Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

Do you really believe Dominic would lead all of you into some kind of trap?

No, but he did not expose his lifemate, even though we revealed you to him. The real Dragonseeker could not be vampire. This does not feel like the undead. I do not believe there is a master vampire capable of deceiving all of us, but it is your life at stake, and none of us are willing to take a chance with you. Being on guard always is our way, Sivamet.

Sandu followed Petru, his hand guiding Adalasia behind him. Around their legs, up to their knees, the same dark mist, as dense as in the forest, tumbled and boiled like a brew in a witch’s cauldron. She concentrated on keeping her heart beating in rhythm with Sandu’s. Dominic didn’t feel evil to her, either. He felt protective. A warrior. She wasn’t nearly as concerned as Sandu and the brethren.

It was the mist that intrigued her. The wards in it. If even insects couldn’t penetrate it, then Nera and her army of demons couldn’t get them. She would have to learn how to add that to their arsenal of protections. More and more, she felt she had been missing the most important point of the guidance her cards had given them. She was happy she’d read the cards and found that the guardians had lifemates alive in the present century. Yes, Sandu and she needed information on Sandu’s past to help him find his memories, but this was her journey as well. She was to learn from it, and at each stop, she was being given something extremely important. She couldn’t afford not to listen. Not to hear what was being said—or not said.

There was a light spray of cool water that was very real coming off the rocks from above. Sandu passed into the dark cavern, and she was only a few steps behind him, blinking rapidly so her eyes would adjust. She felt Benedek close at her back and knew Nicu was a few paces behind, still bonded in their minds.

Carpathians could see so clearly even in the darkest caves. A few feet inside the narrow opening, the cave suddenly widened into what appeared to be an expansive hallway. The floor beneath their feet was stones of various colors. The walls and ceiling, made of similar stone, curved as if they were the entrance to a magnificent mansion. Sconces of blown glass in soft blues and purples lit the hall. Gold filigree held the glass from the wall, and starbursts shone on the ceilings, beamed from those sconces.

Nicu. Sandu gave him the clearance to enter.

There was a feeling of warm welcome the moment they entered that hallway. This was a home. Adalasia wondered how Dominic and Solange had managed to construct it there in a cave in the rain forest, where Solange felt most comfortable, surrounded by nature. Just the walls and floor were works of art, let alone the sconces and the way they cast stars and galaxies onto the ceiling.

The hallway gave way to a large chamber that clearly was the great room, with high ceilings and gem-covered walls. Diamonds in various colors, as well as sapphires and rubies, sparkled when light played across them. The floor was the same as in the hallway, great flat stones of various shades of gray, highly polished until they gleamed. Even with the exclusivity of the walls, there was nothing cavelike about the room. Adalasia found the artsy style to be rare and lovely. Again, there was a warmth to the room that surprised her.

The furniture was unique, looking like pods inviting one to curl up in. Some were clearly meant for two people, others for a single person. A young woman sat in one of the pods. She had startling emerald eyes the shape of a cat’s and thick hair that fell in a long fall to her waist. She was on the thinner side for being Jaguar, and there was no doubt she carried Jaguar blood.

Her gaze jumped to the five Carpathian males. Adalasia couldn’t blame her. The ancients were big men, all well over six feet, most six and a half feet tall. They looked imposing with their wide shoulders, their muscles, their warriorlike physiques. She smiled at the woman to try to make up for the fact that none of the men smiled.

In the corner, a young girl had been playing with toys, but she stopped and stepped behind a man, circling his leg with one arm. The child appeared to be around four or five, but Adalasia had little idea of ages on children. The little girl was very small but sturdy. The man facing them looked protective. He had one hand on the little girl’s head. Another woman entered the room very quietly behind Nicu and went to stand beside the woman seated in the pod chair.