«It was Razvan. Razvan has been using me, for I don't know how long. It's why I can't remember things. Not Xavier. He didn't have my blood.» A sob escaped, torn from her throat, the sound piercing Vikirnoff like a knife. «When I was a child, Razvan protected me from Xavier. He took the punishments and he went to the laboratories. He came up with ideas, but I figured out how to do them and gave Razvan the information. It was how we prevented him from receiving Xavier's punishments. Xavier thought Razvan was the one who had the natural abilities. We tricked him for years into thinking that.» She wiped at the tears running down her face; the pain was so deep she felt as if her brother had torn out her heart. She pressed her hand there, trying to still the agony.
«And you believe somewhere over the last few years, Xavier managed to recruit Razvan to his side?» Vikirnoff kept his voice strictly neutral. Natalya was so devastated and he was helpless in the face of her suffering. He snapped his teeth together hard, rage building in spite of his effort to be calm. His arms tightened. He wanted to take away all of her pain, protect her from any further hurt, but Natalya was not a woman to wrap in cotton. She would face this in her way. On her own terms.
«He had to have. I don't know how. I don't even know why. Living a long time without happiness sucks. Why would either of them want that?»
His arms tightened, sheltering her even closer to him. «I have no idea. But are you certain, Natalya? Is it possible you really were discussing your everyday thoughts in your dreams?»
«You provided the safeguards and he couldn't reach me. He couldn't track me. That's why the Troll King didn't show up when you were fighting the vampires. It was so strange that he wasn't there.» She raked her fingers through her hair in sheer agitation. «That bugged me. He'd been there every other time. He didn't have the advantage of being able to read my mind. He couldn't find me.»
«Because I used a completely different safeguard, one unfamiliar to him.»
«That first morning, after the Troll King marked me and I brought you to my room, he knew. You were already able to get past all my shields, which by the way, are incredibly strong, but Razvan had removed them. That's how the shadow warrior was able to get in. I set the safeguards in the room, not you. And that's why I didn't sense him in the ground, even when he was attacking me in the cave.» Again she rubbed her ankle. «I was only aware of the actual attack after the poison was already on my leg.»
«And when we were running down the stairs in the cave, I sensed him running parallel to us, but he confused you, making you believe he was under us.»
Natalya nodded her head, trying not to shake with the sudden cold settling into the very bones of her body. «He's alive, Vikirnoff. And he's orchestrating something very bad here.»
«And he and the vampires want the book your father stole. Xavier and Razvan need the book to complete their plans.»
«But my father hid it from them. And Razvan knows I can touch objects and see things so they've been waiting until the right moment to acquire the book in order to proceed.» She pressed her fingertips into her aching temples. «I provided them with the way to do this.» She tapped her ankle. «Razvan challenged me and I made it happen. He used my own work against me. How ironic is that?»
«I am sorry, ainaak enyem, I know how much you love him.» He held her tightly, breathing for her, feeling the pain knifing through her heart and praying he wouldn't have to
be the one to kill her brother.
«I know I'm right, Vikirnoff. He'll come after us with everything he has now. He knows that I know. I didn't mean to give myself away, I was just so shocked.» She spread her hands out in front of her. «I'm so sorry. If only I'd thought to play along with him. I could have gotten us information.»
Vikirnoff took her hand, pressed a kiss into her palm, her knuckles, the tips of her fingers. «Do not apologize. Not now, not ever. Your reaction is entirely justified.»
«But he'll try to kill you.»
«He has been trying to kill me.» He smiled against the nape of her neck. «You thought about killing me. I seem to bring that out in people.»
She tried to smile, appreciating that he would make such an effort with her, but she couldn't get past how obtuse she'd been. «I should have handled it better.»
«Betrayal is never easy to handle and there is no right way to accept it. It doesn't matter now. We are going to be okay.»
Natalya was silent for a long time. He could hear the beat of her heart begin to accelerate. She turned her face up to his, one hand reaching back to catch him around the neck as she looked into his eyes. «Exchange blood with me.»
His own heart began to pound wildly, matching the rhythm of hers. «I thought we were not going to take any chances that you can't access the memories of the knife.»
«If I won't be able to find the book, neither will they. Neither side will have it and that's probably a good thing. Anything Xavier made and sealed with the blood of three magical species is no doubt powerful, deadly and too dangerous for anyone to try to wield.»
Vikirnoff took a deep breath and let it out. There it was. Total commitment. There would be no going back once she converted. She was tied to him now, but that last step, that important difference would seal her to him and his kind for all time. He wanted her to choose that path for herself. Not to escape from who she was.
«Natalya…» What could he say? He could deny her nothing, especially now when pain was her world and she was so shattered. «If we do not know where the book is, how can it be protected? What if they find a psychic woman with your talent to help them find the book? We need to destroy it.»
«How can we destroy the book? If it could have been destroyed so easily, then my father would have done so.»
