The great eyes of the dragon blinked and then closed, but Fen felt her body shudder with the effort to obey. He slipped into her mind. Consciousness was fading fast. Come to me, sivamet-my love. Give yourself to me. I will hold you safe.
There was one moment of uncertainty, as if she might not trust him enough to place herself so fully into his hands. He waited for her to make up her mind, although there was no time and his heart pounded so hard in his chest it sounded like thunder to him. She capitulated suddenly and he felt her let go, giving her spirit essence into his care.
Immediately the great blue dragon was gone and Tatijana's body was in his arms. He didn't wait. He tore open his wrist and pressed it to her mouth. He sank to the ground, holding her to him. Gregori went to his knees beside them. He immediately shed his wounded body and became pure light. He entered Tatijana's body and began to work feverishly to stem the flow of blood. He didn't stop, not even when two more hunters dove from the sky to aid them.
Jacques Dubrinsky, brother to the prince, and Falcon Amiras, an ancient hunter, looked around the battlefield. Some werewolves were beginning to stir. Some bodies were already regenerating.
"Tell us what to do to kill them," Jacques said. "Nothing like coming late to the party."
"Silver spikes. Drive them completely through their hearts and then remove the head of the rogue. Burn the bodies with the spikes in them," Fen said.
He was tired. Exhausted. He kept his focus on Tatijana, holding her close while he fed her life-giving blood. He was grateful to Gregori, so torn up, but selflessly healing Tatijana, putting her before his own injuries.
Falcon came to stand beside Fen. "You and Gregori need a little healing of your own," he pointed out, offering his own wrist. "I offer freely," he added in the tradition of the Carpathian people.
Fen hesitated. It had been long since he'd trusted anyone but Dimitri.
"You need it," Falcon told him. "For her. Do you remember me? You were a few years older. You helped to hone my fighting skills."
Fen inclined his head. He had to shift Tatijana in his arms, propping her against his chest while he continued to give her as much blood as he could. It was slow going, as he basically had to swallow for her. He bent his head to Falcon's proffered wrist. The ancient blood hit him with a rush of strength, in spite of his horrendous wounds.
He could feel the difference in Tatijana, the way Gregori meticulously repaired the damage done to her belly and sides. Her arms were torn with bite marks and multiple lacerations. Gregori's body was ravaged and torn as well, but he took his time, ensuring he missed nothing.
The moment he was back in his own body, swaying with weariness, Jacques was there, one arm going around the healer and the other offering him blood. "This looks like one heck of a battle," he said. "In all my years, I've never run into a rogue pack."
Fen politely sealed the small wounds in Falcon's wrist. "This is a big pack. Two vampires/wolves called the Sange rau by the Lycans who run with them."
All three Carpathians exchanged long looks and then turned their full attention on Fen. He shifted Tatijana in his arms. "The vampires are crosses, both Lycan and vampire. I knew Bardolf, an alpha Lycan. That was many years ago. A vampire cross had torn through packs, completely destroying entire packs, and I joined the hunt for him. Evidence looked as though Bardolf had killed him. Instead, they must have joined forces. I tracked them here."
"Who is guarding the prince with both of you here?" Gregori demanded of Falcon and Jacques. "He sent you after me, didn't he?"
Fen hid a smile at the sheer frustration in Gregori's voice.
"At least he didn't come himself, this time," Jacques pointed out. "That's a first for him. Must be his son mellowing him out." He grinned down at Gregori. "You're a little worse for wear. I can't let you go home this way. Savannah would have my head. Let me see what I can do to heal you while Falcon works on . . ." Deliberately he waited.
"Fen. Fenris Dalka," Fen stated. He pinned Falcon with a steely gaze. "It's imperative I remain Lycan to those in this area. The elite hunters are on their way. A man by the name of Zev is staying at the inn. He's the scout sent out ahead of the hunters. To do that, he has to be the elite of the elite. Believe me, I saw him in action, and he's even better than I could describe. They're hunting their own killers just as we hunt ours."
"Why would you want them to think you're Lycan rather than Carpathian?" Gregori asked. He ignored the fact that Jacques hadn't waited to get his permission to heal his wounds.
Fen shrugged. "Lycans do not tolerate a mix between Lycan and Carpathian. They believe once they turn vampire, they are far too destructive and too difficult to kill. I have no idea how Carpathians weigh in on the issue."
Gregori frowned at him. "I have never really seen or heard of a Lycan/Carpathian cross until MaryAnn and Manolito De La Cruz sent us word that she was Lycan and their blood mixed rather than one taking over the other. Is there some reason why we should have a problem with a Lycan/Carpathian cross? We've always been friends with the Lycan and vice versa. Carpathians and vampires are not the same, they know that."
"Master vampires are extraordinarily difficult to kill," Fen said. Already the influx of Falcon's blood and the healing the Carpathian had done had given him more strength, but he was utterly exhausted. He needed to go to ground. And he needed to get Tatijana to ground. "A vampire/wolf cross is a hundred times that difficult. The destruction and damage, the savagery of their kills is also a hundred times more. They are rare to come across, so few hunters know how to kill them."
"But you do," Gregori stated.
Fen sighed. "Knowing isn't always enough, as you well know, hunter."
"Gregori," Jacques interrupted gently. "All three of you need to go to ground. Perhaps this discussion would better take place in my brother's home at a later time."
Gregori nodded his head. "Forgive me, Fenris, you do need to take Tatijana, who is clearly your lifemate, and go to ground."
"I thank you for coming to our aid. I didn't know about Abel at the time I tracked them here. And I only suspected Bardolf's involvement with the rogue pack when I crossed their path and began tracking them. Also"-he frowned-"the pack is much larger than we first thought."
Gregori stood up slowly, his body still reluctant to work properly after the terrible savagery of the rogue pack attack. "Please come to Mikhail's home on your first rising to give us more information. We'd be grateful."