Dark Lycan (Carpathian)

Fen shrugged. “Honestly no. Since my pack was destroyed—and it’s been a very long time—I’ve been on my own. I’m an independent thinker. Following an alpha would be difficult.” That much was the truth. That, and the pack would turn on him the first full moon.

“I’d welcome you into my pack anytime,” Zev said. “Elite packs are different. Every member is an independent thinker, they have to be. Our alpha is more the counsel than one individual within the pack, although generally, the scout has a lot of clout. I imagine you would be more suited to the life of a scout.” He grinned suddenly, the weariness and pain etched into his face gone for a moment. “And think of all the cool toys you get to have.”

“I’d be very interested in seeing those toys,” Fen admitted. He was just a little envious. That sword had come in handy. He needed time to study it, to figure out how best to forge one himself. Silver was natural—of the earth—which meant he could easily produce one, as he did the silver stakes, but one didn’t just fashion a fine weapon from thin air without having knowledge of how it was made. He really did covet that extraordinary sword.

“Come by my room at the inn.”

“You know you’re deep in Carpathian country,” Fen pointed out. “Everyone in that village is friends with the prince. He’s close by and his hunters are probably already aware of you. They’ll be watching closely. And there’s no way you can keep a rogue pack under wraps here.”

Zev nodded. “They won’t be able to detect what I am, although they may become suspicious. They’re very astute.”

“Hello. Did you both forget I’m right here?” Tatijana demanded. “Of course the prince will know you’re here. I have every intention of ratting the both of you out immediately. We don’t take kindly to rogue packs and vampires killing anyone, human, Lycan or Carpathian. Did you think I’d be a good girl and just forget to report this?”

“We could only hope,” Fen said good-naturedly.

“You fought so well,” Zev added. “For a minute there I forgot you were Carpathian and believed you were Lycan.”

“Ha, ha, ha, Zev,” Tatijana sniffed. “As if a Lycan can fight as well as a Carpathian. Who saved your butt today? That was me.”

“Don’t tease her, Zev,” Fen said with a small groan. “She’s sassy enough without making her think she has to defend the entire Carpathian species.”

Zev flashed him a knowing grin. “Come take me on my first dragon ride,” he said to Tatijana. “I’ll let you deal with dead bodies and Carpathians this night, Fen. Come see me and I’ll show you those weapons. I might even have an extra or two.” The smile faded and he lifted his head and sniffed the forest.

Fen did the same. The scent of blood and death and burnt flesh permeated the entire area. The scent of rogues in battle was already present, and if they were creeping close again, they would have made certain their scents would remain hidden. Zev was worried about leaving him there alone.

“How long will it take Bardolf to regenerate?” Zev asked. “I’ve never actually fought the Sange rau. I’ve never come across one before,” he admitted.

“Longer than he’ll like.” Enough time that Fen planned to go looking for his lair. But he’d do that alone. Neither Tatijana nor Zev needed that information.

Silly wolf man. You think to protect me from the vampire thingie, whatever he is. I learn fast. I am not going to leave you to fight this battle alone.

There was soft, sensual affection growing in her voice, enough that the low note turned his heart to mush. He was supposed to be the big bad warrior and she seemed to reduce him to melted goo with just a few words. That didn’t bode well for his future.

Tatijana threw back her head and laughed aloud. “You two are priceless. I’m collecting the silver stakes and giving them to Fen. Do you want to loan him your silver sword as well while he waits all alone like a sacrificial lamb in the forest for the wolves to return?”

That was a good one. No way would Zev want to part with his sword, but she’d made it nearly impossible for him to do anything else. If he insisted on taking it with him, when an injured man was waiting alone and vulnerable, he would look pretty petty.

Zev shook his head. “I want this back, Fen.” He held the sword out to Tatijana.

“I’ll see to it,” Fen promised. “You said your pack would be here to help in another twenty-four hours.”

Tatijana might be the one giving the sword back. Fen had only another day before he entered the time of great danger. Zev would recognize his mixed blood. By the full moon, every Lycan in the vicinity would sense his presence and try to kill him. Once Zev’s pack of elite hunters arrived, Fen would be in real trouble. They would put the rogue pack on the back burner and make him their primary mission.

