Dark Song

21

Ferro woke Elisabeta gently, singing their song to her, one of deep love and commitment, of devotion and hope. She was truly free, his little songbird. No longer in her cage, free to choose her life, and she had made it abundantly clear that her choice was Ferro. He found that humbling. A miracle. He knew he would never take her for granted.

They’d gone to ground together, wrapped in each other’s arms, his body protectively curled around hers. He was grateful for the freedom to be able to do so without frightening her. He never wanted her to think he was caging her in, but he found he needed to be close to her. Skin to skin. Touching her even in their slumber.

Before, he had slept above her to protect her, to give her a sense of safety, but now she welcomed him in the ground with her, his body in the same resting place. He woke before her to hunt for blood for them both, but then he had the privilege of waking her with their song. He was able to feel that first awareness in her mind, the joy in her when she recognized the notes of their music together. Her long lashes lifting so her eyes met his. The moment that happened, his heart clenched and his stomach did a slow roll of acknowledgment.

Ferro opened his arms to her and Elisabeta floated from the earth, clean and refreshed, all on her own. He closed his arms, cradling her to him, rubbed his jaw along the curve of her breast, her pulse calling to him as he took her to their favorite place deep in their forest. Neither would ever be entirely comfortable in a house. He supposed someday, when they had children, they would have to be used to a roof over their heads, but they preferred the canopy of trees.

Elisabeta slid her arms around his neck, offering herself to him. “I love the way you smell, Ferro. Wild and elusive like the forest itself. I would know you anywhere.”

He would know her by scent alone as well. She came into his mind slowly, drifting in like a soothing breeze, her fragrance so subtle but distinct, rare camellias, Italian bergamot, that hint of orange and lime, sandalwood and vetiver, the mixture almost elusive and yet lingering. Her skin held that same faint scent. Even her taste had hints of those flavors.

“When you would merge with others to rid them of the infection and I would be with you in their minds, I could feel you cleanse them with that soothing serenity, that peace and compassion that is so much a part of you, but also there was always your fragrance. Your scent clings to your skin. It is in your mind, Elisabeta, so deep in you that when you are in my mind or in another’s I can catch your scent. I think that is a good part of the way you soothe the ancients.”

He rubbed his chin over the top of her head, not wanting her to look into his eyes and see that he might not like sharing that part of her with anyone. In ancient times, many Carpathians didn’t allow others near their lifemates because it could be dangerous if those warriors turned vampire. He understood that concept. He would have been one of those men. Now, he wanted to carry her off somewhere they would be alone without interruption from all the demands the Carpathian world seemed to put on them.

“I prefer always to be with just you, Ferro,” she admitted.

The notes of truth in her voice slipped into his mind and lodged there, reassuring him. When she had first awoken, he had worked to be her light in the darkness; now she was his bright star. He tipped her face up to his and kissed her. The moment he did, he tasted passion. Love. A mixture of both.

The burn came slow, easy, a decadent lazy heat that swept through his veins, sped through hers, picking up speed as kisses grew passionate and hotter. Until the fire became a storm of emotion.

Ferro took his time worshipping her. Showing her how much she meant to him. Elisabeta was meticulous in answering him back, her hands and mouth moving over his body with equal loving. Whispers and laughter, the sound of bodies coming together and soft cries of passion rose long into the night.

With Elisabeta snuggled in his arms, looking up at the stars through the gently swaying canopy of trees, Ferro reminded her that there was a big celebration going on and it was expected that they make an appearance. It didn’t have to be a long one, but they should go.

“You have gotten so good at flying and clothing yourself, I thought you could fly to the compound from here and dress yourself in that beautiful green gown you know I love. I put it in your mind a couple of times.” Deliberately, he enticed her with flying. She was feeling very sated and loving, her hands sliding over his chest and hip very possessively.

“The scandalous one?” She tilted her head to look up at him, a hint of laughter in her dark eyes.

He couldn’t help his answering grin. The dress could be scandalous if they were alone. Only if they were alone and his fingers were busy on the corset, pulling the laces free so her breasts spilled into his hands. “Yes, that is the one I think would be perfect for a celebration. The material is soft and drapes well on your body. You will look beautiful.”

