The coolness of the vaults under the church made Radu feel a little better. But the exertion and the sun’s rays made him feel like he was on fire.

“Over here,” Radu said. “There’s a deep hole I used some years ago while the church was being built.”

“I have to put a spell of protection around us again, Radu. You rest here. Do you need to feed?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I need to get to ground. My skin is burning. I feel like I’ll never be who I used to be. The hibernation nearly destroyed me."

She lowered him, her heart aching for him. She could tell by the gaunt look on his face that he was in a great deal of pain. His feet had barely healed and now his entire body was on fire. She set her pack next to her and dug through it, pulling out her wand. She walked around the small clearing, waving her wand and mumbling words under her breath while Radu pushed himself into the familiar hole. The touch of the soft dirt soothed his burning skin.

Carrie came back to sit next to him on the ground, pushing dirt over his feet so he could lay back in comfort. He put his hands on his chest and looked at her.

“I suppose this means I’ll do anything for you, Carrie. Doesn’t it.” It wasn’t a question. She stared at him, a warm feeling washing over her when she met his eyes.

“Does it? Why do you think so?”

“I have never, in the centuries I’ve been alive, been pulled to a woman in danger the way I was with you today. This means something special. That means you have captured something in me. We are bonded. It can’t be denied.”

Carrie was quiet for a moment, looking at him and thinking about what he was saying. She could spend eternity with him, she was sure of that. But he needed her to stay mortal, at least for a while longer. She was the only one sustaining him. She ran her eyes over his body, meeting his eyes with a gentle look. “I can’t deny it, Radu. You are right. This… this feels like destiny.”

He grinned at her, reaching up to touch her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned her face against his large palm, enjoying his touch. She wanted to feel him against her, feel his lips on hers. But it wasn’t the right time. He was weak and needed rest.

“How is it that you managed to get out of the ground and come to me when I needed you most?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Were you thinking of me? Were you calling out to me?”

Carrie blinked, pressing her lips together and blushing. It was too dark for him to see it, even though his night vision was perfect. He ran his thumb over her ear and pulled his hand back down to bury in the dirt. His skin was still burning. “I was thinking of you. I might have called out. I don’t remember. Helga had me in a bind, I couldn’t really speak. But in my mind, yes, I was calling out to you.”

He nodded. “That’s what caused it. I can sense your spirit. When you are in danger. I felt your pain. I had to come to you. I had no choice.”

“I will come to rely on that, you know,” Carrie teased, brushing his dark hair from his forehead and lightly running her fingers over his lips. He kissed them as they moved across his skin and smiled at her.

“You will come to rely on it. You will trust me with your very soul. There is something I would like to do for you, Carrie, since it looks like we were meant to bond, despite being on opposite sides of this war.”

Carrie frowned. She hated to think that they were on opposing sides. Power-hungry people were always causing trouble for everyone. They had no concern over who they hurt, as long as they got what they wanted. Radu looked confused.

“You do not want what I have to give you?”

Carrie shook her head. “That’s not why I’m frowning, my love. I frown because of the war between our people, because there are those out there who think they should have all the power and control. I don’t like that we have to be at war. It would be so much better if we were able to unite and use our powers together. Witches, like me,” she smiled at him, “would be perfect mates for vampires like you.”

He chuckled. “There aren’t many vampires like me, my dear. I am of a rare breed. I don’t consider every human, witch, werewolf, or any other supernatural creature to be my enemy. I used to be a human. I know human flaws. Every supernatural creature has human traits. That’s the way it is. It will never change.”

Carrie sighed. “I suppose you are right, Radu. I wish it could change. I wish at least my coven would see the unique gifts someone like you can bring to the table. But they just want to fight. I don’t understand that.”

Radu’s body was cooling off rapidly. He was thankful and closed his eyes.

“Are you going to sleep? Shall I be quiet?”

He chuckled without opening his eyes.

“Why don’t you tell me a story? That might help me rest. Besides, I enjoy your presence, even when you aren’t saying anything.”

“Really?” Carrie was flattered. “So I can just sit like a stone and be totally silent and you wouldn’t feel like you were being guarded?”

“But I am being guarded. You sit by my side while I sleep and that guards me. I don’t have protection spells like you do. I can’t turn into a bat and fly away like some people believe vampires can do. I am weak enough as it is, I don’t need someone trying to battle me head-on right now.”

“You certainly didn’t look weak when you were fighting Helga.”

“I was saving you. All that strength you saw was pure adrenaline.”

“I’m glad you are still human in some ways, Radu, or you might not have come when you did. We still have the book and the sword. When you are better, we will go to the fortress and destroy Solomon. But you were going to give me something, weren’t you?”

