Dark Celebration 17 Read online

«We let him take our daughter from us,» Mikhail said. «I think as his father-in-law he will have a hard time turning me down.»

  «And you say I have a wicked sense of humor,» Raven accused.

  «Where do you think I got it?» Mikhail nuzzled her neck, his voice a husky whisper.

  The familiar answering tingle of excitement shot down her spine. Raven loved the way Mikhail's every touch seemed so intimate. «He'll never do it. Not in a million years and you'll still have to, but I'd love to see his face when you ask.»

  «I have no intention of asking,» Mikhail said, straightening to his full height. «I'm his prince as well as his father-in-law and he is my second in command and son-in-law. It is his duty to do these things.»

  «You can't order him to play Santa Claus.» Raven tried desperately to keep her laughter from spilling over. Gregori was one of the most fearsome men she'd ever met. The idea of even considering him in the part of Santa Claus was both hilarious and ludicrous to her.

  «I believe that I can, Raven,» Mikhail said solemnly. «You ordered me, and I'm the prince.»

  Raven made a snickering sound. «I suppose you'd prefer I groveled at your feet.»

  His hands framed her face and he bent to take possession of her mouth. He loved her mouth-her taste-her instant response. I could kiss you for all time.

  Good thing since you dragged me kicking and screaming into your world. Raven closed her eyes and gave herself up to the sheer magic of his kiss. Her arms stole around his neck and she leaned into him, wanting to feel the imprint of his body so real and alive against hers. There had been too many assassination attempts on Mikhail. Just recently they had lost one of their homes in a fierce battle fighting the combined forces of Razvan, a mage, and vampires. It had been unheard of for vampires to band together, let alone band with any other species.

  It frightened her to think there was a conspiracy to murder Mikhail. Her terror of losing him had partly been the reason she'd suggested a huge celebration of Christmas. Although not a holiday usually celebrated by the Carpathians, many of the previously human lifemates, including Raven, missed not having Christmas. She also needed something to take her mind off her growing fears for his safety.

  Mikhail lifted his head, retaining possession of her chin. «There is no need for you to fear for my safety, Raven.»

  The smile faded from Raven's face and she took a step away from her lifemate. «There is every need.» She glanced toward the forest, a hitch in her breath. «Someone is coming.»

  «A youngster, Raven, no one to be afraid of.» Mikhail brought her palm to his mouth to press a kiss in the center. «I've never seen you so nervous.»

  «I try to accept what we cannot change, Mikhail, but as the years have gone by, the danger to you has increased. I try to live as normal a life as possible, but I cannot even now, when it is imperative to protect you, overcome my loathing of sleeping in the ground. My terror of being buried alive makes us more vulnerable than ever.» Ashamed, she ducked her head, avoiding his eyes.

  Raven. My love. He bent his head once more to hers, his lips brushing hers with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes. «I made you a promise and I mean to keep it. You do not ever have to sleep beneath the ground. The earth rejuvenates us in our chamber and there is no need to feel you have in any way placed my life in danger. You are my life. I cannot allow you ever to be in danger. If I thought sleeping in our chamber was dangerous, I would find another way.»

  Her eyes searched his, her mind sweeping through his at the same time, searching for the truth. She knew he wove powerful safeguards to protect them, but she still feared that she

  placed them in danger with her strong aversion to going to ground.

  The rustle of leaves on the path to their home broke them apart, Mikhail shifting his body slightly to place his taller frame between the forest and his lifemate. A young woman emerged from behind several leafy plants, looking frightened, but determined. She was average height with tousled, dark hair shimmering with red streaks. She had the skin of a young girl and the eyes of someone far, far older.

  Skyler. Mikhail told Raven. Gabriel and Francesca adopted her. Both Gabriel and Francesca have given her their blood. She is still human, yet carries a powerful bloodline. She is a very strong psychic.

  Raven smiled at the teenager. She worries about the Carpathian males wanting to claim her now that she is sixteen. She's much too young to worry about such things. «You must be Skyler. How nice of you to come visiting. Perhaps you'd care to come in and talk to me while I check on the turkey.»

  «I do not see Gabriel with you,» Mikhail said pointedly. This young child represented hope to his race, yet she walked through the forest unescorted.

  Mikhail! Don't frighten her.

  There are wolves in the forest, as well as the possibility of enemies.

  Skyler stopped abruptly, her gaze shifting to Mikhail. For a moment, her dark eyes clashed with Mikhail's black ones defiantly. «Gabriel trusts me to make my way to your house. I'm not a child anymore.»

  «I can see that. I'm Mikhail and this is my lifemate, Raven. Gabriel and Francesca speak of you so often, I feel as if I know you. Forgive me if I showed my concern for a young woman I look upon as family.»

  A brief smile flirted with Skyler's mouth. «I have to hand it to you, Mr. Dubrinsky. That should make me feel like a worm, but it doesn't. I'm here because I absolutely want to make it clear that I am not a lifemate to anyone.»

  A shadow passed across the moon, briefly blotting out the light spilling down on the forest. Bats wheeled and dipped in a mad, frenzied performance in the night sky.

