Dark Peril (24 page)

Zacarias didn’t dare move away from them, knowing it was only his presence that prevented them from shooting the cat, and that if they did, Dominic would slaughter everyone in sight. The Dragonseeker was in motion, a thing of beauty, his body fluid and graceful, so fast he was a blur, slamming hard into Etienne even as the jaguar jumped back out of reach.

Etienne shrieked, a bizarre animalistic sound that startled the sleeping cattle in the distance. The herd came to its feet, mooing and stomping restlessly. Cesaro jerked his hand back, gesturing toward the rolling hills, and his men took off at a run. Others poured from homes scattered around the hills, leaping on horses, racing to calm the frightened cattle.

The vampire spun, moving fast like a twister, whirling and spinning, trying to use his feet like a drill bit, digging into the earth, hoping to escape the relentless hunter. Dominic spun with him, lost to sight in the debris, drawn into the tornado reaching from earth to sky. He flowed with the turbulent winds, implacable in his resolve to destroy the undead.

The air began to charge. The hair on their arms stood up. Zacarias called a warning to Solange as he took Cesaro to the ground, covering his body with his own. Solange leapt away from the charging air and nearly landed in a fountain. She flattened herself as close to the ground as possible just as lightning struck, the bolt going from earth to sky and back to earth again. Etienne shrieked hideously. The smell of decomposed, rotting flesh turned to smoke, permeating the air with a foul stench.

Zacarias could only smell the blood around him as he lay over the top of his foreman. The scent was everywhere, heavy in his lungs. His fangs refused to retract. The sound of hearts beating became a drum of desire pounding through his skull. Warm flesh beckoned, the lure of hot blood strong, the pulse right beneath his mouth. So close. So tempting. The whisper was insidious in his ear
. Just this once
.

His mouth nearly touched that strumming pulse. His ears filled with the sound, the ebb and flow of the life force in Cesaro’s body. His mind refused to work, flooded now with need.
Just this once.
He could smell the delicious fear. The adrenaline racing through veins. He moved his head back, his sight narrowed to that temptation.

The jaguar hit him full force, knocking him off Cesaro’s body. He rolled and came up on his feet, his mind a red haze of need and anger. Ruby-red eyes fixed on Solange, furious that she had stolen his prey. She prowled back and forth between Zacarias and Cesaro, keeping him from the hot, spicy blood his body needed so desperately. He hissed his anger, the two predators locked in a stare, each waiting for the other to attack.

Cesaro moved slowly, carefully, trying not to draw the attention of the large cat. His fingers inched their way to his rifle and, increment by increment, drew it to him.
Don
Zacarias needed and he provided, just as his family had done century after century. If it was his blood Zacarias needed, Cesaro would give it. His fingers drew the rifle into his hand and his fist closed around it. He took a deep breath and surged to his feet, the butt of the weapon fitting snugly into his shoulder, his sights on the cat. Very slowly his finger found the trigger and he began to squeeze.

Behind them, bloody, his shirt and chest shredded, Dominic roared a challenge to Zacarias even as he ripped the rifle from Cesaro with one hand and slapped him away with the other. The strike was casual, but so hard the force sent Cesaro flying through the air to land hard against the house.

“See to the woman,” Dominic ordered, his voice a low command that brooked no argument. He pointed and the man slowly got to his feet, looking dazed, his eyes showing his confusion.

Cesaro was protected from compulsion, so it was only the sheer force of Dominic’s personality that overrode the loyalty ingrained in the foreman to protect Zacarias.

“She’s in the bedroom and needs immediate medical attention.” That spurred the man into action. He hurried into the house, leaving the two Carpathians facing one another. Dominic held his hands out to his sides. “Zacarias.” Just the name. A calling.

Zacarias shook his head. The whispers refused to stop, pounding like a drumbeat deep in his veins, in his mind, until he was consumed with the dark desire for blood. “Go. Go while you can, old friend. Save yourself.”

