Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

A small sound mixed with the incessant drone of night cicadas and the scurrying of lizards and other creatures under the vegetation on the forest floor caught her attention. She turned her head to look at the two men behind her suspiciously. Benedek and Petru brought up the rear. Siv and Nicu were ahead, with Sandu and Adalasia walking in the center. She knew Nicu was in front because he had such an affinity with wildlife, and he had the most interaction with Dominic and Solange, the couple they were meeting.

“Is there something either of you would like to say?” She challenged. How was it possible to grow so fond of men who seemed to never change expression? And yet she had grown attached to them very quickly, regarding them as the family she no longer had. “I’m fairly certain one of you snickered. It sounded suspiciously like you, Petru.” She was wary of them now, certain that after her prank with the leeches, they might try to get her back.

Petru looked straight at her with his strange silvery eyes. His hair color intrigued her. It was as different as his eyes. It wasn’t gray, but like his eyes, it was also silvery, almost a platinum.

“Sisarke, you wound my heart.” He kept walking without breaking stride. There was no change in his facial expression. She still had the impression of amusement through the connection with Sandu. That put her on even more of an alert.

There was happiness in her that she could give some small relief from the unrelenting darkness they were in. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to keep them going. She knew sisarke meant “little sister.” She loved that Petru and the others cared enough about her to give her that honor. She regarded them as siblings and was so honored that they viewed her in the same light.

“You look a bit like a drowned rat, your hair hanging in long stringy dripping strands around your face and down your back,” Benedek contributed. “Your clothes are soaked. And you’re shivering continuously. You will make a wonderful impression on Dominic and his woman. Dominic is a Dragonseeker.” As if that said it all.

What is a Dragonseeker, Sandu? I’m clearly supposed to know. They used that term interchangeably, as if it was his surname, and she’d thought it was. Now, she wasn’t sure what the others meant.

She realized that as much as they might be teasing her, they were also reprimanding her lifemate for allowing her to be in such a condition.

Dragonseeker is the only lineage in our world that has never had a single member turn vampire in its history.

Adalasia could tell Sandu was having a difficult time not helping her at least regulate her body temperature. She had specifically asked him not to. She didn’t really understand why they suddenly went from flying through the forest from their cave system to walking in these miserable conditions, but she was taking every opportunity to learn as many skills as possible—not that she was doing very well.

So the man they were going to see came from a very strong line. Why do they call them Dragonseeker?

They are born with a small birthmark, a dragon that will warn them if the undead are near.

She had a small birthmark. Her mother said it was the mark of the warrior, reminding her always to be ready to fight when necessary, to keep the world safe. It wasn’t for glory, because no one could ever know. She was a sacrifice, and she had to be okay with that.

You are not a sacrifice, ewal emninumam. You are my beloved lifemate.

She might feel like the drowned rat the others had called her, but Sandu made her warm inside.

What do you know of the Dragonseeker’s lifemate?

Solange is Jaguar, royalty in her own right. She is a very tough woman, a warrior through and through. She fought for the women of her species alone for years against impossible odds.

Adalasia thought about that as she rubbed at the wet material of her cotton shirt. She’d chosen the right clothing for walking through the jungle. She’d known what she should wear, but she hadn’t been able to stay focused enough to keep herself warm and dry as they moved through that weird steam rising up from the forest floor.

She thought she caught glimpses of a large shadowy cat moving through the branches of the trees above them every now and again. It wasn’t even that she caught glimpses. It was more in her mind. As if the creature passed through her mind, more imaginary than real, a transparent shadow she could see through the tree trunks, leaves and vines, but she was aware of its presence as it moved with them.

Do you see that? She shared what she thought she saw with Sandu.