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the father of all life. Already new life was struggling to take hold, small buds pushing through the soil,
seeking the moisture of the storm.
Darius had the foul stench of the monster in his nostrils and was prepared to follow him all the way back
to his lair.
Back off, Darius. This is no amateur. Do not follow him to his lair. He will be far stronger there.
Darius did not acknowledge Julian's softly spoken advice. He streaked through the sky after the fading
trail of droplets. Julian swore beneath his breath in several languages, knowing full well that Darius could
hear him. He had no choice but to allow the family leader to accompany him. The vampire might flee to
avoid this confrontation, but if cornered, he would be extremely dangerous. Julian knew this vampire
more intimately than most, knew him to be an ancient of great power. And ancients were never easy to
destroy.
Julian? Desari's musical voice flowed into his mind to warm him.Where are you going? I feel your
worry .
That arrogant brother of yours is more stubborn than anyone I have ever met, and that includes
Gregori. He insists on chasing the undead back to its lair.
Darius is a tremendous fighter. There was a wealth of confidence in Desari's voice.He would never
leave a vampire alive that has shown itself to him. How could he do other ?
He could lure it out into the open, away from its lair, on the next rising. It is wounded, my love,
and angry that it was thwarted in its attempt to acquire Syndil. It knows me and is afraid. Fear in
these creatures only increases their cunning. Now it is returning to its place of safety. A vampire's
lair is one of the most dangerous places on earth. I have cautioned Darius, but I cannot leave him
alone to battle when I know he is moving into a trap.
Julian was winging his way through the air fast, hard on the tail feathers of Darius. The rain had slowed to
a steady drizzle, but the air felt heavy and thick. Julian shook his head at the foolishness of what they
were doing. Darius believed in the straightforward approach. At the same time, he was a lethal
adversary, one fully committed to destroying an enemy even if it meant his own life. Julian understood,
but through long experience he had learned to pick his battles. Darius had to attack anything threatening
those under his protection, but some part of him was urging him to fight to the death, wanting to take the
vampire with him to eternal rest.
The idea of losing Darius left Desari raw with fear. And Julian found he could not bear Desari's fear. He
felt the presence of evil, the thick air surrounding them making it difficult to think. It was a common trick
used by the undead to buy time. Julian simply directed his body on his instincts, trusting himself and his
own strength and power.
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Darius had often come up against the same snare, the effort to slow them down. He charged forward in
a direct flight to catch up to their enemy.
The attack came without warning from behind both of them, two experienced hunters unprepared for the
hurtling spear that zeroed in on the shadow in Julian like a heat-seeking missile. Neither knew whether it
was Desari's cry of fear as she launched herself skyward or their own instincts, but as Julian turned to
face whatever was threatening him from behind, Darius, flying slightly above and ahead, plummeted to
place his body between his sister's lifemate and the incoming spear.
The streamlined weapon the vampire had fashioned was well made and deadly. It sliced through flesh
and bone, catching Darius's body, imprisoned within the bird, just below the heart.
Dayan! Without conscious thought, Julian took over the leadership, calling the other Carpathian to their
aid, then racing to catch Darius's body as it fell from the sky, at the same time searching around him for
the vampire who had suddenly turned the tables and was now in the far better position to escape or
attack.Desari, breathe for him, now. Take a breath. I need you calm. Breathe for him, and keep
him alive. The spear sliced his heart, and he had no choice but to cease breathing on his own.
Merge with him and bind him to us . Julian gave the order as a healer. He had learned much of the
ancient art by watching Gregori, the Dark One, Darius and Desari's brother and blood kin, their people's
healer.
Dayan .reached them, cradling Darius in midflight, leaving Julian free to guard them as they raced toward [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]