Cursing the circumstances, hating her emotional distance, desperation overcame him. "I came to show you that I’m not a threat. That I meant a lot to you at one time.
Nary an eyelash flickered as she watched him warily. "Do you intend to brainwash me? Take advantage of me while my defenses are down?"
The venom in her voice threatened to poison him but he squared his shoulders and stared her in the eye. "No. But neither do I wish to be disintegrated and I am not a fool. Even vampires can die from a laser blast. This is neutral territory."
"Safe for you, you mean." Zanna anchored her hands on her hips and rocked back on her boot heels. "You’ll understand if I don’t feel so safe"
Although he hated her fear, he well understood it. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to contend with her skepticism. "On my honor, you have nothing to fear from me. Didn’t I defend you from the demon, Ashlok?"
"On my honor--an interesting phrase from one of your kind, Honor or not you’re not welcome. As for Ashlok…" She paced as a chill shook her body. "Another example of why I should trust your kind? Get out of my dream."
He stepped forward, daring her to step back again. "That I cannot do. The stakes are too high." Not only for himself, but for his entire clan.
Defiance lighting her eyes, she lifted her chin high. "You can’t force me to trust you much less like--or love--you."
A travesty, although one that could be fixed. "But I can show you the truth." With a flick of his wrist, he took them back to the Confederate Army where the scent of blood stained the scarred land. The poignant fresh scent of undiluted blood made his gums tingle, reminding him of all he had missed for so long.
Zanna examined her surroundings and stiffened. "Where are we?"
Dmitri took his bearings and soaked in the ambiance. "Gatlinburg."
"As in Tennessee? The ancient USA?"
He filled his lungs with the lush mountain air as crisp leaves crunched beneath his boot. "Tennessee, yes. But it’s the Confederate States…."
She gasped but quickly composed herself with strict military bearing. "We traveled through time? Or is this an illusion?"
"No illusion." Never had an illusion been so sweet. Unpolluted air. Harvest fruits ready to be plucked from their vines. A warm palette of rich autumn colors painted the gently rolling hills that gave way to craggy mountains. Humans didn’t realize what a treasure they had in their planet and yet so many generations had taken it for granted. He never would again.
Perhaps their answer was escape into Earth’s past. To find a time before their discovery and start over. Rewrite history.
Rewrite history….
The idea was so tempting for himself, for his clan, and yet, how would that effect the world? And how would it affect the universe if the Carpathians were allowed to plunder it?
Zanna slid a half-way impressed glance at him. "Neat trick providing you can get us back. If you can control where you land."
He’d take the hint of admiration in her voice for now. It was a start. "I’ve seen a lot." Heaven and hell. The past three hundred years had been far more hell than heaven Only since they’d left Earth had he truly felt eternally damned.
"Too bad such a precious gift is wasted on vampires."
He swallowed a sigh. He must’ve mistaken incredulity for admiration. This wasn’t going to be easy after all. "Be quiet and watch." Hopefully she’d learn not to peg people into boxes. Why did his Tanya have to be reincarnated as a soldier of all things? The fates must be laughing at him.
Soldier or not, hadn’t she been a challenge in every carnation when she discovered the truth--that he was a vampire? Hadn’t he thrived on the challenge?
Before, he hadn’t been so weary, so very ragged and weak from lack of a decent donor base. Donors… He was desperately in need of blood and he new just where to find it. Only he had hoped not to feed in front of her while she was still so leery of him.
But if he didn’t feed very soon, he’d be no use to anyone. He listened intently for the sounds of battle, feeling the vibrations before actually hearing the heavy footfall of troops. "This way."
"Where are we going?"
"A detour." He trudged forward, following the faint percussion of gunfire. When they got close enough to the battle that gunpowder singed his nostrils and he could almost taste the iron of fresh flowing blood, his stomach growled. The armies had to be over the next rise.
Zanna clasped her fingers around his wrist, staying him. "We’re not going into battle are we? Unarmed?"
