Aidan simply burst through the labyrinth, pulverizing the wood into dust until he reached her. She lay still and white, her face turned toward him, blood trickling from her temple to streak her blond hair.
Aidan’s heart nearly stopped beating. For a moment there was silence, as if the world itself stopped breathing. Images of Alexandria filled his mind. Her smiling at him, gaze filled with love, her voice teasing him, the touch of her fingers on his skin when he first woke and faced that moment of memory of his life before her existence.
He raced forward like a madman, breaking through branches as if they were mere twigs, his throat tight and his heart pounding. Her skin looked translucent, cold, her lips blue, and she was utterly still, so much so he couldn’t detect breath or heartbeat. She had to be dead. He halted abruptly, his hand on his own heartbeat. No air moved through his lungs. His chest refused to rise and fall. His own heart stuttered.
He could not go on without her. There was no life without her. No happiness. Nothing but endless nights that dragged into a black empty void. He couldn’t do it again—go back to the place he’d been before he found her.
“Aidan!” Mikhail caught his arm and gave him a little shake. “You look as if you are in a trance. We have to lift the heavier branches off her.”
Alexandria moaned. The sound was barely discernible, but it was enough to throw off the chilling fears that haunted Aidan. He leapt forward to smash his way to her side, waiting for Mikhail so they could easily float the remaining branches from her body.
Crouching low, Aidan swiftly moved his hands over her, grateful that she responded to his touch with her eyelashes fluttering. Her lids suddenly opened and he found himself mesmerized by her gaze. “Aidan. I knew you would come. Is Skyler safe? I tried, but…” She trailed off in an attempt to turn her head toward the teenager, but she groaned and her lashes fluttered down.
Once again, Aidan’s heart reacted, faltering, his breath catching in his lungs.
“She has a concussion,” Mikhail said gently, laying a restraining hand on Aidan. The man seemed about to come apart. “Easily fixed, Aidan. Francesca is here with us, one of our greatest healers, should there be a problem.” Mikhail struggled to keep from racing away to Raven, certain now his worst fears were confirmed. Their enemies were attacking their women and children. It took centuries-old discipline to remain where he was. He was slightly shocked that Francesca had not hurried to them, offering her ser vices as a healer, rather than blocking Dimitri’s path and trying to take the girl from him.
Aidan stroked back Alexandria’s hair. “I will heal her myself.” He wanted no other to touch her. He had failed to protect her, his greatest and most cherished treasure, and he needed to merge with her, hold her close to him. He needed to watch her closer and see that no harm ever came to her.
Aidan glanced over the top of Alexandria’s head to the two men standing so close, the heat of the argument shimmering in the air around them. He closed his arms protectively around Alexandria and allowed his body to slip away, leaving only white-hot energy, pure selfless spirit. He streamed through her with a quick examination before finding the bruise, already swelling, blood pulsing and pushing to leak out. He repaired the damage, making certain that she was completely healed before once again coming back to his own body and the furious argument taking place so close to him.
Aidan held Alexandria in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth all the while keeping a wary eye on the two combatants.
Gabriel took another aggressive step toward Dimitri. “Would you like to tell us exactly how this happened and how you came to be here at the same time?”
Dimitri bared his teeth. “Push me too far, Gabriel, and I will take her with me now.”
Gabriel’s hand shot out, fingers locking around Dimitri’s throat. “Do not threaten me or my family.”
Dimitri didn’t so much as flinch beneath the crushing fingers. His gaze focused on Skyler’s face. “You are my lifemate.” His voice came out husky, but it came out all the same.
“Stop! Stop, Dimitri. Gabriel, let him go now.” Francesca tugged at Gabriel’s arm. “He has a blood bond. Before you could kill him, he could take her with him. Please, Gabriel. Show some sense.”
“Gabriel.” Mikhail’s voice was calm. He stood beside Dimitri. “Release your daughter’s lifemate. Of course you are protective of her, but this is the man who is the other half of your daughter’s soul. If you kill him, you condemn her to a half-life. Be reasonable.”
