Dark Destiny (32 page)

Pater read her expression, saw her eyes, the power swirling in the blue-green depths, power not her own, and he knew he had failed. His minions had not kept the ancient occupied. He was staring at death. In desperation he threw up a barrier, burrowing into the ground as he did so. Inches from Destiny, vines erupted from the ground. Giant tentacles reached for her, flowers opening to reveal tiny piranhalike teeth snapping close to her legs.

She drew away from the plants with her last remaining strength. Even as she did, she felt the power moving through her, saw the vines wither and die, dropping in the dirt to disintegrate into lifeless black strings. Destiny slumped against the wall of the cave, breathing a sigh of relief. Pater had escaped a second time, but he hadn't managed to use her to destroy Nicolae.

The battle in the air was fading, the vampires retreating at their master's call. Vikirnoff had managed to destroy one of the undead, calling on lightning to incinerate his black heart.

Nicolae had managed to evade the other three, even while keeping Martin safe and fighting off Pater's attack on Destiny. He was worried, though. He could sense Destiny's weakness.

Take Martin back to the city for me while I see to Destiny
, Nicolae said to his brother.
He must be healed and his memories removed
.

He is your human. I do not deal well with such people. They make no sense to me. I must feed if I am to supply you with what you need. You should take what you need from that one before you go to your lifemate. But you will not because she will be angry if you do. It makes no sense. Prey is prey.

Nicolae glared at his brother, but the gesture was lost on Vikirnoff.
Destiny. I must see that Martin's wounds are healed and that he gets home safely
.

Of course you must
. There was something new in her voice. A soft note of warmth, of love that hadn't been there before. Nicolae was certain she was unaware of it, but it spread fire in his belly and sent his heart leaping with joy.
I'm a little tired, but I'm all right. Do what you have to do, then come back and get me. I'll even let you play the big hero. You can pick me up and carry me home
.

Nicolae found himself smiling as he whisked Martin across the sky, back to the comparative safety of the city.
You like it when I carry you around. Especially if you do not have any clothes on
.

Her laughter bubbled up, soft and melodic, warming him even more, filling him completely with happiness. He also heard the note of utter weariness in her voice when she spoke to him.
You like it when I have no clothes on. That mind of yours is a minefield of erotic images. It is true what they say about men thinking of sex every few seconds
.

I have been in your mind too, Destiny.

I have an excuse, though. You have all those images in your head and I'm thinking them over. Memorizing them.

Her teasing voice caressed his skin, fanned the flames of urgent need, even when he knew rest and the healing soil were the only thing he would allow his lifemate this night.
I am proud of you
. He had to tell her of his pride, could not keep it to himself. The intensity of his emotions swept through him until he thought he might burst. She had done the impossible, the unthinkable.

You did rather well yourself this night, although your speed could use improvement. Do not think I haven't noticed the wound on your shoulder when you were just a bit slow shoving your idiot of a brother out of harm's way.

You are critiquing me
? He injected shock and horror into his voice to make her laugh. He loved her laugh.
I thought frying the lizard was a nice touch
.

I was taught by a master. Really, you could use a few tips
. The amusement was already fading from her voice, leaving her sounding drowsy.
I'm tired, Nicolae. I must rest until you return
.

He shared her mind as she set safeguards; they would be easy enough to unravel now that he knew the complicated patterns,
I will return swiftly
.

No need. I will rest in the soil.

Just like that she was gone from him. He knew she was safe, that she had gone to ground, allowing the earth to welcome her, but he needed to hold her, to see for himself that she was safe from all harm. He wanted to carry her to the cave of pools, to perform the healing ritual on her and give her blood before placing her in the rich soil of their lair.

Nicolae controlled his descent so as not to alarm Martin further. He chose a small park a short distance from the man's home.

Martin trembled uncontrollably. "What were those things? You saved my life."

Nicolae helped him to sit on the park bench. "It is not necessary to explain. You will not remember them. You will not remember any of this."

At those words, Martin jerked away from Nicolae. "Like I don't remember the attack on Father Mulligan? Did you have something to do with that? Did those… those
things
?"

"I do not know why you cannot remember what happened, Martin," Nicolae answered honestly. "I cannot find evidence that one of the undead touched you in any way. Either a vampire has grown more powerful than anything I can conceive of, or it was not the influence or work of one. I do not know what happened to you, but I am trying to find out." He examined the wounds on Martin's legs. "Fortunately, you were not injected with poison. You were very lucky this time."

"Lucky?" Martin looked as if he might cry. Then he began to laugh, almost hysterically. "I guess you're right. If you hadn't come along, that thing would have eaten me alive. What was it?"

"Martin? Nicolae?" Father Mulligan came up behind them, startled to see them in the park. He had walked right past that bench only minutes earlier and no one had been in sight.

