"Nicolai." Isabella whispered his name aloud in despair. She watched his powerful shape shimmer, the white mist swirling greedily around him, devouring the man, revealing the beast.
The lion stood in the center of the courtyard, a magnificent animal, enormous, heavily muscled, the shaggy mane adding to its bulk. Its eyes were burning with hunger, a dangerous, wild warning to those in the courtyard.
"Dio, it's happening again! I'll have to call the lions!" Francesca cried out, and she buried her face in her hands.
"No!" Isabella's voice was a whip of authority. She lifted her head and walked toward the crouching beast. Her arms were spread out away from her sides in a gesture of supplication. "I love you, Nicolai. It isn't going to take you from me. If you kill Theresa, we have nothing. It knows that."
The lion swung its massive head toward her, eyes flaming with the need to kill. The mouth opened, revealing huge, sharp teeth. Another roar split the air. Above their heads, the dark clouds split and poured down rain.
Isabella lifted her face to the drops, allowing the rain to bead over her face and wash away the terror of the moment. She looked back and met the lion's focused stare without flinching. Her heart was pounding, her mouth dry, but there was a sense of peace deep inside her. "I won't see you as the beast, Nicolai. I won't."
The lion shuddered and sank into a crouch, staring at her without recognition. Francesca stepped up beside Isabella. "I won't see you as the beast either, mio fratello."
Sergio and Violante took up positions on Isabella's left side. They refused to look away from the slavering lion. The beast shook its massive head, eyes glowing red in the night.
Isabella, always sensitive to the malevolence of the entity, felt it gather itself for the final attack. She knew its ultimate target was Nicolai. It fed the beast, fed natural instincts, hunger and rage, until the emotions swirled together, culminating in the lion's need to kill. In concentrating its entire power on the don, the entity had to leave the others alone.
Captain Bartolmei caught his wife's arm, pulling her away from the two cowering guards. The soldiers broke and ran some distance away, terrified of the crouching beast. Rolando and Theresa stepped up beside Sergio and Violante to face Nicolai.
Without further warning, the lion exploded toward them. Theresa and Violante both screamed and retreated behind their husbands. The captains backed up. Francesca covered her face. In that split second, time stopped for Isabella. Terror was a living, breathing beast in her heart. But this was the man who had rescued her brother from certain death. The man who carried the weight of his people on his back, carried a legacy others would have crumbled beneath. This was Nicolai. Her Nicolai. Her heart and soul, the laughter in her life, the love. This creature was her man.
Isabella flung herself forward to meet the attack. She would not allow the entity to take him from her without a fight. "Nicolai!" She called his name, wrapped her arms securely around the shaggy neck, and embraced death.
The great lion snarled and shook his head to throw her off. Her hands bunched tightly in the mane. Isabella buried her face in the wealth of hair. She felt the jaws close around her ribs and shut her eyes, breathing a final prayer.
"Nicolai!" Francesca launched herself forward, her arms circling the lion's massive head. "Mio fratello. Ti amo!"
The great beast shuddered with indecision.
Rolando Bartolmei and Sergio Drannacia followed the lead of Nicolai's betrothed, braving certain death to close their arms around the large creature. Their wives stumbled forward in their wake, touching the monstrous animal, praying to keep up their courage.
"Sophia's here," Francesca said, awed. "Sophia and Alexander. They're together, touching Nicolai. And the 'others.' All of them. They're here with us."
Isabella felt them, the spirits surrounding her, surrounding Nicolai, lending their strength to hers to battle for possession of Don DeMarco.
"My boy." Sarina and Betto were there, tears in their eyes. They led the servants to the courtyard. "We see only the man, Nicolai, nothing else."
The hot, panting breath heating her side was all at once against Isabella's neck. She could feel his face, not a muzzle, pressed tightly into her shoulder. She clung to him with every ounce of strength she possessed, whispering words of love, of hope.
The entity had pulled back, realizing it was fighting for its life, not just power. But, regrouped, it struck at Nicolai again with all its energy, pouring the malevolence, the hatred, the dark, twisted power into the being shimmering somewhere between beast and man.
