Dark Destiny(46)

Vikirnoff was not in the least disturbed by Nicolae’s outburst. Nothing seemed to provoke him these days.

Do not take that away from her.

Nicolae was immediately ashamed that he had taken out his fear on his brother.

I am sorry I was harsh. Were you? I had not noticed.

Nicolae glanced at his brother’s impassive face as they settled to ground deep within the earth. There was no humor, nor hint of reprimand; Vikirnoff really hadn’t noticed his momentary anger. And that worried Nicolae. He packed Destiny’s wounds with his own saliva and the healing earth, chanting softly as he worked. “She’s lost far too much blood.” He examined the wounds, nasty rips and bite marks, great gaping holes. The vampire had sought to destroy her as painfully as possible.

“That is good for our purposes, Nicolae,” Vikirnoff said. “Instead of killing her outright, they tried to prolong her death, to torment her.” He was collecting herbs from a small cache they had stored in the underground chamber. It took only seconds to light the flames of aromatic candles.

“Her enemies do not know her.” Nicolae’s voice was soft, filled with emotion held tightly in check. “She has lived with pain every moment of her existence. This is nothing to her.” He blinked back unexpected tears as he carefully wiped her face clean. The wounds on her throat and shoulder were horrible to see. “This is nothing to her,” he repeated. His hands were gentle on the gaping wounds in her throat. He leaned close to her, put his lips to her ear. “Stay with me, Destiny. I will follow where you lead this time. Let it be here, in this time and place. Stay in this world.”

Nicolae allowed his body to drop away from him, transforming himself into an immaterial instrument of light and energy. It was much more difficult to shed the emotional storm that whirled within him. He needed to be calm and steady to save her. To heal her wounds. This was the most important task of his life. Her torn, mangled flesh was a mess, and, as always, the vampire had left behind a poison that would quickly destroy the cells around the area of the bites. The decay was spreading quickly.

Nicolae was meticulous in his work, fast and efficient but steady as he repaired the damage to her arteries and muscles and tissue. He paid attention to the smallest detail, ferreting out every drop of the vampire’s poison. It wasn’t an easy task. Her tainted blood made his job especially difficult because of the damage it had already done to the inside of her body, damage that tormented her continually.

Twice Nicolae thought something moved in her bloodstream, something microscopic, a shadow darting away from his healing energy, but when he went back to inspect, he could find no more of the bacteria.

He came to himself swaying slightly, his face pale from concentration and from expending so much energy. Pale with the knowledge of what she endured on a nightly basis. His eyes met Vikirnoff’s. “I do not know how she has survived,” he said softly.

Vikirnoff held out his wrist to his brother. “We are Carpathian. We endure. She is Carpathian and has honor and instincts as old as time. It matters little that a vampire converted her. He could not have done so successfully if she were not of the light. You think with your heart, Nicolae.”

“And it is breaking.” Nicolae bent his head to his brother’s offering, drinking deeply to replenish his strength, to be able to pass the gift on to his lifemate.

Vikirnoff shook his head. “One of you must be whole. She searches for a way to you. Do not make the mistake of failing her because your compassion is too great.”

Nicolae allowed the rush of ancient blood to fill his being. What could one say to Vikirnoff? His words were a double-edged sword. Painful but logical. Full of wisdom. As long as Nicolae could remember, Vikirnoff had spoken so. When he had carefully closed the wound on his brother’s wrist, using his healing saliva, he gathered Destiny to him.

Cradling her on his lap, he opened his shirt and pressed her mouth to his skin.

You will take what is freely offered, that we both may live,

he commanded her, using the strength of an ancient, of a lifemate. And she obeyed. Her lips nuzzled him. Gently. Almost sensuously. He closed his eyes as a white-hot pain sent lightning whipping through his bloodstream, tightened every muscle in his body. Instinctively he held her closer, his arms protective.

Nicolae glanced up at his brother. “How do we remove the taint of the vampire? In all your years, have you ever encountered this problem?”

Vikirnoff shook his head slowly. “Destiny is not vampire, so there must be a way. I can only think to dilute the blood as you are doing. She has lost more than she can afford. We will both give her ancient blood and call to the healers. Perhaps the soil of our homeland would be of help.”