Fen wrapped his arm around Tatijana. Branislava was safely beneath the earth, well fed and ready for sleep. Dimitri's wound had been attended to. He'd been given blood and he, too, was in the ground rejuvenating. Tatijana and Fen walked through the forest-their favorite place-and just breathed in the crisp air. He knew she'd been traumatized all over again entering the ice caves and he didn't want her to go to ground until they had talked it out.

He stirred her toward a spot where a series of natural pools had developed. The sound of water was calming and he knew the night sky would help to make her feel less claustrophobic. Going to a place of such natural beauty with waterfalls and pools, so entirely different than her prison had been, he hoped would ease the tension from her. He knew she was drawn by the sound and feel of water. He wanted to turn the rest of the night into something beautiful to erase what had come before.

"You were amazing," he said, meaning it. "I know you were frightened."

"Anyone would be afraid, knowing the traps and the hideous creatures locked away in that mountain," Tatijana said, "but more, I was sickened. I couldn't believe how nauseated I was. My stomach was in knots and a couple of times the smell actually made me gag. I locked away most of those memories so I could survive."

"I'm sorry our fight with Bardolf led us to the ice caves," he said as gently as he could. He tightened his arm around her shoulders. "I know I've got a lot of rough edges, Tatijana. You deserve a man who is gentle and always considerate, but know that I love you above all else and I will do anything to make you happy." He regretted that he hadn't figured out a way to keep her out of Xavier's labyrinth of evil. He'd brought all those terrible memories crashing down on her. Where Branislava took to the ground, allowing the healing soil to keep the trauma at bay, Tatijana embraced the night, needing the freedom of the open air.

Tatijana frowned up at him. She lifted one hand to trace the lines in his face. "Why would you think I would want any other? Your words are sweet enough when I need to hear them. I feel surrounded by your love, enveloped in it and I need no one else. I chose to go back to that cave with you. It was my choice, and I appreciate that you understood it had to be my choice. More than anything, Fen, I fell in love with that trait in you. You let me be me."

He took her deeper into the forest, listening for every sound. He wanted them safe and after the hunt for the werewolves, he was certain they would be. Branislava had found another unit of sixteen and Zev and the others had wiped them out. Abel was slowly losing his army. He would be much more wary of sacrificing his pawns until he had a concrete plan to carry out his mission.

More and more, Fen feared that Abel was working with someone else-someone far away. It would be rare for a master vampire to take orders from another, and in spite of being the Sange rau that Abel was.

"Where are we going?" Tatijana asked as he lifted her over a fallen tree trunk covered in moss. "I've never been out this way."

"I'm glad. I wanted to surprise you."

Already the sound of the falls was beginning to be heard. She turned her head toward it. "A waterfall? I had no idea."

He felt the lightness in her heart lift away some of the shadows pressing down on her. "A series of waterfalls. They fall into natural pools. Two of the pools are fed from underground springs that are hot. The others are very cold."

"Temperature matters little to a Carpathian," she said.

He grinned at her. "Unless your lifemate can surprise you and toss you into a cold pool before you can regulate."

"You wouldn't dare," she said, her emerald eyes beginning to sparkle.

"Probably not," he soothed, "but you never know. I am a wolf man, after all, and they do like their pranks."

The sound of the falls grew louder, water cascading down the mountainside and dropping several meters into the pools formed below by rock. Over time the pounding water had smoothed the boulders and bottom of the pools until they were polished and even.

"Strange that I didn't notice that jokester trait in the Lycans," Tatijana said. "They looked like a sober lot to me." She sent him a warning from under her lashes, but her eyes couldn't contain her amusement.

He pushed aside fronds from a fern as tall as he was so she could get her first look at the waterfall and pools. They were hidden from view by a grove of old-growth trees whose trunks were as wide and thick as a small car. He watched her face as he held the lacy leaves back. Her entire face lit up. Her hair actually streaked with deeper shades of red. Her emerald eyes deepened in color until they were nearly the same as the deepest pool.

Tatijana gave a little gasp as she stepped forward. "It's so beautiful, Fen. Truly beautiful. You couldn't have found a place I would like more."

