Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

in appreciation. \"I offer my life for our people. I pledge my loyalty to them through our blood bond.\" He offered his hand to Mikhail.
    Mikhail took the offering, ingesting the blood. \"As vessel of our people, I accept your sacrifice.\"
    Dominic stood. \"Someone must go into the camp of our enemies and find out what they plan next. Our women and children are at risk and we cannot ignore the fact that we have fewer than thirty women to rebuild our race. Our women must accept their responsibility to our people.\" His gaze rested on Natalya and then flicked to each of the women in the chamber. \"They cannot place their precious lives in more danger just for the sake of doing so. I am volunteering to go to the camp of the enemy and gather information.\"
    Mikhail shook his head. \"They know who is with them through a blood bond. The parasites they inject into their systems call to one another. We found that out from Destiny.\"
    \"Gregori has the blood and I can ingest it.\"
    Destiny gasped, one slim hand circling her throat. \"You cannot. It eats at you every waking moment.\"
    \"You have no protection,\" Gregori added. \"You have walked a darkened path for too many centuries and the parasites would eventually push you beyond your endurance. With no life mate to guide you back, it would be suicide-more than that, you would mostly likely succumb to the call of the undead.\"
    \"That is why I want you, your brothers, Nicolas and Dimitri to take my blood. I believe, with the Dragonseeker heritage, I have more of a chance to last longer, perhaps even a year, before I succumb. If I cannot walk into the sun, then there will be six of our most experienced hunters able to track me.\"
    Mikhail shook his head. \"We cannot afford the loss of your bloodline, Dominic.\"
    \"You have Natalya and Colby. Possibly young Skyler. And now this new young woman, Lara, who is life mate to Nicolas. The Dragonseeker line will continue. I have not found my life mate in all these centuries and I have grown weary. Allow me to give this last service to our people. I will do my best to walk with honor and go into the sun before it is necessary to hunt me, but if not, the preparations will already have been made. I will allow these hunters access to my memories so they are fully aware of how I function as a fighter.
    Hopefully that will give them an edge.\"
    The protest swept through the chamber. The crystals hummed louder and gave off a multitude of colors.
    Mikhail rested his hand on the blood red column. He drew in a deep breath and let it out.
    \"Perhaps we should shelve this discussion until we have heard what Nicolas has to say.\"
    \"Forgive me, Mikhail, but you cannot allow me to hear anything Nicolas or anyone else has to say. If I go, I cannot know your plans. I cannot hear one word of strategy. We are in a war and the very existence of our species is at stake. The choices here will be difficult.\" His gaze sought out and rested on the three women-Natalya, Jaxon and Destiny. \"Difficult for all of us. We have to make sacrifices and know what is the best use of every resource we have available to us. The choices are not easy, nor will they be popular, but they have to be made. I am expendable. I have the blood that will fight against the call of darkness the longest. My lineage was not given the burden of other bloodlines.\" His gaze flicked briefly to Nicolas and gave him a Page 53

    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    warriors slight bow of respect.
    Nicolas shook his head, his throat suddenly clogged. Dominic was a living legend, much like Lucian and Gabriel. He knew-and understood-the curse of darkness on the De La Cruz brothers. They struggled to maintain honor and always had in the face of that creeping stain. Now, when he must stand before the council admitting he and his brothers had a hand in plotting the conspiracy to bring the downfall of the Carpathian people, Dominic was acknowledging the terrible burden the De La Cruz brothers had endured over the centuries.
    \"No one is expendable,\" Gregori said. \"Not a single warrior, certainly not one of your expertise and wisdom.\"
    Nicolas remained silent as each warrior gave his or her opinion. In the sacred chamber, with their blood mingling with their ancestors, the steam purifying them and the crystals focusing and clarifying their minds, all were heard with great respect. But he knew Dominic was going to ingest the blood and sadly, he agreed it was the right thing to do, the only thing when