“I do not feel easy about this, Natalya.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “You aren’t helping. I’m trying to remember if he stepped forward with his left foot or with his right.”
“His left.” The answer came out of his memory, minute details recorded automatically without thought. “He switched leads.”
She flashed a grin at him as she wiped beads of sweat from her face. “You might be useful after all.” She pointed toward the edge of the bog. “Wait over there. I don’t want you hovering over me, making me nervous.” She waited until he complied before leading with her left foot.
Vikirnoff folded his arms across his chest, assuming his expressionless mask. “It is good to know you are finally coming to the conclusion that I am useful.” His fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white and his muscles began to ache from the terrible tension that continued to rise in his gut.
In the forest behind them the trees started to sway gently, almost imperceptible at first, but Vikirnoff’s acute hearing picked up the rustle of the pine needles and he swung around alertly. There was a little moonlight shining through the woods and the branches were illuminated in a ghostly silver. The needles appeared more like skinny fingers with sharp nails reaching out toward the bog. The ripple of unease grew stronger. Vikirnoff turned so he could watch both the forest and Natalya as she proceeded through the swamp.
She stepped forward a second time with her left foot, swayed precariously so that his heart jumped into his throat. Natalya regained her balance and took several more steps, each with more confidence, so he was surprised when she halted again abruptly.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know.” Her hand slid to her sword, touching the sheath for the comfort of knowing it was close. “Did you hear something?”
“The wind?” But it wasn’t the wind. There was barely a wind. Voices sounded in the distance, wailing and crying, the rise and fall faint, but discernable.
“You wish it was the wind. It’s going to be something nasty,” Natalya predicted. “The sound has increased with every step I’ve taken. And look at the surface of the water.”
Vikirnoff stepped closer to the edge of the bog. The ground shook and several plants vibrated with the motion. He halted instantly, his gaze riveted to the surface rather than the plants. The water was stagnant and should have been still, but it moved in peculiar patterns, not fast or abruptly, but rather so slowly that it was almost imperceptible, yet when he peered closer, faces seemed to stare back at him.
“Are there bodies in the bog?”
“Ugg!” Natalya drew back, staring down at the surface, her fingers grasping her sword hilt. “That’s gross. I didn’t even think of that. I don’t think there are bodies in the swamp, but now I’m worried something dead is going to reach up and grab my ankle and yank me in.” The moment she uttered the words there was a small silence. She reached down to rub at the finger marks on her ankle. “Do you think he’s here?”
Vikirnoff knew she meant Razvan. “Let’s get out of here, Natalya. You do not have to do this.” He took another step toward her and sank to his ankles.
“Don’t!” she said it sharply, shaking her head adamantly. “I have to do this. We both agreed. If I don’t now, I’ll never come back. I need you to give me confidence.”
He swore under his breath, resisting the urge to take to the air and snatch her back from the center of the bog. “You do not ask very much of me, do you?”
“You know, when you started in about the entire lifemate thing, I didn’t protest too much, because you were kind of cute.” Natalya pulled her gaze away from a shimmering face with its mouth open in a scream. She took several more careful steps, sure of the pattern, and stopped only feet away from where her father had hidden the book. “At the time, I didn’t realize how incredibly bossy you are or how grumpy you can be.”
“Kind of cute? You didn’t protest too much?” Vikirnoff echoed. “In all your late night movies did you ever come across a character named Pinocchio?”
Natalya burst out laughing. “Of all the movies, you had to have seen that one. That’s so you.”
He grinned at her. “Actually, I did not see it. I read the book, but I knew it was made into a movie and the character was someone you could relate to.”
“It’s a good thing you’re over there and I’m over here. I’d push you into one of the sinkholes and just leave you to contemplate your sins.” Natalya gave a little sniff. “I may have stretched the truth slightly, at least the kind of cute part, but I didn’t lie.”
She took the last few steps through the bog, until she was standing in the exact spot her father had stood in years earlier. “This is it. I feel my father here. Now it gets complicated.”
All around the small island of grass where she stood, the faces forming in the surface of the water gathered, mouths gaping open, sightless eyes wide. Some of the faces were larger than others, rising up like small waves and trembling as if made of gelatin. “See, this is the kind of thing to put in movies,” Natalya said. “Only no one would believe it. It’s plain freaky.”
“What do they want?”
“They are the guardians of the book. I imagine, if I make a wrong move, they’re going to let me know very fast.” She took a breath and let it out, slowing her pounding heart and stilling the strange roaring in her ears. “If they grab me, I have high expectations that you’ll dive into the water and do something to get me back.”
He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “It has taken me a while to train you in the ways of submissive lifemates. I would not want that time to be wasted.”
She flicked a quick glance at him. Just his presence, calm and confident, his wide shoulders and strong, beloved masculine face calmed her churning stomach. “So let’s get it done and when it’s over, you are going to strike the word ‘submissive’ from your vocabulary right along with your ‘little slip of a girl.’ ”
“At this rate I will not be allowed to speak.”
“And your point would be?”
“I am not making any promises.”
