Christine Feehan - Dark Celebration 17

Skyler squared her shoulders and set out once again, picking her away through the snow drifts as she tried to follow a shallow trail that wound along the streambed. The tip of her nose grew cold along with her ears. She pulled the hood closer around her, trying to keep the cold out. It was impossible. She stumbled and nearly fell. The abrupt action rattled her enough that she shook her head hard, trying to clear out the soft pitiful cries of the wolf that just wouldn't let go of her.

For so long she'd thought her answer was to live in the Carpathian world, but she'd realized she couldn't relate any better there than in the human world. She brushed at the tears that should have been in her eyes, only there were none there. She felt them burning deep inside, locked away like her memories. Only Francesca and Gabriel seemed to be able to accept her with all of her differences-all of her shortcomings. She was never going to overcome her past-or her psychic abilities. She might have more control than she used to, thanks to her adopted parents, but it wasn't enough to allow her to be like other people.

She tripped on a branch buried in the snow, and glanced around astonished to realize she had been walking the entire time and had no idea where she was. She turned in a circle frowning. Which way was home? She could call out to Gabriel, but he'd be furious with her. It would be so much better to find her own way home. He'd still be upset with her when he found out, but his anger would be somewhat tempered by the fact that she was safe.

An almost humanlike scream of agony shattered the silence sending chills down her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, blood nearly freezing in her veins. She gasped for breath, looking wildly around. It was close, so close she could hear the accompanying snarling and snapping of a wolf in distress. Propelled by something outside herself, Skyler ran, allowing the reverberation of the struggle to guide her.

Beneath a large misshapen tree a huge male wolf, reddish in color, fought with the clawed vise clamped around his leg. Blood sprayed across the snow, and the wolf chewed at his own paw in an effort to free himself. As she skidded to a halt, the creature whirled around to face the new threat, lips drawn back in a vicious snarl, yellow eyes gleaming with malice as he warned her off.

Skyler backed away, keeping a safe distance as the animal lunged at her. The trap brought him up short and he yelped, spun and bit at his leg again, before whirling to keep a wary eye on her. His sides heaved and sweat made his fur even darker. His entire body shuddered. She could feel the pain rolling off him in waves. It wasn't Dimitri. The wolf couldn't be a shapeshifter or he would have freed himself. It was truly a wild animal caught in a vicious snare. Looking into his eyes, she realized his freedom was gone, but his spirit refused to surrender. He snarled at her continually, showing his teeth, salvia dripping from his mouth, and all the while, his yellow eyes never left her face.

Had she already given up when this magnificent animal held on valiantly? When it was willing to chew off its own paw to survive? Skyler couldn't turn away from the beast, her compassion rising quickly. She held up one hand, palm outward. «Just relax,» she soothed, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She drew in a deep breath and let it out.

The wolf rumbled deep in its throat, but stopped growling. She nodded as if they were conversing. «That's it. That's good.» Sometimes she could hold an animal, even a wild one, while she checked injuries, but she'd never tried to hold a wolf to her. It took a touching of two spirits, and that was never easy in the best of times. She concentrated on the animal, calling silently, relentlessly, to the very essence of the beast.

The wolf grew silent, staring at her with intent eyes. She stepped closer, feeling the warming tingle that always spread throughout her body and mind before she connected solidly. Her stomach unexpectedly knotted and her throat burned. There was a bitter taste in her mouth. A shadow slipped against her spirit, something oily, slimy and evil. Her soul shuddered and drew back.

Horrified, Skyler lifted her head to stare at the wolf. She saw the paw reshaping, the animal's body twisting and contorting, the muzzle elongating into a hideous bullet head sitting atop something half human and half wolf The mouth pulled wide in a parody of a smile showing stained, pointy teeth.

Her breath froze in her lungs. She couldn't move, couldn't form the thought to call Francesca or Gabriel. She could only stand there waiting for death to come for her.

A large black wolf burst from the trees, running full out, using ground-eating leaps that covered several feet at a time. The animal struck her with its shoulder, driving her away from the vampire. Ice-blue eyes burned with glacier cold as the black wolf whirled in midair and sprang for the throat of the shifting vampire. Heavily muscled, the wolf drove the creature backward before it had a chance to change fully into one form or the other. Powerful jaws clamped around the exposed throat and tore.

Look the other way.

The orders rang sharp and clear inside Skyler's mind. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, but that didn't begin to drown out the sound of ripping flesh, high-pitched screams and the snarls and growls of the undead. The voice slashed at her brain, cutting deep. She felt droplets like white-hot cinders burn through her gloves and skin to her very bones. It was impossible to keep the small cry of startled pain from escaping.

The snarls grew louder, the shrieks more violent and terrible. Skyler covered her face with her hands to try to keep from looking, but she couldn't stop the morbid terror and spread her fingers enough to peek through. Dimitri was once again a man-no-not a man. He was fully a Carpathian warrior, his eyes blazing with fury, his mouth drawn into a cruel, merciless line. Muscles rippled in his back and bulged in his arms as he slammed his fist through the vampire's chest and wrapped his fingers around the blackened, wizened heart. There was a terrible sucking sound and the shriek rose higher. Blood sprayed in a black arc. Skyler's hands protected her face, but this time blood splattered across the backs of her gloves, melting the material and skin instantly.

Skyler gasped with pain and pushed both hands into the snow, staring in horror as Dimitri extracted the heart and tossed it some distance from the vampire. The undead clawed and bit, fighting viciously, tearing deep lacerations in Dimitri's skin. Acid burns streaked the hunter's neck, chest and arms as he called up a storm and lightning sizzled and crackled overhead.

Movement caught her eye, and Skyler turned away from the mesmerizing sight of a vampire to see the blackened heart wiggling across the snow-covered ground in an effort to get back to its master. As it rolled along the path back toward its master, the heart drew close to her hands buried in the snow. With a cry of terror she dragged her hands clear, turned away and was sick, her stomach heaving in protest at the abomination.

A whip of lightning streaked from the sky to incinerate the heart. The lightning separated at the last moment, forming two tendrils to strike at the vampire while it also hit the heart. Noxious fumes filled the air and black smoke rose, along with the wailing shriek that faded along with the vapor.

In the ensuing silence, Skyler heard her heart thundering overly loud in her ears. She lifted her face to meet Dimitri's eyes, and her heart abruptly skipped a beat. He looked so strong-so invincible. His eyes were so cold, so blue, yet they burned through her skin to her bones, branding her. He moved and she blinked, the mesmerizing spell broken. Skyler backed away from him, his anger washing over her in waves. The force was so powerful she hunched, nearly driven to her knees. A sound of distress escaped her throat, instantly drawing his intent gaze to her pounding pulse.