Chapter Four

"Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one."

- Japanese Proverb

___

This wasn't Izzy's first experience with a cadaver. She had to cut them up as part of her class requirements. But she'd never seen one so…intimately up close. Or lie on top of one.

Still, there was something about the body, this body, this man, that sent a profound surge of terror and grief through her body. Arching away from him as best as she could—which was impossible with his death-grip—she began screaming. For the moment she forgot about Serenity and even Fride. All she could think of was this dead body, this man who had saved her and had died…

Eyes snapped open. Izzy's scream cut off short as she stared in shock down into dark eyes, eyes with bottomless depths and great intensity. She could barely catch her breath as she stared down at him, the unmoving heart beneath her palm beginning to pick up as though it'd never stopped beating.

The man beneath her snarled unexpectedly, his handsome face hardening as he released his arms from her back and shoved her in the chest. Izzy expected to tumble backwards away from him. Her heart jolted as she found herself flying through the air, away from him and several feet over the ground. She smacked into the makeshift hill and plummeted the scant few feet to the ground, her body slamming into it hard. The side of her head smacked against a rock and she saw stars.

The attack was unexpected and it frightened her deeply, but Izzy was even more shocked by the intense hurt she felt by it, even more so than her new injuries caused her. It was like she was offended that he attacked her at all.

"I'm s-sorry," she sputtered, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. Blood from the cut on her head was beginning to run down her cheek, mixing with the mud, but the cut would heal in moments. Her internal injuries, however… "P-Please, I…" she didn't know what she was saying, but she was so scared. She didn't want the vampire to find her and she didn't want this man to hurt her anymore. "I-I-I didn't mean to…just, don't hurt me, please?"

___

She's here.

Marach knew she had come. He'd been meticulous, careful. He didn't want to continue wasting energy when he had to heal. He wanted to go to her, to be by her and ease her pain, but he wasn't in fit condition. It took every ounce of willpower to comfort her; they hadn't shared blood, established a proper connection, but they had the natural connection as lifemates. He didn't know how to comfort anyone but he was able to see past traces of comfort his lifemate had exhibited on her sister and amplified it to release her pain.

And she was here. He felt her bypass his barriers, as well as her sister. But it was daylight, and no amount of cloud-cover he could pull over them could lessen the strength of the sun. He was stuck in the ground while she roamed the surface, no doubt oblivious to his existence.

But there was something else. Somebody had challenged him, leaving tainted blood within the perimeter of his barrier. It was a vampire, freely walking in and out of his secured area, probably knowing of his whereabouts but not seeking him. Instead, the foul creature dared to target his lifemate and his lifemate's sister.

Marach needed to rise…and he did, confused by what was going on. He could still sense a disturbance in the air; the vampire had tampered with nature, using his power to cause a very small earthquake on the mountainside. Small and nonlethal, but it was enough to stage a landslide. Marach knew his natural instincts had taken over, even as he slept the sleep of the dead. It was by a stroke of luck the landslide happened right upon where he'd been sleeping. But he was still surprised to awaken to feel a warm, soft body pressed over his. He opened his eyes and was nearly blinded by the rays. Unaware of his own actions he shoved the body—the woman—away from him as he squinted against brightness of it all. It was the dead of night and no moon hung in the sky, but he could see clearly. He could see the different shades of brown in the muddy soil of his people. He could see the outline of a dark blue sky in the cracks of dark trees. He could smell the richness of his environment and feel invigorated and at peace.

He could see colors for the first time in five hundred years. And he could feel.

"I'm s-sorry."

Marach felt his heart tighten. Words that were softly spoken and yet a sweetly melodic voice washed over him. He turned his eyes towards the woman who sat at the base of the hill…a massive movement of land he'd created to save them from the cliff. She was beautiful, absolutely so. Her face was heart-shaped with high cheekbones, full lips that looked incredibly soft, lucent eyes that he couldn't help but drown in. Blue eyes? No, they were too light, like lilac or lavender. How interesting. And her hair…it was shoulder-length, but it was the same color as the copper that could be mined from the mineshafts far beneath them.