She smiled. It was barely there, a brief curve of her mouth and then gone again, but his heart contracted. “Somehow I knew you’d say that.” The warmth faded from her eyes to be replaced by fear. “Seriously, Vikirnoff, if anything happens to me, remember that whatever is in this book, is worth dying for. Xavier killed to seal the book and he’s killed again and again to get it back. You have to find a way to destroy it. Don’t let anyone try to use it.”
“I will be damned angry if anything happens to you and you have never seen me truly angry before. Get it done and let us leave this place.”
She rolled her eyes. “I love it when you get all bossy on me. It’s silly and never works, but it’s kind of cute.”
Natalya turned away from him, grateful she’d had the last word. She was already feeling the pull of the book. It called to her, a treasure lost, a book filled with centuries of work, recipes for good, for healing, for working miracles. Xavier, a brilliant man lost to the corruption of power and greed, had distorted the work of so many. When had Xavier been derailed? Had it been a gradual decline? It must have been. The Carpathians had once been friends with him, trusted him. Rhiannon had studied under him. Had that been the start of the tragedy? Had he craved her immortality? Her beauty? Had he grown old while she stayed young?
Natalya shook her head to rid herself of all thoughts. She needed to concentrate, to think only of the complicated pattern her father had woven into the air when he set the safeguards. She had to reverse his spell, using his words, but backwards, paying particular attention to every syllable he had enunciated. She felt Vikirnoff with her, merging firmly, his mind and memory open to her and that added to her confidence. She was a natural talent and she had worked hard to hone her skills. Although she feared Xavier, she was very aware that she had outmaneuvered him several times and that her talent as a mage was nearly on par with his in spite of her comparative youth.
/> Do not think you can go up against him. Vikirnoff snapped the order, uncaring that she might get angry. If I thought for one moment that you would do something so stupid, I would not only forbid such a thing, but I would prevent you from such a folly. Rhiannon believed she could match him with her talent and you know what happened to her.
I am not nearly as egotistical as you seem to think I am. I’m busy here, Vik, don’t be bothering me. It occurred to her even as she turned away from him that Vikirnoff was as reluctant for her to put her hands on the book as she was to touch it. She brushed his mind with warmth, with reassurance.
Vikirnoff held his breath as she began to weave a graceful pattern in the air. She turned slightly to mimic the exact angle her father had taken. Her voice, soft and melodious, but commanding, called on the elements to aid her. The air around the bog grew heavy, pressing on them, nearly suffocating them, as she murmured the reverse of the safeguards, choosing each word carefully and using her father’s peculiar rhythm.
The moaning of the wind increased. The branches in the pine forest clacked together and needles flew like sharpened darts through the air. Vikirnoff shifted slightly as the water began to rise and seep around his feet. Tuffs of grass disappeared. Anxiously, he looked at the spot where Natalya stood. Water lapped at the toes of her boots. The faces on the surface surrounded her tiny square of grass, empty eye sockets watching her every move. Waiting for one mistake. One misstep.
Admiration grew for Natalya as he watched the way her hands swayed in the air, never faltering, never trembling. Merged as deeply as he was with her, he knew her fears, yet she stood in the center of the bog encircled by danger without flinching, looking magnificent. He was the one with the beads of sweat trickling down his body. He was the one with his heart in his throat. He was on the balls of his feet, ready for action, ready to take to the air and reach her should something go wrong. All the while he watched her, his heart swelled with pride. It was nearly impossible to believe she was really his lifemate. She seemed an extraordinary miracle of which he would never be worthy.
The air shimmered as her hands dropped to her sides. The faces in the water moaned softly, emitting cries of protest as the book ascended from the murky depths. Red water poured off the oilskins, looking like trails of blood as the thick tome emerged. Small waves crested around the small square of grass, covering Natalya’s feet.
Vikirnoff leapt into the air and was on her in seconds, grasping her around the waist and jerking her out of the bog as the book floated into her outstretched hands. A loud hum was his only warning and he wrapped his arms around her firmly, protecting her with his body as he threw shields up around them. Insects crashed into the barrier, the sound breaking the stillness of the night.
Natalya hooked one arm around his neck and wedged the book between them. “It’s heavy.”
It also smelled foul and dripped water down the front of them. Vikirnoff immediately cleaned and dried the package even as he streaked away from the bog back toward the mountains and the caverns he loved.
You were incredible.
I know. Shocking talent, aren’t I? Natalya did her best to see in every direction as they streaked across the sky. I’m getting used to traveling this way. I kind of like it.
It is very convenient.
Natalya felt him nuzzle her hair. Unexpected desire shot through her. It was such a casual gesture, but at the same time, it felt intimate. My birthmark is beginning to burn just a bit. A vampire is coming close to us.
I do not want to take any chances as long as we have the book. We should go back to the caverns and decide what to do from there. Do you think Xavier is tied to the book in some way? Will he know it is out of the hiding place?
