“We are on the trail of Justice,” Lojos reminded.
“We’ve lost that trail,” Mataias admitted. “Tomas can’t leave Sarika behind. She must be fully converted to travel with us. I think we can take a short time out in order to allow her to get used to our ways.”
Tomas didn’t think it would be that easy. His woman seemed highly resistant to becoming his lifemate. She felt the vows said between them. She knew but didn’t understand there were ties. She had no comprehension that the soul she had guarded was once more back where it belonged, and it was one soul. Light and dark once more woven together. There was no Tomas without Sarika. There was no longer a Sarika without Tomas. How did his brothers expect her to understand and accept that concept in a few short days?
To them, it was a fact of life. They had a duty to perform; therefore, there was no question that Sarika would comply with their wishes. He was certain they were wrong.
He made his way through the house as the others left. He had always been comfortable with the night, and now he had a new appreciation of it. Of the various shades of colors that had been a relentless dull gray for so many centuries, he had forgotten what color was. The steady drone of insects and various calls of frogs filled the air. He detected the sounds of voles, lizards, mice and other small creatures rushing around beneath the vegetation on the forest floor to find as much to eat as possible before retiring. He knew the placement ofevery monkey, snake and bird within yards around the tree house and examined each to ensure none were spies for vampires.
“Sivamet, wake up, just for a few minutes, and then I promise, you can go back to sleep.” Tomas leaned over Sarika, inhaling her feminine scent. He was already addicted to the way she gave off that faint natural perfume.
She looked beautiful lying in the hammock, on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek, the other arm stretched out, fingers wrapped in the hammock’s strong weave. Her lashes fluttered, drawing his attention to the length, thickness and slight curl to them. Even her lashes seemed acutely feminine.
She looked up at him, her vivid green eyes blinking as she tried to clear the fog in her head.
“This is important, or I wouldn’t disturb you. You have to know what to expect while I am in the ground. The lifemate bond is strong, and should you wake, you could have problems if you’re unable to reach me.”
The faintest smile curved her lips for just one moment, but it was enough to center his attention there. She had a gorgeous mouth. In all the centuries of his existence, he’d never noticed anyone’s mouth before. He hadn’t taken note of the way the bottom lip curved or the top one formed a perfect bow. These were details he savored, tucked close to his heart and kept to himself. They were his. Sarika had given him that gift.
“You think I can’t be alone for a few hours?” There was a wealth of feminine amusement. “I’ve spent a good deal of my life alone, Tomas. I like solitude. It gives me peace.”
She was imparting information that mattered. That meant something. He needed to hear her because what she just gave him wasn’t about his statement.
“Why do you need peace?” His fingertips skimmed over the skin around her throat and neck, touched his marks of possession and foundthe thin chain holding the amulet. He followed the chain down to where the raised jaguar head nestled against her skin. The moment the pad of his thumb stroked across the face of the cat, he felt the surge of power emanating from the amulet. The source felt feminine and yet old world. The thing was protective of Sarika, even identifying with her as if it had been made for her all those centuries ago.
Was it a weapon as well? A weapon powerful enough to destroy their prince and his second-in-command? Tomas didn’t feel that large of a threat from it, but it was difficult to predict. He wouldn’t want to be the one to try to remove it from around her neck. It would fight back, and so would Sarika. The object and his lifemate were that connected.
“Sometimes my brain won’t slow down.” A little frown flitted across her face. “I have nightmares of ancient rites. Of blood sacrifices. Of terrible things that happened to me and to others I loved, and then I can’t get them out of my mind. Places and people can trigger them.” She sounded as if she expected him to make fun of her.
“How long have you had these dreams?”
“Nightmares,” she corrected. “For as far back as I can remember, even as a toddler. Once they’re in my head, it takes being alone and a great deal of meditation to quiet them.”
“And this amulet? Where did you acquire it?” Once again, he slid the pad of his thumb across that raised surface, tracing the features of the jaguar.
“It was something my mother apparently wore, and when my father sent me to his brother to raise, he told my uncle that she had wanted me to have it. She had made that plain to him from the moment I came into the world. He said she put it on my chest and said it belonged to me. I don’t take it off.”
“You stood up to the jaguar males, Sarika. You were afraid, but you faced them down. You travel the world and encounter all different tribes and people, even other species, and you accept them, yet you say you’d never heard of Carpathians until Luiz first told you about us. And you fear us. Every one of us. In your nightmares, were thereCarpathians that harmed you or your family? Did they participate in these ancient rituals?”
Frowning, she pushed herself into a half-sitting position and then shoved at all the hair falling around her face. He liked that she didn’t dismiss the idea but rather gave it serious thought. “I don’t know. I blocked out a lot of it because it was gruesome and scary, and once it’s in my head, I can’t seem to get it out for days.”
Her gaze clung to his as if seeking reassurance. She didn’t realize their lifemate bond was already working. She trusted him whether she realized it or not.
“Now that you’ve considered it, you can let your brain figure out the puzzle,” he said. “If it continues to bother you, I am capable of reading your memories if needed to help you.” He didn’t make it an offer, just casually told her he could.
She slid back down into the hammock. “I’m so tired, Tomas. I can’t continue the conversation with a functioning brain. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You traveled for days and had a very traumatic experience. I just want you to listen to me for a couple more minutes, and then you can sleep. Can you do that?”
She nodded but lowered her lashes as if she were drifting off. He wrapped a length of hair around his fist and gave her the information as matter-of-factly as possible.
“These are only possibilities, and I hope you sleep until I come to you, but if not, you may feel sorrow. Overwhelming grief, and think I’m dead because you can’t feel or reach me. If that happens, know I amnotdead but sleeping a rejuvenating sleep.”
She didn’t look amused this time, only thoughtful. She didn’t open her eyes. He continued. “You may have trouble eating or drinking. Don’t try to eat meat. Stick to fruit and water or a mild natural tea.”
“I’m not even going to ask why, but I’ll expect an explanation tomorrow.”
“You’ll get one. Just know I’m alive, and no matter what, I’ll come for you. Can you do that for me?”
