Christine feehan - Dark Slayer 20

She leaned into him, melting like the snow. She felt on the edge of a great precipice, teetering, knowing she was going to fall and it was far too late to save herself. In truth, she didn't want to; she already craved the taste of him, the heat and white lightning arcing through her body, sizzling in her mind, shorting out her brain for way too long when they were out in the open.

When he lifted his head she took a moment to drown in the intensity of his desire. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Ivory stepped away from temptation. «You are the most lethal man I know.»

«I will take that as a compliment.» He kissed her again. «You like lethal.»

He knew how to kiss. Long and slow and delicious. A slow, burning heat that scorched from the inside out. She found herself smiling up at him all over again as he lifted his head. «Yes, I suppose I do.» Although, she was scared to care that much about anyone ever again.

They walked through the drifting snow for several miles until the flakes began to look like a white blanket falling from the sky. It might have been the muffled world they found themselves in, alien and white and so quiet that even their breathing seemed too loud in the vast silence, but Ivory began to feel uneasy. Another mile and her wolves stirred. She felt the itch spread over her skin as Raja lifted his head out of her back and bared his teeth in a snarl.

I know, she soothed. We have company. Ivory glanced at Razvan. «We are being followed.» Her voice was a thread of sound, as muffled and as quiet as the snow.

A small, unexpected smile of amusement lit up Razvan's face. «Well, I guess we get to have a little fun.»

She frowned at him. «Fun? Razvan, it is not the undead who are following us. We cannot have anyone finding our lair, nor do we want to engage them in battle if they are Carpathian as I suspect they are.»

His grin widened. «I was fairly certain someone would try to follow us. I have been giving it quite a bit of thought as we walked, working out a plan.»

Ivory's amber gaze narrowed as it drifted over his face. He looked younger. Happier. She had done that but . . .

«Trust me, Ivory. I am not the experienced fighter you are, but I am very good at planning battles and strategies. This is a situation made for me.»

She sent her senses racing out into the night, seeking information, looking for any blank spots that would indicate vampire. The hunters were well hidden, so much so that she wasn't entirely certain she was right, but Raja was never wrong and he had issued his warning.

«What do you want to do?»

«We should make our way to the valley of mists. That is where we will disappear altogether and leave those following behind. But in the meantime, I think a little lesson is called for, don't you?»

«Lesson?» she echoed faintly. There was way too much amusement in his voice.

«They need to learn a little respect for my woman. You are a warrior, equal to them, and yet they treat you as if you are an amateur. They did not even give us the respect due by confronting us face-to-face. It might be a good thing for all of them to know they are not as good as they think they are.»

«I do not think these are children following us, Razvan. They are experienced Carpathian hunters, possibly ancients who have thousands of battles under them.»

His cocky grin made him look boyish when there was nothing boyish about him. «Perhaps, but then again, we may make them remember their childhood.»

«What do you all think you are doing?» Gregori demanded as he came upon the small group of Carpathian hunters.

Vikirnoff had the grace to look uneasy. «We are not children to be reprimanded, Gregori,» he answered.

Gregori's eyebrow shot up. «No, you are not. You are an ancient hunter, Vikirnoff, one far more experienced than me. Nor did I come to reprimand you. I asked what you were doing merely to see if you needed aid of any kind.»

The others looked at one another. It didn't surprise Gregori that Vikirnoff's brother, Nicolae, traveled with him. The brothers had been guarding one another's backs for hundreds of years. The other four hunters were also ancients, returning to the Carpathian Mountains to establish ties with the prince. It occurred to Gregori that all of these ancient hunters did not really know Mikhail and had every reason to worry about his judgment. They were far older and more experienced than the prince, and were used to relying solely on their own judgment.

Tariq Asenguard had come from the United States. Over the centuries he had amassed a huge personal fortune, which he often fed to the other Carpathians. He owned several businesses. Tall, like most Carpathian males, he wore his hair long, but his eyes were midnight blue, almost gemlike. Tariq was a man used to going his own way and the thought of an ancient book in the hands of Razvan and a Malinov was enough to set him traveling fast to see for himself just what the pair was up to.

Andre moved through countries like a ghost, drifting in only to pay his respects and pledge his allegiance. A man of very few words, he stayed aloof, as most ancient hunters did, his eyes restless, the urge to continue moving, the drive to find his lifemate ceaseless now as he neared the end of his tolerance. He was one of the single males Gregori kept a firm eye on, as both Tariq and Andre seemed very close to turning.

Mataias, Lojos and Tomas were never far from one another. Like most siblings raised together, they had formed a bond to see each other through the darker times. They came from a long line of famous warriors, a respected family that always produced multiple children, yet rarely gave birth. Two daughters had been born after the boys, both living no more than their second year. A master vampire had claimed their parents while their mother was pregnant with another set of triplets. The brothers had hunted the vampire across two continents, never ceasing in their pursuit until they had destroyed the undead, exacting justice for their parents and siblings and earning themselves quite a reputation.

Gregori folded his arms across his chest and regarded them all, making certain not to show amusement or exasperation. These men were some of the most respected ancients. They were experienced hunters, every one of them. Yet what they were doing was very foolish and more than a little dangerous and they all should have known better.

«Have you considered that you are following a couple that your prince has promised safe passage to?» he asked, keeping his voice mild and nonjudgmental.

Vikirnoff shrugged, equally casual. «This is an uncertain road. We would be remiss in not guarding the prince's guests.»

Gregori's eyebrow rose even higher. «I see. You don't mind if I just tag along and make certain you're all safe, right?»

Swift impatience crossed Vikirnoff's face. «I doubt we'll need protection, but you're welcome. Just make certain you mask your presence. I gave both of them blood so I will have no problem following them.»

«That will be interesting. I also gave them blood. Between the two of us, we should have no problem.»

Andre and Tariq exchanged a long look and then peered through the snow. It was coming down faster and faster.

«Is there something about this couple we should know, Gregori?» Tariq asked. He still held a faint European accent beneath the American one.

Gregori shook his head. «I am certain none of you would have come on such a mission without a clear idea of who you are chasing.»

«A woman,» Andre said. «Just a woman and her lifemate. One fairly unskilled.»

Gregori followed the others through the snow. «To be fair, they did encounter a master vampire and saved four humans.»

Andre gestured around him. «They play like children in the forest, while they carry a book of immense importance.»