The Taste of Magic (19 page)

"Stop right there, du Lac, or I'll finish her now."

Adrian paused. He had no doubts the Italian would do exactly that. "Your fight is with me. Let her go and face me. "

"She's your weakness. Through her, I'll destroy you."

"Hiding behind a woman? Coward."

The other vampire stiffened at that, his face darkening with rage, and Adrian knew he could force him into doing something foolish. The Italian's pride would take over and make him careless. But before Adrian could taunt him further, unseen hands suddenly wrenched Machiavelli free and flung him against the stone wall with alarming force. Adrian turned to Kat and stared.

She stood fully erect, her arms held out before her, her eyes aflame with fury, her mouth twisted. He felt the energy pouring off her and knew with a sudden surety she had come into her powers. He put the discovery away for later. He had more to see to now, her safety being the first.

"Kat, did you…?"'

She turned, her eyes softening, though she still watched him warily. "Yes. Come on, let's go."

"No, I must finish this. Wait for me outside."

"No, he'll kill you." She tugged on his arm, and the plea in her voice was almost enough to get him to agree.

"I must end it now. Go home, I'll be there shortly."

"I won't leave you here. I can help you…NO!"

Adrian felt Machiavelli's presence behind him and spun about, dodging just out of range of the descending stake. The Italian's rage intensified at being thwarted again, and it took most of Adrian's strength to twist the other man away and beneath him. He subdued the arm that tried once more to strike with the stake, but Machiavelli would not stop.

He grappled with the other man, trying to gain control of the stake. His clawed fingers wrapped around the Italian's throat and he squeezed, but his nemesis was as strong as he, and held him off.

Adrian quickly flipped onto his back, now forced to defend himself as Machiavelli struck out once more. Adrian grabbed the Italian's wrist and using his legs, twisted free and was upright before Machiavelli realized what happened.

An outraged bellow escaped the Italian, and he charged Adrian, slamming him back against the wall. But before he could do anything more, Adrian whirled him over, resuming his former position and pinning Machiavelli down.

"What are you doing here? Get out!"

"I came to help."

"Don't come any closer!"

The voices broke through his concentration. Who the hell is Kat shouting at? The scream that followed reverberated along his spine. His brief hesitation at the sound was all Machiavelli needed to free his arm and drive the stake into Adrian's side. A pained roar shattered the windows as Adrian yanked the stake free and raised it above his head.

"Never again." Adrian drove the stake down, piercing his adversary's chest. Machiavelli let loose an agonized howl as he clutched at the stake, wrenching it free, and then disappeared from sight in a cloud of black, gritty smoke. Adrian stared at the soot-darkened floor. Had Machiavelli perished? He expected to see more left behind than the remaining coarse dust. He ran his fingers along the stone, and rubbed them together, satisfied the residue was Machiavelli's ashes. He stood. His enemy was no more.

The pain in his side reminded him of his wound, and he turned to Kat. His eyes widened in shock.

She stood with her back to him, facing the door, her hands held up and out before her. A silver stream of light emanated from her palms. It stretched out and held someone against the wall. Sophie Mannfried.

"Kat."

The sound of his pained voice broke Katerina's concentration and the stream faded, releasing Sophie from its bonds. But she was satisfied Sophie could not take both of them on. She turned to Adrian.

He swayed slightly, and she noticed the blood oozing from a wound in his side. She rushed to him, supporting him when he seemed as if he might fall. But she stumbled as pain washed over her, leaving her momentarily shaken. It radiated outward from her side, and she realized she experienced Adrian's pain. Her heart ached for his suffering as she forced her mind away from the agony.

"What's she doing here?" he asked, his arm coming around her shoulders as he leaned heavily into her. Her senses came back to her again, and she steadied him.

"I don't know. She came in when you were…fighting. I had to stop her and I didn't know what else to do."

She shivered under his intense gaze. Well, her secret was out. She had her powers and he knew it. But she didn't care anymore. He was alive. Alive, but wounded.

"You're hurt."

"Yes. Come, before the little hunter here decides I'm an easy target." Katerina turned back to Sophie, who had remained where she was, almost as if the energy bonds still held her immobile.

"What do you want?" Katerina asked. "Where's your…partner?"

"He doesn't know I'm here," Sophie said. "I came to see if I could help."

Adrian snorted in disbelief, and Katerina patted his arm. "Help? How did you know what happened?"

"I was watching the castle when du Lac returned home tonight. I…wanted to…anyway, Ms. Romanov, your parents were there. They said they were expected but no one was there. I took a chance I could get here before anything happened to…" Sophie's worried gaze was fixed solely on Adrian as she rambled her excuses.

Katerina recalled the suspicions she once had and glanced at Adrian. He had reverted back to his human appearance, but the loathing in his eyes was unmistakable. She turned back to Sophie. It was clear why the vampire hunter had come. She was in love with Adrian. There was no doubt in Katerina's view. The worry, longing and hope in Sophie's gaze was telling. A jealous twinge tugged at Katerina, but she forced it aside. The only feelings Adrian had for Sophie were hatred. Realizing that, she almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost. Though something the young woman said intrigued her, in dismissal, Katerina turned away.

"Adrian, my parents were at the castle. My mother must be frantic. We have to go." Her need to assure her parents was quickly being dwarfed by her need to get away from the horrors of this place, the smoldering dust coating the floor, and away from Sophie, who showed up at the most inopportune times. There would be time later to take care of her. Now she wanted to be safe at home, safe in Adrian's arms.

"Hold on tight, my strength is not what it should be."

