Dark Wolf

by Christine Feehan

  Skyler slipped past Andre's restraining hand, although he paced beside her, keeping his body between her and the rest of the sitting guards. She crouched down beside Rolf. "Let me see." Very gently she lifted Rolf's hand. At once blood spurted. "Keep your hand there, press hard. I'll see what I can do."

  "I will watch over you, little sister," Andre assured.

  Skyler shed her body and became white-hot healing energy. She had to stop the flow of blood or there would be no regeneration for Daciana.

  "I don't want to move too fast until we know exactly what is happening above us," Fen told the council members. "We've got two snipers, both skilled and trained in the military. Zev, Dimitri and I believe they are Sange rau. You and I both know any hunter, elite or ancient, going up against them will not win the battle."

  The Lycan guard fighting with Dimitri attempted to shift to his half man, half wolf form, but Dimitri was too fast, using the speed of the Han ku pesak kaikak. He slammed his elbow repeatedly into the Lycan's face. The wolf's head fell back, eyes rolling in his head.

  "Catch," Makoce tossed a pair of handcuffs through the air.

  Dimitri remembered to coat his hands at the last moment, realizing the cuffs were silver. Uncaring that the traitor's arm and wrist were broken, he held him down with one knee pressed tightly into the small of his back.

  The Lycan snarled and raged, howled in pain and fought to free himself. Dimitri pulled both arms behind him, slamming the handcuffs tightly around the wolf's wrist. The assassin let out a high-pitched scream.

  Fen reached for Zev, afraid they had lost him in the explosion. Are you alive? Come on, man, give me something.

  There was a moment of silence. Fen counted his own heartbeats, waiting for Zev to answer. He felt a faint stirring in his mind and relief flooded him.

  I'm in a little trouble, Fen, Zev admitted. I've got a piece of table through me and I'm not going to lie, it hurts like hell. If I pull it out, I'll bleed out before you can get to me.

  Well, I guess you'd better not be foolish enough to pull it out then, because I'd be royally pissed off if you died. What were you doing? Fen cautiously moved part of the shield above their heads. Debris fell into the hole. Playing hero again? Did you fling your body over the council member while his bodyguards were down here trying to kill us?

  Something like that. I can't tell if Arno's alive or not. He isn't moving. I can't even feel him breathing. But then I can't exactly get off of him either. I'm probably smothering him. There was a faint note of humor in Zev's voice in spite of the pain.

  "Skyler, I'm going to need your skills as a healer," Fen announced. "It might be ugly up there, but I have no choice. Zev's in trouble."

  Skyler came back into her own body, swaying with weakness, answering the urgent call in Fen's voice. She had managed to repair most of the damage to Daciana's body. "She needs blood," she announced.

  Andre helped her to stand. You need blood, too, little sister, he said. Allow me to shield you while you take what you need.

  Skyler knew she would never be able to help Zev if she wasn't strong enough. Healing took a tremendous amount of energy, but she'd never fed by herself before, not unless it was from Dimitri, and he'd reacted very strongly to her taking blood from another male.

  He's right, sivamet, he has asked my permission and I gave it. I will need all my energy to battle the Sange rau, Dimitri encouraged. If you feel you cannot, I'll help you.

  Skyler was well past being reluctant to feed, especially under the circumstances. She felt the urgency of Fen's request. He would never put her in harm's way unless the situation was dire. Worse, she actually liked Zev. She might still be a little angry with him, but it was impossible not to respect him.

  It is given freely. Andre shielded her from the sight of the Lycans as he offered his wrist.

  Thank you, Andre. I accept your offering. She took his hand and sank her teeth into his vein.

  Fen looked across the small shelter to his brother. "You'll have to keep them off our backs. I'll join you as fast as I can. They'll be coming to inspect the damage."

  "By them," Randall said, "you mean the snipers, the Sange rau." He made it a statement.

  "I'll go with you," Makoce volunteered. "You can't face two of them alone."

  Dimitri shook his head. "You're one of few we trust. We need you here, protecting the rest of the council members."

  "Are you ready, Skyler?" Fen demanded.