She turned into his body, circling his neck with her slender arms and bringing his head down to hers, leaning into him until she was pressed tight. "I love you, Fenris Dalka. Everything about you, but especially that you always seem to know exactly what I need. This is perfect."

Fen framed her face with his large hands. She looked up at him with her incredible, dazzling eyes and he let himself fall into the deep depths. He wanted to live there inside her, with her, be one with her.

Her fingers brushed his mouth, and then, featherlight, traced his lips. He felt the jolt of shock go through his body straight to his groin. As gentle as her fingers on his face were, the lightning bolt slamming through his body was exactly the opposite, a punch hard and mean.

The intensity of his love for her was terrifying. Wonderful. A miracle. He had never envisioned that emotions could run so deep. Love and lust were a potent combination, heightening every sense and inflaming every nerve ending.

He was aware of every breath she drew. The subtle rise and fall of her breasts beneath her clothing. He inhaled her fragrance, the wild of the forest and clean of the rain. His hand bunched in the thick silk of her hair.

Fen pressed his mouth close to her ear. "I don't want a single stitch of clothing between your skin and mine."

Her long lashes swept down, veiling her expression, but her lips curved and her clothes disappeared, leaving her standing in front of him completely naked. He took a breath. Her body was beautiful to him. The full curves, the tucked-in waist, her flaring hips and the small dragon low and to the left below her waist, just faintly visible. She had shapely legs and small, bare feet. Her hair, usually kept in a braid, tumbled passed her waist like a riot of fine silk.

He removed his own clothing, suddenly finding the material too tight to contain his hard body. He leaned his head down to hers and took possession of that oh-so-incredibly-generous mouth. Soft. Cool against the fire of his. Everything he could possibly want was right there in his arms.

Her mouth moved under his, giving him everything he asked of her. His fingers tightened in her hair, burying deep to anchor her to him, to hold her still. In spite of the blood surging hotly in his veins and his cock hard and thick and making its own demands, he was patient, savoring each moment of time with her.

He felt her lips tremble as he deepened the kiss, exploring all that cool sweetness that was his alone. His skin felt burning hot, hers cool and soft. A whip of lightning cracked and snapped through his bloodstream, sending flames licking at his groin. The rush was all encompassing.

She gave herself to him as generous as always, pouring herself into his mind and heart, her mouth giving him everything he craved. He tasted passion. Love. A world he hadn't known existed opened up the moment he'd met her, and this, her mouth, her kiss, was his passport there. His belly tightened, every muscle hardening, yet he wanted slow and gentle. He wanted to savor every moment, imprint the feel and taste of her into him for all time.

He lifted his head, pressing his forehead into hers. His lungs burned, whether for air or just the miracle of finding her after centuries of loneliness-after believing his world would always be one of darkness, killing and a continuous struggle.

"You saved me. You did, Tatijana. No matter what you think, you saved my soul. I still can't believe what a perfect miracle you are or what I ever did to deserve you."

She ran both hands up his flat belly to his chest, her mouth following, kissing every defined muscle until she was teasing his flat nipple with her tongue. "Perhaps, wolf man, you saved me," she murmured, licking at his pounding pulse.

Before he could answer, her teeth sank deep. He threw his head back and growled in ecstasy. Her hands smoothed his shoulders, traced his ribs and dropped lower to find the girth of his burgeoning cock. She danced her fingers over his sensitive skin, then wrapped her fist tightly and slid the length of him from base to head in that firm grip. Her other hand dropped a little lower to find his heavy sac. She rolled and caressed, squeezing gently.

The sensations she created, between her hands and her mouth, turned his brain to absolute mush. Thunder roared in his ears. Blood pounded through his body. He had set out to give her a night of pleasure, only to have her turn the tables. She licked across the small wound in his chest her teeth had caused, her eyes nearly glowing as she lifted her lashes.

"I need more of you, lifemate," she said softly.

If it was possible, his cock hardened even more.

She tugged very gently, not relinquishing her hold on him. "I think you'd better come with me."

He did. How could he not? She got as far as the first pool where the rocks were smooth all around it and stepped into it. The water came to her waist.

"Sit right here." She patted the edge where the rock was the smoothest.

