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)
“It isn’t a laughing matter,” Tora scolded.
“It is. You really need to see the irony of a demon slayer having a demon as a husband. Sheesh, Tora, what could be funnier than that?”
Chapter
2
Benedek Kovak had few people he trusted. Safia Meziane had read tarot cards for him, and with the knowledge that his lifemate was alive and in danger had come the warning to trust only his brethren, only himself and his instincts. He was not to trust anyone else. He had very good instincts honed over centuries of living and encountering just about every conspiracy and betrayal possible.
That lesson had started when he was a young Carpathian. His parents stayed separate from the Carpathian community. He knew his father, Marius, didn’t like taking orders from the prince, or anyone else for that matter. He had sworn his allegiance to the prince, but he hadn’t really meant those vows. Even as a young child, Benedek had known there was something wrong with his family structure. His code of honor didn’t match that of his parents or his older brother, Boian. He had learned early on to be careful around his mother. It wasn’t until he was much older that he realized the woman raising him—and despising him—was not his birth mother.
Carpathian men didn’t cheat on their lifemates. Not ever. There was an unbreakable bond between the man and the woman. His father and Fawn, the woman he called mother, were not true lifemates, although they lived together as if they were. Over time he had learned that there were a few men and women who were afflicted with a disease that kept them from finding their real lifemate. They would be attracted to various women or men and would feel as if they had the right to them—human or Carpathian. Marius was one of those men. Fawn was one of those women. Marius’ eldest son, Boian, was the exact same way.
From his toddler years, Benedek had exhibited extraordinary abilities. Marius acted as though he favored him, was proud of him, and spent hours each night training him. Benedek learned discipline and technique for battles with vampires. He had no idea his brother and Fawn resented him, or the time and attention Marius bestowed on him.
He was well past his “teen” years when he realized his father and brother were ruthless killers. If they had killed while taking blood, they would have become vampire, but they were careful not to kill that way. His father took him along on his raids of the villages where he coveted some woman or some prize, or felt as though he’d been slighted. Marius and Boian reveled in the fear they created. They were high on their power and cruelty. They weren’t the only ones.
Marius and Boian held sway over several other Carpathian males who followed their lead, helping them raid and torture perceived enemies. If anyone dared to fight back or cross them in any way, the consequences were brutal. The one rule was they couldn’t kill while feeding.
They were nowhere near the prince of the Carpathians, and they made certain to be friendly with any passing hunter, unless that hunter had spoken to villagers who complained about them. Then the Carpathian hunter was attacked and murdered. The death of Carpathian hunters was inevitable, and no one came looking for the deceased. That practice only increased Marius’ feelings of power and narcissistic superiority.
He seemed to have been born without a conscience, and as he aged, his craving for power only grew. He was envious of the prince and wanted that same power for himself. His idea of ruling was by terror. The more blood he shed, the more the villagers gave him whatever he or his men wanted. He brought Benedek up in that environment. If he questioned the things his father and brother did, he was ridiculed and beaten. Fawn always backed Marius and Boian, even knowing her husband raped other women or took them as mistresses for a short time. Later, Benedek realized Fawn killed those women, not Marius. Her sickness had progressed to the point where no female was safe if they were near Marius.
Benedek was told Marius wanted him to take a young Carpathian woman for his wife. He told him repeatedly that arranged marriages were normal. Boian had brought home a Carpathian woman and “married” her. The woman suicided. Boian didn’t seem to care. When he found her, he laughed and said there were more where she’d come from. The behavior sickened Benedek. He knew he wasn’t yet strong enough to challenge his father. He was certain he could best his brother in a fair fight, but with them and their gang, it would never be a fair fight. If he snuck off to find help, he would leave the villagers completely without aid. Many times, he’d managed to save lives just by being present.