closed around her limb hard, slamming together, crushing bone, holding her tight. She tried to turn to mist, but her arm was held fast. She struggled as Vikirnoff whirled around to try to help her, frantically trying to dig her free while Natalya tried to heat the ice surrounding her arm to make it melt.

Ivory's gaze never left Xavier, watching for his next move. She was pleased that Razvan continued to watch as well. The mage deliberately had used Natalya to try to distract them. Already ice spiders poured from the cracks in the ice, rushing toward Natalya with their poisonous fangs.

Lara was friends with the ice spiders, Razvan said. Turn them back on Xavier.

Ivory, her gaze never leaving Xavier, immediately lifted her hands, tracing a pattern in the air.

Spiders, spiders of crystal ice, We are not the enemies you seek. We seek no malice, Look to our hearts, see that which is pure Remembering Lara, a friend who was dear.

At once the spiders halted, then turned abruptly, quickly crawling away from Natalya and back into their cracks.

Tiny spiders of crystalline ice I call you now to weave and splice. Send forth your minions as to war To seek out evil, to banish it ever more.

Spiders dropped silken nets from the ceiling, enfolding Xavier even as thousands poured from the ice in a rush to get him. The nets came up empty. Xavier appeared on the closest ledge, laughing. A second and a third Xavier appeared-all laughing-all three identical and all with staffs. The three wizards raised their arms and a wind rose, rushing through the chamber. The spiders immediately retreated, seeking the cracks in the ice and safety.

Ivory refused to flinch or look away as the howling wind tore through the ice cave and straight at them, carrying ice missiles, large and small spears with deadly points. Watch for the vampire, she warned Razvan, never once taking her eyes from the wizard. Her hand swept up in a dis missive motion.

That which is ice, I now command Bring forth a shield to protect and stand. Stand as guard, protect us all, Deflect these spears that evil calls.

The ice missiles shattered and fell harmlessly to the ground at Ivory's feet. She didn't so much as flinch or glance behind her to see if Vikirnoff was making progress freeing Natalya.

«I see you paid attention in my classes,» the three wizards said with a mocking bow.

Behind them the wolves suddenly roared, their heads coming out of the skin. Vikirnoff heeded the warning, whirling to face Sergey as he flew at them from above. His face was a twisted mask of hatred. Dressed in war gear, he wore a vest of armor, thin yet tightly woven of a fabric Vikirnoff had never seen before.

Natalya stopped struggling to free her imprisoned arm, pushed down the excruciating pain and caught the sword that Vikirnoff tossed to her with her free hand.

«Vikirnoff,» she cried. «Be careful. The walls are creeping forward.» Every few moments she had to take a small step as the ice spread into her, the wall nearly bumping her foot in an effort to trap all of her. «I see two small shadows, splinters really. Look out for them, everything in their path withers.»

The fragments Gregori drove from me, Razvan sent on the ancient pathway. They have to be making their way back to Xavier. We have to destroy them, too.

Leave Vikirnoff and Natalya to it, Ivory cautioned Razvan. We have to trust them to keep Sergey off our backs. He is reaching for the staff. The one on the right is really Xavier. Watch where that staff aims. That will be the real target.

How do you know?

The wind. It flowed past him without touching his beard. He has some kind of barrier erected around him to protect him. Watch the pattern of the wind flow.

Razvan didn't question her judgment. She had studied Xavier's ways with great care, and that was just the sort of thing the mage would do.

The mage snatched up his staff and aimed it, not at them, but at the far wall. The other two mages aimed their staffs at Ivory and Razvan. Neither moved, standing their ground as the wall close to them exploded with a thunderous blast. Chunks of ice and rock rained down, the falling debris triggering numerous traps as they hit the floor of the cave. The battle behind them was loud, Natalya fiercely trying to enter the fray, Vikirnoff blocking the vampire from getting close to her. The wolves raged, wanting to leap free, but Ivory restrained them, commanding them to wait-as she waited.

A single sound swept through the cavern. A roar of rage. Behind them, the hunter and vampire faltered. A chill went down Ivory's spine. Her skin itched as the wolves' hair stood on end, prickling her with a thousand sharp needles.

