“Then youdon’tbelieve the cards,” Lojos clarified.
The rotting vegetation on the ground on either side of the narrow track had piled up, even more than usual due to the passage of larger animals on the thin pathway. In a few places, there was a tangle of vines forming tunnels, but they didn’t miss a step, simply shimmering into molecules and passing through with ease before reforming.
“I do believe the cards,” Tomas clarified. “I saw them work for others. It isn’t that. We’re beyond the time we were supposed to have lived. Like the other ancients, I believed it was our duty to hold on for our lifemates and to keep the world safe from the undead. Knowing we are becoming something else—and we are—there is most likely a reason that we’ve survived far too long.”
The game trail wound around several trees with massive trunks. He paused to study the crooked limbs, most thick enough to support jaguars as they used the arboreal highway to traverse the rainforest.
“We are tracking Justice, and as far as I can tell, he is no vampire, but he is no longer Carpathian. The danger he represents is very real to every species,” he pointed out as he continued to examine the branches, looking for the smallest detail out of place.
“Benedek is the oldest of us,” Mataias said softly. “He was closest to becoming the beast, closer than the three of us, and yet has found his lifemate, and they seem happy together.”
Several flower petals were crushed against the thick bark on the trunk approximately thirty feet up. The branch extending toward another tree was wide and thick, very strong.
“Do we know if finding our lifemates stops us from continuing to evolve into something other than what we were born to be?” Tomas posed the question deliberately to his brothers.
They were getting away from his original question, but since he appeared to be the only one wrestling with the ethics of binding a human woman to him without her consent, he decided he could contemplate the morality of it alone. Because he was very certain his lifemate was not Carpathian.
“What have Ferro or Benedek said?” Lojos asked.
“Or have Petru or Sandu spoken of any concerns?” Mataias wondered aloud.
“No, but I didn’t ask them directly,” Tomas said. “I should have.”
“We all should have considered that possibility,” Mataias corrected.
Chapter
5
Sarika was shocked that the inhabitants of the forest ignored the huge harpy eagle as it wove in and out of trees with shocking precision. The eagle flew straight toward the darkest grove of kapok trees. The trunks were quite thick, and the heavy branches were high off the forest floor. The dull whitish-gray fungi growing up the trunks seemed to become larger and much rounder in shape the higher they flew. As they traveled deeper into the dark grove of trees, the coloring of the fungi seemed to change, blending in with the surroundings, making it difficult to spot them despite their size.
Many branches, thick and sturdy, curved upward and reached outward. Others were very straight, stretching out toward neighboring trees. Some grew skyward, providing a canopy to shelter the entire grove. She noticed the foliage and vines grew thicker and heavier, covering the trees to hide the trunks as well as the strange fungi that seemed even larger.
The harpy eagle set Sarika gently down on a particularly thick branch very high in the canopy. Almost immediately, Luiz shifted and turned to place his foot on one of the wide, round pads of fungi. Sarika cringed a little as she followed him. To her shock, the fungi pad wasn’tspongy. It was hard, not in the least like mushrooms. It was so hard that it acted as a stepping stair. That gave her a little more confidence to follow Luiz higher into the canopy.
The round pads widened the higher she climbed until they appeared to be a small terrace or several terraces climbing upward until Luiz stopped at the entrance to what had to be his house. The building was very skillfully hidden between two extremely broad trunks and supported on thick, sturdy branches. The house was much larger than she’d expected, being essentially a tree house. It was open in design so that she could look right inside. A fringe of hanging vines appeared to be the front door.
The openness of the design and the hanging vines making up a door made her uneasy. How would she be safe here unless he was with her? He claimed he wouldn’t be. She had no doubt that Percy would find his way to Luiz’s home.
She didn’t voice her protest but followed him through those thick woody vines. Despite her reservations, the moment she entered, she felt as if she were home. That feeling was the same as when she’d entered the rainforest. Extremely strong. She looked around her, noting Luiz remained silent, giving her the chance to see his home.
There was no sense of pride or relaxation coming from him. Luiz maintained that low energy but continued to give off an aura of danger. It was clear to her that just because he was in his home didn’t mean he’d let down his guard.
She forced herself to take her mind off her cousin and really look around his home. A half wall of wood made up the outside, allowing the structure to blend into the canopy. The polished hardwood floors gleamed. There were benches made of strong woven vines set against screens that made up movable walls. Behind the screens could be a bedroom and closet. Maybe a kitchen.
Overhead, the ceilings were almost cathedral. Branches from the tree were high up toward the ceiling and curved in and out of the open design. She could see how a jaguar would have access to the arborealhighway, but just as someone in the home could quickly escape, that openness meant other jaguars could easily enter.
Chairs made of vines were in what she considered the main room. Between them was a small table. Behind one of the screens, she glimpsed a table large enough to seat two for dinner. She glanced at Luiz to ensure he didn’t mind her snooping, and when he continued to remain silent, she stepped around one of the gorgeous screens to find a wide hammock hanging from the ceiling.
Sarika smiled at Luiz. “Your home is quite beautiful and practical. I can see that without full walls, the breeze can easily flow through the rooms, keeping the heat and humidity at bay.”
He waved her toward the chairs. They looked inviting, and she immediately sank into one, thankful to be off her feet.
“Take your shoes off,” Luiz encouraged. “I’ll give you slippers to walk around in. My home is protected against insects, but the occasional one might slip through.”
She tilted her chin at him. “Are you still reading my mind?”
He shrugged, not looking in the least remorseful. “I find it expedient to do so.”
