"Feehan Turns up the Intensity with Gregori's Story"
Christine Feehan turns up the intensity once more with
DARK
MAGIC, the much-awaited story of Gregori "The Dark
One". When
we last left San Francisco (DARK GOLD), Aidan Savage was
hard at work
eliminating the vampire threat to his territory, and
Gregori
had retreated to his lair high in the hills to await the
coming of his lifemate, Savannah Dubrinsky the daughter of
Raven and the Carpathian Prince Mikhail. Ordinarily a female Carpathian can be claimed by her
lifemate in her eighteenth year. Gregori had walked the
edge for so long that his situation was critical. Still
Savannah had protested his claim, for she'd believed that
life with the darkest, most powerful of the Carpathian
males, would stifle her independent nature. She would not
take a lifemate or be a brood mare for her race. She had
fled to America to escape her heritage and Gregori,
commingling with humans in a desperate bid for
independence. Though Gregori had often disdained his
friends' indulgent behavior toward their lifemates,
particularly when it put their lives in danger, his guilt
over manipulating Savannah's chemistry to ensure their
bond, persuaded him to allow her a period of freedom before
he lays claim to her. The five years he's allotted her have passed, and Gregori
knows well that he can wait no longer. The beast is growing
within him daily. Savannah has arrived. Gregori slips
unseen into her magic performance. She is mesmerizing. He
is bombarded with emotions so new that he is scarcely able
to control them. Not the usual state of affairs for the
ancient and powerful Carpathian. He is particularly
floored by the jealousy he feels at the most innocent touch
given her by another male. He is so caught up in emotion
that for the first time in his one thousand year existence
the great hunter fails to register the presence of a
vampire in their midst. Gregori's decision to give Savannah her head had made her
vulnerable. An unclaimed female of their race seldom
escapes the notice of single males including those who have
already turned. If fact the lost ones are perhaps even more
desperate. Savannah's assistant and closest friend Peter
is brutally murdered before her eyes trying to protect her
from the undead. Gregori intervenes in time to save
Savannah, but now she must come under his protection. This
is something Savannah refuses to do. Gregori forces her to
his will. Not a promising beginning to their relationship. Now that Gregori has her in his care he cannot control his
desire for her. Has he waited too long after all? Savannah
is afraid and refuses his attentions but Gregori is too far
gone, in the red haze of his need he will stop at nothing
to possess her. She is innocent. His possession is brutal.
Only one such as Gregori could retain enough sensibility to
attempt to save his lifemate as he slips over the edge of
sanity. In one last bid to spare her, he begs her to end
his existence at his most vulnerable moment. Though
physically hurt and terrified by Gregori's uncharacteristic
behavior, Savannah realizes that nothing could cause her
more pain than his death. Instead the courageous fledging
digs deep inside for a way to bring him back from the brink
of corruption, a feat unheard of in their world. Once a
Carpathian has turned nothing can be done to save his soul
except to destroy him. Gregori's actions have only added to his guilt and shame,
he can do no other than to complete the ritual in order to
keep both humans and immortals safe from the beast within
him. Gregori's punishment is to know that he is not
Savannah's true lifemate, that some other Carpathian male
may be suffering, perhaps turning, because of his
manipulations, and that Savannah will never be able to love
him. Savannah knows otherwise, for as his lifemate she
has "walked" in his mind undetected. She has seen the
darkness, the lonely emptiness of his life and has taken on
his pain. He is hers. Yet she has great difficulty obeying
his edicts. If she must accept her fate then she would be a
partner, not a protected and coddled puppet. Gregori has
yet to realize that he cannot protect her from the dark
side of his existence. For though he keeps her safely
locked away during times of danger, her presence in his
mind allows her to experience the terror of his battles
while she is helpless to aid him. The publicity surrounding the murder of Savannah's friend
has drawn the attention of a very tenacious reporter. He is
a member of the vampire hunting society, which had been
responsible for the murder of Mikhail's sister Noelle and
later her son, and for the torture of his brother Jacques.
Gregori uses himself as bait and obtains information vital
to the protection of their race. The pair invade the
regional headquarters of the society destroying data and
two of the vampire's human puppets. The vampire has not
corrupted a third society member. He is Gary Jansen the
scientist who had developed the tranquilizer that has been
altered to make a poison strong enough to paralyze a
Carpathian. He had been curious to learn of vampires, to
study them. He had never intended them harm. Now having
met "the real thing" he is determined to help Gregori and
Savannah find the ringleader, the evil vampire who calls
himself Morrison. The vendetta is a personal thing for Gregori. He does not
want to bring risk to Aidan's family. They must leave this
place to draw the undead away from Aidan's home. To
Gregori's dismay Savannah suggests New Orleans, a vampire
hotbed. Gregori the great one is having a difficult time
refusing Savannah anything. In New Orleans, local legend appears to be a clue to the
master's whereabouts. The trio discovers that they are
dealing with a cunning and powerful vampire. He has
escaped detection for centuries, even under the watchful
eye of Julian Savage, Aidan's twin, who has a residence
here. Has Gregori finally met his match? Will Savannah
have at last have the opportunity to prove her value to
Gregori? Will the fate of the most powerful of all the
Carpathians lie in the hands of a mere human? Well my friends you'll just have to read the book and see,
and I highly recommend that you do. Though the beginning of
this story is very dark, there are quite a number of
amusing moments. Savannah is determined to develop
Gregori's sense of humor, and dares to tease him,
frequently. Gregori for his part despairs over his "silly"
behavior in indulging his lifemates whims. By no means is
this saga ended. Julian has been reintroduced and his
story is next. A hint of his lifemate has been mentioned
in Dark Magic, see if you recognize her. Copyright 2000
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted September 6, 2001
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