Dark Blood (Dark Series Book 26)

by Christine Feehan

  “They can’t continue without a pack, you know that. They’re good boys. Some of them must have survived.”

  Not the one who had thrown his grandfather facedown in the dirt in front of Xaviero. That Sange rau had not survived. Dimitri had dispatched him quietly and quickly while the rest of those in the field had watched in horror as Xaviero and Xayvion had opened the gates of hell.

  “Maybe a dozen,” Zev said.

  “So few. Xaviero took so many lives so casually. He was cruel, Zev. So cruel. If the Lycan he wanted in his service didn’t join with him, the mage tortured and killed his family. Then, just to rub salt in the wounds, he took on his Lycan image and became the kindly Rannalufr, to counsel the rest of the grieving family members. More than likely he made them feel such guilt they quickly killed themselves. He would dance with glee around the laboratory whenever he managed to ruin an entire family.”

  The coughing was continuous now. The bleeding was steady, no matter how many times Zev wiped the blood from his grandfather’s mouth.

  It won’t be long now, love, Branislava said. He’s close. I don’t know why he’s still holding on when he could embrace death.

  Zev feared he knew. “Rannalufr means ‘plundering wolf.’ I suppose if any of us had just thought about how that name didn’t fit the imagery we might have looked closer at him.”

  Hemming made a movement as though he might shake his head, but the effort was too much and sent him into another violent coughing fit. Zev took his free hand.

  “You want me to be responsible for these displaced Lycans. To form a pack with them and become their alpha. Not someone else. You want me to be their leader.”

  Hemming nodded, too exhausted to speak.

  “I give you my word, Grandfather. I’ll take care of them.” Inwardly Zev sighed. He knew what his grandfather wanted all along. But that many Sange rau, all relatively newly made, shunned by the Lycans and their council, would be a handful. “They will make tremendous elite hunters once trained properly. If they wish to join my pack, I’ll take them on.”

  Now he was a schoolteacher. Zev couldn’t contain the little sigh. A flash of amusement lit up Hemming’s eyes. He squeezed Zev’s hand and then allowed his lashes to drift down.

  There was a moment where he took a breath and exhaled. Peace settled over his ravaged features. A kind of joy. His lips curved into a soft smile, and he was gone.

  Branislava held Hemming’s hand for a few more moments and then gently extricated herself, allowing his head to lie on the ground once again. She reached out to Zev, who immediately wrapped his arm around her.

  “He wanted to go,” Gregori said, his voice a little rougher than normal. “I’m sorry, Zev. He was a good man. It would have been a pleasure to have had more time with him, if for any other reason than to learn from him.”

  Zev nodded. He looked past Mikhail to see the four silent sentinels, Andre, Tomas, Lojos, and Mataias standing guard between Mikhail and the Sange rau lined up behind them, watching in silence. He noted each of the faces of the mixed bloods. They looked grief-stricken. Confused. Ashamed. All of them had bowed their heads at Hemming’s passing. Two wore the Sacred Circle tattoo, and one crossed himself. Another looked as if he murmured a prayer.

  The moment Zev looked up, all eyes jumped to his face. Waiting for him to judge them. To pass sentence on them. He was weary of blood and death. Of fighting. He had lost friends this day—they all had. But these men had lost everything. They were no longer Lycan and most Lycans wouldn’t welcome them home. Even if the council ruled to lift the death sentence on the Sange rau, there would be prejudice until education finally won the old ones over.

  Their free will was taken from them. They tried to fight against Xaviero’s orders. Some embraced his rule, while these did not. You can see marks on them. Some of them were disciplined by the mage. His disciplines are brutal. Cruel, Branislava informed him.

  I will not force them to join my pack. They’ve had enough of others making choices for them. They can make up their minds.

  Most likely they’d heard the conversation with his grandfather, but he was held to that promise—not any of them.

