Tears of the Fallen

Rayne let out a slow release of breath as the train rocked to a halt in Braşov station. For too many centuries she had avoided returning to where her life had first begun. Now she was a step closer to her beginnings, and she couldn't deny the feeling of homecoming that assaulted her.

She hadn't expected to have this reaction to being back in Romania and she wondered if Gard felt the same. Turning to look at him, she saw his gaze peering out to the station interior as they waited for the other travellers to alight. "When were you last here?"

He turned to smile at her, a soft glow in his eyes. "Not that very long ago," he admitted. This is where I tracked down Caleb and released Callain back into this world. He had left Annie briefly in Bucharest while he was meeting with Joshua here about his first stirrings of unease over Europe. I didn't know who Caleb was with at the time but I know now since our trip to Scotland. They were playing at being tourists. It was quite fun to watch them thinking they were being so clever when all the while I was following them."

"Caleb was aware something wasn't right that far back?" She was surprised to learn that.

Her mate shrugged. "I don't think it was anything definite at that point, just a faint tendril of speculation on his part from something a friend of Joshua's had imparted. Nothing tangible came of their meeting, and Caleb returned to Annie none the wiser that he had met me. I have a little skill in dream walking myself though it exhausts me so much I prefer not to do it. It took me three days to recover from our meeting and awakening Callain. I had to hide my identity from Caleb's mind until the time was right."

Rayne arched an eyebrow at him, mock-resignation crossing her face. "And I am only just learning this now? I think I may have to teach you the true definition of what being mates is supposed to mean." She was teasing him, enjoying seeing a flash of concern twinkle in his eyes before he realised that was her intention and he wagged a finger at her.

Her thoughts were already wandering though, and a speculative gleam entered her green eyes. "Do you think Joshua was alerted by Dante?"

Her question earned her a light chuckle. "You noticed that too then? Dante didn't appear the least surprised to see us show up at Louis' place. Given we managed to slip passed all the other vampires looking out for someone arriving in Europe, that could only have meant that he had been given a head's up by Joshua."

"And here was I thinking you were just a pretty face," Rayne laughed, winking at his mock-outrage. "Yes, I would say Dante and Joshua are known to each other, though I don't think Louis is in on that secret."

The passengers had all left the train, so they rose and exited onto the outdoor platform. Rayne admired the curving rooftop, the organic shape appealing to her ascetically. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and let out a long slow breath. "You can smell it in the air," she sighed, a beatific smile gracing her lips. "The sweet scent of home."

"We're not quite there yet," he countered, reaching for her hand to pull her into the main building. "We still have a fair few miles to go yet, but I know what you mean. The air smells so much sweeter here. I suppose it always will."

Rayne smiled at the excitement in his tone, turning back to the earlier conversation as they headed out of the station. "Do you think Caleb knows Dante? Joshua is someone he trusts so there could be precedence that he may."

Gard pondered the question for a moment and then shook his head. "He would have mentioned him at some point. I think Dante is acting for reasons that only he truly understands. They just happen to coincide with our goals at the moment."

"I liked him, and Joshua." Rayne grinned at the narrowed glance her mate shot her way.

"Yes...I noticed. Perhaps you are the one who needs some further instruction on what a true mate should be."

"Why, Kothari senior...I do believe you are jealous." She burst out laughing at the dark glare he gave her, her amusement cutting off as he dragged her into a nearby alleyway and pinned her against the wall.

"Keep it up woman and I swear I'll take you right here and now and to hell if anyone might walk past. Oh, and call me that again, and I will not only take my sweet time about it, I'll make you beg for everyone to hear." He sealed his threat with a hot, wet kiss that stole her breath away.

"Hmmm, yes dear," she whispered into his mouth, giggling as he palmed her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze.

He kissed her again and then they pulled apart, sharing a glance that told the whole world just how they felt about each other. Gard looped an arm over her shoulder and they headed back onto the street.

"Do you think he's okay?" Rayne asked after they'd walked a mile or so. Her gaze was flittering from face to face and then the surrounding buildings, but her mate knew exactly who she was referring to.