  She closed the small wound in Andre's wrist. "Yes."

  "Andre, I'll need you here to make certain no one else decides to kill off the council members while we're out of the way," Fen said. "I can send a couple of others down to help you."

  Andre raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply.

  Dimitri stepped over the handcuffed assassin and followed Fen and Skyler up to the ground above them. The meeting hall was mostly rubble. Two bodies lay ripped apart a few feet from the entrance to the shelter, as if they'd been running for safety. Skyler coughed and covered her mouth and nose. Floating particles of wood, dirt and stone turned the air in what was left of the room to a thick, gray ash.

  Fen rushed around the bodies toward the far wall where he spotted Zev's leg sticking out from under what appeared to be scrap wood. The table was shredded, great jagged splinters of wood as thick as a man's arm pointed to the ceiling like spears.

  Skyler's heart accelerated, slamming hard against her chest when she saw Fen stop, his hands around one of the spears. Breaking into a run, she flashed by the dead bodies without looking at them and found herself kneeling beside Zev, shoving one fist into her mouth to keep from sobbing.

  She was a healer and all they had, but she was no miracle worker. Zev's body lay sprawled over Arno. The elite hunter had wrapped his arms around the council member, protecting him from the flying wood. He must have tried to use the tables as a shield, knocking them over to their sides, both men diving behind them.

  Arno turned his head cautiously toward them as Skyler knelt beside him. "Is he alive? I can't tell but I've been afraid to move, afraid I'd make it worse."

  Blood from Zev's wound coated Arno's back, but otherwise, he appeared unhurt. Skyler glanced up at Fen's grim face. "Barely," she answered.

  "I'm going to slip you out from under him," Fen told Arno. "Slide sideways and try not to bump him."

  I can't do this alone. I'll need help, Skyler said. I'm calling Tatijana and Branislava. I've warned them about the danger of the two snipers. They know to come in without form.

  She glanced around the room. Fen would have to help Dimitri. He couldn't possibly fight two Sange rau alone. The prince had to be guarded, and someone had to get the remaining council members and Daciana to safety. Still . . .

  "I know you need the warriors, Fen, but I'll need a couple for blood. Can you pull back Lucian and Gabriel from what they're doing?"

  "I doubt it, but I'll try."

  "I can give him blood," Arno volunteered. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Lycans have attacked us from nearly every direction," Fen told him. "With them are the snipers we believe are Sange rau. Both of your elite guards tried to kill council members."

  "Fen, hurry," Skyler hissed. They couldn't worry about what was going on politically or outside the shredded walls of the building, not if they were going to save Zev's life.

  Fen nodded curtly and sent a cushion of air between Zev and Arno, lifting the body away from the council member without jarring it. Arno shifted his weight carefully, easing out from under the floating, wounded, elite hunter. As soon as he was clear, he scrambled back on all fours, his face a mask of concern.

  The moment he saw the large stake going through Zev's body, he turned white, his eyes going wide with shock. "He can't possibly be alive," he said.

  Zev's eyelashes fluttered but didn't lift. "I'm alive," he whispered, his voice hoarse with pain. "I'm just not certain I want to be."

  Tatijana and Branislava materialized on either side of Skyler. Tatijana gently touc
hed Skyler in sympathy as they assessed the situation.

  "One of us will have to hold him to us," Tatijana said.

  "I can try," Skyler agreed reluctantly. "I've got a connection with him."

  "I'll do it," Branislava announced. She leaned over Zev and took his hand gently. You remember me, right, Zev? We danced together. It was a beautiful moment in my life and I'll treasure it always. We shared blood to bond and to be able to speak telepathically. Allow me to bind your spirit to mine. I'll keep you safe while my sister and Skyler heal you.

  I remember you. Zev's spirit was already fading, slipping away from them, as his life's blood drained out on the floor. The shock to his body was tremendous. My beautiful dream lady.

  Branislava reached for his spirit, that fading light, and surrounded it with her own. Her spirit was strong and bright and she corralled the flickering insubstantial spirit that remained of Zev so that the two spirits melded together. She wove her light through his to bind him to her.