He complied with her command, sitting right on the edge. His cock was rock hard against his stomach, but his sac hung down toward that steaming water. Standing so much lower than him, her head was perfectly aligned with his groin.

"This night was meant for you," he said, his voice raspy and raw.

Tatijana gave him a siren's smile, one that made him hotter than ever. "Exactly. I want more of you, and it's time I got what I wanted. Ever since our night in the field, tasting you on that flower, I've been craving that exact taste. I could be addicted."

Her mouth slid over him like a silken glove. His entire body shuddered with pleasure. He was hot, his skin, his blood, his desire. Her mouth was cool silk, wrapped tightly around him, drawing him deeper into her with every movement she made. She didn't take her eyes from his, so that he could see her pleasure.

Fen cupped her breasts, his fingers finding her nipples. He rolled and tugged, watching the glaze come into the very depths of her eyes. Her hands moved over his groin, soft hands, but her touch drove him wild.

Tatijana had butterflies in her stomach. She'd never been nervous, but this time, she wanted to give Fen as much pleasure as he always gave her. More, she wanted this for herself. She wanted to make her own demands of him and know he found everything as pleasurable as she did.

She looked up at Fen's rugged features. He was a man who had seen more in life than he ever should have. There was the stamp of confidence, of dominance, an alpha who took control when necessary. He was beautiful to her, wholly masculine, his face sensual. She loved his eyes. Those amazing, glacier-blue eyes. When he focused on her, there was no one else in the world and she knew it. He made her feel alive and vibrant and beautiful herself.

She loved the control she had, driving him wild, and she knew he was nearly crazy with pleasure. Her mouth and tongue teased and tortured, and clamped around him, tighter, urging him deeper, his hands on her breasts making her just as wild for him. She hadn't known she was so sensitive there, but every tug on her nipples sent fresh, welcoming liquid between her legs.

Fen bunched Tatijana's hair in his fist, groaning, his body swelling more. He tried to keep his hips still, giving her the control, but her tongue teased his most sensitive spot under the head of his cock and then suddenly flicked back and forth. Fire sizzled through his veins, settling in his groin, roaring as it grew out of control. She used the edge of her teeth, scraping gently, and then her tongue danced again. She slid her lips up and down his shaft, over his tight sac and the very base of his cock and then swirled her tongue around the head.

She sipped at the pearly drops leaking almost continually, keeping him so off balance he knew he would be lost. She took him deeper, her mouth constricting around him, and he took over, thrusting into her, giving her what she wanted most. Both hands gripped her hair, holding her still, drawing her into him as he thrust upward. She braced herself with one hand on his thigh while the other cuddled his sac, her hold intimate.

His body tightened, the fire roaring. He could feel flames from his feet to the top of his head. Blood pounded through him. His pulse thundered in his ears. She flattened her tongue, keeping her mouth tight while he thrust deep over and over. He felt the blast coming and there was no way to stop, not when she felt like heaven.

Nothing prepared him for the way she suckled him, the constriction and the feel of her silken mouth clamped around him. He threw back his head and howled like a wolf as he poured down her throat. His hands gripped her hair hard, but she didn't pull away, only licked gently at his shaft and the exquisitely sensitive head until he felt thoroughly loved.

"Yep. That's definitely the taste I remember," Tatijana said. "Definitely addicting."

He couldn't breathe. He wasn't certain he could ever breathe again. She smiled her siren's smile and swam away from him, her bare buttocks flashing white. She rolled over and leisurely floated, her breasts thrust up toward the sky. The mist had come in, so soft and light, it was barely noticeable, or he'd been preoccupied and hadn't observed it.

Now it was becoming thicker, denser, falling lightly into the steaming pool. He watched her for a few minutes, clearly enjoying the feel of the water against her skin. Even in the heat of the pool, Fen knew her skin would feel cool and inviting against his. He leaned back and let the mist fall on his face, watching the tiny drops fall like glittering diamonds from the sky.

He would always associate Tatijana with fresh rain, with the feel of cool water against hot skin. There was a sensual feeling he couldn't deny with the mist falling softly over him. He'd never connected rain or fog to sensuality, but would forever more.

