Around them the ground shimmered and the gems sparkled bright. Above their heads columns of stalactites hummed, vibrating with the tune of their harmony.
Ivory bowed her head in gratitude and Razvan slid his hand almost lovingly through the soil before they lifted their voices in thanks.
Mother, oh Mother, you are great indeed Your gift is so precious, we're humbled by thee.
Razvan scooped up handfuls of the precious material and, forming a silken pouch, poured it into the bag. "How much will you need?"
"Enough to conduct several experiments just in case it is not an easy answer." She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. Usually there were no easy answers, but this time, they might have just gotten plain lucky. If there was a life-form that kept the mutated microbes at bay, or better yet, actually destroyed them, she should be able to find it fairly quickly. It wasn't as if she had a lot of combinations to choose from.
Razvan's fingers settled around her wrist and he pulled her to him. "You are a miracle to me, Ivory, whether you think so or not. This place"-he swept one arm in a circular motion, taking in the giant cave-"this may save my daughter. She has been through so much, and as always, you seem to be the key to my happiness. If I can ease her suffering and that of her lifemate, I will feel as if I at least partially redeemed myself."
"Xavier possessed you, Razvan," she reminded gently. "I shared your memories and saw what he did. The fault was not yours."
He shrugged and tucked stray tendrils of hair, which had pulled loose from her braid, behind her ear. "I should have been more careful in my wording of things. I grew up with a mage. I know that words carry power, yet I continued to make mistakes that cost those I loved dearly."
"You were fourteen years old the first time he took you, and you gave up your life so your sister would be safe. You were a child, Razvan," she said.
His smile was gentle. "You are so fierce in your defense of me, han ku kuulua sivamet-keeper of my heart, yet you should be called han ku meke piramet-defender."
"I am the keeper of your heart," she said, "and I will defend you to the death, Razvan. You are an extraordinary man and I am proud to be your lifemate." She ducked her head, embarrassed as always when she showed too much emotion. "We should go back to our home so we can study the soil and see if we truly have your answers."
He caught her chin and took a kiss. Just one. But he savored her, the taste and texture of her, savored the scent and feel of her. When he lifted his head he smiled. "Palafertiil-mate."
Just the way he said that single word made her weak inside. Soft. Tender. Sexy. She smiled back at him. "That I am."
CHAPTER 17
"The life-form had to have first been in the meteorite," Ivory said and slumped down, her arms cushioning her head. "I should have known. It is iron rich."
"How did it survive coming to Earth?" Razvan asked, rubbing her shoulders.
"I have no idea, and frankly, I do not even care at this point. The soil is teeming with them and, so far, every time you have brought me contaminated soil, they rush to surround the mutated microbes and destroy them while leaving everything else intact." She turned her head to one side to look up at him. "Do you know where the microbes are produced?"
"Xavier's largest factory was destroyed and he moved to his fortress deep under the mountains. I can find it. But the microbes are not in the soil there. He leaks them down a glacier to feed the water systems and spread to the soil. The last time I hunted for us near the village just below the glacier, I overheard the local midwife speaking of the high rate of miscarriages. I fear the contamination has spilled over into humans. If the microbes infected their gardens, they could begin to suffer the fate of our species." He massaged her neck with gentle fingers. "You need to rest, Ivory."
She had been working steadily for three weeks straight, never leaving the lair, not even for food. Razvan had hunted for the pack and for Ivory. He had taken the wolves running nightly and had gathered soil samples from dozens of places, bringing each back to her, but Ivory refused to go with him, preferring to stay and conduct her experiments. She looked pale and worn, with dark circles under her eyes.
"I have a bad feeling, Razvan," Ivory said. But she gave a small sigh of pleasure as his fingers worked their magic, easing the knots out of her neck. "It has been growing in me for some time now and I feel the need to get this done fast."
He was silent and she looked up at him to catch the expression on his face. Ivory sat up quickly and turned to face him. "You have felt it, too."