"…just, don't hurt me, please?" she was pleading with him, holding her hands up as if to shield herself. Mud clung to her like a second-skin and yet it took nothing away from her appeal. Even though she was sitting down he could take in every contour, every curve of her body. Her jacket was open and her shirt soaked and dirty, outlining her breasts perfectly and the broad scope of her stomach. He wanted to touch her, even as her fear and pain beat at him mercilessly

Marach slowly rose to his feet, realization dawning on him. The woman…he hadn't meant ill-will when he shoved her away, but he'd been taken off-guard by the colors that flooded his senses, flooded his vision. Now he could see her more closely than her natural beauty. A terrible cut marred her head and she favored her left shoulder. She sat at an angle, rather than flat on her bottom, and she wasn't leaning into the slope of the hill. She was holding herself carefully, as though she were in a great deal of pain.

A cry erupted from his throat as guilt and horror consumed him along with her emotions and physical pain. He arose to save her but he hurt her! He did it!

Marach surged forward, rushing to her side. She raised her hands higher, fearing another attack. "N-No! I—"

He swept down, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. "Forgive me," he murmured, pressing his nose into her scalp. She smelled so fresh, a nice combination of the earth and her own natural musk. His body tightened in response but he tried to keep such feelings at bay. "I will not hurt you. Not anymore, I won't, never again." It hurt that he had to say these words at all, but he knew he was guilty. He could do no other than heal and protect her.

Izzy lay limp in his arms, unsure of what to do. She was relieved he was alive, even more so knowing that he wasn't angry with her. But there was a tremendous outpouring of grief coming from him, as though he'd committed some unforgivable crime. Even more strangely was that she could feel how hurt he was, and it wasn't that he'd been caught up in a landslide that nearly killed him. It was because he hurt her without realizing it.

She couldn't fault him; she hadn't intended to anyways. The attack was probably caused by the adrenaline his brain forced into his body to revive his heart. He couldn't have been clinically dead for more than a couple of minutes, but she found it amazing that he could jumpstart like that without some drug. Maybe he had the same healing capabilities as her?

"It's all right," Izzy said, though her voice was muffled by his shirt. His once dead heartbeat was pounding strongly beneath her cheek, and even stranger was that she was aware of her own heartbeat. It was pounding just as strongly, almost as one single beat with his. "I-It's not your fault. Most of this was caused by…someone else." She didn't know how to tell him a vampire was running around in the woods.

He wouldn't let her go. He just sat there and clung to her for dear life. He sighed very softly, stirring the strands of hair on her head. "Has the vampire bitten you?"

"W-What?!" Izzy cried. She tried to pull herself out of his arms but they wouldn't budge. They were as immovable as before. "But how did you—"

Marach looked up sharply. "He's coming." He was distracted; too focused in the glow of regaining his emotions and finding his lifemate to realize the vampire who'd deceived his lifemate and drawn her up here was coming after them at that moment.

"Oh God, right now?!" she was frightened again, but at least not at him anymore. She looked around them frantically. "Serenity—"

"Your sister is fine," Marach assured her, letting her go very reluctantly. He could sense the older sister a short distance away. She had been caught in the landslide as well but managed to snag onto a root deeply embedded into the ground. But she was currently thigh-deep in mud and wouldn't be able to move for a few moments. If they were all lucky, the vampire would come after Marach, the Carpathian hunter in the vicinity, and not the two women.

"…How did you know she's my sister?" Izzy asked very quietly. She was unnerved by his knowledge of her, considering they'd just met. But had they really? It was a strange coincidence that this stranger just happened to be in the same area of the forest as them. Was he stalking them, or something?

"I have felt your love and concern for her," he answered shortly, standing back up and scanning the area with his eyes. "With a little more time I hope to know more."

"I…" Izzy shook her head, feeling distracted. They'd only spoken a few words to each other, but she couldn't help but be mesmerized by his voice. It was such a rich and deep tone, and his accented phrasing added to his appeal. He matched the ideal fantasy of a 'tall, dark, mysterious' man, but there was more to it than that.

