Carpathian 21 - Dark Peril

through my eyes.
    Look at you: the perfect man of my dreams.

    SOLANGE TO DOMINIC

    S olange held her breath as she watched Dominic stride across the open ground toward the laboratory with his confident, superior air. She had no choice but to stay hidden in the trees, at least a hundred and thirty yards from him. Even then, the parasites quieted. They didn’t go still, but they definitely ceased their tempting, painful whispers. She wanted to be closer, where she felt she had a chance to protect him, but once inside, he could only share with her by merging.

    Her heart in her throat, she kept her gaze fixed on him. There were three human guards that she could see.
    Two were at the door of the lab and one near the southern corner. The guards watched him uneasily, but no one challenged him. They fell back under the shocking gaze of Dominic’s piercing eyes.

    She recognized the two jaguar-men off by themselves, keeping a wary eye on the group of vampires milling around the open yard. Both stayed close to the forest where they could easily shift and disappear into the canopy should they have need. They were heavily armed, something she rarely saw in the jaguar-men. They mostly relied on their cat for protection, but they were obviously not taking any chances meeting with vampires and humans.

    A small group of immaculately dressed vampires stood to the right of the door, talking, trying to appear human, but the guards had sensed their unnaturalness and kept as far from them as possible. Occasionally one of the vampires would look toward a human and smirk, eyes feasting and saliva dribbling. It was deliberate provocation and told Solange that even the vampires were on edge. A meeting of this type was unheard-of. Representatives of several master vampires had arrived, but hunger was the most prevalent emotion she could read. There were few people to donate blood and if they wanted their meeting kept quiet, they couldn’t have a massacre. The vampires had gone without feeding, and the smell of human blood had to be driving them crazy.

    A sliver of moonlight fell across Dominic’s face, highlighting the dark edges, the strong lines of his jaw and the gleaming, flowing hair. He looked exactly like what he was—a dangerous predator—and everyone and everything moved out of his way. She had seen him many ways: as the warrior prepared to go into battle; as a man, helping her learn to appreciate being a woman; and as a lover, fiercely passionate and infinitely tender. But she had never seen the legend in action.

    Everyone gave him a wide berth, especially the vampires who recognized the legend striding into their midst. They scattered as he deliberately walked through their circle. No one spoke to him, but they didn’t take their eyes off him, even as he walked straight up to the door. The guards actually held it open. He disappeared inside and the vampires closed ranks and began to whisper.

    I don’t like this, Solange protested. Couldn’t you have gone in unseen?

    Dominic had the blueprint of the laboratory in his head from the drawings Solange had made for him. She had spent hours hiding inside the facility and she paid attention to detail. He had to get inside the area housing the computers, and they had security codes for that.

    This is what I do best, kessake . I will be fine. Just be ready and keep alert. They cannot spot you or our plan fails.

    She hissed at him, and deep inside he smiled at his spitting little cat. I love you, too.

    She subsided and he moved through the first entryway into the hall leading to the experiment rooms. She had said there were at least five scientists working on various experiments. They were human and involved with the society to stop vampires. Unfortunately for them, they were in league with the very ones they sought to stamp out. The vampires pointed them at Carpathians, and the human society members did their best to kill as many as possible.

    He opened the door and the scent of blood assailed his senses. He had fed from Zacarias’s workers, building his strength for the long night to come. He was going to be in two places at one time, a difficult feat for anyone. He was adept at it, but still, cloning oneself drained strength fast and he would need to be at the top of his game to do battle.

    No one looked up when he entered. There were four men in lab coats surrounding a fifth man who was not human. He was dressed in combat clothes and his face was handsome, the dark