Carpathian 13 - Dark Destiny

dare say it aloud, not with Nicolae so certain this man would aid them. She hoped the healer could read that she didn't fear death. She didn't fear anything this man could do to her. But if he harmed Nicolae in any way, she would cut out his heart and incinerate it before welcoming her own death.
    Gregori's eyebrows lifted as if he were reading her mind and he glanced briefly at his lifemate. I do not think my considerable charm has worked on her .
    Savannah looked at him lovingly, her fingers sliding through his hair. "I know you can do this, Gregori."
    She spoke aloud to encourage Destiny. Gregori didn't need her encouragement. You forgot to smile , she told him. I have mentioned on more than one occasion that smiling is considered important in public relations. I fear I'll never manage to get that through your head .
    If it were possible, his dark eyebrows rose higher, his silver eyes warming with love and suppressed laughter before he turned, completely sober, back to Nicolae.
    Destiny watched the man as he simply shed his body and withdrew from them. He became light, energy in its purest, most selfless form. He entered Nicolae's body and began waging the most difficult battle he had ever fought. The tainted blood separated from ancient blood, rushing away from him, straight toward Nicolae's heart, as if attacking its host.
    Destiny, merged deeply with Nicolae, watched in horror as the hideous brew raced for his heart. Sleep !
    Without preamble, using their strong blood bond, she shut down Nicolae's heart and lungs instantly, trapping the blood in his veins, preventing the sludge from reaching its objective. She stayed hovering there, watching the nearly blinding light moving through Nicolae's body, aware of the intense heat. There was no feeling of censure from the healer, nor did Gregori hesitate or become distracted by her interference.
    The blood congealed into a thick, pulsating mass. Destiny could see pinpoints of hemorrhage and masses of lesions. Internal organs were slightly misshapen, and colonies of toxins were scattered throughout Nicolae's system. She realized the tainted blood was willing to fight for possession of the host body.
    The healer was undaunted, moving unerringly toward the thick clots of infestation. To Destiny's horror, something thin and black moved within the pulsating mass. Tiny creatures, living parasites. She wanted to scream and scream. The need was so strong, she pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from diverting the healer from his task. Those hideous creatures lived inside her, she knew, and she had infected Nicolae. The idea was repulsive. Disgusting. She had lived with the creatures for years, never fully realizing how abnormal they were until she saw them infesting Nicolae's body.

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    Nicolae stirred. His heart beat once, twice. The horrible wriggling creatures massed as if eagerly awaiting the movement of blood.
    Your distress is calling to him. Calm yourself. Gregori connected through the mind merge Destiny had with her lifemate. He can do no other than come to you if you need him. You are Carpathian, woman, not vampire. Do not allow him to awaken .
    The voice, more than anything else, calmed her. She forced air through her lungs, beat away despair and horror, soothing Nicolae back to the Carpathian sleep. Her fingers bunched in his hair, her only lifeline to sanity. She couldn't think about what lived and squirmed inside her. What she had passed to Nicolae.
    Unclean. She was unclean.
    Focus! The voice was firm. I need your help with this .
    Destiny would do anything to rid Nicolae of the tainted blood. She pushed her revulsion and emotions as far from her as she could and concentrated on the bright light. Gregori was moving steadily toward the series of thick clots. The ugly masses erupted with swarming tiny black wormlike parasites. Several attacked, throwing their wriggling bodies at the light as if they might consume it. The hideous things hit an invisible barrier and were instantly destroyed.
    Pandemonium broke out. Light exploded, a laser show of bright white, obliterating everything in its path.
    Time passed as the healer meticulously began to hunt the parasites and destroy them, herding them inevitably toward the ancient blood lying dormant in the veins. As he chased them, Gregori obliterated colony after colony.
    Destiny couldn't believe how long he worked, examining every inch of