Dark Slayer - Christine Feehan [70]
She drew in her breath. “Thank you for that.” She would hold his words to her. They were spoken in truth. She knew purity when she heard it. “We must feed before we return to our lair, and I should erase the memories of the farmer and his wife so they do not inadvertently speak of this and draw Xavier’s attention.”
“I touched his mind.” Razvan brought up each of Ivory’s hands and pressed his mouth to the sensitive skin on her inner wrists where he’d been holding her. “The farmer would have fought for you, knowing he was going to die. He is a good man.”
“I liked his wife as well. I am glad we found them before it was too late. Very few vampires dare to enter into the territory protected by hunters. This is just outside the hunter’s range. I come here often to check, and even here, probably because the vampires disappear when they come this way, this region stays fairly safe—at least until recently, since Xavier has expanded his territories.”
Ivory stepped back away from him. She should have been shaken up by his rejection of her blatant advances, but instead, she felt comforted and... cared for. She hadn’t felt that way in more than a century. She found herself smiling up at him. His answering smile was slow in coming, but it warmed her.
Ivory paused and allowed her senses to flare out to search the night for other hidden dangers. A fox was close, searching for stray chickens that might have missed the lockdown for the night. A few mice hid from an owl circling overhead. She touched the owl several times to make certain it wasn’t something else in bird form, but it was diligently hunting for a meal and not at all interested in what was happening in the human world.
She could feel Razvan’s light touch as he followed her lead. The thing that stood out was his absolute lack of ego, which made for an extremely weightless touch, nearly impossible to detect. He would be a huge asset to any hunt just for that alone, but if he could plan battles in the way that he said, the two of them would have an even better chance to stop Xavier.
She touched the few floating clouds last, careful to examine each one to make certain they were genuine. When she went to step from the stable, Razvan stopped her with a touch to her shoulder.
“You did not search below the earth. That is Xavier’s realm and he sends every spy through the tunnels the worms dig for him. In a recent battle, he went himself, using my body, to try to murder my sister and the prince. Another time he tried to kill Shea, the sister-in-law of the prince and her unborn child. I would fear the ground more than any other method of travel.”
“I can sense the passage of the worms.”
“He sends spies in very small forms now. Scorpions and insects have become his allies. He uses others from another realm, such as the shadow warriors he has drawn against their wills from the ranks of the dead, but other much more demonic creatures as well.”
“He has never used insects to spy.”
“He has always used them, he just mutates them. You are looking for his mutations.”
Ivory let her breath out while she processed the information. “That explains a few things. You do know a lot about him.”
“I have been with him since my fourteenth year. I have been present for most of his experiments, if not all.”
Her eyes widened and her heart jumped. “He allowed you to watch him as he cast and wrote his spells?”
He nodded. “My sister was always good with spells. I have never been good. Once he recognized that, he did not fear my presence.”
“But you have a good memory.”
“I remember everything down to the smallest detail. That is why I am gifted when it comes to planning battles.” He wasn’t bragging, he was merely stating a fact.
Excitement coursed through her. “I really want to get this straight. You were present when he conducted his experiments and cast his spells? For his mutations? To bring the shadow warriors under his command? All of it?”
“He likes to brag. He needs admiration. He needs someone to know he is smarter than the rest of the world.