Dark Destiny

Destiny lay as still as a corpse in a grave so shallow, it was a testament to her weakness. He had known she was exhausted, but she had hidden the full extent of it from him. No hunter, knowing vampires were in the area and the resting place compromised, would have gone to ground in such a way.

Nicolae waved aside the thin layer of soil and closed his eyes at what he saw lying there. Anger swirled through him. Mixed with heartache. She looked terribly young and vulnerable lying there with her skin translucent, almost gray. Droplets of blood had seeped from her pores, and in her exhaustion she had been unable to summon the strength to heal her body any further. The poison had been dealt with, but it had come from the infected vampire and her tainted blood had embraced the dark gift. She looked as if she were slipping away from him.

Nicolae didn't awaken her there. He wanted her out of the damp, tiny space, a crawl space of near death where the odor of blood held the stench of the vampire. The blackened carcass of the lizard remained along with the black strings of tentacles, a reminder of the double attack. Destiny didn't belong in this place of death. He gathered her into his arms. She seemed light and insubstantial. The confrontation with evil had weakened her beyond her limits. He held her to him, against the breadth of his chest, wanting to shelter her from every struggle. He looked down at her face and felt the sting of unexpected tears.

Destiny had been through so much in her life. As her lifemate, he wanted to protect her from all harm, shield her from all adversity. He was an ancient warrior. His protection was considerable, yet he could never bring himself to force Destiny to give up hunting the undead. She needed to know she was strong enough. She needed to know she had control. She needed to be able to rid the world of as many of the vile creatures as she could. He knew Vikirnoff didn't understand. Most likely no Carpathian, male or female, would understand. But he knew Destiny. He knew her heart and soul. He knew every scar in her mind. The wounds were deep, and he couldn't get rid of them for her. In truth, he didn't want to get rid of them anymore. He realized that those memories, that horrendous life she had endured and survived, had made her the courageous woman she was. She had been shaped and honed in the fires of hell and she had come through it, a compassionate woman who sought to protect, with every breath in her body, those she allowed into her life.

He took her from the underground burrow out into the open air so that the gentle wind slipped over her body, ruffled her hair and clothes, breathed a clean scent over her. Nicolae, aching with love, took her out over the mountains, made his way through the series of chambers until they were home in their cave of shimmering pools and glittering gems. He waved his hand so that the carved urn leapt to life, flickering and dancing, casting shadows on the walls and across the surface of the water. Healing aromas filled the space, mingling together to provide a soothing peace.

Nicolae removed his clothing, removed hers and carried her down into the deepest and hottest of the pools. With his lips against her skin, he whispered to her softly to awaken. "I love you, my lady," he murmured. Needing to say the words to her. She could reach inside him and find the emotion, deep and real inside his heart and soul, but he wanted to declare it.

She stirred. Her heart beat into his hand. Air rushed through her lungs. Her lashes fluttered. Lifted. Unbelievably, she smiled at him. "I was dreaming of you."

He kissed her. He couldn't help himself. His mouth lingered over hers, robbing her of breath, of air. "That would be impossible, little one. The sleep of our people is a mortal death. There is no brain activity."

"Nevertheless." She said it complacently. Her gaze drifted over his face with a touch of possession. "I was worried about you." Her fingers found the blackened slash in his shoulder. "I felt this hit you. Does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "I am going to sit down in the water. It is hot, but it will do you good. I need to replace your blood."

"You did not feed." It was a chastisement.

"Vikirnoff wanted me to use Martin, but I thought you might give me a lecture. Having never experienced such a thing, I thought it better not to start off our life together that way. Do not worry, my brother will provide. He is feeding now."

He sank into the water, taking her with him, holding her close as the heat pushed the ice cold from her veins. She gasped, stiffened, holding herself slightly away from him, trying not to struggle. The hot water on her chilled skin wasn't comfortable, but within a matter of minutes she relaxed, subsiding against him, her body snuggling close, fitting into the cradle of his hips.

The water lapped at her breasts, fizzing over the tips, bubbling and cleansing, removing all traces of blood, all remnants of the poison. She closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall back, enjoying the sheer luxury of the hot pool and Nicolae's strong arms. "Vikirnoff needs a swift kick where it will do him the most good," she murmured, not bothering to lift her lashes. "But I'll forgive his egotistical arrogance because he looks after you. You should have fed."

"He will feed me. He went out hunting."

"As soon as possible, I want to give him the picture of the woman Mary Ann told us about. We should also ask Father Mulligan and Velda and Inez if they have seen her. They seem to be the eyes and ears of the neighborhood."