She laughed, rolled over and nipped at his chin with her teeth. “You will be thinking about those laces the entire time we are at this celebration.”

That might be true, but he hoped she would be distracted enough to get her through when she saw the number of Carpathians concentrated in a small area. Already she was shifting, a little screech owl, wings outspread, flying into the night. He was after her, the male owl smaller, lighter and much faster. He kept pace, alert for any danger to her as they covered the distance to the compound.

The two owls circled above the party below them before slowly beginning a spiraling descent into the shadows of the garden just beside the healing grounds. When Elisabeta emerged in her true form, wearing the long forest-green dress with the tight corset of crisscross cords over her breasts, she turned and gave him a look of pure reprimand.

“You knew what this would be like.”

He couldn’t deny it. He took her hand and walked her to the very edge of the garden and then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his body to shelter her. “We had our time this rising together, and I knew I could not be so selfish as to keep you from seeing the celebration the others are having.”

The music was beautiful, rising to the night sky, the band playing instruments and couples dancing. Others talked and laughed together while children ran around, sometimes dancing and other times pretending to fight an enemy. The little girls somehow had gotten hold of sparkles and glitter and were generously dousing the ground, flowers, people and everything in sight.

Josef came into view, several older children following him, each armed with buckets of glitter on their belts and some kind of weapon they had tied to their backs in easy reach. It wasn’t hard to see that he was the instigator.

I do love to see the children playing like this, Ferro, but sooner or later, someone will insist I talk to them, and I just can’t do it yet. She spoke on their much more intimate pathway. When so many are around I feel too exposed.

Ferro kept his arms around Elisabeta’s waist, holding her tight. “You are doing just fine, minan piŋe sarnanak. As you can see, most of the Carpathians are coming together either for the first time or getting reacquainted. No one is going to notice or be upset if I do the talking for us. I do wonder what Josef is up to with all this colored glitter. It looks as if these children are up to something.” Now the children were all gathered around the stone dragons in the middle of the courtyard.

He was just a little too pleased that she still preferred him to talk for her in a crowd. He wasn’t certain he liked that trait in himself, the one that wanted her a little reliant on him.

I will always like to have you close to me, Ferro. It is my nature. That does not make me less empowered.

Her voice brushed gently through his mind, her soothing fragrance surrounding him, there in the midst of so many other scents. He heard the sound of children laughing and watched as Tariq’s oldest boy, Danny, bent to lift Darius and Tempest’s son, Andor, in front of him onto his brown stone dragon’s back. The boy slipped up behind him and waited while Amelia put Andor’s twin sister, Aniko, on her orange dragon. The two teenagers whispered to the twins and then to their dragons.

“I want you to continue to grow in confidence, Elisabeta,” Ferro said. “Do you see Danny and Amelia? The way they are with those children? Darius and Tempest are part of the Dark Troubadours. Whenever I watch the children in any village, they are like these, ready to teach, to entertain, to always share what they have with the little ones. They help with their confidence and self-esteem. They give them knowledge, even in play.”

The way you share your knowledge with Josef to help him feel as if he can become a great hunter of the vampire when his time comes.

She wasn’t understanding what he was trying to say. She wouldn’t, because she was so caring and compassionate and it wouldn’t occur to her that he was in any way holding her back.

“Elisabeta, I am sometimes pulled in two directions,” he confessed reluctantly. “You have a giving, loving nature. I do not want to take unfair advantage of you. If I do so, I do it without realizing that I’m doing so. I confess I like you to rely on me, but by encouraging that behavior rather than insisting you speak with others I am only hampering your independence. I do not want that for you.” That was both true and not. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to find the right way to express his feelings honestly.

He wanted to be her anchor. He liked the intimacy of their merged minds when it was only the two of them speaking together, when she looked just to him. On the other hand, he wanted the world for her. The world meant she needed to come wholly into herself as a woman capable of standing on her own feet.

