Dark Song

5

Elisabeta, you do not have to obey every single order your lifemate gives you. A woman can talk to other men. Some of the men in this room are barely out of the caves the way he is, but others are very modern and would address you themselves. They would treat you with the respect you deserve. Julija was totally indignant. Isai swore to me that Ferro would take good care of you and be whatever you needed.

For the first time that she could ever really remember, Elisabeta felt what it was like to really know what humor was. What it felt like. Ferro is exactly what I need. I told him there were too many people and I could not have them looking at me or talking to me. He said he would take care of it if that was what I desired, and he did. He asked Isai to bring you to me so I would have you to visit with because he knew you did not frighten me.

Elisabeta kept her eyes fixed on Julija’s face as she told her what her lifemate had done for her. Julija’s expression was priceless as her gaze flicked from Elisabeta to Ferro and then back to Elisabeta.

Wait. Are you saying that Ferro deliberately made himself look like an asshole in order to protect you? Julija scowled at the ancient hunter.

Ferro didn’t deign to look her way. The healer had gotten to his feet and once more had taken a chair beside Tariq.

Yes. I do not like being in the open. This room is too big for me. He is protecting me so I do not have to look at the entire room. I do not like all these people seeing me but he does not want to hide me away like the vampire did, so he holds me in his arms where I can hide my face. I did not want to answer questions so he told them not to talk to me directly.

“I did not find anything in her memories to indicate that Sergey placed anything in her to spy on this compound or that would allow him access to her remotely,” Gary announced.

Elisabeta nearly sagged with relief, but the fact that Ferro didn’t seem relieved prevented her from doing so. She felt every one of his emotions, even when she was certain he didn’t feel them. He seemed to distance himself from emotions, as if, because he was incapable of feeling for so many centuries, he still didn’t process sentiment at all. He simply didn’t acknowledge emotion unless it was in regard to her. There was a part of her that got a tiny secret thrill from that, although like everything, it frightened her as well.

That amazes me, Julija said. That’s like some kind of hero, Elisabeta. Everyone thinks he’s a first-class jerk, at least all the women do. Lorraine, Andor’s lifemate, is going to give him a lecture to end all lectures. I’d better warn her not to make a fool of herself.

Ferro had a very specific feel to him. Strong. Very strong. A predator’s edge. Almost feral. Not almost, Elisabeta had to acknowledge, but definitely feral. Untamed. He felt like a law unto himself, and when he surrounded her, she could identify him instantly not only by his scent but by that distinctly powerful feel to him.

The moment Julija told Elisabeta she was going to have to tell Lorraine not to lecture Ferro, Elisabeta felt him in her mind. He had been there all along. Quiet, monitoring, just to make certain she was all right and didn’t need him. Now, he poured himself into her, surrounding her. To her astonishment, there was a bite of humor.

Tell her not to say anything to Lorraine. I want to hear Lorraine’s lecture.

She didn’t want all the women in the compound to have a poor opinion of her lifemate because he was shielding her, but she didn’t want to disobey him, either.

Julija, please do not say anything to Lorraine. She wasn’t good at deception, and Julija glanced at her sharply and then at Ferro, who appeared to be listening to Tariq question the healer.

He’s paying attention to our conversation, isn’t he? Julija asked.

Reluctantly, afraid she was doing something wrong, Elisabeta nodded her head. I do not feel comfortable without him. I am afraid.

You do not have to apologize to anyone for the way you are, minan piŋe sarnanak. Ferro sounded fierce. There is nothing wrong with needing your lifemate to get you through these first risings.

This time, Elisabeta knew Julija could hear him and that had been deliberate. It was also a threat. I fear my need of you being with me will be far longer than just these first risings, Ferro.

She wanted Julija to know it wasn’t Ferro at fault. His staying in her mind even when he was present in the room with her was all on her. He wasn’t monitoring her to know what was said between them. She was terrified that if he wasn’t sharing her mind, Sergey would find his way inside her again.

Piŋe sarnanak. His voice softened, was so gentle it turned her heart over. As long as you have need of me, I have the need and privilege to protect you.

Elisabeta looked up at him. Ferro seemed to be paying attention to Tariq and the others as they discussed the possibility of Sergey having another spy in the compound, but she knew his focus was on her. She felt him surrounding her with his strength, and that gave her the courage to sit up straighter. She dared to take a look around the room that she hoped to call her home one day.

