Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

away as she wanted to do. She reached behind her until she found Nicolas\'s wrist to steady herself. \"I don\'t look anything at all like him,\" she denied. Aware she sounded like a child-even her voice was higher pitched-she took a steadying breath and tried again. \"He had dark hair streaked with gray. Mostly he\'s gray. And his face is etched deep with lines, not at all smooth. He\'s thin, and white.\"
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    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    Carpathian men do not go gray unless they are tortured beyond endurance. It takes.. .much... to produce gray hair, thinness and deep lines .
    You have deep lines.
    I have been in countless battles and made many kills. More and more I believe your father has been fighting Xavier to save not only his family, but perhaps all Carpathians.
    We are not Carpathian.
    Dragonseeker blood is strong. You are Carpathian.
    A single sound of distress escaped before Natalya could stop it. She touched her tongue to her lips and made a visible effort to recover from the news of her brother. \"We need to help your life mate. He needs his wounds healed and blood fast. Perhaps you would care to accompany us back to our home?\"
    Lara\'s fingernails dug into his palm. Nicolas brought her knuckles to his mouth and nibbled on her skin to distract her. \"We were on our way to visit with you when we were attacked. Thank you for the invitation.\"Yes or no ?
    Her eyes met his, her nod nearly imperceptible.
    \"Thank you, we will come.\"
    Vikirnoff casually brought his hand to his mouth and tore open his wrist, extending his arm toward Nicolas.
    Several bright drops of blood splattered onto the ground. Lara gasped as the sight hit her like a blow. She closed her eyes, unable to watch as Nicolas took the proffered wrist.
    Nicolas hesitated. \"Natalya can take you up to the house,\" he offered.
    Lara kept her eyes closed, trying not to draw the scent of blood into her lungs. Her stomach lurched, but she shook her head. \"I\'ll wait for you.\"Just get it over with .
    Nicolas politely closed the ragged tear on Vikirnoff\'s wrist. \"Thank you, but I can wait until we are out of the open.\"
    Vikirnoff opened his mouth to protest. His gaze brushed Lara\'s ashen face and he shrugged. \"We had better hurry then.\"
    Natalya glanced at Lara sharply, then at Nicolas\'s ravaged body. Her lips tightened but she didn\'t voice a protest. Nevertheless, Lara knew she wanted to and that one, small glance shamed her. Nicolas had fought to save their lives, and had done so without flinching from the task. His body bore many deep wounds, but he only had considered taking care of her injuries, slight in comparison to his, yet she couldn\'t stand the sight of him taking the blood necessary to restore his strength and take the pain from his wounds.
    It is no one\'s business but ours why we both choose our path. Nicolas flicked a warning glance at Natalya that had Vikirnoff bristling.
    Natalya put a restraining hand on his wrist and shimmered, shifting into mist, before taking to the air.
    Vikirnoff followed her.
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    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    \"I\'m sorry.\" Lara blinked back tears burning in her eyes. \"I feel so ashamed.\"
    \"There is no need for that. You may have saved my life with your quick thinking.\" Nicolas touched his neck where the collar had stopped the vampire\'s teeth from ripping him open. The bite wouldn\'t really have killed him, and he had been prepared for the shock and pain of it, bracing himself to give himself the time to rip the heart from the chest, but she certainly had cut short the battle, giving him those precious few seconds longer.
    \"That was quick thinking and ingenious on your part.\"
    The praise in his voice made her color rise. \"Can I help you heal? I\'m not the best healer, but I have some skills.\" She had no idea how to help him with the injuries, but he looked so alone and she hated being the one to make him feel that way. She wanted to show solidarity, even though her inability to watch him take blood delayed his getting help. She felt awkward asking, but she couldn\'t let it go. \"I know the Carpathian healing chant. My aunts learned it from their mother and they taught it to me, but I don\'t really know how to actually heal wounds very well. Maybe you could teach me what to do, just in case this happens again.\"
    He smiled down at her, his expression tender. \"It will happen again. Here, we can gather the richest soil we can find, mix it with our saliva.\"
    \"The healing agent