“It amazes me that the silver would be strong enough to cut through bone.”

Zev’s smile was distinctly wolfish. Clearly he had a few secrets when it came to making his weapons. Fen needed those secrets. He glanced at Tatijana. She nodded.

“Let’s go, Zev, before it gets much later. Unlike you, I have to be aware of time,” Tatijana reminded gently. “I’m going to shift and you’ll have to climb up my wing to get onto my back.” She looked around. “I’ll need a little room.”

She didn’t wait. Tatijana was so fast at shifting into the form of a blue dragon, and so completely engulfed, mind and body, immediately, that Fen realized she was far more comfortable in that form than in her own.

By dragon standards, she might have been considered small, but there in the forest and so close to them, she seemed enormous—and beautiful. Her scales were iridescent blue, shimmering in the surrounding mist. Spikes ran along the ridge of her back down her long tail to end in a lethal-looking spear. Her eyes were large and emerald green, faceted like sparkling diamonds.

“Magnificent,” Zev said. “Tatijana, that’s incredible.” He glanced at Fen. “Did you see how fast she was? I would have thought a dragon would take a few minutes.” He attempted to rise, holding on to the tree trunk for support.

Fen could see the extent of Zev’s injuries. He’d been badly wounded in dozens of places. Deep chunks of flesh had been torn from him. His face was etched with pain. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He didn’t make a sound, as stoic as ever, but his skin looked a little gray.

“Hang on,” Fen ordered, using his most compelling voice. Low. Velvet soft. A sneaky compulsion that slipped in on an alpha when the most commanding voice would never work. He stood up himself, blocking out the rush of pain as he got to his feet.

His respect for Zev was growing with every passing minute spent in his company. He’d met many tough Lycans, good men who knew how to fight in a battle, but clearly Zev was a cut above the rest. Lycans couldn’t cut off pain the way Carpathians could. They endured it and fought on. The really great ones, like Zev, stayed in the battle even when others would have passed out.

Fen crossed the distance between them, one hand sliding over the body of the dragon in a long caress. “You’re a lucky man, Zev,” he observed.

“A privilege,” Zev agreed. “I never thought I’d ever get this close to one. They’re long gone now from this world.”

He didn’t protest when Fen slipped an arm around him to aid him. That told Fen more than anything, that Zev was badly injured. Tatijana extended her wing toward Zev. Fen helped him cover the ground to get to the wing.

He can’t walk up your wing, Fen told her, using their telepathic link. He was beginning to worry about Zev’s condition. Just how bad was he?

He’d been so concerned with Dimitri’s horrendous wounds he hadn’t considered that Zev had borne the brunt of the attack right along with Dimitri. He’d known, but Tatijana hadn’t really told him just how bad Zev’s injuries were. She’d been concerned with protecting Fen’s secret as well as getting to him quickly to see to his wounds.

He didn’t have intestines hanging out like Dimitri, Tatijana said. But it was very bad. A lesser man would be unconscious right now.

If I use my abilities as a Carpathian to get up on your back he’ll know immediately that I am more than Lycan.

Tatijana made a little sound in his mind, a very feminine humph of annoyance. All you had to do was ask.

He found himself smiling. Maybe he did try to annoy her just a little bit on purpose. He liked her fiery little temper. He could feel each time that temper flared, bursting across his mind like stars across a sky on a hot summer’s night, warming him. He found comfort in her explosive reactions, small as they were, but still directed at him. Engulfing him. Surrounding him. Sinking into his bones. His blood. She was his.

You wish.

She gave a little delicate sniff, but there was growing affection in her teasing tone. He felt surrounded by her warmth. She seemed to pour into his mind, liquid fire, filling every empty, dark place with light, laughter and her incredible natural sensuality.

Why is your dragon blue when you burn so hot?

Have you never seen a blue flame? Tatijana asked. When I was a little girl I would see the flames dancing blue in Xavier’s secret caverns. I could never touch or feel them because they were always far away and I was often encased in ice, but they looked so beautiful.

Which was why she had been so intrigued with flames earlier in the tavern.

The blue dragon looked at Zev with worried eyes. She projected her voice through the great beast. “If you will allow me, Zev, I can float you up to my back. It will be easier on both of us.”

