Her hand was trembling and he knew it. He immediately enveloped her hand in both of his.
"You're safe with me, Gabrielle. Always."
She knew that. She had always known it. She loved the timbre of his voice. So gentle, like a caress. He was such a good man. As much as Gregori intimidated her and she didn't want Gary to be anything like him, she couldn't help but admire the flashes of Daratrazanoff in Gary. The confidence. The ability to keep her safe.
Maybe it wasn't so bad that he was a Daratrazanoff, especially if they could move away from the prince. Always Mikhail Dubrinsky and his family would draw vampires and now, rogue Lycans. To eliminate the prince was to eliminate the Carpathian people. Mikhail now had a daughter and a son. Both were threats to the vampires and rogues.
The attacks would never stop, and Daratrazanoffs protected the prince. If they remained, no matter that she was his lifemate, even putting her first, Gary's life would always be in danger, and she didn't want that. She couldn't have that. And that made her so not a Carpathian. It was ingrained in every man, woman and child to protect the prince and his heirs. Even she felt it. Gary, as a human, had always taken on the protection of all the Carpathians, from unborn children to the prince himself. Now, as a member of one of the most powerful families of Carpathians, he would be twice as in demand.
"Gabrielle?" Gary prompted softly. He didn't tug on her hand or try to hurry her in the least. He never did. He was never impatient with her. She knew he was capable of impatience because she'd seen him giving orders to some of the other males and he did it in a voice that meant business--and they obeyed him.
"I'm ready." She lifted her chin, pushing aside the weird urge to run that kept getting in the way of her happiness. Run where? To what? Everything she wanted or needed was standing right in front of her. She just had the vague, persistent feeling of dread, as if something terrible was going to happen any minute. The feeling was growing stronger every day. Another war? Another moment when Gary would save a life at the expense of his own? In saving Zev Hunter, Gary had been eviscerated by the rogue Lycans. He waded in where no other human--well, except her brother--would dare to go.
"Are you ready, Gary?" she asked, needing his reassurance. Needing to know he wanted her with the same urgency that she wanted him. She'd waited so long. Everything Carpathian had gotten between them. They had never had a moment to themselves. It was as if fate had conspired against them.
"More than ready, princess. This is our night. Our time. I want to give you everything you ever wanted." Gary snapped his fingers, and a horse emerged from the trees.
Gabrielle caught her breath. The horse was a good seventeen hands. Pure white. Tail and mane flowed like so much silk with every move the graceful animal made. He came to them, prancing as he did so, his eyes on Gary.
Gary put his hands around her waist and lifted her onto the horse's back, sidesaddle, her dress flowing around her much like the horse's mane. The ivory lace settled in a beautiful drape. Her breath settled in her lungs as Gary took the reins and began to lead the horse through the trees toward the mountain where the fertility flowers grew in abundance--another thing Gary had contributed to their people. He had planted and cultivated the flowers until an entire field grew once more wild up the mountain.
White petals drifted around them and settled on the trail so that there was a carpet of white for the horse to carry her over. Overhead, the leaves rustled as they went under the canopy of trees. She glanced up and swore some of the branches bowed toward them as they passed, setting the leaves swaying so that they appeared a beautiful silver in the moonlight.
Wolves began a serenade, and she knew they sang to them. She loved that. She loved that nature surrounded them and seemed to bless their joining. The horse's gait was so smooth she didn't even have to hold on, but could balance without effort. She felt as if she was floating through the air toward their ultimate destination.
The hoofs made a light sound on the rock as they started up the mountain, adding to the beauty of the moment. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to make the ascent. Her man--no, lifemate--leading her to an incredible field of flowers on the back of a white stallion. Who had a man like that? Only Gabrielle Sanders, soon to be Daratrazanoff. Only she did.
2
The scent of the Night Star flowers permeated the air. Gabrielle found the perfume potent, almost an aphrodisiac. As Gary lifted her from the back of the horse and set her on the ground, the feeling of his strong hands at her waist sent a thrill through her, even as a strange tingle of fear crept down her spine.