«You have a good point. I do not know the answer to that, Natalya, but I think all Carpathians would sleep better knowing our prince had the care of the book rather than
knowing it was floating around somewhere the vampires could find it.»
«What if the book corrupts those who touch it? Power corrupts.»
«That is something we do not have to think about yet, Natalya. The truth is, you want to exchange blood with me not because you are committed to me, to our relationship, but because you believe something is wrong with you.»
The gentleness in his voice made her want to weep and she turned her face away from his so he wouldn't see tears glittering in her eyes. «It isn't what you think.»
«It is, ainaak enyem, you think your blood is tainted and you wish to escape from it. Not all of the mages were evil. Most were kind and intelligent and so generous. Our people were friends. Even Xavier, at one time, was well respected and a tremendous help to all who sought his advice. You said yourself power can corrupt. I do not know how it happened, but it was not the blood running through his veins.»
She pulled out of his arms and made her way to the small waterfall, catching the water in her hand to rinse her mouth. She was still so cold. She couldn't seem to find warmth in spite of the natural heat in the cave.
Vikirnoff could feel her anguish and cursed his own inadequacy at taking her pain from her. There was no way to ease betrayal, no way to kiss and make her better. His throat was raw with the need to help her, but he couldn't undo this terrible tragedy.
«Maybe it wasn't his blood, Vikirnoff, but I'm tied to them. They invaded my mind. My mind. They removed memories and planted stories. They traded on my love for my brother and corrupted my good memories of him.» She ran her hand over her ankle again. «And they put parasites in my body. I don't want them to know me. I don't want them to ever crawl inside my mind again.»
He stood up and followed her across the chamber. «The conversion will change your entire life.»
She stepped into the heat of the pool. The water felt hot on her icy skin. Even her insides felt ice cold. She hoped the heat of the springs would stop her shivering. «My entire life has already changed.» She held out her hand to him. «For the better.» A faint smile rose up unexpectedly. «I
've decided you're trainable.»
His eyebrow shot up as he stepped into the pool beside her. «Trainable?»
She nodded. «You can't possibly think you're going to get away with bossing me, right? So once you're past the fact that I'm always right, we'll get along just fine.»
He shook his head. «You are impossibly optimistic for your chances.» He pulled her down into the water with him so that she was tucked in close beneath his shoulder.
«Chances of what?» Her head felt too heavy and she leaned it against his chest.
«Of being right. I am one of those obnoxious people who know everything. You think I am bossy, but in fact, I am merely directing you when you start to go off track.»
«And you expect me to thank you, I suppose, for your brilliant direction.»
«I have many ways in mind for you to show your appreciation.»
«I'll just bet you do.» She rubbed her ankle beneath the water. «This is never going to come off, is it? It's part of my skin now.»
«I do not know. I am not really a healer, although I can perform basic healing skills. When Gregori returns we can have him take a look at it. If he cannot remove the mark, we can seek out Francesca. She is in Paris and is said to be amazing.»
«Is it possible the conversion would remove it?»
His hand slipped beneath the water to circle her ankle. «I wish I knew. I doubt it, Natalya. You are very different from any other I have known. I do not know what the conversion would do to you. I do not believe it will take away your skills as a mage. Rhiannon possessed more talent than most wizards. You must have received that from her as well as from the mage blood to make you so powerful. It is no wonder Xavier wanted your blood.»
Natalya's eyes met his. «Razvan wouldn't allow it.»
Vikirnoff's strong fingers moved over her ankle in a soothing massage.
Natalya began to relax again, the hard knot in her stomach easing. When had Vikirnoff become someone she could feel peace with? She slid her hand over his belly, without sexual intent, but needing to feel his body beneath her fingertips. «Do you think I could have held out against Xavier? If I had been the one to visit him instead of Razvan? If Xavier took my blood?» She would not call him grandfather. «Do you think Razvan could have been saved?»
«There is no way of knowing.»
She looked so distraught, so different from her confident, sassy self that his heart shifted with pain. Vikirnoff touched her mind to read her, needing to know how to help her. Natalya possessed a will of iron. Her brother was her twin. They thought alike. They protected one another. They had lived through harrowing times even as young teens and found a way to survive without adult guidance.
Vikirnoff looked into her heart and found her shaken all the way to her soul.
Razvan had honorably chosen to give his blood to Xavier, He had successfully deceived
his grandfather into believing he was the one with the superior skills in magick, when it was really Natalya. They had carried out an elaborate deception and Razvan was often punished when Natalya couldn't complete experiments and pass the information on fast enough to her brother. She had hidden in safety while her brother had taken all the risks and now, after all of his sacrifices, she couldn't bear to think she hadn't been there to save him as he had saved her. She hadn't been there for him and he'd turned to evil. Her guilt was soul-consuming, a terrible burden he felt penetrating his own soul.
She looked up, her gaze locking with his. «Is there a way to get him back? Can we undo the damage done to him?»
