Dark Lycan (Carpathian)

No one Carpathian hunter will ever be able to defeat the Sange rau alone, Fen told her. Only if a miracle occurred. The combination of Lycan and Carpathian abilities is lethal. The Lycans know it, because they have seen thousands of their kind killed, nearly wiping out their species, by only one or two of these monsters. The Carpathians have not faced them, and their arrogance will get them all killed—and possibly their prince if they don’t process the information fast. Even now, they can’t fathom an enemy like the Sange rau.

Gregori, the prince’s primary guardian, would be the first to grasp the enormity of what they were up against. His natural instincts already made him suspicious and wary of Fen. Fen didn’t blame him any more than he could blame Zev, who was the Gregori of the Lycans. He was directly responsible for the welfare of the council and it was his duty to keep the Lycan people safe no matter what part of the world they resided in.

Rough is the only way with werewolves. You can’t ever underestimate them, Fen answered Gregori.

This pack is well organized. Too well organized.

That is so, but the master is not here. I would know. The Sange rau has left this battle to those he commands. Fen knew Gregori would catch the worry in his voice.

The fighting near the corrals was fierce. Gregori was wounded, and yet he displayed no emotion when he answered. He could have been having a picnic in a park instead of fighting for his life. You believed this master would be close.

I had hoped. Fen thought Abel might throw Bardolf under the bus in order to weaken the Carpathian fighters. It would be a sound strategy, especially given the endless supply of rogues he’d acquired along the way to do his bidding. I need to find the one who has their master’s ear. There is a way I can perhaps get information on either Abel or Bardolf, maybe both. At least find out what they are up to. It’s risky, but if I get what we need, well worth it.

He felt Gregori’s instant rejection of the idea. Tatijana echoed him with her distress.

How risky? We will need you to continue to educate our fighters . . . obviously.

From where Fen was, he caught occasional glimpses of Gregori. The werewolves had definitely targeted him for termination. Fen’s vision narrowed as he watched for a moment, the way the wolves circled Gregori. The prince’s guardian had been made known to them. He’d been involved in the fight earlier, but why such sacrifices? The bodies of werewolves lay sliced and staked around the prince’s guard, and yet still they came after him.

The nagging fear in Fen began to blossom into urgency. Something else was going on here, and he was missing it.

I think it’s worth the risk. I need to know that you and the others can finish this.

We’ve got this, Gregori assured, even as he fought off two more wolves driving straight at his throat and belly. He knew how they fought now, gutting their prey and tearing great chunks of flesh away to make their victims weak from blood loss.

Zev and his hunters will come quickly, Fen advised. It’s important that all Carpathian hunters know the difference between Lycan and werewolf.

Gregori ducked a leaping rogue, so that the creature sailed over his head and right onto Andre’s flashing blade. All of us know exactly what the Lycans look like. We have their scent as well. Each of us visited the inn where they were staying. There will be no mistakes, he said with certainty.

The elite may sense my presence, but they cannot identify me. I doubt they are that sensitive in the midst of blood and death, but Zev is more than elite, he is their best. It is possible. Fen had already located his entry point. He needed to use the ground so whoever was directing the battle from his safety zone wouldn’t see him coming.

Gregori grunted in pain, quickly cut off, as a great beast landed on him, driving him to the ground. The moment he was down a frenzy was triggered among the rogues. They threw themselves at him, piling on in spite of the other Carpathians racing to Gregori’s aid. The Carpathian hunters realized Gregori was the prime target and they redoubled their efforts to fight their way to him. It was Jacques who cut the head from the wolf tearing the flesh from his back and Nicolae who sliced through the one burrowing beneath him to rip at his belly.

The moment Fen saw the others going to Gregori’s aid he whirled around and indicated the ground in the middle of the field where the werewolves had tried to surprise the farm. I need a tunnel to follow back to the original source without him seeing. I’ll cast an illusion while you burrow quickly for me.

Tatijana waited until Fen sent images of her and her lifemate rushing to aid Gregori, entering the intense fighting near the corrals. The moment the illusion was strong and intact, she shifted to her dragon, trusting Fen to keep her from being seen. Tatijana’s dragon followed the trail beneath the soil, burrowing through the earth fast, leaving behind a nice-sized tunnel for Fen to follow in.