Tatijana sent a wall of water shooting at him. He ducked under it using the speed of his mixed blood and did a shallow dive into the water. The heat after the cool rain was shocking. He gave chase, catching her just near the far side, nearest the mountain where icy cold drops from the waterfall splashed over them to hiss in the heat of the pool.

Standing, he pulled her to him, catching her legs to wrap them around his body. The vee between her legs nestled over his already thickening cock. Her skin was cool, just as he suspected, but that sweet invitation was hotter than ever. She linked her fingers behind his neck and leaned in to kiss him.

"Thank you. I love this place, Fen. My beautiful wolf man. First you write me a song, and then you give me this wonderful night." She threw her head back, allowing the mist to fall into her face. "I think it's going to rain. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

He laughed, enjoying how happy she was. "Only you would say that, my lady. Most women would prefer to be indoors when it rains."

"They don't know how good it feels on their skin." She leaned down to lick droplets off his neck. "Or how good rain tastes on skin."

"Lean back. I'll hold you," he promised. "Just enough that I can get a taste of you."

When she complied, stretching her arms to full length, the movement pushed her body into his. She moved, a subtle circle, rubbing against him, so that his cock jerked with demand. Her breasts swayed invitingly and the silk of her hair fell in waves like a bright cape. Behind her, the waterfall spilled continuously down the mountainside, long crystal streaks of water racing toward the pools below. Wind moved through the trees, so that the tops swayed as if to music. Steam rose around them, creating even more of an intimacy.

"There is music to the rain," Tatijana confided. "Haven't you ever heard it?"

"No," he admitted, nuzzling her breast. "When it rains, I'll listen," he promised.

The temptation of her taut nipple was too much for him. She was a redhead and her nipples were more of a pink than dark-and very sensitive. Each time he stroked his tongue over and around her breast, he felt her body's reaction. He used his teeth, tiny little nips, before he drew her nipple into the heat of his mouth and suckled strongly.

The mist turned to a light rain, the drops feeling cool against his body heat. Cool, like Tatijana. His mouth was burning hot. His skin. His cock. His blood, surging, rushing, inflamed in the midst of such temptation. He couldn't leave her other breast unattended and took his time paying tribute to her soft flesh until she was crying out his name, cradling his head and arching into him.

Her body squirmed against his, each delicious movement sliding over his shaft, rubbing and teasing, inflaming him more. He still had trouble believing that such a beautiful woman had chosen him, and each time he reached for her, gave herself again and again so generously. He touched her mind often, and she always was as eager to explore his body as he was to explore hers.

He kissed his way up her breast, over the creamy slope, his teeth nipping along the way, just to feel the hot liquid response of her body against his shaft. Using his tongue, he eased each sting and then found her pounding pulse. The frantic rhythm beckoned and called seductively to him. He felt the pull of her blood as deeply as he felt the need of her body. The taste of her burst through his mouth even before he actually sank his teeth deep.

Tatijana cried out, sweet music to his ears, as he drank from her, taking the essence of her into his own body. The rain fell over the both of them-small, gentle droplets cooling the heat of his skin, making his core burn hotter than ever. She cradled his head to her, holding him close, her body writhing against his. Twice she lifted her hips, trying to impale herself on him, but he held her firmly in place, drawing out the need, building it in her.

"Fen. What are you doing?"

She gasped his name. Chanted it again and again. Adding to the music. He was beginning to hear the rain's song through the pounding of his own blood. Small little drops plopping in the water. The random hiss of droplets from the waterfall accompanying the steadier fall of the rain. Her ragged breathing. His pulse thundering in his ears like a drum.

He took his time, savoring the taste of her and the response of her body, before he finally closed the wound over her breast.

Her breathing became part of the symphony. The drops hitting the leaves produced a different sound than when they fell on the ground. He heard it now, the music the rain made, that same music she heard, and it became part of their night, part of them. His hands slid down her body to grip her buttocks, lifting her so that the head of his cock lodged just inside of her.

Tight muscles closed around him, gripping and squeezing, trying to drag him inside of her, desperate for him to move hard and deep. Her panting gasps and desperate pleas added to the melody of the rain, that perfect song. He would always love her soft little cries, the way she said his name over and over.

