Текст книги " Dark Gold"

Автор книги: Christine Feehan

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Aidan merely stared at him, unmoving. He did not allow pity for the misguided creature into his heart or mind. That way lay disaster. The undead felt no remorse for their actions. Diego would drain Joshua dry, torture him to get to Aidan, to Alexandria, then cast the child aside like so much garbage. There was no bargaining with a vampire, no reasoning. The hunter merely waited patiently.

He didn’t have long to wait. The undead had no such patience. He leapt at Aidan, shape-shifting as he did so, his head, grotesquely askew on his skinny neck, lengthening into a thick, compact muzzle with long, protruding, razor-sharp eyeteeth. In mid-air, the saber-toothed tiger roared as it sprang.

Aidan waited until the last possible moment. Avoiding the long fangs and the massive weight of the animal was easy enough, but it was impossible to get close without those lethal claws tearing at him, trying to gut him. He closed his mind to all pain and cut himself off from Alexandria so that she could not possibly share his suffering. Then his arm was around the creature’s broken neck, and he was astride the animal, where the vicious claws could not reach him. Even with his enormous strength, it was difficult to control the howling, writhing beast tearing to get at him.

Slowly, with great care, Aidan was able to apply enough pressure around the tiger’s neck to cut off the air supply. The animal went crazy, thrashing and bucking, trying to unseat him. Ferociously it bit and screamed, a high-pitched, unearthly yowl. Tenaciously Aidan hung on. His hand slipped lower, seeking the heartbeat.

Even as Aidan nearly reached his goal, the vampire twisted enough to sink one venom-tipped claw deeply into his neck, just missing his jugular. Blood spurted, and he could feel it running down his skin. The beast was so strong and agile that for a moment Aidan was unsure he could defeat the creature. Then something moved in his mind. A quiet certainty filled him with confidence and strength.

Although he had attempted to shut her out, to keep her from the brutality, Alexandria had never left him. She was there, feeding his strength with her own. Aidan’s searching hand found what he was looking for. He plunged his entire fist deep into the maddened tiger, past muscle and into the soft, vulnerable organs.

The vampire raged and screamed, raking at Aidan with his last dying strength, determined to take the hunter with him. As Aidan extracted the pulsating heart, the saber-toothed tiger contorted, shaped-shifting until the withered, gray-skinned vampire lay beneath him, still and silent.

Aidan tossed the decaying matter away from him and hastily put distance between himself and the abomination that had once been a decent Carpathian male. He allowed himself a deep, cleansing breath and sagged against a tree trunk. The wind rustled, picking up strength to carry the putrid scent of the vampire away from him. The night was full upon him, dark and mysterious and beautiful.

Should we come? Do you have need of blood, Aidan?

He could hear the weariness in her, matching his own. It was a difficult task to maintain mental contact when she had just recently learned to do so, especially through so violent a struggle. And she was weak from lack of nourishment. She had allowed him to feed greedily, and she had lent her waning strength to him without hesitation. Even now, her concern was for him.

Stay,piccola, I will be home soon, and I will bring Joshua with me. Tell Marie and Stefan all is well. He struggled to keep his voice even so that she would not be afraid for him.

Her soft laughter warmed his heart. I’m in your mind, my love. You can’t hide your wounds from me.

There was the merest disturbance in the air, just a flutter, no other warning. A large raptor landed on the branch above Aidan’s head and slowly folded its wings. Aidan should have known another of his kind was close by, yet he hadn’t. As it hopped easily from the perch, the bird’s form changed, and it was Gregori who landed lightly on his feet.

He glided past Aidan to survey the grotesque sight on the ground. “He was good, was he not?” he asked softly. His voice was beautiful, a soothing sound that seemed to seep into Aidan’s tired body and renew his strength. Despite his darkness, Gregori brought purity and light with him; it clung to him like the aura of power. “Diego studied with the most evil of the vampires. They began banding together in our homeland, thinking to defeat Mikhail with their numbers. When that did not work, they enlisted the aid of human butchers. Now they are turning to travel and trickery. They use many methods to try to defeat us, Aidan. You have done well this day.”

“With your aid.” Aidan straightened, one hand pressed hard to the flowing wound at his neck.

Gregori glided over the cockroaches and blackened snakes, his feet never touching the carnage as he approached the open trunk of the car.

Aidan could not prevent himself from giving the healer a warning, just in case. “I used your safeguards to keep the boy free from harm.” He couldn’t believe the healer would ever turn, but he was watchful all the same.

