She glanced warily at Tomas. He wasn’t leaning into her, taking her weight, gently easing the tension out of her; he was on alert. He’d shut down his emotions and had become fully a predator. A hunter. His brothers and Luiz had as well.
“I want to go home.” She was being a coward again, and she didn’t even care who knew it. She didn’t belong with these people. Maybe she was afraid something big was happening outside their control, but they could figure it out. Not her. She just didn’t have enough information.
Sarika made a move to get to her feet. Jasmine went straight to her and put her arm around her. “If you’re not used to their intensity, it can be really scary, Sarika. I know. When I first was rescued, I could barely be in the same room with any of them.”
Her glare encompassed everyone in the room. Sandrine, for once, had gone very sober. She slid off the chair and came to Sarika, wrapping her arms around Sarika’s leg protectively.
“My daddy can do anything, Sarika. He won’t let anyone hurt you—will you?” She looked at Jubal as if he were a superhero. Not only did she look at him that way, but she felt that way, and her emotions filled the room.
“I would never allow Sarika to be harmed,” Jubal confirmed. “No one in this room would ever allow any harm to come to Sarika. She’s family, and she saved you and Jasmine.”
Sandrine nodded solemnly and then smiled up at Sarika. “We always tell the truth, even if we’re going to get into trouble.”
“I just asked a question,” Sarika said. “That’s all. I needed to know the answer.”
Dominic’s head went up alertly. He exchanged a long look with Tomas. It was obvious he had asked Tomas what had triggered the alarm.
“Sarika.” Tomas used his softest voice, aware she was on the verge of flight. That would be a disaster on every level. He would have to stop her, and that would undo every bit of trust he’d built up with her. “Do you realize what you just said? Youneedto know the answer. You weren’t simply looking for information. There was a reason behind the question.”
Sarika shook her head. “I just asked, Tomas.”
“What is it you need to know?” Jasmine asked. She led Sarika across the room to Solange.
Woman power. Woman magic. The terrible threat Sarika felt lessened just by being in their circle. Solange gave her an encouraging smile. “Hopefully, I can answer any questions you have about Carpathians, Sarika. Like you, I am jaguar. I was before the conversion, and I still am. She’s here with me, and thanks to you, we found our connection again. We’re working everything out, and she’s helping me with the baby. In return, I’d like to help you.”
“What if I want to leave? Go back to the States? Would you help me do that?” Sarika knew it wasn’t fair to challenge Solange, but she couldn’t help it. She felt as though she was a prisoner, and the feeling was growing stronger with every passing minute.
“Is that what you really want?” Solange countered. “I don’t believe it’s what you want. Your fear is deep. Just as it was when Dominic and Tomas were looking at your memories. There’s something else that is scaring you.” She waved a hand toward the men in the room. “It isn’t those you know who would lay down their lives for you. It’s something else, something you know deep where none of us can go.”
Sarika’s hand crept up to her amulet. She’d had her fill of monsters. She had seen people she loved brutally murdered. Women, men and children who were peaceful people. Loving people. She’d lost her “sisters,” maybe not by birth but certainly of the heart. She’d helped to kill one of them.
“Mommy, she’s crying,” Sandrine whispered.
“Crying is a good thing sometimes,” Jasmine said.
Tomas made a move to go to Sarika, needing to comfort her, but Solange shook her head, and he backed off. A part of her noticed and was a little shocked that he would take direction from a woman.
“Ask me your question, Sarika,” Solange said.
She took a deep breath to bring herself under control. “I asked what happens when one lifemate dies and the other is left behind.”
“You mean the woman?”
Sarika nodded. “Yes. What happens if the Carpathian male loses his lifemate?” She spoke very softly, but it was clear the men in the room heard. Not only them, but Tomas’ brothers and Luiz also heard the question.
“Some men will choose to follow their lifemate into the next realm. They have only seconds to decide,” Solange said. “Without their anchor, they can be lost.”
“By ‘lost,’ do you mean they would become a vampire?” she persisted. Sarika didn’t know why it was so important to understand, but it was. She clutched the amulet tighter. The head of the jaguar pressed into her palm, nearly burning her, but she couldn’t let go.
“Yes,” Solange confirmed. “After hundreds of years living with honor, some would be unable to make the choice to follow their lifemate. They immediately go into what is known in their world as athrall. They turn vampire and are lost.”
Sarika took a deep breath, her mind spinning with the information, trying to sort through what it all meant. Jubal wasn’t Carpathian, but counting Jasmine and herself, that was six women, five of whom had ancient Carpathians for lifemates. She wasn’t pregnant, but at least four of the other women were.
That number didn’t sound huge until she considered that Luiz had indicated the Carpathian people had been on the verge of collapse when their prince discovered a human psychic woman could be a lifemate. So how many couples were there? How many children? If those women were targeted and killed, how many of their lifemates would choose tofollow them, which would rid the world of the ancient hunters, and how many would become vampire?
Her mind raced with the possibilities of what could be happening. What was orchestrating the events? Was it really simply a joyful gathering to celebrate a highly anticipated pregnancy, or was something very sinister happening beneath the surface? If that was the case, how could it be stopped?
The sorrow in her, weighing her down, led her to believe something was terribly wrong. But if that was so, why didn’t the Carpathian males feel the threat? Why was she the only one feeling it? That didn’t make sense. She needed to be alone to figure out whether her imagination was working overtime, she was going insane, or there was something evil threatening the women and children of the Carpathian people. She was rather terrified that it was the latter.
