“
Gregori,”
Roberto growled, his eyes glowing with bloodlust. “I have heard whispers of the dangerous Gregori—the Dark One, the bogey man of the Carpathians. But I do not fear you.” It was bravado, and they all knew it; his mind was racing frantically for an escape.
Gregori smiled, a small, humorless quirk of his lips that brought a distinctively cruel gleam to his eyes. “You obviously have never learned table manners. In all your long years, Roberto, what else have you failed to learn?”
Roberto’s breath escaped in a long, slow hiss. His head began to undulate slowly from side to side. His fingernails lengthened, becoming razor-sharp claws.
When he attacks, Savannah, you will leave this place.
It was an imperious command in her head.
It was
my
friend he killed,
me
that he threatened.
It was against her principles to allow anyone else to fight her battles and perhaps be injured or killed in her place. She did not stop to think why it was so easy and natural to speak with Gregori, the most feared of the Carpathian ancients, on a mental path that was not the standard path of communication for their kind.
You will do as I tell you,
ma petite. The order was spoken in her mind in the same calm tone that carried undeniable authority. Savannah caught her breath, afraid of defying him. Roberto might think he was up to taking on a Carpathian as powerful as Gregori, but she knew she wasn’t. She was young, a novice at her people’s arts.
“You have no right to interfere, Gregori,” Roberto snapped, sounding like a spoiled, petulant boy. “She is unclaimed.”
Gregori’s pale eyes narrowed to a slash of cold silver. “She is mine, Roberto. I claimed her many years ago. She is my lifemate.”
Roberto took a cautious step to the left. “There has been no official acceptance of your union. I will kill you, and she will belong to me.”
“What you have done here is a crime against humanity. What you would do to my woman is crime against our people, our treasured women, and against me personally. Justice
has
followed you to San Francisco, and the sentence our Prince Mikhail pronounced over you will be carried out. The blow you struck to my lifemate alone would earn you your fate.” Gregori never raised his voice, never lost his faint, taunting smile.
Go, Savannah. I won’t allow him to harm you when it is me he seeks.
Gregori’s soft laughter echoed in her head.
There is no chance of that, ma
petite.
Now do as I say, and go.
He wanted her gone before she witnessed his casual destruction of the abomination who dared to strike a woman. His woman. Savannah already feared him enough.
“I am going to kill you,” Roberto said loudly, blustering to pump up his courage.
“Then I can do no other than oblige you by letting you try,” Gregori replied pleasantly. His voice dropped an octave lower, became hypnotic. “You are slow, Roberto, slow and clumsy and far too incompetent to take on someone of my skill.” His smile was cruel and slightly mocking.
It was impossible to avoid listening to the cadence of Gregori’s voice. It worked its way into the brain and clouded the mind. Still, high and powerful from a fresh kill, filled with lust and the need to conquer, Roberto launched himself at Gregori.
Gregori simply was no longer there. He had thrust Savannah as far from them as possible, and with blurring speed he contemptuously marked Roberto’s face with four deep furrows, marked it in exactly the spot that was bruised on Savannah’s face.
Gregori’s soft, taunting laughter sent chills down Savannah’s spine. She could hear the sounds of the battle, the whimpers of pain as Gregori coolly, relentlessly, and mercilessly slashed Roberto to pieces. Loss of blood weakened the lesser creature. Compared to Gregori, he was clumsy and slow.
Savannah jammed her knuckles against her mouth and backed up several paces, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Gregori’s harsh face. It was an implacable mask, with its faint, taunting smile and the pale eyes of death. He never changed expression. His assault was the coldest, most merciless thing she had ever witnessed. Every deliberate slash contributed to Roberto’s weakness until he was literally covered in a thousand cuts. Never once was Roberto able to lay a hand or a claw on Gregori. It was apparent that Roberto had no chance, that Gregori could deliver the killing blow at any time.
