She lifted her chin. “Luiz, that’s lovely, it is; but what did you say in return?” Whatever he had said to Tomas had changed the dynamic between them the moment Tomas had murmured, “I have.”
Those two words had ratcheted up the tension between the two men. Luiz’s gaze had swept over her, and she read alarm in his thoughts. Or feelings he claimed to her that he didn’t have.
“I said to him, ‘Blood be red, my brother.’ ”
She blinked. “I have” was not an answer to such a greeting. She didn’t understand; whatever she was missing was huge. Her head hurt worse than ever. “I’m afraid you’ll have to interpret that for me. I have no idea what that means.”
Luiz’s gaze jumped to Tomas. “The meaning is clear to all Carpathians. Blood appears red. We don’t see in color unless we find our lifemate. I explained to you, there is only one. Figuratively, the greeting meansfind your lifemate.”
Sarika froze like a cornered mouse. Tomas had replied, “I have,” to that greeting. That meant he had a lifemate. She couldn’t stop the fine tremors moving through her body as she turned her head to look up at him over her shoulder. “You have a lifemate. That’s why you feel emotion. You said those feelings were difficult to process.”
He nodded, his eyes holding hers captive. That focused stare was very much like that of a predator. She’d faced wild animals. She’d certainly faced big cats. They could be terrifying when they targeted someone, but this look was as scary or infinitely worse.
“When you have not felt any emotions for centuries and everything pours in at once, the sensation is overwhelming. I have to learn to sort through what I’m feeling and distance myself when necessary.It is the same with colors. They actually hurt my eyes. I have to dull them in order to see without them blinding me.”
He wrapped a curl around his finger, looking almost mesmerized as he lifted it toward his face. “This color is beautiful. All colors of red and gold. Amazing colors. The same with your eyes. Very vivid green, like gems, very intense.”
The way his voice played over her, wreaking havoc on her senses, added to the tremors until she was visibly shaking. She was far too susceptible to him. That meant something ominous.
She had to find a way to breathe. Both men were waiting, allowing her to figure it out on her own. She stepped away from Tomas and, on shaky legs, made her way to the nearest piece of furniture, a hand-carved glider. Dropping into it, she shaded her eyes with her palm, not wanting either man to read her.
“You’re mistaken if you think I’m your lifemate,” she told Tomas. “I’m a jaguar shifter, not a Carpathian.”
“You have gifts,” Luiz said, his voice gentle. “I could see that the moment I laid eyes on you. The shifter males saw it. Why do you think Percy was so interested, so much so he was willing to go against Rud?”
“I know this is new and frightening to you,” Tomas said. “But you know me. It isn’t like I am a total stranger. We’ve been corresponding for years. We have enough between us to build on.”
He didn’t state it hopefully or suggestively; he decreed it. Commanded it. Made it sound as if it were a foregone conclusion. Now her head wanted to explode.
She ignored him and turned her accusatory stare directly at Luiz. “I’m here under your protection. You gave me your word of honor, and I believed you. You told me I would be perfectly safe. I’m not. I want to leave here as quickly as possible, and I’d like you to arrange that for me.” She poured steel into her tone when she felt so fragile she was afraid she might shatter at any moment.
Luiz and Tomas once again exchanged a long look. Instantly, theair around her became charged with danger. It was no small danger; it was a threat unlike any she’d ever felt, not even when Rud held the child by the throat. This was vicious. Violent. The air so heavy she could barely take a breath.
A slight breeze stirred the leaves dripping from the vines at the doorway, and a man materialized out of the air. She recognized him immediately as Tomas’ brother. His face was clear of the scars Tomas had, but she could see a webbing down his exposed arm all the way to his hand. His aquamarine eyes took in each of them, and then he gave a small courtly bow to Sarika.
“Sisarke, I trust these two are treating you well. I’m Lojos, Tomas’ brother.” His gaze shifted to Luiz, and his mask slid into place. “Well met, brother. I understand you’re Sarika’s cousin.”
Luiz sent him a sardonic look. “What I understand is you’re stalling to allow Mataias to get here.”
Lojos gave him a slight bow, acknowledging his statement was true. When he did so, fog rolled in and out of the porch, leaving behind a tall, broad-shouldered man with unusual-colored eyes. They were a metallic green and seemed to change color when different light hit them. He had a web of scars down his face and arm from what she could see. This was definitely not Mataias. This man looked every bit as intimidating as the others.
The tremors began all over again. Now her head felt as if it were being squeezed in a vise. There were too many men surrounding her, and all of them appeared menacing.
“I am Dominic Dragonseeker,” he announced, his gentle gaze on her face, taking in every detail, including her shaking hands. “I’m Solange’s lifemate. Jasmine told us what you did for her and our Sandrine. We will never be able to repay you.”
He looked menacing,feltthat way, but he sounded completely different. She tried a tentative smile but feared she looked as freaked out as she felt. “I’m Sarika Silva.”
“My cousin,” Luiz said.
“My lifemate.” Tomas was equally as firm.
Dominic raised his eyebrow and glanced toward Luiz for an explanation of the standoff.
“I gave her my word of safe passage. She wishes to return home.”
Before Dominic could reply, Tomas did. “There can be no interference between lifemates. That is a sacred rule. If broken, it carries a death sentence.”
Luiz didn’t so much as blink. His expression didn’t change, but Sarika could see a flame building in his eyes. This was bad. Very bad. She sat there like the mouse she was beginning to think herself, her mind numb. Her fear amounted to terror. These men were predators. Every one of them lethal. She didn’t understand how her innocent visit, the visit she had planned for years, had turned into a battlefield. Especially since she didn’t understand exactly what was happening.
