Dark Lycan (Carpathian)

“You are kin to this Lara?”


Tatijana nodded. “She is the daughter of my brother’s son, Razvan. My brother, Soren, was killed by Xavier and Xavier held Razvan and Lara prisoner as well.”

“Get word to the De La Cruz family through Lara to be very careful and do not let anyone know of their cross-species.”

“Did you think that I would leave you to face this alone?” Tatijana asked. “What kind of a lifemate would I be if I abandoned you?”

He felt an unexpected urge to laugh. “The kind of lifemate who does not want to be claimed.”

“That was before I knew you were in trouble.” She tossed her long braid over her shoulder, her eyes glittering like emeralds. “I am Dragonseeker. We do not run.”

“I’m beginning to understand how true that is,” Fen conceded. “Still, the Lycans have existed for centuries, adapting and evolving with each new generation, and they are well integrated into human society. They use their human counterparts to aid them in investigations and tracking down those they deem criminals.”

“Like you.”

“Vakasin did not tell his slayers about me and they have not discovered my identity. Elite hunters tracking a rogue pack came across me when I was hunting the rogue pack as well, but they have no knowledge of my identity. Perhaps Zev suspects what I am, but he doesn’t know. There is only a short window of opportunity for hunters to find me. They can identify me only one week out of every month. It’s only during the weeklong cycle of the full moon that my energy feels different to the Lycans and they know immediately what I am.”

Tatijana frowned, her delicate eyebrows drawing together. “Why are you here? In the Carpathian Mountains? You didn’t come back to inform the prince of your duality. And you didn’t come back to swear your allegiance to him. You’re a hunter. You hunt the vampire. Ancient hunters don’t change their ways.”

Fen sighed. Tatijana looked a fragile flower but she had a spine of steel, and she was highly intelligent. She might not know about fire, but she hadn’t wasted her time during her centuries-long incarceration. She had studied each of her father’s victims carefully. She had learned to read them and draw on their abilities and experiences. She had looked for hunters and those who knew how to fight in order to further her chances of escaping. He could almost feel her brain putting the pieces of a puzzle together with lightning speed.

“You suspect there is another—the one you call Sange rau,” she said, shrewdly. “You followed him here, didn’t you? By doing so you put yourself directly in the path of that hunter, the one from the tavern you said was dangerous.”

He took her hand and turned her back toward the village. They had to get out of the woods—at least she had to. The blanket of mist had begun to churn and roil—fast-spinning eddies within the heavy fog. He held still for a moment, listening, his every sense tuned to the threads of information whirling in the mist.

“It is a suspicion, no more, but yes, I suspect Zev is here hunting the same rogue pack I was trailing when I ran across a strange, but familiar pattern. I believe Zev is Lycan and very lethal—especially to one such as me.”

“This week of the month wouldn’t be during the full moon would it?” she asked.

He found himself grinning in spite of the seriousness of the situation. His lifemate had a little bite to her tone. She had just a bit of an attitude. He nodded his head. “Why, yes, my lady, it would.”

She shook her head. “If the big bad wolf is coming for you, do you really think it’s a good idea to be walking through the woods with me?”

Fen did laugh. Her coat was red and had a fleece-lined hood. “Where in the world did you hear the story of Little Red Riding Hood?”

“We had reading materials. Scrolls. Skins. Thin parchment. And then books. In the beginning, he thought we would become like him, only subordinate to him. He didn’t realize that our mother had also left us a legacy before he murdered her. She made certain we were fully Carpathian but she concealed what she had done from him. We had the ability to communicate telepathically and to draw memories from Xavier’s victims. When he realized we were not going to aid him in his efforts to wipe out the Carpathian species, he kept us drained and weak so we had no chance of escape.”

“He made a mistake educating you.”