She nuzzled his throat. Hunger was rising, sharp and demanding. Her insides were burning, a terrible scalding from the inside out. The bubbling water and Nicolae's nearness helped considerably. She inhaled his clean, masculine scent. Took his scent deep into her body. Held it there. She had been in a storm, a whirling, turbulent storm, but she had made it safely home. Nicolae was home. She settled in his mind. Her one refuge. She could admit it to herself now and not feel ashamed and humiliated.

"I did my best to push you away. I should have been stronger, but right now I'm glad that I wasn't." Her lips skimmed his throat. Her tongue swirled over his pulse. Her bare buttocks were nestled in his lap and she could feel there the strong reaction of his body to that small, erotic movement of her tongue. He hardened. Thickened. Pulsed with need. She savored the feeling, wanted to remember it forever.

His hand skimmed over her hair, tugged her long braid. "I would not allow you to push me away. I am tenacious when something matters to me."

She smiled against his skin. She kissed the small, steady pulse in his neck. "Is that the word? I thought stubborn suited you better."

"You are not in the best condition to try to do battle," he reminded her. She won the battle without a single word.

His head fell back as she took what he offered. The air rushed from his lungs, a soft sound of ecstasy escaping as the white-hot pleasure-pain rushed through his body. The intensity of his love for her shook him. His arms tightened possessively. She swamped him with warmth, with her need of him, the way she wanted him.

Beneath it all, he felt her sorrow, the weight of Pater's words implanted in her mind and heart. She would never believe the Carpathian race would accept her with her tainted blood. If Nicolae called the healer, Destiny would never allow him near her. She would run. There was no way to erase what the vampire had wrought. Nicolae could remove all traces of the virus. He could restore her strength. He could give her unconditional love, but he could never remove those words.

Because his words are true. Her hands found his hair, tunneled her fingers deep into the mass of silken strands. She wanted to lose herself in sensation. She couldn't make the words false, but she could put them somewhere in a little corner of her mind, replace them with something that consumed her: the bubbles popping against her bare skin; the silken strands of dark hair sliding through her fingers.

I love your hair.

You are supposed to love me. And it is not true. Vampires twist the truth until you can no longer see what is. You know that, Destiny. More than most, you know what they do.

In this instance even a grain of truth is far too much. She swept her tongue across the pinpricks, closing the tiny wounds with her healing saliva, lifted her head and met the dark intensity of his gaze without flinching. "You can love me with your heart and your mind and your soul. You can be my salvation when the memories come to haunt me, Nicolae. You can be my everything, but you cannot change what I am. A vampire put something hideous deep inside me. It is evil and dark and dangerous. I've lived with it most of my life, and I know. You can love me, even with that terrible flaw inside me, but you can't change it. I can't change it. It isn't going to go away because we want it to. I recognize darkness in others. Others will recognize it in me. Like calls to like."

Her voice was a thread of sound. Exhaustion lined her face. Nicolae couldn't bear the way she was looking at him with such a mixture of love and regret. His hands moved over her body with exquisite tenderness, washing the remnants of blood and poison from her skin. "Destiny, I've found you to be stubborn and independent but never dense. Are you deliberately not understanding that we are two halves of the same whole? We are alike. Like did call to like, and I am it. I am what you got."

She was warm and safe huddled in the shelter of his arms, cradled by his body. The water lapped pleasantly against her skin, bubbling and fizzing against every sore spot. The flames flickered and danced and released a fragrance conducive to healing and comfort. Destiny lifted her gaze to Nicolae's face, studied the hard angles and planes. A slow smile found its way to her mouth. "Lucky me."

Her words twisted his heart. "How do you do that, little one? It bodes ill for our future. One moment I am determined to chastise you severely as you so obviously deserve, and the next all I want to do is kiss you senseless."

Destiny framed his face with her palms. "It's a gift. I much prefer the kissing." The pad of her thumb moved over his jaw, traced his chin. "You have such shadows in your mind. You think I was wrong not to call you to me, but I wasn't. Why would you think yourself less important to me, less to me in some way than I am to you? Do you think you're the only one with rights? I do not want your protection at the expense of your life.

You're the target here, not me. I'm merely the bait used to draw you out. Fortunately, one of us is able to think in tight situations."

His breath escaped in a hiss of impatience and frustration. When her soft mouth began to curve in amusement, he gave her a little shake. "Now is not the time for you to laugh, Destiny. I am still shaking from your near miss on the street and in the cave."

