Dark Slayer

«But Mikhail would never invite anyone into our home he was not certain of,» Raven said. «That's utterly ridiculous.»

«And they are suspicious of me as well,» Ivory pointed out, unwilling to let the prince get off too easily. «Because I am a Malinov.»

«Long thought dead these past centuries,» Gregori said. «Yes, some are suspicious, but I have been in your mind, healing you and Razvan. I know what you went through to save the farmer and his family.»

«Tell me about the child,» Ivory persisted.

«She lives and is well,» Gregori assured. «Falcon and Sara took the family in until the child was healed. They are living at the inn now, and we will help them get started again. Just about everything they had was destroyed. Fortunately, the vampire didn't kill all of the animals, as often happens. You must have come along and interrupted him before he could do too much damage to the farm.»

«Have you erased their memories?» Ivory asked.

Mikhail leaned forward, frowning. «The parents were easy enough, but the children still have nightmares. Gregori is working to help them. Some are more resistant than others. I'd like you to tell me about your wolves.»

Ivory stayed very still. Razvan was just as still inside as she was, sensing this was no idle question. «I made a promise to the wolf pack that helped me and I have always kept it. The summer the pups were born, game was plentiful and it had been a mild winter. The pack had two litters of pups, which sometimes happens in a good year. I helped with the hunting, so my pack was well fed and the alpha pair and the next in the hierarchy mated. The vampires hunted my pack and destroyed them, hoping to find me running amongst them.»

Her hand trembled in her lap and Razvan laid his over it, his thumb sliding back and forth in a soothing gesture. Ivory didn't look at him, but she opened her mind to his and let him comfort her where no one else could see. It had been one of the worst moments she could remember, finding the pack dead and dying.

«The pups are all that remain of my original pack. They were badly hurt, but I was not entirely»-she searched for the right word-«sane . . . in those days. I could still barely stand the moonlight and spent most of the hours beneath the ground. I needed the pack for my own survival. I couldn't let them go, and I crawled into the den with them and gave them my blood repeatedly. Sometimes I had no choice but to take their blood. It was a long time-weeks, I do not really remember-before the first turned.»

She remembered that moment, the animal screaming in pain, and her shock at what she'd done. «I was careful to make certain they learned to hunt only with me. I feed them and care for them. They do not breed.» She lifted her head and looked the prince straight in the eye. «They are my family. We have hunted the vampire for centuries and they have saved my life countless times.» She conveyed in that one brooding look exactly what she meant-that she would fight to the death for her pack.

«You can see how they could be troublesome if they began to prey on the human race for food,» Gregori said.

She flicked him a cool glance. «No more than when one of us does. We would have no choice but to hunt the wolf and destroy it.»

Mikhail held up his hand. «We just needed to know, Ivory. The pack is most unusual, but you seem to have it all well in hand.»

Razvan stirred. «It grows late and we have not fed. The pack is fine, but we must hunt before we return home.»

He savored the word home. Let it roll off his tongue. The confines of this house were too stifling. He couldn't really remember when he had been in a home, certainly not with so many other people with all eyes on them. Ivory was hiding it well, but she was equally uncomfortable. Neither of them was good at social skills, having been alone for so many years.

«We can feed both of you,» Mikhail said. «I really brought you here for a purpose.»

Ivory settled back in her seat, but Razvan noticed that her fingers circled her crossbow, and he felt the ripple of awareness in the wolves. «Of course you did.»

Mikhail smiled easily. «Our children are dying before they are born, Ivory. I have no time to waste on the niceties. Our greatest minds have tried to find solutions to the problem and finally, recently, we had a breakthrough. We discovered the source of our miscarriages is Xavier. He mutated extremophiles, microbes that attack our unborn children. The microbes are in the soil. Even should we move locations, and of course we considered that, he can contaminate soil anywhere we go. We have to stop him.»

«That is our goal,» Ivory said.

«Gregori informed me he believes both of you are set on destroying Xavier. He believes if anyone can do so, you two have the best chance. I have a great deal of faith in Gregori, as well as in my own instincts. We would like to aid you in any way possible.»