Dark Magic

Gary knelt between the bodies, his heart pounding in dread. He hadn’t taken the time to examine them closely; he didn’t dare in the sun or with the captain watching. Please God he hadn’t failed them, he hadn’t been too late. Gregori had lost so much blood. What would happen to him? Why hadn’t he asked the couple more questions while he had the opportunity? He dropped his face into his hands and prayed.

“They are good friends of yours?” Beau ventured compassionately.

“Very good friends. Like family. Gregori saved my life on more than one occasion,” Gary answered carefully, not wanting to reveal too much.

“I have such a friend. He is like this one. He had a place not too far from here that he often stayed in when we’d spent too much time in the swamp. He didn’t like the sun either. I’ll take you there. Gregori and Sava

The boat began to pick up speed now that they were out of the root-choked cha

Beau LaRue knew the bayou like his own backyard. He took the boat to the top safe speed and found every shortcut he could think of. When they approached land, it was a small island with a single hunting cabin on it. The cypress trees were thick, nearly impenetrable. “The ground is very firm here in the center of the island. It doesn’t look so, but there is a trail of stepping stones leading through the mire. We can take them to Julian’s secret place. He owns this piece of land, and it’s always undisturbed. He isn’t a man one wants to trifle with.”

They took Gregori first because Beau had to lead the way. He picked his way carefully, every step placed on a round stone in the muck. It was difficult going with Gregori so big, his body a dead weight. Beau could not discern the rise and fall of the man’s chest, but he refrained from saying so. It seemed insane to him to take someone so mortally wounded to a dark, damp cavern, but he had seen Julian go to this place on more than one occasion when the sun was rising to its peak.

The cave they approached was man-made and very small. There was almost no room to stand. They laid Gregori’s body full length on the dirt floor in the darkness and retreated quickly, Gary anxious to get Sava

“You want me to stay?” Beau asked, torn between curiosity and his ingrained belief in privacy. Gary shook his head, already moving across the stones.

Beau cast off, started the engine. “I’ll check to see if you need me later tonight.”

“Thanks,” Gary called over his shoulder, hurrying to get Sava

He sank down beside the two still bodies, breathing hard, worried that they might truly be dead. He was even afraid to bathe Gregori’s fearsome wounds, not certain what harm it might do. He passed the time playing solitaire, drinking from his canteen, and going back and forth between being certain they were dead and sure they would rise with the setting of the sun.

Out across the bayou the sky finally became a smoky gray. Gary crawled to the entrance to the cave and stared out at the gathering night. It couldn’t happen too fast to suit him. When he turned his head, he saw the rise and fall of Gregori’s chest beneath the blanket.

Gregori felt hunger first, then pain. He blocked them both and assessed the damage done to his body. He had lost a good amount of blood, but Sava

His mind automatically reached for Sava

The loud, insistent beat of the heart so close to them, so filled with the rush of life, drew his attention. Slowly Gregori turned his head to see Gary watching him from the entrance to the cave. He had known he was there, knew it was Gary who had taken them from the swamp and found them a dark, safe place to sleep.

“I owe you much,” Gregori greeted the human softly. Hunger gnawed again, and he could feel his incisors sharpen in response. His lifemate needed sustenance immediately. “Stay with her while I hunt.”

Gary took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “You can use my blood. I knew you would wake hungry.”

The hard edge to Gregori’s mouth softened momentarily. “I do not merely hunger, my friend. I need. Sava

“I trust you, Gregori,” Gary said truthfully, surprised that it was so.

Gregori moved around him. “You are a rare man, Gary Jansen. I feel privileged to know you, to count you as a friend. Please take care of my lifemate while I hunt.”

Gregori was already pushing past Gary, a mere brush as he went by, but the contact sent a shiver down Gary’s spine. Gregori smelled wild and dangerous, a merciless, predatory animal. Gary didn’t know how he knew the difference, but at that moment Gregori was more beast than man. It was only after Gregori was gone, shape-shifting before his eyes into a bird of prey, that Gary realized that the terrible wounds in the Carpathian’s body were healed. He watched the raptor rise on the wind until it became a mere speck in the sky.

Gary scrambled across the dirt floor, hunching over to avoid scraping his head on the roof. He sat beside Sava

Gregori glided through the cypress trees, tall, fit, healthy. Even his clothes were immaculate. His hair was shining clean, tied at his nape with a leather thong. His silver eyes were clear, and once more his face was a mask of sensual beauty. “Gary”—the voice, as always, was purity and strength—”please leave us for a few moments.”

“Will she be all right?” Gary asked fearfully. In spite of himself, he had checked her pulse several times. “She must be all right,” Gregori said very softly.

The voice was like velvet, but there was something in it that sent a shiver of apprehension through Gary. If anything happened to Sava

Gregori gathered Sava

Sava