“I want you to always feel as if you are a fully confident woman. Fully capable in your own right of doing anything you feel you wish to do. You will never reach that if I keep you dependent on me as Sergey did.”

That was one of the most difficult, painful confessions he had to make to her. It hurt. He was grateful he was standing behind her, not looking into her eyes. He didn’t like to feel as if he were letting her down in any way, or that he was falling short of what a true partner should be. He was feeling his way with her, still trying to find a balance of letting go and holding her close when she needed it.

Love swamped him, slipped gently into his mind, a warmth beyond anything he’d known, filling him up until there was only Elisabeta and her sweet serenity. Her fragrance was in his mind, that soothing tranquility she projected when she merged with him, when they simply talked intimately. He never wanted to give that up.

You have always encouraged me, Ferro. You opened the door to my cage that very first rising and since have been giving me the tools I needed to learn to fly on my own. I appreciate you so much. I do.

He nuzzled the top of her head, his heart hurting. Pounding with love for her. Swelling with pride. He was a warrior, a skilled hunter, and he couldn’t conceive of the courage it took to face the challenges she faced each rising.

I will always be me, she continued. I will always have the kind of nature I have. It is possible, even probable, the centuries as a prisoner added to my natural sensitivity. I developed certain skills, honed them much more than I might have had I not been locked up. I feel things very deeply and sometimes cannot turn that off. You shield me when I cannot do so. You are my shelter. My refuge. I count on you and retreat when I know I cannot take any more bruising.

“Any more bruising?” He didn’t like the sound of that. He went very still inside. Had he pushed her too hard? Was he guilty of listening to the voices around him instead of being in tune with his lifemate’s needs? “What do you mean, Elisabeta? Am I not taking proper care of you? You promised me you would always tell me if you were upset with anything.”

I do push myself, Ferro. I do because I want to be strong and always stand with you as your partner. It does not upset me to do that, but it does feel as if sometimes I am battered and cannot even look at my surroundings one more moment.

“Elisabeta.” He breathed her name. With reverence. With regret. How could he not see her struggle? He was merged with her, yet he had not known.

He stood in the shadows of the courtyard while around them the music of the Dark Troubadours played, the hauntingly beautiful voice of their singer, Desari, floating into the air, touching all within hearing distance. She had a gift, and yet in that moment, Ferro could hear only what his woman had admitted to him. How had he not known?

He was used to the wild country. The mountains and forests, not the cities with houses and so many people. His instincts were honed beyond even the majority of the Carpathians’ greatest hunters, yet his own lifemate, a gentle, compassionate woman, suffered because he hadn’t been able to see her pain. That was unconscionable. Unacceptable.

He had gone to the monastery when he had proven to be too dangerous even to his own kind. The mists had surrounded him when he was in those thick walls, behind the heavy gates, but that protection had enhanced his instincts, not diminished them.

“How could I not know you were struggling, sívamet? How could you not share this with me? You had to have found a way to hide this from your lifemate.”

He found himself hurt—and that was a rare and unfamiliar emotion, as was the anger that mixed with it. “Omission is dishonesty, Elisabeta. By your omitting what was happening to you, I was unable to take proper care of you. How did you hide this from me?” He poured demand into his voice, and for the first time he truly didn’t care if he sounded too much like a dominant, demanding male.

She was silent for a long moment while he worked at breathing in and out of his lungs in a deep, natural pattern. He kept his heartbeat steady. He didn’t tighten his hands or his arms on her when he wanted to crush her to him. She needed him to be calm for her. Fine tremors went through her body, all too reminiscent of when she first had risen to his beckoning song.

She had come a long way in a short time, but truthfully, he had expected too much from her. Everyone had. She had risen to the occasion because he had asked it of her. Ferro nearly groaned aloud. Desari’s voice, so hauntingly beautiful, filled the night sky. The sound of the children’s delighted laughter added to the beauty of the evening. His woman stood at the edge of the courtyard with a virtual crowd moving around her. Men and women dancing, dragons in the air, wheeling and dipping as their riders gave the young children a thrill. This was all new to his woman and yet she was expected to participate.