"Did you know that when you are exceptionally upset with me, your eyes darken to the most beautiful black? It reminds of the midnight hour. So perfect when the air is still and the stars are out and you can see the night sky. Your eyes are like that."

Deliberately he sighed. His hands continued to wash her body, lingering on her curves. "My eyes should be making you tremble. I am giving you a most disapproving look. It is meant to intimidate, not make you think of the sky at midnight."

A laugh slipped out. That small carefree sound that was so rare for her. "I can't help how you look. It's tempting to upset you just to see that particular color."

"I am not amused." He tried to sound as grim as he felt. She might turn him inside out, even melt his heart, but he was staring down at her ravaged face, looking at her body where dark bruises marred the pale coloration of her skin. He knew how close he'd come to losing her and...

it could have been prevented.

She wanted to apologize. She touched lightly on the memory in his mind, the moment he realized she was in danger but would not call him. She felt the terror welling up in him, shaking him. Turning his stomach and seizing his lungs, robbing him of breath. Then there was a dark, brooding rage, ugly and menacing, a dangerous demon lifting and stretching, unsheathing claws as it opened its mouth to roar a protest.

Deliberately Destiny lay back in his arms to allow the water to close over her face, hiding the tears burning in her eyes. His anger ran deep. It simmered just below the surface. He held her tenderly, washed her, murmured beautiful things, but the rage was there all the same. She had succeeded in scaring him. And hurting him. His emotional pain was deep and sharp, and that was far more painful to bear than his anger.

"A little pain isn't going to hurt me, Destiny, and certainly is not worth your tears." He lifted her up higher, bringing her head out of the water. "Your tears tear me apart. Stop." He made it an order, leaning over her to kiss both eyelids.

Her arms tightened around his neck. "You just aren't as tough as you like to think." She forced a brief smile, wanting to please him. Wanting to show him that he mattered to her.

He carried her out of the pool, waving his hand to open the earth, a quick, impatient gesture. Nicolae knelt to lay her gently in the dark, rich earth. The soil was cool and welcoming on her hot skin. At once she felt a semblance of peace washing over her. Her lashes drifted down. "Tell me how it is you can speak to me when you have never taken my blood."

"It is necessary to heal you." His voice was gentle, a soft, melodic persuasion. "I know. But how is it we are so strongly connected?"

"You are a much more powerful talent than you realize. Telepathy runs strong in you. As a child you reached for me and connected. I am an ancient with talents of my own. My need to help you was the strongest compulsion I had ever experienced. Once we had connected, you were an obsession. I could do no other than find you." His fingertips stroked back her hair.

She reached up, caught his hand. "You're not giving me an answer."

"You know the answer."

There was silence in the cave. The bubbles in the pool sent waves against the boulders, lapping gently at the rock, providing a strange music.

"How can someone be so powerful? How can you reach through time and space without a blood bond?"

"I have always had certain gifts. Once you connected with me, you were imprinted on my mind."

And in my heart and soul.

He bent his head to kiss the corner of her mouth. "Each time you connected with me, the imprint became stronger. I believe I have some sort of telepathic ability beyond the blood bond of our people."

A small shiver went down Destiny's spine. "How do I know you aren't enhancing my feelings for you? I have to know this is real."

The ache in her voice tugged at his heart, but his face remained expressionless. "That is something I cannot help you with, Destiny. You have to find out some things for yourself. Do you think I am so powerful I can make you feel desire for me?"

Her blue-green gaze drifted over his face. He found his muscles were tight, clenched, waiting. She looked ethereal, her skin translucent and her body somehow smaller. He wanted to gather her into his arms and shelter her from every further hurt. It made him crazy to see her this way, hurt and spent, all energy drained from her body. His brother was right, he should have taken charge, thrown her over his shoulder like a caveman of old and taken her to his homeland without her consent.

A small smile curved her mouth, drew his instant attention. At once the pad of his thumb brushed the velvet-soft lower lip.

"I'm reading your thoughts, Nicolae. There is a blood bond between us. The first thing, above all else, is never listen to that idiot brother of yours. The man never climbed out of the cave. You do all right on your own." She wanted to kiss him. He thought he was so stoic, yet she could see the hungry intensity in his eyes. A terrible anxiety that could only be real. He might be tremendously powerful and capable of all sorts of things, including controlling her, but she could see the genuine need in him, the genuine love.

"I think your pouty lower lip is extremely sexy." He bent his head to hers, brushed her mouth gently, almost reverently.