"Only to observe." Almost.
"Observe what?" Her brows pinched together and her eyes darkened.
"You’ll see." If he had navigated accurately, she’d see momentarily.
"You have a frustrating way of avoiding questions. Nothing you can show me will change my opinion."
He was determined to prove her wrong. Pursing his lips, he didn’t deign to answer.
When they reached the top of the hill, bloody conflict greeted them. Blue and gray uniforms battled and fell alike, many slain many gasping their final, painful breaths.
Then he spotted them. A female nurse and male doctor, working side by side. Only while the nurse worked to save those who could be saved, the doctor stopped the pain of those that couldn’t.
Pointing at their earlier selves, he asked, "Do you recognize them?"
Zanna sucked in a ragged breath as her eyes widened. "It’s another trick."
"Let’s get closer." Crouching, he beckoned her to follow him. "Stay behind me." Although the primitive weapons of this century posed no threat to him, they were still deadly to her. He was taking a calculated risk bringing her here but he would safeguard her as best he could.
"You can’t be serious. It’s suicide without a weapon."
He couldn’t be more serious and it would be annihilation of his clan if he couldn’t convince her of his sincerity and of their love. "Keep your head low. You need to see this is real."
"I don’t need to see anything."
"Fine. Then stay here. I’m going in."
"Alone? Take me back. I can’t afford to be away from my ship. They need me."
Not till he completed this mission. He needed her worse and without sustenance soon he wouldn’t be able to take either of them anywhere. Like it or not, she was dependent on him. Grunting noncommittally, he moved forward.
After half a mile at most he came across the first fallen soldier, a boy of no more than seventeen who lay prone, bleeding profusely from a gape in his chest. When Dmitri knelt by him and took his hand and felt for a pulse, the soldier’s eyes fluttered weakly.
"Help me," the young man pleaded, his voice barely an audible rasp.
"Look at me, son." Dmitri had to look into the depth of his intended donor’s soul to see if death planned to claim him that day. Only if death was imminent would he provide his peculiar brand of help. Judging by his wounds and extremely weakened state he could guess what he would see, but he had to be sure.
Death shadowed the pain-ravaged eyes that struggled to look at him. An acute pain that stole Dmitri’s breath. As many times as he met death, even facilitated it, he never became immune to it. Only knowing he could ease the pain and stop the suffering made his mission bearable.
"Are you the angel of death come to claim me?" Peace seemed to steal over the dying man as some of the grayness drained from his complexion.
What could he say? The lie stuck in his throat so he nodded. He did seem to be death’s partner.
An odd expression flickered over Zanna’s face as she clutched the soldier’s hand and stroked damp tendrils off his brow. "It’ll be okay."
* * * *
Angel of death?
How could anyone mistake a vampire for an angel in any misshapen form? This generation was supposedly much more superstitious than her own and should be more wary of evil spirits, not less.
She recognized death’s pallor and wheezing rattle in the soldier’s words. So if this bit of fantasy comforted this
young man, who was she to dispel his peace?
Still, she’d never gotten this reaction from any dying man and she’d witnessed more than her share. Then she glanced down at her uniform and grimaced. Of course she wore a uniform so what she was, was apparent. Not that the vampire’s dark, gloomy mode of dress shouted ‘angel’.
Then again, did she really know what the angel of death looked like? Her companion would know him well, undoubtedly.
The mistake troubled her, but not nearly as much as Dmitri’s partaking of his blood. To her horror, the vampire leaned over the man and sank his fangs into the man’s throat.
Fascinated against her will, she watched as the young man’s gray complexion transformed to a ghostly white and as his chest depressed upon his final breath.
Part of her raged to stop the monster. Yet her other half flooded with relief that the man’s agony had been abbreviated. Disgusted with herself, confused, she muttered, "Did you take his soul? Will he become one of you?"