She looked around at the field of white. Above them was a ceiling of sparkling stars and surrounding them were the beautiful flowers that had been thought to be extinct. Gary had discovered them in South America with her brother, Jubal, and brought them back to help with the fertility problems the Carpathian women were experiencing. It had been Gary who had discovered the existence of the flower in centuries past and realized it was a vital part of the Carpathian courtship.
The blossom was large, shaped like a star, but the petals and texture were much like that of a lily. The inside filaments were striped and the ovary was ruby red. Joie had told her the blossom took on the scent of the Carpathian male and female, adding to the need for consummating the lifemate bond. Gabrielle had waited so long for Gary she didn't need a flower to make her any more ready for him, but she couldn't find one fault with the setting.
In the center of the field of flowers was a four-poster bed, draped in white. Petals from the Night Star flower were strewn over the white satin sheets. Her breath caught in her throat. She lifted one hand to Gary's chest. Her fairy tale. The outdoor bed in a field of fragrant flowers with the stars shining down on them. He remembered the one time she'd told him of her dream wedding night.
The moonlight hit the bracelet on her wrist and it seemed to come alive, going warm, looking like a ring of fire, the links glowing red and gold. It looked beautiful on her wrist, so delicate, and yet she knew the bracelet was far more than that.
Unexpectedly, Gary's hand came up under hers to pull it away so he could inspect it. "There's power in this. Where did you get it?"
Her stomach somersaulted. He sounded . . . dangerous. Not at all like her Gary. Gabrielle pressed her lips together. Gary sounded fully Carpathian, a male hunter refusing to be denied an answer. When she glanced up to look into his eyes, they were glittering down at her. Her heart jerked.
"You're scaring me, Gary," she said. He really was, but she didn't know why. And she didn't know why the bracelet felt as if it was a threat to him, but it, too, had gone from beautiful to deadly, just as Gary had.
Gary didn't touch the bracelet and his gaze didn't leave her face. "It's a weapon, Gabrielle. Where did you get this?"
"My brother. For the something old. You know," she persisted. "Something old. Something new. Something borrowed and something blue. This is something old. My father gave it to Jubal to give to me when the time was right. Jubal told Joie the time was right."
"On our wedding night?"
"I don't understand what's wrong." She didn't, and yet she did. Her bracelet had begun to hum. It was low, but it was there. She heard it. Gary heard it. She pulled her hand out of his and put her arm behind her back to quiet the bracelet. She didn't know how to take it off or she would have. She didn't want her beautiful bracelet to ruin this night for her.
"What is wrong is that bracelet is looking to slice me to pieces. Take it off."
She bit her lip hard. "I can't, Gary. I don't know how."
He drew in his breath, his eyes going electric green. He looked more of a predator than she'd seen in a wolf. She drew in her breath and willed the bracelet to behave and stop humming.
"You put an object of power on without having any idea how to remove it or how to make it work or stop working?"
That was a blow. A huge blow. She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. He looked down at her as if she wasn't quite bright, when, in fact,
she was brilliant. Okay. Maybe he had a point, it wasn't the smartest move, but it was her wedding night and a gift from her brother. And father. It was hers. It felt right on her wrist, and she knew it was hers. Just as the pendant was Joie's and Jubal had his weapon from the mages.
"I shouldn't have," she conceded. "But it was a gift from Jubal, and I was caught up in the wedding traditions. When Joie gave it to me, I thought it was a bracelet, a piece of jewelry, not a weapon."
She didn't want to take the bracelet off. She kept willing it to connect with her as Jubal's weapon connected with him. She knew Jubal could control his weapon with his mind.
Gary studied Gabrielle's face. She was beautiful. She had always been beautiful, but since being converted to a Carpathian, she was even more so. It was difficult to resist the look on her face. Her eyes, a true dove gray, stayed on his, held captive there. He wanted her with every breath in his body. He had since the moment he'd laid eyes on her. The Carpathian people had been facing extinction and he had worked day and night to help ease those problems, hoping to buy them enough time to actually find ways to solve them permanently.