Suddenly, there was a loud 'whoosh' and a body fell to her left. She turned to see the familiar glaze of red eyes, even with the horribly bent neck, as Fride openly snarled at her. She didn't have time to scream. Before she could suck in a breath he was gone, away from her and being slammed violently into a tree nearby.

"Unclean one!" Izzy flinched at these words. The stranger took a protective stance in front of her as he faced Fride. "You dare to mar my homeland with your presence?! More so, you would threaten what is mine?!" A low growl hissed from his mouth and pounded into the air like a pulse. Izzy began shivering violently and rubbed at her arms.

Fride picked himself up and roared at the stranger. "So, you must be the one who went after Cassander, Marach!"

Izzy perked up at this and looked at the man standing guard over her. "…Marach?"

Marach glared at Fride. "You must be in league with the brothers, I see." He suppressed his shock as best as he could. Cassander must not be fully healed yet if someone else was acting in his place, but where was Parn? The younger brother wasn't acting in Cassander's place. Marach had expected him to come, not some other fool in whatever weak alliance these vampires held.

"I am in league with myself!" Fride snapped, thumping a hand upon his chest. "And this woman is my lifemate!"

Rage snapped through Marach like a whip but he refused to allow it to get the better of him. "How might you be able to convince yourself of this, friend, when she is in fact my lifemate?"

"No, she's MINE!" Fride roared. "And don't you dare try to take her from me!"

"I could say the same of you," Marach retorted, though his tone was coolly calm. "She is my lifemate, and for the fact that you tried to claim someone else's lifemate as your own, I will show you no mercy."

Izzy looked between the two men, her fear escalating. Never in her life had two men ever fought over her, especially two perfect strangers. But both of them threw around that strange word: lifemate. What did it mean?

"My woman. The other half of my soul bound to me for all eternity!"

That was how Fride described it. It made it sound like Serenity and her were pieces of property left around to be claimed. And from the way these two confronted each other, both definitely wanted to make that claim. On her.

Get away, run! she told herself. She tried to stand, but her body ached with all the injuries she'd received. She would have to wait a few more minutes to heal and then find Serenity and run.

Fride lunged at Marach, swinging a fist at his head. Marach simply grabbed his hand and snapped the arm clean in half. Despite the creature Fride was, Izzy couldn't help but scream in horror and cover her eyes.

Marach kept his focus on the vampire, ripping the broken arm clean out of its socket before the creature could jump away. Izzy wasn't use to such brutality, but he unfortunately couldn't afford to soften the blow of reality of his world. The vampire surely wouldn't allow this, either.

Fride jumped back to his feet, seemingly not to notice his limp, useless arm. "You think you're so strong, Marach, but you're nothing! You're far from the Prince and the Dark One! If I don't kill you today, you can be assured that Neve will!"

Izzy peaked out from between her fingers. "Neve?" she looked around them at the surrounding trees, fearful that another vampire would show up. But they seemed to be alone.

Nevertheless, Fride had mentioned the unseen person to invoke a reaction in Marach. It didn't work. "Unclean one, it matters not how many vampires come after me, or my lifemate. I will destroy you all, in order to protect humanity but most of all her."

"You know nothing!" Fride screamed. He flew at Marach again. "When Neve comes after you, you'll—"

Marach grabbed him by his head and twisted it violently upon his already broken neck. A horrible 'crunch' echoed in the air as the vampire's head turned completely around. Izzy screamed again, but she couldn't shield her eyes this time. She was too transfixed on this horrible display to look away.

Fride continued to struggle, but Marach grabbed him by the base of his neck with one hand and ripped his head clean off with the other. He heard Izzy choke and wheeze behind him, and her nausea and fear washed over him. "Look away, dragă. I'm sorry to expose you to this, but there is no other way to stop him."

Izzy froze, looking at Marach's back. What was that? Did he just speak to her? But his mouth didn't move at all!

Marach glanced at her. "I did speak to you. I know what I'm doing hurts you and I don't want to cause you further discomfort."

"Further discomfort?!" Izzy echoed, aghast at his matter-of-fact tone. "You ripped his head off!"

