Christine Feehan - Dark Demon 16

She had made the decision to save Vikirnoff's life and that meant she would have to donate blood whether she wanted to or not. She was practical about it once she made up her mind. She was part Carpathian and she had to have blood to survive. She didn't take blood that often, but when it became necessary, she had no qualms about it. Natalya left Vikirnoff nearly unconscious beside a sheaf of hay and she approached a farmer, calming him with a mage spell and taking his blood.

Unlike full-blooded Carpathians she couldn't remove the farmer's memories. She attempted to dim his memory and make it feel like a dream, but, no doubt, rumors of vampires would sweep the countryside. The only thing that mattered, though, was getting Vikirnoff into her room, out of the sun and away from people as quickly as possible.

Near the inn, she laid him down in the shelter of several bushes, shape-shifted and hastily dressed. «Don't make a sound. Last night, there was a suspicious man in the bar. I don't know why he's here, but he made my alarm bells go off and I never ignore them. I don't want to take a chance on being seen when we go in. Let me just take a look to see if everyone's still in bed.»

His hand fumbled for hers. «You don't have to do this.»

Her heart did a funny little fluttery thing she found annoying. «Just don't move.» Natalya pulled her hand away and wiped her palm on her leather pants, trying to erase the strange electrical tingling he seemed to cause whenever she touched his skin.

«It's getting light,» Natalya's voice turned unusually husky. She cleared her throat. His fingers on her bare wrist felt too intimate. «We have to get inside before the sun comes up. It took us too long to get here. The farmers were already working, remember? We had to hide. Just rest while I take a look around.»

She knew she sounded gruff, but her emotions were so unfamiliar and intense around Vikirnoff. She certainly didn't want to feel compassion for his terrible wounds or admiration for his stoic refusal to complain. She needed to keep an emotional distance at all times. Just saving him made her feel like an utter traitor to her brother.

But she had saved him and now he was her responsibility. Natalya didn't take her responsibilities lightly. She sniffed the air cautiously, searching for signs of anyone up, but she found only Slavica's scent in the kitchen, so she pushed open the door with stealth and studied the large room.

Slavica stood at the sink peeling potatoes for breakfast. Natalya stole up behind her. «You work too hard.»

The innkeeper swung around, potato and knife in hand. «You! Natalya, you frightened me.» Her eyes widened with concern as she took in Natalya's appearance. «What happened to you? Are you injured?»

Natalya realized she had blood smeared all over her. Most of it belonged to Vikirnoff. «I'm fine. I have someone with me I need to get up to my room, but I don't want anyone to see us. Will you help me? He's injured.»

«How bad?» Slavica was practical.

Natalya grinned at her. «You're so great. Thank you. He's in bad shape. He's lost way too much blood but I can't take him to a hospital.»

«There is a hidden stairway,» Slavica confided. «This inn was built on the site of an old monastery and part of that building was retained and incorporated into the inn. Only our family uses the stairs and rooms for our living quarters.»

«If you wouldn't mind keeping a lookout, I'll go get him,» Natalya said. The relief sweeping through her was tremendous.

Natalya hurried out the kitchen door and ran down the path leading to the dense shrubbery where she had left the hunter. She skidded to a halt when she saw him, slumped, his eyes closed, his face pale, almost gray and small dots of blood beading on his brow. Her heart jumped and her stomach rolled. «Vikirnoff? Do you think you can walk the last few yards to the room?» She couldn't very well become a tiger again, but he looked so worn and

pale it frightened her.

He opened his eyes and managed to climb to his feet with her aid. He stood swaying unsteadily until she slipped her arm around him. «Just a few more minutes and you can lie down.» Natalya encouraged him.

«This place is dangerous,» he told Natalya as they entered through the kitchen. He offered a tentative smile to Slavica when she gave an alarmed gasp. «I didn't mean to startle you.»

«I'm honored to have you, sir. My home is your home.» Slavica curtsied, her hand going protectively to her throat. «This way, quickly. The workers will be here any moment to prepare the food. You must hurry.»

Vikirnoff stiffened, holding up his hand for silence as he glanced toward the kitchen door. Muted voices drifted toward them. He waved his hand and the voices faded, the workers moving away from the room.

Natalya felt the shiver of pain rippling through his body as he expended energy to send the kitchen help away. She took a better grip on his waist and urged him toward the back of the room where Slavica pulled open a panel in the corner. The stairs led both to a door into the private residence and upward to the second story.

«Just a few more minutes,» Natalya whispered. She wished he'd complain just once. Her ankles and side throbbed and burned and her injuries weren't nearly as severe as his, yet Vikirnoff was silent, not even grunting when his battered body was jarred as they went up the narrow stairs. He barely leaned his weight on her, careful of her side, but every once in a while his palm settled over her injury. Each time he did she felt warmth and the pain lessened, but she noted he became weaker and much paler.

«Stop it,» she hissed. «I mean it. I've had a hundred wounds like this. I know when they're bad and mine isn't. The vampires were being careful not to inflict any grave injury on me. I can deal with it later.» She pushed open the door to her room and halted, inhaling deeply. «Someone has been in here.»

Slavica shook her head. «The maids clean in the morning hours. You left in the evening. They would have been finished.»

«There is no one here now,» Vikirnoff said, «but a man has been in this room recently. He smells of pipe tobacco and cologne.»

«The man from the bar last night,» Natalya said. «What is his name, Slavica?» She helped Vikirnoff to the bed.

«Barstow, Brent Barstow. He comes through our village several times a year. He says he's on business, but…» The innkeeper trailed off shaking her head.

Vikirnoff glanced at her sharply. «But he makes you uneasy.»

«Very uneasy,» Slavica conceded. «And he's asked questions of my daughter Angelina. I didn't like his questions.»

«Questions about…» Vikirnoff prompted.

Natalya felt his pain as if it were her own as he stood there swaying, probing the innkeeper. She had the urge to just knock him unconscious, throw him on the bed and be done with it.

«He wishes to know about the people residing in this area,» Slavica answered.

The moment Vikirnoff sank down onto the soft blankets he turned his face away, but not before Natalya caught another much sharper ripple of pain he couldn't quite hide. She couldn't prevent herself from brushing strands of black hair off his brow. «Slavica's a nurse, a healer. She can help you.»

«She must attend your injuries first,» he decreed.

Natalya snatched her hand away. «There you go again.» She was angry with herself for the silly melting sensation touching him produced in the pit of her stomach. Could she be any more pathetic? «Don't be giving me orders.» She winced at the harshness in her tone and turned away from him to fuss at pulling the heavy drapes over the windows and balcony door to block out the morning sun.

Slavica sat on the edge of the bed. «He will need other things, Natalya. In the kitchen there is a wooden bowl in the cupboard. Take that and fill it with the richest soil you can find in the garden.» She leaned forward and swept the strands of hair that had so bothered Natalya from Vikirnoff's forehead, her fingers lingering against his cool skin. «You've lost far too much blood. I must send for your prince. He'll want to know you require aid.»