I don’t feel it all.
He was more than Carpathian and more than Lycan. Things that worked against other species didn’t work on him—which was why the Lycans had outlawed his kind.
Please be careful. Don’t get all cocky. I’m on my way.
He read the growing anxiety in her voice. She had more experience with mage traps than he did and she clearly was worried.
5
T
atijana approached the house built into the side of the mountain cautiously. She was under surveillance. She could feel eyes on her, and when she scanned, allowing her senses to flair out, she knew she wasn’t alone outside the home of the prince. She had no idea of protocol and how one approached him, or even if he was accessible. She’d met him briefly, but both she and Branislava had been so weak and injured they barely knew what was happening to them.
She stopped a few hundred meters before she reached the large verandah. She had plenty of room to defend herself if need be. Spreading her arms out away from her body to show she had come in peace, she waited while Mikhail Dubrinsky’s second-in-command, and protector, looked her over.
“Tatijana of the Dragonseeker clan,” Gregori Daratrazanoff strode out of what appeared to be thin air. He looked impressive with his wide shoulders and glittering silver eyes. “To what do we owe this honor? We had no idea you had risen.”
There was no censure in his tone, but she knew he wasn’t pleased she was unescorted. He was a great believer in their women being protected at all times. She’d gleaned that much about him before she’d gone to ground to heal. He was an excellent man to protect the prince, but he was not her keeper.
“I’ve stumbled across something I think is important for you to know, if you don’t already. I actually hoped to see you rather than disturbing the prince, so I’m grateful you were close. There is a rogue pack of werewolves hunting in this area and they answer to an alpha by the name of Bardolf. He is a mixture of both wolf and vampire blood and very difficult to kill. Lycans refer to such a mix as the
Sange rau.
”
“Bad blood,”
Gregori translated.
Tatijana nodded. She was aware of time passing. Fen was on his own and wounded. She didn’t like leaving him so long. “Not only does his heart have to be removed from his body, but the silver stake must be inserted completely through the heart and then both body and heart burned. He can regenerate very quickly. It’s possible, but I don’t know, that he’s traveling with lesser vampires as well as the rogue pack.”
She turned to go, but then turned back. “An elite Lycan hunter by the name of Zev is staying at the inn. He fought them this night and was badly injured. I did my best to see to his wounds. I was forced to give him blood, although I didn’t allow him to know. MaryAnn and Manolito De La Cruz could be in danger.”
She hesitated. She had no idea what the Carpathians thought of mixing the blood of a Lycan and Carpathian. For all she knew they could consider it just as taboo as the Lycans. She had been told by Lara, her niece-kin, during one of the times Lara had given her blood while she was still healing, but that didn’t mean it was common knowledge that MaryAnn and Manolito were both Lycan and Carpathian.
“Why would they be in danger?” Gregori prompted.
She shrugged. “I only know that they are. I trust that you will warn them.” Tatijana turned around and began to walk away, holding her breath, afraid he would stop her. She nearly ran into him, trying to listen for him behind her. She had to stop abruptly, almost bouncing off his chest. He had moved unbelievably fast—and silently—and had blocked her way.
“Where did you get this information?” His voice remained pleasant, matter-of-fact even, but she could tell he was used to intimidating those he questioned and that he expected an answer. Those piercing, intelligent eyes moved over her, dwelling on the streaks of blood she’d forgotten to clean when she was so busy trying to heal both Zev and Fen.
“I ran across the pack. They killed a man who had been drinking earlier in a tavern I’d visited. We found his body in the forest as I was returning.”
He didn’t take his eyes from her face. “As you can see, we have heightened security around the prince, but it was more that I had a feeling and the fact that Raven and Mikhail’s son has survived his first two years than any real knowledge of a threat to the prince and his family. Lycans are extremely difficult to sense.”
“These are
not
Lycan,” Tatijana reiterated. “They’re considered a rogue pack, and the Lycan elite hunters have been called in to exterminate them. It would be a grave error to mistake the two.”
