Carpathian 20 - Dark Slayer

radiated through the chamber.
    Skin smoked. Blistered. Melted. Sergey screamed and tried to dissolve again, and this time the arrowheads fell from his chest as his acid blood ate through the coating. The two fragments seeped into his pores just as he shifted.
    To my back! Ivory ordered the pack, holding out her arms.
    The wolves leapt for safety as the water rose fast, rushing through the chamber, boiling everything in its path, including the saber-toothed tiger. The Carpathians shifted to vapor, their only hope of escaping, just as Sergey had done, but even in that form, the sun burned the molecules that made up their forms.
    Ivory flowed toward Xavier as he crawled along the edge, leaving a trail of black blood behind. The blood bubbled and burned into the fast-melting rock. He opened a crack that was spewing water wide enough for his body to pass through, but she was on him, her hands coming out of the vapor. The burns went to the bone, her skin dissolving first into a mass of blisters and then melting. Still, even with her bones, she held him, preventing his escape.
    Razvan’s fist came out of the vapor, suffering the same fate as Ivory, the skin burning off as he slammed it deep into Xavier’s chest and extracted the burst heart. He threw it into the raging fires and then followed it with the body.

    The four Carpathians streaked out of the rapidly collapsing cavern using Xavier’s escape route. The spinning mass of heat and light stayed behind them as they shot down a tube and into the cool darkness of the caves. The mountain rumbled ominously as they made their way through the tunnels to the outside hills.
    All of them rolled in the snow, trying to ease the burning, vicious pain.
    â€œWe need to go to ground right now,― Vikirnoff said, his teeth chattering, his body in shock. Gregori, we have need of you. Healers! Come to us!
    â€œNot here. Not anywhere near his evil,― Ivory advised.
    â€œFind a clean spot and let Mother Earth have you.―
    â€œGregori and Francesca are on the way. They will meet us,― Vikirnoff said.
    Shivering with the terrible pain, Ivory and Razvan took to the air together, leaving Vikirnoff and Natalya to do the same.
    21
    Razvan gripped Ivory’s hand as they approached the ceremonial cave. Gregori’s summons had reached them just before dawn, with his invitation to the naming ceremony, and both had been nervous before they had succumbed to their rejuvenating sleep. They had spent so long in the ground recovering from wounds, both had thought the naming would have already taken place, but Gregori had honored them by waiting, which meant they had little choice but to attend.
    â€œThey are not going to search you this time,― Ivory teased. “I think.―
    â€œThey try that this time and the dragon in me may just come flaming out.― He gripped her hand tighter.
    Ivory looked up at his face. Instead of his usual calm, he looked strained. She knew it had nothing to do with the distrust of the Carpathian ancients and everything to do with his daughters and sister.
    She halted and tugged him around to her, lifting her palm to frame
    his
    beloved
    face.
    â€œYou
    are
    hän
    ku
    pesä —protector.
    You
    are
    hän
    ku
    meke
    pirämet —defender.― Her voice softened. Her eyes swam with love. “Most of all, you are hän ku kuulua sÃ-
    vamet —keeper of my heart.―
    He caught her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers.
    He couldn’t have spoken. Not with love shaking him and setting his hands trembling, or with the lump in his throat so big he might choke. He could only pour everything he felt for her into his kiss. When he lifted his head, her eyes had gone antique gold. “Thank you. I needed to hear you say you loved me.―

    She parted her lips to protest. She hadn’t actually gone that far, but he kissed her senseless again, scattering her wits until she could barely remember her own name, let alone what she’d said to him.
    â€œRazvan!― Natalya rushed them. “You came.―
    They had barely time to break apart before she threw herself into her brother’s arms, rocking them both so hard Ivory had to catch his arm to steady them.
    â€œOf course we came. Gregori said it was a naming ceremony. I have never been to one.― Razvan gently set his sister back on her feet, looking her over for