  Slowly he stood up and made his way to them. The row of Sange rau—no, not that—they were Hän ku pesäk kaikak. “In spite of what others have told you, in spite of every ancient belief, a mixed blood is not an abomination. Just as a Lycan can make the choice to become a rogue werewolf, and the Carpathian can make the choice to become a vampire, you also have a choice in how you want to live. At this moment, you are considered Hän ku pesäk kaikak, which means ‘guardian of all.’ I am Hän ku pesäk kaikak. I make no apologies for this. I take my role very seriously. I guard all species. Lycan. Carpathian. Jaguar. Human, and yes, even mage.”

  One man stepped forward. “I’m Caleb,” he introduced himself. “We fought for the mage and have committed terrible crimes.”

  Zev nodded his head gravely. It would do no good to dismiss things done in battle. “War brings out the worst in all of us,” he agreed. “Especially when we have no choice. Xaviero took your will from you. In some ways, he took all of our wills, forcing us to fight against one another. He was a powerful mage and he had centuries of planning the downfall of our people. He made you pawns and turned you into the thing you were taught to hate the most. That doesn’t mean he should continue to rule you. You all have choices to make.”

  “Where can we go?” Caleb asked. “My pack will never accept me back. I have no family to go back to.”

  The others nodded.

  “It is entirely up to you. I can teach you the ways of the elite hunter. With me, you can learn the ways of the Carpathian so that your skills will improve even more. You will be expected to understand the full meaning of what it is to be a guardian of all and to live your life with honor. You are free to leave now and choose your own way. If you choose the way of the Sange rau and you decide to go rogue or vampire, we will hunt you down and kill you. That is a fact I cannot deny.”

  “Are you saying you would have us?” Caleb asked. “All of us? After what was done here?”

  “Xaviero and Xayvion did this. You were victims of his cruel magic. We all were.” Zev shrugged. “Look around you. Do you see condemnation? That is not the way of the Carpathian people. You are both Lycan and Carpathian. Your loyalty must be first to your pack and then to both species if you remain with me.”

  Gregori stirred, but said nothing when Mikhail flicked him one telling glance.

  The twelve men looked around the battlefield. Carpathians had called down the lightning to burn their dead, and Lycans had chosen to fuel the ceremonial pyre to incinerate their dead. Rolf, the other council members and the pack leaders huddled together. Some shot the twelve suspicious glances, but no one challenged them as they talked with Zev.

  “They will not accept us,” Caleb pointed out.

  Zev shrugged. “That’s their problem not ours. They had no trouble allowing us to fight for them—and they’ll call on us again.”

  The guardians looked at one another as though uncertain what to do. Zev shook his head. “Any time you join a pack and swear allegiance to the alpha pair, it is solely an individual choice. It has to be. Each of you make up your own mind.”

  He glanced at Gregori and then back to the others. “Know this about the pack leader you will serve under. I am fair and loyal, but I absolutely demand your best at all times. I don’t tolerate insubordination. I have women in my pack who are as good or better warriors than any of you, and I expect them to be treated with respect at all times. If you can’t handle those things, you don’t belong in my pack.”

  He noted each of their expressions, especially the ones with the tattoos of the Sacred Circle. Many of those who believed in the sacred code didn’t believe women should fight with men.

  “You also need to know my allegiance is given to Mikhail, prince of the Carpathian people. I am Carpathian, just as I am Lycan. I am a guardian of all and I will defend him with my li
fe. I will expect my pack to do the same.”

  Again he watched them closely. Two frowned, but they appeared more puzzled than dismayed.

  “We’re both Lycan and Carpathian,” Caleb said, with a little bit of wonder in his voice.

  Zev nodded his head in agreement. “Think about it and let me know. You’re free to go wherever you like. And you’re free to contact me when you make up your mind.”

  Caleb shook his head and stepped forward, gripping Zev’s shoulders hard. “I cannot be without a strong pack leader. Hemming was my acknowledged leader, though most of the time I couldn’t do the things he would have wished. I would be more than honored if you would accept me into your pack.”

  It looks like we’re going to have a very big family, Branislava said.

  I know, Branka. I’m sorry. I don’t want to complicate our lives, but I can’t leave them without a leader.

  She laughed softly, wrapping him up in her love. We asked for wolves, remember? I think the old adage “be careful what you wish for” might apply here.