  We can make our own dream right here, together, while they work on your body. You won't have to feel it or think of what they're doing, only stay here with me. Stay with me.

  Skyler looked at Fen, her heart pounding nearly out of control, her mouth dry. She had Tatijana beside her and that gave her courage, but she knew they all believed she was a great healer. She didn't have the experience, or the training. They were on their own. A coordinated attack on the Carpathians required every warrior and woman to defend their homeland.

  She took one breath and nodded her head. "Do it," she said.

  Fen pulled the stake from Zev's body. Blood gushed. Tatijana was ready with her hands, pressing them deeply into the wound, light bursting out from under her palms. Skyler shed her body and entered Zev's, working fast to repair the damage.

  The stake had torn through layers of muscle and organ. There were splinters throughout the wound and the tip had actually penetrated through Zev's abdomen, as well as crashing through two ribs. How he managed to stay alive, she had no idea. For a moment she hesitated, not knowing where to start. His body was a mess.

  Dimitri. He had been with her all along, merged deep, so much a part of her. His belief in her always gave her confidence and she needed that now.

  Save his life, Dimitri said. It's what you were born to do. Save him, csitri. He is needed in this world.

  Just the sound of his voice soothed her, righted her world, and she began, choosing the edges of the great hole to start closing that terrible gap.

  Dimitri let go of the merge he'd been holding with his lifemate. She had her work to do and he had his. He couldn't think of anything else but finding and destroying the two snipers with their long list of targets to assassinate. It wouldn't be intelligent to divide himself when he was hunting anything as deadly as the Sange rau.

  Staying in the form of dust particles, he started his search at the bullet hole in the shattered shield Fen had thrown up to protect them. Taking his time, using the patience of a Carpathian hunter, he traced the trajectory of the bullet across a fifty-foot open space back toward the village.

  He was unhappy with the direction. The thought of the Sange rau loose in the village with unsuspecting humans was frightening. Lycan soldiers attacked the Carpathians where they found them, but they seemed to be avoiding killing the humans in the village as far as he could tell.

  It was obvious to him that the Carpathians had learned from their earlier encounter with a rogue pack that fighting one-on-one would do no good with Lycans. The warriors had formed their own packs, Lucian and Gabriel directing them, and they were meeting the wolves on equal terms.

  The skies roiled with clouds. Thunder rolled and boomed. Bolts of lightning flashed from ground to sky and back down. The sound of gunfire and screams of pain filled the night. The scent of blood was heavy in the air. War.

  Dimitri felt an overwhelming sadness steal over him. He had seen too much death. Too many shattered lives. Over what? The blood that ran in his veins? This kind of violence, the treachery involved in conspiring to murder the council members who had come to try to form an alliance with another species, was abhorrent to him.

  He kept moving through the houses and shops, until he came to the rooftop of the church. There was a kind of irony in the fact that the sniper had chosen a place of peace, of worship, to attempt to commit murder.

  There were no casings left on the roof, but Dimitri was Han ku pesak kaikak, and even though the sniper was Sange rau, he was newly made. The wolf in their assailant was very strong and Dimitri caught the scent stamped into the roof. Once he had the actual scent markers of the sniper, he could follow the trail much easier.

  This one had slipped down the side of the building and had mingled with the people running to barricade themselves in their homes or shops. He avoided the Lycans as well as the Carpathians, using buildings for cover. That alone told Dimitri the Sange rau was newly made. He didn't have the first clue about what a Carpathian could or couldn't do. He was using his Lycan senses and military training to get him through the village without being seen.

  He had another target. That was the only answer as to why the sniper was circling back around toward the rubble of a building. He didn't attempt to join in the fighting, or help the other Lycans out in any way. They probably didn't even know he was there.

  Fen, he's coming back around toward you. I think this is the one Zev called Hemming. He's very good, but he has no clue what a Carpathian is or what he can do. All of his training is military or Lycan. If he is a true mixed blood, how can that be?

  That's a good question. Do you have any idea where the second sniper is?

