"The name is Gary. I am a Daratrazanoff, but was born human." He didn't offer any further information, and Emeline had no idea what being a Daratrazanoff was, or how that was important, only that it was.
Dragomir settled onto the floor, but he turned his body so he could watch the door, the hallway and the healer. She wished she had more of the weapons with the fiery missiles. At least she could protect Dragomir if she needed to.
Gary knelt beside him and, without preamble, allowed his spirit to leave his body and move into Dragomir's. It left the healer completely vulnerable to attack. Blaze had explained the process to Emeline numerous times--how the Carpathians could leave behind all ego, everything to do with them and become pure healing energy. Some were reputed to be far more powerful healers than others. She had heard rumors that they had sent for an extremely strong healer, one they hoped would be able to help heal psychic wounds as well.
She watched closely, saw the wounds on Dragomir's body mend from the inside out one after another. Time went by. She had no idea how much, but it was long. It took the healer hours to repair the damage to the ancient's body. Gary didn't stop until even the rake marks on his face and chest closed. They were still there, red lines to mark where the vampires had ripped him open, but the terrible lacerations and wounds were closed.
The healer came back into his body, pale, weak and clearly disoriented. "We both will need blood, ancient."
Dragomir glanced at Blaze. "He needs blood. I'm inviting you in only to give him blood and then you must leave."
Blaze looked hurt but she came in immediately. Emeline watched her open her wrist with a long fingernail and extend her arm toward the healer. He didn't look at Blaze but studied Dragomir as he fed.
Blaze looked around the room. "Is Emeline all right?"
"Yes."
"She's my friend."
"Then respect her wishes."
Emeline twisted her fingers together, waiting. The healer politely closed the wound on Blaze's wrist, still without looking at her, and offered blood from his own wrist to Dragomir.
"Who are you to her?" Blaze demanded.
"She is under my protection," Dragomir stated and took the wrist the healer offered him.
Emeline's breath caught in her throat. He said it so matter-of-factly, as if his declaration wasn't handing her the world. Why would he do that? Why would he decide to save the children instead of going after Vadim as he wanted to do, just because she asked? Ancients rarely bothered with humans. She'd seen enough of them to last her a lifetime. Mostly, they ignored everyone and seemed only to live for battles.
But they saved lives. She respected the ancients. She respected the Carpathian people. But they would kick her out in a heartbeat if they knew what she was. Who she really was.
The healer gave Dragomir blood, and then Blaze supplied Gary a second time before the man spoke.
"You need to be put in the healing soil," Gary said.
"I will do so when I am ready," Dragomir declared.
Gary opened his mouth, closed it and shook his head. "You will be of no use to her if you die. You aren't out of the woods yet."
"Your reputation preceded you here. I have no doubt I will be just fine. I thank both of you." Dragomir got to his feet with that same graceful way he always moved and led them to the door. "I'll let Emeline know you wish to visit with her," he added.
Blaze inclined her head. "I would appreciate that."
He closed the door and leaned against it. "It is safe, Emeline. We need to talk."
She'd been dreading this moment, but knew it had to come.
4
Why won't you put yourself in the ground?" Emeline asked. "You need to heal."
"I need to know why you are so afraid all the time. Even afraid of your friend," Dragomir said, no inflection whatsoever in his voice, yet she shivered, aware, without knowing how, that if Blaze had done something to make her afraid, he had no problem removing Blaze and Maksim from existence. He'd appointed himself her champion and would follow through, even if it meant putting him at odds with all Carpathians.
She shook her head. "Blaze would never do anything to hurt me." But she didn't know that anymore. She couldn't be certain.
"Emeline. I have a need, not a want, to know why you're afraid all the time." Again, there was no inflection, but his gaze was very focused. "There is a difference and this is no idle question."
Somehow, it was easier because his voice was so soft, almost gentle, as if he wasn't judging her. She sank into the chair by the window. She was exhausted. He had to be even more so. "If I tell you the truth, you'll want me thrown out of the compound. Vadim will get to me. This is the only safe place I have." The truth came out in a hurried rush.