Very slowly he lowered her body over his, burying his cock in her scorching hot feminine sheath, such a contrast to the cool of her outside skin. Her body was tight, reluctantly giving way for his invasion. Her breath hissed out against his neck, a long sigh of pure rapture.

"At last," she whispered, her fingers locking at the nape of his neck. "I feel I've waited a lifetime for this moment."

"Clearly I've been remiss in attending to your needs," he said, lifting her hips so that her body rode his.

She moved in a small, intriguing circle as she rode his cock down, her tight muscles locking over him so that the friction sent streaks of fire racing from his core up to his head and down to his toes.

Tatijana laughed softly, throwing her head back so that fine rain could touch her face. Her hair fell in long waves and her breasts jutted up, swaying temptingly. She looked so beautiful, wild, and obviously happy. He loved that about her, that inhibition, showing him how she felt about him every moment.

"Do you hear the music now, Fen?" she asked, her hips shifting to a faster rhythm.

The raindrops felt like little tongues against his skin. The concentration on her face added to her beauty as she rode him, her muscles a fiery velvet fist wrapped tightly around him. Yes, he heard it. The plinking of the drops in the water. The wild beating of their hearts in complete synchronization. The creaking of the trees and the little sounds she made that drove him completely and utterly mad with love for her.

He tightened his hands on her hips and took over, lifting her, picking up the pace so that he drove hard and deep while he held her still. He thrust over and over, surging into her, a piston out of control, listening to her gasping breath, her little cries, watching the glaze come into her eyes and the flush come to her body. The slap of the water just added to the crashing crescendo as he took them both right to the edge, teetered there, and then both fell together in a long erotic free fall.

Tatijana collapsed over him, her head on his shoulder, fighting for breath, pressing little kisses along his collarbone and neck.

Fen carried her to the edge of the pool before sinking into its warmth, keeping her on his lap as he sat, stretching out his legs, stone behind him and his woman a soft bundle in his arms. The soft rain fell on them both and Tatijana turned her face sideways so she could feel it.

"This has been such a beautiful night, Fen. A gift. Thank you. I love the way you love me. I was-" she broke off, searching for the right way to tell him. "I was having trouble closing the door on my past. I accepted what happened to me. One has to learn acceptance in a situation like ours, but it becomes a way of life. The terror of being outside that cave was almost as bad as being inside of it."

He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles and nibbling on her fingers. "Yet you've done so well, Tatijana. You set out exploring on your own, learning things you wanted to learn."

She nodded. "But I avoided people. I observed them, but I still didn't want to be part of anything else. I'm not explaining this very well. But I want to be a part of us. You and me. More than you and me. We have family. Branislava, Dimitri. Razvan and Natalya. Their lifemates. Young Skyler. My niece Lara who led the rescue of us. You've done that for me. You've given me the ability to go beyond just Bronnie and me."

He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. "You loved them all before I came along."

"From a distance. I didn't want any interaction with them. I avoided them, just as Bronnie is doing now. We both retreated underground where we were safe. Where we didn't have to figure out the rules of the new world we lived in. Where no one could ever get to us again. We had no measure of trust. How could we? It was our own father who tortured us and held us prisoner. You made me realize just how honorable a man could be."

"I'm glad then, that it was me, Tatijana. For me, you're a complete miracle."

"That's it, right there. You think I'm the miracle, Fen, but really it's you." She caught his face between her hands and kissed him hard. "I love you with all my heart. You, Fen. You're my lifemate and that means everything, it means we're bound together. One. But I want you to know, I love you, my wolf man. I would follow you anywhere."

She had followed him-into the labyrinth of evil her father had held her captive in. She had supported his every decision, following him into danger and fighting alongside him.

He kissed her again, savoring the taste of her, a part of him wondering how he got so lucky. His world had changed almost overnight. "I love you more than life itself, Tatijana," he murmured. "Inadequate words but heartfelt."

Tatijana laid her head on his shoulder again, closing her eyes, her body relaxing into his. Sometimes, like now, for Fen, it felt as if she simply melted into him. Soft. Cool. His lady.

"Fen." Tatijana lifted her head from his chest to look into his eyes.

He felt the familiar tightening of his gut, the strange slow somersault of his heart the moment their eyes met.

