Page 13 of Dark Hope (Dark Carpathians #38)

Chapter 13

You have company, Benedek informed Silke. He caught her arm before she reached the entrance to her estate, holding her back. Do you recognize him?

He felt the instant alarm in her. She attempted to step away from him and looked annoyed when he tightened his hold on her.

No one should be around Fenja.

He isn’t in the house. Do you recognize him? He was patient. She was fearful for her mother. That told him she knew Fenja’s immune system was severely compromised.

I’m not Carpathian, Benedek. I can’t see him.

There was a bite to her tone. His woman had a temper. She had made it clear from their first meeting that she didn’t want anyone dictating to her. He had made it clear that when it came to matters of her safety, he would be doing more than dictating. He would ensure she was safe.

But you feel him. Do you know him?

Benedek was well aware Silke was extremely sensitive. She hadn’t been monitoring their surroundings as she normally would have been doing. She was still reeling from their first blood exchange. If he was being truthful with himself, he had been thrown as well. She wasn’t alone in her reaction. He hadn’t expected their exchange to be so erotic.

Silke took a deep breath. He could feel her pushing aside her reaction to his interference and her fears for Fenja. Benedek found it interesting how she expanded her mind first before sending her energy out. She kept it low, nearly impossible to detect, but within that energy, she buried all of her senses, acute smell, sharp eyesight, the radar the hairs on her body provided. She utilized everything she had when she sent her energy seeking the invader.

He came with the demon Ares Castello. His name is Herman Drakos. He was the one question mark I had with Castello’s group. The Bakis brothers and Melia Floros are fanatics. Floros especially. There is a woman in their group who appears to be more of a puppet than anything else. She acts as though she’s incapable of thinking for herself.

What about Drakos did you question? Benedek wasn’t going to ignore her assessment. If the man was troubling, there was a reason.

He isn’t under Castello’s compulsion. I don’t believe the demon has any control over him, so I was unsure where he fit in.

He is mage.

Silke went very still and then turned her gaze to his. I am not skilled in battling a mage. He must have concealed his presence from Tora.

He is shielding, using a newer technique. She relies on the ancient ways, and the mages coming out of Xavier’s school began combining and experimenting with techniques. Once they knew Xavier was dead, many began to try to rise up to take his place.

Silke frowned, her brain working fast, fitting pieces of a puzzle together. She shook her head. He is working for Lilith. To be with Castello he has to be.

He hasn’t come from the underworld, so he has not died, Benedek assured. No matter what Lilith promised him, ultimately he will work for his own gain.

He’s clearing the cameras.

Benedek was surprised that she was able to discern that much. She was much more powerful than she gave herself credit for.

He is also weaving a dark spell, he told her. Can you feel the foulness in the air?

She was very still, stretching her senses, looking for the taint that would give away the fact that the mage was casting and what he was using his gift for. Benedek knew the moment Silke encountered the compulsion the mage was weaving around her home. She didn’t react, something that might give away their presence to the mage. She stayed utterly still, studying the weaves the mage was using to cover her home.

He’s determined to draw Fenja out of the house, she concluded. He believes she’s the demon slayer. I was hoping I had distracted that group. I’m going to have to take on Castello before I’m ready. I can’t have him sending his mage to harass my mother.

I don’t think Castello sent him. Benedek disagreed with her assessment. Like I said, I believe he is working for his own gain. He may not believe whatever you told him, and he still thinks you are the slayer. He may want to speak with Fenja to confirm it.

She didn’t argue with him. She studied the mage through her extended senses. I guess it would be best if he met the slayer. Even if he has the capability to realize that is who I am, I have you. He has no idea you’re anywhere in the picture.

She placed her palm over the mark on her neck. With regret, you’ll have to remove the evidence. I don’t want to make it easy for him.

Benedek liked that she remembered to have the mark removed and that she was unhappy about it. He also liked that she trusted him to have her back. She hadn’t called for Tora, which would have normally been her inclination.

Be very careful, Silke, Benedek cautioned. Mages can wield strong compulsions with their voices. What he is using has to do with sound. He’s calling your mother to him, broadcasting throughout your home that she wishes to invite him inside.

