No, of course not, Nicolae said comfortingly.
Mikhail immediately regained control, forcing a small smile. The last thing he wanted to do was make Destiny uncomfortable. Fighting vampires to her was as natural as breathing. She would have a difficult time understanding why he was considering throttling Gregori.
I had every intention of telling you, but I came home to a battle. I didn't think in the midst of getting my hand cut off that it would be a good time to say, «Oh, and by the way, Savannah was out slaying vampires.»
I am considering chopping off your head. You will tell me every detail when we are alone. And don't whine about your hand, it is perfectly fine now.
I take no responsibility for the way you raised your headstrong daughter. I do my best to minimize the damage you and Raven did with your liberal and far too lenient raising.
Mikhail nearly choked. «That son-in-law is going to get taught a lesson he won't forget tonight. Liberal and lenient? I was firm with my daughter.» Mikhail waved to Destiny and left with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Destiny frowned, trying to follow the conversation. «Did you understand any of that?»
«I think he was arguing with Gregori over whether or not Savannah was raised properly.» Nicolae turned as MaryAnn Delaney and Skyler came into the room. Skyler was dressed in her furred parka, and MaryAnn reached for her own coat. MaryAnn was tall and slender with coffee-cream skin and spiraling curls all over her head. Even dressed in her jeans, she looked far too sophisticated for the woods. Small diamonds sparkled on her earlobes and a thin gold chain circled her neck.
«We're really going to do this?» MaryAnn asked, following the others outside. «Go chop down a tree in the middle of the forest?»
«Are you going to be a big baby? It's not that cold,» Nicolae teased. «Didn't you ever have a Christmas tree back in Seattle?»
«Of course I have, but I buy my trees in a civilized manner, you heathen,» MaryAnn said. «At the corner right down from my house. And in fact, they deliver them for me each year because my car is too small to get them home.»
«Are they always like this?» Skyler asked Destiny.
«They get worse,» she answered, drawing the door closed behind them.
«And you don't mind? I thought lifemates were jealous all the time.»
Destiny frowned as she made her way across the snow-covered ground. «Is Francesca jealous of Gabriel's friendships?»
«He isn't really all that friendly. Just with Lucian and Jaxon, and he treats Jaxon like his sister. Well, he's good to the housekeeper, but not like Francesca, and he doesn't really like very many men around her.» She shrugged. «Earlier, I was with Dimitri and he was being nice to me, but then Josef came along and he changed completely. I was afraid for Josef.»
«Jealousy isn't a good trait,» MaryAnn said, pulling her hood over her curls. «It shows insecurity.»
«Ah but sometimes, when other men look at my woman the wrong way,» Nicolae said, leering at Destiny, «they deserve to be scared off.»
MaryAnn threw a snowball at him. «You would say that because you haven't joined the modern world.»
«And I don't want to either. I like being king of my castle.»
Destiny snorted and added her snowball to MaryAnn's. «You wish.»
Manolito moved in absolute silence through the trees. The heartbeats were louder now, thunder in his ears. He could hear blood running, coursing through arteries straight to hearts. His mouth watered and his teeth lengthened. His pulse throbbed as it tuned itself to his prey. Lightning seemed to sizzle in his veins. He tried to reach for Rafael and Riordan, a last effort to remember honor and sanity, but he could not make the effort.
The heartbeats pounded and a single sound broke the rhythm. Laughter. It tinkled in the air, a melodious note that sank into his pores-called to the most basic part of him. Deep within, his demon roared, fighting for release, raking and clawing, demanding he give in. That sound came again, carried on the slight wind, drifting past the snowflakes to reach out to him, to beckon-no-summon him. He turned toward that note and moved with more stealth. He caught the scent now. Three women and a man-not just any man-a hunter. A warrior. He should walk away, get out while he could, but his demon thundered orders, shaking him, demanding he find prey.
A slow hiss escaped. His body was graceful, the body of an ancient hunter who had long battled the vampire and was highly skilled in combat. He moved with the drift of snow, part of nature itself, transparent and fluid, as silent as the flakes falling from the clouds.
Skyler pulled her parka closer around her and looked out toward the deeper forest. The world was white and sparkling, snow weighing down the branches of the trees in all directions. Off in the distance she could see the smoke coming from the direction of the inn. She shivered for no reason at all.
«It's beautiful out here, don't you think?» MaryAnn remarked.
Skyler nodded. «Very beautiful-but dangerous.»
«And cold,» MaryAnn added. «I'm not like the others. I can't regulate my body temperature like they can. Even you do better than I do. And I'm not a particularly adventurous person.»
«I love the forest and even the cold. There's something about knowing wild animals are close and everything around me is in its natural state.» Even as she admitted it, Skyler's gaze was searching out the darker interior of the woods.
MaryAnn shuddered. «I can see you love this, child, but I'm a city girl. And I'm totally out of my element here. I have to tell you, if any of these men were my man, I'd be bashing him upside the head-and I'm a woman who doesn't condone violence.»