"What's next? What are you planning to do?"

"I've got to stop Abel. He's after Mikhail. He plans to wipe out the entire species. We're all connected through the prince. I don't know what Abel stands to gain from killing Mikhail, but he's dead set on it."

"Maybe he's moved on," she said hopefully. "He's lost most of his pack and now Bardolf. It would make sense for him to run."

Fen sighed, his fingers at the nape of her neck, massaging gently. Tension was creeping back in when she'd been limp and relaxed only moments earlier. "I don't think he's going anywhere. I think his mission was to kill Mikhail, and unfortunately for him, I ran across his tracks, as did Zev. He wasn't expecting either of us."

"Do you really think you can kill Abel? How long has he been a Sange rau? Isn't it true that your abilities grow with time?"

He felt the anxiety in her mind, heard the note of worry she tried to keep from her voice. "I've seen him in action, and I think we're fairly evenly matched. So, yes, I believe I can kill him. It may take a little bit of luck and I know I'll probably need recovery time after, but I'll get the job done."

He didn't need to pretend confidence for her, and in any case he doubted if he could deceive her. He was confident. He brushed another kiss on the top of her head for reassurance. "No matter if Abel moved on or not, I would have to hunt him down. It's what I do. It's who I am. I can't let him kill whoever he pleases. He lives for that now. The rush. The blood. No one is safe, no species. He has to be destroyed."

"I know. But isn't Zev supposed to hunt rogues?"

He couldn't help but smile. "Abel is no rogue. He's far more than that and you know it. The key to killing Abel is to remember what he's like, I think. I grew up with him. I knew him as a child. The memories are vague, but I'm slowly pulling them up. He was a good man. Honorable. He didn't have the character flaws one associates with those who choose to lose their souls. I have no idea what would make him choose to become the very thing he hunted so successfully for centuries. I ran across him once in a rare while. He was unswerving, even relentless in carrying out his duties."

"What usually tips someone over the edge?" Tatijana asked, curiosity in her mind. "You all start out with honor."

"I think it has to do with character. I've met Carpathians who crave power. Who enjoy killing. Remember, we are predators. We're born to hunt. The darkness is in all of us, but just like everyone, we have character strengths and weaknesses. There were some whose paths I crossed that I was certain would turn if they didn't find their lifemate very quickly. Abel wasn't one of them."

"Would he turn if he did find his lifemate and she was killed somehow?"

That gave him pause. There was always that danger. In the midst of grief, of wrenching intense sorrow when the other half of one's soul had been ripped away, insanity could ensue. Tatijana may have hit on something, although he didn't like the idea. If Abel had become vampire upon losing his lifemate, and it was known, that would make it much more difficult for Mikhail to convince the Lycan council that any Guardian who had a lifemate would be safe from becoming the Sange rau.

"It's possible. That's definitely one of the most feared moments for any Carpathian. Males refer to that moment as the madness thrall. You hold light in you, Tatijana, but we're all darkness until you provide us with that light. You've given me life," he tried to explain. She might be able to understand, because she had to have felt hopeless in those long, barren years prisoner in the ice caves.

"The centuries go on endlessly. There's nothing but the kill. After a while a hunter begins to look forward to the kill because there is nothing else for him. There is no beauty in the world." He looked around him. "Look at this. The falls, the pools and forest. The colors, so vibrant. Without you, I couldn't see any of this. I wouldn't even notice it. You provided that for me. I had no ability to feel for others. I hunted. I killed. I fed. That was my life. That's the life of a Carpathian male. I was luckier than most because I found the Lycans. For a long while I could see as a wolf sees, but as my abilities as a . . . Guardian grew, so did the darkness in me."

Tatijana pressed closer if it was possible, holding him tight in her arms.

"Can you imagine what it would be like for me, having been given these incredible gifts, this miracle of a lifemate who allows me to see such beauty in the world, to feel so intensely, such emotion and then have it ripped away? A madness grips, takes over. Most get through it, but not all."

"Is it really a choice then, to become the vampire?" Tatijana asked.

"I haven't been in that situation, but because the decision has to be made, give up one's soul or follow your lifemate, it is decreed that it is a choice. I believe, in a moment of madness, anyone can make a bad decision."