A faint smile appeared in her mind. He’s about to get a shock. His command can’t penetrate the safeguards woven around the house. There is no crack or tiny hole for his compulsion to find its way inside.

She set her shoulders and turned back to face her home. Let’s see how he does with the slayer.

Benedek refrained from reiterating for her to be careful. She would be facing a mage. Benedek had the feeling that this one was powerful. He was very used to taking on mages in battle, but Silke wasn’t. Still, he had faith in Silke. She didn’t react like most others. He didn’t think the mage’s compulsions would work on her. There was something in Silke’s makeup that prevented her from succumbing to any command sent from the underworld. Benedek still doubted if the mage worked wholly for Lilith, but he believed in Silke. Perhaps her ancestors, who imprinted on her before birth, built up an immunity in her system to anything dark magic.

Silke began to walk up the path leading to her home. As she did, the plants on either side of the stone walkway bent toward her as if the wind blew. The leaves whispered to her. Rustling in the vegetation on the ground beneath the shrubs and flowers indicated that other creatures were warning her she wasn’t alone.

Benedek remained silent and unseen a distance from her to give her room should she need to fight, but close enough to slip his body between her and the mage if the intruder became hostile.

“Mr. Drakos,” Silke greeted as the mage turned to watch her approach. “What an unexpected surprise. As is your decision to take our security cameras offline.”

In most battles with the vampire, Benedek used the direct approach. He saw no need to engage in a verbal battle. He just took the fight straight to the enemy. It was the last thing he expected from Silke. He thought she might try to hide that she knew what he was doing.

Herman Drakos turned completely to face her. Benedek noted that one of the many passing thoughts moving through Silke’s mind was that Drakos was a good-looking man. Benedek found he didn’t like even that idle speculation in his lifemate’s mind. She didn’t need to notice those kinds of details. It shouldn’t matter that his eyes were green and his hair was thick, the color of chestnuts. Or that his smile was charming.

A brief flash of feminine amusement washed through him, and he knew his woman was reading him just as easily as he was reading her.

Pay attention to the threat.

Oh, now he’s a threat.

Any man you find handsome is a threat.

The amusement went from silent to a small sound of joy brushing at the walls of his mind. The unfamiliar teasing felt intimate and even sensual. She was laughing and inviting him to share in that fun.

You pay attention. Look at his hands, Silke said. Tell me what he’s doing.

Drakos had a charming smile on his face. His eyes looked as if he were truly smiling a welcome at her. His hands were at his sides close to his legs. The fingers of both hands moved like spiders crawling up and down his thighs.

Benedek sighed. Even the mages were predictable. Granted, Drakos thought he was around amateurs. He’s casting a spell to make you enamored with him, willing to serve him.

He isn’t going to be successful when I’m enamored with someone else.

O jel? peje terád, emni, Benedek swore in his language. Who are you enamored with now? First, you think this joker is good-looking, and now you’re talking about another man. Deliberately, he distracted her from the mage. His ridiculous outburst earned him her joyous giggle. He was becoming addicted to the way the sound stroked along the inner walls of his mind. She managed to insert light and laughter into every dark crevice, chasing away shadows.

You shouldn’t have kissed me if you didn’t want me falling at your feet. That kiss was really good. And you shouldn’t curse. Don’t think I don’t know what “Sun scorch you, woman” really means, because I asked Tora to teach me all the curse words when I was learning the language.

There was sincerity despite the teasing in her voice. She had enjoyed their kiss.

Of course you did.

“Ms. Reinders,” Drakos greeted. “You don’t really care about the cameras, do you?”

He watched her closely, clearly expecting some reaction from her. His smile was charming like a snake’s. That was how she pictured him in her mind, so Benedek could see the image of a long thick snake with Herman Drakos’ head on it.

“Actually, the cameras are there for a reason. There’s been vandalism in the village, and often my mother is here alone. As I told you and your friends, she isn’t well. It’s common knowledge in the village, and I’m very careful with her safety and health.”

A look of astonishment swept across his face and then he quickly composed himself. “I’m sorry. I don’t like my photograph taken, and I tend to be obsessive about it. I can get the cameras back online.”

“I’ll do it.” Silke poured suspicion into her voice, narrowing her gaze at him. “Did you need something?” She didn’t sound friendly.

