Dark Promises

by Christine Feehan

She felt him inside of her, so bright. No ego. All Aleksei. At once the throbbing in her neck stopped.

  "Teagan," Aleksei said softly. "Thank you. You did a great job."

  Teagan sent him a smile. "Andre's been working with me."

  Andre and Fane stood in front of Gary. Gabrielle could see them greet him in the way Carpathian warriors did one another. Forearms to forearms. Making themselves vulnerable to attack.

  Gary had definitely saved Trixie's life. Without him, the three hunters might not have made it back in time to save any of their lifemates, let alone Trixie. His eyes moved from the two warriors thanking him to Gabrielle. She felt his penetrating gaze all the way down to her toes. It was a little disconcerting to be looking into Gary's eyes and see that he wasn't Gary. She saw that so clearly.

  His eyes were even different. He'd always worn glasses. Now, his eyes were a deep blue, moving on to a dark inky black and then, when he blinked, a blue green, like the color of the sea. Her heart pounded as Aleksei wrapped his arm around her waist and urged her toward the man.

  I don't think I can do this, Aleksei. Maybe if I had . . .

  What? Recognized he wasn't her lifemate? Would that have changed anything at all for him? He had not made the decision to become Carpathian. Gregori had made the decision for him, based on his dire condition. She'd been there. She couldn't have stopped Gregori. No one, not even the prince, could have. Gregori had few people he loved in his life. Gary was one of them.

  You need to go to him, Gabrielle. I will be with you. Close. Inside you. In your mind. But you need this and you know it. Aleksei stopped walking and allowed her to take the last few steps on her own. Kislany, you are not to touch him. Not for any reason. I will not be able to tolerate that, so for all of our sakes, keep your hands to yourself. He will not touch you. He is an ancient now, far gone from any of us--even Gregori.

  She hated that. She hated that Gary had given so much of himself to the Carpathians and now he had lost all of himself. She lifted her chin and stepped close to him. She scented something wild--feral. A trapped animal not familiar with civilization. Gary. Her Gary. So far gone. So out of reach.

  Andre and Fane had gone to their women, allowing her a little privacy with Gary. His eyes moved over her face. Impassive. Cool. Remote. She reached out for Aleksei in her mind, needing his strength to get through this.

  "You were amazing. Thank you for coming to our aid."

  "I had to know you were all right, Gabrielle."

  She shivered at the coldness in his eyes. Her Gary was gone for all time. In his eyes burned the hell of centuries of darkness--of battles. He had become a vessel for the ancients, and there was no turning that around and bringing the man she knew back.

  She stepped close to him, trying to find the man she loved. Would always love. He was in there somewhere. The gentle soul whose brain had no match. "Gary." She said his name softly, trying to call him back to her. Away from the terrible, unrelenting darkness she'd seen in the ancients there in the monastery.

  "Are you happy? Is he a good lifemate to you?"

  She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Even his voice was different. She had to work to fight back the tears. She nodded. "He's very good to me, Gary. She's out there. For you. Your lifemate."

  His eyes changed color again, bleak and cold and gone from her. The ancients with their despair of finding a lifemate were already working at him. She knew dawn was close and all of them would have to go to ground. Light was streaking through the gray, heralding the sun. Still . . .

  "Teagan helped the ancients, Gary. It is possible she could aid you to hold on. Let us try for you. Trixie can match your song . . ."

  "It is not mine alone."

  Gabrielle glanced back at Trixie. The other two women were already pressing close.

  "It is all yours," Trixie replied softly. "I see the notes, and they were originally others', but they've blended with your original song and made another completely different one, unique only to you. Let us try. You saved my life. You saved my granddaughter. Please. Allow us to do this for you."

  Gabrielle could see Gary didn't hold out any hope. She had to fight to keep her hands to herself when she wanted to take his arm and tug until he went with them to the map of the world still drawn on the ground.

  "It might be worse to know she isn't there," Gary ventured.

  "Nothing can be worse than where you are," Aleksei said. "I know. No hope. Only unrelenting darkness. Not even the whisper of temptation. So far gone you know you cannot be around anyone without risking your honor. Give this to them. If not for you, then for them. For Gabrielle."