"You are under my protection, woman. I do not give that lightly. I do not take it back just because circumstances are difficult."
She believed him. He was . . . extraordinary. He might sound arrogant and look even more so, but he was an unusual man and he deserved the truth. He had to know who he had committed to protecting. She didn't want to tell him. She didn't want him to look at her with contempt. She wouldn't blame him, but she didn't want to see it in his eyes. In such a short time, she felt as if she knew him more than she'd ever known--or trusted--anyone. That in itself was strange. She didn't trust many people.
"I'm Vadim's lifemate." She just said it. Aloud. Feeling sick, disgusted. She couldn't look away from him, waiting for condemnation.
Dragomir stared at her for a long time. "Woman, you're insane." He gave her what he must have thought was a faint smile, shaking his head as if she amused him. His smile was a very indistinct curve of his lower lip.
She blinked. She'd expected all sorts of reactions, but that was not one of them. She tried a scowl. She'd never been particularly good at scowling, but then until recently, she hadn't been great at weeping, either, and now she was a faucet that couldn't seem to be turned off. "I just told you that I'm Vadim's lifemate, and you're telling me I'm insane. Do you know how difficult it was to admit that to you?"
"What do you know of lifemates?"
She wished he would do something. He stood leaning against the door, looking far too pale, and it occurred to her the healer wouldn't have bothered arguing with him. Gary Daratrazanoff had told him he needed to go to ground, an unnecessary comment--unless the healer was directing it toward her. He expected her to convince Dragomir to go to ground. She couldn't convince him of the truth, let alone of something that was good for him.
"Blaze told me that when a Carpathian male is born, his soul is split and the other half is put into his lifemate's keeping. She will be born again and again if he fails to find her."
"And knowing this you realize there can only be one lifemate. The soul fits together when the ritual binding words are spoken by the male."
"Yes, that is my understanding."
"So if I said the ritual binding words to you, they wouldn't work."
She nodded.
"Did Vadim say them to you?"
He looked so invincible standing there, but she could see he was exhausted. She scooted to the end of the couch and patted it. "Please come and sit down."
"Did Vadim say the ritual binding words to you?"
Her hand crept defensively to her throat. "He said . . . did . . . horrible things. I don't remember any words he spoke to me. I fought him. Everything he did hurt me." She could barely tell him that much, her voice a whisper of raw horror.
Something flickered across his face but the expression was so fleeting she couldn't catch it. "It is impossible for Vadim to be your lifemate no matter what he said or did."
She shook her head. "I know that he is." She was so ashamed. Blaze and Charlotte both had wonderful men. Her lifemate was one of the worst vampires in the history of the Carpthian world. He'd done terrible things, killed countless men and women. Killed children. Fed live children to his puppets. He was the worst nightmare visited on earth in the form of a monster, and she was his othe
r half.
"You are my lifemate, Emeline." He proclaimed it softly, but the vow carried, resonated deep inside her.
She gasped. "No. Don't you dare sacrifice yourself for me or think that will keep everyone from throwing me out. No. I'm going to tell Tariq. I just needed time to come to terms with having to leave the protection of this place. I've already put those children in jeopardy . . ."
He straightened from where he'd been leaning lazily against the door. One swift, almost brutal movement. Fierce anger stamped pure aggression onto his face. "Those children put you and every other person living in this compound in jeopardy. They are spoiled and lack discipline. I will have a word with Tariq about them, but that is for another time."
"Those children are victims--"
"Vadim nearly reacquired you," he interrupted. "If you thought your life was hell the first time, you would come to know that it wasn't even close."
She shuddered. "I am prepared to confess to Tariq. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of me. Thank you for standing up for me and for the fact that you are so willing to continue, to say to others that you're my lifemate. I appreciate that more than I can say but--"
"So you have no objection if I attempt to bind you to me with the ritual words. My soul to yours, understanding it cannot possibly work if we are not true lifemates. With the full understanding that if it did work, you would be bound to me for all eternity."