"How sad. How tragic."

"It's both," he agreed. "But once he's vampire, then there is no choice for the hunter. He must destroy the undead, even if it's one's father, brother or best friend. Vampires are wholly evil. Believe me, Tatijana, over the centuries, I've tried to reach one or two and pull them back."

She nuzzled his throat. "Of course you did. You had little or no emotions, but you still had it in you to try."

"We have memories. That is one thing we don't lose. That is the one gift left to us. Our memories are vivid and very much alive. They do fade as the centuries go by, but we hold them close to us. Dimitri and I aided one another, keeping those important memories alive in one another. If not for him, I would have met the dawn a century ago. The pull of evil is so strong in a mixed blood. I think the predator is strong in both species, and when they come together it is far worse as time goes by and the gifts develop."

"I feel sorry for Abel if he did lose a lifemate. I can't imagine losing you. But Fen, if something happens to me, follow me. I don't want to think of you lost without me and I can't get to you to save you."

She frowned up at him and he tried not to melt. It seemed a ridiculous thing to do for a Carpathian hunter and worse for a Guardian. One shouldn't find their lifemate's frowns adorable.

"I'll do my best to always stay honorable, my lady," he assured her.

"You're worried about Dimitri, aren't you?"

"I don't worry that he will turn," he said slowly. "The connection between Skyler and Dimitri is very strong. Intense. I've never seen anything like it, but, having said that, he puts himself in harm's way more than I would like."

She laughed softly. "In other words, he's just like you. You throw yourself in front of people when there's danger. Is that what you mean?"

He tugged on a strand of her hair. "He took me in even when I explained the dangers of what I was to him. He went into battle with me over and over and when we gave each other blood to survive, he knew the risks and still did it anyway." He caught her chin and lifted it, forcing her to look up at him. "As you're doing now."

"And always, my Guardian, you have to know it is my choice. Just as it is Dimitri's choice. None of us have control over what another does, we can only control ourselves. Dimitri is a strong man. He's one of the best in any battle. He's known for some time that he's becoming as you are . . ."

"Yet he didn't tell me until this evening."

"He's a man who handles his own life, just as you do," Tatijana said. "He may be your younger brother, but he caught up with you many centuries ago. He has a need to protect you, just as you protect him. Skyler returned his emotions to him and he feels deeply. You can't fault him for being a man."

She spoke the truth and Fen knew it. Dimitri would always be his own man. He'd make his own decisions. Fate had given Dimitri the skills of a hunter and he'd excelled at his job.

"I love that the two of you are so close. I don't know what I'd do without Bronnie. We definitely relied on each other all those centuries. It's nice to know you understand that unbreakable bond we have."

Fen sighed. The sky overhead was becoming lighter in spite of the rainclouds drifting across. "We have to go to ground, my lady."

"I know." She kissed his throat again. "I wanted this night to never end. I know you're going to hunt Abel this next rising." She paused to look up at him. "Aren't you?"

"It has to be done. I can't take the chance of waiting. He's got a plan to kill Mikhail and he believes he can do it. That means the plan is already in place. I can't wait for him to put it into motion and maybe get away with it. If I push him, actively hunt him, and he knows I'm coming for him, that might throw him off his game."

Fen stood up, taking her with him, cradling her in his arms, close to his chest. He didn't bother with clothes, there seemed no need. Both could regulate their body temperatures and she loved the feel of the rain on her skin. He was coming to love it as well.

"When it's over, will we stay here? Make our home near the others?"

She was asking if they would remain close to her sister. Again she tried to hide that little anxious note from him, but he felt it would be impossible for him not to recognize when his lady was upset.

He leaned his head down and fastened his mouth to hers. She tasted like the rain. Like wild honey. Like Tatijana. She always made him hungry for more.

"I would never take you far from your sister, sivamet," he assured when he had kissed her thoroughly. "I would never do anything that would make you unhappy."

Tatijana's eyes searched his. She nodded her head and tightened her hold on his neck. "Let's go back to our little spot in the forest. I want to lie close to you for a while before we go to sleep. I need you to hold me."

"Always," he said, and took to the air.