She looked at Peter, lifeless on the asphalt. He had been a great friend to her. She had loved him like a brother, and now he lay senselessly dead. Savannah finally fled in horror across the parking lot, taking refuge in the trees alongside it. She sank down to the ground. Oh, Peter. This was her fault. She had thought she had left the world of vampires and Carpathians behind. She bent her head, her stomach heaving in protest at the cold brutality of that world. She was not like these creatures. Tears tangled in her lashes and ran down her face.
Suddenly lightning sizzled and danced, a blue-white whip across the sky. An orange glow soon accompanied a crackle of flames. Savannah covered her face with her hands, knowing that Gregori was destroying Roberto’s body completely. His heart and tainted blood had to be reduced to ashes to ensure that the vampire could not rise again. And no Carpathian, not even one turned vampire, should be exposed to autopsy by a human medical examiner. Physical proof of their existence in human hands would be dangerous to their entire race. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to shut out the smell of burning flesh. Peter, too, would have to be cremated to hide the terrible gaping wound to his throat, evidence of the vampire’s presence.
There was a gentle stirring of air beside her. Then Gregori’s fingers curled around her arm and drew her to her feet. Up close he looked even more powerful, completely invincible. His arm curved around her shoulders and dragged her against the solid wall of his chest. His thumb touched the tears on her face; his chin brushed the top of her head.
“I am sorry I was too late to save your friend. By the time I was aware of the vampire’s presence, he had already struck.” He didn’t add that he had been too busy rediscovering emotions and getting them under control to sense Roberto immediately. It was his first slip in a thousand years, and he wasn’t ready to examine the reason too closely. Guilt, perhaps, for the manipulated chemistry he had with Savannah?
Savannah’s mind brushed his and found genuine regret for her sorrow. “How did you find me?”
“I always know where you are, every moment. Five years ago you said you needed time, and I gave it to you. But I’ve never left you. I never will.” There was a gentle finality to his words, an echo of the resolve in his mind.
Savannah’s heart lurched. “Don’t do this, Gregori. You know how I feel. I’ve created a new life for myself.”
His hand, gentle in her hair, sent butterflies rising in her stomach. “You cannot change what you are. You are my lifemate, and it is time for you to come to me.” His voice held velvet-soft compulsion when he whispered
lifemate,
reinforcing his tampering with nature. The more he said it, the more Savannah would believe it. True, he suddenly saw in color and felt emotion because he had found his lifemate. But Gregori also knew he had programmed their chemistry to be compatible before she was born; she had never had a chance.
Her teeth bit at her full lower lip in agitation. “You can’t take me against my will, Gregori. It’s against our laws.”
He bent his dark head, his warm breath sending a shiver of heat coiling in the pit of her stomach. “Savannah, you will accompany me now.”
She flung her head up, her blue-black hair cascading in all directions. “No. I’m the closest thing to family Peter had. I will see to the arrangements for him first Then we will discuss us.” She was wringing her hands, betraying her nervousness of him, unaware that she did so.
Gregori’s larger hand covered hers and stilled the desperate twisting of her fingers. “Y
ou are not thinking straight,
ma petite.
You cannot be found on the scene. You would have no rational way to explain what happened here. I have set things up so that when his body is found and identified, no suspicion can fall upon you or any of our people.”
She took a deep breath, hating that he was right. No attention could be drawn to her species. She didn’t have to like it. “I won’t go with you.”
White teeth gleamed at her, a predator’s smile. “You may attempt to defy me in this, Savannah, if you feel you must.”
She touched her mind to his. Male amusement implacable resolve, utter calm. Nothing ruffled Gregori. Not death and certainly not her defiance. “I’ll call for security,” she threatened desperately.
The immaculate white teeth flashed again. The silver eyes glittered. “Do you wish me to release them from the orders I gave them before you do so?”
She closed her eyes, still trembling in shock and fear. “No, no, don’t do that” she whispered in defeat Gregori studied the misery so transparent on her face.
Something tugged at his heart, something unrecognizable to him but nevertheless strong. “The dawn will be upon us in a couple of hours. We need to leave this place.”
