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)
Petru paused once again, allowing the memories into his mind and then finding a way to convey them to his companions. The slow, insidious assault of emotions that had crept into his mind and heart had been a shock. He wasn’t supposed to feel any emotion. He saw no color, but still emotions crept in despite the fact that he hadn’t claimed his lifemate. She was a mere child. He’d barely gotten close to her and only on one occasion, enough to know she existed. She had been whisked away when the demons had erupted all around them and vampires had attacked as well.
I became very aware of my lifemate’s emotions. She was a little girl and couldn’t control her feelings. Everywhere she looked was death and horrific scenes of torture. Her relatives were dead or dying. The people defending them were pulling hearts out of chests and calling down lightning. For her, there was no telling the difference between us and the monsters we were fighting. To her, that was what Carpathians appeared to be—monsters. Demons were eviscerating beloved cousins. She was young, but she understood that if we didn’t win this war, it would happen elsewhere—maybe everywhere.
Petru knew that the ancients couldn’t possibly understand how it would feel to have a lifemate in need and not be able to get to them, because he hadn’t—not until that moment. He attempted to share the overwhelming need with them.
Amid the most important battle for the continuation of humanity, every cell in my body, every instinct I had, urged me to go to my lifemate. In that brief moment, there was no logic, no thought other than to get to her. I did the unthinkable and turned toward her before I realized what was happening to me, and experience took over. I knew what I was feeling was illogical. I couldn’t comfort her. I couldn’t go to her. I could do nothing but fight for her.
While the emotion was difficult to deal with, he was an experienced ancient and could compartmentalize.
There is no betrayal in that, Petru, Mataias assured him. You were fighting for humans and Carpathians alike. We are sworn to destroy every evil that walks the earth. It is a matter of honor. Every lifemate should understand that, even at five.
She was not Carpathian, Petru reminded him. I wish there had been no betrayal in what I had done, but in that moment of distraction, I gave her existence away. It was a brief second, no more, but it was enough; the damage was irreversible.
Again, there was a moment of silence as his companions attempted to comprehend the magnitude of the damage of what he was saying. He shared the fierce battles that followed. The Carpathians had known that they had to succeed in defeating the enemy that very night if they were to prevail. By now, Petru was aware of how his opponent’s mind worked. He anticipated where the demons would strike next and had his army ready and waiting to counter every move.
There were so many to fight on every front: the invading humans, the vampires, and hordes of demons, even hellhounds. We lost so many valuable warriors. The battles took a toll on our fighters. We couldn’t afford the losses, but even with that, we were gaining ground.
Once the demon leader became aware the tide was turning against them, she went into a fury. There were other children, both human and Carpathian, and the vampires and demons suddenly targeted them, rushing those guarding them, sending the hellhounds at them, burning them alive.
Sickening, but typical of a vampire tantrum, Tomas pointed out.
I retaliated, driving a wall between the remaining families and the army trying to get to the children. All the while, I was concentrating on locating the leader. It was difficult when there were so many humans around and their grief and terror were amplified by my lifemate. It was a fight to keep her emotions at bay while I concentrated on staying ahead of each strike to position my army.
It was strange that her terror had suddenly broken through again when I’d had it under such control, but I pushed it aside. I was so close to tracking the leader of the demon army, and my concentration couldn’t be broken. I was still directing attacks, all the while fighting battles of my own with vampires and demons.
Benedek had fought many battles through the centuries with Petru against master vampires and their pawns. He knew Petru could multitask easily, so it wouldn’t occur to him that there might be a problem even with a young child pouring her emotions into his mind. But he had known Petru for so long that the break-off signaled something bad was coming.
You need to tell us, Petru. Whatever occurred was two thousand years ago. This cannot matter now.