Nicolae heaved a sigh, sitting back on his haunches. The world was conspiring against him. "How are you tonight, Father?"

"What happened to Martin's legs?" The priest peered anxiously at the gaping, bloody lacerations. "Should I call an ambulance?"

"I can take care of it for him," Nicolae said. "What are you doing out so late?"

"The storm over the mountains made me uneasy." The priest's gaze was shrewd and assessing as he studied Nicolae and then Martin. The blackened wound on Nicolae's shoulder and Martin's shredded legs told him more than either would admit in words. "That was no natural storm. Who won?"

Nicolae pushed a hand through his hair. "I would have to say it was a draw. I cannot stay long. Destiny is ill and I must return to her." He glanced sharply at the priest. "You did not feel a compulsion to come here now, did you?"

"You mean as if I couldn't stop myself?"

Nicolae nodded. "I do not like the fact that you were attacked. That Martin was used to attack you and that he was out tonight. And now I find you here."

Father Mulligan shook his head firmly. "I woke when the thunder was so loud. Believe me, I was in complete control of all my faculties. I knew something was wrong, and I was worried about my parishioners."

"It is much safer to stay inside, Father," Nicolae pointed out. He turned his attention to Martin's leg. "How did they manage to get their hands on you?"

Martin frowned. "I had a fight with Tim. We never argue, but this thing with my losing my memory and nearly killing Father Mulligan is ruining our relationship. I think Tim's a little afraid of me. I keep telling him I'd never hurt him, but then I would never hurt you, Father, and I did. So that doesn't mean much."

"Do you know John Paul, Martin?"

"Sure. Everyone knows him. He looks like a brute, but he's really a gentle giant. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it."

"He beat up Helena. Not once but twice," Nicolae said, watching Martin's face carefully.

Martin paled visibly, looked genuinely shocked. "I don't believe it. He
adores
Helena. He would kill anyone who touched her. I don't believe you." He looked at the priest for confirmation. "It had to be someone else."

"He doesn't remember it either, Martin," Father Mulligan said gently.

Martin dropped his face into his hands. "I don't understand any of this. Why is this happening? Does it have something to do with those creatures?" He dragged his hands over his face twice as if wiping the memory away. "Am I going insane? Tell me if I am. I swear I'd rather let that creature bite me in half than hurt someone I care about."

"I don't think you're insane," Father Mulligan said, dropping a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "Neither is John Paul."

"I was out walking tonight. I didn't want Tim to see me cry. I didn't see the thing coming at me. One moment I was alone, and then it had me." He shuddered with the memory of the hot jaws crushing him. "Some animal, Father—a cross between a Komodo dragon and a crocodile, but with wings. I sound crazy even to myself." He slumped against the back of the wooden bench. "I don't know whether to go to the nearest hospital and check myself in or put a gun to my head."

Nicolae leaned close, staring directly into Martin's eyes. "You will do neither. You will not remember the creatures you saw tonight, or my presence or flying through the air. There was no battle in the skies. You sat here in the park and spoke with Father Mulligan. He calmed you down and told you to have faith and wait it out. There is an answer, and you will be exonerated."

Martin nodded, his eyes glazing slightly as he slipped deeper under Nicolae's compulsion. Nicolae healed his legs, making certain there was not even a tiny scar to draw attention to the incident. He looked up at the priest. "You will have to take over from here, Father. See that he gets home. Maybe talk with Tim and ask him to ease up on Martin. He is not dangerous."

"Neither is John Paul, yet he hurt Helena," the priest said. "I was told that tonight he went berserk in his home and tore it to pieces, destroying furniture in a terrible rage. A neighbor wanted to call the police but called Velda instead. She advised against it. Helena is safe, and he can't get to her for the time being. If he goes into the system, he'll have a record for life."

"I saw him earlier; he was not himself, more like a zombie, programmed for violence, but I could not detect the undead," Nicolae said.

"You are talking about vampires. Individuals who drink the blood of the living and have given up their souls to continue their immortal existence. Those are the creatures you hunt. And Martin saw them." Father Mulligan's voice was filled with awe. "It is difficult to believe such creatures could exist. Are they wholly evil? Beyond redemption? This is certain?"

Nicolae surged to his feet, looming over the priest, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Do not dare try to save them, Father. They would delight in getting their hands on you. You are in the business of saving souls. They do not have souls to save. Vampires are capable of making you commit depraved acts you cannot even conceive of. Must I give you a command, Father?"

Father Mulligan glanced at Martin, who was slumped on the bench with a slack expression. He drew away from Nicolae. "It isn't necessary. I'll keep my distance from them."

"Make certain that you do." Nicolae "pushed" with his voice, making sure the priest would stay away from the vampires. He waved his hand to wake Martin even as he dissolved, streaming away from the city in a trail of vapor.

Chapter Fourteen

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.