The first sneak peek was dizzying, and she hastily closed her eyes and pressed back against Ferro’s broad chest. He felt like a rock, steady and immovable, something she could count on when she felt the smallest breeze could knock her over.

Julija chose to ignore Ferro’s interruption. What does he call you? Piŋe sarnanak? What does that mean? Or minan piŋe sarnanak?

Elisabeta wasn’t sure she wanted to share that private name. “My little songbird” felt intimate to her. Theirs alone. She knew any Carpathian who heard him call her that would know what it meant, and Julija was her friend, but that name represented far more to Elisabeta than she’d realized. No one had ever been kind to her, or made her feel special. No matter how she acted, terrified or not, Ferro accepted her.

It is a sweet name he calls me sometimes, she managed. I am very fond of it.

I do know the Carpathian language, but that is very ancient, isn’t it?

Elisabeta nodded. What is the healer saying about the vampire now? She wanted to change the subject until she understood her emotions better.

The rising had already been too overwhelming for her and she didn’t want to add anything else to it that she didn’t have to try to cope with if she didn’t have to. Both women immediately turned their attention to the conversation between the healer, Tariq and the others.

“We have no option but to once again examine those in the compound who have been near the healing grounds,” Maksim said, sounding weary.

Tariq sighed. “The children have been put to the test repeatedly. I am not certain how much more they can take. Certainly Charlotte will be very distressed by the idea of having to examine them again, but we cannot risk everyone here.”

Sívamet, there is another answer, one that will be difficult for you to put to the test, but these are children who you saw the vampire torturing. Do you remember?

Yes. How could she forget? Julija had allowed herself to be taken prisoner in the hopes of rescuing her. There were children down in the tunnels, and they were used cruelly by Sergey and his brother. Elisabeta had been in a tiny cage, hidden in the room, unable to do anything but watch the horror unfolding before her eyes.

You would have to be very brave and trust me. I know it would be difficult for you, but if I am right, it would spare these children more pain and Tariq would not have to tell his lifemate he has no choice but to once more subject their children to examination.

Aloud, Ferro interrupted the discussion. “Before you call the meeting, Tariq, and put the plan into action, I have one more idea, but I need my lifemate’s permission. I am discussing it with her now. It will be very frightening for her and she will have to be extremely brave to cooperate, but if I am right, we can spare the children this examination.”

Tariq had begun to rise but at Ferro’s statement he dropped into the chair and nodded, steepled his fingers and waited. He glanced at Maksim and then Gary. Both men shook their heads. Neither had any idea of what Ferro might be thinking.

Tell me what you would have me do. Already Elisabeta was trembling. She despised herself for being such a coward when she caught so many glimpses of him acting with such courage, facing master vampires and defeating them in terrible battles.

Ferro’s hand was very gentle, stroking her hair. Julija is in the room with you. She is in your mind. My brethren are here. All are ancient hunters. They will weave safeguards. Look around you at those in the room. These are all powerful Carpathian hunters, each with their own gifts. I will have them weave the strongest safeguards over and under and around this room with you in it. Sandu, Andor and Gary, those I call ekä, my brother, will be in your mind, secreted there waiting quietly to see if the vampire creeps in.

Elisabeta gasped and pulled into an upright sitting position, facing him, shaking her head, uncaring that the others would see her visceral reaction. She already knew what he was going to do. Leave her. He was leaving her. Panic set in and she couldn’t catch her breath. The moment she knew he was going to abandon her, she felt the vampire pressing close. She felt his glee. He was there, just waiting for his moment.

“You promised me,” she whispered. “You promised me.”

“Yes, Elisabeta, and I always keep my promises,” Ferro agreed. “I am not abandoning you. You are mine. I protect you first above all others. This is only to see if I am right, and if I am, it will keep the children safe and from having once more to suffer through examination. It is up to you. I will abide by your decision.”

Elisabeta rocked herself back and forth, trying to self-soothe. Nothing helped. He caught her chin and forced it up, forced her eyes to meet his. He had the strangest-colored eyes. This time they seemed to be more silvery-blue with that strange rusty stain, like a lightning bolt arrowing through them. His gaze was steady on hers.