Skyler swung her full attention back to MaryAnn, laughing. «I think that's a good idea. I'm going to tell Francesca that's what she needs to do whenever Gabriel gets bossy.»
«It's definitely what Destiny needs to do with that bossy man she's hooked up with,» MaryAnn said decisively.
«I heard that,» Nicolae said. He pitched a snowball at MaryAnn with deadly accuracy.
She laughed as it splattered against her shoulder. «You're so mean, Nicolae. You know I can't retaliate because my hands are frozen.»
«You are such a little hothouse flower,» Nicolae taunted. «And you couldn't hit me anyway. Your one try hit the tree three feet to my left.»
«Just call me Orchid. I thrive best in the warmth of the indoors. As for aim, I never could hit anything, not even a softball and I tried when I was a kid. What about you, Skyler, do you play sports?»
Skyler shook her head. «No. I'm not too good with other kids. Francesca homeschools me.»
«I could hit a rock with my eyes closed by the time I was fourteen,» Nicolae boasted. «That's what we played with in the old days.»
«Did you really?» Skyler was intrigued.
«Yes. We spent a great deal of time seeing who could feel a small attack coming and divert it before it hit. I was darn good at it too. I won't mention my brother, who excelled at it and slipped one or two past me to give me the occasional black eye.»
«All this manly beating on the chest is making me weak. I need to fly home soon to my beautiful Seattle,» MaryAnn said half-jokingly.
Destiny made a single sound of distress and reached for MaryAnn's hand. «You can't leave me.»
«You'll do fine, girlfriend. You know you will. You're strong and whole…»
«That's taking it a little too far,» Destiny said. «I'm never going to be like everyone else.»
«And no one wants you to be. You're Destiny and you're unique. Right, Skyler?» MaryAnn drew the girl into the conversation. «We wouldn't want Destiny to be any other way.»
«I like you just the way you are,» Skyler admitted shyly.
«I don't know what way I am,» Destiny whispered, gripping MaryAnn harder, as if she might be able to keep her in the Carpathian Mountains.
«You accept people the way they are,» Skyler said, her gaze too old, memories swirling
to the surface before she could stop them. «You just accept people.»
MaryAnn put her hand on Skyler's shoulder. «That's right, Destiny. She's right about you. You never ask anything of anyone and you don't expect them to be anything they're not. You're a very accepting person.»
«I'm not any different than the two of you,» Destiny objected.
MaryAnn blew out a trail of white vapor and watched it float away. «Yes, you are,» she said without meeting her friend's gaze. «I could never do what you've done. You have the courage to take on a man like Nicolae. I can't do that. I'll never do that. I intend to remain alone all of my life rather than chance being with someone who is dominating and possibly destructive.» She spread her hands out. «I don't want a man in my life and I always judge them too harshly.»
«If some handsome hottie came out of the forest and claimed you, you wouldn't accept him?» Skyler asked. «No matter how hot he was?»
MaryAnn shook her head. «Absolutely not. I would catch the first plane back to Seattle.»
«Lifemates don't always let you do the things you want,» Skyler murmured.
«Ha! Gregori promised his protection, and I'd hide in his house until I could get safely home. I would never, under any circumstances, live with a Carpathian male.»
«I feel the same way,» Skyler said, and looked out toward the forest, blinking back tears that were suddenly close.
The smile faded from MaryAnn's face as she looked at the other girl and really backtracked in their conversation. Skyler was fighting the pull of her lifemate, and with all the things MaryAnn now knew about their species, she knew it was difficult, if not impossible. «I was being humorous, Skyler,» she said softly. «Things we think are forever are often just a short space of time. I have no idea what I'd really do if a Carpathian man came out of the forest and claimed me. How could I really know?»
Skyler shook her head, tears swimming in her eyes in spite of her efforts to keep them at bay.
«Sweetheart,» MaryAnn's voice was infinitely gentle. «You feel that way now only because you haven't worked out all of your problems. You need to find out who you really are and what strengths you have. No one can get ahead of themselves and make decisions when they haven't given themselves time to grow. Have patience. Give yourself time to grow up. There's no hurry at all.»
Skyler ducked her head. If there was no hurry, why did she feel such a sense of urgency? Why did the woods beckon her every time she looked at them? The pull was strong to go find Dimitri. She hoped it was to tell him she couldn't be what he wanted, but she feared he
had already tied them in some way. She couldn't stop thinking about him, and worse, her body reacted when she did-and she detested her reaction. Heat spread through her veins, her breasts ached, and lower still, she felt damp and uncomfortable, tension building. She felt his hunger. His need. She felt his silent call to her, even though he tried to suppress his needs and keep a barrier between them. His blood called to her. She knew it was Dimitri. And she didn't want anything to do with a man or what that would entail.
«There's a likely candidate,» Nicolae said, pointing toward a particularly full tree. «We could do a lot with that.»