Careful, Silke, Benedek advised. He appears affable, but he’s showing all the signs of a mage who believed he was in control and is realizing he doesn’t have that control after all. They are notorious for retaliating against any perceived slight.

He doesn’t get to come to my home and try to get my mother out of the house or put me or anyone else in my village under his control like some puppet.

Benedek filed away the information that taking away free will was a trigger for Silke. Carpathians were used to no arguing. They simply had those around them comply, especially during a battle. He would, hopefully, find a way to compromise with her. She would have to understand that when Lilith’s army attacked, he would be directing the battle. There was no compromise on that.

“I can see that you’re upset with me,” Drakos said in a pacifying voice. “I’m really very sorry. I have to get a handle on my particular neurosis.”

“I am upset. Anything that could impact my mother’s health is not to be tolerated.”

“Perhaps I can help,” Drakos offered instantly. “I have some skill when it comes to healing. I’d be happy to find a way to help your mother. If I was successful, it might make up for our poor start and your bad opinion of me.” He gave her his most charming smile.

Silke smiled back at him. “Thank you. The doctor was very firm about Fenja not being around anyone. Her immune system is too fragile at the moment, but I appreciate the offer.”

“I thought you were a healer. That’s the word in the village.”

Silke gave a small wave of her hand, dismissing the idea. “I have some knowledge of healing. How could I not when I was raised by Fenja? She’s always been amazing, and I went with her on every call from the time I was a toddler. I don’t have her natural ability, but I picked up a great deal of technique. I also have an extensive knowledge of plants and medicine, thanks to her.”

He gave her another friendly smile as he walked toward her. “You’re adopted?”

Don’t let him get close enough to put his hands on you, Benedek cautioned.

Silke began to walk toward the front porch. “Fenja never married or had children. She adopted me just after I was born.” She glanced at him as she made her way up the stone path between the beds of flowers and shrubs. The leaves on the plants rustled and quivered, radiating alarms, warning her to be careful.

He doesn’t even notice the plants’ reactions to him, she told Benedek.

Benedek caught sight of masses of dragon lilies lying in a long row on an outside bed. They hadn’t been there before. In the forest, there had been rows of dragon lilies. He knew she used the long petals to wrap the crystal sword in, but how had the flowers suddenly appeared at her home?

Do you have something to tell me? he prompted.

That’s Lily. My dragon. She must have felt my distress. I have no idea when she joined us. She’s silent and stealthy. And very, very lethal.

The flowers looked like ordinary dragon lilies in various stages of growth. Now Benedek knew better. He had known there were mythical creatures in that ancient forest. He could feel them. He was very tuned to the ancient trees. It didn’t surprise him that Silke had a dragon, but it was shocking that he hadn’t spotted her. He saw those flowers, but it never occurred to him a dragon hid herself in plain sight. The mage was in far more trouble than he knew. If he made one move against Silke, there was Benedek and Lily, her dragon, ready to rid her and the world of the threat.

Drakos is concentrating solely on you, that’s why he hasn’t noticed any changes in the plants. You’re human. He doesn’t understand how you can resist a compulsion, especially a strong, practiced one. Even knowing you aren’t succumbing to his compulsion or voice, he still feels safe and in control. That’s sheer ego and not very intelligent. Never underestimate your enemy.

Her laughter once again slid through his mind. I’m his prey, Benedek, not his enemy. I’m not worthy of being deemed an enemy. He is so certain he can outsmart me.

Or use his magic against you.

I was born with protections against the dark arts.

Unfortunately, when he can’t manipulate you, he’ll know you’re the slayer, Benedek warned.

I want him to get to that conclusion. He isn’t going to come back here and harass Fenja.

Benedek went very still. She was deliberately challenging the mage. She knew it would end up in a battle.

O jel? sielamak. He called her “light of my soul” because to him, she was . Have you thought this through? He is mage. Have you battled a mage before or have any knowledge of how to defeat one? And if he disappears, what will the demon do? The demon believes the mage is for his use. He’ll track the dark arts straight to your home. There is always a path left behind.

I didn’t know that, but in the end, it will make my job so much easier. Castello will come here seeking to find answers. I must confront him and slay him before he manages to enslave any of the villagers. They have shields, but it’s possible he could wear them down.