“
Ekam
. My brother.
Anaakfel
. Old friend.” There was anguish in Dominic’s voice—in his heart and mind. “This is not your choice. Your choice is to serve your people. I need you. The prince needs you. We have to get this information to him.” Even as he spoke, Dominic glided into position, his heart so heavy he could barely keep the burning tears from moving past his throat. There was a ball of them lodged there. Zacarias. A man noble beyond anyone’s imagining. To kill him felt like a sacrilege.

I’m going to shift, Dominic. I need clothes.

Solange’s voice startled him. She was so calm. Her utter composure surprised him. He felt her in his mind, knew she felt his love for Zacarias. They were ancients. They had been childhood friends. They’d spent centuries fighting the same enemy, sometimes side by side, other times alone, but they’d always been in the world sharing the same fate. His heart would shatter when he killed Zacarias—but he would kill him. He would spare Zacarias the humiliation of losing his honor. The Carpathian people would remember him as the hero he truly was.

Leave us, Solange.

Dominic flexed his fingers. He’d taken a beating killing Etienne. The ancient had been a skilled fighter and he’d sustained several injuries. Zacarias was one of the best, most experienced warriors he’d ever encountered. Dominic’s love for him, his respect, would be difficult to overcome. He didn’t want Solange anywhere near this battle. He had no doubt that he would kill his friend, but there was every possibility that Zacarias would kill him, too.

There’s a chance to save him.

His first reaction was to order her away, but the absolute belief in her voice swayed him. More than anything, he wanted her protected. Yet Zacarias was as close as he was ever going to get to a real friend, and Dominic didn’t want to have to kill him.

She didn’t wait for him to make up his mind, but shifted just to the left of him. He clothed her in her normal clothes, the faded jeans and thin tee that worked best when she was moving through the forest. She had emerged closer to Zacarias than he liked, and he knew it was deliberate.

“I am family to you, Zacarias,” she said, addressing the Carpathian hunter.

Centuries old, Zacarias was more than intimidating under normal circumstances. But he was so close to turning, he was growling, his eyes already changing, revealing the red haze of the vampire already trying to possess his mind.

Dominic moved into position to strike. He would need every ounce of speed and strength he possessed to drive through the wall of Zacarias’s chest and extract the heart before Zacarias could retaliate. The attack would have to come as a complete shock if he had any chance at all to end it fast. The idea sickened him, but he meticulously went over each move in his head. Solange had merged her mind with his. He knew she saw the attack in his mind, but she continued to try, taking another step toward the hunter.

Even as Dominic reached out a hand to stop her, Zacarias stepped out of reach and shook his head. “Take her and go while you can, Dominic.” His voice was little more than a growl.

“Look at me,” Solange persisted. “I am your family. Sister to you. Would you really destroy the one you have long protected? The scent of blood, so much death, it’s calling to you, but I’m offering you freely, as your sister, as one under your protection . . .”

Dominic’s breath hissed out between his teeth, his heart pounding. She was reading his mind, seeing the traditional and very formal Carpathian ways. Her life for his.
No, Solange. I will not accept that.

For you, not for him. This is a gift to you. I want to love him and see him as you do. You see honor and I want to see that as well. Let me give you what I can of myself. This is for you.

Not at the risk of your life.

You risk yours to kill him. Let me risk mine to save him.

If he hadn’t loved her before, he did now. The force of the emotion shook him as Solange extended her wrist toward Dominic. All the while he watched Zacarias watching them. Zacarias was more predator than hunter. Perhaps both of them were in that moment. Both dangerous beings. But then Solange had faced danger unflinchingly before. He took a breath and allowed one nail to slide over her skin, opening the vein. Bright ruby droplets welled up, small, beautiful gems, glittering like jewels.

“Come, brother,” she said softly. “Feed and then go to ground. This will pass. It has happened before. You’re strong and we need you.”

Zacarias couldn’t tear his eyes from the blood. “Not like this. Never like this. It is too dangerous, Dominic. Send her far from me.”

“I will honor your wishes should you go too far,” Dominic promised, his heart in his throat along with the ball of unshed tears. “You are my brother.
Our
brother. Drink. You will stay in control.” He tried a little push to aid Zacarias, but ultimately, it was his choice. He had to fight the beast, find the last bit of strength to get him through this foul crisis.

