“We will hunt together,” Ferro decided. “While Sergey’s trail is fresh. There are enough of us that one of us should be able to find his latest lair. If we do, we can send word to the others and go after him together. No doubt he will have surrounded himself with an army.” They could never forget that the moment Sergey’s life was threatened, the slivers of his brothers and Xavier would abandon him to seek other hosts. They would need preparation for that. It would not just be a simple matter of destroying the vampire, as much as Ferro wanted it to be. He would need a plan.
Tariq turned to Gary. “Did you have time to examine those of us who were exposed to the infection earlier?” He turned to the others to explain. “We are keeping a log of everyone who had the burns. What they did prior to receiving them, and what they did after. Eventually, we should find a connection.”
“I examined you, Tariq, and there is evidence, as I told you, of light scorching. Josef has much heavier burns and is showing signs of becoming belligerent again. Traian and Joie are watching over him and he’s aware that the burns are back. He’s doing his best to keep his temper under control until Elisabeta rises and can free him of the scoring. Sandu and Dragomir show no signs of any burns.”
“Have you any idea why you are unable to heal these burns when our healers have always been able to learn to heal anything very quickly?” Tariq asked.
Gary shook his head. “The infection is spread differently than an actual disease. I do not yet know what it is.”
Tariq sighed. “What of the children?”
Gary answered him. “Lourdes and Bella are both without burns. None at all. Liv has light scorching, much like you, Tariq. The scorching is heavier in Danny and Amelia but not nearly as bad as in Josef. Charlotte is aware of this and has conveyed the danger to Genevieve. Maksim and Tomas are watching over the children. Neither shows signs of scorching, yet Lojos did this morning, and that is new. He had no such injury before when I checked him.”
“So it is spreading,” Tariq said. “Are there any others?”
“I didn’t have time to check beyond those,” Gary admitted. “The three victims were found at the gate and I came here to see if I could help them. They were beyond all aid. I agree with Ferro, we should hunt Sergey while his trail is fresh. He expects us, and will have planned an ambush, but all of us here should be far too savvy to fall for his tricks. He has forgotten what it is like to go up against very experienced hunters.”
“I don’t like leaving the compound with too few to protect the women and children,” Tariq admitted. “His calling card could very well be to lure us away so he can attack.”
Ferro considered Tariq’s concern. There was merit to it. More than merit. It would be just like Sergey to think to pull the ancients out of the compound in order to get to Elisabeta. She was the vampire’s ultimate goal.
“Let me speak with Elisabeta.” He didn’t want her to ever think he would betray her in any way, but this threat to her and those around her had to be stopped.
Taking a deep breath, he summoned his woman.
She came into his mind slowly, a gentle presence, filling every lonely crack and space, those terrible scars left from too many battles, the killing of old childhood friends. Hunting took a toll on one’s soul, and Elisabeta’s nature was the opposite of his, gentle and compassionate. She filled him with those tender, caring traits, bathed him with them, soaked him in them until he felt as if her gentle soul mended the terrible tears in his own blackened soul.
She called him “strong heart.” He felt she had the strongest heart, the most caring, and he hoped it was true. She would need it for this rising. He detested this and suddenly found he was reluctant to continue.
He had no intention of telling her until he was with her and could hold her in his arms.
