Carpathian 17 - Dark Celebration

suggested. "She told Dayan she cooked quite a bit before he claimed her."
    "There is nothing squishy about that roast," Julian protested. "It has turned to leather."

    Desari made a face at him and then down at the roast. "Disgusting stuff. I think I will ask Corrine to help me make something else."
    Barack held out his hands. "Throw it, Desari, we may as well finish our football game."
    Mikhail shook his head. "I wanted to let you all know that Alexandria and young Skyler ran into trouble a few minutes ago. We all need to be on alert and give added protection to our women and children."
    "Syndil was at the house, thinking she might prepare something for the party. I think I will check on her. If I reach out, she will simply say she is fine." Barack sketched a small salute and immediately took to the sky.
    The smile faded from Julian's face. He stepped closer to Desari. "What kind of trouble?
    Aidan did not send word that Alexandria was hurt."
    "She is fine now, but both she and Skyler felt the presence of a subtle flow of power, enhancing emotions to the point of irrationality. Even Gabriel was affected, losing his temper with Dimitri."
    "I knew Dimitri had arrived," Julian said. "I can feel the darkness in him growing by the hour. He is unstable and we have to find a way to keep him safe. Gregori gave me a task to keep me going when I thought to give up my existence, and perhaps if one was given to Dimitri…"Julian sighed. "He is alone, killing more often than a hunter should have to, and that is slowly destroying him."
    "Skyler is his lifemate," Mikhail stated.
    Desari gasped. "Oh, dear, she's just a babe. Is he certain?"
    "She restored colors and emotions."
    "That cannot be good," Julian said. "At best emotions can be difficult to deal with, and in this situation when she was so brutalized, he must be going through hell. I should go to him," he added, "see what I can do. Desari has amazing power with her voice. It might help him get through this."
    "He cannot bind her to him," Desari protested, her hand to her throat. "She is much, much too young and from what Francesca said, far too fragile. It takes both Gabriel and Francesca to distance her enough from her past to allow her to function normally. Do you know that she has no childhood memories in her mind they can bring out to aid her? It must be so difficult for Dimitri to suddenly feel all these things. For a time, he will be raw and wounded with her old scars."
    "It is a very dangerous situation," Mikhail agreed. "If Dimitri stays near her, he will continue to fight his need to claim her. If he chooses to return to Russia, the danger to both increases." He rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling old. The weight of his responsibilities was wearing on him far more these dark days.
    In the midst of the Christmas season, when he should have been feeling joy and hope, he felt tired and the beginnings of despair. How could he save them? Two or three children were not enough. Even if Shea gave birth to a female and the baby survived, it would be years before a male would be saved. Too long to wait in darkness. Too many males. One or two lifemates were not going to keep their species from extinction, especially as their enemies were banding together and becoming bolder and bolder in their attacks.
    "We had the advantages for so long," he murmured aloud. "We could scan and know the thoughts of our enemies, but now they've found a way to block us. We could smell the evil stench of the vampire, sense the presence of such an abomination, yet now we can no longer trust our own senses to guide us." He spread his arms out wide. "Before, they would never have come here after us, fearing our power, yet now they chip away at us on nearly a daily basis. Our enemies outnumber us and as we grow weaker—they grow stronger."
    Desari glanced at Julian. His amber eyes seemed to glow as he stepped forward to put his hand on the prince's shoulder. He looked very much a warrior, and she couldn't help that small rush of pride in him.
    "We grow stronger too, Mikhail. Under your leadership, we have come together when before we were scattered and apart. You have worked tirelessly to get the word to any of our ancients, to continue to look for any lost as Desari and the others had been."
    "The women are reluctant to become pregnant and give birth," Mikhail pointed out, shaking his head. "Without children, Julian, no matter our longevity, our species will not survive."
    Desari smiled at him.