And they're probably newly made. Abel and Bardolf were most likely their most experienced and oldest. They would never send an amateur after the prince in our territory. Whoever is behind this is creating his own army of mixed bloods.
Dimitri allowed the body of his bird to dip a little, seeking a lower altitude, his wings beating double the time the others did, but not actually getting anywhere. The wind shifted just a little, blowing into him, making him falter more. He tried to redouble his efforts-the others seemed to be moving away from him faster-but he was too worn-out.
The large bird of prey-a bald eagle-seemed to come out of nowhere, dropping fast, talons extended, its beak a strange color. Dimitri shifted from an owl's body to that of the larger eagle, so fast it was impossible to detect the change until the other was nearly on top of him. Dimitri had just enough time to realize the talons and beak were silver weapons, designed to shred, stab and kill fast. He met the bird's talons with his own, locking them together so that they tumbled from the sky, end over end. Neither could shift, and the ground seemed to be rising fast to meet them.
The assassin tore at Dimitri's body, stabbing repeatedly in the chest, seeking the heart. He never heard or saw the attack from behind, Fen streaking through the sky, going for the kill. The Sange rau didn't even feel the stake going through his body to penetrate his heart. When Fen removed the head and the bird landed dead on the ground, Dimitri called down the lightning to burn it.
He sank into the soft soil, sitting abruptly, pushing both hands through his hair. There was blood on his chest, seeping from a dozen slashes and stabs.
"You know, Fen, I think I'll take that ride now," he said when Fen strode up to him.
16
On his last return home, Dimitri had taken up residence in the old family dwelling, deep in the forest where the wolves gave him warning if visitors came too close. He'd done a few modern repairs on it, but he wasn't in residence often. The outside stone was covered in moss, and trees and brush had grown so close they nearly covered the house. Thick vines wove around the stone columns that formed the verandah. The vines were so thick they'd nearly formed an impenetrable wall, yet there was an archway at the stairs as if it had been designed that way.
Beneath the stone building, deep underground, Dimitri and Skyler lay entwined together, their bodies slowly healing. Dimitri woke each rising and hunted, sustaining the two of them and then going back to ground to allow Mother Earth to rejuvenate them both.
He woke and lay listening to the beat of the earth's heart. Over time the rhythm had become reassuring, a constant, steady drumbeat he could always count on. It didn't matter where in the world he was, if he lay in the ground, it was there.
He opened the soil above their heads, staring at the underside of the house his parents had constructed so many centuries earlier. He had played in the room above them. He remembered the sound of his mother's laughter and the murmur of his father's voice. He realized he wanted to stay, to make this their home. It was deep enough in the forest to keep their wolf pack safe and yet still close enough to the other Carpathians that Skyler could have company whenever she wanted.
He leaned over her. He loved watching her as she slept. Skyler always looked peaceful now-so different from the nights he'd entered her room and found her tossing and turning caught in the throes of a hideous nightmare. Gently he brushed back silken strands of hair that had come loose from the braid he'd woven for her just the last rising.
Her lashes were long and feathery, dark, yet tipped with gold. He traced her high cheekbones with the pad of his finger, absorbing the satin-smooth skin. It had always annoyed her that she couldn't tan. Josef and Paul teased her mercilessly, throwing their hands over their eyes to accuse her of blinding them with her white stomach or legs depending on what she was wearing. If she was out in the sun at all, she burned a bright red, and then they called her "lobster girl."
Dimitri found himself smiling at the memory of the antics of her friends. "You make my life beautiful and full," he murmured aloud to her. Wake, csitri. We have much to do. It's time to start our life.
She stirred at his call, rolled in his arms and lifted her lashes. The impact of her eyes meeting his was physical, a low, wicked punch that drove the air from his lungs. She had her relaxed, happy color, the true dove gray that he loved beyond any other color.
"Good evening, sívamet. Are you feeling stronger?"
Skyler nodded and touched his face. "Much. I wouldn't mind exploring our home a little bit. I haven't really seen much of anything since we've been healing."
"I want you to hunt for food with me." It was the first time he'd asked her. He didn't push for an answer, knowing this would be one of the hardest concepts for her to accept.
Dimitri didn't mind supplying blood to her, but in the event they were ever in trouble, she needed to know how to hunt and that she could do it by herself. It was a natural part of being Carpathian. Skyler craved blood, but the thought of taking it from an unknowing source bothered her on a strictly human level.
There was a small silence. Skyler's hand had dropped to his chest and she smoothed over the chain burns there-absently-like she did each rising. "Okay."
His heart jumped. One little word. She accepted their way of life and trusted him to teach her the things necessary to survive. He knew this was a huge milestone for her.
"Afterward, I need to see Francesca."
He wanted her to himself. They'd spent several risings in the ground healing. Yes, he'd gotten to hold her, and even exchange blood with her, but the entire rest of the time, they'd both been beneath, sleeping the rejuvenating sleep of the Carpathians.
The time spent in the ground had been necessary-both of them were in bad shape when they'd arrived in the Carpathian Mountains. Skyler had barely enough time to hug her adopted mother before she collapsed. Unfortunately, that essential time spent in the soil meant they weren't able to really start their life together.
He held her while they slept, entwined together, skin to skin. He gave her blood and certainly there was intimacy in both, but he felt almost as if he was losing ground with her, that she'd taken a step back from him. She said little, and she seemed to prefer to spend the time in the ground, rather than face their life together.
"You've got that frown on your face again," Skyler said, and reached up to rub his lips as if she could remove it. "What's wrong? Don't you want me to go with you?"
His hands shaped her tucked-in waist as he helped her into a sitting position. "Of course I want you to go with me. We both needed healing, but at some point we've got to rebuild our strength. I want to show you so many things."
"And I want to learn. Specifically, shapeshifting," Skyler said. "And flying. And running with the wolves."
He couldn't help laughing. "In other words, everything."
She nodded, coming up on her knees to inspect the burns around his throat and forehead. His heart jumped. She had not leaned into him physically or touched his scars intimately since they'd arrived in the Carpathian Mountains. She'd definitely worked at healing them, but she had used more of a professional touch. The brushes of her fingers were far too intimate to him to ever be considered professional and both his body and heart responded to those caresses.
She murmured the words she chanted each time she carefully traced each chain loop surrounding his body.
I call to you, Mother, bring forth your might,
As I seal these paths that would bring pain and blight.
I call to aloe, so green and cool,
Bind with me now, become my tool.
Bring forth your life's blood again to heal,
Ease this suffering, these scars do steal.
Each line I trace, may it fade day to day,
Taking all that causes pain away.
He allowed himself to inhale her scent, to bring his hands up to her back and hold her, fingers splayed wide to take in as much of her bare skin as possible.
"You've been keeping things from me," Skyler said, leaning so close to him that the tips of her breasts grazed his chest as she ran soothing fingers into the deep indentations around his throat. "You've been worried about something. I've waited for you to tell me, but I figured rather than merging my mind with yours and prying, I'd just ask."
Dimitri took a breath and let it out. Her fingers stroked over his skin, her touch sending flames flickering through his bloodstream. He had dreamt of this, had wanted it, but knowing he couldn't act on the desire flooding his body made the moment bittersweet. She needed time, and he was determined to give it to her.