I am asking for your trust, Elisabeta. I will never abandon you. Never. This will only take minutes. I know it will feel like hours, but I swear it will be minutes and I will be close.

There was such a force in him. She couldn’t see or hear a lie in him, but he was her courage. He was the reason she was able to be aboveground and she was still terrified, even with his physical presence. She couldn’t do what he was asking of her—but there were those innocent children. Was she going to be so selfish that she would let fear conquer her and allow the children to suffer because she couldn’t overcome her terror?

I cannot make decisions, Ferro. You know that. You have to decide for me. You have to choose what is right.

You know what the right thing to do is. He never looked away from her, his eyes on hers the entire time.

Her heart dropped. She knew he was going to choose the honorable path. He had always chosen honor. He had secreted himself in the monastery because he was honorable. Honor was inked on his back. She wanted to live up to that for him.

What are you going to do?

I will explain to everyone. If you have an objection, state it to me alone on our path, but know I will be leaving your mind and physical presence for a few moments only to leave the way open for the vampire so he can be traced.

Again, he did not look away from her. She heard a moan escape and she quickly cut it off, pressing her forehead into his chest, unable to continue looking into his eyes. He couldn’t possibly understand the terror sweeping through her.

Elisabeta? he prompted.

She couldn’t say the words. She wanted to, but she couldn’t get them out.

Make the decision for me, Ferro. If you decree it, I will follow your lead. She wanted to curl up into the fetal position and just disappear.

“I would ask that Andor, Gary and Sandu once again silently observe by joining with Elisabeta.” You will allow my brethren to merge with you in my place.

They cannot protect me from him. They couldn’t. She didn’t care how powerful he thought his ancient brethren were, they couldn’t stop the master vampire, not when he was coming for her. Only Ferro could do that.

Nevertheless. Ferro made it a decree. “Before they do, every ancient in this room, with the exception of me, together must weave the strongest safeguards to keep Sergey out. Do not leave a single loophole. Once that is done, the three of you who are bound with me, so I know that you will guard my lifemate, will merge with her. I will leave until summoned to return. In the time I am gone, we will see if Sergey manages to find his way to terrorize my lifemate.”

They cannot stop him from getting to me. Only you can do that. You have to stay with me. If you are not with me, he will come. She couldn’t help pleading with him.

Elisabeta found her fingers were twisted into two fists in his shirt and she was astonished at her audacity. She would never have thought she could possibly have taken such liberties, but Ferro didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he seemed proud of her. When she tried to pry her fingers loose, he brought up his hands to cover hers. As always, he was exquisitely gentle.

Then we will know how he comes and we will be able to stop him, Ferro stated calmly. You will do this, lifemate, because I have asked it of you.

The rules. The guidelines she understood. That discipline she’d had for hundreds of years. She closed her eyes. She could do this if she had to. She could endure as she had for centuries.

“That makes no sense,” Maksim said. “How could he possibly get in if we all weave such strong safeguards?”

“We have woven them around the compound,” Tariq pointed out.

“I see where you’re going with this, Ferro,” Gary said. “It makes perfect sense.” He stood and nodded to the others. “Before it is too much for Elisabeta, let’s hurry.”

Elisabeta wanted to tell him she was already at her limit; still, she gathered her courage. This wasn’t for herself. Ferro, you said I could ask anything of you.

Yes, piŋe sarnanak.

Please have Julija leave. I do not want her here. That is the one thing I ask of you. With you gone, I fear Sergey will come and he will strike at me through her. She carries a child, and he will harm that child.

Ferro leaned over her and pressed a kiss on top of her head. “It is Elisabeta’s wish, Isai, that you remove your lifemate for her safety while we conduct this experiment. I would ask that you honor her wish.”

Isai rose immediately and held out his hand to Julija, who stood reluctantly. “Are you certain, Elisabeta? I would help you through this.”

“She is certain,” Ferro said. “This is difficult for her,” he added when Julija continued to hesitate. “I ask that you go.”

Julija nodded and went with Isai from the house. Elisabeta didn’t look at her. She couldn’t. She already felt abandoned by her lifemate. The moment Julija and Isai were gone, the remaining Carpathian males immediately began weaving safeguards.

