Dark Curse (Dark 19)

"You're going to leave me here? You don't want to talk about what just happened between us?" Lara's hand trembled as she pushed back the silky fall of hair from her face.

Nicolas was in a heightened state of sexual awareness. He was hungry, starving even, and the scent of her drove him crazy. He could already taste her in his mouth. The demon in him roared to life.

He stepped back away from the bed, turning his head so she wouldn't see the red flames he knew would be flickering in his eyes. He curled his fingers into his palms, the sharpened nails digging deep. Teeth sharpened and when he spoke, his usual low voice held the hint of a growl. "Now is not the time to talk with me about sex, Lara. I am not a saint by any means."

She studied his averted face. Her gaze drifted down his body to the thick, impressive bulge pushing at the front of his jeans. There was a heady power in knowing she had driven him to the edge of control, yet she wasn't ready to face the consequences. Nicolas was desperately trying to give her time and truthfully she needed it. She took a deep breath and pulled back from the edge of the precipice she was so tempted to jump off.

"I don't want to be left alone," Lara said. "Not again. Not even when you've made the cave so beautiful. I need to be out in the fresh air with you."

Nicolas shoved his hands through his hair and paced back and forth, reminding her of a trapped jungle cat. Muscles rippled beneath his thin shirt and there was a fluid grace to his every stride. Abruptly he came back to the bed, towered over her for a moment and then he crouched down. "Fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso. Beloved, I am in desperate need of blood. I had planned to close down the sharing of our minds so you would not have to experience it. I cannot very well take you with me and have you watch something that distresses you, no matter how necessary."

She pushed herself up, surprised that even with the infusion of his blood, she felt a little weak and dizzy. Ignoring it, she forced herself to stand. "Take me to the inn then. I can visit with Terry and Gerald. I want to see if Terry is doing better. I feel responsible. I never should have taken them along."

He didn't want her near either man, and certainly not until he made certain the parasites were completely gone from Terry's system. He didn't want to share her, not now, not with anyone until their bond was complete, but she needed to be grounded. She needed to feel as if she didn't come from some tainted line. He was wrong to keep her family from her just because he wanted to be the only one she relied on.

He took a breath and let it out, determined to do the right thing no matter the cost to himself because all this goodness wouldn't last. He knew himself better than that. The darkness was as much a part of him as breathing. "I can check on the two of your friends for you, but I actually have something better for you to do if you really think you are up to it."

"What?"

He reached for her hand, tugged until she extended her arm and he could bring her fist to his chest-right over the twin marks over his heart. "Razvan has a twin sister and she is alive."

Lara blinked up at him. At once he felt the push of energy. The music filling the cavern went silent. Her hair crackled and streaked, and her eyes, looking up at him went from that deep emerald green to glacier blue. "How long have you known this?"

He looked down at his hands then back up to meet her probing gaze. "I did not tell you right away because I wanted to give us a chance to come together as lifemates. You need to trust someone and I wanted it to be me."

She was silent a moment, her blue eyes on his face. A small sigh escaped. "You really do like control, don't you?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Yes."

"Don't do that again. Don't hold back information from me because of something that stupid. Do you really think I would trust my father's twin sister so easily after seeing what my great-grandfather and my father were capable of doing?"

"I do not know her, but I have heard she is a great warrior. She fights the vampire beside her lifemate."

Lara pushed a hand through her hair. "Are you certain she's Razvan's sister?"

"There is no doubt. I can take you to her. She's a good person, Lara. And your father, whatever he is now, appears to have been misjudged. He appears to have been a good man at one time. Natalya, that's her name, can tell you much more about him."

She looked up at him and Nicolas felt a strange melting in the vicinity of his heart. She looked pale and vulnerable, her eyes enormous. There were shadows there, and dark circles beneath her eyes. He wrapped his arm around her and drew her against his body, holding her close to comfort her. It amazed him how right she felt in his arms.

Nuzzling the top of her head with his chin, he rocked her gently. "If it is too soon for you, Lara, we can wait before you talk to her."

She didn't exactly melt into him, but she did put her arms around his waist and hold on. "I don't know what I want to do."

"She's been in the cave."

Lara stepped back, looking up at him. "When? Recently?"