"He has to fly the nest at some point, Sarayne. Now is as good a time as any." Though he tried to sound convincing, he knew she could hear underlying concern in his voice.

"I keep wondering what we did wrong," she admitted, her voice low. "Did we try hard enough? Was there something we could have done differently?"

Stopping, Gard ignored an angry mutter from a passer-by who almost barrelled into him. He gathered his mate close, kissing the top of her head, as he ran a soothing hand down her back. "We have loved our son with everything that we are, Rayne. We have protected him as best we could and been there whenever he has needed us. There isn't anything else we could have done differently than to love him as we have. He will find his way, my heart. His journey may just be a bit rockier than most others."

He had told her the same thing countless times and she could only hope that it was the truth. It was so hard not to wonder, not to worry about the beautiful son she had brought into this world though. She ached for him to be happy, for him to one day find that other half of his soul and never be alone again.

"Come on, the sooner we get this mission over with the sooner we will be back home with Kothari." Gard released her but retained hold of her hand, pulling her along the busy streets towards their goal.

After a while, Rayne came out of whatever thoughts had been dominating her mind, a perplexed look crossing her face. Ahead of them were scores of people all dressed in black gothic attire, all heading in the same direction. "Is there a convention or something on in the city?"

Gard laughed, genuine amusement shining in his eyes. "Ahh those are the vampire groupies," he chuckled. He pointed to a building up high, thick trees and bushes at its base, its red brick rooftops and steepled tower glistening in the sunlight. "They're headed to Bran Castle to see where Vlad the Impaler was purported to live."

His amusement rubbed off on her, shaking away her gloomy thoughts. "Seriously? They genuinely believe that Dracula lived there out in the open among humans?" No self-respecting vampire would ever have allowed humans to know of their existence, even in centuries gone past. Although, she supposed maybe back then there hadn't been a whole lot of options available to Gard's people.

"No vampire ever lived in that Castle," her mate answered, a smile still playing across his lips. "Doesn't hurt tourism though to let people think that he was real and foster the myth Bram Stoker created with his book. The Council had a long talk with the vampire who revealed our existence to the author back then. They decided to let him off with it after the way the myths and legends grew and covered our tracks."

Rayne laughed, shaking her head. "If only they knew what they were seeking was actually walking beside them right now," she whispered, as they skirted around particularly large group of tourists.

"They'd wet their pants," Gard growled, causing her to laugh louder.

A few people turned to look at them, quickly turning away again and hurrying forward towards the fabled Castle. Gard and Rayne turned in the opposite direction, heading further away from the seat of civilisation.

"There are no trails where we're going anymore," Gard said, his eyes drawn to the Southern Carpathians that were looming ahead of them. "The trees and vegetation have overgrown everything so we'll have to take to the skyline to get there."

"If it's so difficult to reach now then is it the place we're looking for?" Rayne asked, a frown marring her brow.

"It's difficult for humans to reach, even possibly Weres, but not to vampires. We're lucky you're a cat and like climbing trees. I think a wolf would have a devil of a time trying to get through the underbrush."

The smugness of his tone had her laughing. "Yes, you were very smart to pick a panther for your mate," she agreed.

He shot her a grin, picking up his step as anticipation washed over them. Now they were so close to home, it was impossible not to rush forward. "Come on, let's go. I'm suddenly very antsy to see what's left of the Palace."

A few hours later, and far off the beaten track, a sleek black panther sailed from one treetop across to another, closely followed by a redheaded vampire. The cat expertly dug claws into a branch, drawing its hind legs up to balance on the thick limb. Gard hadn't been kidding when he said the trail was overgrown. It was nigh on impossible to continue by foot as they wound their way higher and higher up the Carpathians.

Rayne uttered a small purring sound as her mate ran his hands down her back, inwardly smiling at the sheer joy on his face. The closer they came to their goal, the more charged he became, his excitement rippling down their mate bond.

"We're close," he breathed out, his lavender eyes almost glowing with anticipation. "Only a few more miles now, but we need to head east. Can you make that tree over there or do you want me to carry you?"

