Riordyn crashed through the trees, transformed from an owl into his human form, hit the ground and tumbled down a steep embankment. Wincing and groaning with every tiny movement, he dug his fingers into the rich soil, mixed it with his saliva and packed it into his wounds. Julian had done a good job tending to the wounds on his back, but he could still feel blood seeping through his shirt. If he was going to find Rafe and stop him from doing something unforgivable, he needed to feed first to regain his strength.
Once he'd finished tending to his injuries, he clutched hold of a thick tree root, and pulled himself to his feet. As quickly as he could manage, he found, or more precisely stumbled upon a group of campers. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, he actually tripped over a young man sleeping in a sleeping bag. The man struggled, but within a few moments, Riordyn had him completely under his thrall. He fed greedily on the man's blood and then after healing the bite marks on the man's throat, he moved on to the rest of the campers.
His strength restored, he shape shifted into a black wolf. Sniffing the air, he caught his brother's scent along with Bernard's. The stench of vampire hung thick in the air, more than just Bernard stalked the forest in search of prey.
Riordyn sent out a mental warning to his brother, but Rafe had closed himself off to everyone. Damn it, Rafe, don't you let them win! Don't give in to them! He bound through the forest, dodging around trees without making a sound. All the while he tried to make contact with Rafe, but when he couldn't break through the mental barrier his brother had constructed, he called out to Julian.
Julian, there are vampires in the woods – more than a few. I smell human death in the air, and I'm not certain if it was caused by Rafe or the others . . . it is not in my nature to ask for help, but for my brother I will make an exception.
As he listened for Julian's response he lifted his muzzle, sniffed the air again, and caught the strong scent of his brother's blood wafting through the air. If he waited for Julian's help, his brother might die. Worse still, if they weakened him enough, he might turn. Precious moments slipped by as he continued to wait for Julian to respond, but his cousin remained silent. Growling a curse at Julian for refusing to answer his call for help, he took off through the trees again, racing toward his brother's scent.
His paws dug deep into the earth, bringing him to an abrupt halt at the sound of his brother's weakened voice along with several other voices close by. Scanning the area, he searched for the best point of attack, and noticing a log wedged between two trees, he scaled it with ease. From his elevated height he saw his brother on his knees with vampires surrounding him on all sides.
"Do whatever you wish to me," Rafe rasped, struggling to catch his breath, "it is no more than I deserve for what I have done. But I will never be your lifemate."
In his weakened condition, Riordyn knew he didn't have the strength to take on so many vampires on his own. His brother looked no better, and even if he revealed himself, proving to Rafe he wasn't vampire, the odds would still not be in their favor. In desperation, he reached out to Genevieve. I need you, little one. I have found Rafe. He is badly injured, and I fear he will turn vampire if you do not convince Julian and Aiden – He drew in a sharp breath, his mental connection with Genevieve slipping away at the sight of Shayla circling around to stand in front of Rafe.
Unbidden memories flooding his mind, he lost control of his ability to remain in wolf form, and almost fell out of the tree as he returned to human form. Bile rose thick and hot in his throat, utter humiliation spreading through him, rocking him to his very core. While her minions watched and goaded her on, Shayla used his body while he was too broken and weak to fight back. His body trembled with rage and shame. From the horrified look in his brother's dark eyes, he knew they'd told Rafe about raping him. He buried it deep in the furthest niches of his mind, and willed himself to forget about it. Now his brother, the only person he cared about, knew the true extent of what the vampires had done to him.
Everything he's ever done was to protect his brother, the only family he had left. Now, for the first time in his very long life, he contemplated turning his back on his brother and running. The shame was more than he could bare, greeting the dawn the only way to end the stark pain now invading his mind, heart, and soul.
Eyes locked on the vampiress who defiled his body, he watched her grip a tighter hold of Rafe's hair, lower her head to his, and kiss him with her foul mouth. Rafe didn't struggle, didn't make a move to stop her even as she licked her blood from his lips.