I cannot take my eyes from Xavier, Razvan. This is for you to deal with.

Consider it done.

It was his calm that settled her stomach. They were being attacked from all sides. Sergey battled with Vikirnoff ferociously. The ice walls continued to close inch by slow inch. Xavier had his staff in his hand and now something big was moving out of that rubble into the main part of the floor.

The head emerged first. The skull quite large, the large, curved teeth prominent as the large cat leapt into the room. It landed on a chunk of ice, keeping his claws from the floor, suggesting Xavier directed his movements away from the traps buried beneath the surface. Shorter than a lion by a foot or so, the cat was at least twice as heavy, all muscle and lethal-looking teeth.

Razvan. Get me out of this ice. I know what to do, Natalya said unexpectedly. Hurry.

Razvan whirled around, his gaze moving over the solid wall holding Natalya prisoner. Xavier had used such things to imprison the aunts. He wasn't the best at spells, but Natalya was. He threw his enormous strength behind hers. Without hesitation, Natalya lifted her one hand, palm toward the ice and chanted.

I call to Mother air, earth, fire and water, Come to me now, fill my desire. Set free now that which is caught in ice. I name thee fire, bring forth your breath.

Water poured from the wall around her arm and she tugged until she was free. Thrusting her sword into her brother's hands, she leapt into the air, her hair striping as she shifted, making the change-a beautiful, glorious tiger, a little more modern but all female, her alluring female scent filling the room. She landed hard, her front paw obviously injured as she favored it, holding it up off the ice block. The male roared and she answered.

Sergey leapt toward Vikirnoff as he half-turned to look at his lifemate. He slammed the sword aside and punched through Vikirnoff's chest, reaching for his heart, standing toe to toe, grinning evilly. Blaez and Rikki dug paws into Razvan's back and pushed off, hitting Sergey hard, from the side, driving him back away from Vikirnoff, who staggered, blood spraying across the ice. Raja and the rest of the pack leapt free to circle Vikirnoff protectively as he healed the great gaping hole in his chest.

The vampire had little time to lick his fist to get a taste of Carpathian blood and power. Razvan threw a vial of holy water over him. Sergey screamed as the water burned through his skin all the way to the bone, leaving behind great holes in his flesh. Smoke rose, the stench fetid. Razvan followed the water with a series of arrowheads, snapping them hard so they buried deep, going up the vampire's chest.

The vest stirred as though alive, the fabric parting as if torn and then smoothly going back into place. Razvan rushed him, following the arrows. Sergey tried to shapeshift, but the coating on the arrows prevented him from doing so. Razvan punched through the vest. The moment his flesh touched the fabric, the threads came alive, winding around his fist, racing up his arm toward his shoulder and face. Tiny parasitic worms with sharp teeth, ripping and digging into his flesh. He stepped back, trying to sweep the creatures from his body. Sergey flung himself at Razvan but the wolves interceded, slamming into the vampire with full force, driving him over backward and going for his throat.

Ivory never moved. Never looked back. She had one purpose, and he was in front of her. The tigers snarling at one another, the battle raging behind them-none of it mattered, only Xavier, only the man lifting his staff with hatred on his face and his gaze fixed on Razvan. She knew he would go for her, not Razvan. He wanted her lifemate to suffer for his perceived betrayal, for the Dragonseeker blood that had held out for centuries against him. For his escape and his newfound strength and power. Razvan was the symbol of everything he hated. And she was Razvan's lifemate.

As if in slow motion, she saw him bring the staff across and down his body. Time slowed down, her world narrowing. The end of the staff began to glow bright as he pointed it at Razvan. Ivory noted the red eye in the center of the crystal fixed on her, not on her lifemate. She felt power move inside of her. Everything she was. Everything she had ever been. Was it enough?

Razvan poured everything he was into her, leaving the pack to deal with Sergey while they merged, trusting Vikirnoff to guard their backs along with the wolves. Trusting Natalya to lead the tiger away from them.

