Dark Song

by Feehan, Christine

  Ferro held her for a long time, rocking them both gently, while Elisabeta continued to keep them entwined together in a cocoon of peace. She didn’t speak, not knowing what to say. In her wildest imaginings she never would have expected her legendary warrior to care enough to shed the bloodred tears of their kind for her. That kind of sorrow and respect was reserved for greatness.

  She didn’t know how to react. This was Ferro. Her lifemate. She felt panic-stricken. She had no one to tell her what to do, only her instincts. His hands stroked caresses in her hair, and every now and then she felt his lips brush kisses on top of her head. There was such an intimacy that had nothing at all to do with sex, straddling him, her body crushed against him, rocking with him, their hearts beating together.

  Elisabeta felt such a part of him. She’d been terrified for him to see her past, the terrible choices the vampire had forced on her, and yet now she felt closer to him than ever before. Each time she feared Ferro’s reaction, he always came through, teaching her to trust. Not everyone was cruel like Sergey, certainly not her lifemate.

  “I know I do not say it to you, Elisabeta, and you most likely need the words, but they are in my song to you. When I tell you a world of love awaits you, vaster than the ocean, I am not merely singing a lyric to you. These words are yours. For you alone. What I feel for you is incomprehensible to me. Unimaginable. I hunted centuries for you. I carved the vow to you into my body, yet even then I did not know what I would feel for you. How could I? Until I merged my mind with yours and learned to know you, found out the tremendous gift I was given, there was no way of knowing how the love in my heart for you would grow.”

  He couldn’t say such things to her. She would fall apart. Already she was weeping, pressing her face into his chest and weeping like a babe. They held each other for comfort, still rocking gently, her soothing, peaceful cocoon surrounding them like his shield.

  You do not have to give me the words, Ferro. I hear them in your song to me. I feel them in the things you do for me. I especially feel them in your touch. She couldn’t tell him aloud because she would be sobbing if she tried to speak.

  “Never think, for one moment, that I am ashamed of you. Any sacrifice you think I made pales in comparison to what you made for me. I could not feel. I had no emotions. You felt everything. Every lash of torture that evil creature thought up, the emotions of those he forced you to witness being tortured, you endured all of that—for me.”

  Ferro suddenly caught her chin and tugged until she was forced to look up at him. His eyes glittered down at her, more rust than iron. He looked like what he was, a violent, dangerous predator, the legendary hunter the Carpathian people spoke of in whispers.

  “I am privileged to be your lifemate, and you are more than worthy to walk beside me.” He sounded fierce. “Understand me, hän ku vigyáz sívamet és sielamet, you would always be my choice.”

  He called her “keeper of his heart and soul.” Not his soul. His heart and soul. She felt her lips tremble before her smile broke through. Happiness blossomed.

  “You are my choice, Ferro. You will always be my choice.”

  Something moved through his eyes, something she couldn’t quite catch, but she wished she had because it was important, and then he bent his head to hers, his mouth brushing hers with that exquisite gentleness he had that turned her heart over. She parted her lips to let him inside and he kissed her. Really kissed her, going from gentle to possessive instantly.

  The moment his tongue swept inside her mouth, he poured love into her. She felt his emotion in her throat, in her veins, rushing through her bloodstream until it spread to every part of her body. He was pure fire, flames licking at her skin and settling deep in her core all over again. Just when she squirmed restlessly, he lifted his head, those eyes of his glittering down at her, all liquid, silvery-blue, making her shiver with need.

  “All right, minan piŋe sarnanak, we have more work to do. I want you to learn to fly in the woods. The more you practice shifting into the owl, the faster you will be at it and the more comfortable. I trust you studied her from every angle so you know exactly what she looks like down to the smallest detail.” He sounded steady.

  She took a deep breath, trying to match his calm demeanor when she was a bundle of sexual nerves.

  “Yes.” She was grateful she had honed her ability to pay attention to detail over the centuries. It had been necessary to keep her mind active, and Sergey insisted that she aid him in his fight against his brothers.

  “Good. Go ahead and change for me.”

  Elisabeta shifted into the form of the little female Western Screech Owl. Ferro had her shift dozens of times, just as he had the first time. He wanted faster. He wanted smoother. She didn’t protest, knowing he wanted her to be absolutely comfortable, to have the details so ingrained in her mind it would be second nature to her.

  It is rather nice that she is larger than the male. She felt very daring pointing that out to him since he was an extremely large man. Carpathian women were tall, and she was no exception. The males were taller as a rule, but she noticed that the brethren seemed to all be extraordinarily tall and broad shouldered.

  Male amusement filled her mind. I should have given you a few extra swats on your beautiful bottom while I had the chance. Fortunately for me, my ego is not fragile and the size difference does not matter in the least.

  The female owl spread her wings and fluttered them as she hopped along the ground. I do believe you are protesting a bit too much. It is okay. I know you are used to being much larger and probably have trouble being so small.

  Only attempting to squash certain body parts down.

  That made her laugh hard enough that she had to shift back to her normal form. She landed abruptly on the ground with her arms out for balance, glaring at him. “That was not fair.”