Ferro continued to hold Elisabeta while her mind went crazy with all sorts of possibilities that this was the moment when the axe was going to fall and she would see what was really in store for her. Was it possible that this was one of Sergey’s many cruel tricks? He’d played so many over the centuries he’d held her. Was Ferro an equally vicious master and now was the moment when he would reveal his true character? She couldn’t stop the thousands of likelihoods from pushing forward.

Very slowly Elisabeta uncurled her fists from Ferro’s shirt and forced herself to sit up on her own. She could only try to prepare herself against the pain that was going to come. It was already creeping into her mind and heart, stealing in like a thief. She was familiar with the feeling. So many times, over hundreds of years, she had tried to make herself numb, to not feel anything at all, but for some reason, that wouldn’t work for her.

Minan piŋe sarnanak, I do not blame you for trying to protect yourself. You do not know me, and so far, you have chosen not to merge too closely in my mind. I can only reassure you that you are my true lifemate and I have bound us together with the ritual words. Those ties are sacred and cannot be broken. They not only affect you, but me as well. I meant every word I said to you. I am not abandoning you or playing some elaborate hoax on you. I am searching for a way to protect you from this monster. We will see if he can slip through the safeguards the ancients have woven without me. If he dares come, sívamet, you have only to reach for me. Call to me and I will be there with you.

Ferro sounded so sincere. So strong. So real. How did one know the truth? She had been deceived all her life, and she had lived long.

“We are ready, Ferro,” Tariq announced.

Ferro tipped her chin up and leaned his head down to brush his lips across hers. My brethren will protect you, and I will come the instant you call to me. That is all you have to do, Elisabeta. Simply call to me if he comes. I will drive him away.

She couldn’t answer. She didn’t know how to answer. She felt his withdrawal and then she was alone. He was gone from her mind, and she’d never felt so isolated as she did in that moment. She’d been alone for hundreds of years and with him only for that rising, and yet having him merged with her, even staying in the background, made her feel safe. She hadn’t known how much he was giving her until he was gone.

His physical presence was gone as well and she found herself sitting alone in the chair. She kept her eyes closed tightly and her hands clenched so tightly on the arms of the chair her knuckles hurt. She knew when his brethren merged with her, but it didn’t alleviate the terrible emptiness she felt. They shifted almost as one to the back of her mind and stayed so still she couldn’t feel them in her. She didn’t want to feel them there. They weren’t Ferro.

Her heart began to accelerate. She tasted fear in her mouth. Thunder roared in her ears. There was no understanding the passage of time because each second without Ferro was like years moving at a snail’s pace.

The sound of ugly laughter crept into her mind, one slow note at a time, as if the sender wanted to prolong the agony of suspense. The noise was grating and harsh, scraping deliberately along nerve endings, a vile, sickening sound meant to hurt—and it did.

He fears me, Elisabeta. Your magnificent lifemate runs like a coward from me, leaving you behind to face your punishments. You have accrued so many now with your stubbornness. Your friend Julija. The mage. I will tear the child from her body first and feed it to my puppets while you watch. While she watches, knowing you caused her the loss by your stubborn behavior.

Sergey sneered and threatened by turns, his voice quickly deteriorating more and more into a growling animalistic noise that could barely be recognized.

Elisabeta put her hands over her ears to try to drown out the ugly threats that kept getting worse and viler if she could even make them out, but it was impossible because they were coming from inside her head. In desperation, she reached out, hoping her lifemate had told her the truth.

Ferro. She couldn’t say anything else. Just his name.

Instantly, he poured into her mind. Strong. An untamed warrior. Utterly confident and invincible. He filled every lonely place in her mind, every tiny crack Sergey might think he could slip in and hide. He strode in, bigger than life, taking over, a fierce hunter few dared to cross. As Ferro merged with her, his brethren joined them, tracking the master vampire as he rushed to try to evade them, throwing himself out of Elisabeta’s mind.

Ferro and the other hunters followed. “He is in the room. He cannot leave with the safeguards intact. Be careful, he can strike at us, even from a distance. We need to shed light on him. It is only a small replica of him, but it is enough to diminish him if we destroy it. I will shield Elisabeta.”

She knew Sergey would try to hurt her by going after Ferro. She was so grateful she had insisted Julija leave the house. By weaving the safeguards, they had contained Sergey’s shadowy replica there in the room. She couldn’t stop shaking, her gaze darting around the room, forgetting to be overwhelmed by the amount of space.

