Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

his family, especially his women and children. If Xavier really possessed his body, using him to impregnate women, if he really murdered your mother in front of him as it appeared he did, and if he controlled Razvan, forcing him to take your blood, then Razvan has suffered the torment of the damned for centuries. That would be the worst a Carpathian male could suffer. Your father would have rejoiced to have you out of there and out of Xavier\'s control.\"
    She pressed her lips together. His hunger was beating at her, yet he stood there patiently trying to reassure her that leaving her father to be tortured and maybe murdered had been a good thing. \"Let\'s go, Nicolas. I\'d like to meet my aunt.\"
    \"Do you want to try shifting? An owl, perhaps?\"
    Her jeweled eyes gleamed at him. He had said she was capable of shifting with his help and she wanted it to be true. She was certainly willing to try. \"A dragon.\"
    He nodded. \"Of course, what else would you choose?\" He grinned at her, a teasing invitation to fun. She\'d never seen him smile like that, and it made him look younger. \"You are already familiar with the dragon\'s body. The most important thing with shifting-\" He held out his hand to her and began to walk with her through the cavern into the labyrinth of tunnels. Candles sprang to life on the walls ahead of them as they hurried along. \"-is to remember to keep the image in your head at all times. It has to become automatic so that you do it without really thinking about it and that takes practice. I want you to keep your mind merged fully with mine. Once you shift, excitement and joy-I cannot even begin to describe the feeling for you-sets in and it is easy to lose what you are doing. So keep your mind firmly in mine so I can help you if you need it.\"
    She smiled up at him. \"Don\'t worry, I don\'t exactly want to fall out of the sky.\"
    He laughed softly, shocking himself. He wasn\'t a man who laughed often-if ever. He was slowly discovering that with her companionship, Lara also brought a joy in the sharing of everyday things. He tightened his fingers around hers, keeping her close to his side as they moved swiftly through the tunnel. \"I did not notice that you scanned the area periodically for vampires. It is very necessary for survival to make that a habit.\"
    \"Isn\'t that a rather faulty system now?\"
    His eyebrow shot up. \"You have been absorbing the information in my mind.\" He was pleased with her. With everything going on, it hadn\'t occurred to him that while merged with him she would be seeking as much information as possible to help with her own survival.
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    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    \"Of course. You seem to have a lot of experience hunting vampires.\"
    His boyhood story intrigued her and Lara had tried to delve a little deeper, at first to see if Nicolas always embraced the fight with the undead. Did he get a rush when he fought? When he killed? She had found the answer and it worried her, but it also fascinated her that he felt no fear-none-when he fought. She had spent her life afraid, always looking over her shoulder, terrified that others would discover her differences and condemn her, terrified that Xavier would find her again. She wanted to be like Nicolas, facing the worst without fear.
    \"Not all Carpathian males were raised to be hunters. In the old days we had a community and many men were craftsmen. They did woodworking and gem-calling. They worked with herbs and candles to develop our healing powers. Some were sword-makers. They did incredible, beautiful work with weapons. My family was bred as warriors. Much of the skills of our ancestors are imprinted on us. So if you are born into a lineage of warriors, you have skills and reflexes already built in. In other words, you already have an advantage before you even begin training. Where a gem-caller or sword-maker has other skills imprinted, those skills are not at all useful for fighting.\"
    There was a small trail of water running across the path. Without missing a stride, Nicolas caught Lara around the waist, lifted her over it and continued walking as though nothing had interrupted them.
    When the small, secret thrill at the strength in his arms subsided Lara slipped her hand back into his. \"And the darkness in you? How exactly does that come to be?\"
    His fingers tightened around hers. \"Does it frighten you?\"
    Her gaze flicked to his face and then sought out boulders blocking the entrance to the tunnel.