Gabriel didn’t feel reasonable. He wanted to tear out Dimitri’s throat. The man was stealing his child. The demon rose swift and fast, roaring to be set free. He could feel Dimitri’s rising rage in direct proportion to his own.
“We all need to calm down,” Francesca said. “Dimitri, give her to me. She’s my daughter now, and you have no idea of the things she’s suffered.”
Dimitri’s face rippled with anguish—with torment—for just a split second, and then seemed a stone carving once again. “I know exactly what she’s been through. She is my other half and when she cried out in fear, in rage and in desperate need, I tried to follow the path to her, but I was too far away and she was merely a child and didn’t know I was trying to help. She fought me, blocking my every effort. When she suffered, believe me, I was well aware she was suffering and my torment—my humiliation that I must bear for all time is that I was unable to aid her.”
Men touching her. Abusing her. Hurting her. Her fragile spirit retreating until even he couldn’t find her. The memories would haunt him for eternity, worse than any kill he’d ever made—his failure to protect the one being who it was his duty—his privilege—to protect. He had been so certain that Gabriel could see to Skyler’s safety while he stayed away, making certain not to trigger the demon’s need for a mate, but Gabriel had failed in his duty as well. “You did not protect her adequately,” he said accusingly.
Gabriel and Dimitri stood toe-to-toe, Skyler still cradled in Dimitri’s arms, held high against his chest. “What happened here?” Gabriel demanded.
“You think I did this?” Dimitri asked.
“Didn’t you?” Gabriel countered. The branches around them trembled and the air thickened.
“I did not. Her leg was broken and she was losing too much blood. I healed her as quickly as possible and gave her the necessary blood to replace what was lost—not that I owe you an explanation.”
“Please,” Francesca begged again, struggling not to cry. Her tears would set Gabriel off as nothing else could. The situation was explosive. “Let me have my daughter.”
“Do not make her ask again,” Gabriel said.
Dimitri’s face darkened. “You think to keep her from me?”
The earth rolled and the trees around them shuddered. Small red flames began to flicker in the depths of Gabriel’s eyes. “She chooses not to be with you.”
“She is too young to know what she wants. It is not a matter of choice and well you know it. If you persist, Gabriel, I will claim what is mine now and bind her to me.”
Francesca drew in a sharp breath. “Dimitri, no. She cannot go with you and she would suffer more without you. You cannot be that cruel.”
“I will not allow you to keep her from me.”
Once more, Gabriel’s hand shot out and circled Dimitri’s neck, fingers crushing in warning. “Give my daughter to her mother.” Each word was accompanied with a hiss.
Dimitri didn’t release Skyler, but did release the enthrallment so she woke to the turmoil roiling around her. Instantly, she was aware of what transpired.
“Stop it! What’s wrong with everyone?” Skyler shouted. She rubbed her wrist as if it ached. “Can’t any of you feel it? Alexandria? Francesca? Something is here with us, I can feel the surge of power. Dimtri, put me down now.”
Alexandria suddenly pushed Aidan away from her, stumbled and caught herself, one hand pressed to her throbbing head. “Skyler’s right. Something is here.” She looked around her at the men with the
ir grim, angry faces. “Can’t any of you feel it? Francesca?”
Blood still trickled down one side of Alexandria’s face as she picked her way through the branches to Francesca. Aidan stayed closed to her, keeping a wary eye on the others, his body posture more than protectively aggressive.
Mikhail crouched low to study the ground around them. He straightened slowly and held up a hand for silence.
The snow continued to fall, soft floating flakes blanketing them. Small rodents rustled leaves along the ground in an effort to find a hiding place. There was no wind, yet the branches of the trees around them swayed subtly. Gabriel immediately took up a position in front of the women, Aidan on the other side to cage them in. Dimitri handed Skyler to Francesca as if giving her a peace offering.
Francesca lowered Skyler to the ground, holding her close to comfort her. “I feel it too, Gabriel, a subtle power disrupting the natural flow of nature around us.”