He could send butterfly wings through her stomach without trying. "You have rocks in your head," she told him lovingly, tangling her fingers in his hair. "There's nothing sexy about me." Laughter danced in her eyes. "I'm lying here in the dirt, covered in it, and you're looking at me like you might eat me. I think you need a few counseling sessions with Mary Ann. You're a bit on the kinky side." But he took her breath away and started a warm glow that wouldn't go away. He had a way of making her feel beautiful in the midst of her nightmares, even when she knew it wasn't so. He had a way of taking her out of death and violence and bringing her to a paradise she hadn't known existed. Most of all, she was never alone.

"You are obviously hallucinating and quite ill." He kissed her again, lingering over the pleasure. He showed every restraint. He didn't kiss her possessively. He didn't devour her, or pick her up and shake her. His insides were roiling like the clouds had been, a turbulent storm that wouldn't die down. He could control it, keep it from spilling out and shaking the earth around him, but he couldn't make it go away.

Her fingers involuntarily slipped away from his hair, her arm dropping to her side. "I'll agree with the quite ill part. I'm not doing a very good job of controlling my body temperature. First I was freezing, then hot, and now I'm cold all over again."

"I am going to do my best to heal you, Destiny, so lie still and do not give me any trouble. A man can only take so much."

His voice was far too loving for her to worry. She smiled as her lashes drifted down. "I wish I were human so I could dream about you all the time."

"I thought you did dream about me." That drowsy note in her voice caught at him. He bent his head once more to brush a kiss over her mouth. "Go ahead and sleep now, Destiny. I will put you in the shelter of the earth when I am certain all traces of the vampire's poison are gone."

She didn't answer him. The choking lump blocking her throat came out of nowhere. No matter what he did, there would be no way to erase the taint of the vampire. She had accepted it as a fact, but she wasn't certain Nicolae ever would. Or even if he could. Destiny had no idea how to resolve the problem and she was far too tired to think about it any more. She allowed herself to drift, lulled by the soothing rhythm of the water and the warmth spreading through her body as Nicolae began the slow, meticulous healing process of their kind.

Nicolae worked for a long time, repairing the damage done by the microbes, checking every organ, every vein, ensuring that there were no infected cells lurking in wait to attack again when she was at her most vulnerable. Despite his painstaking care, he felt uneasy, as if he had missed something.

He knew the moment his brother began to unravel the safeguards to enter the chamber. He heard the musical voice of his brother join with his as he chanted. As always he felt grateful for Vikirnoff with his strength and loyalty, guarding his back and ready to aid him in times of need.

Nicolae pulled out of Destiny's body, swaying with weakness. He flashed his brother a quick glance, mostly to check that no harm had come to him while they battled their enemy.

"How is she?" Vikirnoff asked courteously.

"Stubborn. Gutsy. Impossible." Nicolae's voice was clipped as he sent Destiny into a deep sleep. Only then did he allow his suppressed rage to swirl dangerously close to the surface. The earth beneath their feet rolled slightly and the water in the pool bubbled ferociously. "She should have called me to her side the instant there was a hint of trouble. If she had, none of this would have happened. Instead, her life was endangered and I nearly lost her."

Vikirnoff shrugged his shoulders with casual strength. "It makes no sense to get angry with her for not calling you to her. I see no reason for your anger."

"You were reprimanding me for allowing her to hunt in the first place, Vikirnoff. Now I am not supposed to be upset with her when she throws herself directly into the path of danger?"

"She had no one to raise her, to guide her. She was taken from her family at the age of six. Everything she has ever learned she learned from you. You taught her to hunt, to rely on herself and her own judgment. You would not have thought to call her to you.

You did not think to call me to you. She does not fear death, only capture by the undead, and you know she is determined that will never happen again. She is like you. Independent. Courageous. Do not fault her for those traits. They are admirable. You are the one capable of stopping her. Force her back to our homeland."

Nicolae wanted to argue with his brother. He wanted to point out he was far more experienced, far less vulnerable and much more powerful than Destiny, but none of that changed the truth of Vikirnoff's words. She was acting just as he had taught her. She hadn't called him because she was accustomed to relying on herself. She hadn't sensed the immediate danger because she had been thinking about Nicolae. He knew a good part of his reaction was fear for her, but another part was based on the incorrect assumption that after he made love to her, she would turn to him naturally.

Sighing, Nicolae raked a hand through his hair, leaving it more disheveled than ever. "I am not going to say you are right because I could not take it if you smirked."

"I do not smirk," Vikirnoff claimed.

