Dark Celebration (25 page)

A whip of lightning streaked from the sky to incinerate the heart. The lightning separated at the last moment, forming two tendrils to strike at the vampire while it also hit the heart. Noxious fumes filled the air and black smoke rose, along with the wailing shriek that faded along with the vapor.

In the ensuing silence, Skyler heard her heart thundering overly loud in her ears. She lifted her face to meet Dimitri's eyes, and her heart abruptly skipped a beat. He looked so strong—so invincible. His eyes were so cold, so blue, yet they burned through her skin to her bones, branding her. He moved and she blinked, the mesmerizing spell broken. Skyler backed away from him, his anger washing over her in waves. The force was so powerful she hunched, nearly driven to her knees. A sound of distress escaped her throat, instantly drawing his intent gaze to her pounding pulse.

At once the anger was gone. He held out his hand. "Come here to me. You're injured. Don't be afraid, Skyler. I couldn't harm you, no matter the circumstances."

She swallowed hard and stepped back another step, her mouth going dry as he crooked his finger at her. Why couldn't she scream for Gabriel or Francesca? They were her lifelines when terror invaded and her spirit retreated. Physically, she was incapable of running away from him. She had learned a long time ago that all that brought was swift reprisal. She could be beaten into physical submission, but her mind could go where no other could follow. She could stay safe, huddled far away in a place inside her mind.

Dimitri could see stark fear in his lifemate's eyes. Every vestige of color drained from her face, leaving her so pale her skin looked translucent. The anger he was holding in check receded as protective instincts he didn't know he had rose sharp and fast. He wanted to gather her into his arms and shelter her there, but he could actually feel her soul shying away from the wild need in his. He had never imagined anyone could be so fragile. Approaching her called for a finesse he wasn't certain he possessed.

"Listen to me, little one." He made a supreme effort to gentle his voice. He was rarely around people and his throat felt rusty. "You shouldn't have had to witness that. The killing of a vampire is always a messy and violent business. I want only to heal the burns on your skin. Will you allow me to do so?"

She didn't answer, simply stared at him numbly.

His heart shifted in his chest. "If I frighten you too badly, I will call Francesca to you. She is a great healer, but it must be done soon. Vampire blood burns like acid. This one had recently turned or it wouldn't have been so easy to…" He hesitated wanting to avoid the word "kill." "Destroy."

Skyler swallowed several times. "How?" The word came out barely a whisper.

He touched her mind, found her hands throbbed and burned. She looked as if she might faint, even felt faint in her mind.

"It won't hurt. I'll be very careful."

She took a deep breath as she lifted her chin and forced herself to take a step toward him. Her body trembled visibly. He could see the effort cost her dearly, but he was proud of her for the attempt. He didn't make the mistake of going to her. He was too tall, towering over her diminutive frame, and he knew it would only frighten her more if he moved. He waited, holding his breath still in his lungs, regulating his heartbeat to hers in an effort to help steady her. She took a second step and then a third, reaching out with both hands so he could see the streaks of acid burn where the vampire's blood had melted the material of her gloves. Her hands shook as she placed them in his open palms.

"Would you rather I call Francesca?"

She shook her head. "They don't know I followed the call of the wolf. They'll be angry with me." She raised her eyes to his. "Disappointed in me."

His
call. Inwardly, Dimitri swore. He had not bound her to him, but his blood—his heart—his very soul called to hers. Of course she had answered. No lifemate could resist her other half in need. And he needed her desperately. He closed his fingers around hers.

"I'll do this then. I cannot call down the lightning as you are not fully Carpathian, so I must use my own healing powers. It can feel—intimate. You'll have to trust that I am not taking advantage, but only doing what is necessary."

He lowered his head, inch by slow inch, giving her plenty of time to change her mind. His gaze held hers captive, refusing to allow her to look away from the familiar act he was performing on her. His lips moved along the streaks, feather light, just skimming, brushing small caresses over the burns. His tongue stroked, velvet soft. She jumped and nearly pulled her hand away. Instinctively he tightened his fingers, holding her skin against his lips.

Surely you know our saliva heals.

Skyler nodded, still unable to pull her gaze from the deep blue of his.
It doesn't feel the same as when Francesca or Gabriel have healed cuts on me. It feels
… Intimate. Too intimate. Sexy. Erotic even. Faint color stole into her cheeks at her thoughts. She couldn't control the rush of heat in her bloodstream, or the way her womb clenched in anticipation when his lips touched another long burn. She was so mesmerized by him, she didn't even notice she'd used the most intimate form of speech of all—mind-to-mind on a private path only the two of them shared.

His tongue swirled, taking the sting from the burns. It felt like seduction—and as if he were stealing away more than the pain. She could see every detail of his face, the strong jaw and nose, the shape of his mouth, most of all, those glacier-blue eyes she couldn't escape. His lashes were heavy and very black, just as his hair and brows were. The color of his eyes was more dramatic, more intensely alive, with the contrast. She felt almost dizzy, as if she were falling into his intent gaze.

She drew air deep into her lungs and found his scent. Her heart matched the rhythm of his. Her mind actually relaxed its guard and allowed him to slip inside. His soul brushed up against hers. He didn't push, or take, merely touched, so light she barely felt it, barely felt the merging, her soul reaching instinctively, yearning for his—for him.

