Carpathian 03 - Dark Gold

danger?
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    What is it, cara ? Aidan's voice was calm and soothing, and he was closer now, which was reassuring.
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    She grabbed on to him like a lifeline. A man on the cliffs — he's falling . If only she hadn't wasted time feeling sorry for herself, for what she had become. She could have saved him. She should have been learning from Aidan, everything he could teach her. She could have moved with his blinding speed and caught the man before he hit the jagged rocks below.

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    I am coming. Stay away from him! It was a demand, but one she couldn't obey. Though she had little hope of saving the stranger, she had to try. She ran barefoot over the wet sand, her gaze riveted on the cliff. For one moment she thought the world darkened. Then a burst of lightning danced and sizzled, and a fireball exploded through the night, heading right toward the man.
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    Alexandria screamed as he tumbled forward, his fall seeming to happen in slow motion, a torturous descent of forty feet or more. The wind whipped her shout back into her face like a slap. She was still a distance away and far too late, but she ran anyway. Without warning, at a full run, she hit something invisible. The impact knocked her to the ground.
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    Heart beating fast, she sat up, shoving the wild, wind-whipped tangle of her hair from her face.
    She didn't see an obstacle, the impact hadn't hurt, yet when she reached out, her hand met something solid.
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    How could you, Aidan ? She was bewildered that he would restrain her this way, stop her from going to the stranger's aid. She slowly got to her feet, shaken.
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    The fog rolled in swiftly from the sea, carried on the wild winds. Out of it, on the other side of the invisible barrier, a man began to materialize. At first he was shimmering, translucent, but then he solidified further, becoming a dark, shadowy being. He was tall, like Aidan, with the same roped muscles. His hair was as black as the night, long and held with a leather thong at the nape of his neck. His face was beautiful, his mouth both sensual and cruel, his jaw strong. But it was his eyes that captured her attention. They were pale, almost light itself, a quicksilver brilliance impossible to ignore.
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    Alexandria was suddenly very afraid. Aidan exuded power, but this man was power. No one, nothing, could ever defeat such a creature. She was certain he was not human. One hand crept protectively to her throat.
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    The stranger casually waved a hand, and the barrier was gone in an instant. She had never seen the obstruction, yet now she knew it was gone, that nothing stood between them but air. She was terrified, for herself and for Aidan.
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    "You are Aidan's woman. His lifemate. Where is he that he would allow you to wander unprotected?"
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    His voice was the most hypnotic, compelling sound she had ever heard. So pure. So enticing.
    No one could resist that soft, musical voice. If he told her to throw herself into the roiling ocean, she would do so. She curled her fingers tightly into fists.
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    "Who are you?" she asked. Silently she warned, Aidan, be careful. There is another here. He knows 1 am with you, your lifemate . She tried not to allow the trembling that was seizing her body to creep into her voice.
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    Look at him , piccola. Do not be afraid. I am close. 1 will see what you see. Keep your mind open . As always, Aidan sounded calm and in control.
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    The stranger's beguiling mouth curved, but there was no warmth in the slashing silver of his eyes.
    "You speak to him. Good. I am certain he can see me now. But he is a fool to allow his feelings for you to blind him to his duties."

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    Her chin lifted. "Who are you?" she repeated.
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    "I am Gregori. The dark one. Perhaps he has told you of me."
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    He is the most knowledgeable, the most powerful of all our kind , Aidan confirmed. He was very near. He is the greatest healer our kind has ever known and my teacher. He is also a master of destruction and bodyguard to our Prince .
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    He terrifies me.
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    He terrifies everyone. Only Mikhail, the Prince of our people, knows him well.
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    "I trust Aidan has good things to say about me." He was facing her, those brilliant eyes seeing right into her soul, but Alexandria had the feeling his attention was elsewhere. His voice was so pure, so perfect, she