“You were very uncomfortable,” she observed.
“It is long since I’ve been inside a house for any length of time,” he conceded. “I felt the more time I was in the company of the prince, the more danger I exposed him to. Even with his hunters gathered around him, and they are some of the best, they have never experienced this kind of threat to him. I can tell them what the
Sange rau
is like, but until they actually witness one in action, they’ll never really understand.”
Tatijana’s eyebrow shot up. “You believe the threat is to the prince, then. Not the children?”
“Of course. Don’t you?” Fen chose a route that would take them even farther up the mountain. More than anything, he needed to be with Tatijana and just savor every moment alone with her that he could have.
The night sky glittered with stars, although darker clouds floated lazily, occasionally blocking out the sparkling diamonds overhead. “If they kill Mikhail, the little prince at the age of two is far too young. His daughter might be able to take his place, but if not, there is no vessel for power. If you wish to wipe out Carpathians, the best way to do so would be to kill the prince now while his heir is young and vulnerable.”
“His brother? Jacques?”
Fen shrugged. He threaded his fingers more comfortably through hers and brought her hand to his heart as they walked. Her hand felt small in his and made him feel all the more protective over her. “Maybe. Not all those in a lineage make good leaders. I know little about his brother, but Jacques is as protective over his brother as Gregori is and that tells me Jacques does not believe he can lead our people.”
“Or does not want to,” Tatijana added thoughtfully.
He glanced down at her, amazed that such a beautiful woman could be his. She moved with fluid grace, in complete silence. She fit into his body so perfectly. He was aware of everything about her. Her breasts moved beneath her shirt, a delicate enticement he’d never noticed on another woman. Her hips swayed gently, and the stars seemed to have settled in her eyes. The wind teased her long hair, trying hard to loosen it from the long thick coil she bound the mass of silk with.
His heart felt lighter than it ever had. He could hear the blood coursing in his veins. His teeth were sharp, and the need to taste his woman was nearly overpowering. With that hunger came rising lust, sharp and terrible yet tempered with such an intense love for her, he knew she was safe. Just walking with her up in the mountains, far from everyone else, he felt as if they were the only ones in the world. The beauty of the night and their surroundings seemed to have been crafted for them alone.
They followed a deer path winding upward through the thick stands of trees. So many varieties of trees, branches reaching upward for the dark, midnight blue sky. The forest was thickest here. Higher, the tree line became more scraggly as the mountain jutted toward the sky. Fog rolled around the upper mountain range, closing it off almost permanently from below. The white veil looked much like a cloud formation, as if the mountain simply disappeared into the heavens.
He inhaled the scent of brush, flowers and trees. The vegetation making up the forest floor had its own distinct odor. Wildlife was abundant. This was home to him as both Lycan and Carpathian, yet it was the scent of the woman walking with him that made him feel most at home. She crept into his heart, filled his mind with her brightness and found a way to make him forget every bad thing he’d ever done or seen.
The world around him took on her beauty. Deep, vivid colors he hadn’t seen in so long he didn’t remember them ever being so vibrant. The leaves rustling in the trees took on hues from a deep forest green to a particularly beautiful shade of silver. Ribbons of water bubbled over winding paths of rock, streamers of shiny diamonds cutting their way downhill to feed the large marshes.
He was content with just walking with her. His body might demand more, and the Carpathian male in him had such a drive to bind her to him that it shocked him, but none of that mattered. Not when she accompanied him and listened to the wealth of information the wind provided just as he was. For the first time in his life he felt he belonged somewhere. He found the ability to want her, that constant demand coursing through his bloodstream, the roar in his ears and drum beating in his pulse only added to the serenity of the moment. Feeling physical need and hunger for her in itself was a miracle.
Tatijana looked up at Fen. The moonlight spilled over him, illuminating every rugged feature, the lines etched deep, his unusual eyes and strong jaw. He looked more Lycan than Carpathian with the moon pulling at his wild side. She found him irresistible with his blend of elegant, charming Carpathian with old world manners and the much rougher, feral, dangerous wolf lurking just under the surface.