“Thank you, of course I don’t mind if it’s easier for you. You’re already doing me a huge favor.” He looked up that long wing. The climb would be quite difficult with his wounds.

He was weak from loss of blood. I gave him blood, but was careful it wasn’t so much that he would know. He was in and out of consciousness for a few minutes until I got enough blood in him.

I could kiss you for making it easy on his pride, Fen told her.

There are much better reasons for kissing, Fenris Dalka. Perhaps you might consider one or two in my absence.

Tatijana floated Zev up to her back and waited until he was seated comfortably.

And wolf man . . .

Her voice had turned dark. Sensual. The blue dragon turned that wedge-shaped head, lowered her neck until her multifaceted emerald eyes were on the same level as his. His breath felt trapped in his lungs. His heart stuttered. Every muscle in his body tensed.

You haven’t seen just how hot I can burn yet.

Fen nearly choked. He watched the dragon maneuver its long body through the trees until the mist swallowed them up. He let himself sway, one hand on a tree for support, just for a moment until the world stopped spinning. He kept pain at bay, even though that also cost in strength, uncertain whether or not Tatijana would touch his mind.

He still had the dead body to take care of, and he needed to find a warm body to provide enough blood to sustain and heal him. He would provide sustenance for Dimitri. It would take his brother a longer time to heal due to the extent of his injuries.

Fen had always, always stayed as a Lycan, thinking and acting as one, which helped him to keep the darkness at bay until this last century or so when his mixed blood began to add to the pull of darkness. Now he needed to go back to being Carpathian, at least until this night was over. He was going hunting, wounds or no. That was what Carpathian hunters did.

He took to the air, a long trail of mist streaking through the denser fog.

What do you think you’re doing? Tatijana’s voice was deceptively mild.

He wasn’t buying it. My lady, I have duties to perform this night. As do you. Make certain your prince is aware of what is happening in his homeland.

Tatijana’s amusement burst through him like sparkling fireworks. Our prince, Fenris. You can change your name to anything you want, your blood may be different, but you were born Carpathian and you will always be Carpathian. You may have left your homeland when another prince was ruler, but you have returned and you owe your allegiance to Mikhail, just as we all do.

She had a point. He had been alone so long he had forgotten there was an entire society attempting to rebuild itself. He had long ago resigned himself to being completely on his own. He’d never even heard of Mikhail or his second-in-command, Gregori, until Dimitri had filled him in on the news of the past few centuries there in the Carpathian Mountains.

It is so, my lady.

Wait for me. I’ll only be a few more minutes.

She was tenacious—and worried about him. While it warmed his heart and made him feel alive and exhilarated, it was also a very bad combination.

Tatijana, what I do is dangerous. I can’t do this and worry that you will be harmed.

Again she surprised him. There was no petulant woman, upset with him for brushing her aside when she’d aided him in battle and was still aiding him. She stroked a gentle caress through his mind. You do not know your lifemate. I absorb everyone’s knowledge when I come into contact with them. Enemy and friend. It is a habit I acquired from my childhood when I had no other life than an intellectual one.

I hunt rogue and the Sange rau this night. Bardolf will not expect it and he will be weak, trying to repair himself.

And that is why your lifemate will be an asset to you on the hunt, she replied complacently. I am Dragonseeker. No vampire could hide from me, which essentially, that’s what he is. He can sink into the wolf and I would still know he was there. I made a mistake tonight. I felt his presence and dove to protect you. I would have flamed him but you were too close. You were his target, Fen.

He had heard, down through the long centuries, that Dragonseekers could ferret out vampires when no others could. They were the only lineage in the history of the Carpathian people who had never had a single family member turn. Tatijana was Dragonseeker. More, she had been honed in the fires of hell, more precisely, in the glacier ice of the mage world. He couldn’t discount what she said.

Fen had come across the rogue pack’s trail of destruction and he’d begun to suspect that a monster, the combination of wolf and vampire, traveled with them or at least near them, but he hadn’t known until Bardolf had come to kill him. If Tatijana said she had known immediately Bardolf was vampire and not werewolf, he believed her. It was difficult to tell an untruth to one’s lifemate when you often shared the same mind.

Her laughter was soft and warm. So now you are thinking I just may come in handy on this hunt of yours after all, aren’t you?

