«The pups are all that remain of my original pack. They were badly hurt, but I was not entirely»-she searched for the right word-«sane . . . in those days. I could still barely stand the moonlight and spent most of the hours beneath the ground. I needed the pack for my own survival. I couldn't let them go, and I crawled into the den with them and gave them my blood repeatedly. Sometimes I had no choice but to take their blood. It was a long time-weeks, I do not really remember-before the first turned.»
She remembered that moment, the animal screaming in pain, and her shock at what she'd done. «I was careful to make certain they learned to hunt only with me. I feed them and care for them. They do not breed.» She lifted her head and looked the prince straight in the eye. «They are my family. We have hunted the vampire for centuries and they have saved my life countless times.» She conveyed in that one brooding look exactly what she meant-that she would fight to the death for her pack.
«You can see how they could be troublesome if they began to prey on the human race for food,» Gregori said.
She flicked him a cool glance. «No more than when one of us does. We would have no choice but to hunt the wolf and destroy it.»
Mikhail held up his hand. «We just needed to know, Ivory. The pack is most unusual, but you seem to have it all well in hand.»
Razvan stirred. «It grows late and we have not fed. The pack is fine, but we must hunt before we return home.»
He savored the word home. Let it roll off his tongue. The confines of this house were too stifling. He couldn't really remember when he had been in a home, certainly not with so many other people with all eyes on them. Ivory was hiding it well, but she was equally uncomfortable. Neither of them was good at social skills, having been alone for so many years.
«We can feed both of you,» Mikhail said. «I really brought you here for a purpose.»
Ivory settled back in her seat, but Razvan noticed that her fingers circled her crossbow, and he felt the ripple of awareness in the wolves. «Of course you did.»
Mikhail smiled easily. «Our children are dying before they are born, Ivory. I have no time to waste on the niceties. Our greatest minds have tried to find solutions to the problem and finally, recently, we had a breakthrough. We discovered the source of our miscarriages is Xavier. He mutated extremophiles, microbes that attack our unborn children. The microbes are in the soil. Even should we move locations, and of course we considered that, he can contaminate soil anywhere we go. We have to stop him.»
«That is our goal,» Ivory said.
«Gregori informed me he believes both of you are set on destroying Xavier. He believes if anyone can do so, you two have the best chance. I have a great deal of faith in Gregori, as well as in my own instincts. We would like to aid you in any way possible.»
«No,» Natalya interrupted. «No, Razvan.» She shook off Vikirnoff and stood, hands on her hips. «I've just got you back. You can't go near that man. Not for any reason. You know he's hunting you. You know he is.»
Razvan sighed. When she was a child he had never liked it when Natalya was upset, and it was equally bad now that she was a fully grown adult. «I know him better than any other, Natalya,» he said, his voice gentle.
«Ivory has studied him and has actually worked with him at one time in his school. She is good with his spells, turning them around. Mikhail is right in that Ivory and I have a better chance of stopping him than any other we know of.»
«But it isn't right. You've suffered enough.» What she really meant was she'd given him up for years, and it wasn't right for either of them. She wanted him back.
Vikirnoff held out his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, she took it, leaning back against him, obviously trying not to cry.
«Ivory's and Razvan's great sacrifice may be the very thing that saves our people,» Mikhail said. «Both knew our enemy in the years we thought him dead. We have only Lara to keep the unborn children alive, and she cannot continue forever. We have four women-Syndil; you, Natalya; Lara and Skyler-who can cleanse the earth. Our species is very fragile right now. Should we manage to remove the threat of Xavier, we still will be fighting the odds to continue. We need Razvan and Ivory. We need every warrior we have to fight in any capacity they can.»
«I do not understand what you mean about these extremophiles,» Ivory said, frowning. «Before, when we were beneath the ground, I caught images of these things in your minds, but I do not understand exactly what these things are used for. Xavier has bred parasites to enhance the vampire's communication as well as to identify his allies. What do these microbes do?»
«They are in the soil and enter the male's body while he rests,» Gregori answered. «During sex he transfers the mutated microbes to the woman, who then transfers it to her unborn child. It is a vicious circle we cannot seem to stop.»
«And you are very certain Xavier is the source?» Ivory asked.
It was Razvan who answered. «I witnessed his experiments, all of them. I was present when he cast his evil spells, twisting and corrupting nature for his own dark purpose. He had pools of blood and liquid poison.»
Ivory's head came up as if scenting a fresh trail. «You actually heard his spell? He let you? You were there with him?» She tried to quell the exhilaration bursting through her.
«I told you I am not good with spells. That was why he wanted Natalya. She is.»
Natalya started to interrupt, to say something, but Mikhail silenced her. Let them speak together. He could see-feel, even-that Ivory was suddenly excited.