  Gabrielle loved him for that alone and she had to tell him. Say it. Make it understood that even though Gary stood right before her and she ached for him, wept for him, it was Aleksei. It's you I love.

  I know, kislany, I feel it. I am in your mind, holding you tight to me. He is close to agreeing. We do not have much time before the dawn is upon us. As old as we are, it is nearly impossible to stand even the early morning sun. Persuade him. There was a pause. Without touching him.

  She hadn't even realized she was reaching out toward Gary as if she could hold back the darkness in him. She jerked her hand back and pressed her palm tight against her thigh. "Please," she said softly. "Just do this. If it doesn't work, well, at least you tried. Even if we can't find a direction for a lifemate, Teagan can ease the darkness just a little."

  "For you, Gabrielle."

  At least the memory of her was still there in his mind. Aiding him in some way. He might not be able to feel the love he had for her, but he remembered it. He had remembered enough to care if she was all right and to do this for her.

  Teagan beckoned him toward the map, obviously hoping with him so close to it, they could manage the process faster. Trixie was already tuned to his song and she pushed the notes toward Gabrielle. Gary's song was dark and foreboding--every bit as dangerous as that of any of the ancients who had been locked away in the monastery. That hurt.

  Gabrielle held herself together by leaning on Aleksei's strength. He was there, in her mind, holding her tight. She knew he wanted to be close to her and that it took tremendous discipline for him to hold himself physically away from her. She loved him all the more that he did--that he gave her this time with Gary. That he gave Gary what he needed as well.

  Teagan's hands moved through her stones, seeking the one that would fit Gary. Gabrielle held her breath, praying silently that something would be right. She hadn't considered that Teagan might not have what he needed. She'd been in the mountains, collecting various stones that spoke to her, but what if . . .

  Teagan frowned and pulled out several stones, cupping them in both hands. "I've never had the pull of more than one," she admitted, "but he needs all of these."

  That didn't sound good. Gabrielle bit her lip. Hard. A single ruby drop beaded. Instantly Gary's gaze fastened on her mouth. Aleksei rumbled low in his chest. A warning. He moved, inserting his body between Gary and Gabrielle, his head bending, his tongue removing the single drop of blood as he glided past her.

  Do not tempt him again. He is near the end. The ancients who poured themselves into him had no lifemates. They each endured centuries of darkness without any reward at the end. They sought the sun to keep their honor. He is all of them combined. If Teagan does not work her magic, he will have to do the same soon. No warrior, no matter how strong, can take many ancients' demons and stay honorable for long.

  She felt his touch all the way to her toes. She felt his revelation all the way to her soul. She shivered and inhaled his scent for strength, because now she knew there was no hope without this. Aleksei didn't tell her lies.

  Teagan began her soft chant and at once, the color green enveloped her and began to spread from her toward Gary. A healing, soothing green, right in the center of the color wheel. Slowly, the other colors began to appear, all of them searching for a way into the merciless darkness surrounding Gary. Gabrielle held her breath,
terrified the colors wouldn't penetrate at all. At first it seemed as if the dense cloud was impenetrable, but the green found a thread, a single opening, and wove a thin line, the width of a spiderweb, through the black.

  Gabrielle almost bit her lip again, but she felt Aleksei brush his finger over her lips, stopping her. She realized he was very aware of her bad habit and was concentrating on her more than on Teagan and whether she was successful or not.

  The colors moved around the thick, solid mass. It seemed hopeless. Other than the single thread of green, nothing else could get through. Then Gabrielle felt the subtle boost of power. First Andre joined with Teagan. Then Fane joined with Teagan. Last was Aleksei. The three ancients poured their combined strength into Andre's lifemate.

  The burst of power sent a few of the colors pushing hard at the edges of the darkened aura. One, a deep purple, slid in beside the green, winding around it, so that the two colors were woven together. Red slipped in using the same entrance but branching out, every bit as thin a thread as the green had been. Indigo found the red and followed the strand, braiding with it so that it looked as if a spider had begun a web. That thin. But it was there. Yellow and blue followed, spinning together, using the same entrance and moving inside away from the other two strands.

