Sadly, Tomas believed there was such a weapon as well. More andmore he was coming to believe that Gary Daratrazanoff knew such a weapon existed. The prince had to be protected at any cost. If he was killed along with his lineage, the Carpathian people would eventually cease to exist. For Tomas, it was the only logical explanation for Gary’s behavior toward Elisabeta. He suspected she knew about the ancient weapon. It would have been Gary’s duty to ensure the safety of the Carpathian people, no matter how repugnant the carrying out of that would be. Gary had a strict code, and endangering a female Carpathian, especially one whose lifemate had claimed her, would have been a terrible dilemma. Gary had to feel as if he were betraying that code and that he was without honor. Tomas would have.
He doubted if there was more information he could get from the master vampire. Gustov was beginning to exhibit signs of becoming irritated with him. It was clear he had been given the assignment to recruit others to the cause of his master—and acquiring ancients would be a huge coup—but Gustov had to work at patience. Few vampires had much in the way of patience, even during a fight to the death.
He sighed as he regarded the vampire. Gustov had put himself within striking distance, close enough that he should have known better. Clearly, he believed he had lulled Tomas into a false sense of security.
“Do you know what a phantom is, Gustov? The true definition?”
Gustov was taken aback by the sudden question. “Why should I care?”
“I just thought it would be pertinent for you to know in the next few minutes. You’re gearing up for an attack, but you seem to have forgotten why my brothers and I are referred to as phantoms. Just to make it clear, our dragons are as well.”
Gustov gave a snort of disdain. “Dragons. You conjure up dragons and think they are invincible. You think you’re invincible.”
“As are my brothers. Where are your servants, Gustov? Where are my brothers? It seems fairly quiet, and yet your pawns outnumbered Lojos and Mataias. Do you see them? Do you feel them? You don’tbecause, like me, my brothers are phantoms. Impossible to kill. If you’re waiting to attack me until your servants can help you, they are gone. Carpathian hunters destroyed the undead, sent them to the afterlife, where they can bear the consequences for their choices in this life.”
He’d never talked so much in his life before a battle. He preferred to wade in, strike fast and get it over with, but if Gustov provided even one more scrap of information, the tedious wait would be worth it.
Already Tomas could feel the need for battle taking hold. That addiction to the rush of feeling he couldn’t prevent. It wasn’t a good thing, the taking of life, but there was nothing else for him. He was a hunter, and he had been for centuries, and that meant finding the undead and destroying them.
Secreting himself away in a monastery, even for a short period of time in order to find a way to cope with the loss of evil whispers, hadn’t stopped the scarring that covered his soul. He was a scholar, a conservationist and an environmentalist, but first and foremost, he was a hunter—a killer. Nothing was going to change that, not even his lifemate.
He didn’t take his gaze from Gustov. The vampire swayed, his feet moving slightly, a dancing rhythm meant to subtly mesmerize his prey. It might work on humans, or even new hunters, although Tomas doubted it. Gustov was calling up some hideous pattern and chant that was meant to keep Tomas from moving.
He’d warned Gustov, and the vampire knew his reputation, yet he didn’t heed a single word Tomas had said. When Gustov made his move, rushing Tomas with blurring speed, Tomas appeared to stand his ground. The clawlike talons Gustov tried to dig into Tomas’ chest met with no resistance. The claws found empty air as Gustov’s forward momentum continued, so his body moved straight through the apparition that appeared to be Tomas.
Gustov roared with rage as he stumbled forward, unable to stop. Tomas appeared behind him, slamming his fist into the undead’s back,shattering bones and ripping through muscles. Acid poured over his arm and fist, burning past skin to bone. Tiny parasites tried to burrow under his fingernails and into the cuts inflicted by the razor-sharp bones he tore through.
Gustov spun in a circle, fast, in an attempt to dislodge Tomas. As he did so, thick roots burst through the ground, dangerous wooden vines carrying poison as they struck at Tomas over and over like a nest of vicious snakes. All the while Gustov hurled himself in a blurring circle, he screamed and spat so a multitude of parasites hit the leaves and debris on the forest floor. The moment they did, they rushed toward Tomas.