«But you have an extraordinary memory,» Ivory pointed out. «I have seen it, and you do not forget the smallest detail.» She looked to Gregori for confirmation, knowing the healer had spent a great deal of time in Razvan's mind. «We have talked about this, Razvan. If you can remember the precise, exact words of his spells, I am certain that I can unravel them. He used apprentices for the base of most of his spells, and then when they were getting too good at what they did, he got rid of them, because he feared them.»
Razvan's hand moved against hers, stroking over her wrist, over the thin white line where a cut had been. I have said I can remember, and yes, I recall even this one, but the remembering will not be easy. He didn't want to relive those days of torture, the sounds of screaming, helpless victims, of women he couldn't help, of his own role, whether knowing or not. If it is your wish, I will do so, he said.
Ivory touched his mind and found that same serene peace in him, the calm of complete acceptance. If she asked him to go back in his memories, she knew he would without hesitation, and love for him shimmered in her heart. Her pride in him rose in her soul. No matter what the others saw when they looked at his worn face, she would always see a hero.
«If you had the spell he used, could you take command of these extremophiles?» Mikhail asked Ivory.
«I might be able to, with enough time. I would have to study the spell. Xavier likes complex spells. And he would need a very complex one for the killing of an entire species and the mutating of another.» Ivory shrugged. «I have no idea how long it would take, but so far, when I have studied one of his spells, I have been able to reverse it.» Her chin lifted. «I was a very good student.»
Now Razvan's thumb pressed into the sensitive skin of her wrist, stroking a caress over her jumping pulse.
«If we have to move from the mountains, we will do so,» Mikhail said, «but I doubt if that will solve the problem. Eventually it will spread across our country into other lands. It would be far better if we could eradicate it.»
Ivory nodded. «Xavier will make his move against you very soon.» She looked at Raven. «You already have a daughter and now, with a son, he cannot afford to let you or your children live. He will come after her.»
Mikhail slipped a comforting arm around Raven's shoulders. «We are prepared.»
«Is that why your warriors surround this house?» Razvan asked.
Mikhail nodded. «We are all uneasy. The attacks are becoming frequent, picking us apart, one by one
, going after the children during the day, using their puppets. They wear us down. It was a shock to have the two of you show up. And, of course, as mentioned earlier, the timing is highly suspicious.»
«But not to you?» Again Ivory met his gaze. Steady. Challenging.
He sent her a small smile. «The weight of my people has been on my shoulders a long time, Ivory. I do not have my father's gifts, but I have good instincts. I have to trust them. Few things are certain in this world. I choose to go with my instincts about the two of you and with Gregori's opinion. The combination has rarely failed.»
Gregori gave an inelegant snort. «Never, you mean. I do not make mistakes when it comes to your safety.»
«I do believe Razvan managed to hold a knife to my throat with you not twenty feet away,» Mikhail pointed out with amusement.
Ivory realized the relationship between the two men was one of close-knit friendship and camaraderie.
«I paid him a great deal of money to do that,» Gregori said. «I wanted you to realize, as our prince, you shouldn't be chasing vampires all over the country and Razvan agreed to help teach you a lesson.»
Raven laughed. «You two are impossible. I can feel our guests' hunger. Perhaps you should do something about that so we can visit,» she suggested.
«We are capable of hunting,» Ivory said, trying not to sound stiff. It was one thing to take blood when she was helpless, something altogether different when she was fit. She was a warrior, not a child.
«There is no need,» Mikhail said. «I offer my blood freely.»
The prince smiled at her. Easy. Friendly. Making her stomach knot up. She didn't have friends. She didn't know how to have them. What did he want from her? What was he expecting? The room felt too small. She could barely breathe the air.
It matters little what they want from us, Razvan reassured. We need nothing from them-they need us. Anything we choose to do is our decision. We have no sworn loyalty to this man. We are set on a path and we will continue down it. There is no harm in listening to him. His blood is pure and carries more power than any other. If you do not wish to feed from him, I will do so and feed you later.
She heard the cool resolve in his voice and her stomach settled. She had stayed alive by being aware of everything around her, of avoiding others and taking great care to put herself in the most advantageous position should she need to fight. Razvan was doing the same.
Ivory had carefully chosen the chair they were seated in so that no one could slip up behind them or get too close from either side. Raven and the prince were quite vulnerable right in front of her. She knew the prince had deliberately seated himself in a position of weakness to take the edge off her sharply honed wariness of such situations and, while she appreciated it, she still wanted to leave.
It was difficult to maintain composure when too many hearts beat, the sound of blood roared through veins, emotions seemed too raw around her. When she'd been alone for so long, being crowded into a room-albeit a spacious one-still was uncomfortable. She forced a smile at the prince, inclining her head like a princess. «We thank you for your generous offer.»