“I won’t go with you,” she insisted stubbornly.
“If your pride dictates that you must fight me, you may try to do so.” His voice, with its Old World War cadence and formality, was almost tender.
Her eyes deepened to purple. “Stop giving me your permission! I am Mikhail and Raven’s daughter, a Carpathian like yourself and not without my own powers. I have the right to my own choices!”
“If it pleases you to think so.” His fingers curled easily around her slender wrist. His grip was gentle, but she could feel his enormous strength. Savannah pulled hard, testing his resolve. Gregori appeared not to notice her struggles.
“Do you wish me to make this easier on you? You fear needlessly.” His mesmerizing voice was incredibly tender.
“No!” Her heart slammed painfully in her chest. “Don’t control my mind. Don’t make me a puppet.” She knew he was powerful enough to do so, and it terrified her.
Two fingers caught her chin firmly and tipped it up so her gaze was captured by his silver one. “There is no danger of such an atrocity. I am no vampire. I am Carpathian, and you are my lifemate. I will protect you with my life. I will always see to your happiness.”
She took a deep breath for control, then let it escape slowly. “We are not lifemates. I did not choose.” She held on to that fact, her only hope.
“We can discuss this at a more opportune time.” She nodded warily. “I’ll meet you tomorrow then.”
His silent laughter filled her mind. Low. Amused. Frustratingly male. “You will come with me now.” His voice lowered an octave, became warm honey, compelling, hypnotic, so mesmerizing it was impossible to fight.
Savannah dropped her forehead against the muscles of his chest. Tears were burning in her eyes and throat. “I’m afraid of you, Gregori,” she admitted painfully. “I can’t live the life of a Carpathian. I’m like my mother. I’m too independent, and I need my own life.”
“I know of your fears,
ma petite.
I know your every thought. The bond between us is strong enough to cross oceans. We can deal with your fears together.”
“I can’t do this. I won’t!” Savannah ducked under his arm, blurred her image, and put on a burst of blinding speed.
But no matter which way she twisted or turned, no matter how fast she ran or dodged, Gregori was with her every step of the way. When she finally wore herself out and stopped, she was at the far end of the stadium, tears streaming unchecked down her face. Gregori was beside her, solid, warm, invincible, as if he truly knew her every thought, her every move before she made it.
His arm curved around her waist, lifting her completely from her feet and locking her to him. “By allowing you your freedom, I expose you to the danger of renegades like Roberto.” For a moment he dropped his head to bury his face in the thick mass of her silky hair. Then, with no warning, he launched himself into the air, a huge bird of prey with enormous strength, Savannah’s small body pressed tightly to him.
She closed her eyes and allowed grief for Peter to consume her, to drive out all awareness of the creature streaking across the sky with her, taking her to his lair. Her fists curled around the thick, steel-like muscles. The wind carried the sound of her sobs up to the stars. Her tears glittered like jewels in the night.
Gregori could feel her pain as if it was his own. Her tears moved him when nothing else could. His mind reached out to the chaos of hers, finding overwhelming grief and a terrible fear of him. Deliberately he surrounded her with warmth and comfort. It brushed her mind, soothing her nerves.
Savannah opened her eyes to find herself out of the city, up in the mountains. Gregori set her gently on the steps of a huge, rambling house. He reached past her to open the door, then stepped back courteously to allow her entry.
Savannah felt small and lost, knowing that if she set one foot in his lair, she would be placing her life in his hands. Her eyes flashed blue-white fire, as if they had caught a star and trapped it forever in their depths. Tilting her chin defiantly, she stepped backward until the porch railing brought her up short. “I refuse to enter your home.”
His laugh came then, low, amused, and maddenly male. “Your body and mine chose for us. There is no other man for you, Savannah. Not now, not ever. I can feel your emotions when men, human or Carpathian, touch you. You are repulsed; you cannot bear their touch.” His voice dropped lower still, a black-magic caress that seemed to send heat spreading through her like molten lava. “It is not so with my touch,
ma petite.
