Christine Feehan - Dark Curse 19

Savannah caught at Lara's hand, tears streaming down her face. «I'm sorry. Please, I'll do anything. Anything at all. Don't let my babies die.»

Lara's body jerked. She'd heard those words before. A man's voice calling out in a desperate plea. Xavier turning to look back at Razvan, his silvery eyes glittering with such contempt and triumph . She gasped, her shocked gaze hunting for Nicolas, her only anchor when the truth clawed at her, tore her open.

Nicolas. He did it for me. He allowed Xavier to take him over so I would be allowed life.

Razvan had inadvertently opened his soul to Xavier when he had sought to save the life of his child. He'd exposed his soul and Xavier had snatched it, able to control his grandson's movements, taking over without having to drain his energy by possessing the body. For her. To save her. Razvan had paid the ultimate price-not death, but soul destruction.

«Nicolas!» She called for him, covering her face with her hands. She was slipping backward into her mind.

«I am here,fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso , and I am not going anywhere.»

«She came back too fast,» Francesca said. She pushed past Mikhail to kneel beside Lara, slipping her arms around her. «She's freezing. Gregori, I need help.»

«She's back in the ice cave,» Nicolas said. He was already there, gathering Lara into his arms and holding her close, his mind merging with hers to hold her steady. He crooned softly to her, rocking her back and forth. «She should never have gone there without me.»

«What has she done?» Gregori demanded, crouching beside Francesca to examine Lara. His hands skimmed over her.

«She used herself as bait. The entity destroyed babies so she regressed and became a child so it would follow her,» Natalya explained.

Nicolas swore under his breath. «She shouldn't have gone back without me,» he repeated.

«She fears me,» Gregori said abruptly. «You have to get her to come back with me to retrieve what has been lost.»

Nicolas searched Gregori's face for a long moment, then he nodded.

Gregori crouched quite close to Lara and looked into her eyes. He nodded at whatever he found there and murmured instructions to Francesca, who once again took up her position at her drum.

«She needs to feel safe and loved, Nicolas,» Gregori said. «Bring her into the center of the circle and hold her so she feels your presence. Stay connected to her mind. A part of her is so stressed from the painful revelations of her past she's unable to deal with more of her memories. We have to invite that part of her to return and it must feel safe to do so.»

«Invite it?» Nicolas echoed.

Gregori shrugged. «Do not worry, I will get back what is lost for her. We dare not leave even a small fragment of her soul in the lower realm too long. If Xavier is alive, he will sense her there and like Lara tracking his evil, he will be able to acquire a piece of her.»

More sage and sweet grass was laid on the hot rocks. The women began the healing chant, the longer version often used to retrieve the soul of someone who had died. Nicolas found every muscle tight, his stomach muscles bunched and knotted in apprehension. He would much rather face a dozen skilled vampires than have to rely on someone else to aid Lara.

I am a healer and I cannot help my children or my lifemate.

Nicolas accepted the brief statement as the closest thing to an apology he would get from Gregori. And he understood what would drive a man to rage now. Impotence. Helplessness. The inability to defend what was his.

Nicolas bent his head and brushed kisses along Lara's cold forehead. She shivered continually, but she was aware of him. Her gaze clung to his and there was trust there. He was grateful for that much from her.

Gregori wasted little time, shedding his physical body and traveling, first into Lara, and then guiding them straight to the tree of life. His experience showed, Nicolas thought. He moved with complete confidence, meeting animals along the way, showing respect as he made inquiries, tracking what Lara had left behind in her haste to bring a killer from Raven's body.

Gregori's manners on the journey were impeccable, even when he found what was lost, politely inviting it home, persuading the stressed fragment it would be returning to a safe environment. The soft healing chant added to the healer's persuasive voice and in the end, the fragment returned to Lara without much trouble.

Gregori swayed a little from the drain of energy. «She needs blood and rest.» He had seen the wealth of childhood memories pouring into Lara's mind.

«I am taking her home,» Nicolas declared.

«No!» Savannah pressed both hands over the rounded curve of her belly. «I feel that thing tearing at my children, hurting them. Making them feel unwanted. I can't wait another rising.» She reached out her hand toward Lara in a pleading gesture. «I swear to you, I would if I could. I know what this costs you, but they're hurting.» Tears streamed down her face and she turned to Gregori.

He was there instantly, cupping the back of her head, pressing her damp face against his chest, but he said nothing-simply waited.

Lara turned back on shaky legs, her stomach knotting at the prospect, but Savannah was right. They couldn't allow the babies to suffer any longer than necessary.

«Absolutely not,» Nicolas said. «I forbid it, Lara.» He ignored the stubborn look on her face. «You barely made it out last time in one piece. If it has to be done, I will do it.»

«How? If a man could do it, the healer would have already. It has to be a woman and that woman has to recognize Xavier's touch. It's very faint and difficult to follow.»

«Natalya can go,» Nicolas said. He was beginning to feel desperate, his skin too tight, his skull pressing down on his mind.

«She cannot and I think you know that. There is no one else.» There was quiet despair in her voice and it shattered him.

The chamber was quiet, but he could feel all eyes on him. His gaze was locked with Lara's. She didn't want to go, and a part of her even wanted him to stop her, but both of them knew she had no real choice. How could she live with herself if she allowed two unborn babies to suffer as she had suffered, when she knew the lasting effects? When she knew the killer would double his efforts to rid the world of the grandchildren of the prince?

Nicolas.

She whispered his name and for the first time he heard love. His heart jerked hard in his chest. This then, was love. This terrible wrenching inside, an ache that was unrelenting. The terrible need to make her world right.

Sivamet-my heart. And he meant it.

I will need blood to make this journey.

He swallowed his protest. She had to go and he had to let her.

Gregori stepped forward, drawing their attention, extending his wrist. «I offer freely, my life for your life.»

There was a small silence. Lara forced a self-conscious smile. «I'm sorry. I have an aversion to taking blood. I'm just learning to be able to take what my lifemate offers.»

Gregori inclined his head. «I understand. And I offer my sincere apologies for my conduct.»

«There really is no need.»

Lara turned in Nicolas's arms, the pads of her fingers skimming beneath his shirt, seeking hot skin. She needed and he provided. It was that complex-and that simple. Nicolas moved back into the shadows and blurred their image to hide his reaction. No matter that she needed blood for survival, for him it was an erotic intimacy that would forever stir a physical hunger. His body hardened as he felt the skim of her teeth, of her lips and the bite of pain that gave way instantly to a flood of pleasure. He stroked back her hair, fingers caressing as he gave her his strength. Even when she sealed the twin pinpricks with a lick of her tongue, he continued to hold her tightly, not wanting to let her go.