Nicolas nodded. "I do not know too much other than what my brothers told me. Manolito, my brother,

fought beside her during a recent battle." He took a breath. "It was thought she killed Razvan with her sword, but he turned up again, or at least he appeared to, possessing a woman's body and striking the blow that sent Manolito to the shadow world."

Lara turned away from him to hide her expression from his watchful eyes. Of course she had to go see her father's twin sister. But she didn't know if she was strong enough to learn about her father. It was much easier to think of him as a monster than a man tortured beyond all endurance. She couldn't imagine the psychological torment of knowing one's body was used to harm others. That would be worse than physical torture.

"And if it's true," she murmured aloud, "I just left him there." She raised a stricken gaze to Nicolas. "That's why he helped bury my memories of him, isn't it? And the aunts agreed to it because they didn't want me to know I was abandoning a father who had tried to protect me. I would never have gone had I known he was a prisoner, being tortured and abused."

She rubbed her wrist. Nicolas had managed to reduce the scarring, but some of the ridges were still there. She brushed her thumb back and forth in a soothing gesture, without realizing she was doing it until she noticed Nicolas's gaze drop to her wrist. Embarrassed, she put her arm behind her back.

"Does it hurt?"

The gentleness in his voice constricted her throat. She shook her head. "I think it's a habit." But it had hurt for years, burning at times, painful for no reason.

"You didn't abandon him, Lara. You were a child, eight years old. Consider it from his point of view. If he was innocent and trying to protect you, the relief he would feel, the freedom from allowing Xavier to use him against you, would have been tremendous for him. Had you stayed, his suffering would have been far more."

"You don't know that."

A small smile softened the edge of his mouth. "He is Dragonseeker. His every instinct is to protect his family, especially his women and children. If Xavier really possessed his body, using him to impregnate women, if he really murdered your mother in front of him as it appeared he did, and if he controlled Razvan, forcing him to take your blood, then Razvan has suffered the torment of the damned for centuries. That would be the worst a Carpathian male could suffer. Your father would have rejoiced to have you out of there and out of Xavier's control."

She pressed her lips together. His hunger was beating at her, yet he stood there patiently trying to reassure her that leaving her father to be tortured and maybe murdered had been a good thing. "Let's go, Nicolas. I'd like to meet my aunt."

"Do you want to try shifting? An owl, perhaps?"

Her jeweled eyes gleamed at him. He had said she was capable of shifting with his help and she wanted it to be true. She was certainly willing to try. "A dragon."

He nodded. "Of course, what else would you choose?" He grinned at her, a teasing invitation to fun. She'd never seen him smile like that, and it made him look younger. "You are already familiar with the dragon's body. The most important thing with shifting-" He held out his hand to her and began to walk with her through the cavern into the labyrinth of tunnels. Candles sprang to life on the walls ahead of them

as they hurried along. "-is to remember to keep the image in your head at all times. It has to become automatic so that you do it without really thinking about it and that takes practice. I want you to keep your mind merged fully with mine. Once you shift, excitement and joy-I cannot even begin to describe the feeling for you-sets in and it is easy to lose what you are doing. So keep your mind firmly in mine so I can help you if you need it."

She smiled up at him. "Don't worry, I don't exactly want to fall out of the sky."

He laughed softly, shocking himself. He wasn't a man who laughed often-if ever. He was slowly discovering that with her companionship, Lara also brought a joy in the sharing of everyday things. He tightened his fingers around hers, keeping her close to his side as they moved swiftly through the tunnel. "I did not notice that you scanned the area periodically for vampires. It is very necessary for survival to make that a habit."

"Isn't that a rather faulty system now?"

His eyebrow shot up. "You have been absorbing the information in my mind." He was pleased with her. With everything going on, it hadn't occurred to him that while merged with him she would be seeking as much information as possible to help with her own survival.

"Of course. You seem to have a lot of experience hunting vampires."

His boyhood story intrigued her and Lara had tried to delve a little deeper, at first to see if Nicolas always embraced the fight with the undead. Did he get a rush when he fought? When he killed? She had found the answer and it worried her, but it also fascinated her that he felt no fear-none-when he fought. She had spent her life afraid, always looking over her shoulder, terrified that others would discover her differences and condemn her, terrified that Xavier would find her again. She wanted to be like Nicolas, facing the worst without fear.

