Elina stared out the window, counting the minutes until the sun set. It had been the longest day of her life. The worst. She had tried to sleep, but she couldn’t keep her mind still. Over and over her brain insisted on tricking her, telling her that Damonq was dead. He lay in the earth, the soil over him, covering his terrible wounds, wounds he hadn’t fully taken care of because of her. He’d spent so much time trying to save her, in the end he’d sacrificed his life.She didn’t understand what was happening to her. She’d never paid serious attention to any man. Now she couldn’t think about anything or anyone else. She’d spent a good deal of time pacing. Then she showered and washed her hair. She was weak enough that she had to sit twice, but she was determined that when next she saw him, her hair wouldn’t be a tangled, horrible mess. It was a little shocking to run a comb through her hair after washing it and have not one tangle snag the wide teeth. Damonq. He had done that for her.Thr
Elina frowned. Aleksei’s lifemate was in love with another man? That seems… wrong. What were the circumstances? She was genuinely interested, but even more, she wanted to keep him talking.I do not know much, only that the woman had not been born as an ancient as we all had believed and that the healer who aided me was the other man. He was human also at one time. He was subdued by the prince of the ancient people and Kenag, the prince’s second-in-command. It took them both to keep him restrained.How sad for everyone. Elina mused.There was silence for a moment. I understand that you would have sympathy for this man, but I would not want you to develop feelings for him. Damonq said.She frowned, tracing a pattern onto the hardwood floor with her finger. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. He makes me uneasy.What is it about him that makes you uncomfortable?She realized she was writing Damonq’s name on the floor over and over.He looks at me as if he knows every secret
Elina dropped her head into her hand and took a deep breath, wishing Damonq was there with her now. Wishing she really was his lifemate. But she knew better. People like her didn’t get the gorgeous, courageous man, the sweet one, the one who would take on a baby along with its mother. No, they got the villain, the monster. And she got the worst monster on earth.“But not you, baby,” she whispered aloud. “You’re going to be loved. Very, very loved.”Damonq read her thoughts, because now that he was in her mind, he couldn’t quite let go. He wanted to go to Elina and reassure her, to find a way to make her see that he was her lifemate, that he would never leave her, but there was too little time. He switched from his intimate path with his lifemate to the more common path of the ancient people. Tensel, I must meet with you immediately. I am hunting for sustenance, but will return in a few minutes.Come to the house. Tensel said.Damonq left the compound. Sandu, Ferro and Andor fell in
Tensel waited just outside the door to his home, Maxwell on one side of him, Mathias and Lojos on the other. That meant Tomas was somewhere near. Damonq would bet his life that Afanasiv Balan, one of the ancients who had briefly stayed in the monastery, was also close. Afanasiv had been a good friend of Tensel’s growing up and they had remained close, yet he was a member of the brotherhood.“Én jutta félet és ekämet,” Tesel greeted in their ancient language, stepping forward to clasp Damonq’s forearms in the way of warriors.Friend and brother. That greeting told Damonq everything he needed to know. Tensel would have chosen another salutation if he was opposed to having Elina in his compound.“Bur tule ekämet kuntamak.” Well met, brother-kin, was Damonq’s choice of greeting.“Thank you for saving the children,” Tensel said, stepping back. “They are confined for the moment until we decide what to do about the situation.” While he spoke, his sharp gaze moved over Damonq, assessing the da
Damonq sent his spirit to examine Elina’s brain first. There were no parasites, which gave him a measure of reassurance. Darkness wasn’t taking the chance of damaging her. Of course, once he knew for certain he was losing her, he would likely turn on her and do everything in his power to kill her. To help protect her from that possibility, Damonq built a heavy shield around her brain, one he was certain the parasites couldn’t penetrate. He did the same with her heart and lungs, then her ovaries and womb. Gary was doing the same for the baby, once he pushed the parasites from her little body, back into Elina’s.It is time, Gary said, when they had completed building their shields.Healer? Darkness made the name sound like a curse. Do you think you possibly can take on a devil and win?Gary made no reply. Damonq admired him even more for ignoring the master monster as if he were a mere nuisance, far beneath his notice. The two withdrew from Elina’s body and each returned to his own.“I’
It took every bit of discipline Damonq had to cross to the edge of the dirt. He flowed over the soil rather than expending physical energy on walking. He couldn’t let the parasites escape to get into the ground. This time, Maxwell was waiting to incinerate Darkness’s creatures and replenish Damonq’s lost blood.While Damonq forced the parasites from his body, pushing the infected blood through his pores, the gathered ancients continued singing the lullaby for the baby. They sang of peace and strength, of love for her, urging her to hold on, that they were there for her, waiting for her. He found the song soothing and hoped the baby did as well.It took a great deal longer to rid his body of the parasites, and he was cognizant of how much effort Andor had expended to shield his most vital organs. Maxwell incinerated the expelled parasites as they tried to rush for the soil. He was thorough, making certain not even one escaped. Damonq drank the powerful, ancient blood Maxwell offered, t
Sandu leapt out of the way of the whip of lightning. More crashed through the crack, swinging around in the air like sizzling snakes seeking a target. Gary threw his body over Elina’s, taking her to the ground, while the ancients scattered in every direction. Each took a corner, ducking as the lashes bit into the ground, slamming all around Damonq.In the midst of the chaos, the parasites had to be watched so that none slipped into the ground. They all knew that the microbes could infect the soil and cause miscarriages in the women. They couldn’t risk that taint spreading here.Elina’s cries nearly drove Damonq mad. Every instinct he had – ancient and lifemate – pressed him to get to her at any cost. To protect her, ease her transition into her new life and protect their child. As he turned toward her, lightning whips lashed all around him, striking the ground, shaking the entire house and healing grounds as they sought him.Elina needed his blood. He felt the first pain blossoming in
You know me now. Damonq said to the child. Please accept this offering of my blood to make you strong. I offer it with my protection and this promise – to cherish you, to love you, to always protect you. Be strong for us, for your mother and me. Once the conversion is complete, you will both, mother and daughter, be wholly in our world. You will always be my daughter, close to my heart. Be strong, little one. Stay very strong and know I am with you. The healer will be with you. Listen to the song our people sing to you. It is for you, all of them helping you to hold on. All of our people waiting to meet you when you come to us whole and healthy.In response, he felt a faint flutter in his mind, as if the baby had reached out for him, trying to connect back. At the same time, just as he could feel Elina’s pain, now he could feel the child’s. Healer. The baby.Gary immediately shed his body and entered Elina’s to help ease the baby’s transition into their world. Damonq had lost coun