The difficulty as he saw it, would be letting her go. She was already deeply entrenched in his mind. He had been so alone for so long in a shadow world of violence and darkness, and with just one evening in her company she had brought laughter, emotion and companionship into his life. He hadn’t even realized he’d missed such things. He could barely remember having them. He was under a death sentence and it was only a matter of time—this century or the next—but it would happen. He would be hunted down and killed.

He couldn’t give Tatijana the most basic thing between lifemates—the blood of life. His blood was no longer pure Carpathian. He would never have given Dimitri his blood had there been an alternative, and in any case, Dimitri and he had shared so much blood over the centuries his brother was already well on his way to becoming a mixed blood.

That is not your choice, Fen, Tatijana reminded. I am no young child as Dimitri’s lifemate is. I am centuries old and no one will ever make my decisions for me again. If my choice is you, then I will share all things a lifemate does, including exchanging blood. I am a woman. A warrior in my own right. I am an asset to you on the hunt and I refuse to be relegated to the role of a child with you making decisions for me.

There was no defiance, only implacability. Tatijana was not a woman to be pushed around and he found he admired her all the more for that. She was a fitting partner for him, which made it all the more difficult to protect her from his life—and herself.

She gave an inelegant snort of pure disdain. If I choose to be claimed by you, then I will share your blood with open eyes. This is not your decision alone, Fen. It is a mutual decision. My lifemate is my partner, not my keeper.

Again there was truth in what she said. He was both Carpathian and Lycan. If he claimed her and shared his life with her, there could be no half measures. I understand, Tatijana, he replied. What else could he say when she had a point he couldn’t refute.

She was his miracle and he wanted to wrap her up in a safety net and always make certain she was protected.

Have you considered that I might think you’re a miracle? That I want to make certain that you’re safe at all times? Why should that be only your prerogative?

Below him was the body of the man who had been killed by the rogue werewolves. His body was torn almost beyond recognition. If it was found in its present state, all real wolves in the vicinity would be threatened. There would be an outcry for justice and hunters would be overrunning the forest and mountains to wipe out the dangerous packs. In the meantime, the rogue werewolves would move on to new territories or begin killing the villagers.

They don’t know they are in Carpathian territory, do they?

I doubt it. Not even Bardolf would know. If he’s the one who stirred the pack in this direction, he certainly didn’t. He was Lycan, not Carpathian, and he would have no knowledge of this culture or the fact that the prince is in residence here.

Fen dropped down to the forest floor. The body was exactly where he and Tatijana had stumbled across it earlier, but something about it caught his attention. He circled warily. He needed to conserve his strength in the event he managed to track Bardolf to his lair. Even in his present condition, the vampire would be lethal. After meeting Fen, recognizing what Fen was, Bardolf would move on as soon as he could. Now would be the optimum time to destroy him.

What is it?

That tinge of worry in her voice warmed him, showing him more than ever that he was no longer alone. She might not want to be claimed, but she was his.

Concentrate on what you’re doing or you’re going to get yourself killed, wolf man. We’ll never find out about this lifemate business if you keep trying to play the hero.

Trying? He gave her a male smirk. The branches above his head tapped together in the wind. There was no wind. The air had gone still, yet that tapping persisted—a consistent, steady, very rhythmic beat. I was the hero tonight, my lady. You clearly weren’t paying attention, which makes it necessary to repeat myself. He let her hear the clacking of the branches.

I see. You think it necessary to impress me. She listened to the rhythm. That sound is one Xavier used to ensnare his victims. It’s hypnotic on a subtle level. Whoever is using it was once trained by the mages. It is not natural.

What is going on here? A rogue pack has entered Carpathian territory with Bardolf, a wolf/vampire combination. And now another enemy? This makes no sense.

Perhaps it does, Fen, Tatijana mused. The prince’s lifemate, Raven, has a son. His daughter, Savannah, has twin girls. She is lifemated to the prince’s second-in-command. These children will grow into great power. Would it be so farfetched to think that enemies of the Carpathian people would be drawn here?