"Not all Carpathian males were raised to be hunters. In the old days we had a community and many men were craftsmen. They did woodworking and gem-calling. They worked with herbs and candles to develop our healing powers. Some were sword-makers. They did incredible, beautiful work with weapons. My family was bred as warriors. Much of the skills of our ancestors are imprinted on us. So if you are born into a lineage of warriors, you have skills and reflexes already built in. In other words, you already have an advantage before you even begin training. Where a gem-caller or sword-maker has other skills imprinted, those skills are not at all useful for fighting."

There was a small trail of water running across the path. Without missing a stride, Nicolas caught Lara around the waist, lifted her over it and continued walking as though nothing had interrupted them.

When the small, secret thrill at the strength in his arms subsided Lara slipped her hand back into his. "And the darkness in you? How exactly does that come to be?"

His fingers tightened around hers. "Does it frighten you?"

Her gaze flicked to his face and then sought out boulders blocking the entrance to the tunnel. Excitement was building at the prospect of shapeshifting. "A little," she admitted.

He lifted an eyebrow.

Lara shrugged. "Well, maybe a lot. You're very sure of yourself."

"I have lived a long time." He brought her fingers to his lips. "But all this is new to me and I have found that I am learning as we go. Feel free to clue me in when I am making mistakes."

"Have no worries there," Lara said. She tugged at his hand, halting him before he could avoid her question by bringing down the safeguards. "I really want to understand you better and I can't if I'm worried all the time that you might become a vampire."

"That is no longer a possibility, Lara," he assured. "You are the other half of my soul, the light to my darkness. Once found, your light guides and protects me. I have no doubt I will always be a difficult man, but I will not turn vampire." He jerked his chin toward the boulders, his eyebrow raised in challenge. "Do you think you can remove the safeguards?"

A smile slowly formed. "A test. You're challenging me."

"I am also timing you."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. She spun around toward the entrance and lifted her hands into the air. Every stroke of the pattern he had woven was recorded in her mind. The aunts had drilled it into her to observe even the tiniest movement, a flick of a finger, a small nuance that made the difference of getting it right the first time and surviving.

She could feel his eyes on her and the intensity of his gaze sent a shiver of awareness tingling down her spine. She had to really concentrate to block him out, to make the long graceful movements and the short, subtle ones accompany her soft murmured words. It was a silly chant really, one she had made up and used repeatedly as a child to help her learn how to weave and undo warding spells. Her hands moved swiftly, gracefully, following each thread of unseen light, seeking out each knot and double checking the threads in the weave of the pattern.

Spider, spider spin your web, absorbing now these unseen threads. Spider, spider, throw your line, remove all that would harm or bind. Spider, spider, clear the way, protecting now this entryway.

The boulders rocked back and forth for a moment, shimmered and disappeared. Lara spun around, grinning at him. He was there-too close-right on her in fact. She hadn't heard or felt him move, but as she turned, she turned right into his arms, her face raised toward his. Their gazes locked. A frisson of awareness-of arousal-raced from breasts to thighs.

His finger curled around the nape of her neck, his thumb sliding over her cheek as he bent his head toward hers. His other hand slid down to the small of her back, urging her body close against him. Lara didn't pull away but neither did she lean into him, nervous and unsure of herself and him.

Do not be afraid of this, Lara. It is just a kiss. I am asking only that in this you do not fear me. His thumb feathered across her cheek, his black gaze holding hers.I do not want you to ever fear I will take anything from you that you are not willing to give .

His words played over her skin, floated on his warm breath. She could see the length of his lashes, the cut of his sensual mouth. He gave her time to pull back, lowering his head slowly, inch by inch, until his lips feathered over hers, back and forth, soft as velvet. Air backed up in her lungs and her heart beat too loud.

I'm not a coward. She whispered the words in his mind and moved into him, adjusting her body fully

into his.

No, you are not.

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, teeth tugged on her full lower lip until she wanted to groan with pleasure. He flicked his tongue against her lips, and then licked, as if savoring her taste. His hand put even more pressure on her back, and her body went soft and pliant, molding to his until she felt they shared the same skin. His mind opened to hers, his emotions pouring in.

She was instantly drenched in a flood of desire. Hot. Passionate. Yet at the same time, there was a tenderness so intimate tears flooded her eyes. She could feel his elation that she met him halfway, his intense need to protect her, his determination to be a good lifemate to her, to make her happy and confident.

