Dark Demon 16

by Christine Feehan

  «Last evening you were near death so that's not saying much.» She gave a small sigh when she saw him swing his legs over the edge of the bed. He was going to get up and watching him suffer in silence was heartbreaking to her, despite her earlier anger with him. «Please tell me it isn't that jackass, Arturo, or worse, Henrik. He is dead and gone this time, isn't he?» She attempted to interject humor into the situation, hoping to distract him.

  «Henrik can not rise again. His heart was incinerated.»

  «Henrik was a true Freddie. I'll probably miss him.»

  «You seem obsessed with this Freddie person.» Vikirnoff's gaze captured hers.

  Natalya shot him a quick grin. «You sound jealous. Freddie Kruger is a lovely man, king of the late night movies.»

  Something in her tone warned him he was being teased. It was an unfamiliar situation for him, but one he thought he'd better get used to. «He isn't real?» She was trying to get past their argument and he was grateful. His entire body was screaming in pain and he knew he

  was more than likely headed for battle.

  «No. He's a character in a string of horror movies. I can't believe you haven't watched him. What else is there to do at night when the rest of the world is asleep?» Natalya turned away from Vikirnoff's too-intense gaze. He could melt a woman at fifty paces and sharing a bedroom with him was just too intimate, especially with his shirt off. The man had a chest on him. Even with a hole in it.

  Natalya was rather shocked she noticed his chest. And his eyes. And his mouth. He flashed a small grin at her. His smile made him look younger. She desperately wanted to see it again. The unexpected yearning was so strong she fell back on her cultivated flippant attitude and made herself remember she wasn't about to accept his claim on her. «Your mouth would be perfect if you kept it closed. And, just so you know, the moment the vampires are away from us, you will remove this binding spell, or I will, and you might not like how I do it.» She dragged fresh clothes from the drawers. «I take it we don't have much time.»

  «I do not want Arturo to realize you are friends with Slavica and her family. Vampires take great delight in killing the families and friends of their enemies.» He did not want to start another argument with her over the ritual words. She had been furious, her righteous anger blazing with a dangerous fury. He wanted a chance to think things through before he broached the subject again.

  She poked her head around the bathroom door as she wiggled into her jeans. «You sound like that's said from experience.»

  «I have had many experiences with the undead, Natalya, and none of them have been good. This place is overrun with vampires.»

  «That's because I'm here. They always follow me now. They have a for a while, which is strange, considering they left me strictly alone for years.»

  «Which would explain why you didn't know you had to incinerate the heart.»

  «It was rather annoying.»

  «I can imagine. Do you have any idea why they are after you?»

  Natalya pulled her close-fitting shirt over her head and came out to find him immaculately attired. She instantly felt disheveled in comparison. Even his hair was neat and tidy and there was no sign of blood or even a wrinkle on his shirt. He was hunched over, favoring one side, but his clothes were perfect. She shoved her feet into her thick socks and shoes and dragged on her shoulder harnesses for her guns and extra clips. «Arturo said he wanted me to perform a small task.» More than anything she wanted Vikirnoff to lie back down or find a resting place somewhere to heal. She knew it was futile to argue with him so she didn't bother to try.

  Vikirnoff watched her slip a multitude of weapons into loops and compartments in her clothes. He couldn't help but admire the efficiency of her movements and the familiarity with the weapons. She knew what she was doing and was obviously skilled in the use of each weapon on her person. She was especially skilled with the sword. «You have no idea what the particular task is?»

  She shook her head. «But a short while ago, I suddenly developed a compulsion to go to the mountains and find a particular cave.» She said it as matter-of-factly as she could, not with the heart-pounding terror she often felt.

  His gaze narrowed on her. Dark. Intent. Speculative. «Compulsion is a very strong word.»

  «It's a very strong compulsion.» She hadn't told anyone other than Razvan, and then, only in her dreams. From the moment she realized she was under compulsion, she had been terrified of who or what had managed to slip under her guard and take control of her. She studied Vikirnoff's face. He was in and out of her mind often, yet she was barely aware of him when he shared her mind-and that was disconcerting. She was powerful and she had barriers. What had happened to dull her psychic senses so that Vikirnoff could get past her shields into her mind? It was a question she intended to answer when vampires weren't hunting her.

  He shook his head. «I did not do this thing to you. Allow me to search for the hidden threads. There is always a path back to the sender.»

  She gasped and took a step back. «No. I've searched and found nothing. I don't want you running around in my head.»

  His expression hardened. «I asked as a courtesy.»

  She snapped her teeth together. «Do you do it on purpose?»

  «What?»

  She yanked her pack to her and added two water bottles. «Irritate the hell out of me?»

  «Perhaps it is a gift.»

  She shouldered the backpack and stood up, trying not to smile. His tone was teasing, a blend of smoke and sensuality that definitely had melting possibilities, but it was the fact that he tried to tease her that set her pulse pounding. «I'm heading for the mountains. They'll follow me and stay away from Slavica and her family.» She looked at him. «Are you coming?»