He pushed himself to a sitting position. She tried to object but he held out his hand to stop her. “I will rest back in a moment. I must do this for you, first. Give me the sword, my dear.”

Carrie froze for only a moment, wondering what he could possibly want the sword for. She trusted him, though, and turned back to her pack. She drew the sword from the cord holding it to the pack and handed it to him, handle first, taking the blade into her small hands.

He took it and grabbed one of her hands, holding it out in front of him. “I wish to give you some of my blood. With this, you will be able to sense the people you love, when they are in danger, when their emotions are peaked with fear.”

“So I will know when you need me?”

He nodded. “Yes, if you love me.”

She grinned and gave him a “come on” look. He laughed. “Yes, you will sense me. You will also sense anyone else you care for. I know you have friends, Ali, Raven, Anatolie… I believe you still care for Helga, too.”

“Well, I don’t want to know when she’s in danger,” Carrie said with conviction. “She is with Solomon, which means she’s always in danger. She’s being tricked by him, manipulated by that monster.” She pulled in a deep angry breath. He tilted his head to the side.

“It is that anger that shows you care about the woman, Carrie, and it’s not wrong,” he went on quickly when it looked like she was about to protest. “She was your mentor, she was your friend. She’s been led astray and that is what bothers you so much. So you might be able to control it and not sense her, simply because your anger with her will get in the way. But you still feel sorry for her, don’t you?”

Carrie nodded without saying anything.

“I thought as much. And again, there’s nothing wrong with caring about her well-being. She meant a lot to you when you first discovered your powers.”

“These powers are a gift,” Carrie said. “I don’t like to see my friends being manipulated to use theirs improperly or to do harm. It surprises me, what Helga is doing now. She was the first one to say that powers shouldn’t be used frivolously or to cause harm. If it were me doing this, she would be devastated. She would be fighting me to stop me.”

“Well, it isn’t you. You aren’t doing anything wrong. Solomon is trying his best to place a huge divide between witches and vampires, along with other creatures like us.”

“He wants to be in control. That’s why he’s holed himself up in that fortress. With Helga there, he has the same protection spells I have.”

He nodded. He was quiet for a moment, gazing into her eyes. “Are you prepared to accept some of my blood?”

“Will it make me a vampire?” she teased, grinning at him.

He laughed. “No, it won’t. It will give you some of my power but no, you will not be a vampire. Not this way. I’ve been feeding from you and you are still not a nightwalker, are you?”

“No. I suppose not. Is it because of my powers as a witch?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Prepare yourself, my dear, this will hurt you.”

“How will you give me your blood when you have none to give?”

“I have plasma to give. My blood is different from yours but I have what you need. Just like you always have what I need.” He dropped his eyes to let them run over her body. When he looked back to her eyes, he was grinning widely. She pursed her lips and batted her eyelashes.

“You are a flirt,” she said softly.

“With you,” he confirmed. He laid the blade on his palm and drew it across until a deep line was formed. He had no reaction to it. She narrowed her eyes, seeing some type of liquid coming from the cut but not a dark red blood like what she would see from her own hand. It was so dark in the small room and her wand made only a candle amount of light, she didn’t see what the color of his blood was.

She held out her hand to him, bracing herself for what was about to happen. He looked in her eyes, taking her hand in his. “Are you ready? It will be quick, I promise.”

She nodded. “I’m ready. Hurry.”

With one quick motion, he pulled the blade of the sword over the palm of her hand and immediately grabbed it with his. The pained look on her face touched him. He squeezed her hand, pushing so that their blood would mix together.

Tears came to her eyes but didn’t fall. The cut was fairly minor and wouldn’t leave a scar. It had been like getting a shot. But as he squeezed her hand, she felt something entering her hand and going up her arm. It was a warm feeling, not pleasant but not painful. Her eyes closed and she pictured his essence rolling up through her, invading every cell in her body, opening her senses to those of a vampire. She wouldn’t need a wand for such things anymore. She wouldn’t need to memorize spells, though she had a feeling it would be a lot easier now to do just that.

Memorizing spells had never been her strong point. Once she knew them, she could cast them without trouble. But learning them always took her longer than the other witches in her coven. At one point, she wrote a spell down on her arm so she would remember it.

She sat motionless for a moment before opening her eyes and looking at him. He was staring directly at her. Without a word, he let go of her hand. She looked down at it. There was no cut. She was already completely healed.

Before he laid down again, he gave her a tight hug and kissed her lips.

“I’ll wait here for you. We need to make a plan.”

He nodded at her and laid back, closing his eyes.