  He laughed softly in his mind with her, sharing that moment of humor while each of the twelve guardians swore their fidelity to him and to their new pack. He had to learn their names quickly before he performed the introductions to his lifemate, their alpha, and Daciana, Makoce and Lykaon, before bringing them before the prince.

  The four silent guards watching over Mikhail moved a little closer, as did Gregori, but no one objected to the formal introductions.

  “I have much left to do here,” Zev pointed out. “Daciana, Lykaon and Makoce can find you a place to stay until we can make homes within the forest where you’ll be more comfortable.”

  He watched his pack move off the battlefield. Life just became a lot more complicated.

  I have no doubt that you can handle it.

  “We couldn’t get here any faster,” Gregori apologized. “We brought reinforcements, but the barrier kept us out.”

  “Xayvion slipped away, but Xaviero is dead. Let’s hope he stays that way,” Zev said.

  Mikhail shook his head. “We lost a couple of our warriors, but the Lycans were hit particularly hard it seems.”

  “Those closest to the mage were lost,” Zev explained. “He needed souls for his exchange. His toads were more of a delaying tactic but his hellhounds and his Sange rau killed quite a few. He also sent some into the fire before we managed to stop him.” He looked down at the body of his grandfather. “All this time Xaviero had him, torturing him, and I didn’t know.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Mikhail said sincerely. “And I’m sorry we couldn’t get here faster with more men. Perhaps the losses would have been less.”

  “Rolf had the choice to send everyone away,” Zev said, a little surprised at the bitter feeling welling up. “He chose to force his people to stay without even properly warning them or giving them the choice.” He turned his head, his gaze finding the council leader. “Excuse me, please, Mikhail. I need to talk to Rolf.”

  “We’ll take your grandfather’s body to the cave of the warriors,” Gregori offered. “We’d like to do something to help.”

  Zev inclined his head. He dropped to one knee beside Hemming and rested his palm on his grandfather’s forehead in a silent tribute. It was covered in blood and deep scars where the chains had been. “They would have sentenced him to death. The council. Do you realize that?” He looked up at Branislava. “They killed my grandmother. Not the mage, but her own pack. They would have done the same to Hemming had he not fled in the night with my mother.”

  “They only knew the Sange rau,” Branislava reminded gently. “Not the Hän ku pesäk kaikak. They didn’t know there was a difference.”

  Zev shook his head and stood, shoving both hands through his hair, looking more a wild wolf than ever. “They would have killed me, Branka. Knowing me, they would still have killed me. All those men.” He waved his hand toward his new pack members who followed Daciana out of the clearing. “There’s no compassion on the faces or in the hearts of the council members for them. Mikhail feels more and he’s a stranger to them. Caleb was right. So was Hemming. They will never be wholly welcomed by our people. I won’t, either. In time, you won’t. They saw what was done to Dimitri, but rather than condemn themselves for being so medieval, they wanted to talk and make excuses. They never really looked at him as a person.”

  Branislava laid her hand gently on his arm. “Seeing your grandfather wrapped in chains, seeing what silver can do to a Lycan’s body has really upset you, Zev, as it should, but perhaps it would be much better to wait to speak with Rolf.”

  “He didn’t even warn the other Lycans, Branka. He knew the danger and yet he said nothing to them. Had we held the ceremonial service immediately after Arno and Arnau were killed, Xaviero wouldn’t have had time to set up his trap. He would have been forced to hold his ritual somewhere else. I could have tracked him, but Rolf refused even that.”

  She rubbed his arm. “I know.” What else could she say? He had argued with Rolf for hours, trying to get him to agree to send the slain council member and his son off the next rising without telling anyone where they would build the funeral pyre. There had been a stubborn set to Rolf’s jaw she’d never noticed in the few times she’d seen him. He had been dismissive, and almost rude to Zev.

  Zev leaned into her unexpectedly, his arms pulling her close, just holding her while he breathed away his anger. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, giving him as much strength as she could. All of them were battle-scarred, but she knew this night had taken its toll on her wolf.