We both know that. Do not deny it, or I will be forced to prove my words.”
“I am a mere twenty-three,” she pointed out desperately. “You are centuries old. I have not lived at all.”
He shrugged with casual strength, muscles rippling, his silver eyes on her beautiful, anxious face. “Then you will enjoy the benefits of my experience.”
“Gregori, please try to understand. You don’t love me. You don’t know me. I am not like other Carpathian women. I don’t want to be a brood mare for my race. I can’t be your prisoner, no matter how petted and indulged I am.”
He laughed softly and waved a hand dismissively in the space between them. “You
are
young, child, if you believe what you are saying.” There was a gentleness in his voice that turned her heart over in spite of all her fears. “Is your mother a prisoner?”
“My parents are different. My father loves my mother.
Even so, he would sometimes walk on her rights if he could. A gilded cage is still a cage, Gregori.”
There was that amusement again, warming the cold steel of his eyes. Savannah felt her temper rise. She had an almost uncontrollable urge to slap his face. His grin widened, a subtle challenge. He indicated the open door.
She forced a laugh. “We can stand out here until dawn, Gregori. I’m willing—are you’?” He leaned one hip lazily against the wall. “You think to dare me’?”
“You can’t force me against my will without violating our laws.”
“In all the centuries I have existed, do you believe I have never broken our laws’?” His soft laughter was without humor. “The things I have done render abducting you as petty as the human crime of jaywalking.”
“Yet you brought Roberto to justice, even though San Francisco is Aidan Savage’s territory to hunt,” she pointed out, naming another powerful Carpathian who tracked down and destroyed those among them turned vampire. “Did you do that because of me’?”
“You are my lifemate, the only thing that stands between me and the destruction of mortals and immortals alike.” He stated it calmly, as an absolute truth. “No one will touch you or try to come between us and live. He struck you, Savannah.”
“My father w
ould—”
He was shaking his head. “Do not try to bring your father into this,
chйrie,
even if Mikhail is the Prince of our people. This is between you and me. You do not want a war. Roberto struck you; that was reason enough for him to die.”
She touched his mind again. No anger. Just resolve. He meant what he said. He wasn’t bluffing or trying to frighten her. He wanted truth between them. Savannah pressed the back of her hand against her mouth. She had always known this moment would come. “I’m sorry, Gregori,” she whispered hopelessly. “I can’t be what you want. I will choose to face the dawn.”
His fingers brushed her face with incredible gentleness. “You have no idea what I want from you.” His hands cupped her face, thumbs stroking the satin skin over the pulse beating so frantically in her throat. “You know I cannot allow you such a choice,
ma petite.
We can talk through your fears. Come inside with me.” His mind was invading hers, a warm, sweet seduction. His eyes, so pale and cold, heated to a flowing mercury that seemed to burn into her mind, threatening her very will.
Savannah’s fingers dug into the railing as she felt herself drowning in hot liquid. “Stop it, Gregori!” she cried sharply, determined to break his mental hold. It was sweet torment, rushing heat, seduction so dangerous that she flung herself toward the entrance of the house to flee his dark power over her.
Gregori’s arm stopped her headlong flight. His mouth moved against her ear. His body, aggressively male, hard, and ferociously aroused, brushed hers.
Say it, Savannah. Say the words.
Even the whisper in her mind was black velvet. His mouth, perfect and sensuous, so hot and moist, wandered down to her throat. The reality of his flesh was even more erotic than his mental seduction. His teeth grazed her skin lightly. His body clenched, and she could feel the monster in him awaken, hungry, burning with need—no gentle, thinking lover but a fully aroused Carpathian male.
The words he commanded her to say nearly strangled in her throat and came out so low, it was impossible to tell whether they were spoken aloud or were merely an echo in her mind. “I come to you of my own free will.”
Dark Magic (Dark Series - book 4) Page 2