He waited, knowing Elisabeta took her time when she answered anything that she felt was very important to him, choosing her words carefully. He would have stopped her, told her he was the one in the wrong, but he had to know how she hid things from him. It couldn’t continue. He had to have access to all parts of her mind. He never wanted her to suffer, or feel bruised and battered. If they were going too fast in her lessons, or she didn’t want to learn to be so modern, they had centuries to learn. He had to know when to stop her. She clearly wasn’t going to tell him.

I am very sorry, Ferro. I have been alone for so long and had to be so careful of my thoughts that it is automatic for me to compartmentalize. I think of my mind like a beehive and place different thoughts in these little cells. I do not hide things from you on purpose. I would not do that. I turn to you when I know I cannot take any more.

“I do not understand, Elisabeta. I have full access to your mind, yet I do not see these cells you have hidden. Why?” He was careful to keep a neutral tone. He wasn’t angry with her and didn’t want her to think that he was. This misunderstanding was on him. That didn’t negate the fact that he had to see these hidden compartments and always have access to them in case she was “bruised and battered” again.

I had to keep Sergey from seeing into the places of my mind I didn’t want him to see. The same with any of his brothers or cousins, just in case one found out about me. I hid the tiny cells in the walls so they appeared perfectly normal, as if they were part of the structure of my mind. I had centuries to perfect the images and to keep them from ever being given away. Even the healer did not discover them when he repeatedly inspected my mind. There was a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

“Elisabeta.” He swept his hand gently down the long, thick braid of her hair. “Just the fact that you deliberately kept this part of you safe from the healer meant you not only remembered these compartments hidden from anyone looking, but you wanted them to remain hidden. I understand you hiding them from Gary and even the other ancients. But your lifemate? From me? What is your reasoning?” He kept all reprimand from his voice. He feared he already knew the answer.

She turned her head to look up at him over her shoulder, her dark eyes wide. There was overwhelming emotion in her eyes and his belly did a weird roll. His heart clenched hard in his chest. He was looking at love. Drowning in it. Swamped in it. He felt it surround him. She was both wonderful and terrifying to him. For a moment he was looking into her soul. She was so unbelievably compassionate she was beyond his comprehension. She’d been given to him. Somehow, the universe had entrusted her into his care.

Her long lashes fluttered. She turned her head to stare back at the laughing, joyful men and women, at the children celebrating a hard-won victory she’d been such a big part of.

“You didn’t want me to know.” He said it for her. “You pushed yourself as hard as you could until you were so uncomfortable you could barely take it, and you didn’t want me to know.”

Elisabeta ducked her head. You hurt inside, Ferro. When you think you are not shielding me enough, you hurt inside. When you do shield me, you compare yourself to the vampire. There is no winning for you. I do not like it.

“You cannot do that, piŋe sarnanak,” he reprimanded.

I have every right to take care of you, Ferro. You are my lifemate.

There was surprising strength in her voice. He had done that. He had given her that strength and confidence. He sighed. “Woman, you make no sense. The things I am concerned about, such as whether or not I am holding you back when I should push you to stand on your own—like tonight, among all the Carpathians who have come to celebrate with us— you stay silent about. But this, when I am adamant, you oppose me.”

Not oppose, Ferro, she denied, her voice and mind soft. I will discuss that more with you, but tonight . . . I have given this much thought. Lorraine and Julija are both very powerful women in different ways. They express that power differently. Because they express it differently does not take away from either of them. The way I choose to express my power will not take away from what or who I am.

“That is true, sívamet. You are an extremely powerful Carpathian.”

I cannot be anything but who I am. My nature is not like either Julija’s or Lorraine’s, and although I admire both of them, I am fine with who I am, thanks to you. I will most likely be uncomfortable around many people and I accept that, again, thanks to you. The point I am making, Ferro, is crawling into your mind and hiding away is where I need to be sometimes. It is where I feel safest. You are not forcing me to go there. You are not holding me prisoner or keeping me dependent. I try to hold out because I think it is what you want for me and I even know it is good for me, but it is not always what I want.

