Carpathian 17 - Dark Celebration

her cheek, then sauntered out of the room, calling for Josef and Ginny.
    "You can't protect him forever," Rafael said gently. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin.
    "You say that, but you try to protect me—and Ginny. I just don't want him hurt anymore.
    I see it in his eyes sometimes. He wouldn't let you or Nicolas take his memories, and he remembers how the vampire took him over and used him to try to kill me. I know he still has nightmares about it. I just want him to be happy, Rafael. He's such a great kid."
    He tipped her face up to his. "He is a great kid and he's going to be fine. We'll look after him together."
    Her gaze slid away from his. "I couldn't bear to tell him the truth about me, about Razvan. I thought this would be such a good idea, coming here, meeting everyone, but now, I'm not so sure. Someone is bound to tell him who my birth father was."
    "Do you think your brother would care about that?" Rafael scowled at her. "Paul loves you for who you are, not who your father was."
    "You don't understand. He's asking about his past for a reason, and once he starts delving into it, he'll find out about me. I couldn't take it if he rejected me too. And how could I ever blame him? He's had so much to contend with because of me. If Mom hadn't had me, Paul and Ginny would have been accepted by the Chevez family and raised on the ranch in South America. He would never have been exposed to a vampire. Now he knows about the jaguar blood and once he finds out it isn't always so cool, he won't be happy about that either. And someone is going to tell him about Razvan." She shuddered, looked around and lowered her voice when she said the name. "I can hardly face any of these people, let alone have Paul and Ginny find out that such a terrible man is my father."
    Rafael's hand came up to burrow his fingers in her hair. "You are his victim just as his sister was. Do not be ashamed of who your father was. You bear the mark of the Dragonseeker, and that is an unbelievable boon. The Dragonseeker clan is one of the most revered of all Carpathian lineages and it is your line. I hope that each of our children bears that mark. You should be proud of it, not ashamed."
    "My father came from the same lineage and he tried to assassinate the prince,"' she pointed out. "He betrayed Natalya, his twin sister. He has children—like me—scattered across the world, and he intended to use us like blood banks. I have family I've never met, all victims of this man. His blood runs in my veins. Do you really think I want Paul—or anyone else—to know I'm related to him?"
    Rafael gathered her closer to him. " I know you're related to him. Carpathian males perhaps have more understanding than most for those who become wholly evil. It is a path we all go down, and some touch a little closer than others. Before you came into my life, Colby, I could not always tell the difference between good and evil."
    "Razvan nearly killed the prince," she repeated. "He took blood from little girls. It was why he got my mother pregnant in the first place—in order to use my blood to sustain his life."
    Rafael could hear the horror in her voice. Colby still had trouble accepting the evil in their world, and he loved her all the more for her innocence. He took her hand and tugged, pulling her from the openness of the kitchen to the stairs leading to the privacy of their chamber belowground.
    "We can't leave the children," Colby protested.
    "You're always so responsible. I've directed Paul to be a good host. You need a few minutes without all the noise."
    "I need our ranch. Wouldn't you love to go horseback riding in all this snow?"
    "Is that what you'd like to do?"
    She shook her head. "We don't have time. The dinner is in just a little while. And we're supposed to be entertaining the kids."
    He reversed direction. "If you want to go riding…"
    "It's snowing, silly." There was a wealth of love in her voice. Rafael, for all his domineering ways, always tried to give her whatever would make her happy. "And horses don't see that well at night."

    He laughed softly and leaned down to place his lips against her ear. "I am Carpathian, pequeña , and I can provide whatever you want. Come with me."
    Colby went because she could never resist Rafael or the way his black eyes burned with such hunger for her. As she stepped outside, he wrapped her in a fur-lined full-length hooded coat and boots. Just outside the walkway, standing