Dark Legacy (Dark 27)

Dragomir considered what it would take to end the healer's life. It would happen if he deliberately endangered Emeline to lure Vadim in. That means he will come at us with everything he has.

Better to convert her immediately. Her and her daughter.

My daughter. Our daughter. I will saturate the child with my blood.

That is admirable, but you know her brain is already developing and she will always have the ability to think like a Malinov.

The Malinov line is known for intelligence and fierceness in battle--and that includes their women, Dragomir pointed out. You said so yourself.

He had grown much weaker. The battle wounds as well as exhaustion were catching up with him. He needed blood and the healing earth. That would leave Emeline unprotected all during the daylight hours. By now, the compound would probably know she was pregnant with Vadim's child. Tariq would be arriving home any moment and he wouldn't be too happy with anyone. His time alone with Charlotte had been important to him. Tariq and Charlotte would have to be underground, but what was to stop him from utilizing his human security force?

We are too close to the dawn. I must get to ground. There was no inflection in Gary's voice, but Dragomir felt the regret.

They had worked steadily, but the more of Vadim's taint they destroyed with their combined light, the more the parasites seemed to reproduce. Dragomir left Emeline's body and went back to his own. To his relief, Andor, Ferro and Sandu were waiting. Maksim was already gone to help Blaze with Amelia.

Andor stepped back away from Gary, his odd, rust-colored eyes assessing the healer. Sandu's eyes burned a deep red through the relentless black. He stepped closer to Gary, a clear threat. Obviously the ancients recognized him from the healer's encounter with Aleksei, a member of their brotherhood.

"Give him blood," Dragomir said, once more collapsing on the floor beside Emeline's couch. "He more than earned it, and he'll work even harder on the next rising."

He betrayed Aleksei, tried to take his lifemate.

There is more to that story than meets the eye. Aleksei is happy. We can ask questions later. The important thing is, I need this man to help me keep Vadim from destroying my lifemate from the inside out. Dragomir pushed memories of the battle and everything that had transpired after, including how Gary had come to his aid, into the minds of the three ancients.

With some reluctance, Sandu extended his wrist. Gary gave him a faint smile, his strange eyes wary, his body, exhausted as he was, on alert. Dragomir couldn't help but admire the man. He was surrounded by four very powerful ancients, but he was ready and willing to take them on if they pushed it.

Dragomir laid his head back against the couch just as Emeline slid to the floor, drawing up her knees, leaning against him. She felt soft and warm, while he was cold, his temperature telling him he'd been out of his body too long. He reached with one hand to clasp hers, enveloping her small hand in his and bringing it against his chest.

"You were gone so long. I was worried about you."

She didn't ask if they had been successful, only said that she was worried for him. He couldn't remember a time someone had worried for him. He tucked her hand over his heart and took the wrist Ferro practically forced against his lips. It was difficult not to gulp the ancient blood. The moment he took it in, it began to work its magic, spreading through him quickly, infusing his cells and organs with rich, life-giving energy. He felt power rushing through him, filling him again when he'd been so spent.

The moment Gary had taken his fill from Sandu, he rose. "I will return at sunset. We should be ready for a fight, Dragomir."

"A fight?" Emeline echoed. "What does that mean?"

Dragomir didn't like that she sounded frightened. He closed the laceration on Ferro's wrist and put his arm around Emeline. "Thank you, healer. We will be ready."

Gary gave an old-world, slight bow and was gone, shimmering one moment and then disappearing, leaving Dragomir alone with his woman and three of the men he'd spent years locked away with, men so dangerous they had to be locked away in order to keep the world safe.

"Thank you for coming. Emeline, my friends--brothers, really--Sandu, Ferro and Andor. These are men you can always rely on. Always. They will guard you and have your back. We must go to ground, and we will do so close to you . . ."

She made a sound, and he felt the tremor go through her body, but she nodded, not voicing her fear that once she was without his protection, if there was objection to the child, Tariq could send his security force to remove her.

"Before we go to ground, we will weave a safeguard that is impenetrable, keeping everyone out. They will not be able to get into the house, or harm your home in any way. It also means you cannot leave. I don't want you to be afraid if you must remain in the house. It is for your protection and also the protection of the child. The house will not allow even the children or your women friends inside. We cannot take chances with the baby."

Emeline dropped her free hand to her cover her womb.

"You will be safe. We will keep you safe." He made the declaration firmly, in the way he stated an absolute. She couldn't help but hear the resolution in his voice. He stood, flowing to his feet, taking her with him, and setting her aside. Each of the men faced a different direction and they began to weave the safeguards no man alive other than those that had been in the monastery had a chance of getting through. When they were satisfied that the protections they'd woven together were strong, the three ancients bowed as Gary had, ready to take their leave.

For the first time, Emeline looked up at the three men. "Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it."

It was Sandu who inclined his head, and then the three men disappeared, retreating as the sun began to rise.

"You still do not fully believe we are lifemates, Emeline, but this day will prove to you that we are. It will be difficult for you not to be able to reach me when needed, but know I am close and will come to you," Dragomir said. "Try to sleep as much as you can."

She gave him a faint, you-are-a-little-nuts-but-I-like-you-anyway kind of a smile.

"I

'm going to give you blood."

She recoiled involuntarily, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around her middle for protection.

He couldn't let her get away with it as much as his heart wanted to. "You need my blood, and so does the child, sivamet."

She swallowed hard and then moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. "What does that mean? What you call me? Sivamet. What does that mean?"

"My heart. You are my heart."

She looked at him a long time, staring into his eyes, searching for something. He didn't hurry her, although he felt the burning rays of the sun on his skin, when they weren't penetrating the heavy drapes. She nodded slowly, evidently finding whatever she had been looking for.

"I like that. I shouldn't encourage you, Dragomir, but I like that someone thinks I'm their heart."

"Do you want me to aid you? To make it easier?"

Again she nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from his. He reached for her, circling her wrist with his fingers, a shackle, a protection. Very gently, he pulled her to him and leaned down to brush kisses down the side of her face. The corner of her eye. Her cheekbone. He loved that line. The corner of her mouth. He loved her mouth. The shape. The way her bottom lip curved and her top lip formed a perfect little bow.

She shivered in his arms, relaxing into him. He kissed his way along her ear. That perfect little shell he found intriguing. His tongue made a little foray, tracing the lines there. That earned him another shiver, and her body melted into his. The feel of her in his arms was unlike anything he had ever known. She fit. She belonged.

His body came to life, a hard, painful pleasure that took him by surprise. Need flowed through his bloodstream, a hot, urgent demand centering in his groin. It was a beautiful, perfect moment, one he would never forget and would treasure for all the rest of his time. Emeline in his arms, holding her against him while she melted into him, making them one.