Gregori nodded. “You added a touch of your own. You have grown these years, Aidan. Come here to me.” He turned his head then, his strange, pale eyes a compelling silver, his voice low and mesmerizing.

Aidan moved forward despite Alexandria’s low cry of alarm. She didn’t believe the other Carpathian was evil, but the healer believed his soul was already lost. That made him unpredictable. Don’t go near him! He’s so dangerous, Aidan, and I can feel your weakness. It’s his voice. Can’t you tell that his voice is calling to you?

He is a great man,cara. Trust my judgment, her lifemate reassured her.

Gregori touched Aidan ever so lightly, but the hunter felt heat spreading throughout his body. The healer closed his eyes and sent himself seeking outside his own body and into Aidan’s. At once the ancient tongue of their people echoed in the air, through their bodies, a healing ritual as old as time. Aidan felt the pain moving from his body, pushed aside by the greatest healer of them all. The chant went on for some time, but Alexandria continued to share his mind, firmly refusing to relinquish her rightful place. She knew Gregori could feel her presence, was aware that he could read her distrust of him, but she was more concerned with Aidan’s safety than with Gregori’s feelings.

Gregori slowly returned to his own body, the strain of the healing process revealed by the lines etched into his face. But he casually tore his wrist with his teeth and held out the offering to Aidan.

Aidan hesitated, knowing Gregori was offering far more than nourishment. He would now be linked to Gregori, able to track him at will, should there be the need. The thick wrist dripping precious ruby droplets pressed closer to his mouth. With a sigh, Aidan gave in to the inevitable. He needed sustenance, and Alexandria waited at home, needing it also.

“It is beautiful, this land, in its own way, is it not?” Gregori did not wait for Aidan’s reply or indicate in any way that the blood loss was affecting him. “It is not wild and untamed like our mountains, but there is promise here.” He did not wince as Aidan’s teeth sank deeper into his skin.

Strength such he had not known in years poured into Aidan’s body. Gregori was an ancient, his blood far more powerful than that of men of lesser years. The nourishment revived Aidan instantly, took away pain and weariness, and brought a vitality he had not previously experienced. He closed the wound carefully, meticulously, with great respect.

“I am in your debt, Gregori, that you have aided me this day,” he said formally.

“You did not need my aid. I only made things easier. Your safeguards for the child would have bought you the necessary time even without the fog. And you had enough strength to survive the sunlight in your disembodied state even without me. You owe me nothing, Aidan. I have been lucky in my life to have a few men I could call friend. You are one.” Gregori sounded as if he were already far away.

“Come to my home, Gregori,” Aidan insisted. “Stay for a while. It might help to ease you.”

Gregori shook his head. “I cannot. You know I cannot. I need the wild places, the high reaches, where I can feel freedom. It is my way. I have found a place many miles from here. I will build there to await my lifemate. Remember your promise to me.”

Aidan nodded. He felt Alexandria moving in his mind, offering closeness, comfort.

“See to the child, Aidan, and your woman. Even from this distance, I sense her anxiety for you, for the boy. And she needs to feed. Her hunger beats at me. Do not waste your time worrying about me. I have taken care of myself for centuries.” Already his solid form was wavering, shimmering, dissolving into droplets of mist. His voice came back, disembodied, strangely hollow, yet still beautiful. “That was quite a feat you performed today, and in broad daylight. Few can do what you did. You have learned much.”

Aidan watched him disappear, the mist streaming into the surrounding forest until it, too, was gone. Gregori’s acknowledgment of his achievement made him proud. He felt like a child receiving praise from a revered parent. And since it was from masterful Gregori, who chose to live alone and befriend but few, he felt especially honored.

Very carefully, with infinite patience, Aidan unraveled the safeguards around Joshua, then gently lifted the boy from the trunk. Blackened snakes fell onto the ground, scattering around Aidan’s feet. He had much work to do, but he could no longer bear leaving the boy in that awful trunk with the creatures of the vampire’s making.

Aidan carried Joshua to a grassy knoll beneath a pine tree and laid him on the ground, tenderly brushing back his blond curls. He is fine, Alexandria, just sleeping soundly as I commanded. I will wake him when I return him home. Then we can deal with what he saw.

Just hurry. I want to see him, hold him in my arms. And Marie can scarcely believe me when I tell her Joshua is out of danger.There was eagerness in her voice, but also fatigue, indicating her waning strength.

Worried, Aidan left the boy sleeping peacefully while he returned to the revolting battleground to complete the distasteful task of destroying the vampire for all time. The separated heart and the body, along with all the tainted blood, had to be burned to ashes.