“Sit out here on your verandah and talk to me. I have many questions for you. The answers will be important to us both,” Drakos cajoled. He gave her a winning smile.

He thinks he’s utterly charming and irresistible, she informed Benedek with obvious disgust. He thinks he’ll get answers from me, but I intend to get them from him.

This is dangerous.

Not really. I have you.

Silke spoke with utter confidence, and a strange feeling of triumph swept through him. He hadn’t earned her entire trust yet, but she believed he would keep her safe. He was all too familiar with mages and their ability to take over a situation in a flash. Silke didn’t have those experiences to draw on, so she was counting on him.

If we’re going to do this, you do what I tell you.

Silke flashed the mage a smile and gestured toward the gliders. The two chairs were facing the rings of flower beds. She took the chair Fenja always sat in, forcing him to sit in her glider.

If he can pick up any information, better not to have him know anything about my mother.

“You have a beautiful home. It’s very unique,” Drakos said as he sank into the comfort of the glider. “The stone has strange properties.”

“Yes,” Silke agreed, giving him an opening. She widened her eyes, looking innocent. Guileless. She even leaned toward the mage as if anxious to talk about her rare home. “Do you feel that, too? I thought I was the only one. I’ve conducted experiments on the stone they built the house with and even the stone walkways and stairs. I started when I was a child and noticed outside sound did not penetrate into the house.”

Her words tumbled over one another as if she were very eager to finally have someone to talk about the strange phenomenon with. Benedek found himself admiring her even more. She didn’t tell a lie. The mage might have been able to discern deceit, but she was careful to tell the truth. Her deception was in the delivery, but the mage didn’t know her. She was giving him what he expected.

Are you able to read his thoughts? Benedek was Carpathian, an ancient, and he couldn’t see into the mind of the mage.

I don’t read his mind like you envision.

Benedek merged further with her, staying very still and quiet. Silke put out the lowest energy of any living creature. He doubted if before he had tied them together as lifemates he would have been able to detect her presence. She had called the demons to her with a similar takeover. He watched the mage carefully. They could be very sensitive to magic.

I don’t use magic.

Benedek wanted to smile, and that shocked him. He was in hunter mode, and yet he found himself amused by her. She didn’t know herself at all. You are magic. Just managing to make me feel emotions, making me want to laugh, even in a situation such as this one, just proves to me how magical you are.

“Sound doesn’t get through the stone walls?”

“No. Not even the windows.”

Drakos frowned. “That’s highly unusual. Did you ask your mother about it?”

Silke’s laughter was sweet. Musical. Benedek saw the mage wince. He shook his head and then brought his hand up, pushing at the air between Silke and himself. That pure note in her laughter bothered the mage, telling Benedek he was far darker than he appeared. That meant his skill level was extremely high. He moved his body between his lifemate and Drakos.

“Yes, several times. She said the house and walkways had been constructed by someone famous in the village. She had always loved the estate, and when it came up for sale, she bought it.”

“So she didn’t have this house built?”

Benedek detected the subtle flow of magic streaming from the mage as he asked his questions. Benedek held up his palms as a barrier. He doubted if Drakos’ dark magic would work against Silke. She seemed to have built-in protections. Nevertheless he was remaining between them to ensure the mage couldn’t get to her when he struck—and he would. Benedek felt his underlying frustration.

“I’m going to be very honest with you, Silke,” Drakos said. “May I call you Silke? And please call me Herman.”

That is not his real name, Silke said. It has a false ring to it when he says it.

Mages rarely allow anyone to know their given names. There is power in a name.

“Please do be honest with me,” Silke encouraged.

Benedek became aware of Silke’s silent, stealthy invasion into the mage’s mind. Just as she had drifted, low-key, into the minds of the demons, she did the same to Drakos. His woman was fearless. Throughout the centuries, he had fought beside many Carpathians, humans, jaguars and werewolves. Her courage rivaled any of those he had gone into battle with.

Drakos gave her another of his charming smiles and shifted in his chair, fully facing her, his pale green eyes intent on her face. “Ares Castello is the head of a very dangerous cult. He’s here recruiting, but more importantly, he’s looking for one woman. He believes there is a person in your village known as a demon slayer.”