She also felt that darkness swirling close to the surface, the demon rising to claim her. He ruthlessly pushed it down, holding the animal side of him in check. He was beginning to need her-not the Carpathian needing a lifemate and not the demon roaring to claim her. Nicolas, the man, longed for her smile, for one shared moment of happiness-for a kiss. And that was a seduction in itself.

She nipped him back, grateful he held the wild, dominant side under close rein, desperate for his mouth on hers. He licked her lips again and she opened her mouth to catch the exotic taste that was just Nicolas. Strangely, the tangy flavor of his blood still lingered on her lips, inside her mouth, and she secretly longed for his blood again. She was ashamed of that secret craving, hiding it behind a barrier she was thankful he didn't probe.

The moment Lara opened her mouth to his, his tongue swept inside claiming her. Coaxing her. He was gentler than she would have liked, more tender than she had the strength to stand against, and hotter than she thought possible. His mouth was like a haven of erotic secrets, hot and wet and filled with velvet promise.

Flames danced over her skin, a million wings fluttered inside her stomach, her womb clenched and muscles tightened. He swept her away on a tidal wave of pleasure so that to anchor herself she wrapped both arms around his neck and tunneled her fingers into his thick hair. He tasted like an aphrodisiac, one she could easily become addicted to, all male, heat and desire, a world of sensual pleasure she wanted to drown in.

Nicolas pulled back first, pressing his forehead against hers, breathing her into his lungs. "I cannot think anymore and I need to be able to have a clear head when we fly together."

"Are you saying I mess up your head?"

He kissed his way down to her mouth again, biting at the lower lip he found so intriguing. "That is exactly what I am saying."

She laughed. "I like that idea. Your head could use a little messing up."

He bit down again, this time causing a small sting of pain. He instantly traced over the bite with his tongue, removing the sting as fast as he'd caused it.

"Ow!" Lara pulled away, not wanting to admit to herself that little bite excited her even more. She needed a little distance from him. "I want to fly." She started to leave the cave, hurrying in a vain attempt

to outrun the arousal twisting through her body.

His fingers settled over her wrist, bringing her to an abrupt halt. "The first lesson is to always scan before you go out into the open. You are looking for blank spaces."

"I thought we decided that vampires were becoming more adept at hiding themselves." Annoyed at herself for not remembering, she rubbed the small dragon birthmark over her left ovary, relying on it to warn her.

"No matter how adept they become, we use every tool we can to give ourselves the advantage. I know you really want to do this, but it is always necessary to protect yourself."

Lara nodded. She'd been too distracted by him, not the promise of flying. "I'm sorry, that was careless of me." She wished, just once, that he'd be distracted enough by her to forget everything else but her.

"Reach out with your senses and feel the night. Merge with me if you need to and see how spaces should feel. After a while you will be uncomfortable, your mind and skin prickly if you sense the undead near. They are a toxin to our environment and we are sensitive to all things of the earth."

She reached out as directed, letting her senses expand. It took a little experimentation, but she felt triumphant when she achieved it. She sensed animals, and people. The wind whispered in her ear secrets of the night. "I think we're all right to go."

He nodded, his fingers sliding from her wrist to her hand and walked her from the cavern to the edge of the cliff.

Lara shivered with excitement. The night was overcast, with large gray clouds, heavy with snow, but everything sparkled, both in the sky and on the ground below, as if she was surrounded by a world of diamonds. "I've never seen the night like this before. I always thought I should want to be able to walk in the sun, but seeing the night like this, I can't imagine what I was thinking."

"Why would you want to be out where the light hurts your eyes and sun burns your skin?" There was real curiosity in his voice. "The night belongs to us. It is our world and the best part of it. Who would ever want the sun when they can have this?" He spread out his arms to encompass the night. "I might wish that I was not quite so vulnerable when the sun is high, but I would never give this up for the ability to see daylight."

Lara frowned. "I guess being raised where my skin burned and all the children could play and swim, but I had to hide away, made me long for something I couldn't have."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him to drop a hard kiss on her pouting lips. "Let me show you why the night is so much better. Aside from the obvious advantage, that it suits our physical hungers..." His voice held a suggestive tone and he smiled unrepentantly when she flicked him a quick glance. "... the night is just plain fun. Have you ever had just plain fun?"