She wanted to snatch her hand away, to tell him she'd have Francesca help her after all, but she couldn't. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life. In that brief moment there was no past or future, only this moment and this man.

Dimitri was careful to find every burn on her skin, every thread the vampire's blood had left behind. They could be like spoors, spawning the most malevolent things if not eradicated. Fortunately, the vampire had been one that was more recently turned and hadn't yet grown fully into the power of evil. Dimitri took his time, brushing the pad of his thumb along her inner wrist, savoring the feel of her skin and the fact that for this one small moment in time, she relaxed a little with him.

It was with great reluctance that he lifted his head and allowed her hands to slip through his fingers. "There. It is done."

"What about your wounds? I can't heal you."

"I can do that myself." But he couldn't breathe without her. He looked away from her before she glimpsed that in him—the need to gather her up and take her far away where she had no choice but to accept him. The beast struggled to rise, demanding its mate. Ruthlessly, he pushed it down. Nothing would mar this moment with her.

"I wanted to see you again. I needed to talk to you."

He bowed slightly from the waist and reached out with that same slow deliberation, giving her plenty of time to object. When she didn't, he tucked a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear. "I am at your service."

Her smile was tentative—an olive branch. "I needed to tell you that it isn't you. It's me. I know what a lifemate is and this is a mistake. I'm—flawed. I can't be like other women—not ever." She ducked her head, avoiding his gaze. His eyes just seemed so alive, almost burning her skin, yet so cold she shivered.

"It takes a great deal of courage, little one, to tell me these things. I thank you for making the effort." He kept his voice gentle, resisting the urge to drag her into his arms. She was utterly adorable standing there trying to reject him and not hurt his feelings. They were all wrong—Francesca and Gabriel and even Mikhail. She wasn't too young. Even now, when she should have been little more than a girl emerging from her childhood, he knew she was already an adult. His soul had brushed hers. She had been ripped from her childhood, and the young woman so close—so elusive—was simply too fragile. So beaten down, so sensitive with her enormous psychic talent—the atrocities committed against her had driven her spirit too deep, too far, and she was barely able to stay in the world. "Time will sort this out for us. In the meantime, allow me to escort you back to your home."

"Aren't you angry with me?"

"Because you are not yet ready for my claim?" He took her hand, his fingers warm and sure when she was so uncertain. "Of course not."

Snow plopped down from the nearest tree and both turned toward the sound. Branches swayed as a small owl took to the air, wings outstretched, body wobbling as it launched itself into the air. The screech owl dove straight at them.

Dimitri leapt to place his body between the creature and Skyler. He timed his attack, swatting the bird from the air even as she yelled, panic evident in her voice.

"No! It's Josef. It has to be Josef." She tried to get around Dimitri, her protective tone raising the hackles of the wolf, triggering the response of his beast at the idea that she would shield another man. He moved without seeming to do so, keeping her from rushing around him.

The owl shook, the movements jerky, arms breaking through where wings had been. It fell into the snow and a young man sprawled out, all arms and legs, looking slightly shocked and very scared, but determined. He scrambled to his feet, balled his fists, and glared at Dimitri. "Leave her alone."

Dimitri might have overcome the instinct of his species, but he felt Skyler's response to the stranger, the instant flash of amusement tinged with admiration. He bared his teeth, a snarl rumbling deep in his throat, a challenge to the other male. At once the small clearing was ringed with the pack, the wolves pacing, eyes glowing, answering his snarls with agitation and aggression to match his own. Fire burned in his mind, his heart, raged in his soul and was reflected in his eyes, now a fiery red.

Skyler tried to push past him, but he caught her arm, his grip like steel. "Who is this man to you?"

"My friend. Don't you dare hurt him." She would fight for Josef when she couldn't fight for herself.

The wolf pack bared teeth, edged closer, narrowing the circle. Skyler could make out the large shaggy animals, all in good health, all focused on Josef.

"You do not need to have male friends," Dimitri bit out, his strong white teeth flashing, showing a hint of his lengthened canines as well as incisors. His muscles rippled beneath his skin, crackling and popping as he fought off the change.

Frightened, Skyler began to back away from him again, sensing the wild rage rising, the animal taking over. But something, maybe desperation, pain, sorrow,
something
gave her pause. She touched him, her palm flat on his chest, looking up into his eyes. Even in the guise of a wolf, his eyes were always going to be blue, and right now they were turbulent and stormy. "Dimitri. He's a friend. Not a boyfriend." She shouldn't have to make excuses, but she couldn't stop wanting to soothe him. The need was every bit as urgent and strong as the desire to run.

He caught her hand, carried it to her lips and waved his hand to the slavering wolves. The circle opened reluctantly. "Go. Go now," he bit out, "while I'm still in control."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Skyler and Josef ran, careful not to touch each other, Skyler with a heavy heart and guilt clawing at her. She ran with tears streaming down her face wondering where they came from, feeling inadequate and a coward. She ran from Dimitri's pain and her own fears. Was there never going to be a safe refuge for her?

Chapter 10