It was Razvan, more than her, who was uncomfortable with the feeding process. He didn't like taking blood from a wrist, and she felt his instant aversion to the idea when the prince so casually offered his wrist. She took the blood without hesitation, willing to draw attention away from Razvan.
«I offer you my blood, Razvan,» Natalya said into the silence. «I wouldn't mind experiencing the bonding process with you all over again.»
Razvan went absolutely, utterly still. Ivory felt his instant rejection, his complete withdrawal. His skin went to a pale white, almost transparent, and the lines in his face deepened.
«I am not the prince, but as your sister, I offer to you freely.»
Every muscle in his body tensed, although he looked as calm and serene as ever. He simply stood and glided away from Natalya, putting distance between them though a slight smile softened his mouth and his eyes were sad. He inclined his head toward her in a gesture of respect.
«You honor me, little sister, but I cannot accept such a gift.»
His stomach churned and bile rose. Ivory slid her tongue over Mikhail's wrist to close the wound and straightened slowly. Razvan looked calm, but she could feel the tension mounting in him.
Gregori frowned. He had given a tremendous amount of blood to Razvan over the past few weeks and had been inside his mind and memories. He sensed the usually serene man was distressed. He rose and walked over to Razvan, blocking the others' sight of him. «It is best for him, Natalya, to take a healer's blood. He is better, but not completely well. His bones must knit stronger than ever.»
Razvan said nothing. He didn't trust himself to speak. He simply accepted the healer's offer, grateful the others couldn't witness his shaking hands.
I am with you. You are not a monster, tearing into someone's flesh to get blood. Ivory kept her voice low and steady, reaching to surround him with her presence.
Razvan made no reply, but he did allow her to slip seamlessly into his mind to see the images swirling in chaos. For a moment horror gripped her, as it did him-as it did Gregori-as they shared the sight of a child's wrist being torn into by sharp teeth.
«Xavier has much to answer for,» Gregori said quietly.
Razvan again said nothing, but the understanding went a long way toward settling the knots that had pulled tighter and tighter in his stomach. He closed the pinpricks on the healer's wrist and gave him a slight bow of appreciation. Gregori ignored his formality and clapped him on the back.
«It isn't as if we do not know each other,» Gregori said.
«Mikhail.» Raven's voice was thoughtful. «Have you noticed the resemblance in Syndil and Ivory? They could be sisters.»
«I do not have a sister,» Ivory assured her. «I had five brothers.»
«But you do look alike,» Mikhail agreed. «And you have a special affinity with the earth, as Syndil does. She's an extraordinary woman. You will want to meet her.»
She was not going to get sucked into the Carpathian community. She could barely function here, unsure of herself, not at all confident, as if everything was off-kilter.
I feel the same. Razvan's voice was gentle in her mind.
What is wrong with us when they are being so kind and welcoming?
We have been too long away from others, he reassured her. Too long in our own company. We need the open spaces and the quiet of our own lair.
She was desperate now to end this meeting and go home, but there was something on Mikhail's mind and he wasn't going to let her leave until he told her.
Razvan took her hand. Both were standing now, the first step toward a graceful exit. Before Ivory could make her excuses, Mikhail spoke again.
«Some time ago, Natalya came to us, to these mountains, to look for answers. Her father stole a book.»
Razvan drew in his breath sharply, his fingers tightening with sudden strength around Ivory's. «Our father died for that book. Xavier's master spell book. Xavier sealed the book in the blood of each species. Mage. Carpathian. Lycan. Jaguar and human.»
«There was no Lycan blood present,» Natalya said. «I saw the vision on my quest to find the book. It was sealed with the blood of the three and must be opened with the blood of the three.» She looked to her lifemate. Vikirnoff, why would he lie about this? You saw the vision as I did. Xavier poured the blood of the three. Why would Razvan insist that there were others?
I do not know. But Natalya heard the suspicion in Vikirnoff's voice.
«He murdered a woman from each species and sealed the book,» Razvan said. «I saw him. Whether you choose to believe me or not, is up to you.»
Mikhail paced across the room. «Lycans hide better than any other species. Their blood is powerful and different. Xavier would have known that. He studied blood and he would never have left them alone. Lycan blood might hide itself, but not human blood.»
«Then what happened to the Lycan
blood?» Natalya asked. Suspicion crept into her voice in spite of herself. «I saw Xavier perform the ritual.»
Ivory flicked her a quick glance and shrugged. «It is probably there, hidden. A secret to help in the protection of the book. If Xavier knew the properties of the Lycan blood, he would know it might hide from others. He could rely on that to keep his book from being opened and used. As for the human blood, Xavier would have no problem hiding anything if he so desired. As for your vision, it is possible he prepared for someone to access it. Xavier put safeguards on everything he did.»
Natalya shook her head. She had gone through a horrendous ordeal to recover the book, including watching the death of her father.
«You actually held the book in your hands?» Razvan asked his sister. «You found it?»
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