"You see," she said as she lifted her head and smiled a wick triumphant smile, "he is easily tamed. My blood courses through his veins – he is mine. My lifemate."
"You must take his blood, sister," Bernard reminded her, resting a hand on her bony shoulder. "He is not yet fully one of us."
Sickened by the thought of Shayla using Rafe as she had used him, Riordyn crept out further on the thick snaking branch. He sought his brother's tormented gaze, silently willing Rafe to raise his head and look at him. Rafe, do not let her do this to you, my brother. He waited, watching for any sign that his brother heard him. So consumed by the thought of what he'd done, Rafe stared straight ahead unblinking. Hear me, brother, I am not dead. Your lifemate lives. She is in need of you – you will not let yourself be turned.
"Tell me, my love, how did it feel to kill your lifemate and brother at my command?" Shayla taunted mercilessly, kneeling in front of Rafe. Tucking her bony skeletal fingers beneath his chin, she tilted his head to the side, exposing the pulsing vein in his throat. "Did she die cursing your name?"
"She died knowing I was vampire," Rafe muttered brokenly. Blood leaked from the deep gashes and bite marks littering his skin. Hatred and self loathing, colored his tone when he growled, "Get it over with, Shayla. Make me your own."
"Say please." She laughed against his throat, and the other vampires joined in, their hideous laughter echoing through the woods.
Riordyn pushed forward, leaning out as far as he could on the sturdy branch. Do not let them take your pride along with everything else, Rafe. For all Rafe had done to protect their people, no one was coming to his aid when he needed it the most. Hatred for all Carpathians swelled within his chest.
Rafe lifted his head slightly, his dark eyes flickering over Riordyn for the briefest of moments. "Please," he uttered to the growing laughter of the vampires.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy training you to please me."
Shayla's needlelike fangs grazed along the pulse in Rafe's throat. Her teeth moved back and forth against his skin. Once. Twice. Then suddenly before her fangs ripped through his flesh, his hand shot outward, driving hard into her chest through bone and rotted tissue. Riordyn leapt from his precarious position on the branch, knocking Bernard and another vampire to the ground.
Blackened blood spilled over Rafe's arm, burning his flesh. Thick vines snaked along the ground at Shayla's command, coiling around his legs and slithering up his body. Shrieking in rage, she tore at his flesh with clawed nails. His hand drove further until his fingers wrapped around her fetid heart.
Lightning forked across the sky, thunder rumbling the earth beneath them. Two lesser vampires rushed to Shayla's aid, clawing deep into Rafe's back as she dug her nails into his face.
A jagged lightning bolt slammed into the tree Riordyn occupied only moments prior. It blew apart in an explosion of bright light and fire, thick sharp splinters propelling through the air to slam into the vampires attacking Riordyn. Their screams pierced the night. Riordyn took advantage of the diversion, slamming his fist into the nearest vampire's chest to yank out its heart. Crimson droplets beaded on his brow, dripping into his eyes as he struggled to free the heart from the vampire.
The other vampires, catching the scent of his powerful blood, went into a fierce frenzy, attacking him as he ripped the heart from the vampire's chest. Gathering his dwindling strength, he called down a lightning bolt, threw the blackened heart into the air, and watched as the brilliant bolt of light blew it apart. Not giving him a chance to savor his momentary victory, the others knocked him to the ground, and tore into his flesh.
"Riordyn!" Rafe shouted, eyes widening in horror as they briefly locked on Riordyn.
Lost beneath the pile of vampires, Riordyn struggled against the darkness threatening to close in on him. His vision swam, shifting in and out of focus, and only the sound of his brother's voice, kept him from slipping into unconsciousness. "Kill her, Rafe," he managed to utter, tasting his own blood filling his mouth. "Kill her and save your lifemate."
