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)
“Do you think she knew I would be born again?”
“I doubt she paid attention until recently. She has many schemes, and until she was healed completely, she wasn’t going to exact her revenge. That’s when she bothered to turn her attention this way. She didn’t even use her resources to monitor your family. Had she done so, she would have seen each generation training to fight demons and vampires. That’s why I said she isn’t as prepared as she believes she is. Your family rose to meet the challenge, and she relied on her power.”
Safia was proud of her family’s skills. “They’re excellent at utilizing weapons specifically made to destroy vampires and demons. Demons are more difficult only in that there are many different types, and each one can require a new way of destroying them.”
“Just the fact that your family developed weapons that would destroy a vampire is impressive. I’ve studied their memories, and it’s clear that they were born with information imprinted from generations who came before them. Even fighting skills were passed on.”
Safia lifted her lashes to study his eyes. “You believe she’ll come at us with everything she has now, don’t you?”
He nodded slowly, not looking away from her. Not flinching. “I do believe she will make that mistake, yes.”
“You think that’s a mistake on her part?”
“It will be her downfall.” Petru spoke complacently.
Safia instantly shook her head. “Don’t do what I did. Don’t underestimate her. You believe you can outthink her. She’s been planning this a long time.”
He bent his head to brush his lips gently across hers. Featherlight. Just enough of a touch to set her stomach rolling with anticipation. She resisted pressing a hand to her fluttering belly. They were discussing serious business. She couldn’t be distracted just because he had long eyelashes and firm, cool lips. Or because his breath was always perfect and his mouth hot and addicting.
“I don’t believe that. I think you brought her attention to you again, and now she’s livid. She won’t be thinking straight enough to plan much strategy. She wasn’t brilliant at tactics. She repeated the same ones over and over because they worked for her in the beginning. Once I caught on to her pattern, it was easy enough to anticipate the movements of her various armies.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. Had there been the tiniest bit of amusement in his voice? Was he reading her mind again? “You better stay out of my mind.”
For the first time, his smile turned into a lopsided grin, almost as if he didn’t quite know how to form that kind of spontaneous smirk. Her heart gave a funny little flip inside her chest. Even with all those years he’d spent on earth, there had been so much in his life he’d missed out on. She couldn’t help herself; she reached up to rub her palm along his strong jaw.
“I don’t really care if you are reading my mind, and you know what I think about you, Petru. You really are extraordinary, and not because you sacrificed yourself for everyone else, although that’s a good reason. Not because you’re very good-looking. At least I think you are. Not even because you probably are the best lover on the planet.”
He waited, his eyes drifting over her face, taking her in, claiming her with just that look.
“It’s because you’re truly a good man. Inside, where it counts.” Safia meant it.
Unlike her sisters and sisters-in-law, who had gone into their marriages without any real advantage in getting to know their husbands, Safia was able to merge her mind with Petru’s. She was aware he was very compartmentalized, but even then, she saw glimpses into those areas of pain and battles and an endless gray void of an emotionless world of shadows and death. In that world is where she saw her husband, where his true self shone the brightest. His honor. He didn’t realize that brightness because he saw only the tatters and the thick scarring on his soul from the many times he’d taken lives throughout the long centuries he’d been alive.
“I’m so grateful you were chosen to be my husband.”
His smile faded from his expression to be replaced by an emotion altogether different, nearly blinding her with adoration. This time there was no denying the love in his eyes. She hadn’t expected to ever see those lines, carved so deep, soften into that particular expression—one just for her alone.
“Carpathians don’t dream. At least few of us do. I’ve heard of one or two where it has happened. But you, I’ve dreamt of you many times, Safia. Always when I began to feel there was no hope. The creed of the ancients staying at the monastery is carved into my back. It saved my sanity on more than one occasion.”