“It could take years, Nicolae. I cannot leave you now, while you are surrounded by vampires and hampered by a lifemate who could very well endanger you without realizing it. Her blood is tainted. We do not know if it can be fixed. I do not want to lose you, Nicolae. You know how close I am to the end. Should something go wrong here with you and your lifemate, it will also go wrong with me. Here, I can aid you. Searching for this mythical woman, I can do nothing for you.”
Nicolae waved the protest aside. “I’m a hunter, a protector of our people, as are you. We can do no other than what is expected of us. Our honor demands it.”
“I will begin the search in a rising or two. It is best to show her picture to some of the local people. If she was in the area, or is expected, perhaps someone knows of her. It will give me a starting point.”
“It is possible the vampire managed to get to Mary Ann before this woman made her way to Seattle,” Nicolae mused aloud. “Velda would be the one to ask. Nothing gets by Velda and Inez.”
Vikirnoff visibly shuddered. “Perhaps you should speak with them. It is best if I stay in the background.”
Nicolae’s eyebrows shot up. He remained silent, watching his brother with evident amusement.
“I see no reason for your new, strange humor, Nicolae. It is a matter of logic. The women know you and will tell you things they would not reveal to me.”
Nicolae snorted. “You are a coward. You are afraid of a couple of sweet elderly ladies. I had no idea.”
“Speaking with little old ladies is enough to shake the very foundations of a man,” Vikirnoff pointed out reasonably. “They flap their arms and screech like chickens. In truth there is no fear involved, only the painful reality that they will draw undue attention to my existence.”
Nicolae sat abruptly on the edge of a boulder. “There is some truth to what you say. I must confess I feel some small affection for Velda and Inez, although I do not know how it happened. They are frightening to me also. Velda has talent. She knows things I would like to better explore. Do you have any idea what is causing these humans to behave at odds with their true nature?”
Vikirnoff shrugged his shoulders. “I cannot detect the touch of a vampire. It is unsettling. The poison used on your lifemate was much more sophisticated than I have ever seen. I do not like the fact that there is some semblance of order among the vampires and someone is orchestrating a great war plan we have never before seen.”
“It is possible Gregori knows of this. He is second to the Prince and shares all his information. If they can use such a trap to attack me, it can also be used against our Prince, and he should be alerted to the possibility.”
Vikirnoff studied Nicolae’s pale face. “You are not taking proper care of yourself. It is necessary for you to be at full strength to fight the call of her blood. If you succumb, we do not know what will happen. I have never heard of such a case before, and we have no way of knowing what to expect.” It was a reprimand, delivered in Vikirnoff’s usual forthright manner.
Nicolae sighed. “You just have to act the older brother with me.”
“If finding one’s lifemate means throwing away all reason, I am uncertain whether it is such a good thing.” Even as he uttered the words, his thumb slid once more in an unknowing caress over the face of the woman in the photograph.
Nicolae held out his hand. “I will take the picture to MaryAnn’s office and make copies for you and show it to Velda and Inez.”
Vikirnoff hesitated uncharacteristically. He shoved the photograph inside his shirt. “I will make the copies myself and give you one to show the human women.” Vikirnoff stepped forward. “You must feed.” He tore his wrist open with his teeth, extended his arm to his brother.