Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

of all the rush of the kill.
    \"How does that work?\" Lara asked curiously. \"The aunts said the seed of the vampire was in the Carpathian male.\"
    \"That is one way to look at it. Certainly all Carpathian males are capable of choosing to give up their souls.
    We wander in barren worlds with only our memories and touching the minds of others who still feel and see the beauty of our surroundings. It is difficult to fight the need for emotion, any emotion.\"
    \"Is my father a vampire?\"
    Nicolas was silent for a moment, his hands dropping to her shoulders to ease the tension from her with a massage. \"We do not know what your father is. One moment we think he is dead, and then he pops back up somewhere. He has many faces and has committed numerous crimes against our people, but no one knows for certain what is happening in the enemy camp. You may be our greatest clue. You and your lost memories.\"
    \"What do my memories mean? All this time I thought my father was a demon. He took my blood, ripped open my wrist, my neck, my veins. He treated me as if I was nothing but a meal for him. That\'s what I remember.\"
    \"We do not know or understand the time line. Perhaps there was a time when both of you were prisoners together.\"
    \"It doesn\'t make sense that my aunts would suppress my memories of him as a prisoner. What would be the purpose? And you said there was a male\'s weave in the barrier. I only know of my father and Xavier, but you would feel the taint of evil if either of them had woven a shield. What would be his purpose in leaving me only memories of him feeding on me? Why would they all want me to think my own father was the worst kind of monster?\" Lara dropped her face into her hands.
    Nicolas stayed behind her, as still as a cat, his hands continuing to massage the tension from her shoulders.
    \"Perhaps the true memories are worse than believing your father was wholly a fiend.\"
    \"You recognized him. Is he still alive?\"
    \"We believe he is.\"
    \"When was the last time you saw him?\"
    \"He possessed the body of an elderly woman at the inn where you have a room. There was a celebration of sorts and the life mate of the prince\'s brother...\"
    Her breath hissed out in a rush between her teeth and she whirled around to face him. \"Say her name. She has a name.\"
    He shrugged his shoulders, unperturbed by her annoyance. \"Shea, Jacques Dubrinsky\'s life mate, was with child. The elderly woman attacked with a poisoned, barbed needle and would have killed her had not my brother, Manolito, stepped in front of Shea to protect her. Fortunately he survived the attack.\"
    She made a small sound and turned away from him again, the soothing aroma of the lavender and honey unable to combat the news of her father\'s treachery. \"Shea was pregnant and Razvan tried to murder her and her unborn child.\"
    Page 39

    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    \"It appears so.\"
    She shook her head. \"I\'m so sorry. I didn\'t think beyond what he had done to me, but I should have.\"
    Nicolas moved, glided really, a blur she barely saw or felt until he was standing in front of her, lifting her chin with gentle fingers. \"You are not responsible for anything Razvan has done. He carries his choices on his own shoulders.\"
    She managed a small smile. \"Thank you for that. And what of my aunts? Do you know anything at all of them?\"
    \"I am sorry, Lara, but I have heard no news of them being seen alive. If they are truly your aunts.\"
    \"Great-aunts,\" she corrected. \"But I always called them my aunts.\"
    He smiled. \"I did assume that. If they are your great-aunts, that would make them Rhiannon\'s daughters. We know Rhiannon had triplets with Xavier. Two girls-your aunts, and Soren, your grandfather. Soren was murdered by Xavier some years ago. No one has ever seen the girls. What do they look like?\"
    \"I only saw them in dragon form. They were weak and sick. Xavier used them for blood, and kept them in a weakened state. He was very afraid of them. Often, if one was unfrozen, he would hold a knife to the other\'s throat. They saved my sanity, whispering to me when things got very bad, distracting me when I was used for feeding.\"
    \"You are certain they were Rhiannon\'s children?\"
    \"The love story they told me was of their mother, Rhiannon, and her true life mate. Xavier murdered him and held Rhiannon prisoner, forcing her to have his children, triplets. He believed he could be immortal, living on the blood of the Carpathians. I\'m certain