Gregori’s silver eyes turned thoughtful. “You are saying that no matter what the circumstances, no matter how powerful the vampire, you
always
know when one is close by? You do not need the sudden surge of power or the blank void they often leave behind in their wake to detect their presence?”
Destiny thought back over her vampire hunting. “I use the surge of power and also the blank spots as a guide. I use everything I can to find them, and once in a while I find a vampire that is elusive to me, but most of the time I know them simply by the stench of their blood.”
“The elusive vampire is more powerful than the others?”
Destiny shook her head. “Not necessarily. Sometimes he is a fledgling and other times a master. It is rare for my blood not to recognize theirs.”
Above her head, Nicolae and Gregori exchanged a long, thoughtful look.
“No.” Vikirnoff said the word softly, explosively. “What you are thinking is an abomination of all we believe in. Our women must be protected at all times. Both of you have lifemates. You have seen what the tainted blood does. Destiny has been in agony, suffering tremendous pain, both physical and psychological. All of our women are needed for a higher purpose than war. They must bring children into the world.”
Savannah caught Gregori’s arm. “You wouldn’t dare. Not even for the life of my father would I allow such a thing.”
“Certainly not a woman, and, no, Nicolae, I know what you are thinking, but Vikirnoff is right, we cannot risk a mated pair. Mikhail must hear of this firsthand. I must return to our homeland as soon as your healing is complete.”
“There is more.” Nicolae produced the photograph of the mysterious woman. “A vampire entered the office of a human friend of ours, Mary Ann Delaney, who helps battered women. He was searching for this woman in the photograph. He buried a compulsion in Mary Ann’s mind to call him if she spotted the woman. There are a couple of interesting facts. Mary Ann herself is psychic. She is able to be converted should she have a lifemate among us, yet this vampire didn’t attempt to seize her for himself. I have always assumed vampires searched for women with psychic abilities in the hope of finding a mate to return their soul to them. It is evidently not the case in this instance. They must be looking for something we have yet to figure out, or why would they ignore the psychic women in this area? With the exception of this one woman.”
Gregori continued to study Nicolae’s dark features before he took the photograph. His restless gaze noted the way Vikirnoff seemed riveted to the picture. “I have not seen this woman, have you, Savannah?”
She studied the face carefully. “No, but her eyes are so haunted. We must find her, Gregori. She can’t be left to the vampires.”
“Vikirnoff has agreed to look for her,” Nicolae assured them. “This is the business card and number the vampire gave to Mary Ann.” He passed the small card to Gregori. “She has no memory of his appearance, so I do not know if he is familiar to me or not.”
“It wasn’t Pater,” Destiny said. “The stench was there, but not his.”
“Morrison Center for Psychic Research,” Gregori read aloud.
“Yet he had no interest in Mary Ann’s ability. And there is another in the neighborhood, an older woman who also exhibits talent. I could not detect any interest in her by any of the vampires.”
“I have heard the name Morrison on more than one occasion,” Gregori said heavily. “The first time was in northern California. Coincidentally, it was also a time I was injected with a poison developed to defeat us. At that time I learned this Morrison mingled with human society, was adept at raising funds and mixed in the scientific world. I nearly met him again in New Orleans.”
Savannah twisted around to look up at her life-mate. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“It was unnecessary. The name was attached to the laboratory where the human hunters were attempting to interrogate an innocent human woman. It is where I met Gary, Savannah. This name came up again just recently. Dayan’s lifemate was married to a young man of talent who went to this agency, Morrison Center for Psychic Research, to be tested. He was murdered, and an attempt was made to acquire Dayan’s lifemate, who was quite ill. We have just come from her bedside where she gave birth to a female child of extraordinary talent.”
“Perhaps we should send word to guard the child,” Savannah said, frowning. “If Destiny was taken, it is possible this vampire thinks to strike at children.”
“Guarding the child would be a good idea, although I think this Morrison is looking for a particular talent. This is no child,” Nicolae said, waving the photograph in the air. “She is a woman who is strong and knows she is being pursued.”
Vikirnoff reached out and rescued the photograph from his brother, slipping it inside his shirt almost protectively.
Nicolae ignored the gesture. “There are three women with psychic talent in this area. There is also a priest who has knowledge of our people.”
Gregori’s breath hissed between his teeth. “Tell me of this man.”
“Some years ago, a priest in Romania—”
“Father Hummer.” Gregori snapped the name, his strong white teeth coming together in a bite. “Mikhail’s friend. He was captured by vampire hunters and later killed by a vampire. Mikhail was the target.”
“He evidently corresponded with a cardinal, asking theological questions, seeking aid in his search. The cardinal burned his letters with the exception of one. Father Mulligan found the letter upon the cardinal’s death. He has since burned it, recognizing the danger to our species, but he retains the knowledge.”
Gregori rubbed his dark eyebrows. “I fear trouble is brewing for our people. We must get to our homeland.” He looked directly at Vikirnoff as if measuring him. “If this woman is important enough for a vampire to risk revealing himself, it is just as important to our people to find her. I will put out the word, but I will tell our Prince it is in your hands.”
Vikirnoff bowed slightly. “I will find her. I give you my word of honor I will not choose the dawn until I see to her safety.”
“It could take years.”
“I have Nicolae and Destiny to guide me through dark times. They share their laughter with me, and their hope. I will survive.”
Gregori inclined his head. “So it will be. We must think about this tainted blood of yours, Destiny. You said you would have recognized the stench of Pater’s blood. You are able to detect a difference in each vampire’s blood?”
Destiny nodded. “Yes. If I’ve met them before, I always recognize them and I know they recognize me. That makes it more difficult if I miss the first time when I’m hunting. But it gives me some advantage if they don’t know I’m a hunter, because they identify me as one of the undead.”
“This would be a great tool,” Gregori mused aloud, “but dangerous for anyone without an anchor. And far too dangerous for anyone with a lifemate.”
“You don’t even know if you can rid our blood of the infections,” Nicolae pointed out. “Perhaps you will know more once you have looked. It is much like an acid and contaminates everything it touches. In one wholly evil, it apparently has no harmful effects, but to one of the light, it is painful and dangerous.”
Destiny looked at him quickly, anxiously. “You’re beginning to feel the effects, aren’t you? Please heal him first if you can, Gregori. I’m used to the feeling, and it doesn’t really bother me. Nicolae should never have done such a thing.”
“I would have done exactly the same thing,” Gregori said. Destiny studied his face. “No, you wouldn’t have.” Savannah laughed softly. “Oh, yes, he would.”
“If Savannah were infected, I would never hesitate. We are bound, two halves of the same whole. I would not have thought twice,” Gregori said decisively. “Are you feeling the effects, Nicolae?”
Nicolae nodded. “I have examined my internal body, and the lesions are already forming in great numbers. The toxins are multiplying at a far faster rate than in Destiny’s body. I carry a seed of darkness, even with Destiny as my anchor, and the toxins sense it and feed as if in a frenzy.”