Dark Destiny (30 page)

John Paul looked at neither of them but obediently shuffled away, toward his home, looking neither right nor left, uninterested in the world around him.

Nicolae scanned the area carefully. The clouds overhead spun in thick threads of black, but there was no wind. He moved, gliding with incredible speed, his fingers settling around Destiny's arm. "We need to go now."

"I don't want the vampire to hurt someone here, not even John Paul, because he's angry he missed me." Destiny tried not to sound as if she were pleading. The buzzing in her head was getting worse, a million bees stinging her from the inside out. It took a great effort to keep from covering her ears or tearing at her head to remove the voice.

The long fingers tightened around her arm like a vise. "Destiny, the vampire has
not
missed you yet. His poison is in your bloodstream, destroying your cells while we waste time talking. We must seek shelter, a place we can defend."

The urgency in his voice told her, even more than the raucous sound in her head, that they had to hurry. Taking the image of an owl from his mind, she immediately began to shift her shape. Only it didn't work. Her form shimmered, but nothing happened. "Get out of here, Nicolae." She shoved him hard with the flat of her hand. "He's using me as bait to trap you. Get away from me."

Nicolae swore in the ancient language. "What happens to you happens to me. We stay together."

She shoved him again, this time hard enough to rock him. "That's what he wants. I'm weighing you down, a stone around your neck. Get out of here. If you care about me at all, leave me here." The worm stings were getting worse, not only in her head now but spreading through her body until she thought she might go mad. She couldn't tone it down, or control the pain at all.

More than the madness, more than the pain, her one thought was his protection. She knew she was right. The vampire had realized that Nicolae was his most powerful enemy. Though she had failed to detect Nicolae's power, the undead had sensed it. The vampire recognized an ancient and knew that if he were to succeed in his plans, it was important to destroy Nicolae.

Nicolae ignored her protests, simply blocked out the sound of the tears in her voice. He couldn't afford to feel emotion. He swept her up in his arms and took to the skies. She went still, knowing better than to fight him, sensing his utter resolve. He would force compliance from her, and both of them knew that if he did such a thing, she would be unable to view it as anything other than a complete violation.

She slipped her arms around his neck and concentrated on their back trail, trying to focus despite the strident voice shrieking in her head and the fiery stings in her body. She would not leave the entire fight to Nicolae, no matter how difficult it was to concentrate.

Her pain was excruciating. Nicolae could feel it coming from her in waves. He shared her mind and heard the hideous voice of the vampire. Her heart was beating far too fast, galloping with the effort to overcome the strain of the poison and the stinging army attacking her from the inside. She was fighting to stay focused, to weave holding spells and throw up flimsy battlements to delay the vampire following them. To give Nicolae more time.

Nicolae buried his face for one moment in her throat, inhaling her scent, whispering softly to her.

Without warning, the world darkened around Destiny, so that only small pinpoints of light burst behind her eyelids. Then all light faded, all sensation. The voice in her head ended abruptly, and the world dropped away.

Chapter Thirteen

How much time do you have
? It was Vikirnoff, calm as always. He was far off, but moving rapidly toward his brother.
Her blood calls to the undead like a bright beacon. You will not be able to hide her from them
.

I have no intention of hiding
. Nicolae sounded grim. Supremely confident. Merciless. He sounded exactly like the brother Vikirnoff had known for centuries. His power filled the skies, bursting into bolts of lightning, zigzagging whips attacking in every direction. Nicolae was taking the offensive. The skies opened up and torrents of rain pounded the earth.
Let them come for us
.

In the distance, Nicolae heard the echo of a cry of hatred, of rage. A second and a third cry followed as his weapons found targets. The skies lit up with fire, and thunder shook the earth. The ground heaved, buckled and rolled. Below, in a small lake, a huge wave crested high, racing across the surface in foaming madness. Stars seemed to explode around him, an answering war call from the vampire.

