Dark Slayer - Christine Feehan [44]
“If Xavier has used his gifts for evil, I am certain I can undo whatever he has wrought. I have long studied his methods and successfully countered each of his spells.” Ivory spoke with confidence, not from bragging or ego, but obviously from experience. “I would have to study the microbes. Do you have samples?”
“We can get them,” Sara said.
“I can take them to my laboratory.” Ivory glanced up at the night sky. “We have a few hours left, but not enough, so I will return here tomorrow and you can bring them to me. I have spent most of my time beneath the earth and I am extremely light sensitive.”
We have a few things in common. Razvan’s flick of his dark eyes showed camaraderie. He had spent most of the last few centuries beneath the earth as well, in the ice caves, and he was equally as sensitive.
Again there was that flood of warmth he associated with her. Comforting. Easing the aching loneliness that was such a part of him.
“You are welcome to come to my home. My lifemate is with child and staying close. She would very much like to meet you,” Mikhail offered. “And my brother’s lifemate, Shea, and Gary have been working nonstop on trying to find a solution. Perhaps if you spoke with them it might eliminate several steps for your work.”
Ivory shrugged. “I thank you for the invitation, but until we know whether we can prevent Xavier from knowing our moves, it would be best to stay as far from you as possible.”
“I agree,” Gregori said before Mikhail could answer. He sent the prince a smoldering glare. “You and Raven must be protected at all times.”
Mikhail flashed Razvan a small grin. “Do you see what it is like to live with him? Nag, nag, nag. And he is my daughter’s lifemate as well.”
“In this instance, I have to agree with him,” Razvan said. “If Xavier had an entrance through me to strike at you, he would be unable to resist. The thought of torturing me mentally amuses him. He is particularly fond of using me to harm my sister. If he could use me to harm the prince of the Carpathian people, and make certain I knew it, he would be elated.”
Ivory felt the wrenching pain in Razvan, although his voice was steady and his expression gave nothing away. Sorrow weighed heavily on him. With his emotions so new and raw, difficult to control, his love for Natalya, his determination to keep her safe at all costs, had infuriated Xavier, and now Razvan could remember and feel every betrayal as if it were the cut of a knife.
“If we can find his portal, Dragonseeker,” Gregori said, “we might be able to close it.” Once more he looked to Ivory. “Let’s get it done.”
Ivory stroked her fingertips over his jaw, her touch lingering on his skin for just a moment. Abruptly, she shed her body and followed Gregori, pure light and energy, seeking darkness that had to be hiding somewhere inside her lifemate. While she didn’t want to admire anything about Gregori, she couldn’t help herself. He sorted through memories fast, processing each horrible event quickly and discarding it, looking for that moment Razvan had traded his body for his sister’s life.
They reached that memory, so long ago, centuries, a young boy offering himself to a madman, to a killer, to keep his sister from harm. Ivory had to fight to stay in the form of energy. It was so difficult exploring those old memories, that boy beaten down but valiant, trying to shield those he loved, seeing too much evil every day. She examined everything from all angles of that memory, looking for something that had allowed Xavier to take possession.
Not here. Gregori moved forward in time quickly, sorting through data fast, looking for something that Xavier had done, some trigger word, something that might indicate he had possessed Razvan’s body at will.
Wait! Ivory had been paying more attention to Razvan’s memories of himself. The way he looked at what