He shook his head, dropping his hand to her neck, beginning a slow massage, not really for her, but because he had to do something. Anything. She was killing him. She tried to hold out as long as she could, waiting until she felt bruised and battered, and then hiding that from him in the little compartments in her mind so he wouldn’t feel bad.

“You are not going to do that anymore. We are making a new rule. You do not hide anything from me, even if you think it will upset me. Is that understood, piŋe sarnanak?”

Yes, Ferro. She answered immediately, no hesitation, which meant she would obey him.

He bent his head to brush a kiss along her earlobe. “You will allow me access to all parts of your mind. Every hidden little cubicle.”

He felt her reluctance. How can I protect you?

He bit her earlobe in sheer frustration. I protect you.

Should it not go both ways?

There was genuine confusion in her voice and that touched his heart. It was impossible not to want to sweep her into his arms and carry her off where he could be alone with her.

“Yes, but not at the expense of your health. You are never to push yourself to the point of feeling bruised or battered or where you think you have to hide how it is affecting you from me. We need to be able to communicate, Elisabeta. I know that expressing your feelings is difficult at times for you, but it is necessary.”

She was silent for a few moments and then she capitulated. Then yes, Ferro, I agree. I will make certain you know where all the various walls I put up with the little cells on them are so you have access to any information I accidentally store there.

“Thank you, Elisabeta. Traian and Joie are making their way over to us. Are you good with that? I can get us out of here.”

He felt her straighten. Again, she tilted her head back and gave him a smile meant only for him. It was genuine, lighting her eyes. “I can talk to them for a few minutes.”

Her heart had begun to accelerate and he gently slid his hand down the length of her arm to her wrist, rubbing his thumb over her pounding pulse to remind her to match the steadier beat of his.

“Traian, Joie,” he greeted. “I see you both remember how to dance.”

“Barely,” Traian admitted. “It’s all Joie. She has to keep the steps in her mind and I just do what she tells me. She makes me look good.”

Joie burst out laughing. “That’s not true. He’s a really good dancer. Very smooth. Tariq is good, too. Did you see him with Charlotte?”

Ferro answered for them, sparing Elisabeta every chance he could, while she nodded and smiled, her fingers digging into his arm. “It was impossible not to notice. I think everyone watched them. I suppose that is why he owns a nightclub.”

Traian flashed a little smile at his sister. “Who would have thought, Elisabeta, that a Carpathian would own a nightclub someday? If they had told us that when we were children . . .”

“We would not have known what anyone was talking about,” she finished.

Traian and Joie burst out laughing.

Ferro tightened his arms around his lifemate. Just that small little effort was difficult for her, but he could feel her happiness. Elisabeta was glad she’d made the effort because her brother and Joie were extremely happy that she’d spoken to them, even joked with them.

“Several of the ancients went out to the forest by the lake hunting Cornel and Dorin, but they were long gone,” Ferro informed them, to take pressure off his woman. “They cleaned up the traps and put the forest, meadow and lake to rights again so any campers or hikers would not get caught. There were creatures beneath the ground that had to be burned out, and those venomous guardians in the trees were difficult to fully purge, but without guidance from their creators, the brethren were able to destroy them.”

Traian nodded. “Tariq feared it would be extremely difficult. He has said he wants that lair as well as the one beneath the city to be watched all the time. Josef is setting up remote cameras, but even that will not be enough. Tariq wants both lairs to be regularly patrolled.”

“Will you be taking Josef back with you when you return to the Carpathian Mountains?” Ferro asked.

“I have agreed to escort him once he has completely updated Tariq’s system and made certain there are no traces of the infection or any other virus the vampires might have planted.”

“You allowed him to kill the vampire with you. He used himself as bait and then the two of you worked together to dispatch the creature,” Ferro said. He kept his tone strictly neutral. “The boy has clearly had some experience, but do you think it is a good idea for him to be facing vampires when he does not have the physical strength required? He obviously has the mental strength. And he follows instructions.”

“I agree he shouldn’t be involved in battles,” Traian said. “Josef is . . .” He glanced at Joie, a little at a loss for words. “He never seems settled. He travels extensively. He lives for a short period of time with his adopted parents but he never stays long. He seems restless. They think of him as difficult. His best friend, Skyler, says he’s lonely and lost at times.”