"I must stop him. This is the only way."

"You'll never stop me!" Fride shouted. Izzy couldn't help but gape. The head was removed from the body, but it was still talking!

"Oh really?" Marach asked smoothly, unfazed by the talking head. Holding the head in one hand, the decapitated but thrashing body in the other, Marach walked the short distance to the cliff. He began to call upon lightning from the sky and dark clouds answered the call immediately. Without saying another word he threw both the vampire's head and his body into open space. As they began to plummet to the ground below, bolts of lightning flashed from the sky, one bolt striking the head and causing it to explode into tiny embers of fire. The other bolt struck the body square in the chest, incinerating the heart from the inside out as the body quickly became consumed in flames. Within moments it turned into ash and fell upon the valley below, almost like snow.

Marach took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He reached out with his mind, trying the sense the presence of more vampires, of Cassander or Parn or of this Neve Fride had spoken of. But he no longer felt the presence of evil. He looked over the ground, sensing a pool of tainted blood on top of the mud from when he decapitated the vampire. It was small, though; easily fixed. He made quick work of the blood, sparking it afire and cleansing the soil of any traces of the vampire. Izzy yelped at the sudden fire that sprung up, and she was still on edge moments later when it abruptly went out. It was the most he could do; one of the earth healers would have to come out here and finish the job.

He was all too aware of the two women caught on the mountain with him and he knew the vampire had lured them up here. He knew he could handle his lifemate just fine, but he would have to take very precise precautions, since both his lifemate and her sister witnessed the vampire in full form. "I call upon any Carpathians in the area." He sent the request as far as he could manage; cursing the fact that he exchanged blood with very few people. Those he had were dead or had turned, and even then he'd failed at sensing their true nature. "I have need of assistance."

"…Have you found two American women?"

Marach froze. He didn't recognize this voice, though that in it of itself shouldn't surprise him. But how could this one know about the women? "Who are you?" he demanded coldly.

"My name is Falcon. I ask about the American women because my lifemate and I came upon them just yesterday. Might I ask how you might know of them?"

"One of them is my lifemate." Marach glanced at her as he said this. She looked at him in silence, the horror and disgust clear in her face. "But she has her sister with her, who might also have a lifemate."

There was silence from Falcon for a long time. Marach instincts told him to stop conversing with this Carpathian male. He claimed to have a lifemate, but was that really true?

"My lifemate insists that I tell you her name is Sara, and that she does exists," Falcon told him, his tone wry. "Where are you all at? We shall come and get you."

"No," Marach said suddenly. "We shall meet you later."

"You can trust us—"

"Thank you for answering my call, but I shall bring my lifemate and her sister back into town soon. We'll meet you at whatever hotel they're staying at."

"The town only has one inn, so I shall—" Falcon suddenly cut off for a minute and Marach couldn't help but fear that the other man was in trouble of sort. But then, the connection was reestablished. "Forgive me, but my lifemate is insisting I bring her with me. Since the American women are human it should be no problem. Unless they've been tainted by a vampire?"

"A vampire lured them into a trap, but I don't think he had time to bite them. I disposed of him." Marach continued to stare at his lifemate. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Izzy stared back at him, clearly uncomfortable. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Wonderful. Right now it's one-twenty-two. We'll meet the three of you at the inn at two. Does that sound good?"

"I think that will suffice." Marach severed the connection and walked over to her. She was trembling, from the cold and her body from the shock of what she'd seen of this night. It must all be such a rude awakening for her and he regretted that she saw the worst of him before they could really know each other. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

Izzy inched away from him as he knelt down in front of her. "D-Don't bite me, okay? Y-You wouldn't like it!"

Marach chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Please don't compare me to the vampire. I am quite a different person than he was."

"B-But you two are the same!" she accused. "You died and came back to life, which completely defies logic!"

"I didn't die, iubita mea. You would know if I did. I was just in a deep sleep, is all."

