Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

Adalasia nodded as if listening to him, but she walked over to the nearest exit and stood in front of it. “I’m not going to meet your friend, Sandu. I’ve given this a lot of thought. I don’t know what went wrong. Your lifemate ritual. My cards. Maybe both of us.” She turned and faced him, giving a little shrug of her shoulders. “Something clearly did. I’d like you to ask your pilot, after he rests, of course, to take me back to my home. I can figure out what to do from there. You can continue your journey with your friends.”

There was a kind of iron in the sweet dignity of her voice. She didn’t want him to convince her otherwise. She believed there was a mistake, a big one, and there was no fixing it. In a matter of where lives were at stake, he didn’t blame her for not wanting to move forward, not when one wrong move could cost others their lives.

Sandu indicated one of the more comfortable-looking chairs. “We do need to fix things between us before we involve others in this process. Come sit down, Adalasia.”

She tilted her head to one side and then shook it. “You’re too dangerous. When you want your way, you don’t ask, Sandu. You take. There’s no discussion. No explanation. You don’t respect the ritual binding words. I went over them very carefully, calling them up so I could see and hear them. They’re supposed to mean something, right? Vows between the two of us that are sacred. My happiness? How can I possibly be happy with the crap you’re pulling?”

“I give you my word that you are safe from me taking over your mind, Adalasia. In truth, our connection is getting stronger. Last night, I had planned to give the explanations you need and deserve, but there was resistance. You had entered my mind during the battle with the master vampire after I asked you not to. You saw things about me that terrified you. Had that not happened, you would have listened with an open mind.”

Adalasia rubbed her palm along the top of one of the high-backed leather chairs bolted to the floor. “That’s true. I’m still rather terrified by what I saw in you. You appear so gentle when you’re with me, and yet there is something buried deep that comes out when you do battle. It escapes, and once out, I’m not certain you’ll always be able to capture it and put it back. If you were to let that loose on the world, Sandu, what then?”

He caught a glimpse of her greatest fear, and it shocked him. He hadn’t even, for one moment, considered the possibility. “A demon in hell? Behind the gates you guard? An ancient Carpathian too far gone locked behind the gates no one can control? Do you believe such a thing could possibly exist?” He had to use every ounce of discipline not to take a step toward her. Not to in any way change his tone or frighten her. This was too big. Too explosive. Too dangerous by far.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, so hard two little ruby beads appeared. Her teeth were sharper now. Two blood exchanges would do that, bringing her closer to his world. She nodded her head slowly. “I think it’s entirely possible.”

“It seems we both have secrets, ewal emninumam. I think it is time we both come clean if we are to defeat our enemies and have our happily ever after.” He held out his hand to her.

Adalasia stared at his hand for a long time before making up her mind. She nodded and then put her hand in his. He watched his long fingers close around her delicate ones, and he drew her to him. Bending his head, he sipped those ruby droplets from her lips and used his tongue to seal off the tiny pinpricks.

“A lifemate must become part of our world,” he said without preamble. “Jaxon was human before she was with Lucian. Teagan, Andre’s lifemate, was human. The prince’s lifemate was human.”

She frowned, her eyebrows drawing together. “Was human doesn’t sound good to me.”

She dropped her hands, twisting her fingers together so tight her knuckles turned white. Sandu wanted to wrap her in his arms and comfort her.

“It will be good, Adalasia,” he assured. He used his voice carefully, soothing her.

“What happens if your lifemate remains human?”

“I would choose to grow old, and when you die, I would meet the dawn. At least that is the hope. It is dangerous. Extremely dangerous. You saw me. Or at least had a small glimpse of me in battle. An ancient is difficult to kill. It would take several hunters if I didn’t honor my vows and follow you to the next life.”