The staff glowed bright orange-red. Ivory lifted her hands, palms facing the wizard. A flash of bright light hurt her eyes as the crystal shot out a bolt of energy directly at her. Razvan stepped up beside her, lifting his hands to the exact same height as hers.

I call to Hell's Gate, Ivory chanted.

Let lightning strike, Razvan invoked.

I call to the power that which is light, Ivory chanted.

Take form from this darkness, Razvan invoked.

Let angels walk forth, Ivory pleaded.

Opening their arms, draining evil's force, Razvan chanted.

Take that which is heart's blood. Power filled Ivory's voice.

Straining it pure. Razvan merged completely with Ivory.

They chanted together: Let it only abide in one that is pure.

Already weak without Carpathian blood to sustain him and from her previous spell, the combination of Razvan and Ivory together was too much for Xavier. The dark blood in the center of the crystal exploded outward and Xavier clutched his heart. Blood burst from his chest. Snarling, cornered, terrified he was losing his final chance at immortality, the mage used his last, most secret weapon. He dropped his staff, clutched his chest in an effort to stem that black, bubbling blood and unleashed his wrath on the Carpathians.

The sun burst overhead. Bright. White-hot. A turbulent, seething, volcanic mass. Winds roared, tearing through the ice caves as the heat blasted them from all sides, melting the ice faster than anything possible. Water poured down on them, searing, boiling water. Steam rose, but as the orange-red ball spun, it flung threads of fire. Dazzling light radiated through the chamber.

Skin smoked. Blistered. Melted. Sergey screamed and tried to dissolve again, and this time the arrowheads fell from his chest as his acid blood ate through the coating. The two fragments seeped into his pores just as he shifted.

To my back! Ivory ordered the pack, holding out her arms.

The wolves leapt for safety as the water rose fast, rushing through the chamber, boiling everything in its path, including the saber-toothed tiger. The Carpathians shifted to vapor, their only hope of escaping, just as Sergey had done, but even in that form, the sun burned the molecules that made up their forms.

Ivory flowed toward Xavier as he crawled along the edge, leaving a trail of black blood behind. The blood bubbled and burned into the fast-melting rock. He opened a crack that was spewing water wide enough for his body to pass through, but she was on him, her hands coming out of the vapor. The burns went to the bone, her skin dissolving first into a mass of blisters and then melting. Still, even with her bones, she held him, preventing his escape.

Razvan's fist came out of the vapor, suffering the same fate as Ivory, the skin burning off as he slammed it deep into Xavier's chest and extracted the burst heart. He threw it into the raging fires and then followed it with the body.

The four Carpathians streaked out of the rapidly collapsing cavern using Xavier's escape route. The spinning mass of heat and light stayed behind them as they shot down a tube and into the cool darkness of the caves. The mountain rumbled ominously as they made their way through the tunnels to the outside hills.

All of them rolled in the snow, trying to ease the burning, vicious pain.

«We need to go to ground right now,» Vikirnoff said, his teeth chattering, his body in shock. Gregori, we have need of you. Healers! Come to us!

«Not here. Not anywhere near his evil,» Ivory advised. «Find a clean spot and let Mother Earth have you.»

«Gregori and Francesca are on the way. They will meet us,» Vikirnoff said.

Shivering with the terrible pain, Ivory and Razvan took to the air together, leaving Vikirnoff and Natalya to do the same.

Razvan gripped Ivory's hand as they approached the ceremonial cave. Gregori's summons had reached them just before dawn, with his invitation to the naming ceremony, and both had been nervous before they had succumbed to their rejuvenating sleep. They had spent so long in the ground recovering from wounds, both had thought the naming would have already taken place, but Gregori had honored them by waiting, which meant they had little choice but to attend.

«They are not going to search you this time,» Ivory teased. «I think.»

«They try that this time and the dragon in me may just come flaming out.» He gripped her hand tighter.

Ivory looked up at his face. Instead of his usual calm, he looked strained. She knew it had nothing to do with the distrust of the Carpathian ancients and everything to do with his daughters and sister.

