Carpathian 21 - Dark Peril

healers to see if they can save you.”

    Dominic wanted to smile at the demand in Zacarias’s voice. Perhaps the man was right in saying he had too long been a dominant predator. There was no going backward. Their experiences shaped who and what they were and what they became. Zacarias did not belong with a modern woman. A lifemate was dedicated to making his or her other half happy. He knew only his way.

    Sorrow for the man and his many lifetimes of service pressed hard on Dominic. Zacarias, as if reading Dominic’s thoughts, shrugged.

    “There is no need to feel emotion for me, Dominic, as I cannot feel for myself. I am here first to retrieve a wayward family member, and second, to uncover just where the Malinovs are. Word came to me that you might need aid in your plan. My taking your place makes sense if it is indeed possible.”

    Dominic frowned. “Wayward family member?” He couldn’t imagine any member of Zacarias’s family not submitting to his rule.

    Zacarias inclined his head. “Solange Sangria. She is jaguar. Her cousin Juliette is lifemate to Riordan, and Juliette’s sister, Jasmine, is under the care and protection of our family. Solange is a problem, a little cat running wild. I have to admit—reluctantly—that she has my respect as a warrior, but she will be killed if she continues along the path she has chosen. Both of her cousins grieve for her and fear, as they should, for her life.”

    Dominic felt his heart twist. Solange Sangria. The name was beautiful. The sound resonated in his soul.
    She was his. Not Zacarias’s, not his family’s; she belonged solely to Dominic. Solange Sangria was the only person—the only thing—in the entire world he wanted for himself. He held the name to him, knowing with absolute certainty that Solange was the name of his lifemate. It rang true, the heart of a warrior, her femininity hidden from the world, but there for him alone.

    “She is mine.”

    Zacarias’s eyes flickered. “I should have known it would be Solange. The woman is as cunning and as wild as the cats in the rain forest. For all that, Dominic, she is a woman worth the world and a worthy match for a warrior such as yourself. She has seen far too much horror and slaughter. She lives only for battle. I fear she will not retreat from this fight. She will need care, Dominic. All the more reason for me to take your place.”

    “It was my decision to ingest the blood and make my way into the enemy camp,” Dominic replied. “This is my battle, Zacarias. It was my choice and I have no honorable option but to see this burden through to the end.”

    “Your lifemate may feel differently.”

    “If she is my true lifemate, she will understand that I can do no other than continue on this course. I would not expect another, no matter how generous the offer, to take my place. It would be a disservice both to him and to his lifemate. You cannot fail your own woman, Zacarias, by giving her up too soon.”

    A faint smile touched Zacarias’s mouth, but it failed to soften his rugged features or reach the cool steel of his eyes. “I failed her a long time ago, my friend. I cannot change. I cannot be what this century dictates is proper, nor do I want to. I cannot demand a woman live within my rules.” He shrugged. “I came to terms with this long ago.”

    “Perhaps she would choose to do so, given her free will.”

    “My point. What free will would she have with me? You and I both know she would have none.”

    “You cannot know until it happens,” Dominic said. “The world changes. You feel nothing now, but should a woman restore your emotions . . .”

    “I would hold her too tightly. I am too old, Dominic, too set in my ways. My demands would be absolute.”

    “Then your lifemate would have to be an extraordinary woman who will find her way in dealing with you,”
    Dominic predicted. “Do not be so eager to throw away hope just yet. Lifemates are destined, Zacarias. We do not just find them anywhere. There is only one to complete us, and while I do not believe it is always easy, I do believe the binding can only take place with the one who is the other half of our soul.”

    Zacarias shrugged, unconvinced. Without further preamble, he ripped his wrist with his teeth and held out the offering to Dominic. “You will need strong blood to do this thing, my brother. Take what I freely offer.
    I will come at your call and sustain you throughout this trial.”

    Dominic raised