Dark Lycan (38 page)

“I’m so glad I had the chance to see them,” Tatijana said. “They bring us hope.”

Fen slipped his arm around her waist as they waved good-bye to the children. Several of the unlifemated males escorted them as they left. Gregori went to work changing the entrance of the cavern so the Lycans could easily slip inside and yet would never find the entrance again when it was changed back to the natural formation.

“The children have plenty of protection.” Fen made it a statement. He was uneasy with the rogue pack so close and two
Sange
rau
in the neighborhood. Surely by now, after all the discussions and the casualties the pack had inflicted on the Carpathians, Mikhail and Gregori were taking the threat as very real.

Gregori nodded. “We’ve enlisted the aid of our ancestors as well. This night no harm will come to these children.”

Fen frowned. The temperature in the labyrinth of sacred caves was far too much for a human child. “What of Falcon’s children?”

Gregori suddenly smiled and it transformed his face completely. He looked younger and more relaxed. “A word of advice, Fen. With your soft heart you’d better never have daughters.”

Fen scowled at him. “I don’t have a soft heart.”

“You’d be a complete pushover.”

Mikhail had quietly come up behind him. “He says that kind of thing to all of us to make himself look better. Everyone knows his twins rule his life.” His laughter was very genuine. He nudged Gregori. “Poor man. Brought down by babies.”

Gregori gave Mikhail his deepest, forbidding scowl. “I’m very firm with those girls. They know better than to mess with me.”

Fen couldn’t help but join in Mikhail’s laughter. Clearly Gregori didn’t care if he was firm with his daughters or not, they were everything to him.

“Gregori even told my adorable granddaughters to call him
Isäntä
out of sheer desperation.” Mikhail continued to give Gregori a hard time.

“Master of the house,” Fen translated. “And did they?”

“It might have worked,” Gregori said, “if Savannah hadn’t laughed hysterically every time they called me master.”

Tatijana’s laughter joined the men’s. “I’m sorry, Gregori. What a blow. Your little girls are adorable, and quite frankly, I’d probably give them anything they wanted and Fen would be even worse. Don’t deny it, Fen, you would.”

Fen had to admit she was right. “Your daughters are just too beautiful, Gregori, with their sassy attitudes and their adventurous streaks. I’d be lost.”

Gregori smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if finally giving up. “Her mother doesn’t know it, but Anya has already tried shapeshifting. I caught her two risings ago. Took a hundred years off my life. Forbidding her isn’t going to work. And what she does, Anastashia does. I’m going to have to start working with them. I promised Anya I would, but only if she promised not to try on her own.”

“Savannah is going to kill you.” Mikhail made it a statement.

“I know. I haven’t figured out how to tell her. There isn’t any stopping Anya,” Gregori said, running a hand through his hair in the first sign of agitation Fen had ever seen him make.

“She’s a miniature you,” Mikhail pointed out. “You were just like that as a boy.”

“I can’t believe I started this early. She’s barely two,” Gregori said.

“I was your friend, you maniac,” Mikhail told him. “We got in so much trouble together, and you were always the instigator. Even at two.”

“Don’t believe him,” Gregori said. “He’s never followed anyone in his life. Especially when any advice given was for his own good.”

The deep affection and easy friendship Gregori and Mikhail had for one another was very clear. Fen believed Gregori. Mikhail definitely was born to lead. He listened to those around him, but in the end, he made his own decisions. He’d most likely been that way since birth, and his son probably was a great deal like him. Little Anya would have just as difficult a time trying to protect young Alexandru as her father had with Mikhail.

“The children are tucked away for the night,” Jacques announced. “Shea’s going to join us for a short time.” His voice lightened when he uttered his lifemate’s name. “We’ve got to get the food right. Fen, that’s your department. You know more about the Lycans than any of us.”

“You’re going to serve food?” Food certainly wasn’t the forte of Carpathians.

“We want them to feel as at home with us as possible,” Mikhail said. “The more they see us as they are, the better chance we have of their council coming here for a summit meeting. I also want to start the process of subtly changing their view of a Guardian versus the
Sange rau
.”

Fen nodded. He could see how Mikhail’s plan was a good one. The elite hunters, especially Zev, had the ear of the council. If they could be persuaded, they would be advocates for an alliance with the Carpathians.

