Mary Ann frowned. “Destiny, are you angry with Nicolae? I asked him to do this. I wanted him to take my blood.”
Destiny winced visibly. “You have no idea what that means. You didn’t want it. It isn’t reasonable to think that you would. His voice is a weapon. It can deceive you into doing anything. His voice holds compulsion. Do you know what that is? It means you’ll do anything he asks, anything he commands, anything he wishes. You think he gave you a choice, but he didn’t. There was never a choice. You would have said yes to putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger.”
Lightning slashed the skies, nearly striking the owl as it circled above them, but the raptor dissolved in midair, leaving behind a trail of vapor. A shower of sparks scattered like gems, seeking a target, but just as quickly a fine mist blanketed the night, snuffing out the hot points of light.
“Do not do that again, Destiny.” The warning was a low growl. For the first time there was a distinct threat emanating from Nicolae.
“Wait, stop this right now!” Mary Ann shook her head decisively. “This was my idea, I reasoned it out every step of the way. Nicolae wanted to remove my memories, as a protection for you, for his people, and even for me. He said that my knowledge made me more vulnerable to a vampire.”
That revelation penetrated Destiny’s red haze of anger. The terrible pain of betrayal. There was truth in what Mary Ann said. A vampire could easily scan Mary Ann’s thoughts and learn she had knowledge she shouldn’t possess. Destiny took a breath, let it out slowly, trying to be calm while the wind whipped at her and lightning split open the sky. The crash of thunder reverberated loudly, shaking the ground, shaking the buildings.
The owl had settled on the rooftop above their heads, its dark eyes fixed intently on Destiny’s face. It was silent, watching with a predator’s rapt attention.
The wounds in her heart felt fresh and jagged. She had allowed Nicolae to get too close to her. She had let him inside.
I did not betray you, Destiny. I did what had to be done, what I knew you could not do. She is unharmed and now protected. It was her choice alone. I give you my word of honor.
His voice was always the same. So perfect. She lowered her lashes, indecisive again. She had come to the alley to kill him, but hope was swirling in her stomach and crushing her heart at the same time. She loved his voice and she hated it.
“Destiny—” Mary Ann could see tiny beads of sweat on the young woman’s forehead. Only it wasn’t sweat, it was beads of blood. “Look at me. Please look at me. If you can do what you say you can, look into my mind and see what happened between us. I wanted this. I don’t want to forget you. I’m your friend. That matters to me.”
Destiny’s fingers curled into tight fists. “I don’t have friends.”
“Yes, you do. It might be frightening to have friends, but they’re there for you. You know how I feel; you know it’s real. I care what happens to you.”
“I don’t want you to care.” Destiny snapped the words, her vivid eyes glittering, picking up the veins of lightning so that she looked dangerous. “I don’t want any of this.” She swept her hand to encompass all of them. The neighborhood. Mary Ann. The silent sentinel on the roof. Nicolae. Especially Nicolae. She wanted nothing to do with him. She hated him, hated the way his hands curved over Mary Ann’s shoulders.
Nicolae allowed his arms to drop to his sides. If Destiny made a threatening move toward him, he was certain he was fast enough to escape danger, but he couldn’t control Vikirnoff’s response to an attack on him.
Do not hurt her.
He couldn’t stop himself from warning his brother.
I am fully aware that if I attack, you will be forced to protect her from me.
Vikirnoff was unshakable.
She will not be allowed to harm you. Should she attempt to do so, I will divert her by attacking the human woman.
Nicolae sighed softly. “Destiny, come with me.” He held out his hand to her. “This situation is dangerous and belongs between us and no one else. Come with me now before something happens that neither of us can control.”
Destiny went pale. Her teeth bit at her lower lip. She glanced up at the owl, looked at Mary Ann. Took a reluctant step toward Nicolae. Another. Nicolae felt as if he could breathe again. He had known what she would think when he had made the decision to take Mary Ann’s blood, how Destiny would react, but he hadn’t counted on how painful his apparent betrayal would be to her. Seeing her suffer shook him more than he had ever imagined anything could.
Destiny looked at his outstretched hand, wiped her palm on her thigh, as if she were afraid to be alone with him. “Mary Ann, will you be all right walking home alone?” She sounded as if she were pleading with Mary Ann to save her.
“Perfectly all right,” Mary Ann said firmly. “You go with Nicolae and talk things out. I’m certain the very interesting bird will see me home safely.” She grinned at Nicolae, waved daringly at the owl.
Nicolae couldn’t help giving an answering grin. He liked Mary Ann. Who could not? There was something special about her. Her courage and loyalty set her apart. He could see why Destiny had settled in the neighborhood, drawn by this woman who worked so diligently for others; she was a woman of great compassion.
Nicolae took Destiny’s hand. He couldn’t say she held it out to him, or even met him halfway. He had to reach out, shackle her wrist and bring her hand to him. Lace his fingers through hers. But she didn’t pull away from him. A small victory, but one that he treasured. Her fingers were ice-cold. And she was trembling.
He didn’t make the mistake of tugging her to his side. He went to hers, standing close so that his larger frame sheltered her body from the wind. So that she could feel his body heat. So that electricity seemed to arc between them, crackling and snapping with a life of its own.
The owl flapped its wings, took flight overhead. The movement seemed to calm the wild winds. Even the white-hot whips of lightning faded from the dark clouds as Destiny began to relax.
Mary Ann reached out and, to Destiny’s horror, hugged her briefly before walking determinedly away. Destiny simply stood frozen in place, as still as a statue, unaware her hand was gripping Nicolae’s so hard that he was afraid she would pulverize his bones. She watched Mary Ann walk out of the alley with the owl flying just above her as if guarding her. Or stalking her. “He won’t hurt her,” Nicolae said. It was in her mind to try another attack on the owl. Knock it from the sky so she could be sure Mary Ann was safe.
“He only threatened her to stop you from attacking me.”
Nicolae stepped closer to her. “You have not fed.” It was an invitation.
“I don’t trust myself yet.” She looked up at him then. Studied his face with its dark sensuality, its sharp angles and planes. The eyes had seen too many centuries. Faced too many battles. He was a man who had been alone for far too long. “I can’t be what you want me to be.” She had touched his mind often. She knew his thoughts.
Lifemate
. She understood all the word implied. Everything.
Lifemate
. Something she could never be.
His hand framed her face. Exquisitely gentle, his fingers trailed over her cheekbones, lingering with tenderness. “You are everything I want you to be. There is no need to worry about such things. You do not know me. How can you decide?”
His touch wreaked havoc with every cell in her body, caused a small rebellion of her senses. A mutiny of blood and bone and nerve endings. He confused her. Every time he came near her, she felt different from normal. Restless. Needy. His voice found its way into her body, wrapped itself tightly around her heart and lungs, so that each time he spoke, he robbed her of breath. Of life. Of the ability to hate. Him. Herself. What she was.