casually into the den of those who would seek to destroy him. His voice was so beautiful. Pure and gentle. It held a hint of tenderness, a trace of arrogance, and more than a little masculine amusement.
It felt like a dare. As if she were a small child, a fledging, afraid of her shadow and of being away from her big brother. Desari tilted her chin and glided regally up the stairs to the chair on the porch. She seated herself, her dark eyes remaining on his face.
He grinned at her, suddenly dispelling the dark danger that clung to him like a second skin. For one moment he looked almost boyish. “I am not going to hold you prisoner, Desari. There is no need to look at me as if I were a monster.”
Desari found herself relaxing. A slow, answering smile lit her face. “Is that what I was doing? I am feeling guilty for defying my brother and making him worry. Perhaps I was taking it out on you. It is so much easier to blame someone other than oneself.”
Julian shook his head. “Do not worry for your brother. He knows in his heart I will not harm you. It is more that he must relinquish his control over you.”
“What is a lifemate?” Desari asked, knowing it was important. She had been in his mind, knew he believed her to be his lifemate.
“Every Carpathian male is born a predator, dark and deadly. True, we have strong instincts to protect those we love, but there is a darkness in us that grows stronger with each passing century. Without a lifemate we lose all emotion, even the ability to see colors. It is an empty existence. Every day the beast within grows stronger, and the darkness inches across our souls. You have not observed this in the males of your group?”
Desari tapped a long fingernail against her cheek. “Actually, yes. At least with Darius and Dayan. Barack was always filled with joy until recently. He is quieter now. And there was another, Savon, who turned into someone none of us recognized.”
“If we males do not find our true lifemate, the other half of our souls, the light to our darkness, disappears. We cannot regain our emotions. We are lost.” Julian sighed softly, watching the gathering dismay on her face. “We have two choices. We can walk into the sun and end our barren existence, or we can choose to lose our soul. We can become the undead, vampires preying on the human race for the ultimate rush, the power of the kill. It is the only feeling left to us.”
Desari knew he spoke the truth. Savon had chosen to become vampire. Darius had destroyed many such un-dead over the centuries. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “How do people know for certain when they find their lifemate?”
Julian’s smile was like a physical touch, a soft caress. “I have lived centuries without seeing color or feeling emotion. And then I found you. The world is now beautiful again and filled with life, with color, with so much intense emotion I can barely process it. When I look at you my body is alive. My heart is overwhelmed. You are the one.”
“What happens if the woman does not feel it also?”Desari asked, curious. This was an entirely new concept to her, one she had never considered.
“There is only one true lifemate for each of us. If the male feels it, so does his mate.” His white teeth flashed at her. “Perhaps she might wish to be stubborn and not admit it right away, not wanting her freedom curtailed for all time. Because there are so few of our women, they are guarded carefully from birth and given into the care of their lifemate as soon as they are of age.”
“What do you mean, her freedom is curtailed for all time?” Desari suddenly felt restless. Just watching the easy way his body moved could make her feel hot and achy. She didn’t like the sound of his voice, soft and arrogant, faintly amused when he’d said those words. It sounded as if the woman had no choice in the matter.
He grinned at her, then moved suddenly with astounding speed, fluid and graceful, looming over
It felt like a dare. As if she were a small child, a fledging, afraid of her shadow and of being away from her big brother. Desari tilted her chin and glided regally up the stairs to the chair on the porch. She seated herself, her dark eyes remaining on his face.
He grinned at her, suddenly dispelling the dark danger that clung to him like a second skin. For one moment he looked almost boyish. “I am not going to hold you prisoner, Desari. There is no need to look at me as if I were a monster.”
Desari found herself relaxing. A slow, answering smile lit her face. “Is that what I was doing? I am feeling guilty for defying my brother and making him worry. Perhaps I was taking it out on you. It is so much easier to blame someone other than oneself.”
Julian shook his head. “Do not worry for your brother. He knows in his heart I will not harm you. It is more that he must relinquish his control over you.”
“What is a lifemate?” Desari asked, knowing it was important. She had been in his mind, knew he believed her to be his lifemate.
“Every Carpathian male is born a predator, dark and deadly. True, we have strong instincts to protect those we love, but there is a darkness in us that grows stronger with each passing century. Without a lifemate we lose all emotion, even the ability to see colors. It is an empty existence. Every day the beast within grows stronger, and the darkness inches across our souls. You have not observed this in the males of your group?”
Desari tapped a long fingernail against her cheek. “Actually, yes. At least with Darius and Dayan. Barack was always filled with joy until recently. He is quieter now. And there was another, Savon, who turned into someone none of us recognized.”
“If we males do not find our true lifemate, the other half of our souls, the light to our darkness, disappears. We cannot regain our emotions. We are lost.” Julian sighed softly, watching the gathering dismay on her face. “We have two choices. We can walk into the sun and end our barren existence, or we can choose to lose our soul. We can become the undead, vampires preying on the human race for the ultimate rush, the power of the kill. It is the only feeling left to us.”
Desari knew he spoke the truth. Savon had chosen to become vampire. Darius had destroyed many such un-dead over the centuries. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “How do people know for certain when they find their lifemate?”
Julian’s smile was like a physical touch, a soft caress. “I have lived centuries without seeing color or feeling emotion. And then I found you. The world is now beautiful again and filled with life, with color, with so much intense emotion I can barely process it. When I look at you my body is alive. My heart is overwhelmed. You are the one.”
“What happens if the woman does not feel it also?”Desari asked, curious. This was an entirely new concept to her, one she had never considered.
“There is only one true lifemate for each of us. If the male feels it, so does his mate.” His white teeth flashed at her. “Perhaps she might wish to be stubborn and not admit it right away, not wanting her freedom curtailed for all time. Because there are so few of our women, they are guarded carefully from birth and given into the care of their lifemate as soon as they are of age.”
“What do you mean, her freedom is curtailed for all time?” Desari suddenly felt restless. Just watching the easy way his body moved could make her feel hot and achy. She didn’t like the sound of his voice, soft and arrogant, faintly amused when he’d said those words. It sounded as if the woman had no choice in the matter.
He grinned at her, then moved suddenly with astounding speed, fluid and graceful, looming over
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