Isabella felt the fur, the teeth, the claws, but she held her ground. Nicolai could have killed her in seconds, yet he hadn't. "Listen to me, my beloved," she whispered against the shaggy mane. "You never lied to me. I've always known of your legacy, and I've always chosen you. You, Nicolai. Beast or man, you and I are one. I haven't run, and I won't run. Choose for us. I love you enough to accept your decision. This thing that threatens us can't take that from either of us."
She heard a growl first, a rumbling. The words were raspy as they reached her ears. "Ti amo, cara mia, I love you. I can't harm you. I can't allow anything else to harm you." Nicolai's lips moved up her neck, her chin, and his mouth found hers, settling there to devour the sweet taste of her.
His kiss rocked the earth beneath her feet. His arms were hard bands around her, his body solid, muscular, the frame of a man. The ground shifted and rolled again.
"Nicolai! Isabella!" Francesca screamed the warning even as the captains dragged the couple from the courtyard.
They stumbled back out of the area, watching in horror as the ground buckled and split apart to form a deep chasm. Rain poured down. Jagged streaks of lightning danced across the roiling sky, veins of white-hot energy.
"Get back!" Francesca called as she rushed for the safety of the palazzo.
A bolt from the heavens slammed to earth, deep into the yawning chasm in the courtyard. The blinding impact knocked some of them off their feet. The sound was deafening. The air crackled around them. Noxious smoke arose from the deep hole, then dissipated in the cool, clean rain.
Nicolai pressed Isabella tightly against the wall of the castello, protectively shielding her. The ground buckled and rolled. Isabella attempted to peek under Nicolai's arm. Reluctantly, he moved slightly to allow her to watch the earth roll and heave, to cave in on itself to repair the deep crack. She breathed deeply, dazed by the events, her fists clenched tightly in Nicolai's shirt to anchor him to her.
There was a stunned silence while they looked at the courtyard and each other. For a long moment no one spoke. No one moved. The rain poured down on them, not dark and dismal but clean and refreshing.
Nicolai spoke first. "Is everyone all right? No injuries? Sarina, check inside. See to Isabella's brother, please."
They all looked at one another, inspecting for damage.
"It's over," Francesca announced. "You did it, Isabella. You freed us all. Sophia is with Alexander, and she says to convey the gratitude of all the 'others.' She thanks you for releasing her and Alexander from their torment."
"The entity's gone?" Isabella stared at the blackened courtyard. "It was locked in the earth, then?" It was nearly impossible for her to take it in. Now that it was over, her legs refused to support her. She leaned heavily against Nicolai. "Is it over? Can you tell? Are you certain?" She looked into his mesmerizing eyes and was caught and held by the mixture of sorrow and joy she saw there.
"I can hear the lions and communicate with them, but when I reach for the beast, it is no longer there." He looked lost.
Isabella tightened her arms around him. "It must be frightening to have a part of you missing."
"I don't feel it either," Francesca admitted.
"I could never become the beast unless I was violently angry," Theresa whispered from the safety of Rolando's arms. "I'm glad it's gone. It terrified me."
Nicolai gathered Isabella to him. His salvation. His love. A tremor ran through his body.
"It terrifies me that it's gone." His whisper was against her ear, for her alone, his face buried in her hair. "It terrifies me that you are mine when I'll never deserve you."
"You'll get through this. We'll get through this together." Isabella framed his face with her hands. She went up on tiptoes to rub her lips gently against his. A soft caress. The merest contact.
And it shook him right to his soul. His fingers tangled in her hair and bunched there tightly. "You're my life, Isabella. You know you're my life." He kissed her with exquisite tenderness. "Ti amo, cara mia. For all time."
"Don DeMarco?" Rolando Bartolmei spoke gruffly. "I ask for an official pardon for my wife."
Nicolai lifted his head and swung to face his cousin, Isabella beneath his shoulder. "Theresa, we all made mistakes. I hope you forgive mine."
Theresa cuddled closer to her husband, tears glittering. "I'm truly sorry."
"None of us are blameless," Nicolai said, looking straight into Isabella's eyes. He smiled at her.
And took her breath away. Their fingers tangled together.
