Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“How would you recover your lost soul?” Fenja asked.
Benedek shook his head and turned his attention back to Silke’s mother. “My soul wasn’t lost, Fenja. Silke took great care to guard it. She’s kept it safe for years, never allowing anyone to know it was in her possession. Had a vampire, mage or Lilith managed to gain possession of it, I would have been a slave to them. Worse, I would have been close to impossible for hunters to destroy. Silke kept me safe.”
“How is it she came to have your soul when she is a mere babe by your people’s years?”
“My soul was passed from mother to daughter until I could locate my lifemate and claim her. Silke was always meant to be my lifemate. It is why she never married or wanted another man. She already had a man.”
He shifted his gaze to catch Silke’s reaction to his declaration. He’d made it a statement because everything he said was the simple truth. She didn’t like it. She knew she had never been with another man because she belonged with him, she just didn’t want to see it that way.
“That’s not true,” she denied.
“Silke.” He said her name softly. Gently. A reprimand. “There is no question, and you are very aware of that fact. Why would you deny it?”
She lifted her chin at him. “Because we aren’t compatible.”
He allowed the faintest of smiles to slide through their merged minds. “I think we have plenty of time to determine that.”
Fenja waved her hand to get their attention. “How can Silke give your soul back to you?”
“There is only one way. When I bind Silke to me, the two halves will bind as well.”
Silke was already shaking her head. “No binding. I don’t like the sound of that.”
Fenja frowned at her. “Be calm, Silke. We are merely getting pertinent information. Please continue, Benedek. How do you bind my daughter to you, and what does that mean?”
“Every male Carpathian has the binding ritual imprinted on him before his birth. When he meets his lifemate, he must say the vows to her. Those words are powerful and essentially make the two of them one. Once the vows are said, it is impossible to reverse the fastening between man and woman. It is our marriage ceremony, and it is for eternity.”
Again, he was very matter-of-fact. He didn’t try to pretty it up. It was what it was. Silke was going to have to face the truth whether she was ready or not.
Silke shrugged as if she wasn’t worried. “Just say the words, get your soul back, and we can part ways.”
“You deliberately weren’t listening to me,” Benedek said. His voice was tired. That happened sometimes. He preferred not to talk if he didn’t have to. The damage to his vocal cords had never healed properly. It didn’t bother him. The attack had been centuries ago, when he was very young. He had been lucky to live through getting his head nearly hacked off. If his vocal cords were the sacrifice, he got the best of the exchange. He’d lived to bring down some of the most depraved Carpathians, vampires, demons and even humans.
Sitting in that chair, looking across at the woman fate had chosen for him, he realized this was no longer about his soul and getting it back. This was about the woman. In the close confines of the room, he inhaled her scent. She belonged in his lungs. Although he had muted the colors until he was nearly seeing only in gray, she was still vivid to him. Bright, like the full moon. Hair silver and gold. Eyes the color of true sapphires. Yeah, he saw her in color when everything around her was gray.
“What happens if you don’t reclaim your soul? If Silke doesn’t cooperate?” Fenja asked.
He gave her the stark truth—just not all of it. “I would have the choice of suiciding or becoming vampire.” He didn’t mention the third choice—simply binding Silke to him without her consent. In their world, that third choice was expected by both parties.
He heard Silke gasp and immediately gave her his full focus, moving through her mind to read her thoughts. She refused to consider he would make either of those choices. She rejected them completely.
“No.” She said it firmly. “There has to be another way. You spent centuries fighting for your people. You lived with a code of honor. You can’t turn vampire at this late date. And suicide is out. What are your other choices? There have to be more.”
They were getting somewhere. And she was opening doors for him. Giving him answers. “The more is to come to an agreement with my lifemate. One she can live with. One she’s willing to live with.”
Her long lashes fluttered, drawing his attention. For some unexplained reason, his gut tightened. Blood moved through his veins in a heated rush. She definitely was ensnaring him. He would need to call on his centuries of discipline if he was going to win this most important battle.