The strength and intensity of the convulsion knocked the very breath from his body. His/her eyes widened in shock. He had suffered endless days and nights when the silver burned and twisted relentlessly through him, but this pain was different, a long wave that roared through them, building so fast it was next to impossible to get above it or on top of it.
He forced Skyler's body to relax, relying on centuries of discipline. There was no blocking the pain, no way to stop the convulsions, or the way their body lifted, went rigid and slammed back to earth. As the wave subsided, she vomited again and again, a horrible retching sound that seemed to reverberate through the clearing.
Dimitri became aware of two things. Skyler's spirit, rather than diminishing and retreating from the pain, seemed to grow a little brighter right in the center of the warmth he had surrounded. The earth sank around them, drawing them deeper into the richness of her soil almost with every wave or convulsion. Both things gave him hope that he might actually pull her back from the land of the dead.
10
Fenris Dalka cursed in every language he knew, streaking through the sky, furious that he hadn't been able to track his younger brother. He was Hän ku pesäk kaikak-Guardian of all, yet he hadn't kept his brother safe. Dimitri had saved his life on more than one occasion, had fought the rogue pack and the Sange rau valiantly, saved the lives of Lycans and Carpathians alike, and yet he'd been betrayed, held prisoner and tortured.
Fen, we're close to him and he's still alive, Tatijana, his lifemate whispered into his mind, trying to soothe him.
Skyler has been murdered. He will either follow her or choose the path of revenge. Should he do that, he will be lost to us for all time-lost to her. This is my fault. I should have taken far more care over the centuries with him, with just how much blood I gave him when he was wounded.
He could smell the Lycans now. The wind brought him the overpowering scent of blood, of war. The Lycans were in pack formation, surrounding prey, most likely his brother and the two men who had aided Skyler in trying to rescue Dimitri.
He was not alone. The four Carpathian warriors who had started out with him to find and rescue Dimitri had been abruptly called back to the Carpathian Mountains. Two others had joined him, and he hadn't been surprised. Byron Justicano and Vlad Belendrake, Josef's only family, had come the moment they were aware he was in trouble. Both had been much closer to the area, and once they knew the exact location of Josef they had set out fast to find him. Byron's lifemate, Antonietta, was blind and his sister, Eleanor, Vlad's lifemate, had never been in a battle her entire life, so neither had come, although both had apparently argued to do so.
Fen couldn't blame them. Had Josef been his son or nephew, he would have raced into the fight as well. As they streaked across the sky, he imparted to both men as much as he could about the way a Lycan pack fought, cautioning them about their speed and ability to leap, how they favored weapons and to stay out of their range whenever possible.
Fen, Tatijana tried to be the voice of reason, we have to actually see what's happening before we go in and start a war.
They tortured my brother after giving us their word that he would be safe. They sentenced him to death. He called out to me when Skyler was lying in his arms, the breath gone from her body, and showed me everything that had taken place.
Fen had considered Zev Hunter his friend. He liked and respected the elite Lycan hunter. They had fought together and were wounded together. He was angry with the Lycans, but it was Zev he felt a cold, dangerous fury at. It mattered little to him that Zev had been the one to cover for his brother or even that he'd given blood when he could see Dimitri was slowly starving. He hadn't taken him down from those terrible meat hooks made of silver. He'd allowed Dimitri to be tortured.
The truth was, had not Skyler, Josef and Paul set out to rescue Dimitri on their own, his brother would have died. The silver would have found its way to his heart. Skyler, in his opinion, had been magnificent, worthy of being Dimitri's lifemate, no matter how young she was. Josef, for all his reputation, had earned Fen's respect. And young Paul, a human, had been courageous. None of them deserved the treatment the Lycans had shown them.
The forest thinned, and through those trees, he saw the clearing. He had no idea how many Lycans surrounded the meadow, but they seemed to be attacking a transparent wall on all four sides, using axes. The blades simply bounced back at them. He could see where Lycans had tried to dig their way under that rippling transparency, and where a few had hacked at the top.
Skyler created that safe haven right in the middle of Lycan territory. There was pride in Tatijana's voice. In spite of their best efforts, they haven't been able to get through.
Fen took his time studying the transparent haven. Josef, splotches of red staining his clothes in several places, appeared to be trying to stop the flow of blood from Paul's wounds. Dimitri's body lay beside him, seemingly lifeless, but he was bleeding from several wounds. Skyler's body lay beside his, one hand outstretched toward Paul.
As he watched, Skyler's body convulsed. His heart jumped. Tatijana, did you see that?
She's undergoing the conversion. There was excitement in her voice.
Can you feel her life force? She was gone. I couldn't touch her. I felt the ripple through our connection with all our people, with the prince himself. She was lost to us. Fen saw the body lift up and slam down again, and yet even witnessing it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. How is this possible?
Tatijana was Dragonseeker, Skyler her kin. She reached through their connection, eager to find the girl alive. She reached and reached, but there was only cold space, empty darkness.
She is too far away for me to touch, she admitted reluctantly. Her body would not be undergoing the conversion if she were dead, Fen. I don't understand what's going on here, but Dimitri and Skyler have such a powerful connection, perhaps he was able to find her when no other could.
Fen knew they didn't have a lot of time before the Lycans detected the Carpathians. They would feel energy coming at them-although not Fen's. He was of mixed blood, condemned by them, but they weren't aware of it. As far as they all knew, he was Lycan, one of them. They had no knowledge that he was Dimitri's brother, and that would get him close to Zev.
No. No, Fen. You can't throw away your life, our lives on revenge. We don't yet know if Skyler is dead . . .
You cannot feel her and she's your own kin. The prince cannot feel her and he is the vessel for all our people. He would know if her life force was gone. Even while he argued with her, his gaze searched relentlessly for Zev in the pack of frenzied wolves trying to tear down Skyler's safe haven and get at the four people inside to finish what they'd started.
Skyler's body had settled again. Around Dimitri and Skyler the earth seemed to sink so that their bodies were partially in the soil. He could see that someone had pushed rich, black loam into Skyler's wounds. Even as he watched, Josef turned away from Paul and dragged himself over to Dimitri.
Watching the boy's determination and his selfless act of courage, Fen's heart swelled with pride. Josef might be young, but he was a Carpathian warrior through and through. He could have gone to ground to heal his own wounds. No one would have blamed him. He was clearly severely wounded, but he had taken care of his friend and now turned to try to aid Dimitri.
Relief poured into him. Dimitri wasn't dead or Josef wouldn't be bothering. If Dimitri hadn't gone to ground in an effort to heal himself, he must have a good reason, and the only good reason would be to try to save his lifemate's life.
From his position, he couldn't get a good look at his brother, but Josef worked diligently. Fen saw the exact moment when the boy shed his body and went into Dimitri's.
He's adept at healing, Tatijana said. Did you have any idea he could do that? she asked Vlad, Josef's adopted father.
Vlad and Byron exchanged a long look. Vlad shook his head. He continually surprises us. The boy is . . . different. He follows his own path. I'm not surprised, however, to see him with Skyler or Paul. They're very close.
Fen signaled the others to stay where they were, while he allowed the wind to take him closer. The Lycans couldn't sense his energy and they would never know he was there. He shifted into the form of vapor, sending small fingers drifting out of the trees toward the clearing. He drifted with them. He wanted to get a good look at the occupants of the safe haven and a number count on the Lycans.
Fighting a Lycan pack was ludicrous with only three men. They would have to pick them off, one at a time. Tatijana's dragon could unleash the fires of hell on them right there in the clearing, and he contemplated whether or not that would be the best move to make, just to drive them back. He and the others could gain access to the haven and help the wounded.