Love Me to Death (Underveil, #1)(17)

“Ah, and you brought a naked human. How…appropriate?”

Nikolai snatched Elena’s towel from the floor and wrapped it back around her body, tucking it in under her arm. “I seek your help.”

Darvaak leaned casually against the doorframe through which he’d appeared. “I’ve never heard that from a Slayer before. Not since yesterday, anyway.” He walked to the wet bar and pulled the stopper from a crystal decanter of what appeared to be Scotch and poured two glasses. “I said no then, too.” He handed Nikolai one of the glasses.

The Time Folder looked Elena up and down.

“Pretty.” He took a sip of Scotch. “Not of the Underveil.” He cocked his head to one side, gaze still locked on her. “Not human entirely. She’s in the middle of a conversion, yes?”

“I believe so.”

“Why are you dirtying up my living room, smelling of sweat and vampire blood with a naked woman, Nikolai Itzov?”

He held out his wrist. “I need this restraint removed.”

Darvaak shook his head. “You need a lot of things worse than you need that. First, you need a shower. But more importantly, that woman needs food. Protein especially. She smells diabetic.”

He was relieved the Time Folder hadn’t kicked him out yet, but his superior attitude begged an ass kicking. And the heightened sense of smell had always bugged the crap out of him.

“I’m not sure I can get her to eat. She’s pretty out of it.”

“So I see. Though, I can’t say that I blame her, considering the company she’s keeping.” He took another sip of his drink. “I’ll wager I can get her to eat.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You can get women to do anything. Even eat out of your hand. I remember.” Losing that bet still rankled.

He laughed. “It was a long time ago that I made that claim, Itzov.”

“Only a century.”

“Let’s hope this woman will eat out of my hand. She might be dying, which by the looks of that cord and your own soul’s presence in it, would be terrible news for you. Congratulations are in order, I suppose.” He shook his head. “Poor woman. Does she know?”

Nikolai consciously uncurled his fists. Fighting with the arrogant prick wouldn’t serve his purpose, no matter how good thrashing him would feel. “No. She doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

The Time Folder placed his half-empty glass on the bar. “Wise. If she knew, chances are she’d never come back to reality. I mean, centuries with…” He flippantly gestured to Nikolai and then leaned casually against the bar. “Fortunately, Slayers can survive if their mate does not, and humans potentially have multiple mates. Depending on what she converts into, she could escape this fate yet, yes? Well, as long as you free yourself of the soul-bonding cord.”

They could escape it, but they had to stay alive first. “Yes.”

Darvaak gestured to a leather chair to his right. “Please sit and put her in your lap if you don’t mind.”

Nikolai did as he asked. Then, he downed the Scotch in one gulp and set the empty glass on the table next to him.

“Wrap your arms around her to keep her from hurting herself.”

Hurting herself? “What are you going to do?”

He crouched in front of them. “A simple transference of energy. Similar to electroshock therapy, only my way is safe and effective.”

Nikolai tensed at his words. He was going to shock her.

“Be calm, Slayer. I won’t hurt her. She appears to be in a trance state of some kind, retreating into her mind like someone who has been through severe trauma.” His gaze traveled up and down Nikolai. “From the look and smell of you, I would venture to guess she saw you butcher someone or several someones?”

Nikolai said nothing. Time Folders not only had superior senses, they had fantastic analytical capacity as well. The guy didn’t expect a response. He already knew the answer.

Darvaak put his hands on either side of Elena’s head. “Sweet girl. You need to come back to us now. We want to help you.”

He closed his eyes and bowed his head as if praying, but Nikolai knew he was acting like a conductor and summoning a charge to send through her. Nikolai gritted his teeth and prayed it didn’t hurt her too much. He’d been shocked by one of these creatures, and he hoped to never experience it again.

Darvaak exhaled slowly, and Elena’s body jerked. Then she gasped, and her eyes flew open.

“There you are, I’m so glad you decided to join us,” the Time Folder said with a smile.



Elena had never seen a man this beautiful—well, except Nikolai, but they were different. This man was the exact opposite of her death angel. He was gentle with a soft voice. His blonde hair framed a fine-boned, angular face that featured crystal clear blue eyes—eyes that were eerily pale and intensely focused on her face. He was speaking to her, but it was difficult to isolate words. He was talking about food.

Food. She was hungry. She tried to stand, but something constricted her. Turning, she bumped noses with Nikolai. His gold eyes locked on to hers as if he were trying to see straight inside her. “Steady,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”

Safe. Nothing in her felt safe. The tangy smell of blood was all over his skin. Images of the evil creatures that invaded the hotel room flooded her head. She was one of them. “No!”