Fen circled the torn body. The werewolves had nearly pulled the man apart in their initial attack. Rogue packs enjoyed torturing and killing their victims and often fed on them even while their victims were still alive. The elite hunters, much like Carpathian hunters, had no choice but to destroy them. This body had been left as bait. It wasn’t an unusual tactic. Humans, as a rule, went looking for their lost loved ones.

Fen made it a point not to look above him at the clacking branches. An attack could come from any direction. Was it possible Bardolf had lesser vampires under his control? That had become more and more of a popular thing for master vampires to do. They took newly turned vampires and used them as pawns, sometimes building a formidable army.

I saw no evidence of vampires massing here, Fen told Tatijana, but get word to the prince this night that there might be a problem.

Tatijana sighed. If I let the prince know what is happening, instead of waiting for them to find out, they’ll know I’ve been out on my own. There was regret in her voice. The tapping is growing faster. You’ll have to be careful, Fen, and block the sound. As the rhythm changes, the hypnotic affects really take hold.

I don’t feel it all. He was more than Carpathian and more than Lycan. Things that worked against other species didn’t work on him—which was why the Lycans had outlawed his kind.

Please be careful. Don’t get all cocky. I’m on my way.

He read the growing anxiety in her voice. She had more experience with mage traps than he did and she clearly was worried.
Chapter 5

Tatijana approached the house built into the side of the mountain cautiously. She was under surveillance. She could feel eyes on her, and when she scanned, allowing her senses to flair out, she knew she wasn’t alone outside the home of the prince. She had no idea of protocol and how one approached him, or even if he was accessible. She’d met him briefly, but both she and Branislava had been so weak and injured they barely knew what was happening to them.

She stopped a few hundred meters before she reached the large verandah. She had plenty of room to defend herself if need be. Spreading her arms out away from her body to show she had come in peace, she waited while Mikhail Dubrinsky’s second-in-command, and protector, looked her over.

“Tatijana of the Dragonseeker clan,” Gregori Daratrazanoff strode out of what appeared to be thin air. He looked impressive with his wide shoulders and glittering silver eyes. “To what do we owe this honor? We had no idea you had risen.”

There was no censure in his tone, but she knew he wasn’t pleased she was unescorted. He was a great believer in their women being protected at all times. She’d gleaned that much about him before she’d gone to ground to heal. He was an excellent man to protect the prince, but he was not her keeper.

“I’ve stumbled across something I think is important for you to know, if you don’t already. I actually hoped to see you rather than disturbing the prince, so I’m grateful you were close. There is a rogue pack of werewolves hunting in this area and they answer to an alpha by the name of Bardolf. He is a mixture of both wolf and vampire blood and very difficult to kill. Lycans refer to such a mix as the Sange rau.”

“Bad blood,” Gregori translated.

Tatijana nodded. She was aware of time passing. Fen was on his own and wounded. She didn’t like leaving him so long. “Not only does his heart have to be removed from his body, but the silver stake must be inserted completely through the heart and then both body and heart burned. He can regenerate very quickly. It’s possible, but I don’t know, that he’s traveling with lesser vampires as well as the rogue pack.”

She turned to go, but then turned back. “An elite Lycan hunter by the name of Zev is staying at the inn. He fought them this night and was badly injured. I did my best to see to his wounds. I was forced to give him blood, although I didn’t allow him to know. MaryAnn and Manolito De La Cruz could be in danger.”

She hesitated. She had no idea what the Carpathians thought of mixing the blood of a Lycan and Carpathian. For all she knew they could consider it just as taboo as the Lycans. She had been told by Lara, her niece-kin, during one of the times Lara had given her blood while she was still healing, but that didn’t mean it was common knowledge that MaryAnn and Manolito were both Lycan and Carpathian.

“Why would they be in danger?” Gregori prompted.

She shrugged. “I only know that they are. I trust that you will warn them.” Tatijana turned around and began to walk away, holding her breath, afraid he would stop her. She nearly ran into him, trying to listen for him behind her. She had to stop abruptly, almost bouncing off his chest. He had moved unbelievably fast—and silently—and had blocked her way.

“Where did you get this information?” His voice remained pleasant, matter-of-fact even, but she could tell he was used to intimidating those he questioned and that he expected an answer. Those piercing, intelligent eyes moved over her, dwelling on the streaks of blood she’d forgotten to clean when she was so busy trying to heal both Zev and Fen.

