Her fingers tightened around Fen’s. He could feel her eagerness.
A celebration. A party. I can visit with Natalya and get to know her. Bronnie might even rise for this. She’s not as outgoing as I am. She’s a better warrior, but she’s shy around so many people. I’m afraid she won’t ever come out of the earth.
Tatijana smiled at him.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was music? Dancing? I love dancing.
“Will it be safe for everyone with two of the
Sange rau
so close? And a werewolf pack?” Natalya asked.
“I doubt if even Abel would be crazy enough to attack the Carpathians when all are present,” Mikhail said. “But we will certainly hold our celebration in a safe, well-defensible place and have safeguards.”
Natalya and Tatijana smiled at each other. Above their heads, Vikirnoff and Fen sent one another a quick grin.
“It’s settled then,” Mikhail said. “Next rising, we’ll have a little fun.”
14
R
ain had fallen during the daylight hours, but that steady fall had only freshened the night air so that colors appeared vivid and clean. Leaves on the trees shimmered as Fen and Tatijana walked through the forest together toward the cave where the celebration was to be held. Fen found himself looking around him in a kind of wonder as if everything was new and he’d never seen it before.
Walking hand in hand with Tatijana always made him feel amazing, somebody—a family man. She would always know him like no other, and yet for him, he knew she would be a mystery he would take centuries to try to solve. How could one woman wipe out centuries of utter loneliness? How could she take away all the deaths, the friends he’d had to kill?
He walked with her slowly, savoring every step. Moss grew in chartreuse and lime curls up the tree trunks and over stones. He marveled he could distinguish the difference between the colors. The sky was so clear it appeared midnight blue, the scattered stars a wondrous collection of thousands of gems sparkling overhead. As they passed scattered bunches of flowers, Tatijana’s sandal-covered feet skirting the edges of the beds, the night flowers unfolded their petals in tribute to her.
“You’re magical, my lady,” he said. “Absolutely magical.”
Tatijana moved closer to him, fitting beneath his shoulder. “There’s nothing magical about me, wolf man, but I’m glad you think there is.”
He brought her fingers to the warmth of his mouth. She looked especially beautiful, dressed in a long flowing gown for dancing, just in case, she’d told him laughingly. She was definitely dancing tonight even if he was the one providing the music.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t persuade your sister to come with us,” Fen said. She’d tried hard to talk Branislava into rising just for a few hours, but to no avail. Tatijana had accepted her sister’s decision, but she’d been disappointed. She missed her. He could feel that ache in her growing.
“She’ll come out in her own good time. She’s much fiercer than I am in a lot of ways, and yet she’s always had a difficult time talking to others. Xavier, our father, really worked at keeping us afraid and under his thumb. He had a lot of psychological tricks. Bronnie always tried to shield me and she got the worst of everything.”
“She was genuinely happy for you. Finding your lifemate. I could feel it,” Fen said.
“She would be. She’s like that. She may still come tonight. She didn’t exactly say no. Bronnie does things her way. She wants to see Natalya and Razvan, that’s my nephew, Natalya’s brother. I told Bronnie I didn’t think Razvan was close by, but just getting to know Natalya is a priceless gift.”
They slowed their steps as they approached the edge of the forest, just at the base of the mountain, drawing out their time alone together.
“I gave her as much information on the rogue packs, elite hunters, Mikhail’s concerns and everything else I could think of when she asked for it,” Fen said. “She was adamant that I give her my blood.”
“I expected her to insist,” Tatijana said. “She’s protective of me. All we had was each other for centuries.” She gave him a little nervous half smile. “Do you really think I look all right?”
She had dressed with such care and changed her mind twice before settling on the long gown. She’d put her thick hair in a long braid and then put it up in an intricate knot. She’d taken that down and now it was partly up and partly down, in a knot but with loops of braids.
“You look so beautiful you take my breath away,” he said sincerely. “You have no need to be nervous tonight, Tatijana. No one can hold a candle to you.”