"I don't know any kind of deep sleep where your heart stops and you have no pulse!" she sputtered, still trying to scoot away. He only followed her, gently taking hold of her injured shoulder. He frowned as his fingers gently probed the injury site. There was a slight tear there, but not nearly as bad as he thought…or perceived it to be earlier.

"And besides!" she continued, trying to ignore the slight tingling sensations in her arm from his gentle touch. "You brought up lifemates, which is what he did! You both believe in whatever thing lifemates are!"

"Of course I believe," he answered smoothly enough, his tone as gentle as his touch. It was hard to believe this was the same man, or thing, that had just completely annihilated a vampire without batting an eyelash. "You're right here, dragă. That is enough proof that lifemates exist."

"But I'm not anybody special," she mumbled quietly, looking away.

"But you are," he insisted, suddenly leaning close to her. "You are my lifemate."

Izzy shook her head frantically. "That's what the vampire said! But it sounds like some sort of ritualistic binding! I can't be bound to anyone, not like a servant!"

"Don't let his words deceive you. If anyone is enslaved, iubita mea, it is me." He leaned forward, brushing his lips across her brow. He sought the cut on her forehead, the need to heal it and all of her injuries quite strong. He found the streak of blood on her cheek, but the cut wasn't there. "I am yours, now and forever."

"But…" Izzy wanted to lean away from him. He was close, too close to her, and handling her as intimately as one would handle a lover. No, more than a lover. More like she was some prized possession. It was unnerving but exciting at the same time. "But I don't know you at all."

"My name is Marach, as you might've guessed before." He couldn't find the cut, which surprised him deeply. But he forgot about it for the moment and leaned back so he could stare into her eyes. Up close they were such a beautiful shade, unlike any eye color he'd ever seen. "Tell me your name."

"Why don't you read my thoughts and find out?" she retorted rudely.

He seemed amused by her impudence. "Well…I could, but I'd rather hear it from you."

Izzy blinked at this. She expected a denial of psychic abilities, not a confirmation. He was staring straight into her eyes too, as though he were trying to reach the very depths of her soul. Nobody had ever looked at her like this before.

"Isabel Lindsay Crane," she blurted out before she could stop herself. "B-But everyone calls me Izzy, except for my parents."

"Isabel…" He ran his fingers through her hair. It was dirty, caked with mud and twigs, but he didn't care. She was the most beautiful thing in the world to him, no matter what her state was. "I like it. It has a very nice ring to it."

"Everyone calls me Izzy," she repeated uneasily. Her pulse fluttered at the way her full name rolled off his tongue. Her gaze drifted to his mouth, fearful of the fangs that were hidden there and yet tempted by the strength and sensuality exuding from his lips.

"But I'm not everyone, iubita mea. I am your lifemate." His arms folded around her very possessively. He was taller, bigger than she was, and it felt like his whole body was enveloping her, swallowing her up. And yet her heart only pounded faster. There was slight fear to it, she felt rest assured in that, but it was mostly from anticipation. She liked the feel of his arms around her, how tightly his body pressed against hers even as they were sitting down. She let out a short breath, unable to look at anything but his face, and the mouth that was descending upon her. She could even lean away.

That mouth held self-assurances, power. And now it took hold of hers, kissing her possessively. A spark of static shot through her body, straight to her toes which curled in response. One of his large hands slid upwards, cupping the back of her neck and tilting her body back ever so slightly, consuming her completely. He was hot, electric, and sexy. He deepened the kiss, invading her mouth, her senses, and she could taste him. He tasted exquisite, mysterious. Izzy moaned against his mouth, her body pressing towards his. This wasn't her first kiss by any means, but no other kiss—no, nothing else—had even made her feel this way. She was cold and wet but it was being drowned out by the heat of her passion…and his.

Marach reluctantly broke the kiss, leaving Izzy gasping for air. But his mouth never left her skin as his other hand slid up the front of her body to her neck. He didn't feel the mud or even her clothes. All he could feel was her body heat and the strong beating of her heart. He cupped her breast, rubbing a thumb over her nipple before releasing it and finishing the trek up to her neck. Her body started, shocked by his bold and very intimate touch but enjoying it in spite of it all. His fingers trailed over the length of her throat, her neck, feeling her pulse beating fiercely. Need slammed into him once more. He wanted her. He'd tasted her lips but now he wanted to taste more. Mindful of her unease at his touch, he sent a soft touch into her mind, putting her under a very slight compulsion as he gently pulled aside her collar. Her neck was clean, compared to the rest of her, but not even the foulest substance on her skin would stop him from taking what was his.

