“The others are nearby to see to me and to protect all of us while you heal your lifemate. I wish to examine him. You are clearly a strong healer, but . . .” he trailed off, and crouched low, beside Andre.
Teagan couldn’t help but think his movements were elegant and graceful. He moved in harmony with nature, not against it. She heard him murmuring ancient words.
“, nélkül sivdobbanás, nélkül fesztelen löyly.”
Andre interpreted the words as the ancient continued to chant more obviously ritual words of healing. You lie as if asleep, without beat of heart, without airy breath. I offer freely, my life for your life. My spirit of life forgets my body and enters your body. My spirit of light sends all the dark spirits within fleeing without. I press the earth of our homeland and the spit of my tongue into your chest, your belly and your neck. At last, I give you my blood for your blood.
Teagan thought there was beauty in the ancient chant. Certainly there was power. She felt it. Fane leaned close to Andre, and her heart jumped. She tried to stay relaxed, but it was difficult when the fierce beauty of the man, all predator, scared her.
“Andre, take what is offered freely. My life for your life.” Fane slashed his wrist and pressed it to Andre’s mouth.
Andre’s hand moved. He took Fane’s offering respectfully. Teagan nearly sagged with relief. Almost at once, she felt the ancient’s presence in Andre’s body. She bit down harder on her lip, knowing he was examining her work. She had a long way to go. There were so many lacerations. Too many. She’d gotten tired just trying to repair the worst of the damage. She wanted the help for Andre, but still, it was her job and she’d blown it.
Fane returned to his body, still giving generously of his blood to Andre. “You did an amazing job. Too good. You are out in the open unprotected. Just the two of you. He shut down his heart so he would not lose more blood. Save the heavy repairs for when you are safe. Do the minimum, give him blood and get him to safety. Remember to set your safeguards and then heal as best you can before putting him in the ground.”
That is my failing. I should have told you, Andre said.
Teagan nodded at Fane, eager for more advice. “I don’t understand what you mean by too good. How can healing be too good? He had terrible wounds and he would have died from them.”
“You are too weak to continue. You need blood and you cannot give what you do not have to your lifemate. How you could repair such wounds without soil or saliva, just you, I do not know. You have a tremendous gift. Just do enough to get him to safety. Once there, you can be more meticulous and precise.”
She understood, although his advice went against her nature. She could understand what he meant. She was weak—too weak to get Andre back to the cave and in the soil like he needed.
“I think I can help you and the others,” she offered timidly. She’d never been timid, but something about the set of his shoulders, his aloofness, his very loneliness, made her aware she was intruding. “I feel it. I’ve felt it since I arrived here in the mountains. Just ease you a little. Give you more time.”
Those eyes, beautiful eyes but so dangerous moved over her face. “I thank you for thinking of us, but we are beyond all help.”
“Andre had thought to enter the monastery. He is one of you, isn’t he? That’s why you’re here helping him. He’s one of you and he found me. If he found me, there’s hope for the rest of you.”
“We cannot feel hope. We are extremely dangerous.”
“I understand. Still. I know I can help. I’m just letting you know that the offer is there.”
He inclined his head. “I will take your offer to the others.”
Andre swept his tongue across the ancient’s wrist and for the first time opened his eyes. “Thank you, Fane.”
“I gave blood. She healed your wounds. The ones that matter. The rest can be healed in the ground. Can you make it back to your place of rest?”
Andre nodded. “Yes.”
Fane slashed at his other wrist and held out his hand to Teagan. “I offer freely. My life for your life.”
Teagan closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to see the ruby beads or feel the hunger clawing at her stomach. She knew it would be a terrible insult if she couldn’t do this. The ancients didn’t leave the monastery, not for anyone, yet they had come to aid Andre and her.
Can you help me, Andre? He would never know what it cost her to ask. She valued her independence, but she was not going to insult this man, not when she felt his every sorrow, the terrible agony of his lonely existence—both emotions the ancient Carpathian couldn’t feel for himself.
At once Andre was in her mind, directing her movements so that she took the ancient’s wrist and respectfully accepted his offering. She was aware of what she was doing, yet far removed from it all. The night was nearly gone. That was how long she’d worked on healing Andre. That was how long they had been unprotected. Fane was right, she should have done what she could to keep Andre alive and then gotten him to safety.
The moment she knew she had enough of the rich ancient blood to be at full strength, she closed the wound and bowed her head to him. “Thank you, Fane. For everything. For your advice, which I will always follow. For your blood that we both desperately needed, but also for your protection. Please thank the others for us as well.”
Fane had gone very pale. He didn’t try to rise, not even when Andre did. Blood seeped from the lacerations Teagan hadn’t gotten to, but her lifemate was alive. He needed to go to ground, but she had closed the worst of those wounds. For that she was grateful.