  I traced a bullet path to the rooftop of the church, but only one had been there. You'll have to use the same method I did. This one must have a target or targets still inside the building. He's absolutely relentless and determined. Nothing is slowing him down or deterring him, Dimitri replied.

  Fen swore. Zev is in bad shape. We haven't moved the council members because we have no idea if any of the other guards are planning to make a move against them. Skyler, Tatijana and Branislava can't leave, not until they lose the battle for Zev's life, or heal him enough to put him in the ground. That leaves the second sniper anywhere, capable of doing damage to anyone.

  Dimitri hissed out his irritation. We'll have to trust that Gregori can do his job, if the prince is a primary target. We have to go after this one. He's too close to our women and the council.

  I'll warn those here. Keep closing in on him.

  I am. Fen, is it even possible for Zev to go to ground?

  There was a long silence. Fen sighed. I don't know, Dimitri. At this point, I don't think any of us know what's really possible or what isn't.

  Dimitri increased his speed, following the scent of the Sange rau. He doubted the vapor trail speeding through the air would draw attention, not when those on the ground were trying to save themselves. The fighting was more sporadic now. Bodies lay on the ground, most with severed heads and stakes through the heart. If there were any dead or dying Carpathian warriors, Dimitri didn't see them.

  Lucian and Gabriel were skilled at warfare. They had engaged in a thousand battles over the centuries and few were better strategists. The moment they knew Lycans had taken Dimitri and then later, when Skyler was thought to have died, they had acquired every bit of information possible on how Lycans conducted warfare, from early centuries to modern times. They were more than prepared to meet them in battle.

  Telepathy helped as well. The Carpathians were able to speak to one another mind to mind. They kept in constant communication, relaying information from one part of the village to another. So far, Dimitri hadn't heard that the prince's home had been attacked.

  Dimitri slipped around the corner of the building closest to the meeting hall that had been destroyed. The sniper was just ahead of him, creeping stealthily through the rubble to gain the wall that was partially down. The wall had holes blown out of it. The roof had collapsed and a good portion
of the wall itself had crumbled from the force of the blast.

  Hemming didn't go to one of the holes to peer through as Dimitri expected him to do. Instead, the sniper leapt up to one of the remaining larger pieces of the wall itself. He crouched low, his case with his equipment in his hand. The smooth jump onto such a precarious structure warned Dimitri not to underestimate the wolf.

  The low murmur of voices chanting the Carpathian healing ritual reached him. He could hear even the warriors in the midst of battle, chanting with the women and children. They had banded together to try to save Zev, a warrior all of them respected. They considered him one of them, and losing a single Carpathian, whether mixed blood or no, was unacceptable.

  Those inside were busy attempting to save a life, while the sniper outside was setting up to murder them. Hemming crouched low and leapt once again, landing nimbly on the roof. For a moment it looked as if the roof might collapse under his weight, but the rubble held together in spite of the damage.

  Dimitri slipped up behind the sniper as he bent to open his case. When he materialized directly behind the Sange rau, he set one foot down for an anchor as he caught the wolf's head in his hands, whirling around to pull the head over his shoulder in an impossible position.

  The roof shifted out from under him, throwing him off balance just as a shot rang out. Dimitri's heart jerked in his chest. This man was not Hemming. He should have known the newly made Sange rau was bait to draw him out. It had been far too easy to track him.

  Dimitri leapt into the air, still holding the wolf in an unbreakable lock, deliberately hitting the roof hard as he landed, snapping the sniper's neck and going straight through the flimsy roof. He landed on the floor in the middle of debris and rubble, the sniper cushioning his fall. Palming a silver stake, he slammed it through the chest of the assassin and leapt away from the body.

  As he did so, a second bullet whined passed his ear and lodged in the far wall. "Stay down," he cautioned.

  The three women and Arno paid no attention to him, their entire concentration on the man lying in front of them.

  Fen, he's on me and the women are in here with Zev. I'm going to get out of here, show myself for a moment to make certain he targets me and not them. This has to be the real Hemming, the one Zev spoke of who was such a tremendous marksman. The other was bait.