Dark Destiny

How much time do you have? It was Vikirnoff, calm as always. He was far off, but moving rapidly toward his brother.

Her blood calls to the undead like a bright beacon. You will not be able to hide her from them.

I have no intention of hiding. Nicolae sounded grim. Supremely confident. Merciless. He sounded exactly like the brother Vikirnoff had known for centuries. His power filled the skies, bursting into bolts of lightning, zigzagging whips attacking in every direction. Nicolae was taking the offensive. The skies opened up and torrents of rain pounded the earth.

Let them come for us.

In the distance, Nicolae heard the echo of a cry of hatred, of rage. A second and a third cry followed as his weapons found targets. The skies lit up with fire, and thunder shook the earth. The ground heaved, buckled and rolled. Below, in a small lake, a huge wave crested high, racing across the surface in foaming madness. Stars seemed to explode around him, an answering war call from the vampire.

Nicolae swept one hand across the sky, stirring the wind to a furious assault on the white-hot bursts of light, blowing them away from the woman in his arms. He raced straight for the mountains, away from humans, where others might be caught in the coming battle. Deliberately he took her far from their chamber of pools, not wanting the vampire to find their resting place. Deep underground he flew, where a series of caves opened into the earth. Steam rose through vents, and the smell of sulfur was strong, but the minerals in the soil were exactly what he was looking for.

He built safeguards in haste, mere stalling tactics to give him the time he needed to drive the poison from Destiny's body. The tiny bite marks were already festering, dark, evil stains, the mark of the beast. Nicolae took Destiny deep beneath the earth to one of the smallest caves, a chamber where the walls were close and there was barely room for their bodies. It was not a place for battle, but far more defensible than one of the larger caves. He waved his hand to open the rich earth, settling Destiny's body into the cool soil. She was hot to the touch, and blisters were forming on her skin.

She has little time. It is a fast-acting poison and one I have not yet seen. They are almost upon us. Nicolae was not disturbed by the gathering vampires. He felt the weight of their anger and determination.

They thought him trapped in the mountains, unable to move with a woman to watch over, but they did not yet know his Destiny. Nor did they realize Vikirnoff was streaking across the skies, determined to join the battle.

Using saliva and the rich soil, Nicolae hastily packed each laceration. The tiny, razor-sharp teeth had bitten deep to find Destiny's veins and inject poison into their victim. He worked swiftly but methodically, not taking a chance on missing anything. The vampire who had orchestrated the attack had been clever and quick, using the cover of the fog and waiting for the moment when Destiny's inattention made her vulnerable. At no time had the vampire exposed himself to danger or injury. It was a smart move, and Nicolae acknowledged the enemy was a dangerous adversary.

It was the poison moving through Destiny's body that alarmed him the most. "Wake, my love. Wake with the knowledge of our coming battle."

Destiny obeyed his command with a gasp of pain. Her gaze, darkened with suffering, met his. "They seek you, Nicolae. They come for you."

He waved the information away casually. "Let them come. They have underestimated you. They will come to their own doom. I must drive the poison from your body as quickly as possible, and I will need all of your strength and aid."

She nodded, trust shimmering in the depths of her eyes. "Tell me what to do and I'll follow your lead."

Nicolae forced his mind away from the absolute trust in her gaze, in her words, and how much it meant to him. How much she meant to him. He slowed his heartbeat to a strong, steady beat designed to hinder the swiftness of the poison. He had sent her to sleep for the same reason. He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Like this, Destiny. Keep your heart rate exactly the same." His thumb caressed the back of her hand while his heart beat directly into her palm.

She became aware of the rapid pounding of her heart. It filled the chamber with the sound of thunder, a powerful drum that beat a rhythm of death. At once she slowed the beat, taking control of her body, following the slower, much steadier beat of his. She felt sluggish and drained, tired beyond belief as her heart slowed down.

"You will be shocked when we are inside. Do not panic, and do not fear for me. I have dealt with poison many times. Concentrate on what must be done. Fear is our biggest enemy."

Destiny nodded her understanding. "I won't let you down." She was very aware of the danger they were in. She was in Nicolae's mind, even felt the presence of Vikirnoff. He didn't bother to shield his presence from her any longer. She knew he was racing to their aid.

Nicolae allowed his body to drop away, become light and energy so that he could enter Destiny's body to survey the damage. He spent precious minutes studying the chemical compound used to poison his lifemate. It was replicating itself quickly, and mutating as it spread through her body. The mutant form seemed to sense him, an army of hostile intent, ready to attack his light.

