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for confirmation, knowing the healer had spent a great deal of time in Razvan's mind. "We have talked about this, Razvan. If you can remember the precise, exact words of his spells, I am certain that I can unravel them. He used apprentices for the base of most of his spells, and then when they were getting too good at what they did, he got rid of them, because he feared them."

Razvan's hand moved against hers, stroking over her wrist, over the thin white line where a cut had been. I have said I can remember, and yes, I recall even this one, but the remembering will not be easy. He didn't want to relive those days of torture, the sounds of screaming, helpless victims, of women he couldn't help, of his own role, whether knowing or not. If it is your wish, I will do so, he said.

Ivory touched his mind and found that same serene peace in him, the calm of complete acceptance. If she asked him to go back in his memories, she knew he would without hesitation, and love for him shimmered in her heart. Her pride in him rose in her soul. No matter what the others saw when they looked at his worn face, she would always see a hero.

"If you had the spell he used, could you take command of these extremophiles?" Mikhail asked Ivory.

"I might be able to, with enough time. I would have to study the spell. Xavier likes complex spells. And he would need a very complex one for the killing of an entire species and the mutating of another." Ivory shrugged. "I have no idea how long it would take, but so far, when I have studied one of his spells, I have been able to reverse it." Her chin lifted. "I was a very good student."

Now Razvan's thumb pressed into the sensitive skin of her wrist, stroking a caress over her jumping pulse.

"If we have to move from the mountains, we will do so," Mikhail said, "but I doubt if that will solve the problem. Eventually it will spread across our country into other lands. It would be far better if we could eradicate it."

Ivory nodded. "Xavier will make his move against you very soon." She looked at Raven. "You already have a daughter and now, with a son, he cannot afford to let you or your children live. He will come after her."

Mikhail slipped a comforting arm around Raven's shoulders. "We are prepared."

"Is that why your warriors surround this house?" Razvan asked.

Mikhail nodded. "We are all uneasy. The attacks are becoming frequent, picking us apart, one by one, going after the children during the day, using their puppets. They wear us down. It was a shock to have the two of you show up. And, of course, as mentioned earlier, the timing is highly suspicious."

"But not to you?" Again Ivory met his gaze. Steady. Challenging.

He sent her a small smile. "The weight of my people has been on my shoulders a long time, Ivory. I do not have my father's gifts, but I have good instincts. I have to trust them. Few things are certain in this world. I choose to go with my instincts about the two of you and with Gregori's opinion. The combination has rarely failed."

Gregori gave an inelegant snort. "Never, you mean. I do not make mistakes when it comes to your safety."

"I do believe Razvan managed to hold a knife to my throat with you not twenty feet away," Mikhail pointed out with amusement.

Ivory realized the relationship between the two men was one of close-knit friendship and camaraderie.

"I paid him a great deal of money to do that," Gregori said. "I wanted you to realize, as our prince, you shouldn't be chasing vampires all over the country and Razvan agreed to help teach you a lesson."

Raven laughed. "You two are impossible. I can feel our guests' hunger. Perhaps you should do something about that so we can visit," she suggested.

"We are capable of hunting," Ivory said, trying not to sound stiff. It was one thing to take blood when she was helpless, something altogether different when she was fit. She was a warrior, not a child.

"There is no need," Mikhail said. "I offer my blood freely."

The prince smiled at her. Easy. Friendly. Making her stomach knot up. She didn't have friends. She didn't know how to have them. What did he want from her? What was he expecting? The room felt too