"You've blocked something out," Ivory said. "Your reaction to your birth father wasn't normal. Most girls would have been curious, especially when he showed interest."
Skyler looked up at Dimitri. "I want to remember. I want to know. Can you find the memory for me?"
"If you want me to find it, Skyler," Dimitri assured. "I'll do it."
"I've faced every monster in my life. I can't imagine what's buried in my memories that would give me such an aversion to mages--to my own birth father. I've shared everything I can remember with you. I don't mind you knowing this, too."
Dimitri shook his head. Skyler was brave to allow him into her mind, exploring her memories when she knew what he would find. He knew about her past. He'd certainly shared dark nightmares with her. He'd seen the ugly things a sick individual could do to children--to her--but going into her memories and reliving such moments was an altogether different thing.
He didn't wait, preferring not to drag out her nervous tension. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her back against his chest, sheltering her protectively as he breathed her into his lungs. She opened her mind to him easily. He took the time to be astonished at how adept she was at merging with him. Their connection was so strong sometimes he couldn't tell where she started and he left off.
He sorted through her memories quickly, going to her childhood, trying not to see those nightmare times and the things done to her by depraved men. He had the urge to hunt them down, one at a time, and dispose of them.
I believe my uncle Lucian and my father have already done so, although I'm not supposed to know. There was humor in her voice.
He followed the memories down to her toddler years. There was her mother. She looked hauntingly like Skyler. A beautiful young girl, barely a woman herself. Her laughter was so like Skyler's. She sat beside her young daughter and absently began to make the rain dance, just by flicking her fingers toward the drops.
The two of them--mother and daughter--sat together very close, on a narrow plank with a single blanket which her mother had wrapped her child in to keep her warm. There were bars on the window and a chain around her mother's foot. Skyler's mother entertained her by creating music with the rain. She even whispered little rhymes to her daughter, helping the little fingers make the rain dance as well.
This, then, was where Skyler's gifts had begun to be so powerful. She'd been trained by the games her mother had played with her. Small insects suddenly poured into the room. Skyler stiffened, but she didn't cry. Her mother thrust her behind her, a finger to her lips.
"No matter what happens. Say nothing. Don't ever speak to him. Don't ever let on you can do anything at all extraordinary. Promise me. On my life, promise me."
The little toddler nodded her head solemnly.
A man burst into the room. Not Xavier, but someone Dimitri recognized from long ago, someone who seemed to lurk in the rooms where Xavier taught his classes to the more gifted. He strode into the room, lifted his hand and knocked Skyler's mother so hard she fell across the bed. He caught Skyler and dragged him to her.
"You little brat. This is the last time I come here. If you can't give him what he wants, you and your mother will be sold." He withdrew a knife.
Dimitri watched Skyler's mother, unable to bear seeing the toddler as the knife sliced through her little arm. She made no sound at all. Not one, as if she was mute. Skyler's mother tapped her thigh and danced her fingers toward the drops. She was the one to make a sound, drawing the mage's attention. When he turned, the drops of rain crept in through the bars on the windows and mingled with the blood seeping along Skyler's cut.
My mother saved me from Xavier, Skyler told him. He didn't think the Dragonseeker blood in me was strong enough so he sold us. I didn't speak, so they thought me useless to them.
Even as a toddler Skyler had impressive control. What baby wouldn't cry when an evil stranger cut across her arm with a knife? Dimitri wondered how that could be, but then when he went to examine the child, he realized her mother had taught her to retreat into a place in her mind no one could follow. It was how she kept her daughter safe.
"Who is that bad man?" Skyler asked her mother.
"He is mage, baby. Never go near a mage."
My mother warned me to keep me away from mages. That memory was so vivid when you pulled it up, yet I buried it deep. I want to remember everything I can about my mother. She pressed her head back against Dimitri. He made her feel safe when she looked into her memories. Thank you.
"Razvan, forgive me for asking," Skyler ventured, "but do you remember anything at all about my mother?"
