Dark Celebration (48 page)

"How are you doing?" Mikhail asked.

"I am better. She is not so distressed and it helps. I thought I would torment myself for a few minutes and then go back to my patrol. If I can do nothing else, I know I can keep her safe."

"If she is Dragonseeker as Natalya suspects, she is much more than a powerful psychic. It would explain the things Francesca says she can already do."

"And it also means she suffered far more trauma even than we already know."

Mikhail clapped Dimitri on the back. "You are an honorable man, Dimitri, and more than deserve a rare gem as no doubt our Skyler will be."

"Let us hope you are right."

Mikhail left him alone, standing in the shadows where he lived most of the time. Sadness seeped into the prince, sorrow for his warriors, so alone, most without much hope, but living their lives to the best of their abilities.

Manolito De La Cruz was standing just inside the door, and Mikhail approached him. "Do you suspect any of these men of being the mage? You came closest to him, entering his burrow and possibly finding his scent."

Manolito shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot find a single man who could be the mage we seek. All of us have been through the rooms, listening and scanning and even probing, but all the guests appear to be legitimate."

"What do your instincts say?" Mikhail asked.

"That the enemy is close," Manolito answered.

"Mine say the same thing." Mikhail shrugged. "Keep looking. Tell the others to do the same. We cannot afford any mistakes."

Manolito nodded and made his way once again around the room, giving the prince's message verbally to the warriors present. He didn't trust their common path of communication not to be overhead if the mage was in league with a vampire. As he neared Nicolae and Vikirnoff with their lifemates, he risked a quick glance at MaryAnn.

The sight of her took his breath away. She sat at a table near Colby and Rafael, talking to Ginny, Paul and Skyler, laughing at something they were telling her, and she looked so beautiful it hurt his eyes. Her skin seemed to glow and he was mesmerized by her mouth and eyes. The sound of her voice played down his spine. Need slammed into his body, tightening his muscles, hardening his groin so that he stopped moving and stood still, forcing his gaze away from temptation. It wouldn't do to be caught staring at her, or even thinking about her. He had to keep his mind fixed on his objective—ferreting out the dark mage.

"Mikhail still feels the threat is very real with Jacques's woman so close to her time. He asked that you both remain on high alert." He delivered the message, keeping his mind in battle mode, knowing both would test him. They had been probing the minds of as many of the unmated males as they could. Several times they had touched his thoughts.

Colby looked up and smiled at him. "Are you all right? Rafael told me you were injured defending the prince."

"It is nothing, little sister, a scratch, no more." He had felt nothing for this woman other than through his brother when Rafael had first brought her home, yet now he could remember all the little things she did for him and his brothers. She often shared her thoughts of laughter and warmth with them and the antics of Paul and Ginny, hoping to make their existence a little brighter. Now he could feel real affection for her.

He casually dropped his hand onto Colby's shoulder. "I checked on Riordan and Juliette. Nothing has disturbed their slumber." His gaze flickered to Paul and Ginny. "Juliette would have loved to see you two dance. She always mentions that her sister used to enjoy dancing so much. Hopefully she will get a chance to see you perform." He glanced at MaryAnn, gave a slight bow and walked away without a flicker of expression on his face.

MaryAnn stared after him. "My God, that man is handsome."

Colby nodded. "He is, isn't he? All of the De La Cruz brothers are. There are five of them and when they're all together they are quite the sight. Most women just drool around them."

MaryAnn stared after the man, feeling a little jealous over the missing women. Manolito certainly had the attention of the single women in the room, but he never so much as glanced their way. It wasn't that she wanted a man of her own, but she wouldn't have minded being noticed by him. "What did he mean about Juliette's sister? Why doesn't she dance anymore?" She wondered if Manolito had ever seen Juliette's sister dance. And she wondered why it bothered her to think that maybe he had.

Colby sighed heavily. "Juliette's younger sister, Jasmine, was kidnapped by a group of jaguar males. They…" She broke off, looking at her brother and sister, and shook her head. "Did things to her. She won't come out of the jungle or come near the ranch. She refuses even to see Juliette if Juliette is with Riordan. Juliette is so distressed she's been talking about leaving the ranch, our home, to try to help her sister. Rafael was just saying to me that you'd helped Destiny so much and maybe we could find Jasmine a counselor. Although, out where we live, that might be very difficult."

MaryAnn found herself watching the tall Carpathian as he glided through the room with utter confidence stamped in the very line of his body. He was fluid and graceful, almost elegant. The spot over her breast was aching again and she pressed her hand tightly over it. The sensation spread, making her breasts tingle and her nipples tighten. Warmth spread down her belly and between her legs. She swallowed hard, trying to tear her gaze from the sensual mouth and the image of it moving over her body. "I guess there aren't too many counselors near your ranch."

"No." Colby frowned. "From what Juliette says, Jasmine was never a strong person. And they have a cousin, Solange. She detests men and Juliette hasn't been able to combat her influence. It's all very sad."

"Perhaps I'll have a word with Juliette when she rises," MaryAnn ventured.

"Would you? That would be so helpful. Maybe you could just try to give her some advice on how to approach Jasmine to at least accept the men in our family. They would die to protect her. That's just the way they are."

"I'll be more than glad to help," MaryAnn said, her gaze once more straying to the tall, handsome Carpathian who was obviously on guard.