“The one thing I consistently have nightmares about is the shadow of an arm with long sharp talons reaching for me,” Alexandria whispered. “I saw it on the ground, reaching for Skyler.”
Dimitri crouched lower in reaction, his eyes flickering with flames. A soft warning growl escaped.
Alexandria shook her head. “It had to be an illusion. What I feared most. I feel the power feeding us, enhancing our fears, our emotions. Gabriel is angry, so is Dimitri, and the energy is feeding that anger.”
Francesca nodded, taking a wary look around her. “I can feel it too. It’s very subtle. I can’t trace it backward. Can you, Alexandria?”
Alexandria shook her head in frustration.
“I feel it now too,” Gabriel said, “through Francesca. I will recognize it again if I come across it.”
“Could it be one of the children practicing?” Mikhail asked. “We used to make all sorts of mistakes all the time and accidents happened. Although if it is Josef, I intend to box his ears.”
There was a small silence. Skyler took a deep breath and clutched Francesca tighter, all the while rubbing her wrist along her thigh. “They’re blocking Carpathian blood. It’s hard because I carry the blood, but I’m not fully Carpathian. The flow is coming from the direction of the inn and…” She broke off, color stealing into her face. “I’m sorry. They caught me and stopped. I should have been more careful. It was no child. I’ve been doing this all my life and I can tell you whoever it was is very adept, but I couldn’t tell if it was male or female.”
“Can you usually tell the difference?” Aidan asked.
Skyler nodded. “The touch is different, but this was too subtle—peculiar.” She frowned. “Maybe more than one person.”
“Why do you say that?” Mikhail asked.
She shrugged. “Parts of the weave felt different to me, as if more than one hand had woven it or as if the person was split into more than one personality. I’m sorry, I tipped them off and didn’t get enough information, but whoever it was is a powerful psychic and they touched me.” She glanced at Gabriel. “They knew I was there.”
Gabriel spat a Carpathian curse beneath his breath. “We know our enemies have joined, mage as well as vampire. And the society dedicated to kill all vampires has spread worldwide.”
“And they can identify you?” Dimitri demanded of Skyler.
She remained silent for a long moment, but the ice-blue eyes burned into her, forcing an answer. “Yes.” She backed away from him, her small body trembling. One hand came up to defend herself, and the scars of a lifetime of torture were plain to see, both physical and mental.
Dimiti’s face hardened into a mask. Only his eyes were alive, glittering with such intensity Skyler had to look away. “Do not do that,” he said. “There is no reason to fear me. We have enemies surrounding us and you have been marked, singled out, yet you turn from the one person who has every right to protect you.”
“Dimitri.” Francesca said his name aloud to gain his attention. “Now is not the time for this. You are welcome to come to our home and talk about things. I know you have a large wolf preserve and are caretaker of several packs. Skyler is very interested in wolves and probably would enjoy hearing some of your stories.”
Francesca! This man is threatening to take our daughter from us. Gabriel bristled, although in truth, he was ashamed to be caught so much in an enthrallment that he had nearly killed a man. Not just any man—lifemate to his daughter.
And you did not use every means at your disposal to bind me? He is acting on instinct. She triggered his response to her and what can he do but try to protect and bind her to him? You cannot forbid him seeing her. After all, he will be your son-in-law.
Gabriel did the mental equivalent of a snort. Not if he’s dead. If he lays one hand on her, I will remove his heart. It was an empty threat now, and he knew it. He couldn’t really fault Dimitri, although he didn’t think anyone would ever be good enough for his daughter.
Francesca sighed. We should have had boys. He is her lifemate, Gabriel. He healed her leg and gave her blood when it was needed. He did not bind her or touch her inappropriately. Now stop trying to intimidate him.
Gabriel sent her a low, rumbling growl of warning, but remained silent.
“You have no choice but to cancel the celebration tonight,” Dimitri said. “Skyler cannot go to the inn when she has been identified. And every one of our women would be in danger.”
“Mikhail,” Alexandria protested. “You cannot cancel our celebration. The children are so excited. We can take precautions. It isn’t like we don’t live under a threat every single day of our lives. We don’t even know what this is.”
