"I think that, with time, whatever is meant to pa.s.s will pa.s.s," Domin said, very tired. He rolled his neck, cracking it. He turned to the door. "Release the witch, heal her, and have Leandro take her from this place. There is nothing more we can do for her.
There is no reason to keep her longer."
"And what of our other prisoner?" Broderick asked warily. "What of Marcello?"
Both eyes turned to the cell where he was kept, right next to Tatiana. The vampire had been brave, storming into the den days after Tatiana"s arrival to try and save her. He"d courageously taken on most of the lycan guard to get to her. It was a fool"s mission, but suddenly Domin understood that Marcello might not have been able to do anything else. Perhaps his reasons were not out of injured pride as Domin and the others first suspected. Perhaps the vampire felt more for his witch than he let on. However, vampires were tricky creatures and hard to read. They learned deceit quickly after turning.
"Give Leandro a head start with the girl," Domin said. "Don"t tell him we have his brother, just that he must take the witch far away from him. My connection with her grows and it is not wise to leave us so close together for too much longer. We feed too readily off each other"s emotions and she doesn"t have the control yet to fight it. After Leandro"s been gone for a few days, send Marcello out after them. I care not to interfere with their personal war. Besides, if she has a need of me, I will hear her call and, in time, she"ll hear mine. The rest, Broderick, is up to the Mistress of Fate."
Broderick unchained her from the wall and walked her by her elbow though the stone pa.s.sageways as if nothing had happened--as if they had not kept her prisoner for she-didn"t-know-how long, as if they hadn"t kidnapped her. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a bundle of cooked meat and bread. Handing it to her, he said, "Take this and eat it when you can.
It is normal that you wouldn"t be hungry for several days. Domin"s blood is very strong. It is possible for you to live weeks on it.
But, if you eat food, you will feel more like yourself."
"I don"t even remember what myself feels like," she chuckled bitterly. Tatiana took it and clutched it to her chest. She didn"t feel like eating. A rock was fitted in her stomach. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep for an eternity. Instead, she followed the lycan through the caves. She was silent until they reached the opening, leading up onto the earth.
Broderick stopped, his vivid eyes looking her over. "You are free to go. I have done for you all I can."
Tatiana stared at him, sensing he wanted to say more. She was too tired to ask, so she merely waited.
"Say the word and I will give you my protection," Broderick stated. His eyes dipped over her thin, pale frame. There was only a mild attraction in his gaze when he looked at her--an animalistic l.u.s.t that had nothing to do with tender feelings.
"I don"t understand why you brought me here for this," Tatiana muttered. "I don"t know why you would"ve tried to balance my powers instead of just killing me. It would"ve been more humane of you to kill me and be done with it. Right now, I"d much prefer death to living."
A small smile lit his immortal face. He bowed to her, a short, dutiful movement of his head. "As do we all, Miss Sinclair, as do we all."
Tatiana wondered at his tone. Broderick pointed up toward the opening.
"Leandro awaits you," he said. "Where you go from here is up to him."
Tatiana watched Broderick turn on his heels, disappearing into the cave. She had a small vision of him in sunlight standing before a dark haired woman and thought that perhaps this wouldn"t be the last time they met. A dark, humorless chuckle escaped her chapped lips.
Holding the food bundle with her teeth, she weakly climbed up and out of the den. She stood, letting the night breeze hit her skin. It pushed her body to delicately swaying. Just the air made her feel better as she reached out with her senses. Feeling a presence behind her, she turned. Leandro sat on a rock, studying her with his unmoving face. For a moment, his brooding expression reminded her of Marcello.
"You are not taking me back to him, are you?" she asked.
"No." Leandro stood and swiftly glided past her, beginning the long journey down. "I will never give you back to my brother."
"Why?"
Leandro stopped. Turning his head to her, his body soon followed. In an instant, he was before her. His face leaned close to hers, not touching. Tatiana gasped. His fangs showed between his parted lips as he spoke.
"That,bella donna , is between Marcello and I. It has nothing to do with you really, but an old debt I seek to repay."
"Debt or revenge?" she asked.
Leandro smiled at her observance. "It is all one and the same."
His eyes flashed, turning black with an emotion so dark and raw it made her nauseous. She began to pant, feeling the demon Leandro hid so well from the world behind his normally careless smile. The vast emptiness of his soul screamed at her, gripping her with his hatred.