  Mikhail stood still, searching the surrounding forest with his preternatural senses. He gestured imperiously toward the door Raven held open. They followed Skyler inside. «You are so certain of this?»

  The aroma of turkey filled the house, and Mikhail hid his natural revulsion against the scent of meat cooking. Smells from her past often comforted Raven. She was unaware of it, but he sensed her happiness, as if the turkey in the oven had been an important part of her life-a good memory of childhood-so he was careful not to ruin it for her. Raven sent him

  a small smile as if she might be reading his thoughts in spite of his thin shield. He'd have to watch that. Her skills and powers grew daily.

  Skyler looked at the high beamed ceilings and wide-open space before her gaze settled on the three enormous stained-glass windows. Her face lit up and she walked straight over to them. «This is Francesca's work. Isn't she awesome? I helped her with this one.» She tilted her head to study the vibrant colors. «I haven't learned how to weave the safeguards into the glass yet. I can do it in quilts, but glass is much more complicated.» She glanced at Raven. «Do you ever stand under the setting sun and feel comfort?» Skyler moved an inch to her left. «Right here. If you stand right in this spot as the last rays of light hit, you'll feel it. I did that.»

  «It's a work of art,» Raven said. «If I could, I'd have every window done in Francesca's work. I had no idea you were helping her.»

  «I have some talent, not nearly as strong as hers, but she's helping me develop mine. I hope to be partners with her one day.» The smile faded, leaving her eyes bleak. She reached up to brush strands of dark hair from her face, revealing a small crescent-shaped scar on her temple and drawing attention to the white scars on her hands and forearms. Skyler seemed to be aware of her nervous gesture and folded her hands, her chin raising a fraction. «I've heard rumors of a coming-out party-where the men gather to see if they could possibly be compatible with one of the women…»

  «We have no women,» Mikhail pointed out. «There are no parties and no coming out as we have no women…»

  Skyler's mouth firmed into a stubborn line as she followed the couple into the kitchen. «Gabriel and Francesca treat me like family.»

  Mikhail nodded. «They love you as if you were their daughter.» He inhaled deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs. «You carry their blood so through love, blood and in
every other way, you are their daughter.»

  «They've offered to convert me when I'm twenty-one and I'm considering it, but I want assurances that you won't try to force me to be with a man-any man.»

  «No one would force you to do anything,» Raven said. «Gabriel is a powerful man. Don't you think he would protect you?»

  «Absolutely he would protect me. I don't want Gabriel or Francesca to have to protect me. If I go through the conversion, I do not want someone trying to claim me.»

  «Are you not aware of the plight of our people? Of our males?» Mikhail demanded.

  Raven put a restraining hand on his arm. «Have a seat, Skyler. Can I get you something to eat or drink? We have juice in the fridge.»

  Without breaking eye contact with Mikhail, the teenager sank into a chair with an almost regal nod. «Yes, thank you, juice would be nice.»

  She is terrific, isn't she Mikhail? She's terrified but determined that she be heard. There was admiration-and warning in Raven's soft message to her lifemate. Raven poured a glass of orange juice and set it in front of Skyler.

  Mikhail's head went up suddenly and he stepped toward the window, his gaze restless as he searched the darkness. He felt the presence of wolves and owls as they hunted for prey, but nothing that would cause the uneasy feeling twisting at his gut. He glanced down at the defiant young teenager, gently probing her mind-and memories. He found Francesca and Gabriel's shields to help distance the girl from the brutality of her life before they had made her their ward, but even with that protection in place, the memories of the malicious cruelty and violence against Skyler sickened him.

  Mikhail glanced at Raven and saw the tears shimmering in her eyes as she shared Skyler's past-felt her pain and despair-the utter hopelessness of a child who could not escape from a depraved adult world. Raven hastily crossed to the oven to check on the turkey.

  «It smells good,» Skyler said.

  «I used a wild rice stuffing,» Raven said. «I remember it from my childhood. It took a bit of time tracking down the recipe, but it should be good, although it's been a long time since I cooked anything.»

  «Francesca lets me cook whenever I want. She trusts me to make my own decisions.» Skyler glanced at Mikhail.

  «Are you aware of what happens to a Carpathian male without his lifemate?» Mikhail asked, his voice compelling.

  Skyler nodded. «Gabriel and Francesca both explained it to me. They lose colors and emotions first. Over hundreds of years, honor can fade and they become dangerous, especially the hunters, any who take lives. And eventually they can become the vampire, the most evil of all creatures.»

  «And you would leave your lifemate to this fate? You would be that cruel and inhumane? Should he suffer even more than he already has because you suffered?»

  «Mikhail!» Raven whirled around, shock on her face. She's a child. How could you? Giving our daughter to Gregori before she was beyond a fledging was bad enough, but this child has suffered. And we have no way of knowing whether or not she is lifemate to one of our males.

  She is experienced far beyond her human years, Raven. Allow her to answer.

