Destiny settled deeper into the soothing arms of the earth. Nicolae had often told her fairy stories of a race of beings. Carpathians. He had said he was one, that he hunted those of his kind who betrayed their race by becoming the most evil of all beings. In the beginning she’d thought he had made up the tales to distract her from the terror of her existence. Later she thought he was attempting to lure her to him, to make her believe he was something other than vampire. In all the time she hunted the undead, she had never run across any being such as he had described. As she closed her eyes and the soil poured in over her, as the breath left her body and her heart ceased to beat, her last thought was that she must find out more about this species. She prayed they truly existed.
Chapter Three
Destiny opened her eyes and waited for the terrible rush of pain to sweep through her body. Agony upon awakening had always robbed her of breath and all thought until she could find a way to simply breathe, to function. It was always then that Nicolae merged with her. Destiny’s pain drew him to her, allowed him to find her in the broad expanse of the universe. This rising was different. The pain was there, in her blood and bones, a burning acid that pulsed and throbbed, but without the terrible torment that had been such torture over the last years. Nicolae had given her some relief with the infusion of his ancient blood.
Although it is less on this rising, I still feel your pain. Come to me. My blood runs in your veins, it will be easy for you to find me. Come to me and I will do my best to heal you.
It was the softest of whispers, a sweet seduction.
Destiny stared up at the night sky, entranced by its natural beauty. Over her head tree branches swayed gently, the leaves glittering a strange silver. She was enthralled by Nicolae’s beautiful, musical voice. It wasn’t simply that she found herself wanting to just listen to it, she
needed
to hear him speaking to her. She couldn’t count the times she had crawled into the refuge of her mind to avoid the atrocities of her life, and found him there waiting where she could just listen to the magic of his incredible voice. The strength of her need for him seemed to be growing, not diminishing, as she aged.
While you think to find reasons to fear me, you might remember I could have taken your blood, tied you to me for all time, but I did not. Why would I want a woman unwilling to come to me on her own? If I were attempting to ensnare you, I would have taken your blood, not given you mine. You have power over me now. You know I speak the truth.
Destiny lifted her chin in a kind of rebellion. She did not need him to state the obvious.
I will work things out for myself, Nicolae. I have no need or want of your unsolicited advice.
He laughed softly, the notes joyous and pure, slipping into her mind to twine unexpectedly around her heart. Destiny sucked in her breath, her eyes widening with shock, with realization. A part of her
wanted
him close to her. She had awakened expectantly, eager for the sound of his voice, for the connection between them.
Crimson color crept up her neck and into her face as she floated from her resting place. She considered herself well disciplined, took a certain pride in it, yet she could feel butterfly wings brushing at her stomach and warmth spreading treacherously through her body at the mere sound of his voice. At the knowledge of his nearness.
I don’t want you here.
She said it with a certain fire. Shocked at herself. Shocked at the way she felt toward him.
His answering laughter was pure male amusement, sliding into her mind, under her skin, dissolving her bones. He had been too long in her mind not to recognize her confusion for what it was. Destiny hissed out a slow breath.
Emotions betray one, Nicolae —I learned that lesson from a master. It’s a truth I accept.
Emotions had allowed Nicolae to find her. If Destiny hadn’t heard Mary Ann speaking to one of her clients, if her words hadn’t been the very thing Destiny had been starving to hear, she would have continued her nomad existence and Nicolae would not have found her.
I would have found you.
There was complete confidence in his infuriating, beautiful voice.
You know I would have found you. Then there will be a battle between us.
Now there was a smoky edge to his laughter.
There has never been a war to fight between us, there never will be. We are two halves of the same whole.
She winced at his words. To her, they were an accusation. She had seen his kills. She had touched that dark, crouching beast deep within him. As hard as she wished it otherwise, she was still what a monster had made her. For a moment she pressed her fingertips to her temples, closing her eyes, shutting out the beauty of the night, the beauty of his voice, the magic of the things she had become aware of.
Shape-shifting, soaring through the sky, running on four legs like a well-oiled machine, stars glittering like a shower of diamonds overhead—the sheer power of what she was. Destiny found it impossible to hate her existence. That realization only added to the weight of her guilt. She had always had choices, and she had chosen to live. Chosen to hunt and kill monsters. Chosen to stay close to Mary Ann Delaney. And she had chosen to listen to a depraved monster. He had murdered her family and turned her childhood into a living hell.
Stop it!
Nicolae said sharply, a command from an ancient accustomed to instant obedience.
You were a child, a little girl, with no knowledge of such evil creatures. You could not possibly have prevented what that vampire did to your family, nor were you responsible. You have rare gifts. There are others in the world such as you, other young women, possibly young men, who inadvertently draw the monster through their incredible gifts. They are in no way responsible for what a vampire does. The vampire chose his way of life. At one time he walked in the light and had honor and respect. At some point in his life he knew he was risking his soul if he continued. He knew what to do but chose to become the undead. Look into my memories; I offer them freely to you. You cannot believe you are responsible.
Destiny was silent a moment, wanting to believe him. Wanting to be absolved. Wanting the magic of his voice to wrap her up and take her away from all that had ever happened to her.
Your voice is a weapon.
She whispered the words to him aloud as well as in his mind. She needed the sound of her voice to believe it.
You are afraid. It is natural to fear what you do not understand, little one.
His voice was so gentle she wanted to cry. She wanted to reach out to him and be held. Her reaction was so strong, so foreign to her nature, it shocked her. Frightened her even more. She felt off balance and indecisive, and she didn’t like it. He hadn’t called her “little one” in a long while. She tried to tell herself the endearment had thrown her, but she knew better.
She might be afraid, but she was no coward. She could at least be truthful with herself... with him. Her chin went up and she straightened her shoulders.
Yes, I am afraid. I don’t know how to trust anyone. I don’t know that I even trust myself. I trusted the beauty of a voice and I was deceived. You were a child.
His very gentleness caught at her, turned her inside out.
Does that excuse me? You did nothing wrong. And yet you blame yourself for surviving. You were meant to survive. Let me help you.