"You are my revenge,bella donna ," Leandro said softly. He blinked and his eyes cleared back to familiar brown as if his intent had never been there. His smile was again careless. "Come."
Tatiana trembled. She didn"t know why seeing Leandro"s demon would"ve surprised her. She was a fool not for suspecting it earlier. But, if she was wrong about him, was she wrong about Marcello? Did Marcello"s soul glisten as black as his brother"s?
She thought of the young Marcello in the garden from her vision, all bright and youthful, encased by sunlight. Was she a fool to think humanity could survive in the body of a demon? That the young man he"d been could dwell inside all forms of darkness and h.e.l.l and survive for over a century?
Leandro"s sinister, mocking laughter answered her. She didn"t move and he waited for her follow him, his eyes reflecting the blue moonlight. All around them it was peaceful, quiet.
Without knowing of it, one would never suspect that lycans roamed beneath their feet in caves, or that a vampire walked along the surface of the beautiful mountain. For a moment, she felt as if the world stopped moving and everything around her felt dead. The dark night added a rotted death to the trees and ground. It made the shadowed earth appear charred and cold.
"A tutto c"e rimedio, fuorche alla morte," Leandro whispered to her. His pale hand lifted with liquid grace, reaching for her from the distance. His long fingers curled, motioning her toward him and she felt her legs obey him, following the silent command. "There is a cure for everything, except death."
Marcello lifted his head, not bothering to fight his restraints as he sat on the floor. His hands were chained to the stone wall of the prison within the lycan den. Seeing an old lycan, he sniffed, smelling the man"s ancient years. He carried with him the odor of knowledge and death. But, there was a fainter scent clinging to his skin. It was the smell of Tatiana.
"Where is she?" Marcello demanded with a growl. His eyes leapt red with outrage. He pulled at his bonds, nearly breaking the chains from the walls. "I sense her on you."
"So possessive of a mortal," Domin said to the vampire. His light blues looked Marcello over. "Why would you care what happens to a bound human?"
"It is none of your concern, lycan. I marked her. She is mine." Marcello"s gaze was dark and b.l.o.o.d.y, battling for control.
Domin looked around the prison, frowning. "Is there something else here with us?"
Marcello smiled ruefully, looking over at the corner where Alice stood. The translucent woman had shown herself to him one night, whipping around him in cold drafts and waving incessantly until he realized she showed him the way to Tatiana. He"d noticed her as the cold presence that surrounded Tatiana whenever she felt threatened. The ghost never spoke to him, only looked at him with her solemn, dejected blue eyes.
He had no idea why she stayed with him, even after he pushed through her to storm inside the lycan den. Alice had not wanted him to go into the cave systems. But, what else could he have done? He"d sensed Tatiana within them and had to try to save her. It was a fool"s mission, he knew that going in. He"d fought hard and in the end it had taken twenty of the elite lycan guards to bring him down.
Domin followed the vampire"s eyes. His senses detected new death, though he only saw the wall. "She with you?"
"She is harmless," Marcello said, easily. As much as Alice"s hovering, endless presence bothered him, he wouldn"t say anything to get her exorcised. "A child who wandered too far from her grave and now mindlessly follows me about like a puppy."
Marcello saw Alice grimace at him with a forming pout of affront. He ignored her, turning his eyes away.
Domin obviously didn"t feel threatened, because he turned his back and ignored the spirit. "I have come to let you go, Marcello."
Marcello didn"t move.
"Give me your word you will leave here more peaceably than you came. There are those who wouldn"t hesitate to have your heart and your head for the insult you have done us in coming here." Domin pulled an old key from his pocket and held it up.
"I will not leave without Tatiana. She is mine and I mean to keep her," said Marcello in warning. He knew the old wolf would sense his lie so he didn"t bother.
"Even more reason for you to go and quickly," Domin said. "The witch is no longer staying with us. I helped her to balance her gifts what I could. She now travels away from here with your brother."
"Leandro," Marcello whispered. His skin p.r.i.c.kled in fear. If she was with Leandro she was in even more danger than in the lycan"s keep.
Domin knew Marcello would cause no more trouble and lifted the key to release him. "They have three nights" journey on you. I suggest you hurry."
Marcello nodded. Inside he was desperate, broken. He needed Tatiana back--longed for her with every beat of his undead heart. He wasn"t whole without her. Immortality had become an unbearable curse, more so than before. He went straight for the door, pa.s.sing Domin without a second glance. The old lycan"s words made him pause.
"And take Alice. I am sure she misses her mistress."