The vampire didn’t respond immediately. He wiped the blood from his mouth and retracted his fangs then stood with a leonine grace that caught her off-guard.
"His soul is intact. I merely released him from his earthly fetters. The vampire turned back to the deceased and shut his eyes gently. "May you rest in peace."
Surprise flickered through her that she quickly tried to mask. She reached inside her pocket and fingered her rosary, trying to gain some comfort from it. She wondered where the priest was to read the young man his last rights. Although it was too late for him now, she was sure there would be others in need of such services. Many others. "You surprise me."
He turned a dark, unfathomable gaze on her that sent shivers down her spine "I told you not to judge me too rapidly."
She tented a brow. "Did I say you have my trust? You’re just very… peculiar. That doesn’t necessarily make you good."
She turned away to survey the ensuing battle and squinted to see through the haze of gunpowder. Such sloppy, stinky substance, gunpowder, not to mention so inhumane. Lasers killed, but mercifully. "Okay, I saw. You can take me back now"
When he glanced up, the dawning sun reflected in his coffee-colored eyes. Too bad the old vampire legends weren’t true. Sunlight obviously didn’t disintegrate them.
"Other old legends aren’t true, either." He stared deeply into her eyes as he covered her hand with his, and rubbed the pad of his callused thumb over her knuckles.
Swallowing a curse, snatching back her hand, she faced off squarely against him. "But you can read minds obviously." She’d be very happy to give him a few choice things to read….
"Tsk tsk, commander. That wouldn’t befit your commanding rank." Before she could spat the scathing retort he nudged her and tilted his head toward a field littered with fallen soldiers. "Tell me--do you recognize the doctor and nurse?"
Her forehead pinching, she peered closely, not believing what she saw. An old-fashioned version of herself in a nurse’s cloak was going from soldier to soldier, tending some, offering gentle words of solace to all, and discreetly pointing out the occasional man to the doctor. "What are they doing?"
"Watch closely." His words vibrated with gentle but unmistakable command.
"Who are they?" Her whisper was almost swallowed by the rattle of gunfire and cannon roars so far distant they could almost be mistaken for the chirp of the crickets.
"Can’t you tell?"
"Our ancestors?" Somehow, she didn’t think so, but couldn’t voice the alternative.
"One of your former selves and me."
Her gaze bounced back to the former version of the man by her side. "God, you’re older than sin."
"I knew Methusaleh’s mother," he drawled with a scowl.
"In the Biblical way?" she drawled. Legend also had it that vampires were highly sensual.
"Aint’ nothin’ Biblical about me."
He could say that again. But his other self knelt over the scant form of a blue-coated man and drew a thick black cape over his head, stealing her breath. Seething chills racking her despite the profuse heat and she pushed dry words through her drier lips, "Monster. You’re draining him of blood."
Lightning flashed in his eyes. "I only take those who are dying."
"How convenient." Rationalizer.
"I alleviate their suffering."
"What about their souls?"
"I’m no threat to their souls."
How could that be true? Everybody knew that beings lost their souls when they became vampires.
* * * *
Dmitri jumped on the slight but significant opening in her thoughts. "I have no need to take souls. I don’t want to condemn others to this hell. You think I enjoy this cursed eternal thirst?"
Zanna eyed him curiously, compassion flickering across her eyes for such a fleeting second he wondered if his imagination was playing tricks on him. "I thought it a fetish--a drug."
"No more so than your body’s need for protein. Face it. You’re carnivorous. How much thought do you give to your diet? I don’t take lives unless they’re already ending."
He’d seen too much death. Too much pain and suffering. He’d lost the lust to inflict pain and fear centuries ago. He wasn’t that young, wild vampire anymore. Tanya had redeemed him.
Too bad he couldn’t say the same for the Carpathians. He wondered how his crew’s mission was proceeding. He had to get back and check on them even if he’d failed his mission thus far. She was getting her requested reprieve.
