Dark Curse 19 Read online

  She caught images of several boys falling from the sky at alarming rates of speed from alarming heights, each struggling to shift right before hitting the ground. Each boy tried to beat the time of the one who had gone before. It was a dizzying, frightening scene.Your poor mother. Five crazy sons. I didn't think about what raising a Carpathian child would be like –especially a boy.

  The thing she found the most interesting was that the oldest boy in the memory was already a man in human years. She could tell by Nicolas's recollection that they were still fun-loving children, yet they looked grown.

  Flying is the best feeling in the world, soaring high, riding a thermal, diving through the clouds. I had forgotten the pure joy I had as a child until you came into my life. I will take you this next

  rising if you like.

  She could hear the joy in his voice-felt the emotion pouring into her mind, allowing her to experience some of what he was feeling. She hadn't ever felt like he had. Her earliest memory was of her aunts whispering to her, trying to console, disembodied voices, she thought for a long time were in her own head.

  That would be fun. Who wouldn't want to go flying?

  Lara pressed further into his mind, huddling there for a moment, basking in those long-ago, forgotten moments with him. She caught glimpses of other things. Something dark and grotesque moving fast out of the trees toward him. His eldest brother, Zacarias, calling out a warning, calling out instructions even as he raced to place himself between Nicolas and the monstrous being rushing from the trees.

  Lara gasped and drew back.What was that ?

  Vampire. Nicolas injected a soothing note into his voice. He was still a good distance from her and needed to find sustenance before dawn broke.My first kill. We were teaching Riordan, my youngest brother, shifting on the run and the undead attacked me. I was a distance from my brothers. I think he thought I had detected his presence, but he was a huge surprise. I barely escaped with my life. Zacarias gave me instructions while I was fighting him off and I managed to destroy him before he got to us, but you would have thought I was the only hunter in the world that day. I was stuck on my own importance . He injected a little laughter into his voice.

  To Nicolas, Lara felt…frightened or maybe it was edgy, he couldn't put his finger on her sudden withdrawal, but that brief glimpse of a vampire had triggered something in her mind. He didn't like that she was alone in the cave with what could possibly be another flashback of her childhood. Something-and he was fairly certain it was the parasites-had brought long buried memories to the forefront. Now that the barrier had gone, he suspected she would be able to remember pieces of her past.

  I will be there soon. He didn't want her to feel alone, not ever again.

  Below him, a farmer crossed a small pasture to a makeshift barn. In the body of an owl, Nicolas changed his flight, circling to make certain the man was alone and there was no danger, scanning the region for the dead spots that might indicate there was a vampire present, before beginning his descent.

  Lara sank back into the water, puzzling out why she felt so edgy when only moments earlier she had felt safe and cocooned in a world of heat and aromatic fragrances. This cave was far different from the ice cave. She often caught glimpses of her past-secret little vignettes of a shivering, terrified child, listening to the ominous crack of ice weighted with tremendous pressure. Everything in her memories was cold and barren and frightening. Here, she felt protected and safe, the world sparkling with gems and soft lights, yet…

  Nicolas drew her to him with the sound of his voice, low and sexy and so commanding. His physical beauty, intensely male, the burning possession in his black eyes, the force of his personality totally focused on her was all a little overwhelming and thrilling. Even his childhood memories-they were beautiful, the laughter, the camaraderie, everything she'd ever wanted. There was a brightness in all the boys.

  A chill ran down her spine.Until the vampire had come out of that forest and attacked Nicolas .

  She stood up once again in the shimmering pool, her arms crossed over her breasts, her heart beating too fast. Darkness in Nicolas had risen to meet the vampire. There had been nothing at all bright in Nicolas at that moment. That dark blotch grew and spread, consuming him until she couldn't tell hunter or the undead apart. As if alive, as if a separate entity, the darkness in him had leapt forward, eagerly reaching for the hunt-for the kill. There had been no hesitation, not on his part. Even as that shiny young boy he had embraced that rising darkness, losing himself in it as he rushed to meet the attacking vampire.

  She pressed her fingertips to the strange birthmark low on her body, the dragon that warned her when a vampire was near. Earlier, when she had first encountered Nicolas, the dragon had gone hot and cold. Nicolas had triggered the warning with the darkness in him. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her heart slamming now so hard she could see the rise and fall of her breasts, feel a choking in her throat. Remembering that same flash of hot and cold, mixed signals that frightened her as much or more than a steady burn. Her father had often produced that same odd, faulty response whenever she was close to him.

  Her pulse thundered in her ears, heart hammering so loud she could barely hear the water pouring from the wall. What was wrong with her? Her stomach lurched and she staggered, her wrist, throat and neck burning painfully. Nicolas appeared charming, but what did she really know of him? He hadn't argued with her. He had even been polite when she'd shoved a knife in his ribs, but she really knew nothing at all about him.

  Terror welled up. She had lived life with humans, good-natured, uncomplicated, genuinely nice people for the most part. No, they hadn't understood that lost child and they'd given her from family to family, continually on the move, but they had cared for her basic needs and no one had tried to use her for their own gain. She had almost forgotten a world of deceit, of betrayal, of kill or be killed.