“I’ll handle the food,” he agreed. “Everyone here has to view me as a Lycan. That’s how Zev knows me. If he suspects any different, there will be trouble.” He pulled on thin, almost invisible gloves.

Mikhail raised his eyebrow.

Fen shrugged. “No Lycan ever goes anywhere without his gloves or his silver. Zev’s weapons are amazing, but most just have stakes. Silver can’t touch their skin either, so they have to protect themselves. They’ll be wearing their gloves, or they’ll have them, and they’ll definitely notice if I don’t.”

“I didn’t think about that aspect of what they do,” Gregori said. “During an intense battle they have to occasionally touch it.”

“Silver burns like nothing you’ve ever felt,” Fen said. “Every elite has scars from it, but that’s one of the hazards of fighting the rogue packs. They accept it just as every Carpathian hunter accepts he’s going to get torn up fighting the undead.”

“I covet Zev’s weapons,” Jacques admitted with a grin. “Totally cool.”

Mikhail groaned. “My brother has become very modern with his language.”

“I was always very modern,” Jacques said. “You’re a dinosaur, but we’re working on dragging you into this century.”

“Go recheck the entrance with Gregori so everything is ready for the Lycans to come inside,” Mikhail ordered. “And when your lifemate arrives, send her my way. I’m going to tell her tales of you as a boy.”

“Big threat.” Jacques shrugged his shoulders at his brother. “You’ve already done that.” Laughing, he followed Gregori toward the main entrance to the cave.

The large cavern took on another look entirely. All playthings for children were gone. The stars were left in place as if their celebration was out in the open, but the torches were changed to soft lighting. On one side, Fen set up tables with food and drink. Tables and chairs were strewn around the area. Soft music played and a few of the couples danced under the scattered stars.

The chamber took on the atmosphere of a long ago ballroom, elegant and warm. Destiny and her lifemate, Nicolae, had returned from escorting the children and he spun her around the dance floor. Destiny laughed like a child herself, clearly enjoying the simple pleasure. Vikirnoff and Natalya danced alongside them, laughing with them and trying to outdo each other’s intricate dance steps.

Looking around the room, Fen realized most of the single hunters weren’t present, at least not openly. He allowed himself to use his Guardian senses, scanning the chamber. Of course. He should have known how Gregori thought by now. Mikhail and Raven were present and they were inviting strangers into their midst. In spite of all the Carpathian hunters present, Gregori would have an ace or two in the hole—in this case four of them.

Tomas, Lojos, Mataias and Andre were concealed somewhere in the chamber. Each guarded a key position. He knew them all well, those ancients, and they were dangerous predators. The elites had amazing skills, but Gregori knew how they fought now. He was very fast at learning and he wouldn’t get caught unawares again. He was prepared for any act of treachery.

Zev came through the door first, which didn’t surprise Fen at all. Zev was so much like Gregori they could have been brothers. Neither would probably ever admit it, but they thought alike.

Mikhail immediately crossed the chamber to greet him, Gregori and Jacques on either side of him. Fen moved just as quickly to join the greeting party. As a Lycan, it would be expected. Zev was of the highest rank, above any of the packs and would never be ignored by any Lycan once he had revealed himself as an elite scout.

Mikhail shook Zev’s hand. Out of respect, Zev had removed his gloves, something Fen knew elites rarely did. Some slept with them on their hands, especially during a hunt. A rogue pack could attack at any time.

“Thank you for coming,” Mikhail greeted. “More, again, thank you for coming to our aid when the rogue pack attacked. We would have suffered far more causalities and perhaps even losses.”

Zev gave him an easy smile. Fen noted that smile never reached his eyes. Zev had the eyes of a man who had lived long and saw far too many horrific things.

“Thank you for inviting us. My pack needed a break. They’ve been traveling and fighting battles with rogues for weeks now. We knew something big was happening, but we had no idea the trail would lead us here.”

He turned as the others entered. “This is Daciana.”

Mikhail bowed over her hand. “Welcome and thank you. Destiny tells me you were very instrumental in protecting our children. There are no words for how grateful we are.”