He was surprised at her vulnerability. She’d never really shown that side of herself before. She fought the rogue pack with him, stood up to Gregori and entered the sacred cave of warriors fully prepared to do battle on his behalf. She had even seemed sure of herself in the tavern, dancing and ignoring the rough crowd. Now, going to a celebration with her fellow Carpathians, she was anxious.
He slipped his arm around her, halting her, tipping up her chin so he could look into her brilliant ever-changing eyes. “I love you very much,
sívamet
. I would never want another woman . . .”
“Of course not, because I’m your lifemate.”
He shook his head. “Silly woman. I fell in love with you long before I claimed you. It’s impossible not to love you when I’m in your mind and see your kindness and compassion. When I see who you really are at your very core. I’m more than honored that you’re my lifemate, but my love for you is all consuming. My heart and soul, my mind and body, all belong to you.”
He slipped his palm around her neck, his thumb tipping her head up to his. Her eyes, so startling green, looked like deep pools of emerald. “I know this sounds silly to say out loud, Tatijana, but you take my breath away.”
Her lips curved into a smile, beautiful beyond his wildest imagination. Her lower lip was perfect, inviting, a temptation he couldn’t ignore. He bent his head to hers, brushing small, light kisses over her chin and up to the corner of her irresistible mouth. He teased her lower lip, drawing it into his mouth, tasting the sweetness of her, before settling his mouth over hers.
He was gentle, tender even, something he hadn’t known he could be. When he kissed her, the world seemed to stand still. Time simply stopped. She became the entirety of his world. The texture of her skin, the cool feel of it against the heat of his. The silk of her hair falling around her face and brushing his. His hand seemed so large framing her face, as he deepened the kiss, stroking her neck with the pads of his fingers.
He found himself lost in her taste. In the rising passion between them. Love was in his kiss. How could it not be when she was truly everything? He kissed her again and again, reluctant to stop. “I could kiss you forever,” he admitted.
Tatijana reached up with her slender arms and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him one more time. “I love kissing you. Kissing forever sounds like a good idea.”
“But . . .” He heard that laughter in her voice.
“We’ll miss the party and I want to dance. I really, really want to dance.”
“More than kiss?” Fen raised his eyebrow and looked as stern as possible, daring her to choose the wrong answer.
“I was hoping for both,” Tatijana admitted. “I’m very good at multitasking.”
“Very diplomatic. You also think on your feet. I’m going to have to work to stay ahead of you.” He took her hand. “Come on. We won’t miss the party.”
“Is Dimitri coming tonight?” Tatijana asked as she walked with him.
Fen let out a sigh. “Dimitri hasn’t claimed his lifemate and he’s very close to the edge. We knew some time ago that over the last few centuries our blood exchanges from the battles we shared with vampires had begun the change in him. The change can ease the terrible toll of the centuries of darkness and the constant whispered temptation, but Dimitri has emotions and colors restored.”
“But doesn’t knowing he has a lifemate help? And he has his emotions and color back.”
“You would think so,” Fen said, “but it can drive a Carpathian male mad. The centuries close in on you, all those deaths, all that darkness and still no light to guide your way. For some time now, Dimitri has had the infusion of my blood as well, but not enough to change him—just enough to add to the fight he’s had.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t think any of us understand, Tatijana, it’s imprinted in our DNA. Our men are driven to find and bind our mates to us. It’s primal. The drive is very strong and we don’t like other men around our woman, especially if she is unclaimed. Modern society and the fact that many of our lifemates are another species have added to the danger of waiting.”
She sighed. “Before becoming your lifemate, I only had Bronnie to worry about. Now I have relatives as well.”
He laughed. “I never thought about it like that.” He gestured toward the cave. “I think you have far more relatives than I do.”
She started laughing as well. “Uh-oh. Relatives. I’ve probably got a lot more than either of us know. We may have to run from all this.”
He leaned down to kiss her again just because she looked so radiant there in the night. Her skin looked flawless, her mouth generous, seductive, oh, so alluring he couldn’t possibly resist her.
“I think kissing you while dancing is a very good idea, my lady,” he murmured when he lifted his head. “Are you certain you don’t just want to have a private dance right here?”
