Carpathian 17 - Dark Celebration

as if you were their daughter." He inhaled deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs. "You carry their blood so through love, blood and in every other way, you are their daughter."
    "They've offered to convert me when I'm twenty-one and I'm considering it, but I want assurances that you won't try to force me to be with a man—any man."
    "No one would force you to do anything," Raven said. "Gabriel is a powerful man. Don't you think he would protect you?"
    "Absolutely he would protect me. I don't want Gabriel or Francesca to have to protect me. If I go through the conversion, I do not want someone trying to claim me."
    "Are you not aware of the plight of our people? Of our males?" Mikhail demanded.
    Raven put a restraining hand on his arm. "Have a seat, Skyler. Can I get you something to eat or drink? We have juice in the fridge."

    Without breaking eye contact with Mikhail, the teenager sank into a chair with an almost regal nod. "Yes, thank you, juice would be nice."
    She is terrific, isn't she Mikhail? She's terrified but determined that she be heard . There was admiration—and warning in Raven's soft message to her lifemate. Raven poured a glass of orange juice and set it in front of Skyler.
    Mikhail's head went up suddenly and he stepped toward the window, his gaze restless as he searched the darkness. He felt the presence of wolves and owls as they hunted for prey, but nothing that would cause the uneasy feeling twisting at his gut. He glanced down at the defiant young teenager, gently probing her mind—and memories. He found Francesca and Gabriel's shields to help distance the girl from the brutality of her life before they had made her their ward, but even with that protection in place, the memories of the malicious cruelty and violence against Skyler sickened him.
    Mikhail glanced at Raven and saw the tears shimmering in her eyes as she shared Skyler's past—felt her pain and despair—the utter hopelessness of a child who could not escape from a depraved adult world. Raven hastily crossed to the oven to check on the turkey.
    "It smells good," Skyler said.
    "I used a wild rice stuffing," Raven said. "I remember it from my childhood. It took a bit of time tracking down the recipe, but it should be good, although it's been a long time since I cooked anything."
    "Francesca lets me cook whenever I want. She trusts me to make my own decisions."
    Skyler glanced at Mikhail.
    "Are you aware of what happens to a Carpathian male without his lifemate?" Mikhail asked, his voice compelling.
    Skyler nodded. "Gabriel and Francesca both explained it to me. They lose colors and emotions first. Over hundreds of years, honor can fade and they become dangerous, especially the hunters, any who take lives. And eventually they can become the vampire, the most evil of all creatures."
    "And you would leave your lifemate to this fate? You would be that cruel and inhumane?
    Should he suffer even more than he already has because you suffered?"
    "Mikhail!" Raven whirled around, shock on her face. She's a child. How could you?
    Giving our daughter to Gregori before she was beyond a fledging was bad enough, but this child has suffered. And we have no way of knowing whether or not she is lifemate to one of our males .
    She is experienced far beyond her human years, Raven. Allow her to answer.

    Skyler carefully placed the glass on the table and stood up, folding her arms as she faced Mikhail squarely. "No, of course not. I wouldn't want anyone to suffer, but I can't seem to overcome the things in my past." She held her trembling hands in front of her. "I don't feel comfortable in the presence of men. I'm not capable of being anyone's lifemate and I don't want to be forced into a position where I have no choice, no say in my life. I didn't come to this conclusion lightly. I love Gabriel and I certainly wouldn't want to think of him dead or suffering or a vampire, but I know I can't ever be powerless again. Male Carpathians are far too dominating, and I would find myself slipping back into that dark place where Francesca first found me."
    Mikhail frowned. "Do you believe our women are without power? Is that how you see Francesca?"
    Skyler shook her head. "Francesca is loved and returns love. She can do what I can't—
    and never will be able to do. Gabriel promised me—as did Lucian—that they will never let another force my compliance, but I know a Carpathian male has the ability to bind a Carpathian woman to him. I want to be fully