Dark Slayer (25 page)

Gregori growled at him, this time much closer. Vikirnoff said nothing at all as his prince hit the ground running, but he moved into a better position to protect the man. Natalya paced just behind him, watching their back-trail.

This wolf pack is unusual
, Vikirnoff ventured.
They are using the ancient path of telepathic communication to call for aid. And they call us, not other wolves
.

These have to be the wolves that travel with Ivory Malinov
, Mikhail explained.

He had, of course, given the news to Natalya that her twin brother was alive and had escaped at long last from Xavier. He, along with Gregori, had informed her of everything that had happened, and of Gregori’s firm belief that Razvan’s crimes had been committed when Xavier either possessed his body or his mind. The news of both Ivory and Razvan’s appearance, and that they were lifemates, had spread through the entire Carpathian community.

He knew they were all suspicious of Razvan, particularly Vikirnoff, who had shielded Natalya so many times from her brother in the past. She had suffered emotionally, finally accepting the loss of her brother, and now both were distressed. He could only give his opinion that Razvan had been wronged these years, and was not the criminal and traitor the Carpathian world believed him to be—but he knew they would all have to make up their own minds about the man.

I do not sense a Carpathian traveling with them, man or woman
. Vikirnoff kept exact pace with the prince, shielding him as they moved in and out among the snow-laden trees.
How can the wolves understand and call to us? How is it they can carry such heavy burdens on their backs and run with such speed?

It appears they are Carpathian
. Mikhail had no explanation for how that had come to be, but he knew Ivory had one. If she had converted the wolves, it had been a dangerous venture. Intelligent wolves craving human blood could be the biggest nightmare of all—especially if they bred. He would have to weigh the fate of that pack.

The ice rained down, but the group was at least afforded some shelter from the vicious wind and the stabbing icicles by the twisted branches overhead. Vikirnoff added a protective buffer, weaving the branches tighter so they formed a tunnel.

They carry humans on their backs
, Natalya said.

Her heart pounded hard. A part of her was desperate to see her brother, desperate to believe he wasn’t the monster she’d come to believe him to be, but the sane half of her whispered that none of the rumors could be true. As she ran with her lifemate and the prince, she found herself praying.

Beneath their feet the ground rolled. The weight of the heavy snow toppled a large tree, the roots springing up from the ground, forming a tangled barrier.

The vampire delays us
, Mikhail said.
Gregori, swing around to the north. Come in from the other side with Falcon. His goal seems to be to reach the wolf pack before us. He must mean to slay the humans, but for what purpose I have no idea
.

I am put on this earth to guard my prince, not save the lives of mortals we do not know
.

Mikhail sighed.
You grow more stubborn with each passing year, old friend. Vikirnoff is guarding your helpless chick. Come in from the north. Direct the others to come in from the other side. And stop giving me trouble
.

Gregori gave the equivalent of a telepathic snort.
I would not count on that happening anytime soon. The vampire races to close the pass. You cannot be caught on the ground if that should happen
.

It will not happen, because you will be stopping him
. There was every confidence in Mikhail’s voice.

You do not ask for much
.

No. A chance to practice and hone your fading skills
.

Gregori’s amusement burst over Mikhail as the prince increased his speed. It felt good to be a warrior instead of a ruler, rushing through the forest in answer to a call of distress. His muscles stretched and contracted, and his body rejoiced in the exercise, running tirelessly, weaving in and out of the trees.

Overhead, a thick ice spear burst across the sky, shattering clouds of ice and snow, raining glittering sparks of gold and silver down on the trees as it arced above them and then fell toward earth out of sight. Everywhere the sparks touched, the trees froze, turning a ghastly white, the color spreading like a disease along branches and needles, down the trunks to the ground itself, where the forest floor buckled under the icy pressure.

The heaving ground cracked, jagged fissures opening, so they were forced to leap over the widening cracks as they ran. Sharp ice towers erupted from the ground. Trees cracked and splintered as the spreading cold snapped brittle branches.

Where’s it coming from?
Mikhail demanded.
We have to find the source
.

He is trying to slow down the wolf pack
, Gregori hissed.
I have heard, but never seen, an ice spear that freezes everything in its immediate vicinity. You must be close to it. Break off and deal with it, and I will find the pack
.

We’re too close to the pack, Gregori, closer than you are. You’re better equipped to work your magic against an ice spear capable of freezing a forest. Break off and go after it
.

Not on your life. Send Falcon. Nothing is going to stop me from fighting at your side
.

For one, I am supposed to command. You do not listen to my orders
.

Was that an order? I didn’t hear an order in there anywhere. I’ve sent Falcon to deal with the ice spear
.

Mikhail found himself laughing again. It was impossible to be frustrated with Gregori; he’d known him too many years, and Gregori’s primary job would always be to see to the safety of the prince. He was still smarting from Razvan shoving a knife to Mikhail’s throat. There hadn’t been nearly as much danger as it appeared, but Gregori still didn’t like that Razvan had gotten close to the prince.

The wolf pack raised their voices again and he lifted his head and answered as he raced over the frozen river. With each step they took, more jagged ice towers erupted, so they were forced to dodge as they ran, but Mikhail could feel the strength of the attack weakening. The vampire was close to the pack and wanted to direct his energy there. Not knowing what the wolves were capable of, Mikhail redoubled his efforts to reach them, taking to the air, avoiding the higher skies where the icicles could hinder them.

