Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“What if I want to leave? Go back to the States? Would you help me do that?” Sarika knew it wasn’t fair to challenge Solange, but she couldn’t help it. She felt as though she was a prisoner, and the feeling was growing stronger with every passing minute.
“Is that what you really want?” Solange countered. “I don’t believe it’s what you want. Your fear is deep. Just as it was when Dominic and Tomas were looking at your memories. There’s something else that is scaring you.” She waved a hand toward the men in the room. “It isn’t those you know who would lay down their lives for you. It’s something else, something you know deep where none of us can go.”
Sarika’s hand crept up to her amulet. She’d had her fill of monsters. She had seen people she loved brutally murdered. Women, men and children who were peaceful people. Loving people. She’d lost her “sisters,” maybe not by birth but certainly of the heart. She’d helped to kill one of them.
“Mommy, she’s crying,” Sandrine whispered.
“Crying is a good thing sometimes,” Jasmine said.
Tomas made a move to go to Sarika, needing to comfort her, but Solange shook her head, and he backed off. A part of her noticed and was a little shocked that he would take direction from a woman.
“Ask me your question, Sarika,” Solange said.
She took a deep breath to bring herself under control. “I asked what happens when one lifemate dies and the other is left behind.”
“You mean the woman?”
Sarika nodded. “Yes. What happens if the Carpathian male loses his lifemate?” She spoke very softly, but it was clear the men in the room heard. Not only them, but Tomas’ brothers and Luiz also heard the question.
“Some men will choose to follow their lifemate into the next realm. They have only seconds to decide,” Solange said. “Without their anchor, they can be lost.”
“By ‘lost,’ do you mean they would become a vampire?” she persisted. Sarika didn’t know why it was so important to understand, but it was. She clutched the amulet tighter. The head of the jaguar pressed into her palm, nearly burning her, but she couldn’t let go.
“Yes,” Solange confirmed. “After hundreds of years living with honor, some would be unable to make the choice to follow their lifemate. They immediately go into what is known in their world as a thrall. They turn vampire and are lost.”
Sarika took a deep breath, her mind spinning with the information, trying to sort through what it all meant. Jubal wasn’t Carpathian, but counting Jasmine and herself, that was six women, five of whom had ancient Carpathians for lifemates. She wasn’t pregnant, but at least four of the other women were.
That number didn’t sound huge until she considered that Luiz had indicated the Carpathian people had been on the verge of collapse when their prince discovered a human psychic woman could be a lifemate. So how many couples were there? How many children? If those women were targeted and killed, how many of their lifemates would choose to follow them, which would rid the world of the ancient hunters, and how many would become vampire?
Her mind raced with the possibilities of what could be happening. What was orchestrating the events? Was it really simply a joyful gathering to celebrate a highly anticipated pregnancy, or was something very sinister happening beneath the surface? If that was the case, how could it be stopped?
The sorrow in her, weighing her down, led her to believe something was terribly wrong. But if that was so, why didn’t the Carpathian males feel the threat? Why was she the only one feeling it? That didn’t make sense. She needed to be alone to figure out whether her imagination was working overtime, she was going insane, or there was something evil threatening the women and children of the Carpathian people. She was rather terrified that it was the latter.
“Sarika.” Tomas used that voice that seemed to play over her skin and soothe her when she was so troubled. “You have many secrets buried in your mind. They are rising now and cause you great fear. Do you believe there is really a conspiracy happening?”
“I wish I knew. You can see into my mind. I can’t calm it down. I told you, sometimes my mind starts working on a problem, and it won’t let it go. I need to be somewhere quiet so I can solve this puzzle.”
Tomas gave her his gentle smile. “I’ll take you home, and we’ll work it out together. Solange, Jasmine, Sandrine, we’ll return this next rising.”
He and Dominic exchanged another long look. Sarika heard a soft murmur as if they were speaking. To her surprise, she heard Jubal’s voice, which meant he could speak telepathically. She didn’t try to hear what they were saying. She just wanted to lie down to let her brain rest.