Lara looked out over the valley far below them. She could see the bogs shimmering with ice crystals, the meadows capped with white powder. The world had a shimmery quality she'd never noticed before.

"Take a deep breath."

Lara did so. She drew the fresh, crisp night air into her lungs.

"Do you feel the energy? It surrounds every living thing. Tune yourself to it, the energy feeds your power, so you can use it to build whatever you need fast."

"Carpathians use energy differently than mages," Lara explained. "I've been mage-trained, I don't know how to just control it through me."

Nicolas shook his head. "You have been doing it all along, when you get upset. At the inn, you blasted us out of fear. You gathered energy and used it against us. For now, you need to feel the power, the way it feeds you subtly."

He lifted his arms to the night. In the distance, a wolf howled. Another answered. One by one several more took up the lonely chorus. "There. Hear that?"

"The wolves?"

"One wolf. That note that sounded different. There is a Carpathian running with our brethren tonight. You need to really listen, not just hear. You have the abilities, now you need the training and practice."

Lara looked below her toward the darkened interior of the forest. "Carpathians run with the wolves?"

"Of course. We take the form of a wolf, choose a pack and are accepted into it if we desire. We will do that if you like, but first, you need your flying lesson."

Lara shifted restlessly from one foot to the other while he explained-in detail, intedious detail-how she had to keep the image at all times in her head or she would fall from the sky.

"Okay already," Lara said when he began to go over the instructions again. "I got it all the first time."

His black gaze smoldered at her. "Do not be overconfident."

She sent him a saucy grin. "You aren't going to let me fall."

She closed her eyes and pictured the dragon in her mind. It had been years since she had seen her aunts, trapped in the form of a dragon, but she remembered every detail of their large, scaled bodies. She held the shape in her mind, the wedged head and large, jeweled eyes. Out of nowhere came a rush of energy, flooding her body, turning her warm. Muscles contracted and expanded. She felt her body bend and begin to reshape. Shocked, she pulled back from the edge of losing herself, so startled she nearly lost the image.

Nicolas was there immediately, just as she knew he would be, merged solidly, holding the image for her. She felt the brush of scales against her arm as his body changed. She waited a heartbeat and then she embraced the change, throwing herself into it, not wanting him to change his mind. She wanted to fly. And then she was crouched on the edge of the cliff, staring out over the valley with new vision. She spread her wings wide, standing on two legs, flapping her wings and creating a wind that blew out into the clouds.

Careful, Nicolas cautioned.You are scaring me, Lara. Pay attention .

You sound like an old hen. I'm just trying the whole thing out. This is so cool.

She was going to give him a heart attack. He felt like a mother hen, trying to watch over a baby chick. He was supposed to be the rooster, crowing and everyone falling into line instantly. If he was in his normal form he'd be sweating by now and sweating wasn't something Carpathians did much of.

Do I just step off the edge and flap my wings?

His heart bottomed out when the female dragon stepped to the edge as if to launch herself over. He leapt in front of her, pushing the smaller dragon back as he hovered in the air.Let the dragon take over. You are still thinking as you. If you want to fly like a dragon, you need to become the dragon .

How? I'm still me.

You are and you are not. You are there inside, but it is only your spirit left. Merge with your dragon and let it have free reign. Once you get a feel for flight and the way your dragon sees and thinks, you can allow your spirit to emerge a little more. Always, always remember to hold that image in your mind no matter what is happening around you.

Lara's dragon nodded its wedge-shaped head.Move back and let me try .

Nicolas, inside the large dragon, found himself smiling at the demand in her voice in spite of himself. He found he liked the little bite in her voice. He backed away from the ledge, all the while keeping his mind firmly in hers. Tension vibrated through his body as she stepped off the edge, great wings flapping frantically.

Let your dragon take over. He would give her a couple of seconds. If she couldn't let go enough to allow the dragon to take over completely, he would have to seize her mind and take complete control.

Don't you dare. I'll get the hang of it. Stop distracting me.

He felt the seeds of panic as the little female spiraled out of control. Every instinct screamed at him to take over her mind and right her, but he fought it back, holding on by a thread to give her a little more time as his dragon dove headfirst after its mate.