Natalya shook her head. I doubt it. If he could have traced the book, he would have known it was in the bog and he would have sent someone to search the place until they found it. He wouldn’t have dared to go himself. The bog is located too deep in Carpathian territory, and he feared Carpathians more than anything else. It was strange to remember small details denied to her for so long. Vikirnoff’s safeguards obviously prevented Razvan from being able to suppress her memories. The longer her brother was out of her mind, the stronger her memories became.
I doubt he would have trusted anyone else.
Razvan. He would have sent my brother. Razvan has little natural skill as a mage. He wouldn’t have noticed the safeguards for what they were. He would have done a cursory inspection of the area and gone back to Xavier and told him the book wasn’t there.
Vikirnoff took them through the small opening in the chimney and dropped through the mountain until it widened out into the larger chamber. He waved his hand and flames leapt to life on the candles as he placed her feet carefully on the floor.
“Where are we going to put the book?”
Vikirnoff took it from her and slipped it into her backpack. He didn’t even glance at the book for which they’d risked so much. “This will do for now. We’ll discuss a safer place to hide it later.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I realized, there in that foul smelling bog, that revelations occur in the most unlikely places.”
Natalya’s eyebrow shot up. “Really? What world-shattering revelation was imparted to you there in that foul-smelling bog?”
“Just that I never wanted Donna Reed or June Cleaver. It has always been Xena, warrior woman who had my heart.” His tone was casual, matter-of-fact, not at all as if he were handing over his heart to her.
“The revelation just came to you right there in the middle of the bog, did it?” Natalya slipped out of her double harness and removed several clips. “Somewhere between the water making nasty faces at me and the rather pathetic audio effects?”
He nodded. “Yes. It became very clear to me.”
“You’re just a tiny bit slow on the uptake, there, Gomer.” She set her sword up against the cavern wall and laid several knives in a semicircle around it. “You should have figured it out in the forest when I saved your butt the first time we met.”
“Gomer?”
“Pyle. I’ll explain later. Right now, I want to hear more about your revelation.” She placed her backpack in the center of the semicircle directly in front of the sword.
“The last time I tried to bring up Xena, you terminated the discussion,” he pointed out, folding his arms across his chest.
“Well, now you’ve had a revelation, haven’t you? That changes things.”
“Would you like me to set the safeguards for that?” He indicated the backpack with his chin.
“You may as well. If I do it, my brother will be able to track us immediately.” She tilted her head, studying him as he glided over to the cavern wall. She loved watching him move. “You could take your shirt off while you’re working. I wouldn’t want you to get hot or anything.”
His eyes went dark with heat as he shrugged out of the shirt and tossed it aside. She watched the play of muscles across his back as he raised his arms to weave the safeguards.
“You’re breathtaking, you know that? I guess I can forgive you for being an absolute dope sometimes.”
Vikirnoff laughed, the sound startling both of them. He rarely laughed and when he did it warmed his eyes and took the hard-edged expression from his face. Natalya found an answering grin on her own face.
“Your adoring compliments take my breath away.”
“Well, don’t let them go to your head. I’m only feeling this way temporarily. You said something nice for a change.” Natalya held her breath as he sauntered toward her. He could look so powerful just walking. Just breathing. The effect he had on her was absolutely idiotic.
“I am reading your thoughts.”
“Really? Are you getting the part about what an incredible lover you are and how I might be able to put up with your bossy nonsense if you keep me happy in other ways?” She shrugged. “Just asking, in case, you know, you wanted to start keeping me happy.”
Vikirnoff was s
uddenly crowding her so that she took several steps backward. “Where do you think you are going?” His hand snaked out to wrap around the nape of her neck, abruptly stopping her.
“Nowhere. You just move so fast sometimes.”
“Are you saying I intimidate you?” There was a wealth of amusement in his voice.
“As if.” She moved into the shelter of his body, loving the way his skin heated her as if he absorbed her, or she just melted into him. “I am not easily intimidated.” She ran her fingertips over his chest, trying to press closer, inhaling him to take him into her lungs. Vikirnoff was like a rock, solid and steady. “Especially by you.”
“That is a good thing.” He bent his head to hers.
Natalya loved how slowly his mouth descended to capture hers. His breath was warm. His eyes changed right before his lips claimed hers, going dark with desire. There was the feel of his hand tightening on her neck, the pad of his thumb sliding over her skin. So many sensations, all before his mouth took possession of hers. He created intimacy between them with so many small details, each one making her feel like she belonged to him. Like he belonged to her.
She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the wonder of his mouth. She allowed the heat to claim her, to sweep through her body so that she caught fire from him. She wanted to kiss him forever, to drown in the taste and scent of him. His arms closed around her, strong, reassuring, possessive even, dragging her closer, setting off a multitude of butterflies winging their way around her stomach.
Vikirnoff wanted to kiss her forever. He called her ainaak enyém, forever mine, and he had all along. His mind had known and his body had known, even his soul had known, but it had taken spending time with her before his heart had caught up. She was so much more than ainaak enyém, she was ainaak sívamet jutta, his ‘forever to my heart connected’, and she would be for all time. The crazy thing was, he didn’t even know how it happened.
Christine Feehan 5 CARPATHIAN NOVELS Page 109