Without children no species could continue, not even one with the longevity the Carpathians had. He had put aside his own emotions, wants and maybe even needs in order to help them. Then the prince had sent him on countless errands and given him so many tasks, both dangerous and not. When he wasn't learning to fight the enemy, protecting children during the day or researching, Mikhail and Gregori asked him to join their strategy meetings.
There had been no time for himself or Gabrielle. He had thought this day would never come. His beautiful bride. She was smart and funny and so beautiful it hurt to look at her. He reached for her hand again. Both of them. In the Carpathian culture, the male was imprinted with the ritual binding words before birth. In essence, Gary had been reborn as a Daratrazanoff, a full Carpathian, and the words were there, along with the power and knowledge of his ancestors.
Saying the ritual words to Gabrielle would bind his lifemate to him for all eternity. His soul to her soul. Simply put, he loved her with every cell in his body. He loved her mind and the compassion and empathy in her. He loved the way her mind worked, focusing completely on a problem and working it out piece by piece. He could talk to her and she understood what he said. She caught on quickly when he was trying to explain a resolution and why he was certain his solution would work. When they worked side by side, the research went so much faster because they made a good partnership. He didn't have to direct her. Her mind followed the same path his did.
It was impossible not to love Gabrielle. She lit up a room with her laughter. With her sunshine. With the possibilities of her brilliant mind. If they disagreed over a problem, she always had a sound argument and reasons why she thought they should choose a different way.
He knew she had struggled with the Carpathian way of life ever since he was nearly killed. She'd grown quiet and moody and he could see the worry in her eyes. She had begun to pull away from her relationship with Shea, her best friend. Shea was lifemate to Jacques, the prince's brother. He knew that was on him. He didn't like it, and he was determined to rectify it.
Gabrielle wanted a wedding. She wanted their relationship finalized. He hadn't lost his emotions or his ability to see in color as the Carpathians did over time, so there had never been that exact confirmation that she was his lifemate, but he knew he loved Gabrielle Sanders. He would defend her with his last breath and he would do anything to make her happy.
He was certain once they were lifemates, their souls bound together, she would relax a little and realize it wouldn't be so easy to kill him. He had lived through countless battles as a human. He could live through many more as a Carpathian male. She would see that once she shared his mind.
"Say it," she whispered. "Right now, Gary, with the moon shining down on us, in this perfect field of beautiful flowers. Bind us together for eternity."
He smiled down at her. "I was just thinking what a lucky man I am to have found you, Gabrielle. To have you right here in front of me. To know you before either of us was converted. I know a few of the Carpathian males have known their lifemates from childhood, but it is rare. We have a past that binds us even closer."
She smiled up at him, her smile reaching her eyes, taking his breath. This was finally their time. He tightened his fingers around hers, ignoring the still glowing bracelet. At least it had stopped the warning hum.
"You are my lifemate. I claim you as my lifemate." He said the ritual words decisively. He had wanted to say them before he was even Carpathian. She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman. "I belong to you. I offer my life for you." He did belong to her. He loved her with all his heart. He would lay down his life for her in a heartbeat. "I give you my protection. I give you my allegiance. I give you my heart. I give you my soul."
The moment he uttered the words, something shifted inside of him. Fingers of dread crept down his spine. His gut knotted. Tight. Tension slid in. The bracelet burst into flames, the red dancing through the gold ominously, leaping around her wrist and humming a warning.
Gabrielle bit her lip, pushing at the bracelet with her hand, trying to get it off. It wouldn't budge, clinging as if a part of her body. She did her best to ignore it, feeling desperate, her stomach somersaulting while everything in her screamed she might lose the most important person in her world. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"
He had been reborn Carpathian. Fully Carpathian. He was no longer human. He loved Gabrielle Sanders with all of his heart. She loved him in the same way. With her heart. All of it. But this vow was to bring two halves of the same soul back together. She had to hold the light to his darkness. Gabrielle was definitely of the light. He could see it shining in her eyes. He could almost see her soul in those beautiful eyes. But not now. Not at this moment--he saw reluctance. He saw the same dread in her that was there inside of him.