Tomas was relentless, not allowing the vampire to shake him off, no matter how fast he spun or how deep Gustov’s claws dug into him. The vampire nearly contorted in an effort to find a target with his wicked talons. Tomas’ feet stayed just above the ground, although it was impossible to avoid the striking vines and roots. The spear-like heads drove again and again into his thighs and calves, but the master vampire was spinning so fast the heads snapped off, which aided Tomas.
His fingers found the withered, blackened heart, wrapped around it and began to rip it free from the whirling, fighting body of the vampire. All the while Gustov chanted command after command, directing the roots on the ground to do his bidding. One of the vines reared up as they spun toward it, the spear-shaped head stabbing Tomas viciously in the back.
Unbidden, Kinta roared out of the forest, spouting a steady stream of flames, completely engulfing the roots and thick vines striking at Tomas. That was one of the things Tomas liked most about his dragon. The creature seemed such an extension of him that he didn’t have to give commands as a rule; they tended to be in sync when they went into battle. He rarely shared with other hunters that he even had a dragon or that his brothers did. One never knew who he would have to pursue in the future. It wasn’t always an easy way to live, but havinghis two brothers with him throughout the long journey of their lives had helped to alleviate the worst of the temptations they’d encountered. The dragons, as companions, had aided them as well.
He continued the relentless pull of the heart through Gustov’s back while the master vampire raged, twisting to strike at any part of Tomas that he could reach. Claws hooked into him multiple times, but between Kinta’s fire and Tomas’ determination, he managed to extract the withered black organ that had once been a heart.
The vampire whirled around the moment he was free, desperate to take the heart from Tomas. He slashed viciously at Tomas’ face and neck, going for the jugular. Hot, fetid breath, poisonous with just the fumes, blasted Tomas in the face. He didn’t allow his concentration to be interrupted even for a moment. He tossed the heart high into the air, a stellar throw when the heavy canopy gave very few openings. At once, the jagged bolt of lightning slammed into the blackened heart, instantly turning it to ash.
Tomas leapt away from Gustov as he directed the lightning at the body of the vampire. Gustov tried to dodge the lightning spear, but Tomas’ aim had been perfected over hundreds of years. Gustov was instantly incinerated.
It took time to deal with the ashes before Tomas bathed his arms and hands in the white-hot glow of the lightning whip, removing the acid before he took the time to push parasites out of his body through his pores. It was always a messy business ridding the body of the parasites, which entered when the hunter was wounded. They couldn’t afford to miss one.
His brothers joined him as he was dealing with the mess that was his legs, where the vines had struck over and over. Mataias immediately worked on one leg while Lojos did the other. It wasn’t long before they were moving as quickly through the forest as possible, hoping to pick up the trail of Gustov’s elusive master.
“Did you believe the reading of the tarot cards for each of us?” Tomas asked his brothers as they followed the game path into thedeeper jungle, searching for tracks—anything at all to indicate their quarry was in front of them.
Lojos cast him a quick look and then went back to examining the animal track they followed. Tomas felt that measuring look. He knew his brothers. He could feel Mataias’ penetrating stare as well. He kept his gaze fixed on the faint animal track.
“It isn’t as if I didn’t believe what they said was true, that our lifemates are somewhere in this century waiting for us, but it’s more as if I wonder if you believe we have the right to claim them.”
That was met with intense scrutiny. He didn’t look at either of his brothers as he proceeded to examine the foliage around him for the slightest clue that something—or someone—had come before them. Just feeling the heavy weight of their gazes was enough to know they didn’t think like him.
“I’m not sure what you’re saying,” Mataias ventured, a question in his voice.
“You took a vow with us to stay strong and endure no matter how long we had to wait for our lifemates,” Lojos said. “We’re closer than we’ve ever been, and we know we will be able to find them if we stick together and follow the dictates of the cards.”
“Hints,” Tomas corrected.