  You have to stay focused no matter what. He sounded very self-righteous. Shift back.

  Elisabeta shifted immediately. I think that was cheating but it was funny all the same. Her little female turned her head this way and that, taking advantage of the ability to rotate her head about 270 degrees in order to see around her.

  It is much different flying in the woods than in a clearing, piŋe sarnanak. You have to be certain to keep your head tucked in tight as you were doing, but do not allow it to come up at all. We will not hover or glide, but move more like a bat might, flying erratically through the trees and branches. At first, we are going to practice flying low through the trees and land back here. When I feel you have the hang of it, we will learn to land on the limb of a tree.

  Even within the form of an owl, Elisabeta felt her heart quicken. It was exciting to learn to fly this way, to really be able to shift and have Ferro teach her to do something so freeing and exhilarating as flying through the woods and landing in trees, even if it was really just in the very edge of the woods.

  You will do exactly as I tell you. When I say to land, you are to do so immediately.

  Of course, Ferro.

  She was not going to fail him, or herself. He had given her so much this rising. Too much. She knew no matter what happened in their future, she would always look on this rising as the one that made her feel as if she could eventually find her way back to her birth brother—because of Ferro. She could eventually grow confident and have friends—because of her lifemate. He had given her a belief in herself.

  You tell me if your eyes are giving you problems, piŋe sarnanak, or if you begin to tire.

  I will. She gave him her assurance, trying not to hop in her owl form, but she desperately wanted to fly in the forest. The woods beckoned her.

  Always remember that the danger of shifting to another form is that there is simplicity in taking an animal form. The longer you are in it, the more you might wish to remain. You cannot do so, Elisabeta, no matter the temptation. Your life has been difficult and the vampire knew that if you were aware of how to shift, he would lose you. I do not want to lose you to temptation. />
  For the first time she caught real fear from him. Not in his voice, that was as steady and as calm as ever. Not in his owl. The little male was a completely wild creature. Ferro was merged deep within her, and it was there she felt his trepidation, that very real worry that had been there all along and she hadn’t seen. In spite of his fear of losing her to shifting, Ferro had still chosen to teach her, to give her that gift. His present meant all the more to her.

  I do not want to be apart from you, Ferro. No temptation would be that great.

  Elisabeta had no other way of reassuring him. She wasn’t used to speaking directly to him yet, and she didn’t know how to put together words of affection, or of love. She wanted to express how much she cared for him, as he had done for her, but she didn’t write songs and she didn’t know how to express the things in her heart properly.

  For one moment, Ferro, the man, moved through her mind, as if seeking reassurance, and then he was back to being her instructor.

  When we hunt, it is normal to hunt from a perch at the edge of the woods such as this. We can make short forays into the open fields to capture flying insects.

  She couldn’t help her natural reaction to his suggestion, pulling back and shaking the owl’s head back and forth in repugnance.

  There may come a time when you have no choice. If you are under a vampire’s scrutiny, you have to follow through. Your owl must keep the need to hunt uppermost in her mind. Small prey is normally swallowed whole on the spot. It is your owl consuming the prey, not you, and you must allow it. You have to let go of yourself so not the slightest hint of you remains for our enemy to detect.

  Deep inside the owl’s body, Elisabeta made the commitment. She let go of all ego, of all sense of self, when she needed to bring peace to the ancients, and she could do so when tricking an enemy. If that was what was required of her, then she would do it with no squeamishness. She felt Ferro’s instant approval and it warmed her.

  Larger prey such as a vole will be carried in your beak to a perch just inside the woods and torn apart. He gave her a list of the various types of prey the Western Screech Owl hunted.

  Now that she understood why she had to accept that she might have to hunt insects and deer mice and even devour them, she became very dedicated to learning that art as well. She was well versed in shedding her ego, that was never her problem. She needed to know the mechanics of being an owl, so she wanted to be at the forefront while she was learning. She needed to be. Now, more than ever, she paid rapt attention to every detail.

  Her little female made it into the air with no problem when Ferro finally gave her the go-ahead, and then was able to fly in ever-widening circles, higher and higher, around the clearing. She didn’t allow the soaring elation to distract her.

  Is your eyesight good?

  She realized that as the owl, not only was she able to focus her eyesight much more clearly and for longer distances, but when she had taken back her own form, she hadn’t once even noticed that she was looking at the clearing or woods without seeing through the bars of a cage when peering around her.

  Ferro, I did not have to put bars in front of my eyes.

  I noticed, Elisabeta. And now?

  Of course he would notice. Nothing about her seemed to escape her lifemate. My owl sees perfectly.

  Good. Let her follow me into the woods. Stay right with me, sívamet. You do not want to hit a branch and knock yourself out.

  She definitely didn’t want to do that and end the fun. She loved the woods. Flying was great excitement, but the forest called to her. The trees and brush, all the various animals, even the insects, made her feel as if she belonged with them.

  We are Carpathian, a part of the earth, Elisabeta. You bring peace to those around you. I have noticed that even the creatures are drawn to you, so it stands to reason that you would be drawn to them.

  She felt his amusement welling up.