She halted and tugged him around to her, lifting her palm to frame his beloved face. «You are han ku pesa-protector. You are han ku meke piramet-defender.» Her voice softened. Her eyes swam with love. «Most of all, you are han ku kuulua sivamet-keeper of my heart.»

He caught her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. He couldn't have spoken. Not with love shaking him and setting his hands trembling, or with the lump in his throat so big he might choke. He could only pour everything he felt for her into his kiss. When he lifted his head, her eyes had gone antique gold. «Thank you. I needed to hear you say you loved me.»

She parted her lips to protest. She hadn't actually gone that far, but he kissed her senseless again, scattering her wits until she could barely remember her own name, let alone what she'd said to him.

«Razvan!» Natalya rushed them. «You came.»

They had barely time to break apart before she threw herself into her brother's arms, rocking them both so hard Ivory had to catch his arm to steady them.

«Of course we came. Gregori said it was a naming ceremony. I have never been to one.» Razvan gently set his sister back on her feet, looking her over for injuries. The time spent rejuvenating in the ground had done her good. She bore little evidence of the encounter with Xavier and Sergey.

«You have to come to see Lara. Gregori let her up for the ceremony. She's fragile and weak, but he said whatever Ivory did, she can still bear children.» Natalya's eyes were bright.

«Mother Earth saved her, not me,» Ivory protested.

Natalya ignored the protest as well as all personal barriers, catching Ivory's arm and tugging toward the ceremonial cave. «Hurry. Everyone is waiting inside for you.»

«Give them a chance to catch their breath, Natalya,» Vikirnoff advised with a small smile. He tucked her beneath his shoulder. He still had a couple of burn marks on him from having shielded Natalya.

«I do not wish to upset Lara, especially in her fragile state,» Razvan objected, halting abruptly.

Ivory swung around to him, her hand actually curling around the hilt of her knife. We do not have to do this. She wasn't going to have anyone-sister, daughter, ancients, anyone-make him feel unwelcome or less than what she believed him to be: a great hero.

Shockingly, Razvan laughed and the sound was carefree. He swept his arm around her. «You are a treasure, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. My greatest treasure. I believe you would stand between me and . . .»

«Anything. Anyone.» Her eyes deepened from her light amber to that antique gold that always sent his heart stumbling.

He brushed a kiss on top of her head. «Let us go to the naming ceremony for Gregori's sake. He has done much for us, and if this pleases him, it is a small thing to us.»

Natalya frowned. «Lara wants to see you, Razvan. And Nicolas is dying to see his wonderful little sister Ivory. He can scarcely believe what you did-what the two of you did. What a relief it is to know Xavier is gone from this world.»

«Not entirely,» Ivory cautioned. «No one must ever forget those two fragments found a host in a master vampire. He was terribly wounded, but he will rise again, and with the shadow of Xavier dwelling within him, he will be more evil than ever.»

«We have warned the people,» Vikirnoff assured. «A hunting party went out, but no trace of Sergey was found.» His eyes met hers. «I am truly sorry about your brother. He was a great warrior once.»

Ivory forced a smile, and was grateful for Razvan's understanding. He didn't touch her, which might have been her undoing, but he surrounded her with warmth. «My brother has been long dead. What is in his place is truly evil and bears no resemblance to the man I love, but I thank you for the thought.»

Young Travis ran up to them. His eyes were bright again, his hair long and tied with a thin leather cord. «Gregori says to get a move on.»

Laughing, they followed him to the entrance of the cave, but got no farther. A young teenaged girl Ivory recognized as Skyler stood waiting just inside. Her shoulders were square, her gaze hesitant. Francesca, the female healer and her adoptive mother, stood with her, shoulder to shoulder, her hand on Skyler's back.

Ivory's heart jumped. There was no denying this girl was Razvan's child. She was beautiful, but in her eyes, eyes very much like Razvan's, there was far too much knowledge. The girl had been through hell and back again. This was going to break Razvan's heart. Ivory wanted to wrap her arms around him and get out of there, take him far away where no one else could hurt him.

«This is my daughter, Skyler,» Francesca said. She wore a smile, but her expression was strained. «You might remember that she aided in fighting Xavier's evil.»

