Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Her hands came up to frame his face. She leaned her forehead against his for a brief moment, as if taking strength from him before she sat up straight again. “Petru, I can’t be the only human lifemate who loves her family the way I do. There must be others. We’re just starting out. There are answers. We’ll find them. Jeddi always would tell us not to worry about things that haven’t occurred yet. I am going to enjoy every moment I have with you. I love learning new things. Shifting sounds amazing. I can’t wait to learn. I have no doubt that you’ll come to love my family, and they’ll love you.”
Petru felt the storm in his heart settle. Safia was right. She wasn’t the only human lifemate with a family. The De La Cruz brothers, all Carpathians, owned several properties throughout South America and had human families loyal to them. One of the women who was a lifemate to a De La Cruz had siblings, a boy and girl, who were still human. They knew of the Carpathians.
Aidan Savage’s lifemate, Alexandria Houton, had a younger sibling, still human. The couple had two or three humans who knew of them, devoted to caring for the boy while they slept during the day.
One of the most famous healers and one that the Carpathians depended on, Gary Jansen, had been human, but he’d known of the Carpathians for years before he’d undergone the conversion to save his life.
“There are other humans who do know,” Petru assured her. “Once the war has been won and things have settled, I will send word to Zacarias De La Cruz and find out what they’ve done to ensure the protection of the families.”
“Why would our family have to be protected?”
Just like that, she’d pierced his heart again. Calling her family ours. Already sharing with him the people she loved and was so fiercely loyal to was so like her. She was generous. Willing to trust him with her most precious treasure.
“Vampires can read minds. Anyone knowing about us has to be shielded. Vampires would target them. There is a society of vampire hunters who also target us. They don’t care to see the difference between us. They would also torture your family members to get information from them.” He despised putting the worry back in her eyes when she had been joyful just minutes earlier. “I won’t let that happen.”
“No, we won’t let that happen. In any case, my family has learned to protect themselves against vampires, demons and humans far better than most. We can help them improve their skills. Aura will aid us,” she added with confidence.
“No doubt she will,” he agreed readily. “Just so you remember, Ku Tappa Kulyak, little owls are usually monogamous. The male tends to stay in the same territory and defends it vigorously. Often, the female will remain with him year-round.”
Her eyes lit with feminine humor. “I detect a kind of chest-beating male warning in there somewhere. Are you expecting me to live through a winter with you? In the cold ground? Eating earthworms and mice you bring me?”
“Exactly.” The woman was what he’d needed, and he hadn’t known it.
She laughed. “You’d better be beyond excellent at this consummating-the-marriage business for including earthworms and mice.”
“I am. Remember the songs the women were singing? Legendary. Keep that in mind.” She made life fun when all he’d ever known was service. “When you read the cards for Benedek, Nicu, Mataias, Lojos and Tomas, tell them, if you can, the benefits of having a lifemate. If that is in the cards. Not just that they have a lifemate, but that she will change their life in unexpected and miraculous ways.”
She sobered, her face going soft. “I’m glad I changed your life for the better, Petru.”
He rose with her in his arms. “I’ll take you out to the far meadow on your property where the little owl has his territory. We can practice there.”
“Won’t he attack if he sees us?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, staying relaxed, giving him her trust without thought. Petru loved that about her. So far, there wasn’t anything about Safia he didn’t love. He found he was becoming a little obsessed with her.
“If he could see us, he would, but I’ll make certain he won’t. This is just for you to practice shifting. His territory is open with higher perches. You can shift and fly from stump to stump. Even if you falter, the drop won’t be far. We can start with lower stumps and progress to the higher ones.”
Her pulse had leapt at the word “fly.” Her arms tightened around his neck, and her fingers dug into his hair at his nape. “I can’t wait to be able to take to the skies myself.”
Petru was happy he could give her a gift she was looking forward to. “While we’re moving over the ground, study it carefully. My people and Aura have been patrolling, but Aura told us you are much more adept at spotting minute signs of Lilith’s spies. She says there are times she misses them when you can see them.”