Christine Feehan - Dark Demon 16

Understanding dawned. She wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid for him. She was terrified of the power and anger rising up together deep inside of her in a furious meld. The tiger unleashed could do things she could never undo. She would not be caged by this man. By anyone. If-if she ever chose a mate, it would be one of her choosing. She forced air through her lungs. Forced her heart rate back to normal. The dark mage blood in her ran deep and strong. She could undo what he'd wrought. In all her years of study, no other had accomplished the things she had. Still, she would not stoop to murdering a helpless man.

«What you did was wrong, Vikirnoff. Whatever reasons you have, they are not good enough to try to take away my freedom.» Looking at him, seeing his dark eyes so filled with pain, she realized the tremendous pull between them had allowed her emotions to become so intense she honestly couldn't tell his from hers. Almost as if they fed one another everything from anger to passion in one long chaotic roller-coaster ride. He seemed calm, yet when she touched his mind, he was feeling everything just as strongly as she was. And his confusion ran just as deep as hers.

She tilted her chin. «I am not going to discuss this any further with you right now. There is no point.» And there wasn't. She had faith in herself. He didn't know how strong she was, but she did. She was certain, with time, she could come up with a reversal spell, once she knew the exact words. He had given her a rough translation, but she would figure it out from what he had said.

«Natalya,» Vikirnoff began. He had no idea if he was attempting an apology, or even why he would want to say he was sorry. He'd upset her, but it was natural for him to stop her from leaving him. «I am not human, nor mage. My species has instincts that must be met.»

«You had a choice, Vikirnoff. Don't let yourself off the hook by claiming instincts. You're a thinking person. I was doing something you thought was wrong and you stopped me. That's imposing your will on me whether you want to think so or not.»

He frowned. «Tying me up and putting a binding spell on me was not imposing your will? I would not have bound you to me without your consent had you not decided you were leaving me.»

There was a sudden silence between them as they both felt the earth shudder. Natalya's eyes met Vikirnoff's in understanding. «The sun has set.»

«Yes, it has and the earth is protesting as the vampires rise. I feel the presence of more than one of them.» Wincing, Vikirnoff sat up gingerly.

As if there had never been a binding spell. «As if I spent ten minutes weaving air.» She watched the flex cuffs fall away to lie useless on the floor. She shook her head. What was the point in summoning up anger? She should have known he couldn't be trapped that easily. She was smarter than that. He was an ancient hunter and far more powerful than she'd given him credit for. Let him underestimate her. She wouldn't make the same mistake with him again. «Why didn't the binding spell work on you?» Better to find out. Knowledge was power and she could see, with Vikirnoff, she would need every edge she could get.

His eyebrow rose at her mild tone. «I was in your mind. As fast as you wove it, I unraveled it,» he admitted. Both hands went to the hole in his chest and pressed tightly. The blood drained out of his face, leaving him pale and sweating tiny beads of blood.

She put her hands on her hips. «Maybe you should lie back down. Do you have the least idea how truly irritating you can be when you're acting all heroic?»

«I'm beginning to. The vampires have risen and at least one is heading our way. We cannot allow them to come to the inn. You know I will draw them here, just as you will. I am much stronger than I was last evening.»

«Last evening you were near death so that's not saying much.» She gave a small sigh when she saw him swing his legs over the edge of the bed. He was going to get up and watching him suffer in silence was heartbreaking to her, despite her earlier anger with him. «Please tell me it isn't that jackass, Arturo, or worse, Henrik. He is dead and gone this time, isn't he?» She attempted to interject humor into the situation, hoping to distract him.

«Henrik can not rise again. His heart was incinerated.»

«Henrik was a true Freddie. I'll probably miss him.»

«You seem obsessed with this Freddie person.» Vikirnoff's gaze captured hers.

Natalya shot him a quick grin. «You sound jealous. Freddie Kruger is a lovely man, king of the late night movies.»

Something in her tone warned him he was being teased. It was an unfamiliar situation for him, but one he thought he'd better get used to. «He isn't real?» She was trying to get past their argument and he was grateful. His entire body was screaming in pain and he knew he

was more than likely headed for battle.

«No. He's a character in a string of horror movies. I can't believe you haven't watched him. What else is there to do at night when the rest of the world is asleep?» Natalya turned away from Vikirnoff's too-intense gaze. He could melt a woman at fifty paces and sharing a bedroom with him was just too intimate, especially with his shirt off. The man had a chest on him. Even with a hole in it.

Natalya was rather shocked she noticed his chest. And his eyes. And his mouth. He flashed a small grin at her. His smile made him look younger. She desperately wanted to see it again. The unexpected yearning was so strong she fell back on her cultivated flippant attitude and made herself remember she wasn't about to accept his claim on her. «Your mouth would be perfect if you kept it closed. And, just so you know, the moment the vampires are away from us, you will remove this binding spell, or I will, and you might not like how I do it.» She dragged fresh clothes from the drawers. «I take it we don't have much time.»

«I do not want Arturo to realize you are friends with Slavica and her family. Vampires take great delight in killing the families and friends of their enemies.» He did not want to start another argument with her over the ritual words. She had been furious, her righteous anger blazing with a dangerous fury. He wanted a chance to think things through before he broached the subject again.

She poked her head around the bathroom door as she wiggled into her jeans. «You sound like that's said from experience.»

«I have had many experiences with the undead, Natalya, and none of them have been good. This place is overrun with vampires.»

«That's because I'm here. They always follow me now. They have a for a while, which is strange, considering they left me strictly alone for years.»

«Which would explain why you didn't know you had to incinerate the heart.»

«It was rather annoying.»

«I can imagine. Do you have any idea why they are after you?»

Natalya pulled her close-fitting shirt over her head and came out to find him immaculately attired. She instantly felt disheveled in comparison. Even his hair was neat and tidy and there was no sign of blood or even a wrinkle on his shirt. He was hunched over, favoring one side, but his clothes were perfect. She shoved her feet into her thick socks and shoes and dragged on her shoulder harnesses for her guns and extra clips. «Arturo said he wanted me to perform a small task.» More than anything she wanted Vikirnoff to lie back down or find a resting place somewhere to heal. She knew it was futile to argue with him so she didn't bother to try.

Vikirnoff watched her slip a multitude of weapons into loops and compartments in her clothes. He couldn't help but admire the efficiency of her movements and the familiarity with the weapons. She knew what she was doing and was obviously skilled in the use of each weapon on her person. She was especially skilled with the sword. «You have no idea what the particular task is?»