The tree in question was quite far even for her panther to leap, but she was reasonably confident she could make it. She'd only had to shift back to human form twice so far when the distance had been too great for her panther, and that had only been because Gard had refused to take a minor detour.

"You just like rubbing your body against mine and being the knight in shining armour,"

she answered telepathically, injecting humour into her words.

"I can make the jump but you go first just in case I need any assistance."

There was no harm in being pragmatic.

"You'd better not," Gard growled, eyeing the waiting tree to their right. He dropped down a few branches beneath her, and then sprang forward.

Rayne watched her mate glide effortlessly through the air. She could tell he'd used all of his supernatural reflexes for his push off the lower branch to counter the loss of momentum he had from stopping. That didn't bode that well for her if he'd had to use all his resources. Though, he did almost overshoot the Oak tree so perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as she first thought.

Gard had deliberately placed himself lower down on the waiting tree. If she failed to make the jump then she would start to fall downwards and he would want to be lower to enable him to react in time if needed. He was a smart male and she couldn't help grinning with pride.

"Panthers are so not supposed to smile, Sarayne," he called across the expanse. "It's downright creepy."

Shaking her head, she judged the distance to the branches above him, her hind legs coiling ready to spring. Rayne pushed off with all her strength, arching her back to increase her forward motion. She knew instantly that she wasn't going to make it but she didn't panic. Instead, she made her body as aerodynamic as possible, giving herself as much of a chance as possible.

"Sarayne!"

Gard's furious yell echoed through the trees as she began to plummet downward. Her stomach lurched and her front paws began to scramble in the air for purchase that she knew wasn't there. She shifted in mid-air, knowing her panther's body was much heavier than her human form. At least this way she would fall at the slightly slower pace, and it would be easier for Gard to catch her.

If she hit the ground it was going to hurt and there was a good chance it could kill her. There were far too many branches out there that could take her head at the velocity she was falling. For the first time ever, Rayne considered the possibility that she might actually die. Gard would murder her if she let that happen though...the fact that she would already be dead being a bit of a moot point.

Pain rattled through her side as a moving object crashed into her halting her fall. The pain increased as she was suddenly propelled sideways at such speed she caught a thick branch to her midriff, her breath cutting off at the hard impact. It hurt to breathe; it hurt to move, but she was alive and draped rather inelegantly face forward over a branch.

"Ouch!" She shrieked as a hand connected with her upturned backside. "I'm injured here!"

"You're damned lucky to be alive, woman," Gard retorted, fury lacing his tone. "I've a good mind to spank your bottom harder and for at least a week. I swear you just took a thousand years off my life."

Despite his ire, she could hear the concern and relief in his voice. She could only imagine what he must have gone through seeing her fall like that. "You're immortal," she snorted, pulling herself up so she could straddle the branch facing him. She needed a few moments to allow her body to heal, and from the look on her mate's face, he needed a few to calm his racing heart.

Looking up, she realised just how far she'd fallen. It was a miracle Gard had managed to get to her in time. Turning her gaze back to his ashen face, she reached out to place a hand on his chest. His heart was racing so fast it was a wonder he wasn't hyperventilating. "I'm fine, Gard."

"Only because I caught you in time," he growled, a faint trace of panic still shining in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms, his hold so tight she thought he would crack a couple of her ribs. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Sarayne. I swear I will make you regret it for at least a millennia if you do."

She hid her smile in the crook of his neck, sending love and reassurance down their mate bond and allowing him to threaten her with whatever dire retribution he needed. If it helped to calm him anxiety levels down she could put up with it. "I'm fine," she reiterated, rubbing her lips against his neck. "I'm safe."

She kissed up his jaw, sighing when he turned his head and plundered her mouth in a kiss so desperate it brought tears to her eyes. She returned his kiss, allowing him to ground himself in her touch until his heart finally began to slow its erratic beat and his touch gentled.

"I love you more than life itself, Sarayne," Gard whispered against her lips. "I am nothing without you, my heart. Please don't ever scare me that way again."

