Chapter
25
Drake stood in front of the hearth in
the library, his arms folded across his chest, his face implacable,
as Zack related what had happened.
“You took my daughter out of the
Fortress,” Drake said, biting off each word. “You knew her life was
in danger, and yet you took her hunting.” He shook his head. “I
think it best if you leave here now.”
“No!” Kaitlyn had been sitting on the
sofa beside her mother while Zack spoke to her father. Now, she
jumped to her feet. Moving to Zack’s side, she linked her arm with
his. “If he leaves, I’m going with him.”
“You will not.”
“I think we all need to calm down.”
Elena crossed the floor and placed her hand on her husband’s arm.
“Zack didn’t have to come here and tell us what happened, but he
did. Kaitlyn, did you recognize the man who attacked
you?”
Kaitlyn frowned. “I don’t think so.”
She smiled apologetically. She didn’t know any of Rodin’s sons and
daughters very well; it didn’t help that they all looked very much
alike.
“I can take you to the body if that’ll
help,” Zack said.
Drake nodded curtly. “Kaitlyn, stay
with your mother.”
“Be careful,” Elena said. “There could
be others out there, just waiting.”
Drake kissed his wife on the cheek. “We
will not be long.”
Drake scrutinized the scene of the
confrontation, his senses expanding, drawing in the fresh smell of
blood and death. And the unmistakable scent of Marius Korzha,
another of his half brothers. Did Nadiya intend to send her sons
out one by one to avenge the deaths of Daryn and Florin? And when
she ran out of sons, would she send her daughters and her
grandchildren, as well?
He felt no sorrow for his half
brother’s death. Marius had made himself Drake’s enemy the minute
he lifted a hand against Kaitlyn. If Ravenscroft had not killed
Marius, Drake would have done so without a qualm.
Drake had brought a blanket with him.
Spreading it on the ground, he placed Marius’s body and severed
head in the middle, then wrapped the blanket tightly around the
grisly remains.
“Gonna bury him?” Zack
asked.
“No. I am going to send him back to his
mother.”
“Do you know where she
is?”
Drake shook his head. “I am going to
send the body to her house in Bucharest. If Nadiya is not there,
one of her other children will advise her of his death.” Drake
looked at Ravenscroft. “You are in this now.”
“I figured I was in it when I killed
the first one,” Zack said with a shrug. “But, hey, bring her on.
The sooner we kill her, the sooner Kaitlyn and I can get out of
here.”
Drake regarded the other vampire a
moment before asking, “Are you as powerful as you seem to think you
are?”
“I don’t know. I’m about a hundred
years older than you are. Even so, I think your way of life makes
you weak.”
No sooner had Zack spoken the words
than he felt a sharp blast of preternatural power. Had he been
mortal, it would have knocked him off his feet. But he wasn’t
mortal, and he had power of his own, which he now directed at
Kaitlyn’s father. Supernatural energy crackled in the air between
the two men, singeing the leaves of the trees, scorching the
earth.
“Had enough?” Drake asked.
Zack snorted derisively. “Is that the
best you’ve got?”
With a rueful shake of his head, Drake
reined in his power. Zack Ravenscroft was truly a vampire to be
reckoned with. And even though it galled Drake to admit it, he
feared the other man’s power was, indeed, stronger.
As soon as Drake reined in his power,
Zack did likewise. He probably should have let Kaitlyn’s father win
their little pissing contest, he thought ruefully, but it just
wasn’t in him to back down.
The two men stared at each other a
moment, then Drake hoisted the blanket-wrapped body to his shoulder
and willed himself back to the Fortress.
Zack remained where he was, his senses
sweeping the countryside. Blood was a wonderful thing, he mused.
Giving Kaitlyn his blood, drinking hers, had enhanced his powers,
sharpened his senses. Had it done the same for her?
Once he was certain there were no other
vampires lurking in the area, Zack willed himself back to the
library in the Fortress, only to find it empty.
He waited a few minutes, hoping to see
Kaitlyn, then made his way to his room at the end of the corridor.
Stripping down to his briefs, he stretched out on the mattress.
Arms folded behind his head, he stared up at the
ceiling.
It had been a strange night. He was
used to being in the company of humans, but he had never seen
vampires and humans mingling the way they had in the ballroom
earlier that evening. Like Drake, some of the vampires had chosen
to marry humans, which in itself was a rare occurrence, at least in
Zack’s world.
But things were different here, in the
Carpathian Coven. Right or wrong, vampires and mortals had found a
way to coexist, each benefiting the other. It would take some
getting used to.
