Everything in Fen rebelled against the idea that his species was doomed and another would rise in their place-and certainly not the Sange rau.
"Then there is the question of children. For the first time in a long while we have had multiple children who survived their first year," Mikhail continued. "We have no idea if the Sange rau can have children. Manolito and MaryAnn are the only pair we know of and MaryAnn has not become pregnant. That, of course doesn't mean anything, but it could be worrisome. What would this change in the blood do to a child? Do we want to take chances when we're just now rebuilding our population?"
Fen hadn't considered that particular point. He glanced at his brother. Dimitri was not fully Sange rau, but he was well on his way. Had he condemned Dimitri and his lifemate to a life without children because centuries ago he hadn't known what caused mixed blood and they'd shared blood in the battlefield? When he'd healed his brother himself, he had given Dimitri his own blood. Fen knew the blood would aid Dimitri in healing faster if they could keep him alive, and he'd made that choice for Dimitri.
I would much rather live and know Skyler will live as well, even if we cannot have children. She deserves a life of happiness and I intend to make her life as wonderful as possible. So thank you for saving our lives.
Fen felt humble in the face of his brother's adamant revelation, mostly because he and Dimitri had been in and out of each other's minds for centuries and he could feel the honesty in Dimitri's statement.
"Throughout the centuries," Fen said, "I have lived on and off with the Lycans. During that time, I have come across only two other Sange rau. The first I hunted with Vakasin and the second was Abel. I, of course, didn't know that at the time. Abel turned Bardolf for whatever reasons. But I never once met a pair, not in any country I traveled in. At one time I speculated that perhaps a woman couldn't have mixed blood. Tatijana told me about Manolito De La Cruz and his lifemate. I was worried they wouldn't know the danger they were in from the Lycans."
"So to your knowledge, worldwide, only you, MaryAnn and Manolito are Sange rau who have not succumbed to darkness. Bardolf and Abel are the only ones you know of alive, who have," Mikhail reiterated.
Fen nodded. "That doesn't, of course, mean there aren't others. Worldwide, I can't imagine there wouldn't be others."
"Lycans have avoided Carpathians for centuries," Mikhail pointed out.
"Their council has discouraged interaction between the two species, probably for this reason. There was never any animosity that I heard," Fen replied.
"That would explain the small numbers," Gregori said. "MaryAnn was Lycan already. Do we know what happens when a Carpathian woman changes?"
Tatijana shrugged. "I'll let you know when it happens. It's my choice to be what he is. I doubt that Lycan blood can overpower Dragonseeker to the point that I would be in any danger."
"We hope not," Gregori said, his voice dry. "If something happens to you, what guarantee would we have that Fen would follow you?"
Dimitri scowled at him. "There is never a guarantee for any of us. You included, Gregori, should something happen to Savannah. All Carpathian males are at risk without a lifemate."
"True, but we are not the Sange rau. Our hunters will find us and destroy us before we can inflict too much damage on the other species around us. Can you imagine an army of Sange rau? Your brother told us a single one decimated the ranks of the Lycans. We are few. They could wipe us out entirely very fast," Gregori said.
"There is truth in what he says," Fen agreed. You do not need to stick up for me, Dimitri, although I greatly appreciate it. I knew when I went to Mikhail the enormity of the problem I was bringing to him. The Sange rau are as much a danger to Carpathians as they are to Lycans and humans. We don't have any answers to the questions he's raising. I've had centuries to consider these problems and I still haven't come up with solutions.
We are not Lycan, Dimitri hissed in his mind. I refuse to believe that Mikhail will outlaw the Sange rau without discrimination and sentence you and anyone else who becomes such a mixture to death.
Fen had lived with the Lycans a long time. Do you believe we're more civilized then? He couldn't help the note of amusement in his voice. The Lycans were well entrenched in every high society and public office in nearly every country. They served in the military, and most were highly educated. While the Carpathians had withdrawn from the world of humans for the most part and become silent guardians, the Lycans had done just the opposite-they embraced that world and protected humans just as aggressively.
Dimitri, the rogue pack isn't indicative of Lycans. They've reverted to the animal just as vampires embrace the darker side of Carpathians. Zev and the elite hunters represent the Lycans far better. Don't be fooled into thinking we're superior to them.
"I don't believe we have to worry about Fen turning vampire," Mikhail stated in his usual soothing, calm voice. "We need to come to some decision on what we're going to do. Clearly we need to meet with the Lycan council. We've discussed it at length for several years. We need them as allies, not enemies. This is our best opportunity to invite them to a sit-down meeting and come to some kind of terms."
"Zev is your best man for that," Fen advised. "The elite scout sent ahead of the pack is normally the most intelligent and their best man. He'll report directly to the council and they'll listen to him. His word carries the most weight."
Mikhail inclined his head. "He was severely wounded and had lost a good amount of blood. To ensure he lived, Jacques gave him blood."
Fen closed his eyes, suddenly feeling weary. Tatijana had given Zev blood as well. In his travels and many battles, had Zev received blood from any other Carpathian? It was possible-and dangerous. Fen knew no matter how honorably Zev served his people, should he become the Sange rau, they would turn on him and condemn him to death without a second thought.
"I have no idea how much blood has to be shared before the mixture converts one into something else," Fen admitted. "When Vakasin and I battled the Sange rau, both of us had countless wounds and both of us lost blood often. I don't know how often we'd given one another blood before I began to feel the wolf inside of me, but I felt it long before he felt the Carpathian traits, or maybe he simply didn't recognize that he was any different."
"You're afraid Zev may be in trouble," Mikhail guessed.
Fen nodded. "He's a good man. His ability in a fight is unsurpassed by most hunters. He reminds me of Vakasin. I would hate to see him killed by his own people after the service he's given them."
"That makes it all the more important to talk with their council," Mikhail said. "If they understand the difference between a vampire and Carpathian, we can convince them to look at the Sange rau in another light. We might distinguish the two by providing our own name for a Carpathian/Lycan cross."
Fen sighed. "I wish you every success, but I can tell you the Lycans will fight you on the issue of the Sange rau. Not only do they have legitimate reasons to fear the mixture of Carpathian and Lycan blood, but you're fighting centuries-old prejudices. There are fanatics who belong to a secret society that's not very secret and they dedicate their lives to ferreting out the Sange rau and destroying them. They draw in every misfit there is and brainwash them. The Sange rau gives them a target for their fanatical hatred. Not of course that they ever actually find one, but every sin is blamed on them."
"Surely cooler heads prevail on the council," Mikhail said.
Fen shrugged. "I would hope so, but I've seen some of these fanatics. They've become a religion and they preach to the packs and they're very persuasive. You have to remember, this has been going on for centuries, so the prejudice is well established." He tried to find another way to explain it. "This belief of the Sange rau is at the very heart of their traditions. He represents everything evil. He is their demon, the epitome of every sinful thing."