“Exactly,” Dimitri said. “We don’t know what this is.”
Mikhail shook his head. “We need to be calm and think clearly. Skyler, if this person or persons uses psychic talent again, will you be able to tell, or can they block you now that they know you are close by?”
“I doubt they could stop me from feeling the disruption in nature, but I carry Carpathian blood as well. I didn’t feel it right away when Alexandria and I were walking in the forest. She knew something was wrong before I did.”
“Not exactly,” Alexandria said. “I felt the effects, and bought into the illusion my mind created, but I didn’t realize I was being manipulated.”
“Skyler cannot go anywhere near that inn,” Dimitri decreed, glaring at Gabriel, his body posture clearly challenging the other man.
Before Gabriel could respond, Mikhail held up his hand. “I’ll send Jubal to the inn. He’s human and is a very strong psychic. Manolito De La Cruz will go with him. His wounds from the battle are healed, and he is a very powerful hunter. Together perhaps, they can pick up any signs of treachery. We will all be on our guard. As for Skyler, she has Lucian and Gabriel as well as you, Dimitri, to look after her. I doubt with the three of you guarding her, anyone could do her harm.”
Mikhail beckoned for the teenager to approach him. “You understand the danger you are in? Because our enemies might be able to find you, everyone in your house hold is in danger. You must be guarded at all times. Francesca, I suggest you talk to her about what a Carpathian male suffers when he is alone without his other half. She should have some understanding of the situation.”
Dimitri, you will learn about this young lady, what she has suffered, the trauma in her life, and you will also avail yourself of Raven’s knowledge of human children. Mikhail made it a command, emphasizing what he knew Dimitri was fully aware of. Dimitri had to understand the girl was too young and had been through too much for him to bind her to him. “Skyler is cold and Alexandria needs to get back to her home. Thank you, Alexandria, for your quick thinking in shoving Skyler out of the way. She could have been hurt a lot worse.”
Alexandria’s gaze jumped to the face of the prince. “How did you know?”
He indicated the ground. “I can read signs just as well as the next person. You pushed her away from the larger branches.”
“Thank you,” Gabriel said. “We owe you a
great debt.”
“The debt is to Dimitri,” Alexandria demurred. “He saved her life by stopping the bleeding.” She leaned against Aidan for support. “Whoever was able to find my fears and amplify them did a good job. I was very frightened.”
“What made the tree come down?” Mikhail wondered aloud.
“There was a small earthquake right before it began to crack. I felt the ground roll,” Dimitri said. “I did not feel a surge of power. It felt natural to me, but we cannot know for certain.”
“I was so scared I think I imagined most things,” Alexandria confessed. “I was certain a vampire was hunting us, but Skyler didn’t feel it.” She couldn’t help herself, she had to examine the base of the tree. There was no sign of a garrote, shadow or otherwise. The trunk remained untouched and solid, the top having cracked and fallen in the bitter cold. She looked up at Aidan. “It was my imagination. I should have recognized the flow of power. I feel so foolish.”
His hand crept to the nape of her neck. “There is nothing foolish about you. Gabriel and Dimitri nearly came to killing blows and neither recognized the flow of power feeding their anger. And when I saw you lying so still covered by the branches, my emotions swung out of control. For a moment, I wanted to seek the dawn, thinking to join you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Aidan.” She brushed her fingertips down his face. “You thought I was dead?”
“It is my worst fear,” he admitted, catching her finger in his mouth. “I always fear I might lose you.”
“Well, you won’t. I’m strong, Aidan, and my skills are growing every day. I would have turned to vapor, but I needed to get Skyler out of harm’s way. It seems I pushed her right into a compound fracture.”
“If she had remained where she was, she would have died,” Dimitri said. “The heaviest piece of the trunk fell directly over where she was standing. I owe you much.” He bowed slightly toward Francesca. “I apologize for causing you distress. I did not feel the subtle disturbance in nature and should have. I was consumed with the need to protect Skyler.”
Christine Feehan 5 CARPATHIAN NOVELS Page 124