lara spun around, turning in circles, trying to find nicolas and the vampire. one moment they had both been there and now she couldn't see either one of them. cursing, she ran back out from the trees. the soil may have stopped the worst of the bleeding, but it didn't take away the pain of torn flesh. she could barely breathe with the pain, yet she managed to shove it aside in her anxiety for him.

nicolas! the moment she called to him she was afraid she had distracted him at the worst possible moment.

several yards away, just over a rise, she saw snow blast up into the air. she sprinted, or at least tried to, sinking ankle-deep into the powder. she needed snowshoes on her feet, or at the very least, the ability to run across the surface. weaving a pattern with her graceful hands, lara leapt as if she were a snow hare.

strings of sinew, finest bone, bend and shape, form and hone. weave and place upon these feet, lightest paws of a snow hare be.

lara felt a tingling, stretching sensation in her feet as she landed back in the snow and hurried across the meadow toward the rising slope. the pain in her back and stomach grew with every step, but she forced her body forward, afraid for nicolas. he had taken the brunt of the attack. now she could hear the vampire snarling and growling. the sounds were hideous. nicolas was totally silent, making her pulse pound and fear clutch at her.

instinctively, her mind reached out to connect with nicolas and found-a killer. there was no hint of her charming lifemate, so intent on courting her. there was no mercy, no gentleness, nothing but a killing machine made of sinew and bone, honed by centuries of battles and a mind made for combat.

she skidded to a halt, pressing her palm to her mouth. did she want to see him like that? know him like that? the killer was as much a part of him as that smooth, charming man, the one who had kissed her senseless and taken her on the wildest ride of her life, and he was in a fight for his life-both of their lives.

she knew evil when she saw it, and the vampire had the same peculiar odor as xavier's pet mutations-the parasites. she pushed down the gathering bile caused by just the stench alone, and forced her body forward. she couldn't leave him wounded to fight a battle with such evil when she might find a way to help him.

lara dropped down on her belly and scooted the rest of the way up the rise to peer over the snowbank. below she could see sprays of crimson streaked across the sparkling snow, as if someone had thrown red paint in slashing lines in every direction. a lone tree, bent under the weight of the snow, stood as a sentinel watching the age-old battle between vampire and hunter.

nicolas stood a distance from her, tall and straight, his hair flowing behind him, his eyes glowing with power. in spite of the injuries-now open where the vampire obviously had raked down his chest and belly with talons, tearing away the soil patch-nicolas moved with fluid grace, a blurring speed she could barely comprehend, as he streaked across the snow to slam his fist deep into the chest of the vampire.

the vampire screamed and clawed at nicolas's face, but the hunter had already leapt out of reach, using his tremendous speed. it hadn't been his first attack. lara could see three deep wounds on the undead. the two combatants circled each other.

"your woman will be fodder for animals. they'll eat her flesh and drink what i leave of her blood."

nicolas didn't reply, didn't engage in conversation. his gaze never left the vampire. his breath came slow and easy, although lara couldn't imagine the agony he must have been in with his severe wounds. there was something about him. she couldn't help but admire the lone warrior, facing an enemy with such confidence, nothing in his mind but absolute victory.

shewanted to be like nicolas. she wanted that confidence in herself, to know she could handle any situation alone if necessary. she didn't want to be afraid anymore. she could see how nicolas had gotten the way he was-hehad to be confident to the point of arrogance, he had to believe in his own abilities or he would have never survived.

the vampire spat a mouthful of blood, hate twisting his features. twice his gaze shifted toward the sky and both times nicolas feinted a movement, bringing attention back to him. the third time, nicolas

moved again with that same blurring speed. the vampire turned his head at the last moment, meeting the attack with a shriek, shapeshifting to avoid the enormous strength that smashed through bone and sinew to reach for the vulnerable, blackened heart.