And then there was Nadiya. What kind of
woman—vampire or human—sacrificed her living children to avenge two
dead ones? Three dead now, Zack amended. And he had been
responsible for two of them.
As for taking Kaitlyn hunting—he blew
out a breath. All things considered, he had to admit that it
probably hadn’t been the brightest idea he had ever come up with.
But it had sure as hell been fun while it lasted. Watching her take
pleasure in her vampire nature had been a remarkably satisfying
thing to see. He knew, from his own experience, that Kaitlyn would
never be truly happy until she accepted the whole of who and what
she was. Only then would she be comfortable with both sides of her
nature—at home in her own skin, so to speak. He thought he had
helped her achieve that more fully tonight. It bemused him to
discover that her happiness was more important to him than life
itself.
Plagued by a nightmare, Kaitlyn woke
before sunrise, and then, unable to get back to sleep, she left her
bed and went into the kitchen, where she fixed a cup of peppermint
tea and honey, hoping it would help dispel the last vestiges of her
nightmare—a horrible dream in which their attacker had been the
victor and it had been Zack sprawled on the ground in an
ever-widening pool of blood, his head separated from his
body.
She carried her tea to one of the
tables in the dining room and sat down, the cup cradled in her
hands while she went over the events of the past
night.
It had started off so well, being with
Zack. The movie had amused him. He had laughed from time to time.
Occasionally he had whispered the dialogue along with the actors.
When she asked, he admitted he had seen the film dozens of times.
Later, they had danced. As always, she had reveled at being in his
arms, feeling his strength, seeing the love in his eyes, hearing it
in his voice. Hunting with him had been exciting, an adventure like
none she had ever known before. For the first time in her life, she
had embraced her vampire half, and because of it, she felt
stronger, more confident. Yes, it had been a wonderful night, until
they started for home. And now, because of her, Zack had killed two
men and his life was in danger. Or maybe the blame lay with
Florin.
She knew the story of Florin’s
treachery. Knew it had happened the night the Master of the Irish
Fortress had challenged her grandfather for control of the
Carpathian Fortress. Rodin had defeated the challenger, and then
Florin had darted forward and stabbed Rodin in the back with a long
wooden stake. In retaliation, her father had killed Florin. The
matter should have ended there. A life for a life. Now, more than
twenty years later, two more of Nadiya’s sons were dead. Why had
Nadiya waited so long to exact vengeance for Florin’s death? When
and where would it end? Who else would have to die before it was
over?
She stared at the cup in her hands.
Lost in thought, she had forgotten all about the tea and now it was
cold. Pouring it into the sink, she left the kitchen. Without
conscious thought, she found herself standing outside Zack’s
room.
She placed her hand on the door. Was it
locked? Was he asleep? It was not yet sunup. She pressed her ear to
the door, but heard nothing.
She tried the knob, surprised to find
the door unlocked. She slipped inside, her gaze moving immediately
to the bed. He slept on his back, one arm flung over his head, the
covers pooled around his hips. His chest was bare. She swallowed,
her fingertips pressed to her lips lest some sound betray her. Was
he naked beneath the sheet?
Mesmerized by the sight of him, she
stood there, avidly admiring the spread of his shoulders, his long
muscular arms, his broad chest and flat belly.
Moving closer, she brushed a lock of
hair from his forehead, gasped as his hand closed around her wrist,
his fingers like iron.
“Zack, it’s me!”
“Katy?” He stared up at her. “What the
hell are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“So you decided to wake me
up?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be
asleep already.”
“There was nothing else to do.” His
gaze moved over her face. “Do you think it’s wise, your being in
here?”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“Katy, you silly girl, I think you know
better than that.” He lifted the covers in invitation. “Come, join
me.”
Kicking off her slippers, Kaitlyn slid
under the blankets, sighing as Zack’s arm slipped around her
shoulders, drawing her close to his side. She was relieved—and
disappointed—to discover he was wearing briefs.
“I could get used to this,” he
murmured, his breath warm against her cheek.
“Me, too.” She ran her fingertips over
his chest. “It’ll be dawn soon. The sun’s coming up.”
“I know. I can feel it.”
“Can you? What does it feel
like?”
“I don’t know how to describe it. It’s
sort of like liquid fire running through my veins.”
She grimaced. “Sounds
awful.”
He shrugged. “It comes in handy.”
Sleeping when it was his choice was entirely different from the
Dark Sleep that claimed him with every sunrise.
He stroked her cheek, then kissed her
lightly. He could feel the lethargy stealing over him as the sun
slowly climbed over the horizon, felt it dragging him down into a
dark abyss that ended in a deep black void.
“Zack?”
“I love you,” he murmured, and slid
into oblivion.