The tree was deeper in the woods, and Skyler hesitated to follow as the three adults raced each other across the snow, occasionally throwing a snowball at each other. She was filled with dread when she looked into the shadows. Something lurked there. Something dangerous. It watched them with hungry eyes. Watched and waited for one wrong move. She could feel the waves of menace, and didn't understand how Nicolae or Destiny couldn't feel it as well.
Skyler wanted to run back to the safety of the house, but that meant telling the others or going by herself. If she told the others and it was Dimitri, there would be problems between Gabriel and him again and she couldn't bear that. She'd already caused far too much trouble for both of them. And going back to the house alone was out of the question. She hurried after Destiny and MaryAnn, casting anxious glances toward the thick stand of trees.
For one horrible moment she thought she saw the fiery glow of eyes staring at her, tracking her every move. She blinked and the illusion was gone, but something was there. She was certain of it. And it was watching them with hungry eyes.
«Absolutely not. I would catch the first plane back to Seattle. Gregori promised his protection, and I'd hide in his house until I could get safely home. I would never, under any circumstances, live with a Carpathian male.» The feminine voice came to him quite clearly, each word distinct, carried on the night itself.
He was blinded. Dazzled by the brilliant white of the snow on the ground. His eyes failed him and he had to cover them, dropping to his knees to keep from crying out at the unexpected pain of such glaring brightness. Color blazed into life, like a living flame, so that he had to squeeze his eyelids shut, yet it still was there, absorbed by his mind. Vivid. Astonishing. Beautiful.
His breath left his lungs in a rush. He tried to look again, his fingers helping to shield against the brightness so he wouldn't be completely blind. There was color in the trees, not a dull gray, but green peeking beneath the coat of sparkling white. He was seeing in color. Elation swept through him. It was no wonder his demon was roaring to follow that
heartbeat, that melodious laughter.
The woman belonged to him. At last. After centuries of waiting. She was created for him, would be bound to him. He stood, swaying with the strength of the emotions pouring into him. It was overpowering to feel so much, every sense vividly alive. Every cell vividly alive. It was all there, every single emotion he could ever want. From lust to hunger, filling his mind, creating erotic images and testing the years of lost dreams and fantasies. His mouth watered as he thought of the taste of her, the texture of her skin. He had dreamed of her, needed her, and at long last, she was within his grasp.
Even as he moved quickly to catch her, her words sank in. Protected by Gregori. A soft growl escaped. She meant to elude him. To deny his claim on her. She was his by right, by law, by everything their world decreed, and he had held out for centuries-centuries– waiting for her. No one would keep her from him. No one. He would take her if necessary and damn the consequences. There were few hunters equal to him-or to his brothers, and they would stand with him. The De La Cruz brothers always-always-stood together.
His lips drew back in a snarl and he began to work his way with even more care toward the small group gathered around a tree. The young girl turned several times toward him, a faint frown on her face, and once the ancient male lifted his head to examine the area around him. He felt the mind probe and kept his barriers up, determined not to be discovered. The ancient was good, but Manolito had centuries of experience in hiding his presence to fall back on, and he kept from being discovered by simply becoming the tree nearest to him.
He crept closer until he could see her. She took his breath away. She was everything he had ever imagined a lifemate could be-and more. Tall, slender, with full breasts meant for suckling, curvy hips for cradling his body, and her skin-he could almost feel it even from the distance he was. She had the kind of skin that looked so soft, a man could spend his life just touching her. Coffee-colored, inviting, warm like satin. The hood had fallen back on her jacket and he could see the shoulder-length curls, thick and wild, long spirals and whorls begging for his fingers. Her eyes were large, a dark chocolate, and her mouth was frankly sinful. He was definitely going to be fantasizing over her mouth and the things she would be doing to his body.
His. He still couldn't grasp the reality of it, not even with her standing right there, laughing, her face flushed, her eyes dancing. He sank down and let himself breathe, his brain working quickly to sort out the choices he had. If he took her, as he wanted to, he would bring down most of Carpathian society on him. He had a right to her, but she could ask for protection and from what he'd overheard, she would do just that. He needed a plan. And he needed it fast. He couldn't even reveal to his brothers that he had found his lifemate. They would help him-but if their lifemates got wind of his intentions, they would
be angry. He wasn't willing to risk that one of them might betray him.
First, before all else, he had to find out everything he could about his lifemate, without allowing anyone to know he was doing so. And then he had to devise a plan to get her to
South America where she would be cut off from all help.
He watched the tree come down and Nicolae drag it across the snow. The young girl took another suspicious look around, and almost immediately one of the women scanned the area for enemies. He did his tree act again, melting into the trunk, becoming part of the growth, until the small group walked back toward the house.
He followed, staying invisible, keeping upwind and out of sight of the youngest girl. She had vision beyond the normal, the ability to sense even the shadow of darkness. Manolito was about to undertake a dangerous entry into the home of an ancient, and the shadow of darkness within him grew enough that it would call to the girl.
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