nicolas hit the undead as he tried to shift, half-vampire form, half-wolf. the muzzle elongated, razor-sharp teeth driving straight at nicolas's face. lara bit back a scream of fear and buried her face in her hands. her body began to shake so hard her teeth rattled. how could he face that? he hadn't even flinched. she peeked out between her fingers and saw his face, a mask of blood, his arm buried deep into the cartoonish werewolf's chest.

the creature was nearly seven feet tall, and he caught at nicolas with clawed hands, jerking him back, shrieking as nicolas refused to let go of the heart. the vampire shook him, slamming a fist into his chest repeatedly in an effort to dislodge those burrowing fingers. the eyes went cunning and she saw the gaze lock on nicolas's throat. her heart nearly stopped, but she flung her hands up, weaving a hasty pattern of protection.

orr of earth, forged by fire, circle cast by need-desire, form this metal into a ring of hard titanium.

the pattern glowed white-hot and then cooled as it formed a protective circle around nicolas neck just as the werewolf thrust its head straight toward nicolas's exposed throat. saliva and blood dripping, the muzzle gaped wide, and then clamped down hard with a frightening crunch just as nicolas yanked his arm back. a terrible sucking sound made lara's stomach churn, but she fought back the need to get sick. the werewolf's teeth sank hard and deep, hitting the titanium collar. the vampire roared as its teeth shattered into pieces and the heart was drawn completely from its rotted cavern. he lumbered after nicolas, who was backpedaling, throwing the blacked organ onto the snow and calling down the lightning at the same time.

thunder cracked and a white-hot bolt of energy slammed into the heart, incinerating it, and then jumped to the vampire. he glowed, burst into orange-red flames, sending noxious fumes into the air. the vampire burst into ashes, and nicolas directed the energy bolt to burn everything until it disappeared. only then did he sag a little, reaching into the energy to bathe away the acid blood from his arms and chest.

he turned toward her, his expression a dark mask, his eyes brooding, hooded, concealing his thoughts as he took a step. nicolas staggered and recovered. lara stood up slowly, her entire body shaking. there was blood everywhere, and he had wounds on his face, chest, abdomen and back. how he could be standing, she didn't know.

he glanced skyward, and leapt the distance between them, crowding her body behind his as he faced the trails of mist forming out of the lightly falling snow. the mist began to shimmer and a tall man with nearly waist-length black hair came striding out of the snow.

"nicolas?"

the black eyes took in the wounds as well as lara pushed behind him. the gaze jumped from her red-gold banded hair to her eyes swirling between green and blue.

"i did not recognize the vampire, vikirnoff," nicolas said. "he was fairly young. no more than three or four hundred years old. why are they turning so young?"

natalya was quickly making her way to stand by vikirnoff. she always was near her lifemate, especially

if a vampire was in the area. nicolas didn't want the couple there. it was petty of him and made him feel ashamed and even stupid that he wanted more time alone with lara. he had always been so self-assured, but now he feared losing her, feared she would leave him-or stay with him because of the lifemate bond, but never find it in her heart to love him.

it was pitiful to think that he wanted love from her. he had been self-sufficient all of his life and it made him angry to think he needed her. yet here he was afraid-afraid-she would ask sanctuary from her kin.

nicolas turned to lara and held out his hand. "let me take a look at your injuries." he pulled her to him and lifted the hem of her sweater.

lara caught at his wrist and glanced toward the strangers, obviously uncomfortable. "the fire spear cauterized the wounds for the most part. i lost a little blood, but not enough to worry about, especially once i packed it with soil. but you're a mess." she touched his face with gentle fingers.

fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso. beloved, allow me to see. i must heal you before i can see to my own injuries.

give me a minute. her fingers sought his, tangled and held on.

nicolas tried not to be so happy about her clinging to him. he brushed his lips against her forehead before performing the introductions aloud. "lara, this is vikirnoff and his lifemate, natalya. she is your blood-kin."

it set his teeth on edge that he was so petty that he rejoiced she was distressed in the company of her father's sister, but he couldn't help the rush of satisfaction. nor could he help the need to heal her wounds without a moment's delay. it hurt to see her injured. he swung around to face her, his palm sliding beneath her sweater to press his hand over the wound. at once heat leapt from him to her. startled, she looked up at him with her enormous green eyes and he felt dizzy-drowning.

