He pried his eyes open. The glimmering lights faded away, and he was once again surrounded by a dark forest. The scent of charred wood and scorched earth tainted his nostrils. In the distance, he spotted the red glow of dying embers.
Could she still be alive?
A memory flitted across his mind. His beloveds dead body. And their wee babe. Hed cradled them in his arms and cried. The last tears hed ever shed.
He shoved that mental picture away and looked instead for his weapons. His dagger glinted a dull gray in the moonlight. He grasped it and rose wearily to his feet.
Please let her be alive.
He stumbled toward the glowing ember. It was a branch, hit by a fire that was dying instead of spreading. Strange. There was a line of trees, alive and green on one side, and charred black on the other. The half-burnt trees formed a circle around a large clearing that was void of vegetation. A foot of smoke hovered just above the ground. The air stank with charred earth and flesh. The two Malcontents appeared to be gone.
He walked into the clearing, the smoke thick around his ankles. Burned grass crunched beneath his shoes.
A roll of thunder rumbled overhead, and a strong wind blew into the clearing. The smoke began to move, agitated by the wind, whirling around the circumference of the circle like a hurricane, dark clouds spinning around a black center. The smoke rose higher, past his knees, up to his waist.
He covered his mouth and nose till the smoke rose above his head and dissipated into the night sky. And then he saw itthe black, scorched pit in the middle of the clearing.
He ventured toward it, afraid of what he might see. Sure enough,there was a soot-covered body in the bottom of the pit. He was too late. Again.
A gentle rain began, as if to make up for the tears he no longer cried. The raindrops sank into the black earth and formed little rivulets that serpentined into the pit.
Memories of his beloved wife returned to torture him. This is no her. He knew that, and yet he still felt a terrible sense of loss. Over a Malcontent.
He blinked. Maybe not. Like any vampire, a Malcontent would turn to dust with death. This woman must be human. Or she was a vampire who was still alive.
He skidded down into the pit for a closer look. She was curled into a ball like a newborn babe. Rainwater sluiced off her body, washing away the soot and revealing white, supple flesh.
My lady? he called to her. Lass?
She moaned.
She was alive. The rain continued to wash away soot and dirt. She seemed remarkably unharmed, even beautiful. His gaze drifted over her bare white arms, folded over her chest. Her legs were bent, drawn close to her core, but they appeared long and smooth, the skin beautifully luminescent.
And yet, he could still smell burnt flesh and spilled blood. The bloods aroma was strong, heady, so much richer than the synthetic blood he was used to drinking. Against his will, his body reacted. His gums tingled as his fangs sought release.
He clenched his jaw. The poor woman had just been attacked, and he was tempted to bite her? What a coldhearted bastard he was. He ventured closer, circling around to examine her from the back.
He gasped. Holy Christ Almighty. Burn marks crossed her lower back, red and ugly welts. Higher up, across her shoulder blades, blood oozed from gaping wounds. She must have run, and the bastard had attacked her from behind.
My lady. He leaned over her. Ill take you to a healer. Roman could help her.
No response. He couldnt see her face. Her long hair was a tangled mass, covering her face and shoulders. The ends were singed and dark with blood, but he detected a glint of gold in the curls that tumbled over her face.
Lass? he whispered, and brushed the hair back from her face. The locks felt silken against his hand. As fine as the hair on a newborn babe.
His chest tightened at the sight of her face. In five hundred years, hed never seen such loveliness. Such fragile elegance. There was a pearlescent luster to her skin as if she was glowing with beauty from the inside out.
Raindrops fell on her face, and she flinched.
Doona fret, he said softly. Ill take you somewhere safe.
She moaned and shook her head.
He unpinned the length of tartan that he wore over a shoulder, then draped it over her hips.
Her eyes flickered open, then widened with horror. No!