  «Of course.»

  «Are you strong enough to pack me out of here?» Her chin was up, but there was worry

  in her eyes. More than worry. Anticipation. Hope.

  At last. Something he could give her. He steeled himself for the torment, his answering grin slow in coming. «You want to fly.»

  «If you plan on following me around, I may as well have fun and make use of you.» Natalya shrugged her shoulders, trying to look nonchalant, when she was so eager to fly through the sky she could barely contain herself. She had phenomenal athletic abilities, and she was able to shape-shift into one form, that of a tigress, a gift given as her birthright, but she had dreamt of soaring through the night sky most of her life.

  Vikirnoff studied her averted face. It was a secret desire she was sharing with him, one she hugged to herself and felt silly for wanting. He stood up and held out his hand. «Well, let us do it then.»

  She hesitated before taking his hand. His fingers closed around hers, solid and strong and incredibly warm. His thumb brushed across the back of her hand. She was acutely aware of him as they flung open the door to the balcony.

  «Your injuries can't possibly be healed,» she said as they stepped up to the railing. «Can you do this? We can find another way to the mountain if we need to. The tiger can carry you.»

  He pressed a palm over the hole near his heart as he let go of his physical self to inspect the damages to his body. Natalya had done a good job repairing the injuries. His body was trying to heal from the inside out. The wounds were still there, raw and painful, but tissue and muscle were knitting quickly. A few days in the ground or utilizing ancient blood and he would be as good as new. He came back to his body and nodded. «I am much better, thanks to you, Slavica and the richness of the soil. How are your ankles?»

  She considered misleading him, but didn't want to risk the humiliation of being caught in a lie. In any case, it might be important. «It's strange, but I can still feel the creature gripping me. Sometimes I feel as if he's pulling on my legs.»

  «I was afraid of that. I healed the wounds and I searched for poison and bacteria he may have injected into you, but he was more than the undead. I think he marked you.»

  She was silent, staring out into
the night. She loved nights in the mountains. The air was always crisp and clean and when the weather was clear, the stars sparkled endlessly. «You mean he can track me? Or draw me to him?»

  «He may think that, but I don't. He prepared a trap for you and he must have been studying you for some time before he sprang it. I believe he thinks he can draw you to him with his mark, but I believe he is wrong. I think you're too strong-willed and would fight with your last breath.»

  Although Vikirnoff sounded worried, Natalya couldn't help but be pleased with his

  assessment of her personality.

  Vikirnoff glanced at the sky. Dark clouds spun and boiled to the north. «I must let Arturo know he has a serious rival for your affections.» He jumped up onto the railing and crouched down. «Do you want to me to carry you, or do you want to ride?»

  His choice of words made her stomach flutter. «Ride.» She liked control. She was no baby to be held in his arms while traveling across the starlit sky. She was going to have her eyes wide open and a smile on her face. She had been alive a long time and she believed in embracing each new adventure, each new opportunity to gain knowledge. And the threat of vampires hunting her was not going to diminish her joy in the novel experience one iota.

  She climbed onto his back and circled his neck with her arms, laying her body down the length of his just as he had done when he rode the tiger. His muscles bunched, contracted. Warmth seeped into her body. Her breasts pressed into his back and ached with the need to be closer. She pushed aside the rising physical awareness of him. Nothing would mar this moment for her.

  Vikirnoff let his breath out slowly. This was torture. Sheer torture. He could barely keep the beast in him leashed when her blood called to him, when every cell in his body demanded hers, when his lifemate was lying across him, her body imprinted into his skin, his flesh, his very bones.

  The scent of her blood, the sound of the life moving through her veins called to him, tempted him when he was in such need. Hunger raged through his body and mind, but he forced control, called on a thousand years of discipline and emptied his mind of erotic images of her, filling it instead with the form of a giant bird.

  A small sound escaped Natalya as his bones crackled and popped, stretching to accommodate his wings and the body of an owl large enough to race across the sky carrying a woman. Iridescent feathers covered his body and his hands curved into sharp talons to grip the balcony railing. Agony filled every cell in his body and flooded his mind so that he had to use every ounce of discipline he had learned over the centuries to hold the form of the owl. His body shuddered with the effort and for a moment his lungs burned for air as he came to grips with pain.

  «This is fabulous!»

  The uninhibited joy in her voice was worth the terrible agony in his body. It was worth every wrenching tear of his injured muscles and organs. He knew nothing of women and even less of lifemates. He was aware he was making every mistake he could possibly make, although he didn't understand why. He had lived far longer, his experiences far exceeded hers, his nature demanded he protect her, yet she seemed to be offended when he attempted to impart wisdom or protection to her. But this-this simple thing he gave her and she was overjoyed. Her joy took away the pain as nothing else could.

