Dark Song полностью

“Elisabeta, it would be best if you would start with me,” Gary said. “As we scan each rising, it is best to be safe and remove the scorching from the ancients. If the idea is to turn us against one another, we can’t take chances that an ancient with fighting skills and no anchor becomes enraged.”

“We also want our fighters to look as if they are exiting in order to hunt Sergey, so we need them fit. If his spies are watching and the crows are surrounding the compound,” Tariq added, “we want them to return to the vampire and say we were planning some strategy.”

She inclined her head again and immediately moved with extreme confidence, flowing into Gary’s mind. Ferro had to move quickly to keep up with her. Sandu also joined them to protect her should there be anything built into the infection allowing it to fight back. So far, that hadn’t happened, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t.

While you went to get Elisabeta, we scanned as many as possible. None of the ancients other than Tariq and Lojos has any scorching, but it was found in several of the human security force. Charlotte has light burns as well. Maksim checked his lifemate, Blaze. She was over with Charlotte last rising, but she showed no signs at all, Gary informed them.

What did Charlotte and Tariq do last night? If both have the burns, they must have been exposed at the same time, Ferro speculated.

The two of them are writing down everything they did in order for us to compare, although at the moment, preparing for war is a far more important task, Gary said.

I think this is a huge part of the war. Ferro was certain he was correct.

Elisabeta made short work of removing the burns in Gary’s mind and immediately went to Tariq. His scoring was extremely light in comparison, certainly nothing like it had been, as if his exposure had been very brief. The slash marks weren’t even a vivid red, and they blew apart in front of her gentle breeze easily the first time she sent the steady draft toward the marks.

Ferro was surprised that when his lifemate returned to her body—a little pale, but still very strong—she didn’t go straight to the next ancient. Lojos stood beside Tariq waiting for her to remove the burns, and Ferro felt the hesitation in her mind.

What is it, sívamet? He locked his arm around her waist, holding her to his side beneath his shoulder.

He is uncertain. I do not want to intrude.

“Lojos, Elisabeta is very sensitive. She feels your hesitation. If you wish to live with the infection, there are others for her to work on. Gary knows better than I how bad it is in you and whether you can be trusted or whether you must be sent from the compound.”

Lojos shrugged. “I do not yet know if I can trust that Sergey did not somehow figure a way to use her to introduce this infection into our midst.”

Ferro took a deep breath and pushed down the strange swirling rage that wanted to erupt like a volcano. He was unused to feeling such overwhelming emotions, much less such dark ones. His lifemate had worked nearly from the moment she had risen to try to stop the spread of the infection, and yet, as an ancient, it was a fair reasoning and one he might have had himself. He worked at keeping his voice dismissive.

“We do not have time for you to make up your mind whether or not my lifemate is working with a master vampire. Tariq, I believe all the warriors necessary are free of the infection. You and Gary can decide what you wish to do with Lojos. Elisabeta can start on your security force. She will need blood soon.”

At once he felt Elisabeta’s soothing tranquility wrapping him up as if she had enfolded him in her arms.

He knew the Malinov family very well, Ferro. What they did felt very personal to him, to all three of the brothers. I can feel the sorrow beating at him. The sense of deep betrayal. He does not feel it, yet I do.