Deep inside the body of his dragon, Nicolas groaned as he realized Lara had a problem with giving up control. He should have anticipated and prepared for it. She had seconds before the illusion of giving control to her dragon became a reality as Nicolas would have no choice but to take over. The ground rose up to meet her as his male dragon went streaking after her. Nicolas fought hard to give her those few extra precious seconds.

And just that suddenly, Lara took a deep breath and let go of herself, turning control over to the dragon. Instantly the wings of the female dragon stopped the wild flailing and folded close to the body, stopping the spin. Then the wings came out, and with one powerful, coordinated stroke, the creature rose gracefully into the air.

Childlike laughter rang in Nicolas's ears. A vise seemed to squeeze his heart at the sound of that young, carefree voice. She had never had a childhood, never been able to play or laugh, to feel the freedom of the wind in her face, to look down at the tops of the trees and the glistening meadows, to somersault in the night sky and just have fun. Now, sheer exhilaration sent her singing through the sky. The wind flew in her face, cool and brisk and he felt the joy in her.

Nicolas! This is... amazing.

Yes, it is. She was amazing. She did something to him inside he hadn't expected, turning him inside out with her simple happiness of the moment. In a way, he relived his own first experience of flying, but somehow, he enjoyed hers even more. She had never tasted true freedom. This was her first real exposure to the beauty of their world and he wanted her to enjoy every moment of it, to see the night in the way he did.

Nicolas was astonished to find he was beginning to need her for more than to calm his demons, or spread light through the darkness-he needed to hear her laughter, to see the childlike delight in her sparkling dragon's eyes. He found himself admiring her courage. She had risen from the ashes of cruelty and horror yet maintained a sweetness and hope that he had never imagined could be possible under the circumstances.

Flying through the night sky with her, it suddenly occurred to him that she might be a better person than he, that where duty and honor were ingrained in him, he thought himself superior to those he protected, but Lara truly did care. She cared about her two friends, and her aunts, and was beginning to worry about the father she had believed for years was a monster. He had protection to offer her, but what else?

He had thought finding his lifemate made him entitled to her, that she would worship the ground he walked on-that sheshould worship him, yet he hadn't considered that he might lose his heart to her. The possibility hadn't entered his mind, not even for a moment. She was supposed to lose her heart, but he would remain the same. Now, everything was changing inside of him and he felt off balance-and vulnerable. He didn't want to lose her and not because she was the other half of his soul and could save him. He simply didn't want to lose her and the stirrings of that emotion terrified him.

Nicolas! Come on. Let's race to that huge gray cloud.

He let her get a head start, holding his dragon back to a more leisurely pace until she got several yards away. Then she built up a great deal of speed. The female dragon shimmered with metallic reds and gold, her scales gleaming whenever the moon managed to sneak out from behind a cloud and illuminate her as she sped across the sky. She gave off a halo of light, glowing, an age old call, female dragon to her male.

Nicolas was so startled he nearly lost his image of the dragon. Lara's female was calling to her mate, and in her innocence, with her spirit still dwelling on their kiss, Lara was inadvertently heightening the female's drive for her mate. Lara was unleashing a storm of hunger so intense Nicolas could feel his own instinctive reaction-his own demon rising.

No! He tried to hold back the male, but his dragon roared, tearing himself free of Nicolas's control, diving after his mate, powerful wings creating a windstorm as he flew after her. Lara's laughter washed over and into him, her mind rubbing intimately up against his in her excitement. She was innocent in her enticement, entirely unaware she was arousing the heat in the male-and in him.

The ground below seemed far away as the dragons rose sharply into the sky, dancing as the star dragons had done, performing an aerial ballet. Swift and lithe in the air, Lara soared free, growing more confident as she felt the dragon's strength. The creatures held power and magic and she identified strongly. She tried a series of rolls and then glided through the air before somersaulting in a graceful acrobatic display.

Nicolas felt his dragon gathering himself-waiting-watching as he chose the moment he needed to capture her in midair. There was no stopping the male, unless he took both of them out of the sky. He was almost as enraptured as his dragon, counting the beats of the wings, as the male increased his speed,

circling to come in at an angle just below her. Hot blood surged through his veins, filled his groin, lust punching hard and mean. The female spread her wings wide and the male made his move, sending his large body into a roll, coming upside down below her, belly to belly, wings wrapping her in a tight embrace, his talons locking with hers as he took possession of her body, burying himself deep.