Solange stood her ground. Of all of them, she was the most calm. She held her wrist out to Zacarias. If he stepped forward to take the offering, he would be fully exposed to Dominic. She had placed herself as bait. All three knew it.

Life or death.

Choose life,
Dominic pleaded silently.

Zacarias glided across the space between them, taking the offered wrist, his chest and heart completely exposed and vulnerable to Dominic. Deliberately he kept one arm out away from his body while with the other hand he took Solange’s wrist.

She couldn’t stop the shudder running through her mind—or her body—but she stood her ground as Zacarias’s mouth covered her wrist and he drank.

10

Let my soft arms caress you, let our songs blend together.
Let me stand by your side—let me set your heart free!

SOLANGE TO DOMINIC

D
ominic inched closer to Zacarias, knowing how fast the other Carpathian was. He’d fought beside Zacarias in countless battles and knew his every move. Like shadow dancers, they eyed one another, Zacarias bent over Solange’s wrist. Zacarias appeared vulnerable, but Dominic wasn’t deceived. Solange was Dominic’s lifemate, and she was the most vulnerable of all. Zacarias could kill her in seconds. That alone would shake Dominic enough to give Zacarias a little edge.

The tension heightened. Solange stood very still, her eyes on Dominic’s face. She didn’t so much as glance at Zacarias as he drew the precious blood from her body. She pulled out of Dominic’s mind, but he slipped into hers, hearing her silent screams, seeing the fear amounting to terror. Yet astonishingly, none of it showed on her face, not even in her eyes. Had he not been connected with her, Dominic would never have known how frightened she was.

His woman. His lifemate. Her courage terrifying to him. He wanted to jerk Zacarias away from her. He could see the greed there, the desperate need, the mounting danger. Time stretched out. The sound of Zacarias taking her blood was hideous, the sight intolerable—yet he forced himself to stand as still as Solange and endure. Sweat beaded on his body, trickled down his chest to mix with the ragged tears in his flesh. For a Carpathian to know his lifemate was not only in danger but was suffering was one of the worst things possible.

Dominic started to stir, but he felt Solange’s resistance.

Please give him time to recover. He’s trying to pull back.

She would know. Zacarias’s mouth was sealed to her vein, drawing heavily on it. She was pale, clammy, but she didn’t resist. Dominic realized that was what kept Zacarias in check—her lack of resistance. She had offered her life. She was his family, under his protection, and Zacarias was all about honor. She made him remember. She forced him to choose honor. There would be no escape for Zacarias this night. His life would continue, barren and ugly and without hope.

When I say enough, you do not argue, you run.
His voice was implacable.

If you believe it is too late, I’ll respect your decision,
she agreed.

The tension stretched to a breaking point. Dominic fought with his instincts, trying to give his friend the time he needed to pull back from the precipice himself, but seeing the mouth gulping at his lifemate’s blood was worse than just about anything he had ever endured. She was stoic, but she was frightened, and his own discipline was close to the edge.

It seemed a lifetime before Zacarias managed to conquer the beast growing in him. He swept his tongue across Solange’s wrist and he bowed low, a gesture of his deepest respect. He had to have known how frightened she was as well. Her blood had been laced with adrenaline, giving him a rush, a fireball burning through his veins, but her courage had defied all logic, her sacrifice great for a warrior so close to turning. He seemed ashamed to be in Dominic’s company, and more ashamed to be in hers.

Dominic let out his breath, emotion shaking him, knowing the cost to his friend and to his lifemate. “I apologize, Zacarias. I could not let you go. I know it is difficult, but I cannot yet give you up. Solange knew that. It is my weakness, not yours.”

He reached out and gripped Zacarias by his forearms, warrior to warrior, staring into his eyes. They both knew the gesture was brotherhood, respect, and to check that Zacarias had conquered their enemy one more time. The ruby red in Zacarias’s eyes had receded along with the haze. His fangs slowly retracted. It took a moment before he responded, clasping Dominic’s forearms in a firm grip.

“There is nothing weak about you, Dragonseeker. You hide your fierce nature under that calm charm but those of us who know you are fully aware of the power you wield. I will wait for your call. I go to ground now to keep my people safe.”