  Teagan swayed and slumped over the stones. She tried twice to speak, but Andre gathered her into his arms and turned her away from the others. Gabrielle knew instantly he fed her. She could scent the blood in the air. Gary's gaze followed them and he inhaled sharply. Instantly she was aware that his wounds hadn't been healed. He hadn't asked them to be. Nor had anyone offered him blood to replace what was lost. She opened her mouth.

  Do not!

  That was definitely an order. Gabrielle snapped her mouth closed, pressing her lips tightly together.

  I will give him blood and heal him once you women are finished. Teagan has helped as much as she could. It is something and will give him relief. How long or how much, I do not know, but you will not allow him to touch you. Not to heal him. Not to feed. Do you understand me?

  She knew he expected an answer. Her gaze shifted to him. He looked as if his ferocious temper might erupt at any moment. She even felt it, that fury, right in her mind, beating at her.

  I understand. She didn't really. Gary would never harm her.

  He is not the Gary you knew.

  Trixie had his song, those notes, not silver, not gold. Fierce. Wild. Fearless. Powerful. It was impossible not to feel his song, not to be shaken by it. Trixie surrounded Gabrielle with the notes until she had absorbed them and her palms were filled with him. Her skin tingled. Hurt. Burned. Even her bracelet burned with fire. She gasped and nearly stopped, but she wouldn't let him down. None of the other ancients' songs had given her pain. She knew it was the pain of the ancients that had been poured into Gary.

  She breathed through it and moved her hands over the map, trying to let go of herself, of her need to do this, to help him. She couldn't be there, only the strange talent she had. Please. Please. Please. She forced herself to quit chanting the prayer in her mind. This had to be right. Real. And if it didn't work, if she didn't find anything, she had to accept that. It would be a terrible blow, but she would have no choice.

  She listened for Aleksei's breathing. Strong. Steady. Her rock. He was there with her, his lungs moving, his heart beating. Her left palm jerked toward her left. Subtle, so subtle she was afraid she'd done it. But no, there it was again. Very subtle. She opened her eyes and looked down, carefully drawing a circle with her right hand, the strongest point in the middle of that circle. France. Somewhere in France, Gary had a lifemate. He just had to hang on until he could find her.

  She smiled triumphantly. She'd given him something. Hope. A chance. It was done. The best she could do for him.

  "I will send the addresses to you of any psychic women Josef finds in the database, Gary," Andre said, "but remember, she may not be in there, so you have to hunt within that circle, and it covers a lot of territory."

  Aleksei stepped close to Gary and extended his wrist. Fane glided in between the two men, extending his own wrist. "Let me. For Trixie. For what you did for my lifemate, I offer freely. Take what you need."

  Fane glanced in warning at Aleksei, clearly telling him to back off. Fane didn't trust that Gary still wasn't so close to turning that he could keep from draining Aleksei dry, and that made the sorrow pressing down on Gabrielle even worse. She clutched at the back of Aleksei's shirt, connecting them physically. She wasn't certain if she was holding him back, afraid as well, or just that she had to touch him to get through this. To watch Gary leave. Alone.

  "Your woman more than repaid me," Gary said.

  "Take it," Fane said. "You have a long road ahead of you."

  Gary took the offered wrist and drank. When he was finished he stepped back, silently telling them he'd had as much as he could take. He would heal his own wounds. He was a Daratrazanoff.

  He leaned toward Gabrielle. "Be well, Gabby," he said softly, and was gone.

  One moment he was there, the next he had completely disappeared. The tension went out of the three hunters. Gabrielle hadn't even realized they'd been tense.

  "We need to get to ground," Fane said. "I'll weave the safeguards and set the mist. The next rising, we head for the States. Aleksei, you and Gabrielle will join us?"

  Gabrielle let out her breath, slumping a little, exhausted. It was business as usual for the Carpathian males. They considered vampires and human hunters, lethal wounds and dangerous ancients an every-evening occurrence.

  At least I won't be bored. It was a poor attempt at humor but it was all she had.

  I will make certain of that, my little cat.

  Aleksei wrapped his arm tightly around Gabrielle, pulling her into the shelter of his body. "We will go to the prince and also talk to Jacques's lifemate, Shea, to ensure she will get whatever samples Gabrielle needs to continue her work. Then we will follow and acquire a house near yours as well as a laboratory."