«Yes, of course,» Ivory said. «You were amazing. Everyone thinks so highly of you, Skyler, obviously for a good reason. I am Ivory and this is my lifemate, Razvan.»

She felt the impact when Razvan raised his head. The punch to his gut, hard and deep. He hadn't really paid attention to anything but protecting Ivory from Xavier's evil and trying to keep everyone calm. Now, there was no mistaking this child. Or the trauma she'd suffered. He swallowed hard, but his expression didn't change. Only Ivory felt the terrible blow.

«I am Dragonseeker then,» Skyler said, her chin up. «That is why I can sense the earth in the way Syndil does, although she is not Dragonseeker, but has the gift of bonding with earth as the Dragonseekers do. I am part Carpathian, although for some reason, unlike others who are half, I have not needed blood.»

Razvan took a breath, let it out. Ivory reached for his hand, clung. She didn't know which of them needed the support more.

«You are my daughter.» He made it a statement, although he had no recollection of her mother. He must have been buried deep, suppressed by Xavier when the mage had impregnated the woman. Skyler had been spared being kidnapped and taken because her blood had not called to Xavier, the Dragonseeker in her hiding deep, probably sensing a mortal enemy. It was her eyes that gave her away. Had Xavier looked closer, had he not been so greedy for the «right» blood, he would not have allowed Skyler and her mother to escape so easily.

What happened to her? Razvan asked his sister. When he sensed her hesitation, he snapped an impatient order. Tell me.

Ivory put her hand on his shoulder. It was the first time she'd seen him really shaken. She felt him tense beneath her hand, but he didn't pull away.

Natalya bit her lip and then capitulated. Her mother ran when she was a mere infant. For years Skyler believed the man her mother married was her birth father. He was a very bad man and sold her to other men. Francesca rescued her.

Razvan closed his eyes briefly. Only Ivory's touch steadied him. His children seemed destined to live with pain and suffering even when Xavier didn't get his hands on them. He opened his eyes to look directly at Francesca. «I am grateful to you.»

He had no idea what to say to this young girl. His daughter. A girl he knew nothing about, who had lived in hell and had far too much knowledge of monsters in the world. «I do not know what words I can give you, Skyler, other than to say I am sorry I have not been in your life to protect you from all the horrors of this world. Had I been able, I would have protected you.»

She shrugged her shoulders, far too mature for her age. «That was a little impossible, as you didn't even know I existed.»

«I do know now,» Razvan said, «and I hope you are willing to get to know me. I will never take the place of your parents, but I certainly want to be a part of your life, if you will have me. You are someone any parent can be proud of. You stood your ground against evil, and I hear you work with Syndil to heal the earth. That alone is a miracle.»

The tension seemed to leave her. «I'm glad we met.» She held on to Francesca's hand, seemingly unaware she did so even as she reached out to touch the scars webbing his arm. «You destroyed Xavier. Gregori told us what happened.»

«Without the others, Skyler, I would not have been able to do so. We worked together.»

«They are waiting for you inside,» Francesca said. «I wanted to look at you and Ivory again. I had hoped you would stay and allow us to heal you after the initial session.»

Razvan and Ivory exchanged a long look. There had been so much pain. The Carpathian people had gathered to help speed their healing, but neither could stay in such close proximity. They needed their own sacred ground and they had gone together to the cave where Mother Earth surrounded them with her richest soil. Both still bore the scars, but like Vikirnoff and Natalya, the scars were fading.

«Thank you, Francesca,» Razvan said, with a slight, formal bow. «We both appreciate your aid. You probably saved our lives.»

«I doubt that.» Francesca led the way through the cavern to the ceremonial chamber where everyone waited.

A hush fell over the crowd as they entered. Ivory moved closer to Razvan. She could smell sage and lavender. Candles adorned every conceivable crevice and ledge, the flickering lights casting soft shadows over the walls. Above their heads, crystals adorned the ceiling, and the dancing lights sent the gems sparkling on and off like a blanket of stars. Ivory slid her arm along Razvan's, shocked that such a crowd of people ringed the room-staring at them.