Tatijana laughed. “We’re just feet from the entrance. I’m certain eventually someone will come along.”
“We’ll be doing them a favor, properly educating them in the ways of love,” Fen persisted with another stolen kiss.
“You are going to properly dance with me,” she said.
He laughed and took her hand, walking her right up to the cliff side of the mountain. The cave entrance was narrow, a mere crack between two jutting boulders. Carpathians had no trouble slipping through to the wider corridor leading down to the well-lit chamber where the gathering was being held. Torches were lit high up along the cathedral ceilings, casting glowing, dancing lights around the enormous chamber. Steam rose from a warm pool in one corner of the room where water spilled from a series of cracks in the wall above it.
The sound of children laughing tugged at Fen. He hadn’t been around a Carpathian child in centuries. His heart did a curious somersault the moment he walked into the room and saw two identical twin girls playing with a little boy near a miniature playhouse inside of a jungle gym for toddlers. Another little boy with a riot of chestnut curls hurried over to the other three, a bucket in his hand. Wolf cubs followed the four children everywhere they went.
Several older children were grouped together around a fire pit, their eyes bright as an adult male told them a story. The boy who looked the oldest wrapped his arm around the youngest little girl when she gasped and drew back at whatever the storyteller said. The sight brought back memories of his youth, when Carpathians gathered together and stories were a big part of the night entertainment.
He hadn’t realized then how much history was being handed down to him. It was only later when he needed information on fighting vampires or suddenly he’d remember how an ancestor had flown between two close rocks that he realized the stories had been a way to teach him. Clearly that tradition was still in place.
Tatijana slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, her body sliding closer to his as if for protection, bringing his attention back to her. Most of the adults in the room turned to look at them as they entered. The atmosphere was welcoming and celebratory. That also felt familiar to him, the faded memory suddenly leaping to the surface. Carpathians had taken many opportunities to come together for a night of fun.
“I’m so glad you came,” Mikhail greeted them. He had his arm around a short woman with clouds of dark hair and unusual, almost violet eyes. “This is Raven, my lifemate. My son, Alexandru, is over there.” He gestured toward the toddler playground. “Raven, you remember Tatijana, of course, and this is Fenris Dalka, Dimitri’s older brother.”
“Tatijana,” Raven exclaimed, holding out both hands. She also wore a long gown that swirled around her curvy figure. “You look lovely tonight.”
“She’s hoping for dancing,” Fen said.
“So am I,” Raven admitted.
“Thank you, Raven,” Tatijana answered. “I’m so glad you thought of this. I love the entire idea of the community coming together for a party.”
“I thought we all could use a little fun after . . .” She trailed off and looked at Mikhail.
He shrugged. “You can say it, we got our butts kicked.”
“You’ve been saying it often enough to Gregori,” Raven teased. “He so loves to tweak our son-in-law.”
“It’s good for him,” Mikhail was unrepentant.
Raven just laughed, her hand sliding down Mikhail’s arm to his wrist in an intimate gesture. She turned to Fen. “I wanted to thank you for tracking the rogue pack. We would have been in far worse shape if it wasn’t for you.”
“I’m glad I ran across them,” Fen said honestly. He looked at Tatijana. “I might have missed meeting my lifemate.”
Raven laughed. “I honestly think if it’s meant to happen, it does. Fate or destiny must put us on the right path. When I came out here all those years ago on my own, just to get away, I never dreamed I’d meet a man like Mikhail. He was very intimidating to a woman who knew nothing about Carpathians.”
Tatijana joined in her laughter. “He can still be intimidating when he wants.”
“Not so much to me anymore,” Raven said. “Come meet our daughter, Savannah. She’s lifemate to Gregori. Our two adorable granddaughters are right over there, and they definitely have their daddy wrapped around those little fingers of theirs.”
The love and affection for her family was obvious in her expression, her tone of voice and the tenderness in her eyes when she looked at them. Fen turned to see Gregori scoop up a little girl just as she made a daring leap from a slide to the top of the playhouse.
“Isä”
—
father
. She scowled at him, yet somehow managed to pout at the same time. “I coulda made it.”