Nicolae swept one hand across the sky, stirring the wind to a furious assault on the white-hot bursts of light, blowing them away from the woman in his arms. He raced straight for the mountains, away from humans, where others might be caught in the coming battle. Deliberately he took her far from their chamber of pools, not wanting the vampire to find their resting place. Deep underground he flew, where a series of caves opened into the earth. Steam rose through vents, and the smell of sulfur was strong, but the minerals in the soil were exactly what he was looking for.

He built safeguards in haste, mere stalling tactics to give him the time he needed to drive the poison from Destiny's body. The tiny bite marks were already festering, dark, evil stains, the mark of the beast. Nicolae took Destiny deep beneath the earth to one of the smallest caves, a chamber where the walls were close and there was barely room for their bodies. It was not a place for battle, but far more defensible than one of the larger caves. He waved his hand to open the rich earth, settling Destiny's body into the cool soil. She was hot to the touch, and blisters were forming on her skin.

She has little time. It is a fast-acting poison and one I have not yet seen. They are almost upon us
. Nicolae was not disturbed by the gathering vampires. He felt the weight of their anger and determination. They thought him trapped in the mountains, unable to move with a woman to watch over, but they did not yet know his Destiny. Nor did they realize Vikirnoff was streaking across the skies, determined to join the battle.

Using saliva and the rich soil, Nicolae hastily packed each laceration. The tiny, razor-sharp teeth had bitten deep to find Destiny's veins and inject poison into their victim. He worked swiftly but methodically, not taking a chance on missing anything. The vampire who had orchestrated the attack had been clever and quick, using the cover of the fog and waiting for the moment when Destiny's inattention made her vulnerable. At no time had the vampire exposed himself to danger or injury. It was a smart move, and Nicolae acknowledged the enemy was a dangerous adversary.

It was the poison moving through Destiny's body that alarmed him the most. "Wake, my love. Wake with the knowledge of our coming battle."

Destiny obeyed his command with a gasp of pain. Her gaze, darkened with suffering, met his. "They seek you, Nicolae. They come for you."

He waved the information away casually. "Let them come. They have underestimated you. They will come to their own doom. I must drive the poison from your body as quickly as possible, and I will need all of your strength and aid."

She nodded, trust shimmering in the depths of her eyes. "Tell me what to do and I'll follow your lead."

Nicolae forced his mind away from the absolute trust in her gaze, in her words, and how much it meant to him. How much
she
meant to him. He slowed his heartbeat to a strong, steady beat designed to hinder the swiftness of the poison. He had sent her to sleep for the same reason. He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Like this, Destiny. Keep your heart rate exactly the same." His thumb caressed the back of her hand while his heart beat directly into her palm.

She became aware of the rapid pounding of her heart. It filled the chamber with the sound of thunder, a powerful drum that beat a rhythm of death. At once she slowed the beat, taking control of her body, following the slower, much steadier beat of his. She felt sluggish and drained, tired beyond belief as her heart slowed down.

"You will be shocked when we are inside. Do not panic, and do not fear for me. I have dealt with poison many times. Concentrate on what must be done. Fear is our biggest enemy."

Destiny nodded her understanding. "I won't let you down." She was very aware of the danger they were in. She was in Nicolae's mind, even felt the presence of Vikirnoff. He didn't bother to shield his presence from her any longer. She knew he was racing to their aid.

Nicolae allowed his body to drop away, become light and energy so that he could enter Destiny's body to survey the damage. He spent precious minutes studying the chemical compound used to poison his lifemate. It was replicating itself quickly, and mutating as it spread through her body. The mutant form seemed to sense him, an army of hostile intent, ready to attack his light.

Pull out
! Destiny didn't wait to see if he listened to the order; she struck with every bit of strength she had, driving him from her body, using their blood bond to draw him with her.

The move was so strong, so unexpected, it caught Nicolae unawares. He found himself back in his own body blinking at her.

If I had a sense of humor, I would be laughing right now
. Vikirnoff sounded the same as always. Calm, undisturbed by the fact that they were being stalked by an unknown number of vampires, and a bloody battle would soon take place.

Nicolae sighed. "You should not have done that, Destiny," he reprimanded. "The poison must be driven from your body; we have no other choice. We have no time for arguing."