it was a strange feeling to be so off balance and he didn't like it much.

nicolas slid his hand away as fast as he'd touched her, stepping to her side so that he could draw her beneath his shoulder, one hand sliding around to her back where his fingers snaked beneath the sweater to lay over the wound.

natalya stared at her twin's daughter, her eyes filling with tears. "you look like him-like me-us." she leaned back against vikirnoff for comfort. "i'm natalya, razvan's twin sister."

lara swallowed the ball of fear blocking her throat, locking her body so she didn't stumble back and away as she wanted to do. she reached behind her until she found nicolas's wrist to steady herself. "i don't look anything at all like him," she denied. aware she sounded like a child-even her voice was higher pitched-she took a steadying breath and tried again. "he had dark hair streaked with gray. mostly he's gray. and his face is etched deep with lines, not at all smooth. he's thin, and white."

carpathian men do not go gray unless they are tortured beyond endurance. it takes.. .much... to produce gray hair, thinness and deep lines .

you have deep lines.

i have been in countless battles and made many kills. more and more i believe your father has been fighting xavier to save not only his family, but perhaps all carpathians.

we are not carpathian.

dragonseeker blood is strong. you are carpathian.

a single sound of distress escaped before natalya could stop it. she touched her tongue to her lips and made a visible effort to recover from the news of her brother. "we need to help your lifemate. he needs his wounds healed and blood fast. perhaps you would care to accompany us back to our home?"

lara's fingernails dug into his palm. nicolas brought her knuckles to his mouth and nibbled on her skin to distract her. "we were on our way to visit with you when we were attacked. thank you for the invitation."yes or no ?

her eyes met his, her nod nearly imperceptible.

"thank you, we will come."

vikirnoff casually brought his hand to his mouth and tore open his wrist, extending his arm toward nicolas. several bright drops of blood splattered onto the ground. lara gasped as the sight hit her like a blow. she closed her eyes, unable to watch as nicolas took the proffered wrist.

nicolas hesitated. "natalya can take you up to the house," he offered.

lara kept her eyes closed, trying not to draw the scent of blood into her lungs. her stomach lurched, but she shook her head. "i'll wait for you."just get it over with .

nicolas politely closed the ragged tear on vikirnoff's wrist. "thank you, but i can wait until we are out of the open."

vikirnoff opened his mouth to protest. his gaze brushed lara's ashen face and he shrugged. "we had better hurry then."

natalya glanced at lara sharply, then at nicolas's ravaged body. her lips tightened but she didn't voice a protest. nevertheless, lara knew she wanted to and that one, small glance shamed her. nicolas had fought to save their lives, and had done so without flinching from the task. his body bore many deep wounds, but he only had considered taking care of her injuries, slight in comparison to his, yet she couldn't stand the sight of him taking the blood necessary to restore his strength and take the pain from his wounds.

it is no one's business but ours why we both choose our path. nicolas flicked a warning glance at natalya that had vikirnoff bristling.

natalya put a restraining hand on his wrist and shimmered, shifting into mist, before taking to the air. vikirnoff followed her.

"i'm sorry." lara blinked back tears burning in her eyes. "i feel so ashamed."

"there is no need for that. you may have saved my life with your quick thinking." nicolas touched his neck where the collar had stopped the vampire's teeth from ripping him open. the bite wouldn't really

have killed him, and he had been prepared for the shock and pain of it, bracing himself to give himself the time to rip the heart from the chest, but she certainly had cut short the battle, giving him those precious few seconds longer. "that was quick thinking and ingenious on your part."

the praise in his voice made her color rise. "can i help you heal? i'm not the best healer, but i have some skills." she had no idea how to help him with the injuries, but he looked so alone and she hated being the one to make him feel that way. she wanted to show solidarity, even though her inability to watch him take blood delayed his getting help. she felt awkward asking, but she couldn't let it go. "i know the carpathian healing chant. my aunts learned it from their mother and they taught it to me, but i don't really know how to actually heal wounds very well. maybe you could teach me what to do, just in case this happens again."

he smiled down at her, his expression tender. "it will happen again. here, we can gather the richest soil we can find, mix it with our saliva."