Pull out! Destiny didn't wait to see if he listened to the order; she struck with every bit of strength she had, driving him from her body, using their blood bond to draw him with her.

The move was so strong, so unexpected, it caught Nicolae unawares. He found himself back in his own body blinking at her.

If I had a sense of humor, I would be laughing right now. Vikirnoff sounded the same as always. Calm, undisturbed by the fact that they were being stalked by an unknown number of vampires, and a bloody battle would soon take place.

Nicolae sighed. "You should not have done that, Destiny," he reprimanded. "The poison must be driven from your body; we have no other choice. We have no time for arguing."

"No, we don't," she agreed. Beads of sweat dotted her skin. Some were pink, the first traces of blood. "You will have to delay them, defend us while I do this myself. The poison was designed to attack the healer. Both of us cannot be infected." She laid her hand on his arm. "You know I'm right, Nicolae."

She does actually make sense once in a while.

"I heard that," Destiny said. "Nicolae, we don't have time to argue about this. Even your brother agrees I'm right, and you know he's totally living in the Dark Ages when it comes to women."

Nicolae swore eloquently in the ancient native tongue. He included Vikirnoff in his litany just for good measure. The poison was a virulent strain. He bent his head to rest his brow against hers. "Being your lifemate is not the easiest on a man's ego."

Her hand cupped his cheek, her thumb feathering a caress over his lips. "The hounds are at the front door."

His mouth skimmed hers. "You be careful, Destiny. Do this right. You do not have much time. I will need you on your feet and ready to go. They must be kept from this chamber if possible. I will meet them above."

"Go." She squeezed his fingers, let her hand fall away. Nicolae was already dissolving, streaming away from her and up the chimney to burst into the night sky. He would go out to meet their enemies. His lifemate's blood was a bright beacon summoning the undead straight to their location. It was his job to keep them away from her until she was able to move and hunt on her own.

Destiny wasted no time, and he could detect no fear in her as once more she allowed her body to slip away. She became light and energy, marshaling her waning strength to fight the army of invading microbes in her bloodstream. Nicolae remained a shadow in her mind, ready to give her strength should there be need, ready to aid her in any way.

He climbed high, taking stock of his surroundings. He hoped the vampires would be careless in their attack, certain he was too busy with Destiny to go on the offense. This had been a carefully prepared battle, and Nicolae was certain Pater was behind it. Pater was determined to bring the vampires together, uniting them against the hunters.

It might work if they can keep from killing one another, Nicolae observed.

Vikirnoff thought it over.

I did not believe there was a vampire powerful enough, not even an ancient, to accomplish such a thing as uniting vampires to a common purpose, but our enemy seems to have managed such a thing here.

It has been done before, but not with ancients. Always there has been one who has power, the rest only sacrificial pawns. This bodes ill for our people. Nicolae hid his being in the tiniest of molecules, spread out across the sky in the roiling clouds. Vikirnoff was in his mind, and deeply merged with Destiny also, waiting to lend his strength when there was need.

Destiny was unaware of either of them. She concentrated entirely on her own war, trusting Nicolae to fend off the undead until she could join him. She recognized she had lost too much blood through the many bites on her skin. The compound in her body was wreaking mass destruction, mutating her cells at a rapid rate. She noted the wiggling parasites that were always present in her bloodstream, familiar to her, but somehow abhorrent. Even they tried to hide from the attacking poison. She searched quickly through her bloodstream, found natural antibodies and began replicating them, hastily throwing her own army at the microbes to slow down their reproduction and give herself more time to come up with something to destroy them permanently. She glimpsed a bubble, nearly hidden behind the swarming cells. It was reddish-black, a large clot rolling in the wake of the microbes. She could fight the mutant cells, programmed to attack the surge of energy she radiated, but she had the feeling the real demon was that unknown mass.

She ignored the lesions forming on her organs everywhere the poison touched. She ignored her tainted blood, burning and scalding so that the walls of her veins seemed thin and weak, ready to burst. In places they bulged alarmingly, just as some of her organs did.

What weapons did she have to fight such a thing? Energy. Light. She stopped wasting her time creating antibodies that merely slowed the army of mutants. She waited, watched the surging swarm of cells bent on enveloping the essence of her life.

