Dark Song полностью

If Sergey made his presence known, left his stench all around the outside of the compound where we could find it, even though he deliberately masks it as he leaves, do you believe he has some treachery planned, such as drawing the ancients away from the compound in order to attack it? Would this be his strategy? You know him better than any other. He wants you back. Would he make a mistake like this?

As always, Elisabeta took her time, thinking his question through thoroughly before she answered. She looked at everything he showed her from every angle. He was careful not to give her any information on what Sergey had been doing at the compound, or what he had left, but she knew the vampire too well.

He would not have just come here and sniffed around leaving tracks. What has he done?

I prefer to talk to you about that later. One has no bearing on the other. We need to know whether to go after him immediately, before his trail fades and he has more time to prepare for an ambush, or set up our own ambush here. He poured authority into his voice and mind to keep her from questioning him further.

He is planning on attacking the compound. I wish to rise, Ferro.

I will call to you as soon as I have hunted for blood for the two of us. He broke their connection and turned to the others.

“No doubt, it is his plan to attack this compound,” Ferro announced to the others. “Elisabeta was absolutely certain, and she knows him better than any other. I need blood to get to full strength, as do all the rest of the brethren. We must make it look as if we are falling for Sergey’s plan.”

“My security force is human,” Tariq said. “We have used them before to feed. Some are aware of who we are and volunteer. They serve us as the families in South America have served the De La Cruz family for hundreds of years. They will provide what we need. I ask that you treat them with respect and care as I consider them family and they are under my protection.”

“What of Elisabeta?” Gary asked. “Will she be able to aid us with the spreading infection?”

Ferro’s eyes met his, two slashes of silver watching the other man carefully. Ferro had to tell his lifemate what Sergey had left behind at the gate and the threats he’d made—threats that she would know were all too real. Ferro had chosen to look into her memories and he knew that on many occasions the vampire had killed others in front of her to get her to give up her lifemate’s soul. She was an empath and Sergey knew that would hurt her far more than physical torture ever could, although he had resorted to that as well at times.

“I do not know, healer.” Deliberately, Ferro chose not to call the ancient by his name. He refused to allow anyone—not even Gary, who shared ties to his soul and therefore knew the agony Elisabeta had suffered—to push him into forcing his woman to help when she would be devastated.

“We cannot allow this infection to spread further or get out of hand, no matter what else is happening,” Gary insisted, his voice mild but his eyes deepening to a liquid silver that contained a hint of a threat.

Ferro felt the threat in his mind. Something more was going on than he knew. He saw Sandu, Andor and Dragomir all spin around and then move in close. They felt that same vague threat to Elisabeta as he did, but were as uncertain as he was as to why there would be one coming from the healer. Gary would be a difficult threat to vanquish, but fighting all four ancients would make it impossibile to win, and Tariq’s second-in-command had to know that.

Ferro frowned and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “We know this burn is spreading, Gary. Sandu and Dragomir were both infected. I need to be inspected. No one has scanned me, or you, for that matter.”

Tariq took his cue instantly. “We should go back inside, feed, and scan while we do so, all those who haven’t been looked at. Then the ancients can lay down false trails as if they are searching for Sergey once we have a plan.” He was already moving, as if expecting everyone to do as he said. He was their leader. Gary his second-in-command.