Christine Feehan - Dark Curse 19

Lucian waited until the fighting was at its most ferocious, when the chamber was arcing with energy. He began to gather the energy into a ball, pulling power from every conceivable resource. The ball spun brighter and hotter, so much so that he was forced to cloak it, to keep from blinding himself. Still, he drew power to him, collecting every bit he could summon to him without draining his companions. When the ball pulsed with power, threatening to detonate, he called out to Nicolas.

Your sun is ready.

Mist.Nicolas gave the command on the common path and shifted.

The other Carpathians shifted at exactly the same moment.

Lucian released the whirling mass of energy, a bright white light spinning out of control through the chamber. The ice cave lit up like daylight, only brighter, as if a bomb had gone off, the flash as bright as the sun.

The death slaves screamed a collective cry of denial, the note shattering the ice chamber, causing cracks all along the walls and ceiling. Their bodies glowed bright, burst outward into molecules and scattered across the floor.

Out! Nicolas was already streaking for the tube.

Vikirnoff and the others burst into the open. Branislava and Tatijana cried out, covering their eyes. Neither had ever been out of the ice caves before and the wide-open space was terrifying. The male Carpathians gathered around them, shielding them from the early-morning dawn and providing a tighter group so they felt safe.

Lara didn't look back as they set out for the home of the prince. She never wanted to see the ice caves again. She held tight to Nicolas's and Tatijana's hands as he whisked them through the skies to the deep forest.

* * *

Francesca had already been alerted and she was waiting along with Mikhail to greet Rhiannon's daughters. The two women were thin and weak, their bodies' wracked with pain, muscles cramping continuously. Lara sat between them, holding their hands while the two healers worked on them. Mikhail gave them his blood and Gregori followed suit, while outside, the unmated Carpathian males formed a ring of protection.

«How is it you are fully Carpathian?» Lara asked, feeling guilty that she was asking questions when both were so weak and needed to go to ground to rejuvenate.

«Our mother,» Tatijana explained. «It was the only way she could think to help us fight him. And we did the same for Razvan, your father, after Xavier killed our brother.»

Nicolas knelt beside them. «I am Nicolas, lifemate to Lara. Lara and I would be honored to take you home and watch over you until you are at full strength, but we will take you wherever you are most comfortable.»

«Of course with Lara,» Branislava said. Weakly, she touched Lara's arm, love filling her gaze. «We never thought you would return for us.»

«Thank you, Lara,» Tatijana added. «We had lost all hope.»

«Do you have news of my brother?» Natalya said. «We thought he had turned.»

«Xavier torments him with that idea that you believe he betrayed you, that all Carpathians abhor him and that his own daughter believes him a monster.»

«I did,» Lara admitted. She rubbed her wrist where it burned and ached.

At once Nicolas took her hand and turned her wrist up to feather kisses over it.You had reason. Do not feel guilty when you have just saved your aunts. No one else would have freed them. Without you, they would have remained prisoners for all time and everyone would still believe Razvan followed in Xavier's footsteps .

«We were not allowed out of our prison for several years now,» Tatijana explained. «We were frozen, asleep most of the time since you were gone, only awakened when he wanted to drain our blood. I am sorry, but we only know of the past.»

Branislava blinked rapidly. «I want to visit with you, both of you, all of you, and thank you for our rescue, but I am much too weak and disoriented. Nicolas, would you take us home?»

«It is best,» Gregori said. «They need the soil. They have been denied it their entire lives. On the rising we can give them more blood and slowly, over time, they will be strong again.»

«The soil could be contaminated,» Lara objected.

«Most likely,» Gregori agreed, «but it is all we have for now. We can only do one thing at a time. If your aunts are comfortable with you, that is where they must go to heal. We will deal with all else another time.»

Lara nodded, although she abhorred the idea of her aunts becoming infected.

«Most likely it is the man infected first,» Gregori added, to try to reassure her.

Excitement was tangible throughout the Carpathian community as word spread that two Dragonseeker women had been recovered. Nicolas, Vikirnoff beside him, went out to address the unmated males guarding the home of the prince. As Dominic was suspect with the parasites in his blood, Nicolas and Vikirnoff-as the two related males-were now the official guardians of the two Dragonseeker women.

Light was pouring into the sky and Nicolas winced automatically. He loved the night. Even in the early morning light, he felt his skin burn, although he had to acknowledge it was more psychological than anything else. He knew some Carpathians enjoyed walking around the village in the early morning hours-he wasn't one of them.

He thanked the men who had come to his aid, told them all what they'd found and confirmed that yes, Branislava and Tatijana were Rhiannon's daughters. He confirmed they were ill and would be resting for some time before being introduced into Carpathian society, trying to be tactful when he was telling them they couldn't be introduced immediately. What he really wanted to say was to leave the women the hell alone, that they'd been through enough already and didn't need the men circling around like a pack of wolves. As he spoke, he could feel Lara's amusement. He couldn't see her, she was inside Mikhail's

house with her aunts, but she was laughing at him.

What is so funny?

You prefer to tell everyone what to do.

His stomach tightened in reaction to her teasing tone. He had forgotten fun in the midst of duty.I want to go home . He wanted to hold her close to him.And I only want to tell you what to do .

She laughed at that.You would dictate to the world if you could get away with it .

Maybe that's the truth, but only because I am always right.

He left it to Mikhail to tell the others they needed to let Branislava and Tatijana alone until they were fully healed, but he made it clear the two women were under his protection.

Lara gave him the mental equivalent of rolling her eyes and he gave a shrug back.It is always better to be safe, especially when one guards our treasures .

They took Branislava and Tatijana to their home. Lara fussed over them, insisting on checking the soil for the richest and most fertile they could find within the cave. Used to the cold of the ice, the warmth of the cave was nearly as disconcerting as the open spaces.

«We will get used to it,» Branislava assured. «We have dreamt of freedom all our lives. Razvan tried to keep us up with what was happening in the outside world. He shared his knowledge with us as much as possible.»

Tatijana stretched her arms wide. «I have wanted to do that for some many years.» She leaned over and kissed Lara's forehead. «I could not do something so simple as to stretch.»

Nicolas opened the earth for them. «We will be resting just above you. Your protection is paramount not just to Lara and me, but to all the Carpathian people. If you fear anything at all, you have only to send a call.»

«But we'll be close,» Lara assured. She could barely let the two women go.

Nicolas slipped his arm around her, holding her while the earth welcomed her aunts.

Lara looked up at him. «You are covered in wounds.»