He looked the ultimate predator. There was no hiding the wolf blood, not under the moon. She knew if she could see it, so could other wolves. Still, the wildness in him made him that much more appealing to her. She knew Carpathian males were dominant and their counterparts in the Lycan society had to be as well, yet his dominance was tempered with restraint. Fen knew what she needed—freedom.
He accepted her just the way she was. He didn’t try to mold her into anything different. She found she wanted his company and his sense of humor. He didn’t reveal himself to anyone else, and that made her feel special. He clearly would protect her with his life and he made her feel precious, cherished even. It was in the way he looked at her. The touch of his hand, the tone of his voice, and there, in the thoughts he couldn’t hide from her.
She’d been restless since she’d awakened from her long, healing hibernation, looking for something, but she hadn’t known what. She’d thought it was information, but it hadn’t been so mundane. She’d known almost from the first time she’d entered the tavern at the edge of the woods. She’d been drawn back time and again even though she tried to fight the compulsion. She’d known it was Fen. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She couldn’t stop dancing for him, trying to get his attention. She’d avoided asking herself why, but deep down, she’d known he was her lifemate.
She hadn’t wanted him, fearing his dominance, but something had changed inside of her. Whatever wall she’d built up had come tumbling down when she watched him fight for his brother, for her and for Zev. He had placed himself in harm’s way knowing the consequences, but he’d been unflinching. He hadn’t once chastised her, and he seemed to value her opinions and abilities.
He fascinated her. Everything about him fascinated her. She found herself slipping more and more into his mind. He never closed himself off from her, no matter what memories she examined. She knew his newfound emotions could be intensely painful when he recalled the death of his friends. His Carpathian unemotional nature had protected him to some extent, now he was wide open to every feeling, a flood of them all at once.
Fen didn’t flinch from his memories. He met them head-on. He processed the sorrow and moved on. He held tight to her in his mind, and that made her feel as if he truly needed her. He didn’t ask for anything from her though. Not a single thing. She could feel the need and hunger beating at him, but he never tried to make her feel guilty. In fact, he fully supported her decision. The problem was . . . she wasn’t at all certain about her decision anymore. She’d changed her mind. He was her lifemate and there seemed little reason to avoid the claiming. She would follow him no matter what happened, claimed or unclaimed. She knew that her commitment to him was already there.
The scent of flowers hit Fenris as they approached a large open meadow. He tightened his fingers around Tatijana’s. She felt small to him, fragile even, yet he knew a core of steel ran through his lady. He enjoyed the way they walked in step together. She fit perfectly with him, not just her height, but her mind, the way she seemed to pour into every dark place, wiping out the battles and the hunting and the destroying of childhood friends. She seemed to be able to bridge the cracks in his soul from too many kills.
Fen’s eyes widened. “Night star flower. Did you know they were here? I haven’t seen them in centuries. As far as I know they don’t grow anywhere else.”
The blossom was large, shaped like a star, but the petals and texture were much like a lily. The inside filaments were striped and the ovary was ruby red. The stigma was definitely a perfect replica of the male organ, large and erect. The flower was beautiful beyond belief and the scent seemed to burst over both of them.
Tatijana blushed. “The fertility flower. My understanding is the flower was brought back from South America by Gary Jansen, a human researcher. He and Gregori are very close friends. He’s done so much for our people, and this flower is thought to have been part of one of those rituals needed to aid in producing children. Gary did so much research and he found references to this flower several times and he began looking for it. He was the one who found a reference to it on a volcanic range in South America.”
Lara had given both Tatijana and Branislava as much information as she could about what was happening in the Carpathian world each rising that she came to give blood before she had returned to South America with her lifemate. Sara had taken over until she got pregnant, and then it was Falcon who gave them blood and snippets of knowledge.
“The ritual is beautiful,” Fen said.
Tatijana slipped between two rows of the milky white flower. “The scent is intoxicating.”
“It’s meant to be,” Fen said. “Every ritual between lifemates only brings them closer together.”
