Disclaimer: I do not own the Carpathian Series, and definitely do not own the amazing characters in Christine Feehan's wonderful books. This is just a fanfic.
Andreas remained a shadow in his lifemate's mind as she stared at the plate of food she had prepared. He felt a sense of intense male satisfaction to find she struggled to resist him. But the innocently erotic images flashing through her mind were almost his undoing. He groaned and pressed his head against the closed kitchen door. He did not want to frighten her with the intensity of his emotions and desires, but the Carpathian mating bond was already working to undermine his good intentions.
Realizing Alana was staring at her plate without any intention of assuaging her hunger, Andreas opened the door and strode to her side. He placed a hand at the nape of her neck and began to gently massage the tensed muscles there. "You must eat."
Alana pushed the plate of vegetables away. Despite the hunger clawing at her stomach, she suddenly could not stand the thought of eating anything. Her empty stomach protested fiercely, and Alana knew instinctively she would be able to keep nothing down.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she admitted. "I just can't stand the thought of eating this right now."
I will help you.
Her golden brown eyes swung to meet his. "You can do that?"
Andreas nodded. If you allow me.
She pressed a hand to her roiling stomach and nodded once. "I'd appreciate it." A moment later, Alana found herself facing an empty plate, her stomach sated for the moment. Her lips curved. "That's a little scary."
"But useful." Andreas leaned down to press a kiss against her throat. Alana felt the touch to her toes as a shiver raced down her spine and her blood heated dangerously. Her brain yelled at her to move, to put some distance between them, but her body refused to listen. Instead, she found herself tilting her head back to give Andreas better access.
Suddenly, a shadow entered their world, and Alana gasped, pulling herself away from Andreas and reigning in her unruly abilities. She clamped down on them, imagining herself as a tiny, impenetrable ball as that evil shadow brushed against her mind. At the evil touch, Alana wrapped her arms around herself and rocked slowly back and forth on her chair, lips moving in silent protest.
Andreas stiffened at the feel of the undead, merging himself with Alana and shielding her from the undead's mental probe. His lifemate had pulled away at the first sign of the vampire, but Andreas took no chances. He kept her hidden in a corner of his mind as he sent a challenge winging across the skies. Andreas refused to allow the undead to continue its life. His pure voice whispered at the vampire, attacking the soulless demon and demanding it seek the justice of their people.
An ear-splitting shriek of denial and rage rent the air and Andreas worked swiftly to keep the damaging sound from touching his lifemate. Another unholy voice joined the first, and then another. Three. Three undead in the surrounding area, and Andreas could only guess they searched for Alana. She had worked as a beacon for the undead in her unguarded moments, her flow of power burning brightly in the night.
It was no surprise she had encountered the undead before, though the details of the event still eluded Andreas. He could have taken the information from her mind, but he was attempting to respect his lifemate's privacy. She actively sought to hide the information from him, and he would not violate her wishes.
Andreas tilted her chin up, forcing Alana to meet his eyes. You will stay here while I am gone. You will not leave for any reason. He followed his decree with a strong compulsion, determining his lifemate would be safe and protected while he dealt with the undead.
Alana's features hardened perceptibly. "I know how to handle myself, Andreas," she returned, bristling at his commanding tone.
Then do as I ask, csitri. I must deal with these creatures without fear that you will come to harm.
She sighed, admitting Andreas was right. What use was she against a vampire? She had seen them before, had run for her life even when everything in her had demanded she stay and face the same fate as her family. Hastily, she slammed the door on her thoughts, unwilling to allow the fear and terror to take hold of her heart. Instead, she reached up and gently stroked Andrea's face. "Please be careful. I know I just met you, but I'd hate for anything to happen to you." Not when he was protecting her, trying to keep her safe from the nightmares of the world.
The smile he gave her was fierce, resembling the snarl of a jungle cat. The need to fight was strong in him, the desire to destroy his enemies and keep his lifemate safe. Within seconds he was gone, disappearing from the room without another word.
Alana stared at the spot where Andreas had been just moments before and then buried her head in her arms. She reached for him in her mind, but found that he had built a wall between them. Intellectually, Alana knew he did it to keep her from experiencing the battle ahead, but her heart ached. She wanted him beside her, to hold her through the storm. To keep thoughts of the past at bay.
Andreas wove safeguards around Alana, the strongest he had ever used, in hopes that she would be protected during the battle. For the moment, her strange barrier was masking her presence from the undead, but he knew from experience that her abilities were strongly tied to her emotions. If her shield failed, his safeguards should protect her until he could return to her side.
That task complete, he faced the direction of the strongest of the vampires. He swiftly created a double of himself and sent it winging to the west, hoping to distract the undead long enough to set up an ambush. He faced at least one master, though the other two were no doubt adepts as well. Another Carpathian hunter streaked across the night sky to join the fight, but Andreas could not count on a perfect collaboration, unfamiliar as he was with the Prince's guard.