"We have much to celebrate," Sergio pointed out. "We defeated an invasion, brought justice to a rogue, overcame the curse, and banished the entity. Not bad for a single day's work." He bent to kiss his wife, right there in front of everyone.
"Betto, go get the priest and bring him to me," Nicolai ordered. Unable to keep his hands from Isabella, he buried his hands in her hair to drag her head back, giving him access to her soft, inviting mouth. He felt desperate, disoriented without that part of him that had always been. But her mouth was hot with promise, with temptation, as she met him kiss for kiss, oblivious of their interested audience.
At last, when Nicolai lifted his head, Isabella smiled at him, her heart shining in her eyes. "I think it's over," she said. "I don't think we need the priest, Nicolai."
Nicolai groaned and pulled her back against his aching body. "Believe me, Isabella, we need that priest immediately."
"I should say so." Sarina was scandalized. What did spirits and lions and the ground opening matter? Propriety was important in front of the servants. "Betto, get him at once! And, Isabella, come out of the rain this minute!"
Isabella glanced down at her wet gown, showing entirely too much beneath the now nearly transparent material. "I'm getting married now, like this?"
Nicolai bent his head to hers, his mouth inches from hers. "I'm giving you a bambino tonight, wed or not. If you prefer unwed and an audience..." he added wickedly.
Isabella tried to look scandalized, but she couldn't copy Sarina's expression. Happiness was blossoming, the realization that she had a future with the man she loved. She leaned close to him and tilted her head to look up at him. "Unwed is fine, Nicolai, and if we must wait much longer..." There was pure seduction in her voice.
His eyes glinted at her for a long moment. He raked a hand through his hair in agitation, making it wilder than ever. "Betto!" he roared it, ever the lion. "Where is that priest?"
RAVE REVIEWS FOR NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR CHRISTINE FEEHAN!
THE SCARLETTI CURSE
"The characters and twists in this book held me on the edge of my seat the whole time I read it. If you've enjoyed Ms. Feehan's previous novels, you will surely be captivated by this step into the world of Gothic romance.... Once again, Ms. Feehan does not disappoint!"
--Under the Covers Book Reviews
DARK GUARDIAN
"This book has it all and then some. A true keeper!"
--Romantic Times
DARK LEGEND
"Vampire romance at its best!"
--Romantic Times
DARK FIRE
"If you are looking for something that is fun and different, then I recommend you pick up a copy of this book."
--All About Romance
DARK CHALLENGE
"The exciting and multifaceted world that impressive author Christine Feehan has created continues to improve with age. By introducing this new band of Carpathians, she is setting the stage for more exhilarating adventures to come."
--Romantic Times
MORE PRAISE FOR AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR CHRISTINE FEEHAN!
DARK MAGIC
"With each book Ms. Feehan continues to build a complex society that makes for mesmerizing reading."
--Romantic Times
DARK GOLD
"The third in Christine Feehan's Carpathian series is her best to date. Dark Gold is imbued with passion, danger, and supernatural thrills."
--Romantic Times
DARK DESIRE
"A very well-written, entertaining story that I highly recommend."
--Under the Covers Book Reviews
DARK PRINCE
"For lovers of vampire romances, this one is a keeper.... I had a hard time putting the book down.... Don't miss this book!"
--New-Age Bookshelf
Books by Christine Feehan
Dark Nights
Dark Dream
Dark Prince
Dark Desire
Dark Gold
Dark Magic
Dark Challenge
Dark Fire
Dark Legend
Dark Guardian
Dark Symphony
Dark Descent
Dark Melody
Dark Destiny
Dark Hunger
Dark Secret
Dark Demon
Dark Celebration
Dark Possession
Dark Curse
Dark Slayer
Dark Peril
Wild Rain
Burning Wild
Wild Fire
Magic in the Wind
The Twilight Before Christmas Oceans of Fire
Dangerous Tides
Safe Harbor
Turbulent Sea
Hidden Currents
Waterbound
Shadow Game
Mind Game
Night Game
Conspiracy Game
Deadly Game
Predatory Game
Murder Game
Street Game
Lair of the Lion
The Scarletti Curse
Copyright
LAIR OF THE LION. Copyright (c) 2002 by Christine Feehan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition (c) May 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-201649-2
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