Carpathian 13 - Dark Destiny

vampire himself. I could not 'see' him in MaryAnn's memories. Why? Do you recognize her?"
    "Is this photograph in color, Nicolae?" He didn't look at his brother, but continued staring at the picture as if mesmerized.
    Nicolae watched as the pad of Vikirnoff's thumb caressed the face looking back at him from the glossy paper. "Yes, it is. Do you recognize her?" he asked again, never having seen Vikirnoff exhibit interest in any woman.
    "I have seen her face. Her eyes. It was not real; it was in a dream. Long ago, Nicolae, in a dream. Her hair was as black as midnight and her eyes were as blue as the sea when it is clear and calm. It is the only Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    color I remember, that deep blue of her eyes. I never let go of that memory. Are her eyes blue? In the photo, are her eyes blue? A striking, vivid blue?"
    Nicolae's heart surged with hope. "Yes, Vikirnoff. Her eyes are blue and her hair is midnight black. You never told me of such a dream."
    Vikirnoff shrugged, but his gaze was glued to the photograph. "There was no reason to tell you of such a thing. A dream only. What do you know of her?"
    "We believe she is human and has psychic talent. The vampire indicated she had the gift of psychometry.
    That is all we know. He claimed he was from a research center for psychics and that they wanted to help her. She is running from someone, probably the vampire. I think it best our people find her first."
    "It could take years, Nicolae. I cannot leave you now, while you are surrounded by vampires and hampered by a lifemate who could very well endanger you without realizing it. Her blood is tainted. We do not know if it can be fixed. I do not want to lose you, Nicolae. You know how close I am to the end.
    Should something go wrong here with you and your lifemate, it will also go wrong with me. Here, I can aid you. Searching for this mythical woman, I can do nothing for you."
    Nicolae waved the protest aside. "I'm a hunter, a protector of our people, as are you. We can do no other than what is expected of us. Our honor demands it."
    "I will begin the search in a rising or two. It is best to show her picture to some of the local people. If she was in the area, or is expected, perhaps someone knows of her. It will give me a starting point."
    "It is possible the vampire managed to get to Mary Ann before this woman made her way toSeattle ,"
    Nicolae mused aloud. "Velda would be the one to ask. Nothing gets by Velda and Inez."
    Vikirnoff visibly shuddered. "Perhaps you should speak with them. It is best if I stay in the background."
    Nicolae's eyebrows shot up. He remained silent, watching his brother with evident amusement.
    "I see no reason for your new, strange humor, Nicolae. It is a matter of logic. The women know you and will tell you things they would not reveal to me."
    Nicolae snorted. "You are a coward. You are afraid of a couple of sweet elderly ladies. I had no idea."
    "Speaking with little old ladies is enough to shake the very foundations of a man," Vikirnoff pointed out reasonably. "They flap their arms and screech like chickens. In truth there is no fear involved, only the painful reality that they will draw undue attention to my existence."
    Nicolae sat abruptly on the edge of a boulder. "There is some truth to what you say. I must confess I feel some small affection for Velda and Inez, although I do not know how it happened. They are frightening to me also. Velda has talent. She knows things I would like to better explore. Do you have any idea what is causing these humans to behave at odds with their true nature?"
    Vikirnoff shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot detect the touch of a vampire. It is unsettling. The poison used on your lifemate was much more sophisticated than I have ever seen. I do not like the fact that there is some semblance of order among the vampires and someone is orchestrating a great war plan we have never before seen."

    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    "It is possible Gregori knows of this. He is second to the Prince and shares all his information. If they can use such a trap to attack me, it can also be used against our Prince, and he should be alerted to the possibility."
    Vikirnoff studied Nicolae's pale face. "You are not taking proper care of yourself. It is necessary for you to be at full strength to fight the call of her blood. If you succumb, we do not know what will happen.