"I promise I will do my very best, my darling, but we are living in dangerous times. Please don't hold it against me if I can't keep to that." She would never lie to him or give him empty reassurances. He wouldn't want them from her anyway.

Gard lowered his forehead against hers, a rueful smile crossing his handsome face. "I guess that is the best I can ever hope for," he sighed, his hands slowly trailing down her back, his fingers tracing her spine. "Are you healed?"

"Good as new," she answered, smiling to lend weight to her words. He would be giving himself a hard time that he'd hurt her while rescuing her and she needed to divert him before he went down that path. "Though you and I are going to be having a discussion about you hitting me, Mister..."

It had the desired effect, his lavender gaze turning resolute. "You deserved that spanking."

"Remember those words when I turn them back around on you one day," she countered, moving away to look at the next grouping of trees. "I think you forget that I am Vârcolac sometimes, Gard, and so very much stronger than you when I want to be." She gave him a saucy wink.

Throwing his head back, he laughed loudly. The sound startled some nearby birds and sent them fluttering into the evening sky. "Bring it on, woman. I'm not afraid of you." He rose beside her and examined their route. The distance between trees appeared fairly uniform.

Glancing to the side, he captured her gaze. "We should get a good run at this last section, our forward momentum making the jumps easy. Is there anything that concerns you?"

She shook her head, in full agreement with him. Her panther shouldn't have any issues, but she didn't want him to be second guessing her abilities. "Just for the sake of your piece of mind, why don't you go first and I'll follow at five second intervals? I'm sure my panther can make each jump but there is no harm in being cautious."

His answer was to smile and nod his head. "That was just what I was going to suggest."

It was Rayne's turn to laugh now and she rolled her eyes. "Men..." she muttered under her breath, but her vampire was already leaping into the next treetop and it was time for her to shift back to panther form and follow his lead.

It wasn't long before she could detect a break in the treeline up ahead, a sign that they were closing in on their location. A handful more leaps and then Gard was waiting for her as she reached the last tree.

"We're here," he breathed softly, reverence in his tone. "We can continue on foot from here."

It was easier for her to make her way down the tree in panther form, so she waited until they touched down on the mossy ground before she shifted back to human. The trees and foliage were still relatively thick where they'd come down so she made sure her clothing was sufficient for the terrain so her skin didn't get too nicked. Her long black hair she quickly plaited down her back, so it wouldn't get in the way.

Gard was retying his dark auburn locks at his nape with a leather thong, his gaze alert as he surveyed the area. "I don't see any obvious signs of disturbance," he mused. "Might not be a bad idea to check a little further afield before we head deeper in towards the Palace."

Rayne didn't recognise this part of her former homeland. She had been found on the western side of the Palace and had lived most of her younger life in two of the villages leading away from the vampire court. From what she could remember, most of the Romany settlers had moved as far away from the court as if they could sense the danger that was brewing at that time. Any folklore that they may have had about this area, had been carefully wiped out of existence within two generations. She was probably the only person outwith the Triumvirate who still remembered any of the history of this place.

"I'll take the left," she answered crossing to his other side.

"You were already on the right side," he grumbled with no real heat in his tone.

"I know; I just felt like taking the left side. Sue me."

"Some days I think you just like teasing me, woman."

"Of course," she laughed, "Isn't that my job?"

He grinned back at her, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation, before his expression turned serious. "If you see anything even remotely suspicious don't investigate it on your own. Come and find me."

"Ditto," she shot back, giving him a broad smile. "Meet back here in half an hour?"

Gard nodded, stealing a quick kiss. "Don't do anything foolish," he breathed against her lips, causing her to laugh once more.

"Like I said...ditto," she quipped back, turning to head into the closest treeline.

Gard watched her go before he turned to his path and vanished into the waiting trees.

Rayne alternated between both her forms to traverse her section of the mountain forest. Sometimes it was simply easier to be a panther to get through a particularly densely packed area. She completed her sweep, her innate ability to tell time alerting her to the fact she had to head back. She didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary so she was relaxed as she returned back to her mate.