His eyebrow shot up. “I suppose it would. Who is ‘we’? Who was with you when you ran across this dead body?”
“That’s not relevant.” Because she was uncertain of how Carpathians reacted to the mixed blood between Lycans and Carpathians she had to protect Fen at all costs. She didn’t want to make an enemy of Gregori, but Fen was her lifemate. “I told you what I know because I felt as the protector of the prince you should be aware of the rogue werewolf pack. I’m still very uncomfortable in the presence of others. I need to leave.”
That much was true. She feared he would attempt to detain her, and she knew she would fight. The fight-or-flight syndrome was engrained in her. She couldn’t be held prisoner ever again. Her decisions, right or wrong, had to be her own. Gregori, with his impressive set of shoulders, implacable expression and glittering silver eyes was standing in her way and showed no indication that he would move.
“You are a Carpathian woman, Tatijana.” Gregori’s voice turned gentle. “Why would you think I would harm you in any way? I am sworn to protect you. There is no need to fear me.”
“I fear myself and my reactions to situations,” she replied honestly. “I must feel free. I do not want, nor can I have, guardians who watch my every move. I’m sorry if I appear to be difficult, but I have to be in charge of my own life.”
“Yet you ran into a rogue pack.” He indicated her lacerations. “You were in a battle, and you could have been killed. Our women are cherished. We protect them out of both love and respect. Along with our children, they are our greatest treasure.”
She could hear the sincerity in his voice. She took a step back and attempted to still her wild heartbeat. Perhaps he wasn’t threatening her. She had given him disturbing news and she had been in a battle. She wasn’t used to anyone but Branislava caring about her well-being.
“I wander on my own in order to learn the things I need, and sometimes I stumble across things I shouldn’t. I’ll be more careful.” She tried to placate him, if only just a little.
“Tatijana, do you really think I should let you go, bleeding from a battle, without escorting you back to your resting place and healing you properly?”
“It is my choice. My wish. You would have the freedom to go your own way. Why shouldn’t I?”
A strange urgency was beginning to take hold of her. Fen was alone and wounded. Not only was the rogue pack after him but the wolf/vampire called the
Sange rau
had joined the hunt. She had been gone far too long.
Gregori inclined his head. She didn’t like the way his eyes never left her face. He saw far too much.
“You have a point. But you are one of our greatest treasures, Tatijana. I would be remiss in not aiding you. Allow me to heal you.”
No way could she let him touch her. He was too powerful. He might be able to get inside her mind and discover Fen. She didn’t wait for him to make a move and she was through arguing. She was Dragonseeker. She knew every mage spell ever conceived. She dissolved and streaked up toward the clouds, deliberately leaving behind a nearly translucent trail of vapor. The moment she’d laid that false track, she called on the elements to aid her.
That faint, barely there stream moved away from the prince’s home, its trajectory heading up the mountain into deeper forest. She doubled back, leaving no trace, not even the smallest molecule that would allow a hunter such as Gregori to pursue her. For a moment she had considered asking for his aid, just in case, but not knowing how Carpathians viewed mixed blood, she wasn’t going to risk Fen any further.
She might have just come out of the ice caves, but over the centuries, more than one Carpathian hunter had been taken by Xavier and tortured before he was put to death. The male Carpathians especially found it distressing to see the twin females encased in their ice prison. The hunters had willingly shared their experience and knowledge with both women in the hopes that eventually they could use the information to escape.
She left no trace of herself behind. No scent. Nothing at all Gregori could track. More, she knew he wouldn’t leave the prince for long, not with the news she’d brought. Lycans were elusive. They could be standing next to you and you would never know. The thought of a rogue pack so close to the prince and his son had to be disconcerting.
Tatijana made her way in the opposite direction of her false trail, going into deep forest, winding through the trees, staying low, close to the ground so she could see any evidence of the rogue pack passing. Wolves were very good at moving through an area and leaving few telltale signs, but twice she saw droplets of blood and twisted grass. The pack had passed through quickly, moving away from where the battle had taken place.
