Julija’s heart sank. He was right. The book had to be destroyed. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she knew he was aware she had an inkling how to get rid of the book.
“Tell me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know for certain.”
“Tell me.” It was a distinct order. A decree. He wasn’t going to stop until she did.
“The book was sealed with the blood of every species. Iulian sacrificed his life, using his blood to hide the book. Everything Xavier has ever done has utilized blood in some way or another. He is everything dark and malevolent. So is the book. The spells it contains are ugly, vile and extremely dangerous. To destroy the book, there must be purity of heart and soul.”
Isai frowned. “I do not understand. The only creature on this earth that has purity of heart and soul is an infant. Are you suggesting we need the blood of an infant to destroy this monstrous thing?” Everything in Isai rejected the idea. It was wholly repugnant to him.
Despite his being a man who went without expression, Julija had no problem reading his complete refusal of that conclusion. She smiled up at him, she couldn’t help it. She loved him all the more for his reaction. Anatolie or Barnabas would have just nodded at the idea of killing an infant for something they wanted, and then immediately gone off to acquire one. Her brothers and Crina would have no problem with the idea of sacrificing an infant. But her man . . . She shaped his face with her palm.
“If we sacrificed an infant, Isai, we would be adding to the bloodthirsty monster the book has become. Of course that is not the way to destroy it.”
Relief made him breathe and she realized he had been holding his breath. “I do not know why such a thing even crept into my mind,” he said. He tugged at her hair. “Tell me what you think.”
“I think we need to decide if we really want to do this thing. Find the book and destroy it. We would have to have it in our hands. It is powerful, Isai, and it will call to the mage in me. I am Xavier’s blood. I bear the high mage mark. The moment that book is anywhere near me, the mark will fight to own what is his. We have exchanged blood numerous times. We will exchange more before it is found. I have to give you blood now before we leave this place. In doing so, I give you mage blood as well as Carpathian. Who is to say how that will affect you?”
In a way she was pleading with him. The Carpathian was strong in her. She knew it was. She felt it now in everything she did. But the mage was equally as strong whether he wanted to believe it or not. She held his light. She hoped that light was strong because she knew the call of the book would be extremely powerful, almost irresistible to a member of Xavier’s bloodline.
Isai paced away from her, then turned back. “Barnabas knows that you bear the mage mark. He’s seen it. Is he aware you also bear the mark of the Dragonseeker? The little dragon that is positioned over your left ovary?”
Julija shook her head, frowning. “No. The dragon fades at times.”
“To protect itself. To protect you. Do you realize that throughout the history of Carpathians, no matter the lineage and how strong it is, including that of the prince and his guardians, every bloodline save one has had those turning vampire or succumbing to the madness strain? Only one has been pure. That of the Dragonseeker. The Dragonseeker represents honor and purity, Julija. The dragon warns you when vampires are near. It also protects your greatest treasure. It guards other Dragonseekers, the eggs you carry in your body. You are purity, Julija. You are Dragonseeker.”
“I cannot possibly have purity of heart and soul, Isai. I am mage and I have all kinds of negative thoughts. I can be petty and want revenge. I would have taken Crina’s life had she in any way threatened you when you could not defend yourself.”
He stepped close to her, cupping her face with gentle hands, his thumb stroking down the curve of her cheek. “My beloved. You are hän ku vigyáz sívamet és sielamet. The actual translation is ‘keeper of my heart and soul.’ I live