He caught sight of the running pack as they came around a bend in the river, streaks of silver with the burden of humans on their back, running tirelessly toward them on the ice. One child was slumped over the alpha’s body, and blood streaked his thick fur. Out of the corner of his eyes, Mikhail saw a massive black cloud moving fast across the sky toward the wolves.

Get into the trees. Get off the river and away from the open
, he warned.

Vikirnoff actually swerved into him before he could turn toward the riverbank, packed high with snow. Mikhail shot him a quelling look as he streaked through the trees toward the running pack. The two alphas with the children made it into the thick trees. Mikhail caught the little girl as Raja skidded to a halt beside him, tongue lolling, sides heaving. The vampire had bitten into the child’s neck and had not closed the wound.

Natalya dropped to her knees beside the girl. “Can you save her?”

The moment the two alphas were relieved of their burdens, they whirled around and raced back to defend the rest of their pack. The first strike hit perilously close to the wolf carrying the adult farmer. Blaez didn’t even try to swerve. He ran steadily in a straight line toward the Carpathians.

Vikirnoff stepped out of the trees and faced the raging vampire. While Natalya and the prince worked to save the life of the little girl, he streaked toward the spinning black cloud. Gregori burst into view, coming up on the vampire’s right, slamming bolt after bolt of lightning at the undead. Caught in the crossfire between two experienced hunters, already wounded, Sergey retreated, thrusting one last bolt of energy toward his ice spear, hoping to destroy the ground beneath the prince, wolf pack and humans.

Falcon struck at that exact moment, sending a fiery blast of heat through the brittle spear, shattering it, obliterating its potency.

Gregori!
Mikhail called back the hunter.
Do not give chase. The wolf pack says we are needed at the farmer’s home. Ivory and Razvan had been fighting the vampire. The fact that he escaped them bodes ill. Natalya, escort the family to safety with Falcon and see to it that the child is well cared for at the inn. Ask Slavica, the innkeeper, to put them up for me. She will take good care of them
.

I wish to go with you to see my brother
.

I need you to do this for me. If the vampire doubles back, they will need the added protection
.

Natalya hesitated, and then touched her lifemate’s mind.
Tell me the truth, Vikirnoff. Does he need me for this task, or is he trying to protect me from what you might find?

Vikirnoff, Mikhail and Gregori were already in the sky, moving quickly toward the farmhouse, while the wolf pack circled back, running across the snow-laden ground.

He worries. The undead is a master vampire. Look at the havoc he has wrought on the earth. The wolf pack worries for Ivory. I feel their fear and Mikhail, as prince of our people, feels it doubly
.

Natalya sighed.
It is done then
. She waited for Falcon to lift the two adults and she took the children, whispering a command to ease their fears as they raced for the village.

It seemed an endless journey to Mikhail. He felt the tear in the fabric of his people. The injuries were great. He knew Gregori, a healer of tremendous skill, would not fail to feel the agony the two fallen fighters were experiencing. The fact that the energy was not concealed told all of the Carpathians what shape to expect Ivory and Razvan to be in.

Still, none of them were prepared for the horror of that sight. The farmhouse was a pile of rubbish. It looked as if a massacre had taken place, a slaughter. Blood was everywhere, and in the midst of it all sat Ivory, her wounds massive, yet she sought to heal the man lying in her lap. Two spears still remained in his body, while four lay broken and bloody a distance from him. His body was hacked nearly to pieces, with his arm in segments.

As they neared, it appeared as if Razvan was still breathing and Ivory’s voice sang the healing chant softly, interspersed with another song none of them had heard before.

This cannot be
, Gregori whispered in awe.
He cannot still live. No one could live through that
. He listened to the ebb and flow of Ivory’s voice, melodic and tuned to the very heartbeat of the earth.

Mother, dear Mother, I plead with thee now
.
Daughter to mother, heal me and mine somehow
.
I am his light, he is my warrior strong
.
Challenged and scarred, he stood alone so long
.
Mother, I beg you to look deep within, try to see
My soul gives light to his darkness, setting him free
.
Lifemates we are, two halves of a whole
.
Standing united, fighting evil, aged and old
.
Mother, dear Mother, hold us close in your arms
.
Provide us with shelter, with healing, hold off all harm
.
Mother, please bring balance, darkness to light
Allow us to live, go forward to fight
.

Ivory sang the words in the ancient tongue, the notes moving in and out of the rippling earth, twining with the ebb and flow of the sap in the trees and the heartbeat that was the earth itself. As she sang, the soil moved over their bodies, as if a living blanket, or the tide itself, always in motion, pouring over and around them, flowing into their wounds and encasing them in rich, black loam.

10

R
azvan floated in a sea of pain. He had been there many times before, but nothing like this. His body felt as if all the parts weren’t connected. He couldn’t move. Maybe he was just afraid to move, to worsen the agony ripping through his body. He felt movement around him, as if insects and other nameless things crawled over him. Or through him. Even that wasn’t enough to induce him to try to move.

He heard whispers, so low at first he thought he was hallucinating, but the voice grew stronger in his mind. Soft. Feminine. Determined.

I am with you. You are not alone. I watch over you and protect you. I will not leave you alone deep within Mother Earth. Do you feel her surrounding you? Holding you in her arms? Welcoming you? Feel her, lifemate. Feel her when all else seems lost
.

He was certain he was hallucinating. Xavier would never allow him to sink into the rich soil to be rejuvenated. There was only pain and suffering. An endless life of it. He couldn’t let go. He forced his will to obedience. No matter how much his heart stuttered or his lungs fought to draw breath, no matter the pain, he couldn’t let go. He had promised—her.