Carpathian 06 - Dark Fire

his dark eyes furious. "I have waited patiently for you to recover, been as gentle as I know how to be. But this I will not give you. If you dare to go near that man, I will tear him apart with my bare hands. Now get in the trailer, where I know you will be safe, and stay away from him."
    Syndil blinked up at him, shocked and wide-eyed at his uncharacteristic outburst. "I am going, but not because you order me. I do not want a scene in front of an outsider."
    Barack pushed her toward the bus. "I do not care what foolish reason you come up with to do as I order you. Just do it. Go now. I mean it."
    "Where did you get the idea that you were my lord and master?" she indignantly threw back at him over her shoulder as she went toward the motor home.
    "You just remember that I am, Syndil," he snapped and watched to assure himself that she did as he commanded before he returned to join the men, who were questioning Cullen.
    Rusti and Desari met Syndil at the door to the bus. Desari wrapped an arm around Syndil's shoulder.

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    "Was Barack very angry?"
    "I do not know about him," Syndil said, "but I am. What is he thinking, treating me that way? As if I am his daughter, his baby sister. Do you have any idea how many women he has been with? It's disgusting, that's what it is. It makes me sick, the way the men have such a double standard-one for their own behavior and another for ours. The only reason I even listened to him was because this is a matter of your security, Desari. Otherwise I would have told him to go straight to hell. I may yet. In fact, I may just leave altogether after this next concert of yours. I need a vacation from that idiot."
    "Maybe I should go with you," Tempest ventured. "Darius is even worse than Barack. What is it with these men?"
    Desari laughed softly. "They are overbearing and domineering and often royal pains. Julian is forever trying to lay down the law with me. The thing is, you have to stand up to them."
    Syndil pushed a hand through her hair in agitation. "You and Rusti, maybe, but I do not belong to anyone. I should be able to do as I wish."
    Tempest sank into a deep, cushioned chair. Both leopards immediately wrapped themselves around her legs. "I don't belong to Darius. Where does everyone get the idea I'm his girlfriend? And even if I were, I wouldn't have to do a dam thing he says."
    "Rusti," Desari said gently, "you cannot defy Darius. No one can, not even one of us, and we are very powerful. Finding a lifemate is not like a human marriage.
    More powerful instincts are at work. Each of us has only one true lifemate, you as well as Darius. You must be the other half of his soul. The light to his darkness. You cannot change what is simply because you fear it."
    Syndil nodded in agreement. Taking up a brush, she removed the clip from Tempest's hair so she could tame the thick red-gold mass. "Darius is always so gentle with you, but there is great darkness in him.
    You must understand what he is. You cannot think of him as human; he is not human. He is quite capable of forcing your compliance in matters of your health or your safety. The men always protect the women."
    "Why? Why are they so dominating? It sets my teeth on edge."
    Desari sighed softly. "Darius has saved our lives over and over again. The first time he was only six years old. He has done miraculous things, but to do them, he had to believe implicitly in his own judgment, and with that comes a certain arrogance."
    Tempest gave an inelegant snort, but a part of her was awed at what Desari was telling her. She had seen glimpses of Darius's life in his memories, had heard some of his stories, and they astonished her, his implacable resolve to keep his family alive.
    "Julian told me that the Carpathian race is dying out," Desari continued. 'There are few women-fewer than twenty, counting Syndil and myself. We are the future of our race. Without us, the men have no chance of survival. It used to be that a woman waited a century before she settled with her mate and even longer to bear children. But now the males have no choice but to claim their lifemates when they are mere fledglings. You must see why it is of vital importance to all of them that we are protected," Desari said.

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    Tempest felt her heart skip a beat. It was easier not to think too much about what she had gotten