Destiny held her position, aware of time slowing down. She felt no one near her, heard nothing, not even the beating of her own heart. Her entire focus was on that mass of malignant cells. She waited, gathering her energy until it was white-hot, a pinpoint laser, zeroing in on the deadly microbes. She allowed her power free rein, and it became a concentrated lethal pulse of energy, so great she knew it wasn't all her own.

She couldn't let the knowledge distract her. She was watching the cells shrivel and die, watching as the thing behind them appeared clearly for the first time. It was only about the size of a walnut, lodged in her stomach. Her heart stuttered. She couldn't use fire or heat with this. It was some kind of explosive chemical waiting for a detonator. The chemicals had been attached to the first compound injected into her body through the teeth as they bit into her flesh. When the cells mutated to the second generation, the chemicals had rushed through her body from every direction to bond together as they were meant to do. She had been made into a living bomb, aimed and directed straight at Nicolae should he attempt to heal her.

Destiny inhaled sharply, knowing Nicolae was with her now, seeing what she was seeing. Fearing as she was fearing.

Do what you have to do, Nicolae. I will find the answer to this.

Nicolae felt his heart stutter.

You must hurry, Destiny. The malignant cells are damaging your body. You need a healer.

He sent calm reassurance and total belief in her, even though deep in his heart he raged against having to fight the enemy when he wanted to rush to her side.

The skies lit up with fireballs, missiles of spinning orange flames that sought him out in the darkness. As they whistled through the air, hot threads spun off and lashed at the space around him, seeking a target.

Calmly Nicolae swept the fierce wind in front of him, hurtling the lances back toward his enemy, announcing his presence.

Come to me, all of you seeking the justice of our people. I will help you depart for the next world as you should have done long ago. Come to me now. I grow weary of your tantrums.

Cries of hatred and rage echoed across the sky in answer. Nicolae was already on the move, knowing the vampires would attempt to pinpoint his location by the direction of the terrible wind. He heard a high-pitched chatter, and then the air to his left, where he had just been, erupted with an army of bats. Large creatures much like vampire bats, these were minions of the undead with long fangs, seeking his blood. They flew at him, so many the skies were filled with their furry bodies. All the while, the squeaks and chatter continued as they transmitted his presence to their master.

Nicolae blasted the area with lightning, supercharging the air so that whips danced and zigzagged, shedding radiant sparks as they sought their targets. As the creatures were incinerated, they gave off a foul-smelling odor that stung Nicolae's eyes and burned his throat and nose. The night sky, black with ominous roiling clouds, was lit up by the phenomenal lightning display. Thunder followed, a clap that shook the earth below but also carried a hidden attack, bouncing sound waves as strong as any earthquake through the sky to shake loose the undead.

Harsh screeches hurt his ears as one of the vampires tumbled from above, shimmering a grayish opaque as the hideous form materialized from the mist, caught itself in midair and quickly streaked behind the clouds, fearful of attack. As the vampire threw spears of pure sizzling electricity toward Nicolae, Vikirnoff emerged into the open.

Nicolae slammed into his brother hard, driving him out of range of a white-hot lance. It skimmed his own shoulder, burning through muscle and tissue as it whistled by him.

You are getting too old for this. The reflexes are going, Nicolae taunted his brother even as he circled around to get behind the vampire.

Just checking to make sure you were in this battle and not with your woman.

Nicolae grunted as he blasted through the thin cloud straight at the vampire. Immediately the sky erupted from three sides with monstrous lizard creatures, much like the ones in the cave where he had first faced Pater. Clearly the ancient vampire had orchestrated this battle as well. The hideous creatures attacked even as the vampire shifted to the same shape, reaching for him with enormous, wicked claws, its huge head swinging toward him.

Fetid breath smelling of rotted flesh was hot in his face, but Nicolae drove forward, slipping away from the claws by a hair's breadth. He put on a burst of speed, and his fist shot out toward the beast's scaly chest. At the last moment, the vampire spun, whipping with its spiked tail, the barbs tipped with a paralyzing poison.

The other three beasts lunged at Nicolae, snapping with crushing jaws, their great wings flapping hard, creating a windstorm, stirring up dust in the sky. Clouds swirled and churned; blackened bits of debris torn up from the earth below towered high in a tornado funnel. The force of that wind created its own weather; a storm of ice like splinters and spears of crystal hurtled out from the center, looking for a target.