  Zev brushed a kiss along Branislava’s mouth. “I love you,” he whispered. He didn’t say it often enough to her, he was certain, but he felt it with every breath he took.

  “I know. I’ll be right here.”

  He appreciated that she didn’t argue with him. He needed to do this tonight. He was a man who could stay in control—and he would—but he didn’t want to. He wanted the satisfaction of curling his fingers into a fist and punching Rolf in his pompous face.

  He strode over to the small group of Lycans, the pack leaders with Rolf and Randall. Randall broke into a smile the moment he caught sight of Zev.

  “As always, you pulled us through. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” He held out his hand.

  Zev took it almost reluctantly. He couldn’t blame Randall for Rolf’s decision. “I’ll miss working with you, Randall,” he said quietly.

  Instantly all conversation ceased and the pack leaders turned to face him, shock on their faces. Rolf scowled at him.

  “I don’t understand,” Randall said. “Of course you’ll be working with us. You’re our enforcer. Our elite hunter. You’re invaluable. This wasn’t your fault. No one could have predicted such a thing. Hellhounds. An army of Sange rau. Poisonous frogs.” He shuddered. “And to think all this time Rannalufr was really this evil mage.”

  “His plan was to bring about the downfall of the Lycans. His brother Xavier tried with the Carpathians, and Xayvion has nearly destroyed the Jaguar species. I think they came close to their goal. We nearly allowed a war between Lycan and Carpathian.”

  “Have those remaining traitors, Xaviero’s Sange rau army, been taken into custody? I saw them leaving with Daciana and the others,” Rolf demanded.

  Zev shook his head. “Xaviero took their free will from them. They fought against him, but he gave them the blood to become mixed bloods. He murdered their families and tortured them when they went against him. In the end, he took their will because it was the only way he could get them to cooperate. They are innocent.”

  “That’s not your place to judge,” Rolf pointed out.

  Zev smiled at him. “I’m resigning. I will no longer aid a council who do not serve all their people or have their best interests at heart. As for the twelve men who need support and won’t get it from their own people, they’ll have it here with me. If you wish to pass judgment on them, you’ll have to talk to their pack lead
er as is the way of all Lycans.”

  “You can’t resign. We don’t accept your resignation,” Randall said.

  “I’m sorry, Randall. You’re a good man. But I gave my counsel to Rolf and he refused to listen to me. He didn’t go to you and discuss it. He made an arbitrary decision to put his pack leaders and you in unnecessary jeopardy.”

  Randall’s eyebrow shot up. “Is that true, Rolf? Why? That goes against everything the council stands for.”

  “You would have sided with Zev and my vote is the tiebreaker. There were only two of us,” Rolf defended.

  The other two council members who had come for Arno’s ceremony looked at one another with raised eyebrows.

  Rolf waved his hands dismissively. “Why waste time arguing? Zev, think what you’re doing. If a mistake was made here, and I concede I may have been wrong, that doesn’t mean a resignation is in order.”

  Zev spread his hands out in front of him. “The prejudice against mixed blood is so strong in Lycans, Rolf, that even you wouldn’t listen when I told you what would happen here.”

  Rolf shook his head. That’s not true, Zev.

  “It is true. In all the long years I’ve been the council’s leading elite hunter, every time I’ve given you advice based on my knowledge and my instincts, you’ve followed it. You didn’t this time. Arno was very conflicted about those of us who are mixed blood because of his belief in the sacred code, but at least he admitted it and struggled with what was the right thing to do. You didn’t listen this time because you found out I’m a mixed blood and you no longer trusted my judgment.”

  Rolf shook his head but he didn’t deny it aloud.

  “The thing is, I’ve always been a mixed blood. My mother was of Carpathian descent. All those centuries I served this council, you had a mixed blood giving you advice and fighting your battles for you. I protected all of you. Even knowing that, you would have sentenced me to death. Rolf, this could have been a slaughterhouse. We were fortunate that the four Carpathian women here with us today could defeat the mages. You should have listened to me. I hope you listen to whoever is chosen to take my place.”