Silke drew back, one hand fluttering defensively to her throat. She gave a little frown of disbelief, but she didn’t respond.

Drakos took the bait, continuing to spin his web of lies. “Castello has made many people disappear. I fear for your mother.”

“Yet you travel with him,” Silke pointed out.

She had shrugged off the small backpack she never went anywhere without. It sat close to her hand on the opposite side, away from the mage. She didn’t so much as glance at it, but Benedek followed her thoughts as she meticulously assessed each weapon she had available to her and precisely where it was in the pack. Then she turned her attention to the mage, looking not at his physical body but examining his mind, looking for hidden weaknesses. She looked for the way he practiced his dark magic on others. How he enslaved them. How he killed them. She was methodical about it, her touch light, her energy so low it was impossible to detect her.

“I’m working undercover investigating him. It’s a precarious position to be in. He seems to have the ability to influence his followers to do anything he desires, including end their lives.”

“But not you.”

“Some people are born protected from certain sounds. I am one of them, which makes me a good investigator when it comes to people such as Castello. He runs a good con, but it’s his voice that others find so compelling.”

“I didn’t find him compelling in the least,” Silke confided.

“He’s very frustrated, and that makes him dangerous. Many of the people he’s encountered in this village don’t react to his voice. He’s never encountered so many in one place, and there doesn’t seem to be an explanation for that.”

Silke frowned. “Really? I would have put it down to the fact that we tend to cling to the old ways. Even our medicine is homeopathic for the most part. Our doctor uses a mix of modern and ancient techniques. We’re mostly direct descendants from old lineages. What kind of explanation do you have for being able to resist his compulsion? You’ve had plenty of time to think about it.”

Benedek had to hand it to her. It was a natural question. She’d been forthcoming in her explanation—to a point. Tora had reinforced all barriers in as many of the townspeople as possible. Neither the demon nor the mage would be able to find those Carpathian-woven shields because Tora used unique, ancient weaves neither man had been exposed to.

“I think some people are just born with natural gifts. What makes the village unique is that so many obviously were.”

He tapped his fingers on his thigh as if it were a nervous gesture. Benedek knew a mage had no wasted movement with their hands.

Drakos is up to something, he warned Silke.

“As a group, we’ve tried to visit the local forest. It’s ancient and supposedly has many unusual flowers, trees and shrubs that would be interesting to us, but even though we can see it quite plainly, no matter how far we walk, we can’t seem to get there. Castello claims he was able to get someone to take him, but they couldn’t walk even a step inside. How is that possible?”

“Who took Castello to the forest?”

“What difference does that make?”

“Some of the locals enjoy playing pranks. If what Castello told you is true, he could have been led to a portion that no one enters.”

“Ese Jordan. He seems solid enough. Castello knows him from online. I believe they’ve been friends for a couple of years or so.”

Jordan has a gambling problem. He is a partner with Milan and Gesina Laninga. He stole money from them and sold off their best cows. She’s pregnant.

Would he be able to tell Castello who the slayer is?

No, but he could tell these people all the myths surrounding the Battle of Baduhenna.

What of Tora?

He was around when Tora was growing up. He would never suspect her of being Carpathian. Once she became grown, she didn’t mingle with the villagers. She’s worried about the gate and spends quite a bit of her time there unless I call to her.

It seems this Ese Jordan will need a visit very soon. We cannot afford to have traitors in the village during a battle with Lilith’s army. He expected a protest, but instead, Silke addressed the mage.

“Ah, Ese. He’s one of our problems here in the village. He’s a known gambler, and many times he runs cons for money. If Castello offered him any money at all, he would take him to the wrong entrance so later he could get more money to try again.”

“Does the forest have magical properties?”

The mage had the perfect tone, curious and interested. He’d already established his interest in plants. It would stand to reason that he would ask questions about the forest.

“To me it does. I love plants and spend a great deal of time transplanting anything medicinal and finding out as much as I can about them. I’ve brought quite a collection here, as did others before me. Some plants are very poisonous, and I want to be able to ensure the children don’t go near them.”

For some reason, her answer seemed to irritate Drakos. The mage waved one hand in the air toward Silke in an animated gesture, at the same time exhaling outward, sending tiny invisible hooks, hundreds of them, through his mouth as he exhaled. His hand pushed the hooks toward her even as the fingers of his other hand tapped out a dark spell.

