“I have never let another take my immortal blood before, Elena.” He took her face in his hands. “I am not kidding when I tell you this is dangerous. I am hopeful the effect will be temporary, but seeing the past with absolute clarity is not a gift. You will not like it. Please be sure this is correct.”
She closed her eyes, and the image of her biting him came up again. He was in the chair where he sat now, hands wrapped around the seat under him. Eyes closed, face relaxed. “Yeah, I’m absolutely certain. Will I see your memories?”
“Possibly, but only while you are drinking. After the physical connection is broken, they should all be your own. I hope they are more pleasant than mine.”
She stood over him and studied the vein pulsing in his neck just below the skin, and her fangs elongated with a sharp twinge deep in her jaw. Vlad showed none of the anxiety or tension Ricardo had, only calm resignation.
“The comparative study does not help. Leave the research scientist behind, Miss Arcos. Bite me.”
And he smelled different than Ricardo, too. Like the outdoors after a rain. Natural and fresh.
“Hum, please,” he said, barely above a whisper.
She struck up with the “Hokey Pokey,” her father’s favorite when he’d danced in the living room with her, and Vlad laughed.
His blood was cool and thick. The power hit her like a body slam, and she pulled back with a gasp.
“And you were worried about me,” he said with a smirk. “That wasn’t enough. Go all in, Elena. You have to save the world.”
“Will it hurt the baby?”
He actually looked offended. “Absolutely not.”
Knowing what to expect this time, she braced herself for the power rush. What she wasn’t prepared for were Vlad’s memories. She saw him with her father laughing, then smiling as he willingly went with the Slayers to the dungeon. He’d allowed himself to be captured on purpose because Uza told him he would need to save her. Then she saw the horrible slaughter in the fortress as he fought his way from the dungeon preceding his arrival at the barn, and then the scene in the great hall after the vampires had gone wild. Blood was everywhere and so were broken bodies. She shuddered, and a tear slid down her cheek. She kept on, hoping to get another glimpse of her father, but none came, only Vlad’s voice telling her to stop. Strong, cool hands shook her shoulders, and reluctantly, she opened her jaw, releasing him.
He steadied her, and after a moment, she opened her eyes to find him staring into her own as if searching for something. “Now sit,” he said. “Then focus on the future. Do not think about what you saw.”
Dizzy and body buzzing, she collapsed into the chair next to him, but found it almost impossible to concentrate as the vampire’s memories jumbled together with hers.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “You must only look to the future until you fulfill your destiny as the Uniter.”
Just as he’d predicted, his memories faded, and her own moved to the forefront.
“Leave the past behind,” he said. “We all need you to succeed. If not, we all die. Including Nikolai Itzov and your unborn child.”
And with that, images of the future flooded her head like a fast motion slide show. Her eyes flew open, and she grinned. “I need Claude. And then, I need someone to get a message to Fee the Alchemist. Oh, and please return the key I gave you in the dungeon. I believe it’s in your back right pants pocket.”
He leaned back with an amused smile. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, do you have a superhero cape around here anywhere, because I’m feeling badass.”
“Save the badass for Nikolai Itzov, please.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Nikolai fought hard to remain optimistic. Elena would come for him. It had only been hours since Fydor was telling Commander Mihai to keep on the lookout for her. It was crucial to remain patient and positive. Some things were hard to brush aside, though, like what the hell was Aleksi up to swearing revenge against Elena? It had to be a ploy. Nikolai knew in his heart she’d never side with his uncle. Just like he knew Elena hadn’t betrayed him back at her house. She was just doing what she had to do. They all were.
The shifter was snoring like, well, a bear again. At least it kept Nikolai from falling asleep. He wanted to stay awake for when Elena came. How odd that the weak little human he spared in that store and took prisoner was the very person he now relied upon to free him from captivity. But she was different now. They both were. And he loved her. That was what had been his biggest incentive since his capture: a future with Elena Arcos. During the beatings, when the pain was at its worst, he had eased his mind by imagining what their children could have looked like had he and Elena been compatible species and able to reproduce. Strong, black-haired, gold eyed, sometimes. Other times, he’d see them with her coloration. Gold curls and purple eyes. Maybe even blue, like when she was a human. Yes. Blue. He’d like that.