Dark rage surged through Rafe, and with it came power unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. "You will not die on me!" he ordered, ripping Shayla's heart from her body. A scream ripped from her lips and from his as well as a dark haired vampire raked its nails down his spine. His body arched forward, the blackened heart slipping from his grasp.
Without his command, a lightning bolt forked down from the sky, piercing the heart. In another moment the vampire was ripped from his back, thrown through the air, landing on the jagged splintered tree trunk. Impaled on the sharp pieces of wood, the vampire screamed and writhed trying to free itself. Rafe lifted his head, and through a red haze saw Aiden and Julian attacking the vampires on top of Riordyn.
While the two Carpathians made quick work of destroying the lesser vampires, Rafe dragged himself to his feet, and looked around for Bernard. Somehow during the fray, the older vampire slipped away without Rafe's knowledge. Cursing loudly, he raced to his brother's side, and hefted him off the ground. There was too much blood, Riordyn life slipping away, his body going limp in Rafe's arms.
"G-go find Bernard," Riordyn gritted out, fisting his hand into Rafe's shirt.
"I will find him, but not now." Although weakened by blood loss, Rafe sliced through his wrist, and thrust it into his brother's mouth. "Drink, brother. Live to be vindicated. Live to see the shame in our peoples' eyes."
Without drinking in any of Rafe's blood, Riordyn pushed his wrist away. "Do not waste your blood on me. I've given my word to Julian to greet the dawn." Bracing his hands against Rafe's shoulders, he leaned in and rested his forehead against Rafe's. "Take my heart, Rafe. Do this for me to save my honor."
"I know why you wish for this." Rafe's hand spanned the nape of his brother's neck. "You lived through hell to protect my lifemate – give me time to repay the debt."
"I cannot live with the knowledge that you have learned of my greatest shame."
"I cannot forget the vile things they have done to you, but I would forfeit my life before I ever divulged to anyone what Shayla forced you to do."
"You cannot save me, Rafe. If I do not greet the dawn, Julian has vowed to end my life." Riordyn pulled away from Rafe, and turned his back on him. "Do not let my sacrifice be for nothing. Go be with your lifemate. Find a way to save yourself and her."
Without another word, he transformed into a fine mist, and disappeared into the forest. A trail of crimson droplets followed in his wake. Rafe rushed forward to follow him, but Aiden caught hold of his arm, and swung him around.
"Your lifemate needs you, cousin." Aiden's golden eyes locked on Rafe's giving him a strong mental push to go to Genevieve. "When you took her blood, I was forced to replace it with my own – the third exchange. You must go to her."
Rafe's stomach clenched, the thought of two other Carpathian men giving his woman blood, left him cold with rage. "I need to find Bernard. I am certain you and Julian can handle any discomfort my lifemate endures."
"You would let her go through this alone?" Julian asked, coming to stand beside Aiden. He cast a sidelong glance in Aiden's direction, and in the silence that followed Rafe knew they were conversing through their shared mental link. "We cannot allow that. She is your lifemate – your responsibility. Her life and wellbeing are in your care. Do not dishonor yourself by leaving her when she needs you most."
"She didn't need me for the three exchanges, I doubt she'll miss me for the conversion," Rafe replied, and heard both men draw in a sharp breath. "I have demolished any hope that she will love me and accept me as her lifemate. You know this. Even with Carpathian blood flowing through her veins, she'll choose Ben over me. Better that I end Bernard's life then greet the dawn instead of destroying her with my hatred."
"Gregori will find a cure for you and your lifemate," Aiden said, steadfast in his belief that the great healer could save Rafe from the darkness spreading through him. "He and his lifemate Savannah showed up not long after you left. He is with her now and we are under strict orders from Mikhail to bring you to the healer."
"Which means you have no choice in the matter," Julian said, leaving Rafe with no other option but to follow them back to Riordyn's lair.