It was easy enough for Benedek to see the hooks. He was invisible, and anything in that realm was like glaring lights to him. Unfortunately, at the moment he was molecules, easy for the hooks to pass through to get to his woman. He took a chance by pushing air around her, erecting a barrier the mage would be unable to see.

He’s trying to entrap you. I’ve surrounded you with an air barrier he can’t get through, but he felt the disturbance.

The mage was looking carefully around him and then his suspicious gaze jumped to Silke. “You want to tell me the truth about your adoptive mother. Is she a slayer?”

“No, she’s not. She’s a healer. Most likely a witte wieven . In case you are unfamiliar with that term, she is considered a wise woman walking among us. To me, she is my mother and an infinite source of education on plants and healing. The villagers revere her, and most won’t speak of her to outsiders. I’m certain you and Castello have already run into their silence.”

Benedek noted she slid the backpack open and it now lay on the side of her chair at her fingertips. She would not have disclosed any information to the mage unless she planned to attack him.

Drakos didn’t notice the change in Silke or the position of her backpack. Triumph slipped into the coolness of his eyes. He believed his hooks had found her and she was answering his questions because she was under his spell. Benedek could feel the power in the mage, yet he was so used to having an easy time because he dealt mainly with humans, he didn’t see that Silke was a threat to him. Even after he’d felt the disturbance in the air when Benedek had used a Carpathian gift, the mage, although suspicious for a moment, dismissed the warning.

Castello, the demon, was also used to dealing with humans. He had never encountered shields in humans preventing him from recruiting or getting the answers he wanted. Both men had been in the world of humans for so long that they’d grown complacent.

Do not attack him without giving me the word that you are going to. I’m between you.

I know exactly where you are.

He had to smile at her snippy tone. His woman didn’t like it when he underestimated her.

“Invite me into your home to meet your mother.”

Silke raised her eyebrow. “What part of ‘her immune system is too fragile to be around outsiders’ didn’t you understand? You seem to be an intelligent man.”

Her tone was mild. Her statement was not. The mage’s eyes flickered with rage. “What part of ‘I’m trying to save that woman from Castello’ did you not understand?”

“Is there some reason you think I’m an idiot?” Silke asked. “You aren’t here to help my mother or any of the villagers. You’re not an investigator trying to stop a cult leader, either. You’re playing both sides of the field, working with Lilith for your own gain and with Castello to see what information he can get for you.”

Drakos didn’t seem to comprehend what that soothing, mild tone said to him for a moment, and then he leapt to his feet, taking two steps out away from the chairs so he was facing Silke directly. She had mirrored his response by rising exactly when he did, but her steps took her to the side and facing him, giving Benedek a direct, unimpeded line to the mage. She had the container of sacred water in one hand, and when the mage raised both hands, she flung the entire contents over him.

Benedek stepped into him, slamming his fist into the mage’s chest as smoke rose from a hundred holes piercing Drakos’ body. At the same time, Silke took advantage of Drakos’ shock and pain, racing around behind him, her small crystal sword elongating, becoming a cold iron blade dripping with sacred water. No demon, mage or vampire from the underworld could withstand sacred water. Drakos was no exception. She swung the sword at his neck as Benedek extracted the heart. Neither gave the mage a chance to recover from the shock of the water piercing his body.

Silke leapt from the porch to the ground where Benedek tossed the body. Overhead, clouds roiled, laced with lightning. She plunged her crystal sword into the ground. “This ground is closed to you in any form.”

Lightning struck the body and leapt to the head, incinerating the mage completely, leaving behind nothing but white ash.

“I will dispose of what is left and meet you back at your house to see to your mother.”

“It was really nice of him to ensure no camera worked, wasn’t it?” Silke asked, her voice as sweet as ever. One would never know she’d just sliced the head off a mage after dousing him with sacred water.

Benedek sent her a quick half smile of camaraderie and then indicated her house. “I’ll wait here until you’re safe inside. I don’t like what I heard about Ese Jordan or Castello.”

She saluted him and rolled her eyes, but she went up to the porch and, after snagging her backpack, went into the house.

Benedek found himself wanting to laugh, an entirely foreign concept to him.