  She reached out again tentatively, the lightest of touches, her mind seeking his. At once she was consumed by hunger, by the need for blood. She heard the ebb and flow of life surging and pounding as a farmer hauled a calf from a cow's laboring body. She heard the heartbeat, steady and strong, scented the good health, a large masculine physique toweling off the calf while murmuring to the cow. She crept closer, scenting the blood from the birth. It only added to the need building in her, the hunger raging now, taking a hold and directing her. She ran her tongue along her teeth, and felt a lengthening and sharpness just past her incisors. Her heartbeat increased, began to take on the rhythm of the unsuspecting farmer bent over the cow.

  Merged with Nicolas, she felt the smooth, silent glide, stalking prey. A dog tried to bark, but Nicolas/she stopped it with one quick, commanding flick of a hand. Adrenaline rushed through her. She felt the movement in her veins, a high like no other. Blood thundered in her pulse, roared in her ears. Then she was on him, that one moment of recognition, the heart rate jumping, the mind rebelling, only to be taken over completely by Nicolas-by her.

  Ultimate power. Life or death. Teeth sank deep and the rich taste burst through her, into her, filling organs and tissue with strength and energy. Lara gasped and pulled her mind away, stumbling through the water toward the rocks where she could steady herself.

  Need and hunger poured through her body, overwhelming with its intensity. She fought it back, but knew, once that need was there, only blood would satisfy it. He had awakened the one thing in her she had always tried desperately to suppress.

  Nicolas was taking blood from a human being. Using that person as cattle. Worse, he was controlling his victim's mind and he'd done it without using spells and potions. He was that

  powerful.

  Her wrist ached and burned. She looked down and saw her flesh torn open-chewed-as if teeth had gnawed and ripped. Blood splashed onto the boulders and droplets hit the pool. Her neck ached where Nicolas had sunk his teeth into her and she covered the spot with her palm. It came away smeared with blood. The illusion was so strong she stared in
horror before she realized it was illusion.

  Slowly, Lara looked around the cave. How had she let this happen? No matter warm and beautiful, a prison was still a prison. A predator was still a predator. She'd been mesmerized by him. She'd recognized the danger in him from the start, but somehow he'd made those concerns vanish from her mind. Was he controlling her? Manipulating her mind?

  Shivering, Lara staggered out of the pool, looking around for something to dry herself off with. Where had she planned to sleep? In the ground with him? On the bed with him? With him? Why hadn't she even considered that? She wasn't stupid, yet she'd followed him here without question or protest. What woman would go off alone with a stranger for the night where no one knew where she was? Nicolas De La Cruz exuded sex from every pore. His walk, the roll of his shoulders, the dark eyes burning so intensely-he was a sexual man and she was sure he didn't expect to sleep in a bed with a woman without possessing her body.

  Lara dragged on her clothes, heedless of the way the material stuck to her still damp skin. Panic rose, and she spun around, determined to find the way out. He'd given her directions-were they real?

  Do not be foolish, Lara. The sun is rising. I will be there soon and we can discuss this calmly. You are merely having a panic attack and there is no reason for it.

  The calm voice grated on her nerves. He was condescending and arrogant. She had every reason to panic. Any sane woman would have done so a long time ago. Using the directions in her mind, she sprinted out of the glistening chamber into a long corridor.

  I forbid you to risk yourself. Wait for me.

  This time that thin veneer of civilization cracked and she could feel the edge to his voice. Her stomach lurched. She gasped and pushed herself harder, increasing her speed, using her night vision in the dark confines of the cave. She couldn't think about how deep she was or the maze of tunnels that ran miles beneath the mountain. The only objective had to be to get out as fast as she could. She rounded a corner and the corridor divided into two paths.

  The air is heavy in the cave, difficult to breathe, to run fast. Each step is harder. You are sinking into sand, your legs heavy. You are so tired, Lara. Why not sit and rest. Your mind is confused and the directions are fading from your memory.

  The voice was low and insidious, filling her head, the compulsion spreading through her body. She stumbled, confused, and halted, twisting this way and that.

  It is becoming difficult to see in the dark. You should stay still.

  Stop it! «Stop it!» Lara repeated, shouted aloud.

  Her voice echoed through the caverns, disturbing returning bats. The creatures took to the air, wheeling and fluttering, thousands of them, filling the spaces around her. It was difficult to breathe, and impossible

  to move. She stood there, trembling, waiting, held prisoner by the mesmerizing voice. She felt the surge of power in the chamber heralding his arrival, and the bats immediately renewed their aerial acrobatic performance.

  Lara forced herself to take a breath. She had to resist him. She could see in the dark. She was unafraid of bats. The earth pressing down on her didn't bother her, yet here she was cowering in the cavern, afraid to move, her body feeling clunky, leaden.

  I am mage. I am Dragonseeker. You will have to do more than trick me with your voice, Carpathian. Fury burned through her, scorching the shackles of compulsion into ashes.