She patted the couch again. "If you lie down right here and rest, then you can say the words to me and see for yourself that they won't work."
"Your hair is black. A true black. No Carpathian can see a true black once he is beyond his two hundredth year. In my case, it was even before that. He only sees color if he is in the presence of his lifemate and hears her voice."
She was very self-conscious of her tangled hair, and he seemed a bit obsessed with her hair. "I think you're overwrought. Please come and sit down. The healer made it clear you need to be in the ground. I know he couldn't have possibly given you enough blood, and I can't give it to you because my blood is . . . tainted." It was Vadim's blood mixed with a Carpathian's, one he'd held prisoner for a long, long time. Vadim's blood burned and his parasites spread through her body, burning and torturing her, trying to force her obedience to their master. She wasn't about to share her blood with him.
His eyebrow shot up. "Overwrought?" He repeated the word slowly as if he'd never heard it before. "Woman, a Carpathian hunter cannot possibly get overwrought. I just want to give you every possible opportunity to say you do not want me to bind you to me. I know you are my lifemate. I am ancient, and I do not always understand your modern world or the way women act toward their men. I believe it is my duty and privilege, my honor, to make you happy, but I am not certain I am capable of it when I believe strongly that my woman follows where I lead."
She patted the couch again. She wasn't about to say she thought he was delirious on top of everything else. He needed blood and he was obviously exhausted. He'd appointed himself her guardian and protector, but he was stubborn as hell. His duty, privilege and honor to protect her? Even knowing she was Vadim's lifemate? She changed tactics.
"Dragomir, please come and lie down on the couch. Just for a few minutes. If you need to slay dragons for me, you can do it later. Although I love those dragons. Ever since the children got them, I've secretly wanted one. I love the idea of having the freedom of soaring in the sky." She smoothed her palm over the cushions. "Please."
His gaze drifted over her face. His eyes were a strange amber most of the time, but right then, they were pure gold. Burning hot, molten gold framed with black eyelashes that were far too long for a man to have. He crossed the room to the sofa and took her at her word, shocking her by stretching out, his head in her lap.
Her breath caught in her throat. It was one thing to have his head resting on her thighs when he was asleep, another when he was awake. It felt . . . intimate.
"You are most certainly not Vadim's lifemate, Emeline," he said, closing his eyes as if he was so weary he couldn't keep them open one moment longer. "You are mine."
Her heart stuttered at his proclamation. For the first time, there was a bite in his voice, as if no one had better try to take her from him. She wanted the fantasy. This man. One who would want her when she looked like a hag from a horror film. One determined to save the lifemate of a master vampire conspiring to take over the world.
The healer had cleaned the blood from him and repaired his clothing, but even with the hours of work, Dragomir still looked as if he'd been in an epic battle. She couldn't help but smooth back the hair falling around his face. "I wish that was true, Dragomir, but we both know it isn't. I would know. I dream about things that happen. I would know." She knew she couldn't have a man like Dragomir--someone with courage and integrity. She was lost to that world. Lost to any world where there was a good man.
He angled his head and opened his eyes. Her heart jolted. Pure liquid gold blazed at her. "I do not want you to be upset when the ritual works and you are bound to me. I am giving you fair warning. I know binding you to me will work."
"I would be honored to be your lifemate, Dragomir," she said, being honest. "Thank you for saving the children. And me." The last wobbled a little. He had kept her from Vadim. That was worth everything to her. Watching him fight for them, for her and the children, bending his shoulders and back to shelter the two youngest from the horrific burning threads falling from the sky had been so humbling. He was the most courageous man she'd ever known. She was a stranger to him and she knew ancients rarely associated with humans, yet he'd been the one to come for her. To save her.
His unblinking gaze searched her face as if looking for hidden traps. "Te avio palafertiilam. You are my lifemate." He reached up and took her hand, pressing it against his chest, right over his heart. His fingers began to move in slow caresses over her bare skin. "Entolam kuulua, avio palafertiilam. I claim you as my lifemate."