Looking skyward, he built the electricity, weaving the veins of lightning and increasing the friction until it arced and crackled. He directed a bolt to the vampire’s body, spinning a ball of fire from the resulting sparks. The vampire’s body writhed repugnantly, the stench rising to fill the night air. A few feet away, the heart seemed to move, a subtle, deadly pulsating that gave Aidan pause.

Uneasy with the unknown phenomenon, Aidan directed the flames at the heart and incinerated it quickly, reducing it to a handful of ashes. The body contorted grotesquely, nearly sat up, and a long, mournful wail rose on the wind. The sound was hideous, and as it faded into the night, the notes changed to ugly, taunting laughter.

Immediately, Aidan swung around, his golden eyes restless, searching the land, the trees, the sky for a hidden trap. His body was still, listening intently for any betraying sound. In his mind, Alexandria was holding her breath. And then he heard it. A soft, insidious rustling. Stealthy. Furtive. A brush of scales sliding through pine needles.

Joshua!Alexandria’s burst of revelation, of horror, came on the heels of his own.

He moved with supernatural speed, faster than he had ever moved in the centuries of his existence, crossing the distance to the grassy knoll where he had left the child. His hand found the snake, grasped it, and jerked it away from its goal. The thing hissed and coiled around his arm, desperately squeezing his muscles, sinking fangs into the fleshy part of his thumb. It bit again and again, injecting poison into his body, its every instinct commanding it to carry out the vampire’s revenge. Aidan tore the snake apart, flinging it into the flames consuming the body of the undead. Noxious fumes rose into the air, green gases that spun and whirled, then disappeared into the black smoke.

Aidan sank down beside Joshua and pulled the child into his arms. He made a slow, careful inspection of every inch of skin to assure himself the boy was unharmed. He waited for a reaction from the snake’s venom. Within minutes, his lungs began to fight for air, and he felt nauseated, but it was not nearly as bad as he expected, considering the venom was aided by the vampire’s hatred. It took him a moment to realize it was Gregori’s blood that was neutralizing the poison’s effects. He could feel the struggle taking place in his body, but Gregori’s blood was far stronger than anything the vampire could produce. Within minutes, Aidan was fine, his heart and lungs as strong as ever, the venom oozing out of his pores.

He lifted the boy into his arms and launched himself into the air, Wings spreading as he made his way across the sky toward his home and his waiting lifemate. He had hardly landed on the third-floor balcony before Alexandria was attempting to pull the child into her arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

“You did it, Aidan! I can’t believe you did it!” She was deathly pale, her arms trembling with weakness.

Aidan could hear her heart laboring, her lungs wheezing, struggling to function though her blood supply was low. Despite his desire to sweep her up and care for her needs, he placed Joshua in her waiting arms.

“Look at his poor little face.” She was crying, the tears falling on Joshua’s bruises and swollen eye. “Oh, Aidan, look at him.”

“He looks wonderful to me,” he said softly as his arm circled her waist. He took most of the boy’s weight himself. “Let’s get him into bed and wake him up.” He could hear Marie and Stefan clambering up the stairs to join them. Alexandria’s hunger was beating at him. Everything male, everything protective and Carpathian in him, rose up to demand he care for her. Joshua was safe. It was time to see that his lifemate’s strength was restored.

“Oh, Marie, look at his little face,” Alexandria cried to the older woman. “That horrible creature hit him.”

Marie was openly sobbing, taking the child from Alexandria. Stefan, too, had to hold the little boy.

“He is fine, just asleep,” Aidan reassured them all. His concern was for Alexandria now. “We will put him in his bed and awaken him. He will be told this was a kidnapping attempt, to extort money. He will accept that explanation and understand having guards anytime it becomes necessary.”

Stefan carried Joshua to the small room off theirs. Marie dressed him in pajamas and produced a cold cloth to bathe his black eye. Alexandria sat on the edge of the bed, Joshua’s small hand in hers. Aidan knelt beside her, an arm around her waist. “Joshua, you will awaken now. Alexandria needs to see your blue eyes.” He whispered the words softly, his voice compelling, seeping into the boy’s mind and beckoning him back into their world.

Joshua erupted into violence, fighting hard to free himself. It was Aidan who subdued him, protecting Alexandria with his own body despite her efforts to get to the boy. “Listen to me, Joshua. You are home with us. You are safe. The kidnappers no longer have you. I want you to be calm so that you do not hurt Marie or your sister.” His voice, as always, was serene and beautiful, so compelling that the boy ceased his struggles and peeked up at them cautiously. When he saw Alexandria, he burst into tears.