In the instant when Nicolae would have dissolved to allow the whipping tail and crushing jaws to pass harmlessly by him, one of the creatures opened its hideous mouth wider to reveal the prize in its mouth. His legs held prisoner by the rows of teeth, a man screamed helplessly, flailing his arms wildly, his horrified gaze locked with Nicolae's as the giant beast began to exert pressure.

Vikirnoff dropped from above, emerging out of the dark clouds to land on the lizard's back. In his hand was a spear glowing red-hot. He thrust the weapon straight through the back of the neck of the reptile. As it screamed in pain and hatred, the great jaws opened, releasing the human inside. The man plummeted toward earth, his cry a thin wail of terror.

Nicolae plunged straight down, chasing after the falling man as he dropped toward the rising funnel cloud. The splinters and spears of ice targeted both Nicolae and the victim of the undead. Nicolae hastily constructed a net woven of silken strands below the falling man while at the same time moving his hands in a complicated pattern, drawing fire from the sky to melt the ice weapons.

The vampire's victim hit the net, bounced and caught desperately at the thin strands, hanging on grimly. He was fully aware of the bizarre happenings and yet he was fighting to stay alive. Needing him conscious, Nicolae chose not to shield him as he swept him into the comparative safety of his arms.

"Hang on!" Nicolae ordered. He recognized Martin Wright. The man clasped his hands around Nicolae's neck, sliding around to his back, then closing his eyes against this terrifying reality. Blood dripped steadily from his legs where the teeth had bit into him.

Don't let anything happen to him. Destiny's plea was strong in Nicolae's mind.

Nicolae glanced down toward the mountain even as the reptilian creatures lunged after him, streaking away from their fallen companion. The giant lizard Vikirnoff had lanced was falling through the sky, somersaulting with Vikirnoff stubbornly clinging to its back. The vampire was roaring in rage and terror, but the others did not go to his aid. Instead they were hurtling toward Nicolae and Martin at an alarming rate of speed.

Evading them with blurring speed, Nicolae almost missed the shadow near the entrance to the mountain. A dark shape slithered over the ground silently, moving from shadow to shadow. Nicolae barely caught the sliding tail disappearing into the ground far below him. His heart slammed hard in his chest. The undead knew that if he managed to kill Destiny, he would destroy at least one of the hunters for certain. Her lifemate would never continue without her, and it was possible both hunters would follow her or turn.

Destiny!

I feel the evil one approaching. I have smelled his stench before. There was a confidence in her voice Nicolae did not feel. Pater was a powerful and dangerous adversary. Destiny was seriously injured, ill and fighting the poison in her body.

Nicolae, let the human go. You will need your full strength to fight off the undead. Vikirnoff was always the same, his voice without inflection, even when he was sentencing a man to certain death.

You will not! Destiny was furious with Vikirnoff.

Do not listen to him, Nicolae. I do not need your help with one slimy vampire.

The boiling chemicals that had mixed together in her stomach to form the explosive device were beginning to burn through her insides, as if releasing some terrible gas. Destiny studied the compound, felt Nicolae, and Vikirnoff through Nicolae, studying the chemicals with her.

The first is nitric acid or something similar, Nicolae identified.

And they have found a way to introduce glycerin, uniting the two chemicals, Vikirnoff pointed out.

Destiny winced. Nitroglycerin. Unstable. Dangerous. Sitting inside her and waiting for some signal to explode. Even a change in her body temperature could set it off. The virus itself could be the detonator if it raised her body temperature. Destiny controlled her panic, thinking, determined to use her brain. Their kind existed on blood. Blood would have no effect on that raging mass. A laser blast of pure energy would ignite it. The vampire would expect her to think like a hunter, not a human. He would never expect her to ingest anything other than blood.

Pater was drawing closer, making his way stealthily down through the caves to the chamber where she rested. Destiny could feel his evil presence spreading through the mountain, a soft rumble of protest from the soil, from the insects and cave dwellers. The shadow lengthened, grew, a feeling of impending doom that began to invade her mind with insidious strength, shaking her confidence.

The poison was doing its work, overcoming the antibody defense she had set up and breaking down her body's ability to fight. Tiny droplets of blood began to seep from her pores.

