Dark Wolf(28)

       
           



       

She didn't understand the need that began right there in their worst  moment, but it didn't matter. That was part of who they were together.  She would have let him take every drop of blood she had in her body if  he wanted-or needed it. It was Dimitri who found the strength to stop,  running his tongue over the two holes in her wrist to stop the bleeding  and then pressing a kiss over the mark to ease any ache.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She saw him there, in his  glacier-blue eyes. That smile that didn't reach his lips, but was there  just for her.

We have to go, Dimitri. Can you stand? That was her biggest fear. She  couldn't teleport him out of there, and she doubted if she could even  get him on his feet by herself.

I can do whatever it takes. I can't believe you did it, sívamet, you  actually got the chains off. That was a miracle right there. They'd  become part of him, eating through his skin and finding muscle until the  silver had adhered to every cell it touched, driving him mad.

Dimitri sat up slowly, tentatively, stretching out his arms, finding  movement painful, but wonderful at the same time. He didn't try to  stand, his feet and legs were still numb, but he rolled onto his hands  and knees, testing his strength. Hunger still was uppermost, thundering  in his ears and pounding a demand in his veins, but he could get past it  now. Skyler's blood was a powerful mixture, nearly intoxicating. Still,  he was weak, even with what she'd given him.

He was grateful she didn't panic, or try to force him to his feet. He  had to know he could get up and run and then do it, all in one motion.  The trees she'd emerged from looked far away. He felt her hand on his  back, rubbing, massaging. Healing.

You go first and I'll follow. Don't argue with me. Just do it, he told her.

He would bring up the rear and protect her as best he could. They would  come after him with silver, and he knew there would be no mercy in him  if they got close enough for him to get his hands on them.

Skyler nodded and turned toward the trees she'd used for cover. Dimitri  stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him. She was  beautiful, crouched there, determination in the set of her chin and  shoulders. Love in her eyes. He needed to see that. He needed to see  reality. He nodded, and she took off, staying low, Dimitri right behind  her.

They gained the protection of the heavy stand of trees. Brush had grown  up everywhere, unusual in a forest so dense, where the canopy kept the  sun from hitting the forest floor. In the very center of the brush, a  thick green carpet stretched out before them. The strip of grass was  narrow and Dimitri realized with every step he took, behind him, the  grass sank into the ground so that only dried leaves and brush remained,  covering their tracks.

Skyler indicated the need for stealth. A guard directly ahead of us.

He already knew that. His senses were coming back, acute, the senses of  the Sange rau, or Hän ku pesäk kaikak, whatever he had become. Whatever  his mixed blood and the silver had made him. He knew exactly where the  Lycan was. They would forever be a stench in his nostrils. He knew each  individual. This one had stayed away from him. Several times Dimitri had  noticed him speaking with Zev.

They have a pattern they follow when they guard their pack. This man  will move to the right while the guards in the outer circle will move to  the left to cover where he has been.

He shouldn't be surprised anymore with any information Skyler had, but the inner workings of a Lycan pack?

The moment the guard shifted direction, she was on the move. How had she  known the precise moment the Lycan had changed his position? Dimitri  found he was just a little in awe of his lifemate. They edged past the  first guard and picked up the pace, moving quickly along the little  strip of grass that wound through the trees and kept them covered by  heavy brush.





8





Dimitri found he was getting his legs back as they hurried along. At  first he'd been stiff, walking like a marionette with someone jerking  the strings to his arms and legs. Blood flowed back with movement, and  he found he could easily block the painful pins and needles. After the  burn of the silver, the prickly sensation was more annoying and  troublesome and easily manageable. Skyler picked up the pace, but in  deference to his state, she wasn't moving very fast. His longer strides  kept up with her easily.

There will be another guard a few meters ahead. We have to wait for him to circle back around, she cautioned.

He hadn't believed that they could just walk out of the Lycan camp.  Hanging from a tree with silver wrapping him from head to toe, he'd had  plenty of time to study the pack and the way they operated. A lot of the  day-to-day operations were instinctual, probably imprinted on them  before birth.

His own wolf had fed him information on the species, giving him the data  necessary to be Lycan, but this was different. His wolf told him how to  fight in pack formation, but Skyler had gleaned much more. She knew  movements, times, how the pack guarded camps. He kept his mind merged  with hers, learning the information, and how Mother Earth had shared  with her.

He found his heart swelling with pride and respect. There should be no  more surprises with his lifemate, yet she astonished him at every turn.  Her abilities continued to grow along with her confidence. Was it the  combination of her bloodlines? But there were others with her specific  bloodlines, and they didn't exhibit the extreme power she displayed. Her  mother? What did they really know of her mother and her gifts? Clearly  he needed to learn more about her.

The path shifted to the left and then cut back sharply to the right. He  could smell the other guard. The Lycan was much closer than Skyler had  expected, which meant he had deviated from his normal routine. Dimitri  put a hand on her shoulder, halting her progress. They crouched together  on the narrow path, Dimitri sheltering her body as best he could,  making certain he completely covered her in the event bullets started  their way. The pack preferred hunting without guns, but he'd seen plenty  of weapons in the camp. If they were preparing for a war, they would be  using modern weapons.

Every breath he drew was difficult, and he had to prevent the wheezing  from being heard. His lungs were shot. He needed blood. His close  proximity to Skyler made his mouth water and his teeth stay lengthened.  He could move, and he could endure pain, but he couldn't stop the  ever-present hunger that crawled through his body demanding he feed  starving cells.

His hand remained on Skyler's shoulder and he felt her tremble. She had  gone to her hands and knees, sitting back a little on her heels, but she  kept her hands in contact with the mat of grass. Through her, he felt  the silent footfalls of the Lycan guard approaching. The earth gave off  the smallest of vibrations. Skyler was so sensitive she felt it.

He stayed relaxed, but deep inside, he coiled, ready and more than  willing to strike to protect his lifemate. He might be weak, but there  was no silver chain to stop him. Skyler held her breath as the guard  came even closer. The man moved first to their right and then to their  left. Was he searching for them? The brush surrounding them was thick  enough that the Lycan avoided going through it, and he wasn't aware of  the thin strip of forest green carpet leading them to safety.

Dimitri allowed his enhanced senses free rein. Being a mixed blood gave  him all the gifts of a Carpathian as well as a Lycan. As time went on,  he would evolve even more. He already was gaining the speed of the mixed  blood, and he had the acute vision and sense of smell as well as  hearing.

The stench of the fire, the burned tree and cabins permeated the forest.  The Lycan guard continued to move back and forth in an effort to see  what was happening back at camp. He couldn't abandon his position, but  he was clearly worried.

A sense of relief swept through Dimitri. He wasn't anywhere near full  strength and he doubted if he could fight off a pack of Lycans. He  wanted to get away without any of them realizing he was gone until it  was too late to stop them.

They waited, counting the seconds ticking by, both knowing any moment  someone would discover Dimitri had escaped. After what seemed an  eternity, the guard gave up and resumed his normal patrol. Dimitri  squeezed Skyler's shoulder. She looked back at him, her eyes changing  color, like a kaleidoscope, a signature of her Dragonseeker blood. He  knew the color change indicated nervousness.                       
       
           



       

You're amazing. He breathed the words into her mind, accompanied by his  deep respect and love for her. I honestly didn't think you could  possibly get me out of that tree, let alone remove the silver chain from  my body, but you did it. And now we're moving through the second circle  of their guards.