Still, something seemed off to her. It seemed more a discordant note, something unnamed, unseen, that jangled her nerves and set off warning bells.
Fen? Are you safe? I’m very close to you but something’s not right.
Tatijana, this place is not for you. Let me spring this trap before you join me. If I get into trouble, you will be close to give me aid.
If she was in any form with teeth, she would have ground them in sheer frustration. She didn’t know much about men and even less about lifemates, but why would he think she would worry less about him than he did about her? The pull between them was very strong, and the more time she spent in his mind, the more she came to know his honor and integrity. She found it impossible to just leave him to fight the battle alone.
She stayed quiet, not wanting to distract him as she moved through the trees with much more care. Fen bent over the dead body, removing evidence of the wolf pack’s attack. It was important that locals thought he died accidentally and that none of the wildlife was responsible. He appeared to be wholly absorbed in his work.
The clacking of the branches was constant, the sound working its way through every living creature for miles. She braced herself when she heard it. She wasn’t in a physical form, but still, the rhythm preyed on her nerves, threatening to consume her. She found it difficult to think straight. Her mind felt fuzzy and thick. She’d seen the trick work on countless victims in Xavier’s cave of horrors.
She reached out to Fen’s mind, terrified for him. His mind was calm. Clear. He was very aware of his surroundings and every tiny detail. The hypnotic effects didn’t work on his brain pattern. There was something about the mixture of Carpathian and Lycan that repelled the notes, bouncing it back away from him.
Stay in my mind,
Fen warned softly, brushing against her brain with a gentle touch.
You’ll be safe with me.
Xavier had mutated species on purpose, but his results had always been grotesque and frightening—beings that ate human flesh or were mindless, violent puppets. He had never considered what it would be to cross Lycan with Carpathian.
She allowed herself to sink into Fen’s mind, surprised that he had invited her so deep into his memories. She was still protecting herself, holding most of her past away from him, yet he was completely open to her, hiding nothing from her. She felt warm and protected, not at all like she thought she’d feel—claustrophobic—a prisoner even.
She heard the soft whisper of a footfall because he heard it. His hearing was far more acute than she’d realized. A soft murmur accompanied the clacking branches. Her heart jumped, began to thud wildly.
That’s a holding spell. If he completes it, you will not be able to move. He’ll control your every movement.
The spell is tied to the rhythm, my lady,
Fen reminded gently.
I do not feel the effects of either. I want to see who or what is driving these attacks.
This is mage. I recognize the work of one of Xavier’s favorite protégés. He was much younger than Xavier, but a true psychopath. Xavier was very proud of him and his sadistic nature. His name is Drummel. He is evil and very, very dangerous.
Can you counter his spells without revealing yourself?
Tatijana took a deep breath, allowing Fen to wrap her in his confidence. His calm was amazing to her. He had to have nerves of steel. He didn’t turn around to face the threat, or indicate in any way that he knew he was being stalked. His hands were as gentle and reverent on the dead man as always. No trembling. Nothing at all to give away that he was well aware of the danger coming up behind him.
The chanting increased, more rhythmic than ever, matching the increasing beating of the branches together. One step. Two. A slight rustle and then there was only the sound of the hypnotic notes. Tatijana tried to stop up her ears and settle deeper into the safety of Fen’s mind.
Fen exploded into action, whirling around, still in a crouch, going in low, using his Lycan form, half man, half wolf, enormously strong. He knocked Drummel onto his back and was on him in an instant. Tatijana would never have believed anything could move as fast as Fen had. He struck so hard he knocked the wind from Drummel’s lungs, leaving him gasping for air.
Fen wrapped his hand around his assailant’s throat, cutting off his air supply. With his lungs already burning, Drummel’s eyes bulged out of his head. He drew back his lips in a gasping snarl. His teeth were stained brown and pointed.
Fen shook him, never lessening his grip. “I see you, Bardolf,” he hissed. “You knew your possession had no chance of capturing me with his holding spell. Why sacrifice a pawn of value?”