Destiny closed her mind to everything but the problem within her. Nicolae must be protected at all costs. This thing, this trap that had been set for him, had to be destroyed. She could think of only one way to do so. Carefully weaving her spell, she called on the earth's minerals, looking for what she needed. Sodium carbonate. Lots of it. She could neutralize the acid in the system and break the glycerin down naturally; neither was toxic alone. She prepared a drink using the mineral water, making certain it was the exact temperature of her body.

She had to fight to ingest it, to keep it in her body when everything in her rebelled. Once again, she entered a bodiless state in order to direct the sodium carbonate mixture where she needed it. She watched it closely as her only hope raced to do as she bade. If it didn't work, she intended to wait until the vampire was upon her, raise her body temperature as high as she could as fast as she could, and detonate the bomb, taking him with her. She would not allow him to get his hands on her. The chemicals touched, mixed. She knew the precise moment when she'd won.

Nicolae sighed with relief. Vikirnoff's presence disappeared.

The vampire was still coming and she was still weak. But she was a hunter. Destiny held the compound in her body as long as she could stand it, then expelled it as quickly as she could, crawling to a corner to be violently sick.

She turned her head when a soft slithering betrayed the intruder. "Pater. How nice to see you've taken your true form. The scales suit you. I'm very impressed with the reptilian head. It screams success. Bet you drive the ladies wild in that form."

There was little room to maneuver, and Destiny doubted she had the strength to shape-shift. She sat back, looking at the huge beast as it smirked at her, the cold, dead eyes triumphant. "You think you've won some sort of victory, but you don't know me. And you don't know Nicolae. You will never live through this."

The vampire retained the body of the beast, but the crocodilian head contorted, wavered, solidified into the head of a man. It was an ugly amalgamation, Pater's head attached to the neck and body of a dragon-lizard. He flashed his jagged teeth at her, not bothering to sustain an illusion of beauty. "Neither will you live, my dear. I gave you a chance to join us. More than one chance. They will never accept one such as you. Never. If the hunter takes your blood, lifemate or no, it will strengthen his dark side. What is the use of suffering, only to be cast aside? What do you think the Prince will do when he sees you? And what of Gregori? Do you believe they will accept you into their keeping? Allow you to associate with their women?"

Her heart fluttered. The truth of his words was like an arrow piercing her heart. Sharp. Lethal. Terrible. She would always be an outcast. Always. Even Nicolae's brother recognized her as such. She glanced away from the beady, accusing eyes, ashamed.

Keep looking at him, Nicolae said.

It matters little to me what the Prince or Gregori or any other thinks. And it should matter little to you. This evil one is a vampire and he lies. He is using the oldest trick in the book on you, undermining your will to fight him.

It was a stern reprimand, and she took it to heart. The scrape of a claw on rock warned her, and she locked her gaze with the vampire's. At once she felt power and strength moving through her. Enormous strength. The power was astonishing.

Pater screamed, contorting, attempting to spin around in the small confines of the burrow, his spiked tail lashing, but his very bulk defeated him. Flames danced over the scales, sizzled and bubbled the reptile's skin, searing down to the bone. Fire raced the length of his body, blackening the scales, fouling the air with a terrible stench. The carcass split open, spilling the vampire onto the cave floor. He was hissing in rage, crawling toward her, his eyes glowing a fiery red, fixed on her with malice.

Destiny tried to gather herself to meet the attack, but her body failed her, useless without nourishment, her strength spent on the battle to drive out the poisonous virus.

Just look at him. Nicolae was completely confident. His certainty struck a chord deep inside her. He was engaged in his own life-and-death struggle, with a human in his care, evading vampires while he aided her, yet he was supremely confident of his ability to protect her. And she believed him.

Destiny didn't take her gaze from Pater. A small, grim smile touched her mouth. She looked exhausted and weak, but she was also relaxed and certain.

Pater read her expression, saw her eyes, the power swirling in the blue-green depths, power not her own, and he knew he had failed. His minions had not kept the ancient occupied. He was staring at death. In desperation he threw up a barrier, burrowing into the ground as he did so. Inches from Destiny, vines erupted from the ground. Giant tentacles reached for her, flowers opening to reveal tiny piranha-like teeth snapping close to her legs.

She drew away from the plants with her last remaining strength. Even as she did, she felt the power moving through her, saw the vines wither and die, dropping in the dirt to disintegrate into lifeless black strings. Destiny slumped against the wall of the cave, breathing a sigh of relief. Pater had escaped a second time, but he hadn't managed to use her to destroy Nicolae.