He looked regretful. "Xavier possessed my body. I could see and hear what was taking place, but I couldn't interfere. I was pretty far gone by that time. Seeing what he was using my body for was worse than physical torture. I couldn't help the women he seduced. Of course he made certain they were fertile. I knew what was in store for them and their children, but I was completely helpless to stop it. Mostly the women ran together because, to stay sane, I tried to separate myself."
Skyler nodded. It was understandable, when terrible things were being done to her body, she had retreated into her mind in order to save her sanity, but still, she had wanted to know more about her mother. She retained glimpses of her, small little vignettes that at times she feared she'd made up.
Dimitri nuzzled the top of her head. She was real. She loved and protected you as best she could. And then Gabriel and Francesca came into your life and now Razvan and Ivory. You are loved, csitri. Very loved.
"One thing I do remember," Razvan said, "was how excited he was to find your mother. She was a powerful human psychic. Extremely powerful. He couldn't believe she was human. He said she was descended from the Incas and the line was extraordinary and very pure. He raged for months over the fact that the child produced was useless to him, and he wanted to punish your mother and you for disappointing him."
Skyler took a deep breath. Xavier had found a perfect punishment, selling them into the sex-trafficking world. She closed her eyes briefly, snuggling deeper against Dimitri. He felt solid, a wall of muscle and sinew, always to be counted on.
"Life certainly changes, doesn't it?" she asked her birth father. "One moment you feel there is no hope, no way out, and the next, the entire world opens up for you."
Razvan reached for Ivory's hand. "That is the truth, Skyler. You and your friends achieved the impossible rescuing Dimitri. If we manage to avoid a war with the Lycans, it will be a miracle--and due to you. Had he died, Mikhail would have had no forgiveness."
"I had no idea he sent out a rescue party," Skyler admitted.
"Although," Dimitri said, "you should have known Fen would come for me."
Skyler nodded. "But he would have been too late. You couldn't reach out to him." She traced the burn along his forehead, the links that had prevented him from telepathy--other than with her. She'd been lucky they had such a strong connection or she would have lost him. "I have good friends. Paul and Josef came with me without a thought for their own safety."
"We have good friends," Dimitri corrected. "I'll never forget what they did for us." He looked over at the two young men, sitting side by side in the circle of warriors discussing the upcoming escape from the collapsing shelter.
Josef looked happier than Dimitri had ever seen him. Josef hadn't expected any family members to come for him, and the fact that both his adopted father and uncle had come immediately had an impact on him. He'd run free, going his own way and often stirring up trouble with older Carpathians. It hadn't occurred to him that in spite of his differences, he was loved.
On the other hand, Paul had known the De La Cruz family would come if he got in trouble. They worked with him, teaching him how to fight vampires, working on the skills needed to run their impressive empires--many cattle ranches--in South America. They relied on him to keep his sister Ginny safe while they were in the ground. Paul was part of their lives and under their protection.
&
nbsp; Dimitri sighed, looking at the grim faces of the Carpathians. They knew the little fortress was disintegrating, and the Lycans knew it as well. He, like the others, could feel eyes watching them. He could detect the wolves in the swaying branches of trees as well as the brush along the edges of the forest. He didn't see how they could avoid a fight.
"We should join the others," he said. "They're planning our escape out of here. Lycans are difficult in that they come at you as a pack and they're lightning fast. If we're supposed to avoid killing any of them, as Mikhail wishes, retreating without actually fighting is going to take a miracle."
Skyler leaned toward Ivory again. "I'm so excited and happy that you offered us such an amazing gift as the wolf pups. I really look forward to having them."
Ivory nodded. "Razvan and I discussed it for a long while. I knew better than to save them. We can't have Carpathian wolves running around without control, but it threw me back to the time when I returned from the hunt and found my pack annihilated by the vampire. For a few minutes there, I'm not certain I was entirely sane. I exchanged blood before I thought about what I was doing. Then I couldn't just leave them. Razvan was understanding and helped me with the conversion, but both of us knew, we couldn't keep that many wolves. Our pack is established. These four need their own."