"the healing agent in yours is probably much stronger than mine."

she chose a spot directly under the trees. she wanted a place where flowers grew in abundance. the plants were dormant, but the soil lay beneath the snow, black with minerals. she mixed the soil and saliva and made a compress for the wounds.

earth with healing properties, flower beneath the earth do see, twine your essences, fill these wounds gently, apply your healing boon.

she breathed into the mixture, chanting softly in carpathian, unaware she did so. she added her own special blend to aid in healing him.

this man is a shadow but of the light, help him to heal to resume his fight.

she was a little hesitant, afraid of hurting him, but she pressed the mixture carefully into the gouges on his chest and into his abdomen with gentle fingers. there was a small silence as she worked carefully, making certain to cover every scratch. she could barely breathe with the feel of his skin beneath her fingers, with the heat of his body so close. he remained very still, almost holding his breath, but her heartbeat followed the rhythm of his in exact synchronization.

"how long do you leave this on? i can't get past putting dirt into a wound." her voice trembled a little.

"i should be able to clean it off in a few minutes." his hand cupped her chin and raised her face up to his. the pad of his thumb slid over her lower lip in a little caress.

lara's gaze locked with his. her breath stilled in her lungs. a shiver of excitement whispered down her spine. there was raw hunger in his burning black eyes, a desire that seemed to match the sudden smoldering in the pit of her stomach. heat spread. arousal skimmed over her thighs and breasts.

nicolas bent his dark head toward hers. his lips brushed over hers, feather-light, a question, a demand, a soft entreaty and a firm insistence. she answered, drawing him into the soft haven of her mouth.

i'm so glad you're safe. her voice was shy.

nicolas let his lashes fall, blocking out all sensation but the wet, velvet heat of her mouth. he could get lost there, eating her up, drinking her in. molten lava poured into his veins, thick and hot, fueling every

desire.

he deepened the kiss, took more of a command, pressing her a little to see if she would respond. it was getting more difficult to keep his hands off of her when the demons roared and his body hardened into one unrelenting ache. everything inside of him knew lara was the other half of his soul, the keeper of his heart. he feared she would never feel the same.

her hands came up to curl in his hair, but she was tentative in her response, a little shy, not quite swept away as he wanted. he let it go. this wasn't the time or place, and she wasn't quite ready for that next step with him. he would have to be satisfied that she was reaching for him, even meeting him part way.

his hands were gentle as he allowed them to slip from her face. he loved the sexy, slightly dazed look in her eyes.

"can you shift again?"

she blinked several times, her small teeth biting into her lower lip. she nodded.

a slow smile softened the hard cut to his mouth. "follow the image in my mind and hold it. each time you practice you will become more adept at it. when we get to vikirnoff's home, it will not take more than a few minutes to make things right."

she knew he meant taking blood from vikirnoff. he was swaying a little, she noticed, and the lines in his face seemed etched a bit deeper. there was no reprimand she could find in his mind, no looking down on her because she couldn't abide the thought of his taking someone else's blood. she found the genuine acceptance he gave her humbling and maybe a little healing. she breathed a little easier. "let's go then. i don't want you to have to wait any longer than you already have."

he took a step to his right, holding mist uppermost in his mind and in hers. she felt the change almost immediately. the rush of adrenaline nearly stopped her from shifting, but she pulled back and let go of her physical body. it was much easier to accept the change this time and she was both exhilarated and proud that she managed to shift into mist and streak across the sky with nicolas. she knew he was holding the image for her, but she didn't care. she'd done the impossible and it felt like a huge milestone to her.

i've learned a lot tonight, nicolas, thank you.

