Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

Andre listened for a moment. “Nicu is as wild as they are. It is good they have purpose, guarding your lifemate, Sandu. They need purpose to continue. Tell me what your concern with Tariq is.”

“It is not only with Tariq. There was a bond formed between Ferro; Andor; Andor’s lifemate, Lorraine; Gary Daratrazanoff and me when it was necessary in order to save Andor’s life. Lorraine had to lead Gary to him in the netherworld in order to bring him back. We are bound together, all of us.”

Andre turned his piercing eyes on Sandu. “That was a very risky thing to do.”

“It still is. Gary is the only one of us now without a lifemate. She has been born and is in the world, we know that much, but she is too young for him to claim at this time, which leaves him without an anchor.”

“He is powerful, Sandu. He and Luiz both. No one expected them to survive the claiming of the families. When they were assessed by the ancient warriors and accepted, in order for them to become one of us, they died and were reborn full Carpathian. To do that, every warrior from that family poured their knowledge and skill into them. They poured their darkness in as well. Both lineages are extremely powerful.” Andre’s voice was low. Cautionary.

Sandu nodded. “We can share Gary’s mind at times, Andre. Believe me, I’m well aware he has more knowledge and skill than any of the ancients I’ve come across. I collected as many skills as I could from him. The others did the same. He allowed it, we didn’t just take without his consent. But when Ferro found Elizabeta and claimed her, Gary and Tariq both acted strange. Gary shut down. All of us were uneasy, feeling as if they threatened her life in some vague way.”

Andre didn’t protest. He wasn’t that kind of man. He thought things through before he made any kind of judgment. Finally, he walked toward the forest with slow, measured steps, Sandu beside him. Around them, the trees seemed to be alive with the flutter of wings. Sandu, feeling uneasy, looked up to study the branches moving with the wind. Yellow eyes stared back at him. Little screech owls clung with tiny talons or moved between trees as if seeking shelter from an approaching storm. It was too many owls gathered together in one area for his liking. Screech owls, for the most part, other than mating season, were solitary creatures. They didn’t gather in groups.

Spies? For the Army of Nera? Could they have found Adalasia so fast? Blood called to blood. Of course they could have.

“You were in his head, Sandu. Ferro was as well. You cannot tell me you did not get some idea of why Gary might be a threat to a mated pair. He is a healer, and more, he is a second to the prince. He would defend Ferro and Elizabeta with his life. If he had bonded to all of you, Lorraine would hold him to this world. He would have some emotion, distant though it might be, and only for those in that bond, which means it would include Elizabeta when Ferro claimed her. That would make it all the more difficult for him to threaten her. If Elizabeta died, Ferro would die. All who defended and were bonded to him would die, Gary included; and Gary’s lifemate, although unclaimed, would be left adrift. What did you see that could have been such a threat Gary would have felt he had no other choice?”

Sandu had few people in the world he trusted for advice. Andre was one of them, particularly since he had found his lifemate. It was also very clear to him that Andre already knew or guessed why Gary and Tariq had been a threat to Ferro and Elizabeta. It didn’t surprise him in the least. Gary and Andre had traveled together at one time. Andre rarely traveled with anyone but the triplets, but now it made sense.

“Tariq and Gary were both aware of a group of Carpathians put in place after Vlad’s reign. Each held a part of a stone—at least, it appeared to me to be a stone. I didn’t ask questions of Elizabeta or Gary. The Malinov brothers were aware of this because their father had been part of this group. As you are aware, the Malinov brothers chose to give up their souls collectively. They had a long-range plan to take down the prince and rule the Carpathian people. Collecting the stones seemed to be part of this plan.”

Sandu fell silent for a moment, waiting for a response, but Andre gave none.

“No individual possessing one of the stones knows who the other is. They can decide if the prince should be removed from his duties if they believe he is not performing them to the benefit of the Carpathian people. It was Gary’s task to ensure that these five men stay alive and that no one find out their identities in order for our people to remain safe, so anything such as the devastation that occurred when Vlad failed in his duties could ever occur again.”