  Fane nodded and reached out his hand to Trixie. She didn't hesitate but immediately put her hand in his. As they turned away to get to work strengthening the safeguards, Gabrielle heard Trixie.

  "Seriously, Fane. We need a real vampire-hunting kit. That silly gun was utterly useless."

  "Lady, if I had any sense at all, I would turn you over my knee for even trying such a thing. You put yourself in danger." Fane brought her hand to his mouth. "Still, I was very proud of you."

  Aleksei walked Gabrielle into the building that had been his refuge for over a hundred years. Without preamble he waved his hand and the ground opened. Deep. Cool. The soil rich with minerals. Gabrielle could see them sparkling. The cool soil called to her.

  "Take your clothes off, little cat," Aleksei ordered. His hands moved up the sides of her breasts, sending an ache through her nipples.

  She waved her hand and removed her clothing.

  "Float down. Spread your legs for me. I gave you plenty of room."

  She opened her mouth to protest, but his eyes glittered, and in any case, her body was already betraying her. She did exactly as he said, feeling her body growing hot and slick. Welcoming him.

  He came down over her, completely blanketing her. Pinning her beneath him. The ground was soft and felt amazing against her bare skin. His hard body felt even better on top of her. He took his time, using his mouth and tongue and teeth on her breasts, his finger moving in her, bringing her to the brink over and over. Driving out every sane thought. Taking away the nightmare of the last couple of hours. Giving her something beautiful in return. And then he was inside of her. Hard. Rough. So Aleksei. So perfect.

  She screamed out her orgasm, a tremendous tidal wave that swept him up and carried them both into another realm. She lay still, holding him, stroking caresses in his hair, his face buried in her neck.

  "I love you, Aleksei." And she did. She was so completely filled with love for him she could barely think straight.

  A
leksei kissed her, still buried to the root. Long after he sent her to sleep, he stayed inside of her, the place he loved to be most. He drank in her scent. Kept the taste of her on his tongue. She loved him. A miracle. His. He knew he would spend his life working to make her happy. He also knew she would bend over backward to give him everything he wanted.

  He brushed kisses against her throat. "I love you, too, kessake," he whispered, and gave the command for the soil to close around and over them. Still buried deep, his body in hers, he laid his head in the sweet hollow between her shoulder and neck and allowed his heart and lungs to cease working until the next rising. He would wake inside her, right where he wanted to be.

  APPENDIX 1

  Carpathian Healing Chants

  To rightly understand Carpathian healing chants, background is required in several areas:

  The Carpathian view on healing

  The Lesser Healing Chant of the Carpathians

  The Great Healing Chant of the Carpathians

  Carpathian musical aesthetics

  Lullaby

  Song to Heal the Earth

  Carpathian chanting technique

  1. THE CARPATHIAN VIEW ON HEALING

  The Carpathians are a nomadic people whose geographic origins can be traced back to at least as far as the Southern Ural Mountains (near the steppes of modern-day Kazakhstan), on the border between Europe and Asia. (For this reason, modern-day linguists call their language "proto-Uralic," without knowing that this is the language of the Carpathians.) Unlike most nomadic peoples, the wandering of the Carpathians was not due to the need to find new grazing lands as the seasons and climate shifted, or the search for better trade. Instead, the Carpathians' movements were driven by a great purpose: to find a land that would have the right earth, a soil with the kind of richness that would greatly enhance their rejuvenative powers.

  Over the centuries, they migrated westward (some six thousand years ago), until they at last found their perfect homeland--their susu--in the Carpathian Mountains, whose long arc cradled the lush plains of the kingdom of Hungary. (The kingdom of Hungary flourished for over a millennium--making Hungarian the dominant language of the Carpathian Basin--until the kingdom's lands were split among several countries after World War I: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia and modern Hungary.) Other peoples from the Southern Urals (who shared the Carpathian language, but were not Carpathians) migrated in different directions. Some ended up in Finland, which accounts for why the modern Hungarian and Finnish languages are among the contemporary descendents of the ancient Carpathian language. Even though they are tied forever to their chosen Carpathian homeland, the wandering of the Carpathians continues as they search the world for the answers that will enable them to bear and raise their offspring without difficulty.