Dark Curse Page 0,90

hand to his mouth and tore open his wrist, extending his arm toward Nicolas. Several bright drops of blood splattered onto the ground. Lara gasped as the sight hit her like a blow. She closed her eyes, unable to watch as Nicolas took the proffered wrist.

Nicolas hesitated. "Natalya can take you up to the house," he offered.

Lara kept her eyes closed, trying not to draw the scent of blood into her lungs. Her stomach lurched, but she shook her head. "I'll wait for you."Just get it over with .

Nicolas politely closed the ragged tear on Vikirnoff's wrist. "Thank you, but I can wait until we are out of the open."

Vikirnoff opened his mouth to protest. His gaze brushed Lara's ashen face and he shrugged. "We had better hurry then."

Natalya glanced at Lara sharply, then at Nicolas's ravaged body. Her lips tightened but she didn't voice a protest. Nevertheless, Lara knew she wanted to and that one, small glance shamed her. Nicolas had fought to save their lives, and had done so without flinching from the task. His body bore many deep wounds, but he only had considered taking care of her injuries, slight in comparison to his, yet she couldn't stand the sight of him taking the blood necessary to restore his strength and take the pain from his wounds.

It is no one's business but ours why we both choose our path. Nicolas flicked a warning glance at Natalya that had Vikirnoff bristling.

Natalya put a restraining hand on his wrist and shimmered, shifting into mist, before taking to the air. Vikirnoff followed her.

"I'm sorry." Lara blinked back tears burning in her eyes. "I feel so ashamed."

"There is no need for that. You may have saved my life with your quick thinking." Nicolas touched his neck where the collar had stopped the vampire's teeth from ripping him open. The bite wouldn't really

have killed him, and he had been prepared for the shock and pain of it, bracing himself to give himself the time to rip the heart from the chest, but she certainly had cut short the battle, giving him those precious few seconds longer. "That was quick thinking and ingenious on your part."

The praise in his voice made her color rise. "Can I help you heal? I'm not the best healer, but I have some skills." She had no idea how to help him with the injuries, but he looked so alone and she hated being the one to make him feel that way. She wanted to show solidarity, even though her inability to watch him take blood delayed his getting help. She felt awkward asking, but she couldn't let it go. "I know the Carpathian healing chant. My aunts learned it from their mother and they taught it to me, but I don't really know how to actually heal wounds very well. Maybe you could teach me what to do, just in case this happens again."

He smiled down at her, his expression tender. "It will happen again. Here, we can gather the richest soil we can find, mix it with our saliva."

"The healing agent in yours is probably much stronger than mine."

She chose a spot directly under the trees. She wanted a place where flowers grew in abundance. The plants were dormant, but the soil lay beneath the snow, black with minerals. She mixed the soil and saliva and made a compress for the wounds.

Earth with healing properties, flower beneath the earth do see, twine your essences, fill these wounds gently, apply your healing boon.

She breathed into the mixture, chanting softly in Carpathian, unaware she did so. She added her own special blend to aid in healing him.

This man is a shadow but of the light, help him to heal to resume his fight.

She was a little hesitant, afraid of hurting him, but she pressed the mixture carefully into the gouges on his chest and into his abdomen with gentle fingers. There was a small silence as she worked carefully, making certain to cover every scratch. She could barely breathe with the feel of his skin beneath her fingers, with the heat of his body so close. He remained very still, almost holding his breath, but her heartbeat followed the rhythm of his in exact synchronization.

"How long do you leave this on? I can't get past putting dirt into a wound." Her voice trembled a little.

"I should be able to clean it off in a few minutes." His hand cupped her chin and raised her face up to his.