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 f
ar 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.
CHAPTER 19
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.
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