The battle in the air was fading, the vampires retreating at their master's call. Vikirnoff had managed to destroy one of the undead, calling on lightning to incinerate his black heart.

Nicolae had managed to evade the other three, even while keeping Martin safe and fighting off Pater's attack on Destiny. He was worried, though. He could sense Destiny's weakness.

Take Martin back to the city for me while I see to Destiny, Nicolae said to his brother.

He must be healed and his memories removed.

He is your human. I do not deal well with such people. They make no sense to me. I must feed if I am to supply you with what you need. You should take what you need from that one before you go to your lifemate. But you will not because she will be angry if you do. It makes no sense. Prey is prey.

Nicolae glared at his brother, but the gesture was lost on Vikirnoff.

Destiny. I must see that Martin's wounds are healed and that he gets home safely.

Of course you must. There was something new in her voice. A soft note of warmth, of love that hadn't been there before. Nicolae was certain she was unaware of it, but it spread fire in his belly and sent his heart leaping with joy.

I'm a little tired, but I'm all right. Do what you have to do, then come back and get me. I'll even let you play the big hero. You can pick me up and carry me home.

Nicolae found himself smiling as he whisked Martin across the sky, back to the comparative safety of the city.

You like it when I carry you around. Especially if you do not have any clothes on.

Her laughter bubbled up, soft and melodic, warming him even more, filling him completely with happiness. He also heard the note of utter weariness in her voice when she spoke to him.

You like it when I have no clothes on. That mind of yours is a minefield of erotic images. It is true what they say about men thinking of sex every few seconds.

I have been in your mind too, Destiny.

I have an excuse, though. You have all those images in your head and I'm thinking them over. Memorizing them.

Her teasing voice caressed his skin, fanned the flames of urgent need, even when he knew rest and the healing soil were the only thing he would allow his lifemate this night.

I am proud of you.

He had to tell her of his pride, could not keep it to himself. The intensity of his emotions swept through him until he thought he might burst. She had done the impossible, the unthinkable.

You did rather well yourself this night, although your speed could use improvement. Do not think I haven't noticed the wound on your shoulder when you were just a bit slow shoving your idiot of a brother out of harm's way.

You are critiquing me? He injected shock and horror into his voice to make her laugh. He loved her laugh.

I thought frying the lizard was a nice touch.

I was taught by a master. Really, you could use a few tips. The amusement was already fading from her voice, leaving her sounding drowsy.

I'm tired, Nicolae. I must rest until you return.

He shared her mind as she set safeguards; they would be easy enough to unravel now that he knew the complicated patterns, I will return swiftly.

No need. I will rest in the soil.

Just like that she was gone from him. He knew she was safe, that she had gone to ground, allowing the earth to welcome her, but he needed to hold her, to see for himself that she was safe from all harm. He wanted to carry her to the cave of pools, to perform the healing ritual on her and give her blood before placing her in the rich soil of their lair.

Nicolae controlled his descent so as not to alarm Martin further. He chose a small park a short distance from the man's home.

Martin trembled uncontrollably. "What were those things? You saved my life."

Nicolae helped him to sit on the park bench. "It is not necessary to explain. You will not remember them. You will not remember any of this."

At those words, Martin jerked away from Nicolae. "Like I don't remember the attack on Father Mulligan? Did you have something to do with that? Did those... those things?"

"I do not know why you cannot remember what happened, Martin," Nicolae answered honestly. "I cannot find evidence that one of the undead touched you in any way. Either a vampire has grown more powerful than anything I can conceive of, or it was not the influence or work of one. I do not know what happened to you, but I am trying to find out." He examined the wounds on Martin's legs. "Fortunately, you were not injected with poison. You were very lucky this time."

"Lucky?" Martin looked as if he might cry. Then he began to laugh, almost hysterically. "I guess you're right. If you hadn't come along, that thing would have eaten me alive. What was it?"

"Martin? Nicolae?" Father Mulligan came up behind them, startled to see them in the park. He had walked right past that bench only minutes earlier and no one had been in sight.

Nicolae heaved a sigh, sitting back on his haunches. The world was conspiring against him. "How are you tonight, Father?"

"What happened to Martin's legs?" The priest peered anxiously at the gaping, bloody lacerations. "Should I call an ambulance?"

"I can take care of it for him," Nicolae said. "What are you doing out so late?"