The Carpathian males waved their arms to cast a brilliant light throughout the entire room, leaving no corner with so much as a shadow in it. Ferro stood in the center of the room as the ancient warriors spread out. He spread his arms wide, encompassing the entire room.

“Muonìak te avoisz te.” His deep voice was commanding, pouring centuries of sheer strength and control into his tone. Few could actually command a vampire to reveal himself, let alone a master vampire, but it was impossible to ignore Ferro’s absolute authority.

At once a dark shadowy form began to creep toward Ferro, stretching across the wall and then the floor in the shape of a tiny insect that began to grow as it slid down the wall and touched the hardwood floor. At once, Sandu, Dragomir and Andor hurled wooden darts carved from ancient wood, pinning the shadowy feet to the wall.

The figure’s mouth gaped wide in a silent scream. The empty eye sockets turned toward Elisabeta where she huddled as small as possible in the chair. Ferro took one step to place himself between the shadow figure and his lifemate so that it was impossible for the thing to see her. Benedek, Petru and Nicu formed a wall behind Ferro, standing shoulder to shoulder, making it doubly impossible for the shadow to even lay eyes on Elisabeta.

The moment she was taken from its line of sight, the creature began to twist and turn in desperation, seemingly not to get away from the ancients but in order to keep looking at Elisabeta. It stretched farther across the floor toward her, its shape thinning, until it looked like a ribbon of gray with nothing but feet and outstretched hands.

“What is it?” Tariq asked. “I have never run across such a thing.”

Sandu and Andor pinned the shadowy shoulders into the hardwood floor so it couldn’t move. Again, the mouth gaped wide but there was no sound. The empty holes where the eyes should have been darted back and forth. More than ever the creature resembled a cross between an insect and a vampire.

Gary crouched beside the shadow, touching it with one of the pegs made from the ancient wood Sandu handed to him. “It was referred to as a kod lewl kuly in ancient times—a shadow spirit worm or demon sent to devour souls or bring messages. It is brought forth from the netherworld, and the conjurer—in this case, Sergey—has to give it something of himself, some part of his own spirit, in order to give it any kind of direction.”

“It is fixated completely on Elisabeta,” Maksim observed. “Not on escaping.”

“Were you able to see how it got in?” Lojos asked. “With all the safeguards, how could it slip in?”

Gary glanced at Ferro and then he calmly took the ancient wood and plunged it into the heart of the creature, careful to avoid touching any part of the gray shadow. The thing wiggled obscenely and then slowly went still. The healer stood and brought the light to bear on the pinned worm. The edges of the shadow began to darken and curl. Flames licked at it and eventually consumed it. When the entire creature was reduced to ash, the door to the house opened and the breeze carried the ashes outside. The light in the room dimmed and then receded completely.

“What did you find?” Tariq asked. “How did the kod lewl kuly slip through our safeguards? The three of you were sharing her brain when he managed to penetrate Elisabeta’s mind.”

Ferro once more went to Elisabeta and lifted her into his arms, surrounding her with his strength. I am here, minan piŋe sarnanak, just as I said I would be. The vampire is gone. He cannot get to you. But you must be very brave and continue to believe and trust in me as you have done.

You know how he did it. Her heart began to beat harder in trepidation.

Ferro’s arms tightened even more around her, as if she would need even more courage to face what the healer was going to disclose to the others.

“Sergey has held Elisabeta prisoner literally for centuries. She knows no other life. No other keeper. He has terrified her all those centuries, and held her away from any other contact, vampire, Carpathian or human,” Gary explained to the ancients in the room. “Ferro is her lifemate. She has a strong connection with him and the belief instilled in her from birth that he will shield her, if necessary, from all harm. Through the centuries, when Sergey tried to force Elisabeta to give up Ferro’s soul to him, she refused, no matter what torture he subjected her to. She knew what strength it took for lifemates to hold out against evil.”

Elisabeta tilted her face up to Ferro’s. Why is he telling them these things? She was very confused. The healer had merged with her several times. He had searched her memories trying to find evidence of Sergey planting spies, so he had been able to see so much of her life in small vignettes, but she didn’t expect him to champion her or to reveal to the others anything about her.

There are things in my memories he found that no one here will ever accept. They will cast me out.