First, he slaked his thirst and then some, compassion for the dying men making him drink more than his better judgment called for. Back to full strength, energy thrumming through his veins, he wiped the blood on his sleeve before he rose to face his companion.
Her narrowed gaze lingered on the fallen heroes. In a thought-filled voice, she said, "Such a shame--so many children filling out men’s suits. I hope my century never sees the day we have to put children into war in order to survive. Why do you and your family want to return to my century where you’re not welcome? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to slip into the past unnoticed?"
Dmitri stared at her, tossing the tempting thought through his mind. On the surface, it seemed the perfect plan. His people would be safe. Humans of this century wouldn’t recognize them as a threat. There would be plenty of nourishment….
"Mouth-watering thought?" Disgust dripped from her voice. This bitter woman wasn’t his Tanya.
His gaze drifted to the angel of mercy delivering hope and comfort across the broken field. Even though they looked so much alike, it was hard to believe they shared the same soul. Maybe this was a monumental waste of time trying to save her, their love, or the universe. No one appreciated his help. Just the opposite.
He bit back a scowl. The universe still deserved saving, although the idea of him being the self-appointed savior seemed utterly ludicrous. And so incredibly vain.
But who else could help the humans defeat the Carpathians? Or at least hold them off?
It seemed the ludicrous choice was the only choice, preposterous though it was. "As self-serving as that would be it’s not an option." Yet.
He’d save it as a last resort. If the Carpathians defeated them at this, their last stand, he would take his band into the past.
If only the Carpathians didn’t follow….
They couldn’t know how far back Dmitri’s clan had traveled, though. He’d have to take his people far, far back, before Nikolai would dream of going and leave behind his legacy to protect the population. The concept boggled his mind and deserved a lot of planning.
"What’s self-serving about it, apart from the obvious?" She tucked a stray damp tendril behind her ear and wrinkled her nose as she stepped around a puddle of blood. "This century is a whole lot messier and disorderly than mine. Death’s stench lingers in the air. Although it serves to remind me of the value of life."
He rose to his full height and stared her square in the eye, making sure his fangs had fully retracted bef
ore he spoke. "If we run and hide in the past, the Carpathians will assimilate Earth. They won’t try to coexist. They conquer and remake worlds into their own vile image."
"You and your dilapidated vessels will protect us?"
"We’re your only hope, sweetheart." He bit back a moan at that depressing, albeit true, statement. Even if his vessels were first-class, what chance did two stand against forty plus?
"So we’re supposed to make a deal with the devil to defeat a devil? Excuse me if I fail to grasp the logic or suspect a trick."
What could he do to convince the infuriating female? Pushed beyond his endurance, he hauled her against him and crushed her objections beneath his lips, drinking deeply of her intoxicating nectar. She was a drug to his system and he was addicted against his will. When he got his fix, he broke the kiss and stared down at her upturned face. Oddly at this proximity she didn’t look like a warrior with her lips swollen and bruised from their union.
"I’ve always loved you, that’s why." Even when it threatened his existence. His voice came out more of a growl than anything.
"Don’t sound so happy about it. Holding me against my will is a strange way of earning my trust."
"How about taking you back?" Eager to check on his crew, he projected them back to her time. "Awake and stay alert till I return."
He waited until she was fully awake to leave her so that Nikolai couldn’t attack her subconsciously, and he returned to his ship. Blinking onto the bridge, he joined his first officer. "Mission status."
Only a skeleton crew remained aboard but he lowered his voice anyway. "What kind of progress have we made?"
"Precious little. They have strong minds with extremely high resistance. They seem to have been anticipating such a move."
"Damn!" They didn’t have a Plan B unless they adopted Zanna’s idea to sneak back into time. But he wasn’t ready to abandon this century to join the dinosaurs or to admit to defeat yet.
A far away look in his eyes, Sacha tapped his chin. "If we could get their guard down, distract them in order for the human phasers to disintegrate them…."
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