Dark Slayer

A violin lay in a case against one wall of her bedchamber; nearby sat a deep rock basin that she'd filled with the richest soil. She set the Dragonseeker down on the rejuvenating earth and studied him a moment. He was struggling, fighting off the slumber spell. She had the feeling he hadn't been as deep as she'd intended, but all that really mattered was that he hadn't seen the location of her lair.

Taking a deep breath, she laid aside her weapons and reversed the spell. The Dragonseeker, in spite of his starved and weakened condition, came up out of the soil, his eyes mercilessly angry. She fell back away from him, landing on her rear so that she had to tilt her head up to see him.

«What have you done, woman?» he roared.

Before she could answer, Raja burst into the room and hurled himself at the intruder's throat. He launched himself high, teeth bared.

«No!» Ivory commanded.

The Dragonseeker caught the huge wolf by the neck, the force of the attack driving him back into the bed of soil. She saw his hands clamp down like a vise. The wolf fought instinctively for air.

Little brother, he is not an enemy. He is my mate. She bared her teeth at the wolf and he went still and submissive in the Dragonseeker's hands.

«Let him go,» Ivory ordered. «Do it now, or I will retaliate.»

The Dragonseeker raised his eyebrow, his hands remaining firm around the wolf 's neck. «You seek to threaten me with bodily harm? I doubt there is much you can do that has not already been done. And if you desire to kill me, that is my wish, so I do not believe that it will serve your purpose to intimidate me.»

She spat out another curse. «Veridet peje-may your blood burn!»

He released the wolf a little warily, keeping his gaze fixed on the large alpha and not on Ivory, which only served to irritate her more, as if he thought the animal was more of a threat to him than she was.

«My blood has burned on many occasions, avio palafertiilam-my lifemate.»

Her breath hissed out of her lungs. «Do not ever say 'my lifemate' to me. I am not yours. I belong to no one. I trust no one, least of all the grandson of Xavier and a Dragonseeker on top of that.» She put every ounce of contempt and disgust that she could summon into her voice.

Before he could respond, Ivory switched her attention to Raja who, picking up on her mood, was baring his teeth again, low warning growls rumbling in his throat. Little brother, I have no patience now to deal with two males and their egos. Go to your mate who will soothe your nerves and leave me to deal with this… this… There was no word bad enough to describe him.

The wolf sent the Dragonseeker one last look of warning and then loped out of the room, leaving them alone in the bedchamber.

Ivory moved back across the floor until there was space between herself and the Dragonseeker. She pressed her back to the wall, fighting to maintain her composure. «It has been centuries since I have been alone in a room with another person,» she confessed. «I am no longer certain what one does.»

«You could start by telling me your name.»

He didn't smile. He didn't look at her as if the moon rose and set with her, as lifemates were reputed to do. He didn't even argue that she did belong to him as every cell in her body screamed at her was true.

Ivory moistened her lips. «I am Ivory Malinov, sister to the five raising an army and a rebellion of vampires. Sister to the ones in league with Xavier.» She took a deep breath. «And this is not my true form.»

«I am Razvan, grandson of Rhiannon and Xavier. I am a dealer of death and torture to any who dare come near me, especially those I care most for. I will never lay claim to you, so have no worries, Ivory. I will leave you as soon as I am able to do so.» He tilted his head to one side and studied her flawless body. «Do you fear showing me your true form?»

Her chin went up. «I do not fear much of anything, Dragonseeker, least of all you.»

«I can see that,» he said, faint sarcasm sliding into his tone. «Though, in truth, you should fear me. Not me: Xavier. He can find me wherever I am. You must believe me in this.»

«I believe you. I studied under Xavier, many years ago. Far longer than I care to remember. I know him well-too well.»

«You displeased him in some way.» Razvan made it a statement.

She found she could barely breathe in the close confines of the room with the Dragonseeker's hunger beating at her. Maybe it wasn't just his hunger. Maybe it was the way his eyes moved over her with a hint of possession, a male's intense look of interest. No one had looked at her that way since the prince's eldest son-and that hadn't turned out so well.

Her skin ached. Her bones. She'd forgotten that pain, or at least pushed it so far back in her memories that it was dull and faded. Now, looking at him looking at her, asking her questions, her body remembered the feel of sharp objects slicing through bone and tissue.

«Ivory,» he prompted, his voice gentle. «What did you do to displease him?»