Christine feehan - Dark Slayer 20

She drew in her breath and slowly lifted her palm, using her body like a divining rod. She slowly turned and found that she'd picked up the existence of the life-form in every direction, as if the soil was saturated with it.

«It is everywhere,» she said, letting her breath out, a little shocked at the widespread dispersion. «I have to figure out what it is.»

«Can we take a sample?»

«We have an entire basin full,» Ivory reminded. «We sleep in it every day.»

Razvan frowned and ran the soil through his fingers again. «I think we should take a new sample, to make certain it was not contaminated in any way by us.»

«I always ask permission before I take anything from this cave,» Ivory warned. «If the answer is no, we go with what we already have. The earth has been more than good to us and we cannot allow greed to creep into our hearts, not even for a good cause.»

«The earth is a mother, Ivory, she saved us. She will want to save the children of her people,» Razvan reasoned.

Ivory smiled. She loved the way Razvan had such faith. Where had it come from? He had been tortured by his own grandfather. His people had believed the worst of him, yet he still had faith in the goodness of the world.

Razvan caught her looking at him with that look on her face she reserved only for him. Tender. Loving. Proud. She probably didn't even know she had that particular look, but it made him soft inside whenever that expression crossed her face, no matter how fleeting. It was enough for him that she knew him and understood why he did the things he did. No one else had to know, only Ivory.

Ivory lifted her hands and closed her eyes, using a melodic voice to plead their case. She was startled when Razvan joined in, harmonizing in his deeper male voice.

Mother, oh Mother, we come to you for aid. Hear our children, hold them close, never let them fade. Mother, oh Mother, our children are dying Catch our tears, we plead with you, stop our crying. Listen to our plea, see what is in our hearts. Hold us together, don't let us fall apart. We ask for the life in the soil to bring strength to our young Heal their wounds, protect our special ones.

Around them the ground shimmered and the gems sparkled bright. Above their heads columns of stalactites hummed, vibrating with the tune of their harmony.

Ivory bowed her head in gratitude and Razvan slid his hand almost lovingly through the soil before they lifted their voices in thanks.

Mother, oh Mother, you are great indeed Your gift is so precious, we're humbled by thee.

Razvan scooped up handfuls of the precious material and, forming a silken pouch, poured it into the bag. «How much will you need?»

«Enough to conduct several experiments just in case it is not an easy answer.» She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. Usually there were no easy answers, but this time, they might have just gotten plain lucky. If there was a life-form that kept the mutated microbes at bay, or better yet, actually destroyed them, she should be able to find it fairly quickly. It wasn't as if she had a lot of combinations to choose from.

Razvan's fingers settled around her wrist and he pulled her to him. «You are a miracle to me, Ivory, whether you think so or not. This place»-he swept one arm in a circular motion, taking in the giant cave-«this may save my daughter. She has been through so much, and as always, you seem to be the key to my happiness. If I can ease her suffering and that of her lifemate, I will feel as if I at least partially redeemed myself.»

«Xavier possessed you, Razvan,» she reminded gently. «I shared your memories and saw what he did. The fault was not yours.»

He shrugged and tucked stray tendrils of hair, which had pulled loose from her braid, behind her ear. «I should have been more careful in my wording of things. I grew up with a mage. I know that words carry power, yet I continued to make mistakes that cost those I loved dearly.»

«You were fourteen years old the first time he took you, and you gave up your life so your sister would be safe. You were a child, Razvan,» she said.

His smile was gentle. «You are so fierce in your defense of me, han ku kuulua sivamet-keeper of my heart, yet you should be called han ku meke piramet-defender.»

«I am the keeper of your heart,» she said, «and I will defend you to the death, Razvan. You are an extraordinary man and I am proud to be your lifemate.» She ducked her head, embarrassed as always when she showed too much emotion. «We should go back to our home so we can study the soil and see if we truly have your answers.»

He caught her chin and took a kiss. Just one. But he savored her, the taste and texture of her, savored the scent and feel of her. When he lifted his head he smiled. «Palafertiil-mate.»

Just the way he said that single word made her weak inside. Soft. Tender. Sexy. She smiled back at him. «That I am.»

CHAPTER 17

«The life-form had to have first been in the meteorite,» Ivory said and slumped down, her arms cushioning her head. «I should have known. It is iron rich.»

«How did it survive coming to Earth?» Razvan asked, rubbing her shoulders.

«I have no idea, and frankly, I do not even care at this point. The soil is teeming with them and, so far, every time you have brought me contaminated soil, they rush to surround the mutated microbes and destroy them while leaving everything else intact.» She turned her head to one side to look up at him. «Do you know where the microbes are produced?»

«Xavier's largest factory was destroyed and he moved to his fortress deep under the mountains. I can find it. But the microbes are not in the soil there. He leaks them down a glacier to feed the water systems and spread to the soil. The last time I hunted for us near the village just below the glacier, I overheard the local midwife speaking of the high rate of miscarriages. I fear the contamination has spilled over into humans. If the microbes infected their gardens, they could begin to suffer the fate of our species.» He massaged her neck with gentle fingers. «You need to rest, Ivory.»

She had been working steadily for three weeks straight, never leaving the lair, not even for food. Razvan had hunted for the pack and for Ivory. He had taken the wolves running nightly and had gathered soil samples from dozens of places, bringing each back to her, but Ivory refused to go with him, preferring to stay and conduct her experiments. She looked pale and worn, with dark circles under her eyes.

«I have a bad feeling, Razvan,» Ivory said. But she gave a small sigh of pleasure as his fingers worked their magic, easing the knots out of her neck. «It has been growing in me for some time now and I feel the need to get this done fast.»

He was silent and she looked up at him to catch the expression on his face. Ivory sat up quickly and turned to face him. «You have felt it, too.»

He nodded. «Growing stronger all the time and the pack has been strangely restless.»

«Something is wrong.»

He didn't want to agree with her, not when she was so worn, but his every instinct told her she was right. «We have to go to the prince with what we have,» he said.

She bit her lip. «I think I am right, Razvan, but I am always so meticulous. I would repeat the experiments a thousand more times and document more evidence. I am still working on the spell to change the existing mutations for when we find his factory.»

She pushed her hand through her hair in agitation. «There is still so much work. You cannot just rush this kind of thing. If we make a mistake, we could do as much harm as Xavier, no matter what our intent.»

They stayed up into the morning hours when her skin hurt and blistered, despite being so far beneath the ground-an aftermath, he knew, of spending more than a century beneath the earth to heal her horrendous wounds. She sank into the sleep of their people. Ivory often woke before she should, agitated and on edge. Her body was unable to move while her mind raced with worry. Razvan made love to her often, easing the tension in her, but she couldn't stop the obsessive drive that kept her working nonstop. Even the soil couldn't seem to rejuvenate her.