Destiny sighed. “I wish him the best of luck. Are you worried for him?” She tunneled her fingers in his luxurious hair. “He’s well able to care for himself.”
Nicolae turned his head to kiss her fingers. “I know he is. Often when a hunter close to turning is given a job such as this, it allows him more breathing space. He does not have to kill, and the call of the darkness is not so loud.” He stood up, donning clothes. “Come on, the sky is beautiful tonight.”
Destiny followed him, grateful for the ability to fly. It was her favorite pastime. She laughed aloud. It
had
been her favorite pastime.
Nicolae caught her thought, and there in the air, as they burst from the cave, he pulled her to him and kissed her until the world spun out of control and they were forced to break apart. The wind blew in their faces and scattered the stars as they made their way to the neighborhood Destiny loved so much.
They stood together in front of the church. Destiny gazed at the building for a long while. It had been a refuge to her; now it was an old friend. “I love this place, Nicolae. And the people. I know you would like to go back to your homeland, and I’ll go with you... I will... but this will always be my favorite place to live. And the people here will always be in my heart.”
“We do not have to live in my homeland, Destiny. In truth, it has been many centuries since I have walked in my mountains. A visit will be enough for me. Perhaps, when you are ready, we can go for a short vacation.”
Her face lit up. “Then you would be willing to make this place our main residence?” She had dreaded leaving the people who had become so dear to her.
“I find myself very fond of this neighborhood, and in particular, a certain chamber filled with various pools. We will have to find a suitable house and establish a home so we can blend in.”
“That would be perfect, Nicolae. And I will go to the Carpathian Mountains with you. Gregori and Savannah were wonderful and very accepting of me. I can hardly be a coward and refuse to visit the Prince. We owe them both so much.”
“No one would ever call you a coward, Destiny,” he said decisively.
She stretched, raising her arms toward the moon and sparkling stars. “I think we should visit Velda. And it would be good to know how the doctor’s death affected our friends after all the problems he caused them.” She liked the term “friends.” She had never thought to have any, and she cherished each of them.
With her dark hair blowing in the wind, enfolding her body like a living cape of silk, he thought she looked like a mysterious, ethereal witch worshiping nature. She turned her head to look at him, and at once he was drowning in her blue-green eyes.
“I worship you,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t and I don’t want you to let it go to your head, but for this one moment in time, I do.”
A slow smile curved his sculpted lips. “I do not think there is much of a chance of anything going to my head.” Nicolae held out his hand to her.
Destiny shook her head. “I was so absolutely certain the culprit had to be a vampire. For so long I had it in my head that what I had become was a monster and humans were good unless something evil such as drugs took hold.”
His hand curled around the nape of her neck, his fingers beginning a slow massage. “Monsters come in all shapes and sizes and species. Not all Carpathians turn into vampires. They are just people attempting to survive. As all humans are simply people struggling to live the best life they can. You were robbed of your childhood, Destiny, but you are a survivor, and you managed to carve out a life for yourself.”
She leaned into him. “You were always there for me, Nicolae. I always had you.” She turned up her face, blatantly inviting his kiss.
He bent his dark head to hers and took possession of her mouth. The earth beneath their feet shifted. His arms wrapped her up, strong and tight, and drew her against the hard length of him.
“I’m afraid you can’t do that sort of thing here,” Father Mulligan pointed out as he came out of the church and regarded them with a twinkling eye.
“Don’t you ever go to bed?” Destiny asked him as Nicolae reluctantly broke their kiss. “Isn’t there a priest curfew or something?”
Father Mulligan’s eyebrow nearly shot up into his scalp. “My dear child. A priest is like an angel without wings, one who may be called upon at any time of the day or night.”
Destiny burst out laughing. Nicolae felt his heart turn over. There was no sound as beautiful as her laughter. “You are terrible, Father. Would you like to come to Velda’s house with us? We’d like to make certain she’s all right.”