he brushed her mind with an intimate warmth that poured over her like warm honey. her heart contracted. he was finding his way inside her, past every barrier she'd erected from childhood. his gentleness was so unexpected when he was such a dangerous, arrogant man. he made her feel as if she were the only important person in his life. he didn't care if natalya didn't approve of her-she was enough for him just the way she was and his acceptance went a long way toward making her feel much more confident in herself.

the house was built into the mountainside, so artfully arranged it was nearly impossible until one was right up on it to see it. lara and nicolas shifted on the rock steps leading to the cool shade of a porch, all built out of the same stone. lara enjoyed the feel of going into a cave. the front looked like a home, with windows and a door, but made out of the mountain itself. the house itself was well lit with bright hanging lights, marble floors and gleaming polished wood everywhere.

"you have decided to settle here," nicolas said, looking around the warm room.

"unlike you and your family," vikirnoff said, "my brother and i only spent the last few years hunting together and never in one location. prior to that, we moved from region to region filling in where no ancient was posted. it will be nice to have a home after so long. nicolae and destiny are settling here as well. we will be able to help guard the prince and the women and children in the hopes of rebuilding our people."

lara was grateful for nicolas's hand on the small of her back, connecting them. he was also in her mind and it steadied her to face natalya, who did look so much like herself. if razvan had looked like her at one time, he no longer did, but natalya could have been her mother-or sister.

natalya waved her toward a deep, comfortable-looking chair. "please sit down. it's amazing to finally meet you."

nicolas took her hand as she sank into the thick cushions, his thumb sweeping over her palm in a gentle caress.will you be all right for a few moments without me ?

her stomach lurched. when had she become such a coward? was she so thrown by the scent and sight of parasites and silver eyes that she could no longer cope on her own? maybe it had been death in those eyes and the scent of decay? whatever childhood trauma she had dredged up refused to go away. the door had cracked open and she had to deal with it.

she glanced up at nicolas. he looked so calm, so in control, so at peace while she was churning with doubt. he had to deal with her past as well.

we will do so together. again he flooded her with warmth, making her feel a part of him and not so alone.

yes, we will. and i'll be fine. don't worry about me.

nicolas bent to brush a kiss across the top of her head.reach for me if you need me, otherwise, i will keep us separate .

she moistened her lips. of course he would think to pull his mind from hers to prevent her from "seeing" or feeling what was happening as he took blood. she nodded to indicate she understood, managing a small, reassuring smile.

natalya watched nicolas leave the room with vikirnoff. "is he good to you?" she asked abruptly. "the de la cruz family has a certain reputation and they live by their own rules."

the question startled lara and she was uncertain how to answer. "we've only just met."

natalya nodded. "and he bound you to him, but the ritual isn't complete. do you know what happens to the man if the ritual is completed?"

lara shook her head. "i know only what my aunts told me in stories. i was a child and my memories of most of those years are vague, so i'm guessing some of it could be inaccurate as well. i often don't know what is real, planted by them, or my imagination."

"it must be very confusing for you."

"yes, but i'm learning a lot."

"i'm sorry i make you uncomfortable. i'm extremely happy to meet you, after all, you are my niece. colby, who is a lifemate to rafael, is your half-sister. razvan was also her father."

tension locked her muscles and stretched her nerves. natalya had deliberately inserted the information into the conversation to see her reaction. lara kept her face carefully blank. "i've been having a few flashbacks that may indicate that xavier possessed razvan's body in order to seduce women and get them pregnant, so he could feed on the blood of dragonseekers."

natalya winced. "he wanted to use me that way. razvan convinced him that i didn't have strong enough dragonseeker blood to be useful. he protected me my entire childhood and throughout the years after. i didn't realize what was happening to him until recently and then i thought he had somehow turned vampire or was in league with them." she leaned forward, her blue-green eyes locking with lara's. "do you know if that's true? do you know if he's still alive?"