  Skyler carefully placed the glass on the table and stood up, folding her arms as she faced Mikhail squarely. «No, of course not. I wouldn't want anyone to suffer, but I can't seem to overcome the things in my past.» She held her trembling hands in front of her. «I don't feel comfortable in the presence of men. I'm not capable of being anyone's lifemate and I don't want to be forced into a position where I have no choice, no say in my life. I didn't come to this conclusion lightly. I love Gabriel and I certainly wouldn't want to think of him dead or suffering or a vampire, but I know I can't ever be powerless again. Male Carpathians are far too dominating, and I would find myself slipping back into that dark place where Francesca first found me.»

  Mikhail frowned. «Do you believe our women are without power? Is that how you see Francesca?»

  Skyler shook her head. «Francesca is loved and returns love. She can do what I can't– and never will be able to do. Gabriel promised me-as did Lucian-that they will never let another force my compliance, but I know a Carpathian male has the ability to bind a Carpathian woman to him. I want to be fully Gabriel and Francesca's daughter, but I don't want to be subject to the laws of your world.»

  She doesn't know her lifemate could bind her to him in her human state. Mikhail reached out to Raven, suddenly at a loss as to what to do or say to this woman-child. Why would Francesca and Gabriel and even Lucian keep this information from her?

  «Skyler,» he said aloud. «A Carpathian male must put his lifemate above all else. He would see to your needs, have patience with you. You are young yet. You have no idea how you'll feel in a few years.»

  «I do know.»

  «And you would sentence a Carpathian male, one who has given many lifetimes of service, to death-or worse-to the undead out of fear?»

  «His decisions have nothing to do with me.»

  «And what of the Carpathian race? Our species is nearly extinct. We cannot continue to exist without women and children. One woman makes a difference. One woman can save a male and give birth to a child.»

  «I see Francesca struggling sometimes to be true to her nature, and she's a strong woman. Gabriel is very protective and dislikes her going anywhere without him.»

  Mikhail slammed a barrier in his mind immediately to prevent Raven from reading his mind. Gabriel had to be concerned with their enemies striking at the women, yet he had allowed Skyler to go into the woods. Or had he? «Did you mention to Gabriel that you were coming to see us?»

  Skyler scuffed the toe of her hiking boot on the kitchen floor. «I may have forgotten. He

  was busy helping Francesca bake gingerbread for the house we're making for the children.»

  Raven basted the turkey in silence, turning over Skyler's fears in her mind. «What is it Francesca struggles against, Skyler?» she asked.

  Skyler shrugged. «What do you struggle against?»

  Mikhail was slightly shocked at the human teenagers reply. She sounded far too mature for her age, and that in itself was a danger he hadn't considered. If Gabriel and Francesca had thought about the potential risks before bringing Skyler to their homeland, they would have mentioned her maturity to him. She was only sixteen-a virtual baby by their standards, yet her experiences had aged her far beyond her physical years. She looked-and spoke-like an adult. Would her voice trigger the terrible needs of the Carpathian male? If so, and she restored color and emotion to her lifemate before she could meet his needs, that might be as dangerous to the male, her not being ready to be with him, as not finding her at all. Often, being a lifemate-and intense sexual awareness and need-came before love or even affection.

  Raven touched his hand-a small gesture, but it was enough to lighten his spirits. She smiled at the teenager. «I struggle with the terrible burden of so many lives depending on my lifemate and with the knowledge that so many want him dead. And I struggle with my own inadequacies. There are still aspects of Carpathian life I can't come to terms with, and it could present an added danger to my lifemate.»

  She smiled up at Mikhail. The stark love shining in her eyes put an unexpected lump in his throat. «I have never, not once, not at any time, regretted that I am lifemate to this man. I think you underestimate your own abilities, Skyler. You're a very courageous young woman. You are far too young to contemplate taking on a Carpathian male, but eventually you will come into your full power and potential. Most of the men have no idea what they've gotten themselves into.» She winked at the girl. «It takes time to develop skills and power and most of us were too young, but we learned quickly by utilizing the mind bond.»

  Skyler nodded. «Gabriel and Francesca teach me by sharing information telepathically, and I've found it's so much more detailed than conversation. I can see how you'd learn so much more quickly.»

  «How's Baby Tamara doing?» There was a hitch in Raven's voice, and she didn't dare glance at Mikhail. Of course he w
ould notice-he always noticed.

  His gaze found hers-sharp-aware, sliding over her body with too much knowledge. She hadn't told him she could get pregnant-that it was the optimum time and if they let this chance slip by, it could be years before it happened again. Ashamed of being afraid, of the sorrow and grief that accompanied taking such a chance, Raven looked away from him. «And sometimes, Skyler, I struggle against my own weaknesses and fears, but never– never-against being lifemate to Mikhail.»

  Skyler, obviously an empath, moved closer to Raven, as if by her close presence she could reduce the sadness. «I guess we all do that, don't we?» She looked to Mikhail for confirmation.

  Mikhail touched Raven's hair, his fingers gentle. Raven, my love. His voice in her mind was infinitely tender. Every Carpathian male knows when his mate can conceive. You are everything I have ever wanted. When you are ready-only when you are ready-do we try again. He smiled at Skyler even as his gaze caressed his lifemate. «You are a very wise young lady.»