"Yes, you do. And I detest that after all these centuries, you are making sense. Frankly, it is scary."

"It is only that you are not making sense since you acquired a lifemate. I hope that does not happen to all men. It would be a shame."

"Your sense of humor is not improving," Nicolae pointed out dryly. "I do not have a sense of humor," Vikirnoff answered.

"I had not noticed," Nicolae teased. His smile faded quickly. "She did well."

Vikirnoff nodded. "Yes, she is a worthy lifemate to you. I did not think I would think so with her tainted blood and her wild ways, but she is courageous. A call was put out not long ago. The lifemate of one of our people' was with child and lay dying. Healers were sent for, and our people were called to join together to help perform the healing ritual, even from afar."

Nicolae's heart leapt with hope. "That is so. It was not far from here. The healers must still be with the woman. One of them was Gregori."

There was silence between them. Vikirnoff shared his brother's mind during their battles with the undead, making it easier to coordinate their battle plans. They both had heard the vampire whispering his cruel words to Destiny. He had told her the Prince would not accept her. That Gregori would hunt her. That no one would want her near the other women. They both had felt the answering shame in Destiny. The vampire had known exactly what to say to play on her fear and humiliation.

"She will not accept him. She will run."

Vikirnoff shook his head. "You have no choice but to call him here. He will soon leave for our homeland. You will never get her to go there after what was said. She believes there is no cure for her. Call him. He can do no other than answer. You will find a way to persuade her to accept his healing power."

Nicolae turned the idea over in his mind. Vikirnoff made sense. "It is possible there is no cure," Nicolae pointed out.

Vikirnoff shrugged. "One can only try."

Before he could change his mind, Nicolae sent the call on the common Carpathian path.

Hear me, healer. We have great need. The blood of the vampire torments my lifemate on every rising. I do not want to lose her. It is a beacon for the undead and prevents our complete joining. I ask that you come when you have assured the life of the woman you are aiding.

There was a space of time. Water bubbled and the flames flickered on the cave walls. Gems sparkled in the ceiling overhead one moment, then were gone the next. The answer came. There were no questions. No demand to know who Nicolae was or how his life-mate had gotten into such a condition.

I will come at once.We will start out next rising.

It was the Carpathian way of selfless service, and Nicolae's heart was so full he could not reply.

"Thank you, Vikirnoff. He will come." Nicolae reached inside his shirt, extracted a rumpled photograph. "A vampire visited Mary Ann in her office and planted a compulsion to call the number on his business card if this woman should come to her seeking sanctuary. I think we need to find her and do our best to protect her. I cannot leave at this time. Will you begin the search? We can make copies of the photograph - Mary Ann has such a machine - and distribute them among our people."

Vikirnoff took the photo, glanced at it without much interest, stiffened and swung his gaze back to the photo, studying it carefully. "Who is this woman?"

"He did not give a name. There was little memory of the conversation and no memory of the vampire himself. I could not 'see' him in Mary Ann's memories. Why? Do you recognize her?"

"Is this photograph in color, Nicolae?" He didn't look at his brother, but continued staring at the picture as if mesmerized.

Nicolae watched as the pad of Vikirnoff's thumb caressed the face looking back at him from the glossy paper. "Yes, it is. Do you recognize her?" he asked again, never having seen Vikirnoff exhibit interest in any woman.

"I have seen her face. Her eyes. It was not real; it was in a dream. Long ago, Nicolae, in a dream. Her hair was as black as midnight and her eyes were as blue as the sea when it is clear and calm. It is the only color I remember, that deep blue of her eyes. I never let go of that memory. Are her eyes blue? In the photo, are her eyes blue? A striking, vivid blue?"

Nicolae's heart surged with hope. "Yes, Vikirnoff. Her eyes are blue and her hair is midnight black. You never told me of such a dream."

Vikirnoff shrugged, but his gaze was glued to the photograph. "There was no reason to tell you of such a thing. A dream only. What do you know of her?"

"We believe she is human and has psychic talent. The vampire indicated she had the gift of psychometry. That is all we know. He claimed he was from a research center for psychics and that they wanted to help her. She is running from someone, probably the vampire. I think it best our people find her first."

"It could take years, Nicolae. I cannot leave you now, while you are surrounded by vampires and hampered by a lifemate who could very well endanger you without realizing it. Her blood is tainted. We do not know if it can be fixed. I do not want to lose you, Nicolae. You know how close I am to the end. Should something go wrong here with you and your lifemate, it will also go wrong with me. Here, I can aid you. Searching for this mythical woman, I can do nothing for you."