“I ran across the pack. They killed a man who had been drinking earlier in a tavern I’d visited. We found his body in the forest as I was returning.”

He didn’t take his eyes from her face. “As you can see, we have heightened security around the prince, but it was more that I had a feeling and the fact that Raven and Mikhail’s son has survived his first two years than any real knowledge of a threat to the prince and his family. Lycans are extremely difficult to sense.”

“These are not Lycan,” Tatijana reiterated. “They’re considered a rogue pack, and the Lycan elite hunters have been called in to exterminate them. It would be a grave error to mistake the two.”

His eyebrow shot up. “I suppose it would. Who is ‘we’? Who was with you when you ran across this dead body?”

“That’s not relevant.” Because she was uncertain of how Carpathians reacted to the mixed blood between Lycans and Carpathians she had to protect Fen at all costs. She didn’t want to make an enemy of Gregori, but Fen was her lifemate. “I told you what I know because I felt as the protector of the prince you should be aware of the rogue werewolf pack. I’m still very uncomfortable in the presence of others. I need to leave.”

That much was true. She feared he would attempt to detain her, and she knew she would fight. The fight-or-flight syndrome was engrained in her. She couldn’t be held prisoner ever again. Her decisions, right or wrong, had to be her own. Gregori, with his impressive set of shoulders, implacable expression and glittering silver eyes was standing in her way and showed no indication that he would move.

“You are a Carpathian woman, Tatijana.” Gregori’s voice turned gentle. “Why would you think I would harm you in any way? I am sworn to protect you. There is no need to fear me.”

“I fear myself and my reactions to situations,” she replied honestly. “I must feel free. I do not want, nor can I have, guardians who watch my every move. I’m sorry if I appear to be difficult, but I have to be in charge of my own life.”

“Yet you ran into a rogue pack.” He indicated her lacerations. “You were in a battle, and you could have been killed. Our women are cherished. We protect them out of both love and respect. Along with our children, they are our greatest treasure.”

She could hear the sincerity in his voice. She took a step back and attempted to still her wild heartbeat. Perhaps he wasn’t threatening her. She had given him disturbing news and she had been in a battle. She wasn’t used to anyone but Branislava caring about her well-being.

“I wander on my own in order to learn the things I need, and sometimes I stumble across things I shouldn’t. I’ll be more careful.” She tried to placate him, if only just a little.

“Tatijana, do you really think I should let you go, bleeding from a battle, without escorting you back to your resting place and healing you properly?”

“It is my choice. My wish. You would have the freedom to go your own way. Why shouldn’t I?”

A strange urgency was beginning to take hold of her. Fen was alone and wounded. Not only was the rogue pack after him but the wolf/vampire called the Sange rau had joined the hunt. She had been gone far too long.

Gregori inclined his head. She didn’t like the way his eyes never left her face. He saw far too much.

“You have a point. But you are one of our greatest treasures, Tatijana. I would be remiss in not aiding you. Allow me to heal you.”

No way could she let him touch her. He was too powerful. He might be able to get inside her mind and discover Fen. She didn’t wait for him to make a move and she was through arguing. She was Dragonseeker. She knew every mage spell ever conceived. She dissolved and streaked up toward the clouds, deliberately leaving behind a nearly translucent trail of vapor. The moment she’d laid that false track, she called on the elements to aid her.

That faint, barely there stream moved away from the prince’s home, its trajectory heading up the mountain into deeper forest. She doubled back, leaving no trace, not even the smallest molecule that would allow a hunter such as Gregori to pursue her. For a moment she had considered asking for his aid, just in case, but not knowing how Carpathians viewed mixed blood, she wasn’t going to risk Fen any further.

She might have just come out of the ice caves, but over the centuries, more than one Carpathian hunter had been taken by Xavier and tortured before he was put to death. The male Carpathians especially found it distressing to see the twin females encased in their ice prison. The hunters had willingly shared their experience and knowledge with both women in the hopes that eventually they could use the information to escape.

She left no trace of herself behind. No scent. Nothing at all Gregori could track. More, she knew he wouldn’t leave the prince for long, not with the news she’d brought. Lycans were elusive. They could be standing next to you and you would never know. The thought of a rogue pack so close to the prince and his son had to be disconcerting.