Daciana smiled at him. “It’s what we do. And Destiny certainly did her fair share of fighting.”

“I hope you enjoy yourself,” Mikhail added.

Zev continued with the introductions to his pack. “These four are Convel, Gunnolf, Makoce and Arnou.”

The four Lycans were extremely polite as Mikhail greeted them, but held themselves stiffly as if they weren’t certain what they were getting into.

The last elite hunter limped a little as he came up to be introduced. Zev touched his shoulder briefly. “This is Lykaon.”

Lykaon bowed slightly toward the prince but looked at Gregori. “I would not have survived without your aid or Shea’s. I thank you.”

“It was the least I could do after what you did for us,” Gregori said.

Mikhail graciously thanked each of the Lycan hunters for their help. Vikirnoff and Natalya along with Destiny and Nicolae immediately came over. Destiny had fought with the Lycans and she introduced her lifemate, his brother and Natalya as she led the other pack members over to the tables of food and drink.

Fen knew immediately that Mikhail had planned for just that move. The pack respected Destiny’s abilities and would relate to her and her family. Out of the corner of his eye he could see other Carpathian couples going up and introducing themselves to the pack members and engaging them in conversation.

Mikhail inclined his head toward Fen. “I believe you two know one another.”

“We’ve certainly fought a few battles together now,” Zev said, holding out his hand to Fen.

Fen was glad he’d thought to put his gloves on. Zev accepted him as Lycan but found his relationship with the Carpathians suspect.

“I see you’ve come prepared,” Zev acknowledged.

“Always. With two of the
Sange
rau
in the area, running such a large pack, I figure no one is safe,” Fen said, opening the subject up immediately.

“I agree,” Zev said. “It doesn’t make sense that they’re staying here when they know the hunters have arrived and there are so many Carpathians to fight them off.”

Mikhail chose to inch toward a corner where the five of them could talk privately. Tatijana discreetly slipped off to talk with the pack members and Natalya’s family. Zev walked with them to the small alcove where there were comfortable chairs. Once Mikhail sat, they all did, even Gregori, although Fen noticed that the way he’d positioned his chair, he could get in front of Mikhail instantly.

Fen didn’t tell him it wasn’t needed. No one in the room was faster than he was, and he would defend Mikhail, but he’d bet, Zev was every bit as quick as Gregori.

“One of the
Sange rau
is Bardolf, who had been a Lycan I thought long dead,” Fen explained. “The other had been a Carpathian named Abel, an ancient hunter who turned vampire some centuries ago.”

“We believe that they built a large pack with the intention of sacrificing them in order to distract the hunters while one of the leaders comes in to assassinate Mikhail,” Gregori said.

Zev frowned, bringing the fingers of his hands together in a steeple. “They’re intelligent enough to come up with such a plan, but what would they gain?”

“If I’m killed, it very well could end our species,” Mikhail admitted. “My son is far too young to take over and we’ve been at a crisis point for centuries, barely holding on as a species.”

Zev nodded. “The
Sange rau
decimated our ranks centuries ago. We had to completely restructure to build and we’re still fragile.”

“I believe it’s time for our two species to become close allies. Whatever the problem that occurred between us certainly doesn’t exist anymore,” Mikhail said, leaning forward. “We could learn so much from one another, and I believe we can be of mutual aid to one another.”

“The problem is what happens when, if by some chance, the blood between your species and mine mix. The
Sange rau
is what happens,” Zev pointed out.

“Not exactly,” Mikhail countered, his tone matter-of-fact as well as carrying a hint of surprise as if he expected Zev to already know. “A lifemated Carpathian could not become the
Sange rau.
Only a Carpathian who chooses to give up his soul could. The
Sange rau
is a vampire, not a Carpathian. Should a Carpathian become mixed blood, he would be
Hän ku pesäk kaikak
, or
Paznicii de toate
—Guardian of all. They aren’t the same. They are the ones capable of matching the
Sange rau
in battle.”

Zev shook his head. “I’ve never come across such a fighter, although, to be honest, the
Sange rau
is so rare few hunters ever run across one even with the longevity of our lives. If what you believe is true and you are the target of these two, then perhaps there is more to it than we know. What benefit would it be for them to destroy an entire species?”