"Excuse me, Colby," Paul interrupted, "but you promised to introduce me to Gary Jansen. After all, he could be my uncle."

Colby squeezed Rafael's hand. "I did, didn't I? Let's go talk to him and see what he has to say." She led her brother over to the table where Gary Jansen sat with Gabrielle Sanders, her brother Jubal and her sister Joie. Joie's lifemate, Traian, rose when she approached, as did the other two men.

Gary stared at Colby, shaking his head. "You look so much like my sister it's amazing. She was older than me by quite a few years and left home when I was about ten. I never saw her again. But I swear, you look just like her."

Colby sank down in the chair beside him after introducing Paul. She noticed Gabrielle's mother walked away quickly, a small scowl on her face. "I'm sorry, did we upset her?"

"No, I'm afraid she doesn't like anything jaguar, although in all honesty, I don't believe I am," Gary said. "I never heard that we had jaguar blood. In fact, I never heard of the jaguar race until I became friends with Gregori."

"Don't worry about Mom," Gabrielle added. "She'll come around. She just has to get used to all of this."

The double doors from the dining hall leading to the balcony suddenly swung open, and a short woman dressed as an elf with pointed ears and a wealth of blue-black hair stood in the center of the open doors. "Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention, please? Many of you may not know this, but I happen to be a magician. Come here to me children. May I have the children here on the balcony? I'm about to show them one of the greatest magicians of all times. He is a well-kept secret."

All the children, both Carpathian and from the village, pushed forward and the adults crowded behind them. Paul lifted Emma onto his shoulders, and Skyler took Baby Tamara while Josef lifted young Jase up. Travis grabbed Chrissy by the shoulders and held her close, while Ginny held the hands of Sara and Falcon's other two young boys. Josh, feeling quite grown up, had the responsibility of the last girl, young Blythe.

As she spoke, small pulses of colored lights twinkled all around her and snow drifted down without ever touching her. The world around her appeared dazzling and majestic, swirls of fog covering her feet as she danced along the balcony railing with her little elf boots, her hair swinging around her like a cape, her face a little fey in the silver moonlight. Crystals hung from the eaves and pulsed with the same colors, soft reds and greens and blues and yellows, turning the night into a light show.

A collective gasp went up from the children, and Travis had to grab Emma as she wandered out onto the balcony, staring in awe up at the lights. Savannah turned in a little circle and jumped back down in front of the children. "Oh, dear, I think I've forgotten my wand. I need it to reveal St. Nick to you." Her voice lowered dramatically and she looked right and left as if confiding only in them. "He always comes in under cover of the cloak of night using storms like this one to keep children from spotting him." She looked around again. "If only I had my wand."

"But Savannah," Chrissy ventured, "it's in your hand."

"It is?" Savannah managed to look surprised and she raised the glowing wand, swiveling it in a small circle. It rained sparkling pixie dust all over the snow-covered balcony. "Oh, good. It's working. Let's see. Look up to the sky and I'll try to remember how to do this. I've only done it once, you know, but for you, I'll try again."

Savannah waved the wand in a sweeping gesture as she danced across the railing again. The falling snow drew back like a curtain. A large snowman with coal for eyes and a carrot for a nose whirled around, looking guilty, and raced away over the ground into the village.

"Oh, dear, that's the wrong one. That was Frosty the Snowman. Let me try again," Savannah said.

The children laughed as Savannah brought back the snow, did another whirling dance and once more sent pixie dust flying as she opened the curtain of snow.

The children—and even most of the adults—gasped again, some of them putting their hands over their mouths, in an effort to stay quiet. Up in the sky, where the stars twinkled and the moon shone, a gleaming sleigh raced across the night, drawn by reindeer. A man with a white beard dressed in a fur-trimmed red suit commanded the deer. In the sleigh was an enormous bag bulging with toys. Bells on the sleigh chimed softly, and the pulsing lights that lit the snow now lit the sky around the reindeer-drawn sleigh, so that one moment Santa's jolly face could be seen clearly, and the next it was softened by a pale pastel strobe.

His eyes appeared to be as black as coal. There was snow in his beard and on the fringed and silver-studded red saddles of the reindeer. The sleigh circled above their heads. A hush fell on the crowd as the deer descended lower and lower in a wide circle to finally settle to earth on the roof above them. No one moved. They could hear the sound of hooves prancing above their heads. Silence. Then heavy boots walking.

Everyone turned their heads to see Santa by the tree, piling presents everywhere. He stopped once to grab a handful of cookies as well as some carrots Sara had her children set out for his reindeer.

Emma was the first to move, wiggling until she was put down to race across the room to Santa Claus. She halted, rocking back on her heels, staring up at him. "Did you bring me a present?"

Santa rummaged in his bag. "I believe I did. Now where did that go? Elf! I need you to help find Emma's present."

Savannah put her finger to her lips. "Santa Claus thinks I'm a real elf," she whispered to the children. "I'd better go help him." She tiptoed through the crowd, her elf hat bobbing, her little green boots making no noise on the floor.

Santa sat down and beckoned to the children forming a line. As little Tamara was placed in his lap, yanking at his beard, Santa sent a smoldering glare to the elf.
I'm so getting your father back for this
.

Chapter 19