Christine feehan - Dark Slayer 20

Ivory stayed in his mind, holding him just as close, easing the terrible weight of responsibility that poured into his mind. He had long ago dealt with and accepted his choices, but to see his sister standing alive and well, healthy and happy, was overwhelming.

He held her at arm's length and looked her over carefully. «You look good, Natalya. Young.» So young. He was her twin, yet he was so much older.

You have earned every wonderful line. Ivory slipped her hand into his when he dropped his arms away from his sister. His fingers tangled and clung.

«This is Vikirnoff, my lifemate.» Natalya rubbed the tall warrior's arm, the movement mesmerizing, as if she stroked a talisman that held her together.

And maybe, Razvan decided, that's what the man was doing. Ivory was certainly holding him together. «It is good she has you.» He meant it. Whatever Vikirnoff might think of him, he was obviously fiercely protective of Natalya. And if the man felt one tenth of what he felt for Ivory, Natalya was in good hands.

Razvan brought Ivory's hand to his chest. She didn't feel comfortable with displays of affection, yet she didn't pull away. She stood beside him, her warmth enveloping him, steadying him, while he pressed her palm over his rapidly beating heart. «This is Ivory-sivam es sielam-my heart and soul.» He brought her fingertips to his lips. «Ivory, my sister, Natalya, and her lifemate, Vikirnoff.»

It was amazing to him to be able to stand there, free, in Natalya's presence, unafraid that he was providing bait for a trap that Xavier had set. But more than anything he felt pride in the woman at his side. He felt that with her he had everything. She had somehow turned a bleak, hopeless life into moments of pure joy-such as this one.

«It is wonderful to finally meet you,» Ivory said. «Your brother speaks of you often. And thank you for aiding our wolf pack, as well as giving us blood when we were in such need.»

Ivory followed Natalya and Vikirnoff into the house. Power surged through her the moment she entered. She glanced at Razvan to see if he'd felt that strong ripple of energy. He nodded silently at her, obviously uncomfortable that Gregori was behind them.

Raja has our backs, she assured.

«It was an amazing feat for the wolves to carry four humans through such treacherous terrain with a vampire close on their heels,» Mikhail observed.

Ivory shot him a wary glance. «They are special. My family. Thank you for aiding them. Is the little girl still alive? We had no time to prep her for the journey. We had to send them out fast.»

«I saw the destruction at the farmhouse.» Mikhail went straight to the woman sitting in a large, stuffed chair, her feet resting on an ottoman. «My lifemate, Raven,» he said and there was a wealth of love in his voice. «Raven, Ivory and Razvan.»

«Thank you for coming,» Raven said. «I'm sorry I can't get up, but do please sit down.» She sent a quick glare at both her lifemate and Gregori. «It seems I'm being dictated to by both the healer and Mikhail.»

«And I so enjoy the opportunity,» Mikhail said, unrepentant.

Ivory and Razvan sat in two of the wide-backed chairs set in a circle. Mikhail sank onto the arm of Raven's chair and Gregori seated himself opposite Razvan, his restless eyes moving constantly to sweep the surrounding forest through the windows.

«I think you have enough guards out there,» Ivory said. «I counted seven. Did I miss any?»

«Guards?» Raven echoed, looking from the prince to the healer. «What guards?»

It was Natalya who answered. «My brother has been considered the enemy for so long, many, including me, thought him a traitor, and it is difficult for others to believe he isn't.»

«You are pregnant with the prince's son,» Gregori pointed out gently. «Many think it is a suspicious coincidence that he has arrived when you are close to giving birth.»

«But Mikhail would never invite anyone into our home he was not certain of,» Raven said. «That's utterly ridiculous.»

«And they are suspicious of me as well,» Ivory pointed out, unwilling to let the prince get off too easily. «Because I am a Malinov.»

«Long thought dead these past centuries,» Gregori said. «Yes, some are suspicious, but I have been in your mind, healing you and Razvan. I know what you went through to save the farmer and his family.»

«Tell me about the child,» Ivory persisted.

«She lives and is well,» Gregori assured. «Falcon and Sara took the family in until the child was healed. They are living at the inn now, and we will help them get started again. Just about everything they had was destroyed. Fortunately, the vampire didn't kill all of the animals, as often happens. You must have come along and interrupted him before he could do too much damage to the farm.»

«Have you erased their memories?» Ivory asked.

Mikhail leaned forward, frowning. «The parents were easy enough, but the children still have nightmares. Gregori is working to help them. Some are more resistant than others. I'd like you to tell me about your wolves.»

Ivory stayed very still. Razvan was just as still inside as she was, sensing this was no idle question. «I made a promise to the wolf pack that helped me and I have always kept it. The summer the pups were born, game was plentiful and it had been a mild winter. The pack had two litters of pups, which sometimes happens in a good year. I helped with the hunting, so my pack was well fed and the alpha pair and the next in the hierarchy mated. The vampires hunted my pack and destroyed them, hoping to find me running amongst them.»

Her hand trembled in her lap and Razvan laid his over it, his thumb sliding back and forth in a soothing gesture. Ivory didn't look at him, but she opened her mind to his and let him comfort her where no one else could see. It had been one of the worst moments she could remember, finding the pack dead and dying.

«The pups are all that remain of my original pack. They were badly hurt, but I was not entirely»-she searched for the right word-«sane . . . in those days. I could still barely stand the moonlight and spent most of the hours beneath the ground. I needed the pack for my own survival. I couldn't let them go, and I crawled into the den with them and gave them my blood repeatedly. Sometimes I had no choice but to take their blood. It was a long time-weeks, I do not really remember-before the first turned.»

She remembered that moment, the animal screaming in pain, and her shock at what she'd done. «I was careful to make certain they learned to hunt only with me. I feed them and care for them. They do not breed.» She lifted her head and looked the prince straight in the eye. «They are my family. We have hunted the vampire for centuries and they have saved my life countless times.» She conveyed in that one brooding look exactly what she meant-that she would fight to the death for her pack.

«You can see how they could be troublesome if they began to prey on the human race for food,» Gregori said.

She flicked him a cool glance. «No more than when one of us does. We would have no choice but to hunt the wolf and destroy it.»

Mikhail held up his hand. «We just needed to know, Ivory. The pack is most unusual, but you seem to have it all well in hand.»

Razvan stirred. «It grows late and we have not fed. The pack is fine, but we must hunt before we return home.»

He savored the word home. Let it roll off his tongue. The confines of this house were too stifling. He couldn't really remember when he had been in a home, certainly not with so many other people with all eyes on them. Ivory was hiding it well, but she was equally uncomfortable. Neither of them was good at social skills, having been alone for so many years.

«We can feed both of you,» Mikhail said. «I really brought you here for a purpose.»