"No, Gary," Gabrielle said. "Finish it. Say it in the ancient language, maybe the ritual needs to be recited in the ancient language. They aren't going to take you away from me. Not that. You're all I have left. I can't make it without you. Say the words to tie us together."
She knew. On some level she knew. The knowledge was strong in him even when he wanted to deny it. Her soul would not bind itself to his.
"Gabrielle . . ."
"Don't." Tears swam in her eyes. "For me. If you love me, do this. I need you, Gary. I love you. Please, finish it. Say it in the ancient language."
Gary took a deep breath. His world was crumbling around him. He couldn't imagine Gabrielle with another man. He wasn't even certain he would remain sane if he ever saw such a thing. He'd lose his mind and try to kill her lifemate. She belonged to him. He belonged to her. She looked . . . devastated, just as he was devastated.
"Please, baby, please, for me, try again," Gabrielle pleaded.
"Te avio palafertiilam. Entolam kuulua, avio palafertiilam." The moment he uttered the binding words in the ancient language, the dread increased tenfold. His stomach lurched. The knots tightened. He drew in his breath, shaking his head.
She shook her head again and tried frantically to tear the bracelet from her wrist. Her nails dug into her skin, leaving bloody tracks.
"I won't let them do this to us. They've taken everything from both of us. Over and over, bled us dry. They can't have you. It isn't working because we were both human. Their rules don't apply to us. We helped them, Gary. If it wasn't for you, and also for me, their children would still be dying. I know Lara helped, but it was you who pointed everyone in the right direction. You were the one who saved their children. We deserve to be happy."
He drew her into his arms, fitting her body into his. He held her tightly. "Honey, it isn't them. There is no them versus us. They want us happy." He stood in the middle of the field, blinking as he looked around him, noting uneasily that the white petals of the flowers were no longer so white. The green of the leaves on the flowers had faded as well. He took
a breath. Closed his eyes. Opened them, his heart bleeding for both of them. "This isn't their fault."
"How did this happen? I don't understand how this could happen," Gabrielle cried against his shirt.
He understood. He had been reborn. His soul was no longer the soul of a human, but that of a Carpathian male. Gabrielle had always belonged to another man. Another Carpathian. She was the keeper of that man's soul. Whether he was alive or already gone, whether he would actually find her, was a moot point. Her soul still reached for his--her true lifemate's.
"I don't care," Gabrielle said, pulling back to look up at his face. "What are the chances of either of us finding our lifemates? Seriously, Gary, calculate the odds. We can live as humans. We can go far away from here, build a life together, have our children and accomplish all the things we talked about doing for the world."
There it was. She would go away with him. His heart stuttered in his chest. It wasn't the right thing to do, not for either of them, but, God, he wanted her. She was there, under his skin, in his heart, his everything. But she wasn't his lifemate--and he wasn't hers.
"Don't," she whispered. "I see it on your face. Don't do this, Gary. We belong together. In the human world we'd get married and have children and live out our lives together. We'd be happy. You know we would."
Her fingers curled into the lapels of his jacket. His suit jacket. His wedding suit. Gary closed his eyes again, the need of her so strong in him, it shook him. She was giving herself to him. No man, not even a Carpathian male, could be offered the love of his life and turn it down. No one.
He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze hooded. Sensual. Needing her. Wanting her. Loving her with every breath he took. He just had to take her hand and lead her to the bed and she would be his. She would go away with him, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd be happy with her. She was everything.
Still, the night was dimmer. The color in the world around him had faded significantly. He tried not to be alarmed, but the white flowers were now dull. Her hair wasn't a rich black but a softer gray. Her lips, always so red, had faded in color as well. All around him, he could see that he was losing his ability to see in color. The vibrant shades weren't fading over time, like they did with most Carpathians; they were being wrenched from him all in one night. His brain processed the information even as he rejected the idea of it.