I will take the lesser two, came a quiet voice in his mind. Andreas felt a moment of relief, recognizing his old friend Falcon. This hunter, at least, had been one of his close allies before Vlad had scattered the ancients to the wind. He and Falcon had aided one another before, exchanged blood on more than one occasion in the old days. They would be able to communicate on a private path, rather than risk speaking over the common Carpathian channel.
Falcon. It is good to fight with you once again. The warmth was apparent in Andreas's voice. He had always felt great admiration and respect for Falcon.
I am glad to see you have found a lifemate at last. There was a slight pause. You have not completed the ritual.
My lifemate has only been known to me a short time, Andreas answered candidly.
A shift in the air around him was the only warning Andreas had before he slammed into a gossamer net. Immediately, the web began to melt into his flesh, burning like acid as it pressed in on him. He swiftly cut himself off from Falcon and Alana, focusing his mind on finding a way out of the trap. The weave was small, too small to shift shape into any form other than mist. But something, some instinct, warned Andreas it would not be so easy to escape. Instead, he pushed the pain to the back of his mind and worked on unravelling the threads holding him in place.
Once he found the right pattern, Andreas set to work taking apart the spell, but it was slow going. To the south, he felt Falcon engage the lesser undead and he pushed himself to work faster. The master vampire had already been alerted to their pursuit and Andreas no longer held the element of surprise. No doubt the master vampire was already working on multiple other traps to delay him as he searched for Alana.
Within moments the web was unraveled and Andreas sped forward, only to stop short as he spotted a subtle shadow in the depths of the forest below. Wary of other entanglements, he descended to the forest floor, seeking the undead. The trees around him screamed in protest of the evil nearby, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the vampire was hiding. It was a worrisome trait the undead had developed, this ability to hide so successfully from trained hunters. But it was an obstacle Andreas needed to overcome in order to protect his lifemate and his people.
To his right, Andreas spotted a strange mossy plant on one of the trees, the springy mass having taken over in parasitical fashion, strangling new growth and choking the life from the wood. He examined the phenomenon closely, not wishing to miss a single clue. The brownish moss was foul and gave off a pungent odor, but the real danger lay in the spines hidden just beneath the surface. Each one was filled with a potent poison, one Andreas presumed would be fast acting and debilitating. He took a cursory inventory of the woods around him, spotting the odd growth in several other places, some blending in subtly with its environment.
The whole area felt like a trap, one loaded and ready to spring at the slightest provocation. Worse yet, Andreas knew the undead remained nearby, was more than likely working his way to ambush the Carpathian hunter. Andreas attempted to make quick work divesting the trees of the unnatural moss, but the plant was resistant and he was simultaneously throwing up shields and blinds to protect himself should the vampire seek to surprise him.
Despite his efforts, however, Andreas was still thrown completely off guard when a branch to his left burst in a bubbling boil of bugs and decay, poison spewing forth in a wide arc. Andreas just barely moved before the vampire shoved his fist straight at the spot the Carpathian had stood.
A long, slow hiss escaped the undead and his bright red eyes gleamed maliciously in the dark of the night. Blood stained his teeth and his gray skin was pulled taught over misshapen bones and a bullet-shaped skull, but Andreas still recognized the creature before him. They had been from the same village, though the vampire had been a few years younger.
Andreas bowed low with mocking politeness. "Jakub. It has been too long." He tilted his head. "I remember you as a bright youth. How disappointing that you have fallen so readily."
Jakub screeched and launched himself at Andreas. A stupid mistake, one that a vampire of Jakub's caliber would not have made. The Carpathian hunter just barely moved out of the way, refraining from making the tempting kill. As Jakub glanced by, Andreas knew his decision had been the right one; poison dripped from the undead's broken and unkempt nails, a concoction that no doubt would have left him incapacitated long enough for the wretched creature to land a mortal blow.
Andreas wheeled around and slammed his fist deep into Jakub's back, but was met with only acid blood and serrated bone. He jumped back even as the undead dissolved and attacked his flank. The two danced warily around each other, Andreas landing only a few strikes but managing to avoid the vampire's poisoned claws.
Several lightning strikes in the distance announced Falcon's triumph. Andreas smirked in Jakub's direction. "It looks as if your companions have been dispatched." His lips peeled back farther to show a glimpse of his own fangs, the thrill of battle beginning to ride him hard. "I would be more than happy to do the same for you."
Jakub's red eyes flickered toward the other battlefield and he bared his teeth, a hand pressed to his side where Andreas had managed to leave a gaping wound. "Perhaps another time, hunter."
Andreas lunged forward, but was unable to stop the undead from running. Jakub hastily threw blinds and traps up behind him as he sped toward his lair, but it was for naught. Though Andreas knew he should pursue, the dawn was coming fast and his heart yearned to return to his lifemate. With just a hint of regret at stepping away from the battle, Andreas turned resolutely back to his home. Back to Alana.
Okay! Finally back to business! I absolutely loved Dark Blood, and rereading the Carpathian series is always so much fun! Been busy with my thesis, but writing this fanfic is some much needed therapy.
Thank you to everyone who read, and to all those who reviewed!