Dimitri found himself smiling. His body hurt like hell and already, even with the transfusion of ancient Carpathian blood, he was exhausted, but the thought of the wolf pups being a permanent part of their lives was exciting.
"Do you think that with my mixed blood, my wolf so close at all times, such a part of me, that the pups will take to me?" he asked.
Skyler sobered. "I didn't think of that. We'll both be mixed blood at some point."
Ivory shook her head. "The wolf pups should be able to relate even faster to you both. They'll sense the wolf and accept you as alpha far more easily than we'd first anticipated. That acceptance is everything. The fact that you, Dimitri, knew so much about wolves influenced our decision. We are certain you could easily run a pack."
Dimitri tightened his arms around Skyler, feeling her joy. She needed joyful moments like this one and he knew it. She'd gone through far too much in a short period of time. She hadn't wavered for a moment in her determination, but still, the last few risings had been extremely difficult on both body and mind. The tremendous gift of the wolf pups had come at the most opportune time.
"Thank you both again," Dimitri said sincerely. "You found the perfect gift for the two of us and we're grateful. The moment we're healthy, we'll come to you."
"Just send word," Ivory said, with another quick glance toward Razvan, as if she in some way might offend him. Her privacy was legendary. Few, if any, knew the way to her home and clearly, even with them, she wanted to keep it that way.
Dimitri couldn't blame her. She'd been betrayed and chopped into pieces, and scattered across a meadow in the hopes the wolves would devour her. Ivory had risen stronger than ever, a fierce fighter, every bit as skilled as her male counterparts. Razvan had quickly caught up with her expertise and they had become the scourge of vampires. Even master vampires avoided them.
As the four of them rose, Dimitri and Skyler a little shakily, Skyler sent Gabriel a grateful look. No father could be better than you, Gabriel. Thank you for bringing me peace with Razvan. You're such a generous man, and you taught me that trait. I hope to always make you proud to call me daughter.
There's no need to fear I will ever be disappointed. I know the untruth you spoke to Francesca and me about your whereabouts and plans for your college vacation time weighs on you, but in truth, we let you down.
She went to protest, but he held up his hand, making room in the circle beside him. Skyler and Dimitri took their place next to him.
Even had you been too young to be claimed, it was already established that Dimitri was your lifemate. All of us knew it, yet we didn't give you the consideration to tell you what was happening. We treated you like a child and left you in the dark. That was our mistake and our fault. You have no reason to be guilty or ashamed. I thank the universe that you have such good friends in Paul and Josef.
Both Dimitri and Skyler thanked the universe for them as well. She smiled at the two of them, sitting in the warriors circle, suddenly being treated as men, although it was Zacarias De La Cruz everyone was listening to.
"The question is, how do we get everyone safely out of here?" Zacarias said. "We could fight our way out, and as a last resort, we will, but out of respect for Mikhail and what he's dealing with there, it would be best if we found a different way."
"Skyler and Dimitri need a safe resting place to heal," Gabriel added. "Both are still in poor shape." He sent an apologetic look toward his daughter.
The transparent walls around them suddenly rippled again. The ground shifted slightly.
Skyler nestled her hand inside of Dimitri's for comfort. She knew it wasn't her fault that the shelter was collapsing--it wasn't designed to last forever--but she was too weak to fix it.
Dimitri tightened his fingers around hers instantly and shifted his body, just a little to offer more protection. She leaned her head back against his shoulder. The Carpathians and Zev had been discussing various possibilities for some time. She thought by now, they would have figured something out.
"We've got enough of us here to slip out and pick them off one by one," Nicolas De La Cruz suggested. "They might feel our energy, but with a large electrical storm, we could easily slow them down and distract them. We know how they fight. We could take them."
