Christine Feehan - Dark Curse 19

«Thank you, we will come.»

Vikirnoff casually brought his hand to his mouth and tore open his wrist, extending his arm toward Nicolas. Several bright drops of blood splattered onto the ground. Lara gasped as the sight hit her like a blow. She closed her eyes, unable to watch as Nicolas took the proffered wrist.

Nicolas hesitated. «Natalya can take you up to the house,» he offered.

Lara kept her eyes closed, trying not to draw the scent of blood into her lungs. Her stomach lurched, but she shook her head. «I'll wait for you."Just get it over with .

Nicolas politely closed the ragged tear on Vikirnoff's wrist. «Thank you, but I can wait until we are out of the open.»

Vikirnoff opened his mouth to protest. His gaze brushed Lara's ashen face and he shrugged. «We had better hurry then.»

Natalya glanced at Lara sharply, then at Nicolas's ravaged body. Her lips tightened but she didn't voice a protest. Nevertheless, Lara knew she wanted to and that one, small glance shamed her. Nicolas had fought to save their lives, and had done so without flinching from the task. His body bore many deep wounds, but he only had considered taking care of her injuries, slight in comparison to his, yet she couldn't stand the sight of him taking the blood necessary to restore his strength and take the pain from his wounds.

It is no one's business but ours why we both choose our path. Nicolas flicked a warning glance at Natalya that had Vikirnoff bristling.

Natalya put a restraining hand on his wrist and shimmered, shifting into mist, before taking to the air. Vikirnoff followed her.

«I'm sorry.» Lara blinked back tears burning in her eyes. «I feel so ashamed.»

«There is no need for that. You may have saved my life with your quick thinking.» Nicolas touched his neck where the collar had stopped the vampire's teeth from ripping him open. The bite wouldn't really

have killed him, and he had been prepared for the shock and pain of it, bracing himself to give himself the time to rip the heart from the chest, but she certainly had cut short the battle, giving him those precious few seconds longer. «That was quick thinking and ingenious on your part.»

The praise in his voice made her color rise. «Can I help you heal? I'm not the best healer, but I have some skills.» She had no idea how to help him with the injuries, but he looked so alone and she hated being the one to make him feel that way. She wanted to show solidarity, even though her inability to watch him take blood delayed his getting help. She felt awkward asking, but she couldn't let it go. «I know the Carpathian healing chant. My aunts learned it from their mother and they taught it to me, but I don't really know how to actually heal wounds very well. Maybe you could teach me what to do, just in case this happens again.»

He smiled down at her, his expression tender. «It will happen again. Here, we can gather the richest soil we can find, mix it with our saliva.»

«The healing agent in yours is probably much stronger than mine.»

She chose a spot directly under the trees. She wanted a place where flowers grew in abundance. The plants were dormant, but the soil lay beneath the snow, black with minerals. She mixed the soil and saliva and made a compress for the wounds.

Earth with healing properties, flower beneath the earth do see, twine your essences, fill these wounds gently, apply your healing boon.

She breathed into the mixture, chanting softly in Carpathian, unaware she did so. She added her own special blend to aid in healing him.

This man is a shadow but of the light, help him to heal to resume his fight.

She was a little hesitant, afraid of hurting him, but she pressed the mixture carefully into the gouges on his chest and into his abdomen with gentle fingers. There was a small silence as she worked carefully, making certain to cover every scratch. She could barely breathe with the feel of his skin beneath her fingers, with the heat of his body so close. He remained very still, almost holding his breath, but her heartbeat followed the rhythm of his in exact synchronization.

«How long do you leave this on? I can't get past putting dirt into a wound.» Her voice trembled a little.

«I should be able to clean it off in a few minutes.» His hand cupped her chin and raised her face up to his. The pad of his thumb slid over her lower lip in a little caress.

Lara's gaze locked with his. Her breath stilled in her lungs. A shiver of excitement whispered down her spine. There was raw hunger in his burning black eyes, a desire that seemed to match the sudden smoldering in the pit of her stomach. Heat spread. Arousal skimmed over her thighs and breasts.

Nicolas bent his dark head toward hers. His lips brushed over hers, feather-light, a question, a demand, a soft entreaty and a firm insistence. She answered, drawing him into the soft haven of her mouth.

I'm so glad you're safe. Her voice was shy.

Nicolas let his lashes fall, blocking out all sensation but the wet, velvet heat of her mouth. He could get lost there, eating her up, drinking her in. Molten lava poured into his veins, thick and hot, fueling every

desire.

He deepened the kiss, took more of a command, pressing her a little to see if she would respond. It was getting more difficult to keep his hands off of her when the demons roared and his body hardened into one unrelenting ache. Everything inside of him knew Lara was the other half of his soul, the keeper of his heart. He feared she would never feel the same.

Her hands came up to curl in his hair, but she was tentative in her response, a little shy, not quite swept away as he wanted. He let it go. This wasn't the time or place, and she wasn't quite ready for that next step with him. He would have to be satisfied that she was reaching for him, even meeting him part way.

His hands were gentle as he allowed them to slip from her face. He loved the sexy, slightly dazed look in her eyes.

«Can you shift again?»

She blinked several times, her small teeth biting into her lower lip. She nodded.

A slow smile softened the hard cut to his mouth. «Follow the image in my mind and hold it. Each time you practice you will become more adept at it. When we get to Vikirnoff's home, it will not take more than a few minutes to make things right.»

She knew he meant taking blood from Vikirnoff. He was swaying a little, she noticed, and the lines in his face seemed etched a bit deeper. There was no reprimand she could find in his mind, no looking down on her because she couldn't abide the thought of his taking someone else's blood. She found the genuine acceptance he gave her humbling and maybe a little healing. She breathed a little easier. «Let's go then. I don't want you to have to wait any longer than you already have.»

He took a step to his right, holding mist uppermost in his mind and in hers. She felt the change almost immediately. The rush of adrenaline nearly stopped her from shifting, but she pulled back and let go of her physical body. It was much easier to accept the change this time and she was both exhilarated and proud that she managed to shift into mist and streak across the sky with Nicolas. She knew he was holding the image for her, but she didn't care. She'd done the impossible and it felt like a huge milestone to her.

I've learned a lot tonight, Nicolas, thank you.

He brushed her mind with an intimate warmth that poured over her like warm honey. Her heart contracted. He was finding his way inside her, past every barrier she'd erected from childhood. His gentleness was so unexpected when he was such a dangerous, arrogant man. He made her feel as if she were the only important person in his life. He didn't care if Natalya didn't approve of her-she was enough for him just the way she was and his acceptance went a long way toward making her feel much more confident in herself.