Nicolas felt Lara's shocked excitement as the two dragons spiraled toward earth, heads entwined, wings tight around each other, talons locked, the male plunging over and over into the female. Lara and Nicolas were separate from the dragons, only their spirits held in the physical bodies, yet both felt every heated stroke, the love of two mates expressed in dizzying passion in the air. Nicolas wanted Lara with that same intensity his dragon felt for his mate. The dragon passion only increased his need. He stroked Lara's mind, a soft intimate brush, showing her without words how he felt.

Without warning, a bolt of fire speared through the air, impaling the coupling dragons, entering straight through the male dragon's back, passing through his belly to the female and out her back. The male trumpeted, the female screamed, blood sprayed into the air, droplets scattering across the cloud, mingling with the snow falling to the ground.

The male tried to hold the female, talons digging deep even as he lost strength with the great flow of blood. The ground was coming at them fast.

Nicolas seized Lara's spirit, ripping her from the female dragon, shifting to mist and abandoning the mortally wounded dragons.

We can't leave them. Lara was horrified. And then she coughed. More droplets showered the clouds, falling like rain to dot the white landscape in red.

We have no choice. He held her to him with his ruthless determination, blocking out everything but the danger they were in.They are part real, part illusion, we are all real. We have to get to safety . He was wounded as well. Already in need of blood, he had given to Lara twice, he couldn't afford to lose much more-not and fight the undead.

Thunder cracked, the roar shaking the ground as a lightning bolt simultaneously slammed from ground to sky, narrowly missing them. As it was the shock wave threw them apart, and sent Lara tumbling toward the rocks below.

Nicolas reversed direction, masking her blood, shifting the air to cushion her and bring her down gently, even as he left himself exposed to draw the vampire's fire. It wasn't long in coming. Sensing an advantage, the undead revealed himself, swooping across the sky, streaking as fast as he could to get to the wounded hunter.

Lara landed softly in a snowdrift, holding up her hands to assure herself she was back in her own skin. The moment she moved, she felt pain knifing through her body and looked down to see her stomach coated in blood. She was sprawled naked in the snow, crimson streaks smearing the pristine whiteness around her.

Looking up, she saw Nicolas shifting back to his own body, meeting the vampire in a crashing blow that sent both tumbling out of the sky. Her heart nearly stopped, then began to pound so hard, blood splattered onto the ground. She had to do something. She pushed herself shakily to her feet and raised her arms overhead. She couldn't stop the vampire, but she could give Nicolas a few precious moments.

Ropes of silk, strong as iron, come forth now to hold and bind, legs of eight, fast to spin-spin

your web, holdfast within, weaver of the web hold tight, that we may stay, stand and fight.

Spiders dropped from the sky, raining down on the vampire as he fell. The vampire became entangled in the spider threads, shiny and thick, like the poisonous webs she'd practiced weaving in her cave when she first thought she might stop Xavier with such a thing.

The more the vampire fought the sticky ropes of silk, the faster the spiders spun and wrapped him up, giving Nicolas time to land in a crouch, scoop up precious soil from beneath the snow and press a hand front and back to stay the bleeding.

Use the soil, Lara. You are Carpathian enough for it to work. Mix it with your saliva and press it into your wounds.

She did need to stop the bleeding and weave clothes for her shivering body. She couldn't go into shock in case Nicolas needed her. She fell to her knees and dug through the snow until she uncovered the soil beneath. It took a moment to force herself to mix saliva with the dirt and pack her wounds, but she did it, all the while watching as the vampire hit the ground hard a few hundred yards from her.

Snarling with rage, red eyes glowing, the face was a mask of fury. He turned those soulless pits her way and bared his savagely sharp teeth.

Get out of here, Lara. Go now. Run to the village.

Leave him? How could she do that? She stretched her arms to the sky, needing clothes to cover her so she'd at least feel as if she had armor against the vile evil that tore through the silken spiderweb. Once more she turned to the snow spiders, calling on them to begin spinning their gossamer threads for her warmth this time.

Spin little spinners, weave little weavers, fit me tight. Spin and weave with your crystal light. Fit to me a second skin so that I might feel warmth again.

Hastily she ran across the ground away from the vampire, in the direction of the village. She made it into the tree line and stopped to drag on her clothes.