Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

Gregori.
    Gregori folded his arms across his chest. \"Look at your life mate in this moment. There is no threat to you, yet he is protective, ready to come at me if I say a word out of place to you. It is our nature, ingrained in us from before our birth, to protect our life mate. Words and circumstance cannot change that, nor would we want it to change. Do you think this is less so in battle? Before you, he had only strategy and his own life to think about, now he must divide his attention and watch out for you. Even with the knowledge he shares with you of battles, even with his vast experience for you to draw on, you cannot be nearly fast enough.\"
    \"Every warrior has to start somewhere,\" Destiny countered. \"You have young men practicing. We can do the same.\"
    \"Why would you want to?\" Nicolas demanded. \"Why would you want to face such a monster and risk your life when it is so precious to so many?\"
    \"I cannot stop,\" Destiny answered truthfully. \"Perhaps if Nicolae no longer hunted, I would be able to lay it down, but in truth, I am not certain I can.\"
    Page 150

    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    Jaxon shrugged. \"I\'ve spent my entire life hunting monsters. I don\'t know what else I\'d do.\"
    \"If you had a child?\" Mikhail\'s voice as always was low, but swept through the room.
    The crystals hummed low, the sound more melodic and soothing as if trying to bring the two women peace.
    André and another tall Carpathian once again made their way through the ranks of warriors. Nicolas recognized the lone warrior, Tariq Asenguard, beside André. Vlad had sent him out centuries before. Even then he had stayed to himself, losing his ability to see color and feel emotion quite quickly after losing his family. His mother had suffered the loss of several children and in the end his parents had chosen to follow their young ones into the next realm. Nicolas had never seen him smile after that. Vlad had sent him to the North American continent and it was rumored he lived wild for a long time, although now he looked very civilized and would have blended with any business community.
    Both Carpathian males bowed toward the women. Again it was André who spoke. \"If one of our women wishes to go into battle and her life mate allows such a thing...\" There was a hint of scorn in his voice. \"...
    obviously that is their decision, but knowing this is going on, when we have spent lifetimes battling the vampire and have more experience and are willing to sacrifice our lives so that even one woman will live and give us a female child, then we have no choice but to ban together and protect those female warriors. When you go into battle, look behind you, there will be a legion of warriors defending you.\"
    Jaxon frowned. \"Thank you very much, but no. I don\'t want anyone defending me. I have a partner. We work together. I don\'t want anyone putting his life on the line for me.\"
    \"If you choose battle and you believe that is your right,\" Tariq said, \"then our surviving males who look to you and all of our women for hope have the right to see to your protection when your life mate chooses not to do so.\"
    Immediately pandemonium broke out. Power surged in the room and the crystals vibrated with anger as the males with life mates turned on the warriors without.
    \"Enough!\" Mikhail\'s voice was a whiplash through the room. Instantly there was silence. \"What did you think our males would be feeling over this issue?\" he demanded of his males with life mates. \"Even among you, the opinions are divided. Most feel very strongly one way or the other about our women putting their lives in jeopardy. Our single males have a huge stake in this discussion and their voices carry as much weight as any other man here. They have sacrificed for centuries and it is their lives-their very souls at stake.\"
    Lucian nodded his head. \"That is so.\" It was the closest they were going to get to an apology. \"But no one will threaten or dictate to my life mate. What we do is our decision.\"
    \"Then you are willing to divide our people?\" Gregori asked. \"You are willing to go against a decision our prince makes?\" He threw the challenge in his brother\'s face, uncaring that Lucian was a legend in their community.
    Before Lucian could reply, Jaxon lifted her hands to his face. \"Tell me the absolute truth, Lucian. When I go with you on a hunt, is your attention divided as Gregori says? Are you more at risk?\" She refused to let him look away