Izzy felt like she was floating. Marach was an amazing kisser, she could give him that much. She hadn't expected him to start rubbing his hands on her, or the way her body tightened with need. She'd had experiences with gropers and they always paid for their misdeeds, but what he did was somehow sexy. And now he was fondling at her neck…her memory returned to her. He was a vampire! He might try to turn her!

"I am not a vampire, iubita mea," he murmured against her throat. "Please stop accusing me of what I am not."

"…What are you?" she whispered softly. A strange calm had overtaken her, washing away her unease. Her head was tilting back into his palm, a clear invitation, but she couldn't stop herself. Something…no, no doubt someone was making her compliant.

"I am Carpathian. And you…are my lifemate."

A piercing pain emulated from her throat. Izzy moaned in dismay, but she couldn't bring herself to struggle. She couldn't struggle or push him away. He was just too strong for her. She would've panicked under normal circumstances, but she was feeling nothing but calm now, and still annoyingly compliant.

The pain soon gave way though to a searing heat. She became aware of those firm lips pressed onto her skin, pressing onto her as though he were kissing her again. But he wasn't. He was biting her and taking her blood…

Marach drew away from her again, closing the pinpricks with a very sensual sweep of his tongue. He'd avoided putting her under a full compulsion, not wanting to face future wrath for controlling her. But he could sense her panic at her lack of control and so he knew he had no choice but to put her under the full compulsion. He leaned away from her slightly and ripped the front of his shirt off. Anticipation caused his heart to beat faster as he lengthened a nail to a sharp talon and sliced a line over his heart. He positioned himself carefully and eased her head over his chest, pressing her mouth over his wound. "Drink my blood, dragă. Drink my blood that will heal your injuries."

…I'm fine.

He could hear the faint traces of words in her mind and his own assessment of her injuries showed she was fine. But her mouth began to move against him as she drank his blood. A soft gasp tore from his throat, revealing more vulnerability than he wished. He held her gently to him, lowering his head over hers. He felt something powerful about this exchange, this first union of their blood. Stronger emotions flooded his senses and he bit back a moan.

Something hummed in his ears, and words appeared in his mind. Marach fixated on those words, knowing they were the binding words for his lifemate, as they were for all lifemates. "Te avio päläfe—"

Sssst!

Something wet hit Marach in the face, breaking his concentration. His skin began to tingle and he opened his eyes. This proved to be a costly mistake as fire raced over his senses. A burning, horrible pain burst into his eyes, into his sinuses. He raised a hand to his face in confusion, jumping away from Izzy without realizing it. With his other hand his licked a finger and quickly resealed the wound on his chest.

"You stay away from her or I'll do it again!"

Marach stilled. He knew this woman's presence, felt the powerful sadness behind her fury. But this weapon she used puzzled him. Was this some sort of new weapon developed against Carpathians?

"Aaaahh!"

He was immediately on alert at Izzy's cry of pain, even as his body fought to rid himself of this horrible toxin. Oh, if only he could see!

"Oh my God, Izzy! Did I hit you too?!" now the woman was panicking. Marach could sense and hear her stumble down the hill he'd created to get to Izzy's side.

"Why were you spraying your pepper spray?!" Izzy wailed. "I wasn't in danger! Augh, this stuff is awful!" she didn't seem to realize, or notice, that she'd accepted his blood. Drank his blood.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I thought this man was Fride—"

"Does he look like Fride?!"

"Well…no. But he was on top of you and you weren't doing anything! I thought he was raping you!"

"I need water! No wonder this stuff is so expensive! It works too well!"

Marach dropped his hands to his sides, too weary at the moment to fight the toxin. "I see I've met your sister, Isabel."