“I have my honor to consider,” Luiz said. “Sarika is my only family, and I’m entrusted with her safety.”
“No longer.” Tomas didn’t give an inch. “She is my lifemate.”
“He is correct, Luiz,” Dominic said. “Perhaps one of the women will talk with Sarika and explain things.”
“He has not claimed her, Dominic,” Luiz said. “She wishes to leave.”
“If that is all that you require, I will do so now,” Tomas said, his voice with quiet menace but so firm she had no doubt he meant what he said. She didn’t know what claiming was, but it was very clear that once he accomplished that task, she would be worse off than she was now.
She looked up at him. “Don’t.” Her voice was pitched very low, hopefully for him alone, but she knew the others heard. It wasn’t a firm command, the way she wanted it to come out; she was too scared. She was unable to keep her voice from pleading with him. In front of all of them, she was terribly humiliated that she couldn’t sound stronger.
Tomas’ eyes, a storm of vicious rage, turned soft. He curled his fingers around the nape of her neck and bent at the waist until his mouth was against her ear. “We do not want a war started here.”
“There doesn’t have to be a war, does there?” Looking at him made her feel as if she were drowning.
“Not when we can prevent it.”
Lojos moved very subtly, but the moment he shifted positions, moving away from her and Tomas, putting several feet between them, all eyes jumped to him. Mataias emerged next, his slashing gaze taking in her, his brothers, and then Luiz and Dominic.
Like the others, he addressed her first, giving her that elegant, courtly bow. “Sisarke, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Mataias.” He didn’t wait for her reaction but immediately turned his attention toward Luiz and Dominic. “Gentlemen. Is there a problem here? Tomas’ lifemate is radiating fear so strong that I felt it miles from here. Between here and where I was, the forest is in an uproar.”
“She doesn’t want to be claimed,” Luiz said. “She wants to go home.”
Sarika knew instantly that the triplets exchanged a private conversation in seconds. Without warning, there was the brush against her mind, a light touch, but she knew someone was invading, and it wasn’t Tomas.
Mataias and Dominic exchanged a look, and she knew immediatelybothhad invaded her privacy. That was so unfair. She detested that they could do that so casually, without giving a thought to whether she wanted to give them permission or not. These were beings far too powerful for their own good. Power corrupted; everyone knew that. She didn’t even bother to glare at them. What was the use?
“She is merely fearful,” Dominic said to Luiz. “Under the circumstances, that would be acceptable and normal. She knows little of our species and nothing about lifemates. I believe having one of the women come here and speak with her will take care of the problem.”
Sarika didn’t want to talk to one of their women; she wanted to demand Luiz take her home. Get her out of there to somewhere safe, where no jaguar shifter and no Carpathian male could ever get to her.
She looked at her cousin. Reached for him, mind to mind.I want to go home. You promised me.
Luiz’s gaze flickered over her. She felt the conflict in him, but she wasn’t going to relent. She needed out of the situation, and the only way out was through her cousin.
You are truly his lifemate, Sarika. He is telling the truth.
I am not Carpathian. I will fight this every step of the way. I counted on you to keep me safe. You can’t just give me to him like I’m some toy you can pass around.
He didn’t like that at all. He actually winced. His reaction wasn’t outward, but she felt him; she was so tuned to him.
That isn’t how it works, Sarika,Luiz told her cautiously.You are putting me in a terrible position. We would have to fight our way out of here.
I didn’t put us in this position.She was absolutely certain of that. When dreaming of this place and meeting her cousin, her only living relative, she had never once conceived of a catastrophe such as what had taken place.
Tomas’ shadow suddenly engulfed her, and then he was towering over her. “You will not speak with your cousin mind to mind when you refuse to do so with your lifemate.”
“Choices,” Lojos said, his voice very gentle. “Isn’t that your belief, brother?”
“Sun scorch that idiocy,” Tomas bit out. He reached down and caught a fistful of Sarika’s red-gold hair. “Eyes to mine.”
It was a command, the kind she found infuriating, but she couldn’t stop herself from obeying. The moment their eyes met, she saw the terrible storm building there.
“Te avio päläfertiilam.You are my lifemate.”
She tried to shake her head in denial, because as far as she was concerned, she wasn’t. His fist tightened in her hair, preventing movement.
“Éntölam kuulua, avio päläfertiilam. I claim you as my lifemate.”