There is no need to be alarmed, Elisabeta. You are with your lifemate. I am keeper of your soul. Your heart. No one will ever harm you again. If those in this room cannot accept us, then we will find our way. Some of our brethren will travel with us, others may stay here. What matters is that we are together and that I can keep you safe.

He didn’t exactly answer her. She took a deep breath and forced herself to turn her head and look at the ancients who had merged with her. Sandu, Andor and Gary. These men were bound to Ferro soul to soul. They had tied themselves together, along with Andor’s lifemate, Lorraine, and the bond would hold until all of them had lifemates. Only then would they be able to break those ties. What happened to one happened to all of them. Now, she was a part of that brotherhood.

It was very difficult to look at the three men without the bars of a cage between her and them. The open space made her feel vulnerable but it helped that she could feel Ferro’s strength surrounding her. He was extremely strong and felt that way to her, like one of the ancient hardwood trees that was forever unbending even in the fiercest storm. He was back in her mind, merged with her but unobtrusive, just providing her with the confidence to stay there instead of running away.

She resolved that she wouldn’t embarrass him. He had come instantly at her call, just as he said he would. There had been no deception, nor had he gotten angry with her because she hadn’t wholly believed him. Right now, his hands were soothing on the nape of her neck and then moving in her hair, rubbing her arm, always reminding her of his presence.

His brethren faced the other ancients in the room stoically, without expression, but she felt them standing with Ferro—with her. For what reason? How had Sergey gotten past the safeguards?

Stay with me, Elisabeta. Let your heart and lungs follow the rhythm of mine. Every warrior in this room can hear any change in your breathing or your pulse. I am impressed with your bravery. Your courage. They have no right to pass judgment on you, nor do I think they will, but you are harsh with yourself. You are to think only of me. You represent me.

His hands framed her face very gently and turned her to look at him. Her gaze couldn’t fail to meet his. Do you understand? I am giving you an order you cannot disobey. You are to concentrate on your lifemate. Keep your heart rate exactly in tune with mine. Keep your breathing the same as mine. Look only at me. See only me. Think only of me. Know that I am the only one you are to please.

The guidelines were very clear and she was very good at following rules. She moved in his mind, looking for anything that was disturbing to him. She always felt that faint note of sorrow running through him. The song was there, the one she was beginning to think of as their song. Hopeful one moment and despairing the next. As if in the distance, she heard the healer speaking to the ancients.

“Elisabeta is fully Carpathian. She is powerful in her own right. She may not have had the opportunity to develop every one of her gifts as most Carpathian women do over the centuries, but those gifts are in her. She can bring peace even to one such as me. There are few like her in existence.”

Elisabeta heard the praise as if from a distance but felt Ferro’s pride in her, and it warmed her that he felt that way. She didn’t like him to feel that deep sorrow that she couldn’t reach and remove. It was important to her to take care of his every need.

“Her fears drive her. Sergey has terrorized her for centuries, and without Ferro to shield her, he continues to do so,” Gary explained. “Her very fears summon him. She opens the doors for him. Obviously, nothing from this world can come through and Sergey knows it—the safeguards are woven too strong—but not one of us thought to keep anything from the netherworld from creeping in. Elisabeta summoned him with her fears and Sergey responded to the summons by sending in the only servant he could get inside. The kod lewl kuly, the spirit shadow worm, could only stay so long in this realm, which is why it slipped away the moment she was put back in the ground.”

Complete silence greeted the explanation. The ancients looked at one another. “You are certain of this?” Tariq demanded.

“We observed it happening within her mind,” Gary said. “Ferro suspected. She is so terrified of Sergey yet he was her only contact throughout the centuries. She expects him to come after her. She knows nothing but his threats. It is natural for her to believe he will do exactly what he told her he would. When she is not with Ferro, she believes she is wide open for Sergey’s assault. And she aided us in uncovering yet another hole in our defenses.”

“That is insane,” Maksim said. “She actually summoned the vampire? Could he resist her call?”

“I doubt it,” Gary said. “As he was the constant in her life, she was the constant in his. More, he needed her to provide emotions and keep his body from decomposing. Right at this moment, he is deteriorating at a rapid pace. That has to be very shocking for him when he is used to getting his way in all things. He may have acted as if he was going after other women to take her place, but no other woman will do for him. There is only Elisabeta for him. He had to have put something of himself in the worm in order to direct it to her specifically. His hope was to intimidate her into coming back to him.”