  It seems I will always have rivals for your attention. Not only the ancients but the children and now the creatures of the woods. Perhaps even the insects.

  He took an extra turn around the clearing. She knew he did it on purpose so she was able to share his laughter with him. He didn’t want her distracted before she began learning to fly through the forest where the trees were close together and the branches could be high or low.

  The lessons continued for some time, landing on various sizes and shapes of branches, listening and identifying prey, and, finally, hunting and trying to actually capture their quarry. By the time Ferro called a halt it was close to dawn and she was ready to return to their home and the welcoming soil beneath it. She’d never been so exhausted but happy in her life.

  13

  I am by your side with every step you take;

  Fighting every demon, your love I won’t forsake.

  Ferro knew this rising was going to be a difficult one for his lady. Outside the compound, there were signs of their enemy everywhere. He glanced at Benedek, the ancient closest to him. His brethren had gone out in force, all seeking blood, as they did every rising. Benedek shook his head in response. There was no answer for this newest threat. They couldn’t fail to see the signs of Sergey’s anger and impatience at not being able to get his most prized possession back. This evening, there were three humans staked to the gates of Tariq’s compound.

  Fortunately, the children hadn’t seen the victims, barely alive, dripping blood, straight out of a horror film. Sergey sent a polite note addressed to Elisabeta, stating that at each rising she would have more to greet her at the gate. He would add to the number until the gates would groan under the weight of her refusal. The ancients had mercifully killed Sergey’s victims, as there was no way to save them.

  Tariq had the bodies gently taken down and had all evidence removed. He heaved a sigh as he turned to Ferro. “I do not envy you talking to Elisabeta. She is far too sensitive and this vampire knows it. These deaths will weigh heavy on her, as will his threat.”

  “Sergey knows it is not safe for him to come near this place and yet his stench is everywhere. He cannot resist her. This was done by his human servants so that we would see it upon rising. He hoped Elisabeta would be with me when I rose.” He crumpled the note in his fist. “He could not conceive of leaving her in the soil safe while he went about his business. I hunt for the two of us. When I return to her, I will awaken and feed her.”

  “Malinov has long ago forgotten what it was like to be Carpathian.”

  “Sun scorch him, Tariq. I must hunt him now. I had hoped for more time to allow her to get to know her birth brother. Her friends and you. There is this infection that no one knows the source of, yet I cannot have him threatening her with bodies hanging on your gate each rising.”

  “Gary says no one else can deal with the infection other than Elisabeta, and she cannot do so without you,” Tariq said.

  “I am aware of that.”

  “You are not the only one capable of hunting the vampire,” Benedek pointed out. “We are simply sitting around doing nothing, and time is weighing on us. Already, several of us have discussed picking up his trail or having your lifemate summon him out into the open.”

  Ferro’s first reaction to the suggestion was an instant and irrevocable no. He didn’t voice it, not when his brethren were ready to hunt the master vampire that it was his duty to dispatch. They wouldn’t see it that way. They were vampire hunters and had been so for centuries. Like him, they always would be.

  Sergey Malinov had wronged Elisabeta, Ferro’s lifemate. Hunting vampires was never personal. Emotions could never be brought into their battles. Fortunately, even for those who eventually found their lifemates, they had gone so long without emotion that when hunting the vampire, it was easy to slip back into hunting mode where emotions were completely suppressed. Ferro hoped, even with the things he knew Sergey had subjected Elisabeta to, he could still deliver justice in the way the Carpathian hunters were taught to do. Just his reaction to having his brethren hunt rather than h
im told him he wasn’t as in control as he should be.

  The ancients had gathered around Tariq and Ferro, right at the front gate of the compound, consulting together. Already the sound of children laughing could be heard. Genevieve’s soft voice replied to something Charlotte said, and the children laughed again. Charlotte was aware, through Tariq, of the carnage outside their gate, but she played her part, making her children and their nanny comfortable, acting as though this evening was like any other. The children could laugh and have fun before their studies began.

  “We will hunt together,” Ferro decided. “While Sergey’s trail is fresh. There are enough of us that one of us should be able to find his latest lair. If we do, we can send word to the others and go after him together. No doubt he will have surrounded himself with an army.” They could never forget that the moment Sergey’s life was threatened, the slivers of his brothers and Xavier would abandon him to seek other hosts. They would need preparation for that. It would not just be a simple matter of destroying the vampire, as much as Ferro wanted it to be. He would need a plan.

  Tariq turned to Gary. “Did you have time to examine those of us who were exposed to the infection earlier?” He turned to the others to explain. “We are keeping a log of everyone who had the burns. What they did prior to receiving them, and what they did after. Eventually, we should find a connection.”

  “I examined you, Tariq, and there is evidence, as I told you, of light scorching. Josef has much heavier burns and is showing signs of becoming belligerent again. Traian and Joie are watching over him and he’s aware that the burns are back. He’s doing his best to keep his temper under control until Elisabeta rises and can free him of the scoring. Sandu and Dragomir show no signs of any burns.”

  “Have you any idea why you are unable to heal these burns when our healers have always been able to learn to heal anything very quickly?” Tariq asked.