"The storm over the mountains made me uneasy." The priest's gaze was shrewd and assessing as he studied Nicolae and then Martin. The blackened wound on Nicolae's shoulder and Martin's shredded legs told him more than either would admit in words. "That was no natural storm. Who won?"

Nicolae pushed a hand through his hair. "I would have to say it was a draw. I cannot stay long. Destiny is ill and I must return to her." He glanced sharply at the priest. "You did not feel a compulsion to come here now, did you?"

"You mean as if I couldn't stop myself?"

Nicolae nodded. "I do not like the fact that you were attacked. That Martin was used to attack you and that he was out tonight. And now I find you here."

Father Mulligan shook his head firmly. "I woke when the thunder was so loud. Believe me, I was in complete control of all my faculties. I knew something was wrong, and I was worried about my parishioners."

"It is much safer to stay inside, Father," Nicolae pointed out. He turned his attention to Martin's leg. "How did they manage to get their hands on you?"

Martin frowned. "I had a fight with Tim. We never argue, but this thing with my losing my memory and nearly killing Father Mulligan is ruining our relationship. I think Tim's a little afraid of me. I keep telling him I'd never hurt him, but then I would never hurt you, Father, and I did. So that doesn't mean much."

"Do you know John Paul, Martin?"

"Sure. Everyone knows him. He looks like a brute, but he's really a gentle giant. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it."

"He beat up Helena. Not once but twice," Nicolae said, watching Martin's face carefully.

Martin paled visibly, looked genuinely shocked. "I don't believe it. He adores Helena. He would kill anyone who touched her. I don't believe you." He looked at the priest for confirmation. "It had to be someone else."

"He doesn't remember it either, Martin," Father Mulligan said gently.

Martin dropped his face into his hands. "I don't understand any of this. Why is this happening? Does it have something to do with those creatures?" He dragged his hands over his face twice as if wiping the memory away. "Am I going insane? Tell me if I am. I swear I'd rather let that creature bite me in half than hurt someone I care about."

"I don't think you're insane," Father Mulligan said, dropping a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "Neither is John Paul."

"I was out walking tonight. I didn't want Tim to see me cry. I didn't see the thing coming at me. One moment I was alone, and then it had me." He shuddered with the memory of the hot jaws crushing him. "Some animal, Father - a cross between a Komodo dragon and a crocodile, but with wings. I sound crazy even to myself." He slumped against the back of the wooden bench. "I don't know whether to go to the nearest hospital and check myself in or put a gun to my head."

Nicolae leaned close, staring directly into Martin's eyes. "You will do neither. You will not remember the creatures you saw tonight, or my presence or flying through the air. There was no battle in the skies. You sat here in the park and spoke with Father Mulligan. He calmed you down and told you to have faith and wait it out. There is an answer, and you will be exonerated."

Martin nodded, his eyes glazing slightly as he slipped deeper under Nicolae's compulsion. Nicolae healed his legs, making certain there was not even a tiny scar to draw attention to the incident. He looked up at the priest. "You will have to take over from here, Father. See that he gets home. Maybe talk with Tim and ask him to ease up on Martin. He is not dangerous."

"Neither is John Paul, yet he hurt Helena," the priest said. "I was told that tonight he went berserk in his home and tore it to pieces, destroying furniture in a terrible rage. A neighbor wanted to call the police but called Velda instead. She advised against it. Helena is safe, and he can't get to her for the time being. If he goes into the system, he'll have a record for life."

"I saw him earlier; he was not himself, more like a zombie, programmed for violence, but I could not detect the undead," Nicolae said.

"You are talking about vampires. Individuals who drink the blood of the living and have given up their souls to continue their immortal existence. Those are the creatures you hunt. And Martin saw them." Father Mulligan's voice was filled with awe. "It is difficult to believe such creatures could exist. Are they wholly evil'? Beyond redemption'? This is certain'?"

Nicolae surged to his feet, looming over the priest, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Do not dare try to save them, Father. They would delight in getting their hands on you. You are in the business of saving souls. They do not have souls to save. Vampires are capable of making you commit depraved acts you cannot even conceive of. Must I give you a command, Father'?"

Father Mulligan glanced at Martin, who was slumped on the bench with a slack expression. He drew away from Nicolae. "It isn't necessary. I'll keep my distance from them."

"Make certain that you do." Nicolae "pushed" with his voice, making sure the priest would stay away from the vampires. He waved his hand to wake Martin even as he dissolved, streaming away from the city in a trail of vapor.