Mikhail glided from the center of the room, closing the distance between them. He clasped Razvan's arm in the formal manner of greeting between two experienced and respected hunters. «Pesasz jelabam ainaak-long may you stay in the light. Thank you for your great service to our people.»

Razvan didn't move. Didn't speak. He stared over Mikhail's shoulder even after Mikhail turned to Ivory and clasped her arms in the same formal manner.

«Sivad olen wakeva, han ku piwta-may your heart stay strong, hunter,» Mikhail greeted. «Your people thank you for your great service.» He stepped back and bowed, a long, low sweeping bow indicating great respect.

To Ivory's shock, the entire room bowed with him. Emotion choked her, constricting her throat, and she glanced to Razvan. He hadn't moved. Hadn't changed expression, as if he were frozen there, his face carved in stone. He hadn't seen the tremendous tribute. He hadn't taken his eyes from across the room. She turned her head to follow his gaze.

There was no mistaking who the woman was seated beside Nicolas De La Cruz-Lara. Ivory couldn't drink in her beloved Nicolas, not when Razvan's heart shattered into a million pieces. He just crumbled inside. Outside, he appeared aloof and apart from everything. Inside, he simply dissolved. His inner peace was gone-destroyed. He couldn't breathe; his heart accelerated to the point she feared it might explode.

Every memory, every horrendous detail of this child's life, crowded into his head. The scent of her blood. The feel of his teeth tearing into her flesh, unable to stop, unable to do anything other than warn her, try to get her to run. Yet there was nowhere for her to run. No place for her to go, and he was helpless to save her. The hopeless despair and weight of terrible guilt drove him to his knees. Tiny red beads tracked down his face. His hands were unsteady as he tried to push himself up.

Razvan just knelt there beside her, and for the first time, Ivory felt panic. He wasn't ready for this. She should never have allowed him to come to this place. She dropped to her knees beside him, her arms around him in spite of the fact that he didn't want her comfort. He didn't feel he deserved it. He had been unable to protect his child not only from Xavier, but from himself, from the monster Xavier had forced him to be. To Razvan, possession was no excuse. This child, his beloved Lara, had been born of him, but like Skyler, she had been in the midst of monsters.

He knew her. He loved her. Even when he couldn't feel the emotion, it had been there, far off, remembered. His sense of family, the Dragonseeker blood, calling to him, to her.

«Father?» The voice was a child's voice.

Razvan looked up and there she stood, right in front of him, tears sliding down her face. Lara wrapped her arms around him and held him to her with Ivory.

«It's all right. Really. I'm all right. Nicolas has taken great care of me, and now that you're here with us, and I know you really were trying to get me out of there, everything is all right.»

«I do not deserve you.»

Lara smiled. «Neither does Nicolas, but I love him all the same.» The smile faded and she looked serious. «I am proud to be your daughter.»

Nicolas helped Razvan to his feet. «And I, your son.» He grinned a little mischievously, something that shocked Ivory as he leaned over to brush a kiss on her cheek. «Hello, Mother.»

Ivory gave him a mock scowl, but the ease in Razvan was worth the unfamiliar teasing.

Razvan found a smile forming in his heart. «Take my daughter and sit where she can rest,» he instructed, «so they may get started.»

Ivory touched his mind again. The terrible pain had eased, but she knew he still felt it. She wrapped her arm around him tightly and clung there while the prince walked to the middle of the room and the hush fell again.

Gregori and Savannah carried their babies into the center of the room. The crowd erupted with joy, the walls expanding as though they couldn't contain so much happiness. Razvan wrapped his arm around Ivory's waist and held her close.

«Everyone will pledge to love and support those children,» Ivory said, remembering the ceremony from her childhood. «All of us are expected to educate, love and become family to them so that should anything happen to their parents, they will not feel alone in the world.» She brushed a kiss along the side of his face. «More children for you.»

He flicked her a promise of retaliation at the laughter in her voice. «We will have to have at least ten more.»

Ivory sucked in her breath and scowled at him. She didn't know the first thing about babies-give her a sword every time.

Razvan made a little snorting sound and even the wolves stirred as if they were laughing.

