Jasmine started to go to the children’s table, anxiety on her face, but Jubal stepped in front of her, blocking the way. “We are not going to panic or alarm the children. At present, everyone is still safe. Stay with the other women. We’ll be better able to protect you.”
“Since no one feels this threat other than you, Sarika, will you open your mind to all of the hunters?” Tomas asked.
Sarika considered it. “If I open my mind to all of them, would I beopening my mind to the enemy? We’re only going to have one chance to shut them down.”
“I believe you are safe enough,” Tomas said. “We’ve established a blood bond. You have one with Lojos and Mataias as well. Luiz and Dominic are familiar with the path. The others will see it through us.”
He was calm. Reassuring. Certain. Sarika was so grateful for him. The other Carpathians in the house seemed much more menacing, yet Tomas exuded a quiet confidence that left her feeling he had no trouble taking the lead in a battle with any enemy. She felt she could rely on him for anything.
Sarika immediately opened her mind to those she had developed a relationship with, trusting them to allow the others access to their impressions. She felt the difference instantly as the men processed the looming threat.
With the safeguards we’ve woven,Dominic reassured,it would be impossible to penetrate our home should our outside guardians fall.
Tomas moved into the center of the room, his body still between the others and Sarika. He turned in a full circle, trying to find the threat.The enemy has somehow managed to get into your home already. There is no other explanation.Tomas stated it as fact.
Tomas must be correct,Lojos added.There is nothing outside that any of us can find. Even following Sarika’s mind along the path of alarm, there is no obvious danger.
The other hunters spread out and began to search the rooms for any place an enemy might be concealed. Jubal moved very casually over to the table with the women and engaged them in quiet conversation. He sounded reassuring and gentle, but Sarika knew he was listening for one note that would give away an enemy. The thing she found the most fascinating about Jubal was he spoke with charm to every single woman, jaguar and Carpathian alike. He didn’t automatically assume the enemy had arrived in the form of a jaguar shifter.
Finn, Tara’s husband, joined Jubal and the women. Sarika watchedthe interaction carefully. Finn’s palm circled the nape of Tara’s neck, and he moved his body close to hers, a gesture of protection. He didn’t feel “off” to Sarika or to her jaguar.
Her hand crept up to wrap around her amulet. It was growing warmer, the head of the jaguar pressing into the center of her palm. Her breath hissed out of her lungs as her sense of hearing became even more acute, so acute that she would be able to pick up the rustle of leaves in a very dense forest, to track the subtle movements of prey even on the darkest night.
Sarika blocked out all sounds of children, women and the males in the room. She needed to focus her attention on her pursuit of the enemy. She was no longer Sarika. She was jaguar, and she embraced every aspect of who and what she was. An apex predator. She could detect the faintest of sounds through the network of cells and organs located at the roof of her ear. That network directed sounds into her ear canal, allowing her to accurately locate prey.
She had never been the type of woman to depend on anyone else in a tense situation. She used every resource, so if that meant Tomas or Luiz, as far as she was concerned, it was just an intelligent decision.
It took a few moments to hone in on the sound she needed to isolate. It was extremely subtle, almost like the flutter of wings sliding against the walls in a delicate fanning motion. She instantly felt the stillness in the hunters around her. Through her, through their telepathic connections, they all heard that delicate sound.
Mage,Tomas identified.Feel the vibrations, there is mage magic at work.
Underworld,Zacarias added.Feel the connection to Lilith and her army.
Xavier and his brothers reside in the underworld,Mataias reminded.They serve Lilith.
Justice spent centuries in the underworld,Lojos added.We tracked him to this area and stumbled across Gustov, who told us his master has a plan to destroy the Carpathians.
We do not know for certain if Gustov’s master is Justice.Tomas was always the cautious one in judging others.
Sarika felt Tomas struggling to be fair. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions when they had no proof. The evidence seemed damning, but he had centuries of experience to know one needed actual proof if they were condemning a fellow Carpathian to death. She found herself taking a moment to soothe him, to send him warmth and reaffirm her conviction that he was the one she was meant to be with.
The women and children can be put in the safe room,Dominic suggested.
Instantly, every instinct screamed no. That was certain death for all of them. The safe room wasn’t any safer than where they were.
Better to keep them together in a tight circle, children in the middle, their mothers surrounding them, warriors ringing them,she said hastily. The amulet was nearly burning her hand.Watch the ceiling. They’ll drop down from above. Can you construct an impenetrable dome around them? A shield that cannot be penetrated from above, below or any direction.
The sense of urgency was on her. They had only a few precious seconds. The male Carpathians indicated for the women to circle the children. It was Dominic and Zacarias who wove the protective bubble around their loved ones. Solange objected to remaining inside, but Dominic was adamant that should danger break through, the women were the last protection for the children. He was smart enough not to mention that she was pregnant.
I would prefer you to be inside,Tomas said.
I would not be as useful to you,she pointed out. A silly part of her was pleased that he wanted her protected, just as the other women were.
Before he could reply, she heard the wings and the scratching of clawed feet.They are coming.
Mage-born from the underworld,Luiz reminded.Expect anything and know they were made specifically to kill our women and children, so venom will be lethal.
What are we facing, Sarika?Tomas asked calmly.Identify them now.
