Carpathian 02 - Dark Desire

was the man in front of him who drew her terrified gaze. He was the most powerful individual she had ever encountered. His eyes glowed a feral red. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but Shea was far too panic-stricken to attempt to identify what. A cry of alarm escaped her. She whirled around and snatched up the shotgun.
    Mikhail's burst of speed made him a mere blur. He easily wrenched the weapon from her hands and tossed it carelessly aside, his glowing eyes fixed on Jacques. A slow, venomous hiss escaped Mikhail's throat.
    Jacques met that burning gaze squarely, his own eyes filled with black fury mixed with defiant hatred and murderous resolve. He tried to lunge at the heavier man, but Mikhail leapt back, seized Shea by her throat, and slammed her so hard against the wall that it knocked the breath from her body. Never had she felt such strength in a single hand. He held her above his head, pinned to the wall, his fingers literally squeezing the life from her.
    The very air in the cabin thickened, heavy and vibrating with violence, with malevolence. Even as Byron roared a warning, a chair, seemingly of its own accord, jerked into the air, hovered, then shot across the Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    room as if to crash against the back of Mikhail's head. At the last possible second the powerful man slipped his head to one side, avoiding the chair, which then slammed into the wall and splintered into pieces very close to Shea's face.
    Mikhail turned to face Jacques, dragging Shea in front of him, his fingers digging deep into her neck.
    "What have you done to him?" he demanded, his voice low and crawling with menace. He shook her like a rag doll. His voice drooped an octave. Low. Insidious. It wrapped Shea in velvet. Tell me what you did to him. The voice was in her head, yet not on the same path Jacques used.
    With her last ounce of strength she fought him, struggling for breath, struggling to keep him from pushing into her mind. Another chair flew at Mikhail from his left. A slight wave of his hand stopped it in midair. It hovered there for seconds, then dropped harmlessly to the floor. All the while those terrible fingers never left her throat, never let up that vise-like grip. He was crushing her easily, strangling her with one hand.
    Shea was gasping, laboring to breathe. The room whirled, turned black, little white spots shooting at her from all directions. Jacques felt her losing consciousness, and the beast broke free, his mind a killing frenzy. He launched himself from the bed, a blurred streak of lethal fury, the need to defend Shea, to kill her attacker, paramount. Mikhail was forced to leap aside, releasing Shea, who collapsed on the floor, unable to do anything but lie there, desperately trying to breathe.
    "Jacques." Mikhail's voice was low and compelling. "I am your brother. Do you not know me?" He made several attempts to touch the shattered mind, found only a ferocious need to kill. He glanced helplessly at Byron, a question in his eyes.
    Byron shook his head. Can you control him?
    There is no path, no fragment I can seize. Mikhail had to streak across the room to avoid Jacques'
    next attack, two lamps hurtling toward his head at bullet speed. He reappeared in a far corner, raking a hand through his heavy fall of hair.
    Jacques dragged himself across the floor to Shea, propped himself up in a sitting position against the wall, attempting to shield her body with his. Shea smelled fresh blood, then realized a shower of it splattered her arm and side. She looked around, dazed and confused, before she realized what was happening.
    Jacques! She was on him in seconds, clamping hard on the wound, forgetting everything but her need to save him. "You have three choices," she snapped over her shoulder at the intruders. "Kill us both now and get it over, leave us, or help me save him." She heard only silence. "Damn it! Choose!" Her voice was husky and raw from her near-strangulation, but it was clearly that of a professional.
    Mikhail leapt to help her. Jacques, perceiving an attack, knocked Shea backward and, growling like a wild animal, placed his body before hers.
    "Get back!" Shea spat at Mikhail. She merged herself completely with Jacques. Her heart slammed so hard, she was afraid it might burst. There was nothing there but a red haze of violence, a killing fury she couldn't get through to reach him.
    Mikhail instantly dissolved, reappearing