"No, we don't," she agreed. Beads of sweat dotted her skin. Some were pink, the first traces of blood. "You will have to delay them, defend us while I do this myself. The poison was designed to attack the healer. Both of us cannot be infected." She laid her hand on his arm. "You know I'm right, Nicolae."

She does actually make sense once in a while.

"I heard that," Destiny said. "Nicolae, we don't have time to argue about this. Even your brother agrees I'm right, and you know he's totally living in the Dark Ages when it comes to women."

Nicolae swore eloquently in the ancient native tongue. He included Vikirnoff in his litany just for good measure. The poison was a virulent strain. He bent his head to rest his brow against hers. "Being your lifemate is not the easiest on a man's ego."

Her hand cupped his cheek, her thumb feathering a caress over his lips. "The hounds are at the front door."

His mouth skimmed hers. "You be careful, Destiny. Do this right. You do not have much time. I will need you on your feet and ready to go. They must be kept from this chamber if possible. I will meet them above."

"Go." She squeezed his fingers, let her hand fall away. Nicolae was already dissolving, streaming away from her and up the chimney to burst into the night sky. He would go out to meet their enemies. His lifemate's blood was a bright beacon summoning the undead straight to their location. It was his job to keep them away from her until she was able to move and hunt on her own.

Destiny wasted no time, and he could detect no fear in her as once more she allowed her body to slip away. She became light and energy, marshaling her waning strength to fight the army of invading microbes in her bloodstream. Nicolae remained a shadow in her mind, ready to give her strength should there be need, ready to aid her in any way.

He climbed high, taking stock of his surroundings. He hoped the vampires would be careless in their attack, certain he was too busy with Destiny to go on the offense. This had been a carefully prepared battle, and Nicolae was certain Pater was behind it. Pater was determined to bring the vampires together, uniting them against the hunters.

It might work if they can keep from killing one another
, Nicolae observed.

Vikirnoff thought it over.
I did not believe there was a vampire powerful enough, not even an ancient, to accomplish such a thing as uniting vampires to a common purpose, but our enemy seems to have managed such a thing here
.

It has been done before, but not with ancients. Always there has been one who has power, the rest only sacrificial pawns. This bodes ill for our people
. Nicolae hid his being in the tiniest of molecules, spread out across the sky in the roiling clouds. Vikirnoff was in his mind, and deeply merged with Destiny also, waiting to lend his strength when there was need.

Destiny was unaware of either of them. She concentrated entirely on her own war, trusting Nicolae to fend off the undead until she could join him. She recognized she had lost too much blood through the many bites on her skin. The compound in her body was wreaking mass destruction, mutating her cells at a rapid rate. She noted the wiggling parasites that were always present in her bloodstream, familiar to her, but somehow abhorrent. Even they tried to hide from the attacking poison. She searched quickly through her bloodstream, found natural antibodies and began replicating them, hastily throwing her own army at the microbes to slow down their reproduction and give herself more time to come up with something to destroy them permanently. She glimpsed a bubble, nearly hidden behind the swarming cells. It was reddish-black, a large clot rolling in the wake of the microbes. She could fight the mutant cells, programmed to attack the surge of energy she radiated, but she had the feeling the real demon was that unknown mass.

She ignored the lesions forming on her organs everywhere the poison touched. She ignored her tainted blood, burning and scalding so that the walls of her veins seemed thin and weak, ready to burst. In places they bulged alarmingly, just as some of her organs did.

What weapons did she have to fight such a thing? Energy. Light. She stopped wasting her time creating antibodies that merely slowed the army of mutants. She waited, watched the surging swarm of cells bent on enveloping the essence of her life.

Destiny held her position, aware of time slowing down. She felt no one near her, heard nothing, not even the beating of her own heart. Her entire focus was on that mass of malignant cells. She waited, gathering her energy until it was white-hot, a pinpoint laser, zeroing in on the deadly microbes. She allowed her power free rein, and it became a concentrated lethal pulse of energy, so great she knew it wasn't all her own.