Ferro nodded. “I would agree with her. I would like him to stay here, even for a short while. The brethren would work with him on his skills. He could work with us on catching up with technology, minus the infection.”

Traian narrowed his gaze suspiciously. “Is there something you know that I do not in regard to Josef?” He looked from Elisabeta to Ferro. “I like the kid and I feel responsible for him. If there’s a problem, I’d like to know about it.”

Elisabeta took a breath. Her hand came up to her throat, her fingers stroking for a minute, as if she were coaxing words to come forth. “There are memories in him that are disturbing. Things that have made him think less of himself.”

“There is no place in our world for jealousy.” Ferro gestured toward the children flying the dragons. The sounds of laughter drifted down from the sky, blending with music and the conversation of the adults. His gaze followed the rainbow dragon little Jennifer sat on with Josef’s arms tight around her, sparkles falling all around them. The little girl clung to him, laughing so hard she looked as if she might fall right off the back of the dragon. Josef didn’t look in the least uncomfortable with glitter adorning his hair as the child scattered more of it into the air.

“That is so,” Traian agreed. He didn’t push Ferro to get on with it. He simply waited to see where the ancient was going with his observations.

“When jealousy is continually displayed to the point that it undermines the confidence of a sibling or adopted sibling, it could be a potential problem later on. The Malinov brothers were very jealous of the Dubrinsky family. They were also jealous of the Dragonseeker lineage. Xavier was jealous of the Carpathian people’s longevity. Jealousy leads to darkness, Traian.”

Ferro kept his eyes on Josef. The boy whispered in Jennifer’s ear and then the rainbow dragon swung its head around and dove over the brown dragon. The little girl giggled hysterically and tossed handfuls of glitter into the air over Danny and Andor. Danny laughed and pointed, covering Andor as best he could. Andor laughed with him and indicated they needed to try to get away because his twin was coming at them from the other direction and there was no doubt she had just as much glitter as Jennifer. The orange dragon was trailing sparkles like a rainbow.

There was no jealousy there. The children played and laughed together. Another dragon, this one green, leapt into the air from the ground. There was a young girl of about twelve or thirteen, with a wild mane of hair, on its back, ducking under the trails of glitter to follow after Josef and Jennifer.

Bella and Lourdes, now adept at flying their dragons in spite of their young ages, also rose, although seated behind them were Tomas and Lojos. Already both Carpathian hunters were doused in glitter. Neither seemed to mind as they rose into the air on the backs of the red and blue dragons. Emeline flew a golden dragon with brilliant emerald eyes, her daughter, Carisma, in her lap as they took to the sky with the other dragons. Dragomir flew protectively beside his wife and child in the form of a black dragon.

Laughter, music and glitter swirled in the air along with the powerful sweep of dragon wings. It was such a different sight than Ferro had ever seen, and sharing it with Elisabeta was particularly enjoyable. He could feel her happiness spilling into his mind. I love this, Ferro.

I do, too, Elisabeta. There are a few things to like about this modern century after all.

I didn’t realize dragons were part of the modern century.

He shared her laughter, although his face was an expressionless mask. His joy was for his woman alone.

Traian sat for a long time in silence, watching the aerial show above them, as did many of the other adults. Joie held his hand, her head tipped back, but her gaze was on Ferro’s face, and then it shifted to Elisabeta.

“Elisabeta, is Josef at risk? Has someone deliberately put him in harm’s way?” She asked the question very softly.

Ferro felt his lifemate go very still inside. She shifted her entire being into him, allowing him to shield her.

“That calls for a conclusion Elisabeta cannot possibly give you. Perhaps if you word your question another way, she will be able to answer you directly. Otherwise, you will have to be satisfied with my interpretation.”

“Yes. Of course. Josef seems very lost to me. Have you discovered a reason for this, Elisabeta, when you were working to rid him of this infection? Did you come across information that might aid us in helping him gain self-esteem?”

