Dark Peril Page 0,29

of thousands of battles.

The bats wheeled in the sky, a black flutter of wings as he circled closer to get a better look at the ground. Far below, walking through the trees, was an old man, bent over, using a tall walking stick, looking very vulnerable, an enticement for any self-respecting vampire. Dominic smiled to himself. Zacarias wasn't prone to a lot of talking. He drew his enemy to him and disposed of him without fanfare or bravado.

He came to earth at a safe distance, just because prudence dictated caution in the midst of enemy territory. The old man remained a few yards from him. They studied one another. Zacarias kept the aged appearance, but there was no mistaking those piercing steel eyes. The shaggy hair was streaked with gray, but Dominic knew it was as black as a raven's wing without the disguise.

" Arwa-arvod m?ne me k?dak--may your honor hold back the dark," Dominic greeted, striding forward. He clasped Zacarias's forearms in the age-old greeting of the highest respect between two warriors.

Zacarias gripped him hard, with remembered affection. " Arwa-arvo olen is?nt?, ek?m-- honor keep you, my brother," he returned formally. "It has been long since I heard our language. We speak Portuguese or Spanish as a rule. Sometimes Dutch. We have to adapt to whichever country we are sweeping for vampires. It is a big continent for the five of us to patrol and the Malinovs know this."

They stepped apart and regarded one another. Dominic smiled. "It has been too long, Zacarias."

Zacarias nodded. "Long have I been fighting, holding on to honor. My brothers have found their lifemates and my job is nearly done."

Dominic looked at him sharply. "You have given up all hope of a lifemate of your own."

"I am weary of this life, Dominic," Zacarias agreed. "And I no longer can change to suit the times. Women are different, have grown beyond all that we knew. I have lived too long as a dominant man, my word law, everything my way. The women I have observed would not be happy living under such restraints as I would put on them, nor can I be other than who I am." He shook his head. "I cannot regret what I do not know. I am not suited to be a lifemate. Those days are long gone."

"Do not be so hasty, old friend," Dominic said, shaking his head. "I gave up hope and chose to give up my life for my people. It is too late, I have taken the blood and it eats me from the inside out. Soon my brain will rot, and I will have no option but to reveal myself to those I would spy upon. I will go down fighting, but I leave behind my lifemate. I found her at long last, in my last hour. Do not betray your woman as I have mine."

There was a long silence. Zacarias's gaze never wavered from Dominic's face.

Dominic nodded. "I see in colors. I feel emotion."

"And you go to the very heart of the enemy's lair."

"That is so. Sorrow is a heavy stone to carry," Dominic admitted. "And guilt. I found her, yet I must leave her alone. If I claim her, she will follow me."

Never once did Zacarias's appearance falter. His impression of an older human was impeccable. He looked and smelled and even kept his brain, should a vampire scan, with the thoughts of a man setting up night cameras. Yet behind the fa?ade, he was the man Dominic had known from so long ago.

"We must find a way to switch places. Infect me and then take yourself to the healers to see if they can save you."

Dominic wanted to smile at the demand in Zacarias's voice. Perhaps the man was right in saying he had too long been a dominant predator. There was no going backward. Their experiences shaped who and what they were and what they became. Zacarias did not belong with a modern woman. A lifemate was dedicated to making his or her other half happy. He knew only his way.

Sorrow for the man and his many lifetimes of service pressed hard on Dominic. Zacarias, as if reading Dominic's thoughts, shrugged.

"There is no need to feel emotion for me, Dominic, as I cannot feel for myself. I am here first to retrieve a wayward family member, and second, to uncover just where the Malinovs are. Word came to me that you might need aid in your plan. My taking your place