«Natalya…» There was a warning note in his voice. «He has Carpathian blood running in his veins. There is every possibility that he is now part vampire. I never thought vampires would ever join forces, but they have. And your brother is in league with them. Maxim and his brothers are arrogant and believe they should be ruling the world. I think that both Xavier and Razvan feel they should be the rulers and they have united with the vampires in the hopes of gaining control of everything. The vampires are using your experiment to recognize one another, those participating in this conspiracy. I found the parasites first in my brother's lifemate's blood. She had been taken as a child and converted by a vampire. She was able to defeat him, but her blood called to the others. That's how they identify the members of the conspiracy, those with the parasites in their blood. It has to be that.» He gentled his tone. «You know Razvan is lost to you.»
«How do I know? The healers do incredible things. Maybe he could be saved. He isn't wholly Carpathian. So if he did turn, he isn't wholly vampire.» She wiped her hand over her face as if that could erase the knowledge of the extent of her twin's betrayal. «He was a good man. For centuries, he was honorable and he suffered so much.»
Vikirnoff sighed with regret. «You wanted to know why he wanted children. I have seen that question in your mind many times.»
She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and refused to meet his gaze, shaking her head slightly.
«He is looking for blood just as Xavier wanted the blood of his children to sustain his life. That is how he remained alive all these years. Not all children will carry what he needs, so he wanted several from different mothers.» And Razvan now wanted Natalya's blood just as Xavier sought it all those years ago. Razvan would not take her from Vikirnoff. He could not be allowed to destroy the fragile threads that bound their hearts even as their souls were welded so tightly together.
«You don't know that.» But it made sense. It was exactly what Xavier had done. She had witnessed it when she'd grasped the handle of the ceremonial knife.
«No, I do not. And I do not know if there is any hope for him. What I do know is there are vampires conspiring to kill the prince and kidnap you. They are hunting for a book your
father gave his life to protect. He was so desperate to protect that book he put a compulsion on you to find it should someone start nosing around the cave.»
«Someone went into the ice cave before us and that triggered the compulsion.» She'd already figured that out for herself.
«If your father was willing to give his life to keep that book from Xavier, I am willing to bet we do not want it in his hands.»
«I still think there's a chance.»
«Natalya, I cannot tell you how many friends-even family I have had to hunt and kill. When we face a loved one who has become a vampire, even hunters hesitate. And when facing a hunter as skilled as your brother, hesitation is a death sentence. You cannot afford pity. You cannot afford to think he can be saved. He cannot.»
«How do you know, though? Have any of you ever tried to heal a vampire? Has it ever once been tried?» She knew it was desperation, but she couldn't help pushing it. There had to be a way to save her brother. If his sacrifice for her had led to his downfall then she bore the responsibility. He had been there for her when she needed him so desperately; she had to find a way to be there for him.
Vampires were completely evil. She had seen their depravity, their joy in the killing of others. She couldn't bear that Razvan had chosen such a thing. That he had deliberately embraced everything they had fought against all of their lives. Vikirnoff could see her struggle to fight off the weight of guilt and fear and even repugnance. She didn't want to fear her brother. She didn't want to loathe and despise him. She didn't want to feel revulsion for what he had become.
Reluctantly, Virkirnoff released Natalya when she pushed away from him. His heart ached as he watched her swim restlessly back and forth across the small pool. He couldn't lie or soften the truth. He respected her too much for that. When they hunted for the book, they would be pursued. And they had to hunt for the book. He knew it, and somewhere, deep inside, so did Natalya. The book would surface sooner or later, maybe even in another century when memories had dulled. It was far too dangerous to leave to chance.
Vikirnoff rubbed his hand over his face, his stomach lurching at the idea of what was to come. Natalya was an exceptional woman, but one he had never expected, one he'd thought he would nev
er want. Yet why had he envisioned a docile, amenable woman as his lifemate? Natalya was a woman to walk beside him. He could not imagine his life without the sharp edge of her tongue, or her peculiar sense of humor.
His brows drew together as he watched her swim back and forth. The beads of moisture on her face were not from the spring water and that was painful. Does that television set in your room at the inn actually work? He used their more intimate path of communication deliberately, wanting her to feel him inside of her.
She halted abruptly, throwing back her hair so that water went in every direction. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she nodded. «Why?»
«Half of what you say makes no sense to me. If we are to communicate adequately, I have to watch your late night movies.»
She sent up a spout of water straight at his face. «Don't sound like you're going to a funeral. Late night movies are fun. Fun. Do you even understand the concept of having fun?»
There it was again. That heartbreaking note of desperation, of strain, in her voice. She was gamely smiling at him, but her eyes were dark with sorrow. Vikirnoff waded over to her, his gaze locked with hers. All the teasing in the world wouldn't fix it. All the love in the world wouldn't take it away. All he could do was pull her into the shelter of his body, as close to his heart as possible. And tell her the real truth. She would see him for what he was. It was a risk he hesitated to take. Their relationship was so very fragile and he always seemed to make the wrong decision.
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