Dark Fire by Christine Feehan. Dark Series – book 6

“Rusti,” Desari said gently, “you cannot defy Darius. No one can, not even one of us, and we are very powerful. Finding a lifemate is not like a human marriage.

More powerful instincts are at work. Each of us has only one true lifemate, you as well as Darius. You must be the other half of his soul. The light to his darkness. You cannot change what is simply because you fear it.”

Syndil nodded in agreement. Taking up a brush, she removed the clip from Tempest’s hair so she could tame the thick red-gold mass. “Darius is always so gentle with you, but there is great darkness in him. You must understand what he is. You cannot think of him as human; he is not human. He is quite capable of forcing your compliance in matters of your health or your safety. The men always protect the women.”

“Why? Why are they so dominating? It sets my teeth on edge.”

Desari sighed softly. “Darius has saved our lives over and over again. The first time he was only six years old. He has done miraculous things, but to do them, he had to believe implicitly in his own judgment, and with that comes a certain arrogance.”

Tempest gave an inelegant snort, but a part of her was awed at what Desari was telling her. She had seen glimpses of Darius’s life in his memories, had heard some of his stories, and they astonished her, his implacable resolve to keep his family alive.

“Julian told me that the Carpathian race is dying out,” Desari continued. ‘There are few women-fewer than twenty, counting Syndil and myself. We are the future of our race. Without us, the men have no chance of survival. It used to be that a woman waited a century before she settled with her mate and even longer to bear children. But now the males have no choice but to claim their lifemates when they are mere fledglings. You must see why it is of vital importance to all of them that we are protected,” Desari said.

Tempest felt her heart skip a beat. It was easier not to think too much about what she had gotten herself into. When Desari said the words aloud, she knew terror was waiting a heartbeat away to claim her. She bit down hard on her lower lip. Both women heard her suddenly pounding heart. She was human, not Carpathian, and she didn’t feel safe in their world.

Desari sank to her knees in front of Tempest. “Please do not fear us,” she said softly, persuasively. “You are our sister, one of us. No one in our family would harm you. Indeed, Darius would give his life for you. He is giving his life for you.” Her dark eyes filled with tears.

Tempest’s green eyes widened at Desari’s obvious distress, her choice of words. “What do you mean, he’s giving his life for me?”

“We Carpathians have great longevity, Rusti; that is both our blessing and our curse. Because you are his life-mate, yet mortal, Darius will choose the human way of things. He will grow old and die with you rather than remain an immortal,” Desari explained gently.

“Already he shows signs of stress,” Syndil added. “He is refusing to go to ground to sleep properly.”

“What does that mean?” Tempest asked, curious. Darius often used that phrase, but she still wasn’t certain exactly what it meant.

“The soil is healing to our people,” Desari said. “Our bodies require sleep in a different way than yours. We must shut down our heart and lungs to rejuvenate ourselves. Without doing that, we cannot sustain our full strength. Darius is our protector. He is the one who must face the human assassins and hunt the undead who threaten us. Unless he goes to ground as he must, he will lose his great power.”

Tempest felt her breath catch in her lungs. The thought of Darius in trouble was frightening. “Why doesn’t he just go to sleep the way he’s supposed to? He spends the entire time driving me crazy, always talking to me, giving me orders, and mixing in a threat or two just to keep things interesting.”