Genevieve fought against her mounting fear and the urge to run at the sight of the pale silver eyed healer. For some reason when Rafe told her about the healer, she envisioned a small withered old man with wrinkles and maybe even a cane not a towering giant of a man with long black hair and muscular arms that could snap her in half. If it hadn't been for his lifemate, a tiny woman with kind blue eyes and a reassuring smile, she would've bolted, taking her chances scaling the mountainside to get away from them.
Through veiled lashes, they both sat and watched her as she stalked back and forth beside the steaming underground pool. She felt as if she were a circus attraction meant for their amusement. Aiden explained the conversion to her, the great pain she supposedly had to endure to become Carpathian. Whatever that means.
No one ever asked her if she wanted to become a Carpathian, and it almost seemed to her that these people were no better than the people at the research facility. Every time she turned around, one of them was trying to lock her up, keeping her a prisoner against her will. And Rafe was the worst of all of them. He loathed the sight of her, yet he wouldn't leave her alone. Unconsciously, her hand went to the bruised swollen skin at her throat. Unlike his brother, Rafe drank her blood and left her for dead. Even if for some sick reason she felt drawn to him, she vowed never to forgive him. I'm not one of those battered women who keeps returning to the man who hurts them, she reminded herself over and over again. I want a man like Ben who I can trust.
She'd been in both men's minds, and unlike the darkness she found Rafe, she only sensed goodness in Ben. Still for some unfathomable reason, she was drawn to Rafe. Against his will, she forced him to kiss her, and deep in her heart she realized how much he hated her for it.
Genevieve swung to face Gregori, and swallowing hard, she met his silver eyed gaze. "I want you to take me home. Now."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, little one," Gregori replied, a hint of humor in his tone that she should challenge him. "You will stay where you are until the conversion is complete and you are healed."
"In case you've failed to notice, I feel fine." She waved a hand over herself in frustration. "I was dizzy for a few minutes but it passed. So your mumbo jumbo services aren't required."
"My what?"
Savannah leaned closer to him, resting a hand on his thigh to calm him. "She doesn't believe she needs your skills as a healer."
"No, I don't," Genevieve said, refusing to cower in front of the lethal looking man. "I have a friend who's probably going out of his mind with worry that something bad happened to me. I want you to take me back to him."
"You would choose this man over your lifemate?" Gregori's eyes narrowed on her, the darkness she sensed within him filling the cavern.
"Y-yes," she stammered, backing slightly away from the intimidating man. For a brief moment, she considered slipping into his mind to bend his will to her own, but feared he would overpower her. Instead, she worked her way into Savannah's mind, slipping through her web of protective barriers to command her to let her go. You want to help me escape. I am not one of you. You want to help me leave this place and return to Ben.
"I think we should take her home," Savannah uttered, gently squeezing her lifemate's thigh. "She's not one of us, Gregori."
"Clever girl." Gregori actually had the nerve to smile. Within a matter of seconds, he drove his way into Savannah's mind and forcefully pushed Genevieve out. "In the future you will not use your mind tricks on my lifemate."
Stamping her foot in frustration, Genevieve glared at the brute of a man. "Even if you force me to stay here forever, I swear I will never willingly become Rafe's lifemate!"
"She has made her choice," came Rafe's softly spoken voice from behind her. "I can do no other than to see to her happiness. I will not subject her to a life she does not want."
Hearing the broken edge to his tone, the blood drained from Genevieve's face. Why did he have to sound as if it was breaking his heart to let her go? She couldn't face him, couldn't turn around and look him in the eye. "Thank you," she whispered her throat tight with emotion.
"Unfortunately neither of you as an option in the matter," Gregori cut in, taking to his feet. At his full height, he towered menacingly over Rafe. "Mikhail has determined that as long as Genevieve's blood is tainted, she poses a danger to all our people. I had hoped the conversion would wash her blood clean of whatever contaminates resided in her blood." He splayed a hand, gesturing to Genevieve. "But as you can see, she remains human."
"Then you will attempt to heal her against her will?" Rafe said with a lift of a dark eyebrow.
"I will attempt to heal you both."