Gregori handed his daughter to the prince. The baby seemed impossibly tiny to Ivory, but she had all her fingers and toes and a head of thick, dark hair-and she was alive. Her head turned and her eyes met Ivory's. There was awareness there. Ivory's throat tightened more.

«Who names this child?» Mikhail asked.

«Her father,» Gregori answered.

«Her mother,» Savannah proclaimed.

«Her people,» the entire crowd chanted back.

«I name you Anastasia Daratrazanoff,» Mikhail said. «Born in battle, crowned with love. Who will accept the offer of the Carpathian people to love and raise our daughter?»

«Her parents, with gratitude,» Savannah and Gregori answered formally.

The second infant was handed to Mikhail with great care. She was visibly smaller and a little more fragile, with the same head of dark hair. She, too, looked at Ivory as Mikhail held her high in the air for the Carpathian people to see. Elation swept through the room at the sight of the small baby, an almost electric excitement that had tears swimming in Ivory's eyes. She smiled at the baby and was shocked when the infant smiled back.

«Who names this child?» Mikhail asked.

«Her father,» Gregori answered. His voice sounded choked, as if he could barely get the words past the lump in his throat.

«His mother,» Savannah replied, cuddling little Anastasia protectively against her body.

«Her people,» every man, woman and child in the room proclaimed in unison.

«I name you Anya Daratrazanoff,» Mikhail announced. «Born in battle, crowned with love. Who will accept the offer of the Carpathian people to love and raise our daughter?»

«Her parents, with gratitude.» Gregori and Savannah accepted the tremendous honor and duty together.

The crowd erupted into singing and chanting, joy filling the ceremonial chamber. Laughter broke out. Ivory caught sight of Travis hugging Falcon. He looked happy and carefree. She found herself smiling right along with the rest of them.

«I suppose we should swear allegiance to the prince,» she whispered.

«I suppose,» Razvan agreed, «but not now. Now, I want to take you home and start on those ten children we are going to have.»

Ivory laughed and placed her hand in his. She doubted the ten children thing was ever going to happen, but she certainly had no objections to the trying.

Carpathian Healing Chants

To rightly understand Carpathian healing chants, background is required in several areas:

1. The Carpathian view on healing

2. The Lesser Healing Chant of the Carpathians

3. The Great Healing Chant of the Carpathians

4. Carpathian musical aesthetics

5. Lullaby

6. Song to Heal the Earth

7. Carpathian chanting technique

The Carpathians are a nomadic people whose geographic origins can be traced back to at least as far as the Southern Ural Mountains (near the steppes of modern-day Kazakhstan), on the border between Europe and Asia. (For this reason, modern-day linguists call their language «proto-Uralic,» without knowing that this is the language of the Carpathians.) Unlike most nomadic peoples, the wandering of the Carpathians was not due to the need to find new grazing lands as the seasons and climate shifted, or the search for better trade. Instead, the Carpathians' movements were driven by a great purpose: to find a land that would have the right earth, a soil with the kind of richness that would greatly enhance their rejuvenative powers.

Over the centuries, they migrated westward (some six thousand years ago), until they at last found their perfect homeland-their susu-in the Carpathian Mountains, whose long arc cradled the lush plains of the kingdom of Hungary. (The kingdom of Hungary flourished for over a millennium-making Hungarian the dominant language of the Carpathian Basin-until the kingdom's lands were split among several countries after World War I: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia and modern Hungary.)

Other peoples from the Southern Urals (who shared the Carpathian language, but were not Carpathians) migrated in different directions. Some ended up in Finland, which accounts for why the modern Hungarian and Finnish languages are among the contemporary descendents of the ancient Carpathian language. Even though they are tied forever to their chosen Carpathian homeland, the wandering of the Carpathians continues, as they search the world for the answers that will enable them to bear and raise their offspring without difficulty.

Because of their geographic origins, the Carpathian views on healing share much with the larger Eurasian shamanistic tradition. Probably the closest modern representative of that tradition is based in Tuva (and is referred to as «Tuvinian Shamanism»)-see the map on the previous page.