“You believe Elisabeta can actually summon Sergey at will?” Tariq asked.

“Yes,” Gary said.

“I believe we are done here, gentlemen,” Ferro said. “My lifemate is exhausted.”

Immediately Tariq stood. “I appreciate you allowing us into your home, Elisabeta. I know this was difficult for you.”

Elisabeta didn’t look at him. Ferro had told her to look only at him. See only him. She took in what they were saying, but only from a distance, and that allowed her to process the information without reacting to it. She would do that later, when she was alone or with just her lifemate.

“Will she summon Sergey into this compound again?” Tomas inquired. “If he was able to slip the worm in, could he do so with some other creature once she calls for him?”

Ferro’s cold gaze moved over Tomas. It was a legitimate question, and one that all the warriors would be asking and preparing for, but he didn’t want it asked aloud in front of his lifemate. He had no choice but to answer honestly.

“It is my hope that she will summon him,” Ferro said. “When I am ready, we will make certain she does, in a place of my choosing.”

“She will summon him if Ferro isn’t with her unless he can convince her that Sandu, Andor or I can protect her the way he can in his absence,” Gary said. “And that means, Tomas, that every ancient in this compound had better do exactly what I told you to do when I first arrived, find every point of weakness and fix it. This is not her failing, it is yours, mine and all of ours in this compound. We have not safeguarded against the netherworld well and we must do so immediately.”

Tariq walked to the door, followed closely by the healer. Immediately, the others filed out, leaving only the brethren.

“If you have need of us, Ferro, call. We will come. Should you have to leave this place, we will accompany you,” Sandu said.

Ferro inclined his head. “Thank you.”

Elisabeta found it interesting that Ferro felt deep affection for those who had stayed to protect them but didn’t seem to acknowledge it to himself. None of the ancients recognized their emotions or admitted to those feelings.

The moment they were gone and the door shut behind them, Ferro waved his hand toward it and murmured a few words, sealing the thick oak closed. He bent his head and brushed his lips over hers.

“You did very well, Elisabeta. You were in this enormous room, surrounded by strangers, and you allowed yourself to be examined by the healer in order to keep young children from having to undergo another inspection. I am very proud of you.”

The moment he spoke, that barrier that had provided a distance between her and everyone in the room was gone and she understood exactly what had occurred. “I summoned the vampire? I did that? Is that really possible? Why would I do that?” She was horrified. More than shocked. Sickened. She pressed a hand to her churning stomach. “I really did endanger the compound and everyone in it. I not only allowed him in, I invited him in.”

“That is not what the healer said, piŋe sarnanak,” he said gently. “You did not listen properly. You summoned the vampire with your fear. That is not the same thing as inviting him in. He could only send the kod lewl kuly from the netherworld and with it some tiny part of his own spirit, which we destroyed. He cannot get that back. That worm couldn’t live in this realm so it would not do him any good as a spy. He could only plague you with it. In truth, you summoned your own tormentor.”

“The healer says I will do so again if you are not with me.” Her nervous fingers plucked at his shirt.

“I believe he is correct. Over time, you will gain confidence and that will not happen. In the meantime, if I have to be gone, you will be in the ground where you are safe. I will also see to it that you become more comfortable with Julija and Lorraine. Sandu, Gary and Andor are tied to us. Eventually, it is possible we both will be comfortable with one of them guarding you when I am not available.”

He wasn’t certain that was true, especially regarding Gary. He still felt that vague threat toward his lifemate. No matter that the healer had stood for her. He had examined her properly and told the truth, but that faint alarm was still present no matter how much Ferro wanted it to be gone. It was possible that because he was from ancient times, when Carpathian males kept their lifemates hidden away from other males, and he was a throwback to that era, he was in some way casting the healer in a villain light because he was powerful—or because Elisabeta didn’t trust him. She caught all those thoughts and couldn’t help shaking her head, although she knew if he decreed it, she would have to abide by his decision. She felt his rejection of the idea in his mind and she was happy for it.

“Have no fears, piŋe sarnanak. I am an ancient and still live the ancient ways. That means I do not like other males around my woman unless I am right there.”

She found that she was extremely happy that he was an ancient and preferred the older ways. She didn’t want anyone else around her. She definitely preferred it that way as well.