  Laughter bubbled up in her, spilled out as he sprang into the air and gained height, flapping his tremendous wings and circling above the inn. He cloaked them, preventing the townspeople from seeing them, although he was certain they would hear her laughing as bird and rider gained the skies.

  He flew over the rolling hills dotted with a half dozen farms. The sharp eyes of the owl spotted a group of men heading back to the farmhouse, glancing uneasily toward the north. We need blood.

  Natalya held on while the large bird swooped low and hopped from a hay sheaf to the ground. She slid off and watched Vikirnoff shift, entranced by the ease with which he changed. For just one moment she glimpsed pain in his eyes and then he was striding away toward the farmers. She kept an eye on the skies. The darker clouds spun and boiled but stayed far to the north. She could feel the continual pull of the mountain peaks calling her, drawing her to them. She couldn't turn back, no matter the danger. It was rather like being one of the too-stupid-to-live teens in the late night movies, going to the very place where Freddie waited with his steel claws.

  There you go thinking about Freddie again. How many times did you watch these movies? Vikirnoff's voice held a gentle teasing note.

  Natalya looked up at him with a quick grin. «That was fast. Have you heard the concept of savoring your food?»

  He bent toward her until they were a breath apart. «Only when it is you.»

  Natalya gestured toward the mountains. «I have to get there, Vikirnoff.» She wasn't going to look into his eyes and get lost.

  Maybe you are already lost and just do not know it yet.

  «Dream on, buster.» She snapped her fingers. «Where's my ride?»

  It was easier the second time, especially with his hunger abated. Once in the air, Vikirnoff flew over the meadows and hills in a low flying pattern to allow Natalya to see the countryside from the air. She was a natural, fearless, moving with him, her body so tuned to his that she would begin to shift her weight at the exact same moment he needed her to.

  He picked the cave coordinates out of Natalya's mind. She was so preoccupied absorbing the sensations of flight, she didn't notice his intrusion, nor did she have any barriers up against him. And that bothered him. Why was she utterly vulnerable to him when she was obviously so strong? It made no sense and set off an alarm in him.

  Vikirnoff took advantage of the situation to delve for the source of her compulsion, to find why she had no barriers and to try to find the meaning of the marks in her body the dark creature had left behind. The compulsion to go to the Carpathian Mountains and find a

  particular cave was very strong, urgent, and had been planted years earlier. A recent event had triggered the compulsion to become active, to draw Natalya to the cave for some hidden reason. He tried to find the event that might have been the trigger, but if Natalya knew of it, he couldn't find evidence of it in her memories.

  He found several places where it seemed her memories were wiped clean, as if she had suffered a terrible trauma and her brain had been damaged. He found threads of memories that led nowhere, suddenly ending abruptly in a dark void. He didn't dare stay too long and he was getting tired trying to maintain too many things at once so he pulled out reluctantly to concentrate on enjoying the flight with his lifemate.

  Vikirnoff banked and plunged downward to give Natalya an additional thrill, pulling up at the last moment before hitting the surface of the water and skimming the canopy of trees. She laughed out loud. He could actually feel waves of happiness flowing out of her.

  She leaned close to the bird's ear, but spoke telepathically. This is wonderful! Thank you so much, Vikirnoff This is one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life.

  He was grateful he was the one giving her the experience. Deliberately, he flew above the lakes and treetops, giving her a bird's-eye view of the beauty of the country. The ice and snow sparkled, the mountains glittered. Sheep dotted the meadows and farms and churches and castles stretched out below them.

  It is amazing is it not? Seeing it all through her eyes brought back forgotten memories of his childhood, his first flight over the exact same area he was taking Natalya. Of course, it looked a lot different then, much more wild and uninhabited. He had wobbled a bit, but he had soared nearly all night. The freedom had been intoxicating. I have you to thank for the memories. I have not thought of that in more centuries than I care to recall.

  Do you call up dreams when you go to sleep?

  No, we shut everything down. Do you?

  Oh, yes. Everything I love about my childhood and my times with Razvan. All the things we did together, the things we learned. I had a relatively happy childhood. My mother died when I was about ten and a year later my father left us and we had
to live with…

  She trailed off, a frown replacing her smile. She fell silent. Vikirnoff waited, but Natalya didn't continue the conversation. He touched her mind, but it was as if a door had slammed shut-or one of the damaged threads of memory had ended abruptly. He could feel her bewilderment.

  I feel your distress. Is the memory of the loss of your parents so painful still that you cannot talk about it? He dropped low to skim through a meadow of wildflowers before circling around to fly back up toward the higher peaks.

  Natalya bit down on her lower lip. She didn't want to admit the truth. She forgot things.

  Worrisome things. What could she tell him that would make sense?

  Vikirnoff began quartering along the ridge of the mountain, searching for an entrance to the cave in Natalya's mind. It is difficult to lie to one another. You may as well not try. If you prefer not to tell me the truth, silence is better than a lie.