"You can't kill every Lycan because you're angry at them," Zev protested.
"Why not?" Rafael demanded. "Making war on children makes them fair game as far as I'm concerned."
Paul and Josef exchanged a long look with Skyler. Josef's amusement was in his eyes, making the other two smile in spite of the circumstances. Although being invited to take part in the discussion, clearly they were still relegated, by some, to the "child" label.
Because they're solving this problem so peacefully and adult-like, Josef sent, his tone overflowing with laughter.
It was difficult to keep a straight face with Josef's sense of humor spilling over to them.
"I guess I'm their biggest problem," Paul confided in a loud whisper. "I can't shift."
"Neither can I at this point," Skyler said. "I can barely sit up anymore."
Her whispered words acted as some kind of a trigger for the conferring Carpathians. They all turned and looked at her.
She sank back against Dimitri again. He put both arms around her, caging her in--a small warning to the others that he was running out of patience with the arguing.
"I've got to get her out of here now," Dimitri decreed. "I don't care about retaliation, only making certain Skyler gets the care she needs."
"Let's just fly everyone out of here," Fen said. "There's no need to go to war with these people. We have a strong enough force to shield Paul, Zev and our wounded."
"We have a reason," Rafael declared.
Zev scowled and started to say something, but Fen shook his head in warning and cut him off before he could engage with Rafael, who clearly was upset over his nephew being shot multiple times.
"There's no way to tell who is with Gunnolf's faction and who stands with the council. We can't lump all Lycans together. Clearly, there's some internal war going on and whoever is behind the bid for power sees Carpathians as a threat. Until we have a clear understanding of who our real enemy is, we can't risk injuring--or killing--an innocent."
"Fen's right," Zacarias agreed. His tone brooked no argument, and no one made one.
"Let's get it done then," Dimitri said. "We've got most of the night left."
"We can form the shield to allow the escape out of here"--Zacarias volunteered his brothers--"but we will retaliate if fired upon."
Zev shook his head. "I could try talking to them."
"At this point," Fen said, "most of the Lycans believe you are a tra
itor or have become the Sange rau and we're protecting you. Your council members, or most of them, are in the Carpathian Mountains. So is your pack. You'll do more good there. If we can get to the bottom of what's going on, we'll have a better chance to stop it."
Gabriel and Lucian looked at one another and gave a slow nod in perfect unison, as if they had one mind. They'd been battling together for centuries. Strategy was a way of life. Although retreating was abhorrent, sometimes they knew it was necessary.
"Lucian and I will lead us out," Gabriel said. "Razvan and Ivory can take up the rear. If Zacarias and his brothers shield us, that gives us Tatijana, Fen, Byron and Vlad to carry the wounded. We'll need one more carrier."
"I can fly myself out of here," Dimitri said. "I might be weak, but I'm not dead."
Gabriel shook his head. "I'm not willing to risk you, Dimitri. You've got my daughter's life in your hands. You've been tortured beyond all reason and shot as well. Your body needs recovery time."
"I can fly," Josef volunteered. "I brought Paul and Skyler here."
Zacarias swung around, his dark eyes steely and cold. "Riordan will take you. We will not risk you either."
Josef let out his breath and ducked his head. He hadn't expected Zacarias to take an interest in him, to even be on his radar. He was used to arguing with his adopted father and uncle, but Zacarias was on an entirely new level.
Man, how do you live with that? Josef asked Paul, but he was secretly pleased that Zacarias had even noticed him, let alone decreed one of the De La Cruz brothers would actually look after him.
He's cool, isn't he? Paul said.
Cool like a caged tiger, Josef replied. He's a little bit terrifying.
I know. But then you see him with Marguarita and he's all gooey and mushy with her.
"It's settled then," Gabriel continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Tatijana, you take Skyler and follow me out. Fen can take Dimitri. Riordan has Josef. Vlad will have Paul. Byron, will you take Zev?"