Tatijana made her way in the opposite direction of her false trail, going into deep forest, winding through the trees, staying low, close to the ground so she could see any evidence of the rogue pack passing. Wolves were very good at moving through an area and leaving few telltale signs, but twice she saw droplets of blood and twisted grass. The pack had passed through quickly, moving away from where the battle had taken place.

Still, something seemed off to her. It seemed more a discordant note, something unnamed, unseen, that jangled her nerves and set off warning bells.

Fen? Are you safe? I’m very close to you but something’s not right.

Tatijana, this place is not for you. Let me spring this trap before you join me. If I get into trouble, you will be close to give me aid.

If she was in any form with teeth, she would have ground them in sheer frustration. She didn’t know much about men and even less about lifemates, but why would he think she would worry less about him than he did about her? The pull between them was very strong, and the more time she spent in his mind, the more she came to know his honor and integrity. She found it impossible to just leave him to fight the battle alone.

She stayed quiet, not wanting to distract him as she moved through the trees with much more care. Fen bent over the dead body, removing evidence of the wolf pack’s attack. It was important that locals thought he died accidentally and that none of the wildlife was responsible. He appeared to be wholly absorbed in his work.

The clacking of the branches was constant, the sound working its way through every living creature for miles. She braced herself when she heard it. She wasn’t in a physical form, but still, the rhythm preyed on her nerves, threatening to consume her. She found it difficult to think straight. Her mind felt fuzzy and thick. She’d seen the trick work on countless victims in Xavier’s cave of horrors.

She reached out to Fen’s mind, terrified for him. His mind was calm. Clear. He was very aware of his surroundings and every tiny detail. The hypnotic effects didn’t work on his brain pattern. There was something about the mixture of Carpathian and Lycan that repelled the notes, bouncing it back away from him.

Stay in my mind, Fen warned softly, brushing against her brain with a gentle touch. You’ll be safe with me.

Xavier had mutated species on purpose, but his results had always been grotesque and frightening—beings that ate human flesh or were mindless, violent puppets. He had never considered what it would be to cross Lycan with Carpathian.

She allowed herself to sink into Fen’s mind, surprised that he had invited her so deep into his memories. She was still protecting herself, holding most of her past away from him, yet he was completely open to her, hiding nothing from her. She felt warm and protected, not at all like she thought she’d feel—claustrophobic—a prisoner even.

She heard the soft whisper of a footfall because he heard it. His hearing was far more acute than she’d realized. A soft murmur accompanied the clacking branches. Her heart jumped, began to thud wildly.

That’s a holding spell. If he completes it, you will not be able to move. He’ll control your every movement.

The spell is tied to the rhythm, my lady, Fen reminded gently. I do not feel the effects of either. I want to see who or what is driving these attacks.

This is mage. I recognize the work of one of Xavier’s favorite protégés. He was much younger than Xavier, but a true psychopath. Xavier was very proud of him and his sadistic nature. His name is Drummel. He is evil and very, very dangerous.

Can you counter his spells without revealing yourself?

Tatijana took a deep breath, allowing Fen to wrap her in his confidence. His calm was amazing to her. He had to have nerves of steel. He didn’t turn around to face the threat, or indicate in any way that he knew he was being stalked. His hands were as gentle and reverent on the dead man as always. No trembling. Nothing at all to give away that he was well aware of the danger coming up behind him.

The chanting increased, more rhythmic than ever, matching the increasing beating of the branches together. One step. Two. A slight rustle and then there was only the sound of the hypnotic notes. Tatijana tried to stop up her ears and settle deeper into the safety of Fen’s mind.

Fen exploded into action, whirling around, still in a crouch, going in low, using his Lycan form, half man, half wolf, enormously strong. He knocked Drummel onto his back and was on him in an instant. Tatijana would never have believed anything could move as fast as Fen had. He struck so hard he knocked the wind from Drummel’s lungs, leaving him gasping for air.

Fen wrapped his hand around his assailant’s throat, cutting off his air supply. With his lungs already burning, Drummel’s eyes bulged out of his head. He drew back his lips in a gasping snarl. His teeth were stained brown and pointed.