lara bit down on her lower lip. what did she really know about razvan? her childhood memories had been faulty. she remembered little until the trauma of seeing the parasites. was he evil? had he turned evil? was he even still alive? there were so many conflicting pieces of memories rising now that she didn't know the truth. "i can't help you, as much as i'd like to. i don't have any answers. i see things that indicate to me that xavier not only possessed razvan's body, but he injected him with something that took his will-not his mind completely because he tried to resist, but ultimately, it appeared as if xavier was making him do terrible things and razvan was unable to overcome the combination of drugs and spells that xavier wove."

vikirnoff and nicolas came back into the room, catching the last part of the conversation. nicolas didn't look quite as drawn. he sat on the arm of lara's chair, his body positioned protectively toward her. "possession and taking over minds, making people into puppets, was xavier's forte. no one had his skill and he continued to perfect it over the years. it was one of the things the prince and he disagreed on. some things shouldn't be done." nicolas tangled his fingers in lara's hair. "xavier felt the carpathian people used mind control to get their way and he had every right to do so as well. it was difficult to argue with his logic."

"because there was truth in it," lara said.

nicolas nodded. "at the time, i felt we were using our mind control for good, and he wanted to use it to further his own ends, but lately i have learned that i certainly used it for my own selfish purposes. it is much easier and faster when i want cooperation so i just do so without thinking."

vikirnoff made a sound of disgust. "to ease someone's fears is not the same thing as making them do things they would never ordinarily do," he objected.

"such as give blood?" lara asked.

vikirnoff shifted forward aggressively. natalya put a gentle hand on his arm. "you have scars on your wrists, lara. i found a ceremonial knife that had been xavier's and when i accessed the memories, there was one of a young girl razvan was using to feed from. xavier came in and tried to take her blood as well and she was able to escape the cave with the help of two dragons."

nicolas's hand curled around the nape of lara's neck. "that was lara. her aunts were caught in the form of dragons and were too weak to escape as well. we are going back to the cave to determine their

fate as well as to try to figure out what happened to razvan."

vikirnoff sat up very straight. "that cave is one big trap, nicolas. we barely escaped with our lives. xavier left guardians and there were signs that the chambers are still in use at times. we have been watching it closely, but no one goes in there, it is far too risky."

nicolas's long, strong fingers began a slow massage on her neck. "we are well aware of the risk, vikirnoff, but we cannot live with ourselves if we do not find out the answers to our questions. the aunts risked everything to save lara. and the evidence that razvan has for centuries-not a few years, but centuries-endured torture. he is dragonseeker, which means there is the possibility that he could survive."

"we saw him attack natalya," vikirnoff pointed out. "he was in her head, tracking her, trying to lure her to him, to use her against us."

"but was razvan in his own mind? or was it xavier possessing or controlling razvan? lara and i need to find the answer to that question. and her aunts have been imprisoned long enough. dead or alive, and we do not expect to find them alive, we want to bring them home."

vikirnoff took natalya's hand. "you knew razvan better than any person alive. could this be possible? could it have been xavier controlling razvan?"

she closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "i don't know, vikirnoff. i truly don't know. he only came to me in my dreams. how could xavier intrude on dreams?"

"how can xavier find a way to imprison and keep from suicide one of the most powerful carpathian women? rhiannon's lifemate was murdered, yet xavier managed to force her to have triplets with him," nicolas pointed out. "i knew rhiannon and her lifemate. she would have followed him if she could have."

lara cleared her throat. "the aunts talked about her often. she was held prisoner by xavier and once she had the children, she stayed alive willingly to help protect them and teach them as much as she could about the carpathian and mage cultures. she imparted knowledge to them at a fast rate because she knew eventually xavier would murder her, and he did."

you didn't tell me this. nicolas's voice slid into her mind with ease.

i'm getting bits and pieces now. now they just come to me. she didn't know if she was happy about it or not.

nicolas didn't like her feeling so confused. in close proximity to natalya, lara was already edgy. she hid it well, but she was uncomfortable, her memories still too raw. twice she rubbed her wrist, although he knew it was habit more than pain, but the gesture served as a reminder of her trauma-->>

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