Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

“Not terrified.” Sandu’s lifemate gave him her best narrow-eyed glare. “Repulsed. Disgusted. Afraid, maybe, a little. Not terrified,” Adalasia corrected.

Sandu shared a smile of pure male amusement over her head. “I stand corrected. She noticed the parasites and they disgusted her. A little. Very little. She showed me an image of them her ancestor had drawn in this book, which was handed from mother to daughter.”

Deliberately he sat back in his chair, looking as superior as possible. “Personally, I thought it was inappropriate reading material for children, especially before they went to bed. Adalasia will have to just get used to a male authority figure letting her know that book won’t be read to our daughters when they’re young, and certainly not before they go to bed.” He intentionally poured utter authority into his voice.

“Excuse me while I kick him in the shins really hard.” Adalasia smiled sweetly. Sugar dripped from her voice.

Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. Sandu joined him. “She really is your lifemate, Sandu. Perfect for you in every way, isn’t she?”

Sandu brought Adalasia’s hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. “She is perfect for me,” he agreed, his voice going soft. He looked at her then. Whenever he did, he went soft inside. That told him he couldn’t look at her too often, especially if the enemy might be close.

“Tell us more of this exchange if you can, Adalasia,” Francesca said, leaning toward her. “I’m not trying to pry into what is obviously a sensitive family history, but if we’re to help you, we need to know who might be able to best give you guidance. While Tiberiu seems the most likely source, I don’t think it best until you have more to go on. It just doesn’t feel right to me.” She looked to her lifemate for guidance.

Gabriel shook his head. “No, Tiberiu is not right yet. You will have to go to him, but not until you have more information. He is not an easy man, as you well know, Sandu. Any mention of his sister must be carefully worded.”

“I honestly can’t tell you more of the actual exchange between the mage and the old woman, other than I know Lilith wanted the child enough to make some kind of deal with the mage for her. That specific child had gifts she wanted to utilize. I don’t understand everything, only that Sandu and I have to figure this all out, and we have to do it together. We’re being hunted by an ancestor of mine, which is how she continues to find me.”

“A blood trail,” Francesca guessed.

“So Sandu tells me, but I did think that if I was fully Carpathian, she wouldn’t be able to find me so easily. My blood would be Carpathian blood.”

Francesca inclined her head. “That is so. She would have a more difficult time, and she cannot get into your mind. That is blocked to her. You do retain who you are. You will always be Adalasia, which means at your core, your ancestry is still intact. Unlike a male coming into our world—who would literally have to have every single part of him replaced so that only his knowledge is kept intact deliberately—he becomes wholly whatever Carpathian lineage he is taken into. A female isn’t changed on such an overall level.”

“Why?”

“A male has to have a complete rebirth, his soul split, the ritual binding words imprinted on him to be able to bind his lifemate to him, and his ancestors must judge him and deem him worthy before he is accepted. If he isn’t accepted or if he isn’t strong enough for the passage, which is extremely difficult, much more so than yours, he will die. It is extremely rare to bring a male into our world for that reason.”

Adalasia tapped her finger against Sandu’s thigh. Sandu remained a silent presence in her mind, watching her think things over. She was careful about it. Logical. Trying to process the information against what she already knew.

“A child of ten wouldn’t provide Lilith with a lot of blood, and she wouldn’t make a great sacrifice. It doesn’t seem like a good exchange on Lilith’s part. She could have asked for a full-grown woman or an infant,” she ventured.

Sandu, this has to be about the beast.

“When did Lilith give the parasites to Xavier?” Gabriel asked. “I have to presume the mage to be Xavier.”

“I have no idea,” Adalasia admitted. “Each of the drawings in the book are little paintings or drawings. No one thought to put in dates until much later, although I know that particular one was painted by Nera and Tessina’s mother, but I have no idea of the actual date.”

“I wish we could be of more help,” Gabriel said. “The best I can offer you is to seek information in South America. Dominic Dragonseeker resides there, and he might be of help. The De La Cruz brothers traveled extensively, particularly Zacarias, the oldest. Danutdaxton is there as well. He will know of many things that may be of aid to you.”