Dark Slayer - Christine Feehan [64]
“Why did you want them fed first when we go to hunt?” Razvan asked curiously.
“Never take a hungry wolf with you when you are trying to leave no tracks. They are allowed to hunt game only once every few days to keep them sharp, but I do not risk wolf tracks or tempting them with human blood. In this form, we leave no tracks, yet they can aid me should I need it.”
“I would not mind a wolf tattoo of my own,” Razvan said. “It makes for beautiful artwork, as well as having eyes to watch your back.”
The admiration in his voice threw her and she bit down hard on her lip to keep herself focused. She didn’t want to like him as a person, only to see him as another tool in her war against Xavier, but he charmed her in ways she hadn’t expected.
She let her breath out in a little rush again. “You are a frustrating man, Dragonseeker.”
“I suppose I am.” There was no remorse, only amusement.
Ivory turned away from him before her sense of humor got the better of her. The thing about Razvan, she decided as she began to ascend through the inch-wide crack that zigzagged the way up through hundreds of feet of rock, was that there was an inner peace that radiated outward from him. Nothing seemed to disturb him. But then, how could it?
He had asked Gregori what more could be done to him than had already been done. He didn’t fear death. There wasn’t much in the way of torture, physical, emotional or mental, that Xavier hadn’t subjected him to. He had learned long ago that he couldn’t control others or events, only his own reaction to what happened. There was a hidden strength in Razvan, a well of it, deep and pure, that she saw and felt every time she was close to him. But there was also a gentleness she hadn’t expected from a man honed in violence and blood.
She had always believed she would need a fierce warrior in order for her to be physically attracted to a male, but she found inner strength appealed to her more than fighting skills. His strength and gentleness tempted her as no other. She looked too long at his eyes, those ever-changing eyes that seemed soft and deep where she might lose herself if she didn’t take care.
The night was clear and crisp, snow glistening on the ground, turning everything overly bright. Ice crystals hung from the trees and dazzled her eyes when she scanned the ground.
Be careful not to disturb the snow as you come through the crack. The slightest movement can displace the flakes, and that might lead an enemy to investigate closer.
Ivory touched his mind to see if he was irritated by her instructions. He seemed just the opposite, soaking up her advice and following it carefully. He made no move to take the lead, following her across the sky inland, toward the valley, away from the region where Carpathians dwelled, toward a small farming community at the base of the ice mountains.
You are in his territory. Razvan did not have to name the mage. There was no distrust in his voice, only a mild question.
He will send his armies wide in search of you, thinking you will flee far from him. He prides himself on his long reach and he will assume you will fear him too much to stay close. This will be safer at the moment.
You have studied him.
I went to his school for a short time, Ivory informed him. I loved the work and was good at it. Unfortunately, I also paid attention to him and realized he was not as he appeared to be. In those days, I was rather young and naive and did not know how to hide my thoughts and suspicions.
Razvan’s warmth flooded her mind, making her aware that the cold of the night had pierced her, or perhaps it was thinking of the past.
You have learned well over the years. I have observed him at work on a daily basis. I watched the madness in him progress over the years until his mind was no longer functioning properly. There is no reason. He has become a megalomaniac, believing himself a superior being to all who walk the earth. He is particularly bitter with the immortality of the Carpathians and is always experimenting to find a way to destroy them.
A ribbon of icy water cut through