The Eurasian shamanistic tradition-from the Carpathians to the Siberian shamans-held that illness originated in the human soul, and only later manifested as various physical conditions. Therefore, shamanistic healing, while not neglecting the body, focused on the soul and its healing. The most profound illnesses were understood to be caused by «soul departure,» where all or some part of the sick person's soul has wandered away from the body (into the nether realms), or has been captured or possessed by an evil spirit, or both.

The Carpathians belong to this greater Eurasian shamanistic tradition and share its viewpoints. While the Carpathians themselves did not succumb to illness, Carpathian healers understood that the most profound wounds were also accompanied by a similar «soul departure.»

Upon reaching the diagnosis of «soul departure,» the healer-shaman is then required to make a spiritual journey into the nether worlds to recover the soul. The shaman may have to overcome tremendous challenges along the way, particularly: fighting the demon or vampire who has possessed his friend's soul.

«Soul departure» doesn't require a person to be unconscious (although that certainly can be the case as well). It was understood that a person could still appear to be conscious, even talk and interact with others, and yet be missing a part of their soul. The experienced healer or shaman would instantly see the problem nonetheless, in subtle signs that others might miss: the person's attention wandering every now and then, a lessening in their enthusiasm about life, chronic depression, a diminishment in the brightness of their «aura,» and the like.

2. THE LESSER HEALING CHANT OF THE CARPATHIANS

Kepa Sarna Pus (The Lesser Healing Chant) is used for wounds that are merely physical in nature. The Carpathian healer leaves his body and enters the wounded Carpathian's body to heal great mortal wounds from the inside out using pure energy. He proclaims, «I offer freely my life for your life,» as he gives his blood to the injured Carpathian. Because the Carpathians are of the earth and bound to the soil, they are healed by the soil of their homeland. Their saliva is also often used for its rejuvenative powers.

It is also very common for the Carpathian chants (both the Lesser and the Great) to be accompanied by the use of healing herbs, aromas from Carpathian candles, and crystals. The crystals (when combined with the Carpathians' empathic, psychic connection to the entire universe) are used to gather positive energy from their surroundings, which then is used to accelerate the healing. Caves are sometimes used as the setting for the healing.

The Lesser Healing Chant was used by Vikirnoff Von Shrieder and Colby Jansen to heal Rafael De La Cruz, whose heart had been ripped out by a vampire as described in Dark Secret.

Kepa Sarna Pus (The Lesser Healing Chant) The same chant is used for all physical wounds. «Sivadaba» note 1 would be changed to refer to whatever part of the body is wounded.

Kunasz, nelkul sivdobbanas, nelkul fesztelen loyly. You lie as if asleep, without beat of heart, without airy breath.

Ot elidamet andam szabadon elidadert. I offer freely my life for your life.

O jela sielam jorem ot ainamet es so?e ot elidadet. My spirit of light forgets my body and enters your body.

O jela sielam pukta kinn minden szelemeket belso. My spirit of light sends all the dark spirits within fleeing without.

Pajnak o susu hanyet es o nyelv nyalamet sivadaba. I press the earth of our homeland and the spit of my tongue into your heart.

Vii, o verim so?e o verid andam. At last, I give you my blood for your blood.

To hear this chant, visit: http://www.christinefeehan.com/members/.

3. THE GREAT HEALING CHANT OF THE CARPATHIANS

The most well known-and most dramatic-of the Carpathian healing chants was En Sarna Pus (The Great Healing Chant). This chant was reserved for recovering the wounded or unconscious Carpathian's soul.

Typically a group of men would form a circle around the sick Carpathian (to «encircle him with our care and compassion») and begin the chant. The shaman or healer or leader is the prime actor in this healing ceremony. It is he who will actually make the spiritual journey into the netherworld, aided by his clanspeople. Their purpose is to ecstatically dance, sing, drum and chant, all the while visualizing (through the words of the chant) the journey itself-every step of it, over and over again-to the point where the shaman, in trance, leaves his body, and makes that very journey. (Indeed, the word «ecstasy» is from the Latin ex statis, which literally means «out of the body.»)