Emeline felt a shiver go through her. Her body felt hot in comparison to his. That worried her. She knew he needed to be in the healing soil, and the fact that he refused to do so made her anxious beyond her comprehension. "Dragomir," she whispered his name. Fearing for him. "Please do as the healer asked."
"Shh . . . Listen to the words I say to you. First, in my language, the ancient language of my people, and then in your language so you understand the enormity of the sacred vows I am saying to you. I am tying us together. Giving you my heart and soul and body. I will take into my keeping your heart and soul and body. You will be safe with me."
His fingers tightened around hers, his thumb still moving until she felt that caress go right through her skin straight to her heart. He had an effect on her she didn't understand. When he spoke his language, his voice was deep, the timbre commanding, vibrating through her body as if he was striking chords in her that were already prearranged and tuned immediately to that frequency. Bonded with him. She was so susceptible. She wanted every single thing he said to be true--but she knew it was impossible.
"Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed. I belong to you. Elidamet andam. I offer my life for you."
Tears welled up again. The words were so beautiful. He couldn't do that, of course, but she understood why Blaze was so enamored with Maksim. Dragomir brought her hand to his mouth, his lips moving over the center of her palm as he kept declaring his vows to her.
"Pesamet andam. I give you my protection."
He'd already given her his protection, and he was so torn up, his body ripped to pieces, yet he refused to take care of himself, refused to go into the healing earth as he should have. She felt the words go right through her skin, his lips brushing the center of her palm, so that his vow sank into her veins. Her blood carried them straight to her heart.
"Uskolfertiilamet andam. I give you my allegiance. Sivamet andam. I give you my heart. Sielamet andam. I give you my soul."
She couldn't stop the tears trickling down her face. Her throat felt raw. Her lungs b
urned for air. What man could give a woman such a vow and mean it? She could hear absolute honesty in his voice. She wanted him for herself with every breath she took, but he deserved so much more. She was a mess. A terrible, hot mess. A man like Dragomir had no business tying himself to her, even if it was only in his mind.
"Ainamet andam. I give you my body. Sivamet kuuluak kaik etta a ted. I take into my keeping the same that is yours."
That lower lip curved again into his almost smile, and she couldn't help it, she had to touch it with the pad of her finger. A light caress. The compulsion was so strong there was no stopping that little stroke, but his gaze jumped to hers and she fell into all that hot burning gold.
"You have a beautiful body, sivamet, and, although mine is a bit torn up right now, I assure you, I will take proper care of you. All the time."
Her heart skipped a beat and then began to gallop. What was she thinking sitting here with this decent, honorable man? She made a move to slide out from under him, thinking to run, to keep him from knowing the worst. He thought he knew the worst, but he didn't.
Dragomir rolled onto his side and clamped his arm around her thighs. "Stay still. Listen to me, Emeline. Every word must be said to you."
She shook her head. "Don't. Don't, Dragomir. Not because I don't want it to be true. I do. Every single part of me is saying this is the most beautiful moment of my life, but you can't think to throw away your life. I won't let you. There's Genevieve . . ." She broke off. She'd want to kill Genevieve if the woman came near Dragomir. That knowledge shocked her. Already, just because he'd said his vows as if they truly belonged, she wanted it so badly that a part of her was believing he was hers.
"Ainaak olenszal sivambin. Your life will be cherished by me for all time. Te elidet ainaak pide minan. Your life will be placed above mine for all time. Te avio palafertiilam. You are my lifemate." His thumb slid down the tracks of her tears. "Did you understand me, Emeline? You are my lifemate, not Genevieve. No other woman can possibly be. There is only you for me."
She took a deep breath and let it out. She wasn't going to dissuade him, and he desperately needed to go to ground and heal. If she didn't agree with him, tell him the things he thought he wanted to hear, he would stay there until the sun came up. She stroked a soothing caress over his hair. That beautiful head of salt and pepper that flowed like a waterfall to his waist. She'd never been fond of long hair on a man, but it didn't detract from his fierce warrior persona. Neither did his long lashes or that lower lip she was beginning to fixate on.