Carpathian 11 - Dark Descent

was something warm and comforting, something extraordinary about being close to Traian.
    "You can bring me home to your parents." He said it softly, honestly, as he folowed Jubal and Gahriele through a narrow hal. "I would never embarrass you, or frighten them. I want to meet them. Anyone important to you is important to me."
    Joie tried to prevent her heart from going crazy. She was no young girl, but a fuly grown woman. A man shouldn't have such an effect on her, yet he did. There was honesty in his voice. A simple sincerity that shook her. She knew nothing about him, not even what he realy was, yet she knew everything. She knew what kind of man he was. The knowledge was instinctive, the one thing she was certain of.
    "Where is your family?" she asked.
    "I� have� only� my� people.� My� prince."� His eyes gleamed a deep black in the soft glow of the helmet lights. "You are my family. Your brother and sister have become my family." He arched an eyebrow at her. "And we have only just met. A very strange concept for you, but completely natural to me. Lifemates are two people who meet and need to be together, two halves of the same whole. Finding a lifemate is what every Carpathian male dreams of and longs for and fights to keep our world together for, yet few of us ever gain such a treasure. I never thought to experience such an earth-shattering event."
    "Are you disappointed that I'm not what you thought I'd be?"
    Traian looked down at her. "You do not yet understand the concept of lifemates. I am surprised and even shocked by the idea of a human lifemate, but I could never be disappointed with you. We were made for one another. We complete one another. You are fascinating to me. You always wil be."
    Joie hurried to catch up with her brother and sister, not wanting Traian to see the pleased grin she couldn't quite hide. Jubal turned toward a shalow alcove in the wal, directing his light onto the ice. There was a sudden silence as al of them held their breath. The creature encased in ice was large, an enormous beast with scales covering its body, a wedge-shaped head, a serpentine neck, and a long tail ending in a sharp spike. The wings were folded in close along the body. It had sharp claws for rending and tearing. One eye was wide open and staring at them through the thick wal of ice.
    Joie let her breath out slowly. "That's no dinosaur."
    "It has to be," Gabriele said. "It can't be a dragon. Don't tel me it's a dragon." She glared at Traian. "There aren't vampires. You can't change your shape, and there aren't dragons. The air is bad down here and we're al having a mass halucination. It can't be anything else."
    "Is it real, Traian?" Jubal asked. There was awe, even reverence, in his voice.
    "Yes. It is real. I had no idea it was down here."
    "Do you think this is what the vampires are looking for?" Joie asked.
    Traian shook his head. "They have no interest in the remains of a dragon. But this is definitely a cave the wizards used. I suspected as much. It could be a gold mine of information for our people. The wizards had incredible power and knowledge. It would be terrifying to think that the vampires might get hold of any of the power the wizards wielded. Do not touch anything. We must be very careful in here. The wizards used spels and traps to guard what belonged to them."
    "That's what you meant when you said the bridge could be a trap. You thought the wizards had made it," Jubal said.
    Gabriele held up her hand. "We're talking about things found in fantasy books. Legends. Myths. There has never been evidence of dragons existing. Not even when dinosaurs roamed the earth." She reached out to touch her sister. "Joie? Are you certain of this? Certain of this man? He flies through the air. He changes into a wolf. He can talk to you telepathicaly. He takes your blood like a vampire would." There was pleading in her voice.
    Traian puled Joie closer to him. He was wel aware of Gabriele's influence on Joie. He could easily read his lifemate's mind, just as he could pick up the thoughts of her siblings. Joie loved her brother and sister and would wilingly sacrifice her own happiness for them if need be.
    Joie felt the possession in Traian's touch, felt the brush of his mind in hers. She smiled up at him in reassurance. At the same time, she reached for Gabriele's hand. "The one thing that matters is family. And more than anything, we want each other to be happy," she explained to Traian. "I know what I'm