Elisabeta moistened her lips. She glanced uneasily up at Ferro.

You do not have to answer, piŋe sarnanak. I can do it for you. She was very uncomfortable.

This is invading Josef ’s privacy. He would not want these things exposed. He did not even say this to his best friends, Skyler or Paul.

“She is reluctant to reveal anything she found in his mind that he has chosen not to tell anyone himself. She regards that as an invasion of privacy, which it is.”

Joie nodded. “That is true. I would not want you to reveal anything in my mind, so I perfectly understand. I have to ask one more thing. Do you believe he is at risk because of what you found in his mind?”

Elisabeta bit her lower lip and once more glanced up at Ferro. He takes chances. Too many, Ferro.

“You already know the answer to that, Joie,” Ferro said gently, not putting pressure on his lifemate. “You and Traian would not be watching him so closely. Traian was not happy that he insisted on setting himself up as bait, yet he couldn’t deter him. You both are already worried about Josef.”

“But we don’t know why he’s the way he is. No one knows with perhaps the exception of Elisabeta,” Joie said. “And you, Ferro.”

“You cannot ask us to reveal his secrets when you would not want us to reveal yours,” Ferro said.

Traian nodded his head. “He is right, Joie. As much as we would prefer to know, we have no right to invade his privacy. I do wish you could come to the Carpathian Mountains, even if it was for a little while, Elisabeta, and see home. You might not remember it, but it truly is beautiful. I want to show you all of our old haunts, the places you used to love to go.” He sent a quick smile to Ferro. “She loved the forest.”

“She still does,” Ferro said.

“I loved the memories you shared with me,” Elisabeta said. “I will treasure them, Traian, and take them out often and examine them.”

Her brother smiled at her. “I’m grateful you’re alive and I could give you back some of home. Showing them to you in my mind isn’t the same as walking trails with you in the mountains or forest.”

“I do love being in the forest,” Elisabeta admitted.

“As far as Josef is concerned,” Traian continued, “it might be best to leave him here.”

“Mikhail wanted him escorted home,” Joie pointed out.

Traian sighed. “That is so, although leaving him gives us an excuse to return to see Elisabeta.”

Elisabeta turned her head to look at her brother. “You never need an excuse to come to see me, Traian.”

“Or perhaps Elisabeta and I will escort Josef back to the Carpathian Mountains,” Ferro said. “We can bring him to you. That would give her a chance to see these places you speak of, Traian.”

I think it would be a good thing to go there, Ferro, Elisabeta said. I would love to see the Carpathian Mountains again, and perhaps even the monastery, but that is where the Malinov piece for the council is hidden. Cornel is aware of it, although he does not know exactly where it is located. He will try to recover it. I am uncertain exactly where it is, either, only that it is not here in the United States.

When did you remember this bit of information? Ferro tried to keep the challenge out of his voice. Knowing where the Malinov membership piece was was huge. She should have told him immediately.

Just now. When Traian talked about going home. I caught a flicker of it in Ruslan’s mind. I could not catch the exact place, but if I am there, it is possible I would be able to find it.

“I would very much like to show Elisabeta the place she was born,” Traian said. “It would be a fair exchange to lend you Josef for a short while and then you bring him back to us. I can get word to Mikhail and ask him if this is permissible.”

“I think that would be more than fair,” Ferro agreed, resting his chin on the top of Elisabeta’s head. “It will also give me a chance to meet the prince. Perhaps some of the brethren will travel with me as well so they can meet him, too.” He could make up his mind about swearing his allegiance. It seemed that many ancients believed in the prince.

The Dark Troubadours began to play another song, this one slow and haunting, a love song, and Elisabeta turned her head up quickly to look at Ferro.

That is our song. Yours and mine.

He smiled at her. “Yes, it is our song. I gave them the music and lyrics. Come dance with me.” He took her hand. “If you’ll excuse us, I would very much like to dance with my lifemate.”

Ferro took Elisabeta into his arms. Her soft, feminine body molded to his. Fit perfectly. Joy was present. Alive in him. Love surrounded him. Lived in him. All because of her . . . Elisabeta.