On the surrounding trees, malevolent spiders smoldered with smoke and leapt from the trunks, bursting into flame before they hit the snow. Beetles and other insects screeched in distress as they erupted into bright blue flickering flames that leapt into the air and then floated as wispy ashes to lay as black specks on the white surface.
The salamander demons had begun to elongate, stretching from their amphibian forms to something more human. At Vasilisa’s sweetly voiced command, they desperately attempted to throw themselves at her with wicked claws extended, with gaping mouths wide, stretched to their fullest extent, serrated teeth dripping with venom. They tried their best to bite her, to sink a venomous-tipped talon into her, but she glided away even within the close confines of the cage of thorny vines.
The rain of liquid fire falling on the demons began to dissolve them. Siv saw that holes began to form straight through the hapless creatures as they wailed and gnashed their teeth. They fell from the sides of the vines onto the snow, where they writhed and sizzled and smoked. The foul stench was sickening even to him. Siv had to cut off his sense of smell immediately. He almost automatically did so for his lifemate, but fortunately at the last moment he refrained.
Bright drops of blood began to appear in the vines as the liquid from the vial hit the thick thorns and branches crawling upward to form a cage around Vasilisa. The liquid droplets also splashed outward to encompass the vines spreading out in an effort to trap Siv. Everywhere those drops hit, the water seemed to spread, crawling up the branches, leaving a trail of blue flames behind.
The vampires closest to Vasilisa had been struck by the droplets of the water from the vial. The moment the drops had touched them, holes had begun to appear in their skin. Black smoke rose. The vampires reaching for Siv and Garald abandoned their plans, writhing and screaming, twisting this way and that.
Garald impaled the one in the air on his sword, removing the heart easily, while Siv took the hearts of two others. All the while, he searched for the one who had created the vines. He wasn’t as strong as those in favor with the master, but he nearly was. He knew some magic. Vasilisa had destroyed the demons and consecrated the ground. The vampires would be unable to use it to move through or hide in. If that had been the master vampire’s intent, Vasilisa had taken that escape route away.
There were only three pawns left. They had been too far away for any of the drops of water to touch them. The vines collapsed in on themselves as the blue flames became a full burning fire rushing over the branches and thorns. Whatever lay under the earth couldn’t surface, and the muffled screams testified that the cleansing fire had gone underground to ferret out the heart of the vines.
Siv saw the middle pawn wince, draw in on himself, as if flinchingfrom the terrible heat of those cleansing flames. He moved with his incredible speed, rushing the vampire, slamming his fist into the chest, driving straight through the wall, fingers digging for the wizened, dead heart. Shocked, the pawn didn’t react for a moment, only stood still, his eyes wide, staring without comprehension at the ancient warrior. That moment cost him. Siv extracted the heart, already calling down the whip of lightning to incinerate the still-upright pawn.
He was standing between the two other vampires. They were as shocked as the one he had destroyed. He took their heads, slicing them off so the heads bounced on the white snow, scattering black acid and wiggling parasites everywhere.
As blank eyes stared from the severed heads, he slammed both fists into their chests to extract their hearts. The gurgling noise was disgusting. He ignored the way the acid burned through his flesh as he jerked the hearts from their bodies and tossed them far away from where their bodies would fall. He directed the whip of lightning to incinerate the hearts, the heads and then the bodies. Only then did he bathe his arms in the healing light to rid himself of the acid burns that went all the way to the bone.
Behind you.
Siv was well aware of the vampire creeping up behind him.Thank you for the warning, my lady.
It wasn’t necessary, I see.There was amusement in her voice.
He loved that little intimate note that seemed to tie them together. They would be friends.
He turned to face Mars as the brute of a vampire confronted him. Mars never bothered to make himself appear handsome in an accepted way. He had been a hulking beast of a Carpathian, with wide shoulders and a deep barrel chest. As a vampire, he had retained both, and he added to the appearance of bulk with illusion. On his face, he often gave himself scars to give the appearance of a warrior experienced in many battles. He always wore a fierce, intimidating expression. Sometimes, like now, he carried a club with a spiked knot on one end thatlooked to weigh a considerable amount. His legs were solid and ended in wide, flat bare feet with climbing toes and long retractable claws.
Siv gave a short courtly bow.Remind your brother of what I said of Rufus. He will attempt to kill him and possibly either kill you or acquire you while I am dealing with Mars.
Have no worries.
How was it possible not to worry when she was his lifemate? He would have to learn to trust her. She had handled the demons without needing him. Still, he would always worry now. He had waited more than a few lifetimes for her.
“I see that you have found a few friends. I never thought you would need to rely on others to fight your battles for you, Mars. You always appeared quite capable yourself.” Siv poured flattery into his voice. “Perhaps the years have not been so kind to you.” His inflection changed to one of slight pity.
Mars scowled, his heavy dark brows coming together in a straight line. “I have no need of help to defeat you or anyone else, hunter. You know me, then.”
“By your reputation. It was very easy to identify you.” Again, Siv put a complimentary note in his voice. “Many of the hunters speak of you. They wonder why you choose to serve another who clearly is not your equal.”
Mars’ chest puffed out just a little farther even as his gaze darted toward the waterfall that was now a spectacular ice sculpture.Vitus is hidden somewhere in the layers along the waterfall. He is extremely dangerous.
Rufus had come out of his hiding place to confront Siv as well, but Garald placed himself squarely in front of the vampire, giving him the same courteous half bow Siv had given Mars.
“I greet you, Rufus, you sanctimonious fruitcake of a vampire who is foul and obscene, an abomination walking upon our very lands. I suppose you have come here asking for death, and I have no other choice but to oblige you.” He sounded weary.
What part of flattering and pandering to their ego did your brother not comprehend?
That is not his way,Vasilisa informed him, amusement uppermost in her mind.Have no worries, I will aid him. He is counting on it.
Mars swayed first one way and then another. He moved toward Siv and then backed away as if restless, staying constantly in motion. Siv kept his eyes on him, but there was a part of him that was watchful of Rufus and also the waterfall sculpture.
If the master vampire, Prince Vitus, thought for one moment his guardians were winning the battle, he would throw his considerable fighting skills behind them. If he thought they were losing, he would take every bit of information he could from the battle so he wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes, and he would flee. Master vampires survived by running.
Rufus gave Garald a faint smile. “You Lycans are all alike, so arrogant, believing you are fast. Believing you can jump higher and run faster than any other. What of your friend Mark? Wasn’t he your best tracker? You personally sent him out. I saw the memory in his mind.” His voice was pleasant as he spoke. So was his smile as he taunted Vasilisa’s brother so cruelly.
He rushed Garald with blinding speed, going straight at him. Garald lowered his sword, keeping it chest high to ward off the vampire, but it was impossible to see him. Rufus had vanished, his speed too great.