She burrowed past Aidan’s large frame and caught Joshua to her, dragging him into the protection of her arms. “You’re safe now, little buddy. No one is going to hurt you.”

“There were dogs, big dogs. There was blood everywhere. Vinnie was being eaten. I saw him.”

“Vinnie was very brave and tried to save you from the kidnappers,” Alexandria soothed him, stroking the blond curls from his forehead. “He’s in the hospital, but he’s alive and is going to be fine. So is Rusty. We’ll take you to see them in a few days. We should have told you about the possibility of someone trying to take you away from us.” She touched his eye with a gentle fingertip. “I’m sorry that I didn’t confide in you. You’re old enough to know these things.”

“Is that why you were afraid to live here?”

“Partly. Aidan is a very wealthy man. Because he loves you, loves both of us, we will always be at risk. Sometimes we will have to have guards. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you, Joshua? This is my fault, that I didn’t make you understand the danger we could be in.”

“Don’t cry, Alex.” All at once Joshua was using a grownup voice. “Aidan came and got me, didn’t he?”

She nodded. “He sure did. No one is going to ever take you away from us. Not ever.”

“Next time, when Marie and Stefan tell me to stay in the house, no matter what, I’m going to do it,” Joshua decreed. He examined Alexandria with anxious eyes. “What’s wrong with you? You’re so white.”

“This has been very scary for all of us, Joshua,” Aidan said. “Marie and Stefan will look after you while I put Alexandria to bed. She needs to rest. And do not worry about Baron. Stefan kept him safe for you. Your puppy can stay with you while I take Alexandria to bed.”

Alexandria shook her head. “I’m not going to leave him, not for a minute. I’ll stay here until he falls asleep.”

“No, you will not, cara mia,” Aidan said firmly. He stood, a graceful, fluid movement that set her teeth on edge. His hands caught her easily, lifting her and cradling her against his chest. “She needs to rest, Joshua. I will bring her to you later.”

“That’s all right, Aidan,” Joshua said, man to man. “She needs to be in bed more than I do.”

Aidan grinned at him and took her out of the room, heedless of her squirming. “He is right, you know,” he murmured against her neck. “You do need to be in bed. My bed.” His breath was warm and teasing, an invitation she found nearly impossible to resist.

“I think you’re insatiable,” she accused him, but her arms crept around his neck, and her body relaxed against his.

“Where you are concerned, it is true,” Aidan agreed. He was moving quickly through the house, into the tunnel, his body already tightening in anticipation.

Her hands slid inside his shirt, caressing his chest. Her mouth moved over his neck, found the streaks on his chest, and her tongue wandered, caressed, a loving tribute to his courage.

Once in their chamber, Aidan lowered her to the bed. With his gaze holding hers, he began to unbutton his shirt.

Alexandria slipped her sweater over her head and tossed it aside.

He reached out, his hands spanning her ribs, dragging her close, nearly bending her backward so his mouth could take advantage of the invitation her body was offering. She smelled good, fresh, her skin like satin. At once his body raged for release, an urgency he was becoming familiar with. Her hands were at his slacks, sliding aside the button, the zipper, pushing the fabric from his hips.

He groaned when she cupped him in her hands, caressing him. His own hands were rougher as they tore aside her clothing so that her skin was hot against his. “You make me crazy, piccola, absolutely crazy,” he whispered, and he lifted her into his arms. “Put your legs around my waist.”

Her head was bent, her mouth wandering across his chest, her tongue lapping at his pulse. “Feed me,” she whispered back, her tone so sensuous, his legs nearly gave out.

His hands were on her hips, holding her still so that he could push into her velvet sheath. He cried out when her muscles slowly allowed him entrance, when she clenched around him, hot and tight and velvet-soft. “Take what you want from me, what is rightfully yours,” he murmured, buried deep, welding them together in fire and passion. “Do it, Alexandria. I want you to do it.”

His entire body blazed into light, into pure feeling, as her teeth pierced his skin. He surged into her, hard and urgent, reaching, straining, wanting to fly high. Her hair draped around them, brushing at his sensitized skin like a thousand strands of silk. Her hands slid over his back, tracing each muscle. Her mouth on him aroused him further.

Aidan slowed his pace, his thrusting hips strong, his hands tight, binding her to him. She was his. The lifemate he had endured centuries of emptiness waiting for. She was his world. The light. The colors he thought he had lost forever. She was the ecstasy he never knew existed. And she was with him for eternity.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

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