Nicolae waved the protest aside. "I'm a hunter, a protector of our people, as are you. We can do no other than what is expected of us. Our honor demands it."

"I will begin the search in a rising or two. It is best to show her picture to some of the local people. If she was in the area, or is expected, perhaps someone knows of her. It will give me a starting point."

"It is possible the vampire managed to get to Mary Ann before this woman made her way to Seattle," Nicolae mused aloud. "Velda would be the one to ask. Nothing gets by Velda and Inez."

Vikirnoff visibly shuddered. "Perhaps you should speak with them. It is best if I stay in the background." Nicolae's eyebrows shot up. He remained silent, watching his brother with evident amusement.

"I see no reason for your new, strange humor, Nicolae. It is a matter of logic. The women know you and will tell you things they would not reveal to me."

Nicolae snorted. "You are a coward. You are afraid of a couple of sweet elderly ladies. I had no idea."

"Speaking with little old ladies is enough to shake the very foundations of a man," Vikirnoff pointed out reasonably. "They flap their arms and screech like chickens. In truth there is no fear involved, only the painful reality that they will draw undue attention to my existence."

Nicolae sat abruptly on the edge of a boulder. "There is some truth to what you say. I must confess I feel some small affection for Velda and Inez, although I do not know how it happened. They are frightening to me also. Velda has talent. She knows things I would like to better explore. Do you have any idea what is causing these humans to behave at odds with their true nature?"

Vikirnoff shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot detect the touch of a vampire. It is unsettling. The poison used on your lifemate was much more sophisticated than I have ever seen. I do not like the fact that there is some semblance of order among the vampires and someone is orchestrating a great war plan we have never before seen."

"It is possible Gregori knows of this. He is second to the Prince and shares all his information. If they can use such a trap to attack me, it can also be used against our Prince, and he should be alerted to the possibility."

Vikirnoff studied Nicolae's pale face. "You are not taking proper care of yourself. It is necessary for you to be at full strength to fight the call of her blood. If you succumb, we do not know what will happen. I have never heard of such a case before, and we have no way of knowing what to expect." It was a reprimand, delivered in Vikirnoff's usual forthright manner.

Nicolae sighed. "You just have to act the older brother with me."

"If finding one's lifemate means throwing away all reason, I am uncertain whether it is such a good thing." Even as he uttered the words, his thumb slid once more in an unknowing caress over the face of the woman in the photograph.

Nicolae held out his hand. "I will take the picture to Mary Ann's office and make copies for you and show it to Velda and Inez."

Vikirnoff hesitated uncharacteristically. He shoved the photograph inside his shirt. "I will make the copies myself and give you one to show the human women." Vikirnoff stepped forward. "You must feed." He tore his wrist open with his teeth, extended his arm to his brother.

Nicolae bent his head to the life-giving fluid.

This is becoming a regular habit.

"I have noticed. I am fast gaining the reputation of being a glutton, feeding for both of us," Vikirnoff said dryly.

The ancient blood, strong and healing, rushed through Nicolae's body, filling shriveled cells, bringing strength and power to muscle and tissue. He took what he needed, knowing he would be replenishing Destiny on the next rising. Carefully, respectfully, he closed the wound.

"Thank you for always being my brother," he said formally.

Vikirnoff nodded without replying, his form already shimmering.

I will find my own resting place, close enough to be called should there be need, but far enough to afford privacy.

The flames from the urn sputtered and went out as if a small breeze had moved through the chamber. A wealth of healing aromas filled the cavern and drifted deep into Nicolae's lungs. He stretched, feeling the tension in his body slowly begin to fade. There were still remnants of anger and fear at the thought of what had been, what could have happened, but Vikirnoff had managed to calm the turbulent storm.

Nicolae began the complicated weaving of difficult safeguards at all entrances to the mountain and the network of caves. He didn't want to find himself sharing their resting place with a vampire this night. Deepening the resting place so that Destiny had even richer soil to welcome her, he floated down into the arms of the earth.

At the next rising he intended to find a way to lock Destiny closer to him, find a way to force her acceptance of a healing by the Prince's second-in-command. He could be as ruthless as the next hunter if the situation called for it, and he believed this one would. Destiny was not likely to welcome Gregori, nor would she thank Nicolae for summoning the healer.

Nicolae gathered Destiny into his arms and waved his hand to command the earth to close over them. The soil was warm, welcoming and soothing. He held her close, brushed the top of her head with his lips and allowed his heart to cease beating.