She embraced him closely, taking care not to hurt his wound. She closed her eyes and the sensation of falling through air engulfed her briefly. Then suddenly, all was steady again and she opened her eyes.

They stood in the great hall, a fire burning in the hearth. Adrian collapsed weakly into a chair at the same moment Olga and Dimitri came to the stairs. Olga hurried to Katerina.

"What happened to you? Are you all right?"

Katerina allowed her mother to pull her into a brief hug before she turned back to Adrian. "I'm fine, Mama, but Adrian's not. He's…hurt." She choked on a sob and knelt before him. "Should I call Dr. Vining?

Adrian shook his head. "No."

She grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek. Tears stung her eyes. "What can I do? What do you need?"

Adrian closed his eyes and sighed, the effort clearly paining him as he winced. "What I need you cannot give me."

"I can heal him."

Katerina looked up at Olga. "Mama? You can?"

Olga nodded. She knelt beside Katerina and reached into her purse. Taking out a small envelope, she leaned over Adrian and pulled his shirt away, revealing the bloody and already festering puncture wound. Katerina gasped and looked away, barely aware of her father's comforting hand on her shoulder. She couldn't shake the image of the blackened and oozing wound. Olga took some white powder from the envelope and sprinkled it over the wound. Adrian growled in pain, his back arching. Olga pushed him back against the chair and began to recite a spell. The powder smoked and swirled. Adrian struggled to quiet the groans that tried to escape. When Olga finished speaking, she carefully placed her hand on the wound. Adrian could no longer contain himself and released a bellow of pain so loud Katerina covered her ears, the throbbing agony rolling over her in great waves. She couldn't ignore it, force it away, as it grew, making her gasp for breath. Then it vanished, and all was silent.

"How do you feel now, du Lac?"

Adrian looked up, true surprise on his face. "Madame Romanov, as always, your skill impresses me."

Katerina leaned over and peered at Adrian's exposed side. The wound was gone, healed perfectly. She stared at her mother.

"How…?"

"Never mind that now. He is still weak, and will need to rest." Olga stood and walked across the room. Katerina followed her. She deliberately kept her voice low.

"Mama? Why did you…you could have let him die."

"He would not have died, but a wounded animal is more dangerous than a healthy one. I could not leave you alone with him like that."

Katerina nodded. Her mother would rather let him live than risk him hurting her. But Katerina knew now Adrian would never hurt her. She would explain it all to Olga another time. Right now, Adrian was still weak.

"Mama, thank you. But you must leave now."

Before her mother could respond, Katerina was engulfed in a tight hug from her father. "I am relieved you are safe. Once again, you have Adrian to thank for your good fortune."

Katerina drew away. "Papa, take Mama home now. I need to see to Adrian."

Her father nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead before taking his wife and climbing the stairs. Katerina turned back to Adrian.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired. Sore. Thankful."

"Thankful?"

"Yes. You are safe. And no longer in danger."

She smiled and reached out to help him up. "Come on, you need to rest." She let him lean on her as they went up the stairs. Their chamber in the castle had been cleaned up and looked as inviting as ever. She shuddered when she recalled how Machiavelli had come into the room. She'd tried to hold him off, but he had overpowered her. She leaned her head against Adrian's chest. His arms tightened around her, then he stepped away.

"What's wrong? Should I call Dr. Vining?"

Adrian shook his head. "No. Thanks to your mother, I will be fine. But to regain my strength, I need to feed."

He headed toward the door. She couldn't let him go, she needed him here with her. She had to do something.

"Wait."

He paused, turning to face her once more. "Kat, I must…"

"Take me."

Chapter Fifteen

Katerina would have felt Adrian's shock, even if it hadn't been revealed in his wide-eyed expression. He remained silent for several moments, then shook his head.

"No."

She went to him, taking his hands in hers. "Yes. Let me heal you."

"Do you understand what you're saying?"

She bit her lip, but held his searching gaze. "Um, not really. But you can't leave. I don't want you to go. Besides, you're hurt."

"The wound is healed, thanks to your mother."

She shook her head. She couldn't bear for him to leave her now. Not after everything that had happened. All she wanted was to stay with him, to hold him as he held her. Whatever it took. She would deal with the consequences later.

"You're still weak."

"Not enough that I can't hunt."

She placed her hands on his face. "Don't leave me."

He sucked in his breath as he studied her. Finally, he nodded. "If you're sure."

She swallowed and looked away. He gripped her chin and stared into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "No. No, I'm not sure. Damn it, yes, I am."

He smiled and brushed his lips lightly against hers. "Not until you are totally positive. If you have any doubt..."

He stepped free of her embrace, but she grabbed his arm. "I know what I said. I am sure. I can help you. I want to help you. Let me."

He stiffened, and tried to break free, but as he was still drained from his fight, he couldn't shake off her tenacious grip. "So this is pity?"

She flinched at the bitterness in his words. "No, that's not it. Adrian, you're wounded because you came to save me. Now I want to do the same for you."

"So you won't be indebted to me? It seems you have very narrow-minded goals."

She threw up her arms in surrender. "This has nothing to do with any debt. This has to do with the fact that I care for you and want to help you. For that reason only. You once asked me to trust you. I'm asking you the same thing now."

He said nothing, but she saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Still, he remained motionless. She stepped closer, pressed her lips against his, and wrapped her arms around him. For a few seconds, he resisted, then he crushed her against him, his tongue parting her mouth to taste deeply of her. She whimpered as his hands moved up her blouse, and shoved the fabric free of her shoulders.