Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

time, a few steps between them, giving plenty of room. This was a fighting team. Even Nicolas, for all his absolute opinions on the subject of women hunting vampires, could see they were in perfect sync. It still didn\'t make it right.
    He took the letter from inside his shirt and handed it to Nicolae as a courtesy. One warrior to another. Nicolae turned the envelope over in his hand, obviously scanning it before handing it to his life mate.
    \"Thank you,\" Destiny said to Nicolas. \"I appreciate you bringing this to me personally.\"
    At first he thought she meant to be sarcastic because he had handed the letter to her life mate, but then he realized the couple really was in perfect harmony. She didn\'t seem annoyed by his protection, but rather accepted it as her due.
    Another Carpathian male arrived. The first was Dominic, of the Dragonseeker clan, great-uncle of Razvan and great-great-uncle to Lara, although Carpathians rarely made a distinction. As Lara referred to the aunts she, would refer to Dominic as \"uncle.\"
    Nicolas studied his stern face. The Dragonseekers were one of the most powerful lineages in all of the Carpathian community. He was tall with broad shoulders and metallic green eyes, a legacy of his clan, eyes of seers, changing color with mood or in battle. In the last battle to save Mikhail and the Carpathian race, he had suffered severe burns across his shoulder, down one arm, up his neck to one side of his face. The scars were Page 49

    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    there if one looked closely, faint evidence of the horrific charring of his flesh. Strangely, the scars added to his aura of danger. His green gaze took in everything, then settled on Natalya for a brief moment.
    Dominic strode over to Mikhail. Gregori moved to intercept, reminding Nicolas that Dominic was one of the ancients who had not sworn his allegiance to Mikhail. He had served Vlad in the old days, but had only returned recently. He had fought beside the prince, even offering his life to save him, but there had been no sworn blood oath. Jacques moved into position on the other side of his brother to insure protection. Nicolas found himself moving into fighting range just in case. No one could afford to take chances with the prince\'s life anymore than they could with their women.
    Dominic bowed slightly. \"Én jutta félet és ekämet. I greet a friend and brother,\" he said as he clasped Mikhail\'s forearms.
    \"Veri olen piros. Blood be red, Dominic,\" Mikhail returned formally, the greeting literal, meaning he hoped Dominic would soon see in color.
    Dominic\'s shoulder shrug was eloquent. He had not found his life mate in all the centuries of his existence and he wasn\'t holding his breath.
    Julian Savage, a tall, heavily muscled, unusually blond Carpathian with golden eyes strode in with Barack, another male at his side. \"I bring regrets from my brother, Aidan,\" Julian greeted. \"He and Alexandria have returned to the United States. He would have come had he been within hailing distance. Dayan is on the way.
    He is checking the skies for the taint of the undead.\"
    Falcon came next, with two tall, unknown Carpathians at his side. One looked familiar, an ancient Nicolas was certain he had come into contact with other the years, and the other completely unknown to him. He had spent a great deal of his time in South America, away from his homeland and out of touch with the Carpathian people. Excitement surged in him at the thought of being among the great men of his time, once again standing solidly shoulder to shoulder as they had in the old days.
    Dayan, guitar player for the Dark Troubadours and father of one of the few female children, arrived with Traian and his life mate, Joie. Nicolas crossed his arms over his chest, biting back his disapproval. He saw some of the others glance at the women and shake their heads. He wasn\'t alone in his belief that the life mates of the women should take charge and insist on safety before anything else.
    Others arrived, some in pairs, some alone. Nicolas recognized a few of the men, but most were strangers to him. The Carpathian Mountains were no longer his home, although his homeland spoke to him, the soil rich and inviting. And he had missed this sacred place and the call of brothers to council.
    The last to arrive was a tall man with a face that could have been carved in stone. He entered quietly and stood a little apart from the others. Nicolas recognized the signs of