  I can do much more. Do not arouse the demon in me, Lara. Dawn is breaking. The sun is rising.

  He was close. She sensed him coming closer. Tilting her chin, she called energy to her, lifting her arms and clearing her mind, accepting the power so that her hair crackled and a faint glow threw the cave into soft light, agitating the bats more.

  Those that fly and are of the night, protect me now with winged flight. Gather together, become as one, remove yourselves with the rising sun.

  The bats circled, fast and tight, the ball growing larger as they obeyed her command, rising upward and streaming toward a recess in the dark cavern. Lara struck hard at Nicolas, sensing his weakness with the rising sun, retaliating with another spell.

  Whispering voice inside my head, I fear you not, nor your leaden web. Voice that seduces, whispers and binds, I return the intent to thine own mind. Let the words stop and take away, that which would hinder or hamper my way.

  The moment the last words left her mind, she was on the move, running fast, throwing up barriers and shields in her mind, to prevent Nicolas access. He tore each wall down easily, shredding her defenses as fast as she built them. Each time he penetrated into her mind, he sent compulsions to slow her step, to misdirect her the wrong way, confuse her so that she thought she was disoriented and she retaliated with more spells to counter each thing he did.

  She fought him every step of the way, aware as she did, of his enormous power, of how he held back when he could have crushed her resistance. Instead of giving her confidence, his restraint only added to her fears. What did he want from her? Her Dragonseeker blood? She knew it ran strong in her veins, rich and filled with energy and power and immortality. Her father had told her many times how valuable and unique the strength in her blood was. Her great-grandfather had stalked her repeatedly, his grotesque body crawling with worms, rotting flesh sloughing off as he pursued her in an effort to claim her blood for himself.

  Now, here in the cave, she felt the same terror blossoming as she ran, her heart pounding too hard, and she could smell the strong odor of decomposing flesh. She gagged, a sob welling up, as she threw one look over her shoulder to see if the old man again pursued her.

  Shadows moved. A hand stretched out, closer and closer. She felt hot breath on her skin, her neck. The twin marks over her pulse throbbed. Was Nicolas creating an illusion, twisting buried memories? Was he despicable enough to do such a thing? Or was Xavier really there, chasing her through the underground passages?

  He is not there. Your mind is playing tricks on you because you are allowing yourself to panic. I would never use your memories against you. He is not there. Nicolas would not allow her to be so terrified, remembering the monsters chasing her in ice caves.

  She didn't know what was true or what wasn't, nor did it matter anymore. She had to be free. Lara redoubled her efforts. She was betting on the fact that she could be out in the early morning sun with little repercussions. A sunburn. A few blisters. Her eyes would burn and bother her for a few days, but surely a Carpathian as old, with a soul as dark as Nicolas's, would have to seek cover before she would. She had to make it to the entrance and find her way to the village.

  She could see, just ahead, a bloom of dim light. Her heart leapt. She was going to make it. Lara drew in a deep breath and pushed herself to go faster. Her lungs burned. Her throat hurt, her legs cramped. There was a stitch in her side. She pressed her palm there and forced her body forward. The entrance was wide and rounded, mostly rock shaping the way in. Light spilled a few feet into the corridor, illuminating the narrowing tunnel.

  Lara stepped into the pool of light just feet from the opening. A shadow fell over her. A tall dark man with wide shoulders filled the entrance, blocking her exit. Nicolas stood there, his body still, arms folded across his chest, his jaw tight, mouth cruel, eyes as black as night, burning with some inner fire that threatened to consume her.

  Lara halted abruptly a few feet from him, a roaring in her ears and a vice around her heart. Guilt edged her mind, but she refused to accept it. «I want to leave. Get out of my way.»

  «Where would you go when the sun has already risen?» The question was issued in a mild voice, yet it carried the sting of a lash.

  He was furious. She could feel anger radiating off of him, although his expression remained blank and his voice quiet.

  She lifted her chin. «I have a room at the inn.»

  «Which is occupied at the moment. It would be dangerous for you to go there and you are very aware of that. Also, the inn is a great distance away and you would burn in the sunlight. You cannot shift without me and
risking your life getting off this mountain is ludicrous when there is no reason for it.»

  «I want to leave this place.»

  «We will leave together in the evening when it is safe to do so. For now, I brought food and drink for you.»

  «I've said I want to leave.» Lara's hand fluttered to her neck, her palm shielding the twin marks over her pulse. She could feel his mouth there, his breath warm-no-hot, the brush of his lips, soft and sensuous against her skin.

  «You are obviously not thinking clearly, Lara,» Nicolas answered. «It is dangerous for you to leave. I cannot allow you to place yourself in harm's way.»

  «That isn't your choice,» Lara snapped. She detested that he sounded rational while she was beginning to sound hysterical. This was madness, yet he stood there, real and solid, preventing her from leaving the cave-just as she'd been prevented as a child. She fought down panic, determined to try to be

  reasonable in an unreasonable situation.