Carpathian 10 - Dark Symphony

him that he had nearly forgotten the heady rush. "Lost kin? Is the prince aware one of our people is missing?"
    Dominic leaned down, gathered Byron into his arms as if the full-grown man were no more than a child. "My sister was an apprentice to a great wizard. She had amazing skills, and under his tutelage she became adept at many things now lost to our kind." Dominic shifted shape, still holding Byron securely, sweeping through the sky under cover of the storm.
    The words triggered a distant memory, a fairy tale told of magicians and wizards among their kind teaching safeguards and spells to their people. Byron closed his eyes, allowing weariness to sweep through him. He reached to connect with his other half. His soul.
    Antonietta? Are you well? Did they see to your wound?
    Byron? I left you alone. I can't remember what happened. Why would I leave you alone?
    There were tears in Anton- ietta's voice. She sounded forlorn, agitated. Not at all like his confident life mate. How could I have done such a terrible thing? For my cousin? To save my cousin? I can't think why I would have left you.
    Be calm, cara mia, I am fine. I asked you to leave me so my people would heal me in our way. It would have been too complicated to allow a doctor to see to my wounds. They would have insisted on calling the authorities. This is best.
    No! It isn't best! I knew there was danger, I felt it all around us. It was storming and cold, and you lost so much blood. Tasha screamed when she saw me. I was covered in your blood. I should have stayed with you to protect you. To heal you. I have skills.
    Byron smiled. Even a Scarletti with her unusual legacy did not have sufficient skills. He
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    Dark Symphony
    Page 69 of 188
    sent her waves of warmth, of love. I shall be with you tomorrow night. Keep Celt close to you at all times. You will not be able to reach me until sunset tomorrow, so do not panic if you reach for me and I am not there.
    I need to touch you. To know you're really alive. Their connection was already fading.
    Antonietta tried desperately to hold on to the link between them. Byron drifted in and out of consciousness as Dominic took him to a series of caves deep beneath the earth.
    "We will rest here this night." Dominic opened the earth, cutting into a section of rich soil before lowering Byron into the cool, welcoming ground.
    "Tell me of your kin. How is it she is lost to you?" Byron roused himself enough to seek the companionship of his kind.
    "I am a hunter of the vampire. I was born a hunter."
    "Where I was not."
    Dominic shrugged his shoulders. "One who hunts when it is not their heritage is a warrior to respect. It is all I have known, even in my fledgling days. Those were dark times, long before the wars that destroyed most of our people. My sister learned much, and even Prince Vlad consulted her. Some say she knew too much. Some say she turned on her people, wanting to rule, believing it was her right."
    "You are of the Dragonseeker blood." Byron leaned his head against the soft soil and looked up at the man who had shared his lifeblood. "When I was a fledgling, I used to go to the house where you once must have dwelled. The carvings, the artwork was so beautiful. I wanted to be able to create such wonders. That was a long time ago."
    "The old house still stands? It would be a miracle to see it again."
    "Out of respect for your lineage," Byron said. "Nothing has ever been touched, only to preserve it for you or any of your kin should they remain."
    "My sister was loyal to Prince Vlad and our people. No Dragonseeker has ever betrayed our people. Not one ever turned vampire. I cannot rest until I find who took my sister from us and clear our name."
    "I have never heard it whispered the Dragonseeker blood was tainted," Byron objected.
    He watched as Dominic swept his hand around the cave so tiny pinpoints of light leapt to life.
    The stranger took powder from a small container and blew it across the cavern. The scent was aromatic and soothing.
    "I am grateful that in my absence, such a thing was never suggested." Dominic knelt beside Byron and began to gather hand-fulls of the earth. He mixed the soil with a second powder and his own saliva. "You will need more blood before you go to ground. The wound is quite extensive