“I want to try it, Fen,” Tatijana said. She made it a casual statement, but there was nothing casual about her prompting. She wanted to perform the fertility ceremony with him. She’d never thought about bringing a child into the world, not after her horrendous childhood, but the thought of a boy with Fen’s nature and character made her long for things she didn’t have. She could feel her body reacting to the stimulating scent.
“It smells like you,” she added.
He stayed very still as if his body might shatter if he moved. “Each blossom takes on the scent of one’s lifemate, enhancing the addiction to their taste and smell.” He looked as if he were made of stone. “This could be very dangerous, Tatijana.”
Fen’s voice dropped low. Husky. Velvet soft. Oh, yeah, the fragrance rising from the field of flowers affected him just as much as they did her. He actually looked strained.
“We are lifemates, Fen,” she reminded, placing one hand on his chest. She stepped close to him so that her scent enveloped him along with the blossoms. She was blatantly seducing him and she realized she wanted him with every breath in her body.
“You persist in thinking I’m strong, Tatijana. When it comes to you, that is not so.” He shook his head, but he didn’t step away from her. She could feel the beat of his heart and hear the blood rushing through his veins. His body betrayed him, hard as a rock, his skin hot with need. Even his teeth had sharpened.
“What do I do?” Tatijana asked with a little satisfied smile. This man was her man.
Hers.
Her eyes met his, a little shy. A little tempting. Completely sensual.
Fen knew there was no way to resist her. In truth, he didn’t want to. If there was a woman made for silk sheets and long nights, he was certain it was Tatijana.
He selected a blossom, picked it and cupped it in his hands, lifting it up to her mouth, his gaze holding hers captive. “Taste it.”
Tatijana, gaze locked with his, slowly took the sexy blossom and stroked her tongue along the bulbous head. Immediately her mouth watered with the addictive taste of spice and forest. Wild. Almost feral. A taste like nothing she’d ever experienced. Fen. Fenris Dalka, her lifemate. It was sex and sin and the ultimate temptation all rolled into one.
She couldn’t stop herself from licking along the stigma, determined to get every drop. Clearly the taste had taken on that of her lifemate. She kept her eyes on Fen, hunger for him growing with every passing moment. The fertility ritual wasn’t going to be nearly enough for her. Fenris Dalka was going to claim her this night.
She couldn’t honestly say when she’d changed her mind. Maybe it was his care of his brother. She knew it wasn’t just the pull between lifemates; she liked him, even enjoyed his company, preferred it to being alone. Everything about him appealed to her, when she thought he would be the last thing she wanted.
Even the soft velvet petals seemed to hold his scent. There was no way to control her desire, not for his taste and not for him. Hunger grew with every drop she consumed. The more she drew that spicy nectar into her mouth, the more she craved Fen. When she’d managed to get every single drop, she licked her lips.
“Now what?” Her breath came in little ragged, needy gasps. She knew he could scent her siren’s call. Her heart found the rhythm of his and pulsed in time to that strong, steady beat. Deep in her veins, a distinct throbbing began, a drumbeat of need and hunger only he could assuage.
Even as she asked the question, she instinctively cupped her hands around the bloom and offered it to him. She could barely breathe, watching the way he took the blossom from her as if it was the most sacred thing in the world. His soft groan sent a shiver down her spine, and deep inside she felt her body turn hot and needy.
Eyes still holding hers captive, Fen lowered his head to the fragrant petals, nuzzling them with his strong jaw before dipping lower, his tongue stroking sensuously along the ovaries and filaments.
She couldn’t tear her gaze from him. It was the hottest, sexiest thing she’d ever experienced. Her breasts actually ached and she could feel the welcoming liquid gathering at the junction of her legs. In that moment, watching him devouring the nectar, his eyes burning over and into her, she realized there was no going back from this, nor would she want to.
Fenris was her lifemate. Pure and simple. She wanted him to complete the binding ritual. She felt her heart was already his. Clearly her body wanted his. She could taste him in her mouth, but she needed their souls bound together in the way of their people.