She could have bitten her tongue. She had the worst sense of humor, and she really didn't want to hurt his feelings, but talking to a man lying in the earth beneath her feet was kind of ... humorous. She sank down and began sliding on her boots. As she was hunched down tightening the laces on her left boot, she felt just the brush of his lips against the back of her neck.
I see. Well, if that is the case, you could join me here if you like, it would not be too difficult. I am sure you would find it very interesting.
Riley froze for a moment, her hands stilling on the laces of her boot. The idea of joining him ...
Male laughter vibrated from the floor. Waves of warmth radiated upward, and she started laughing, too. Carpathians definitely knew all about teasing. That realization eased her fears that her Dax could possibly become vampire. Evil creatures taunted, but they didn't tease. Teasing was gentle, friendly. There was a difference. Somehow, she got the feeling that he wanted to touch her, even if he couldn't physically be there right then. And somehow he had. Tingles coiled inside her and her shoulders relaxed.
You called me your Dax.
She stiffened. She had called him her Dax. She thought of him that way and she had no idea why.
Yes, you know why.
That voice could melt a glacier. If she didn't quit she'd be tripping over her own tongue. "I am leaving. You"-she pointed to the ground-"stay there." See? She could be funny, too. Laughing at her own joke, she exited the tent.
Gary followed her out, and as they left the sound of Dax's laughter faded, leaving her with a small empty feeling that she quickly tried to push aside. Riley stopped Gary with a hand on his arm. "How do we keep him from becoming a vampire?"
Gary looked at her for a long time, obviously choosing his words carefully. "The Carpathians are born with a soul that must find its other half. The light to their darkness. Only that soul can restore colors and emotions and prevent a Carpathian male too long in the world without those things from turning. Without that one woman who is the other half of his soul, he will choose between giving up his soul and becoming the very thing he hunts, or he must seek the dawn and suicide. He must find his lifemate."
At the word her heart clenched. She pressed her hand over her heart, suddenly barely able to breathe, her mind racing. "Gary, what's the Carpathian word for lifemate?"
Gary looked her straight in the eye. "Palafertiilam."
Riley slowly nodded her head, trying hard not to notice that her blood surged hotly at the word, or that her mind continually reached for Dax. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. "I understand."
"Do you?" Gary asked.
She shrugged. "Not really, but I'm certain I'll figure it out."
Outside the tent, ash blanketed everything. It was still falling through the canopy of trees, turning everything a snowy gray. Riley looked around, easily spotting Jubal and Ben along with some natives gathered around a central fire pit. The camp was surprisingly large. As she walked toward Jubal and Ben, another group of men came in from a trail off to her right.
She spied Alejandro, one of their guides, along with Miguel, Hector, Don, and Mack Shelton. They were obviously one of the returning search parties, but since there was no sign of Marty or Pedro among their numbers, it seemed clear their search hadn't been successful.
Jubal approached. "Hey, Riley. Good to see you up and about. You feeling okay?"
"I'm good, thanks." She turned to watch the returning search party. "Gary told me Marty and Pedro went missing."
"Yeah. Looks like they still are. Can't say if that's good news or bad."
"Vampires like to play with their victims," Gary explained in a quiet voice. "Turning people into walking puppets isn't uncommon. If Mitro is the reason those two are missing, whoever finds them will probably get a very unpleasant surprise."
Riley spun around in shock. "Did you tell them that?" She nodded her head in the search party's direction, lowering her voice so they wouldn't hear.
Gary and Jubal's silence was all the answer she needed.
"Why wouldn't you tell them? If you're sending out a search party and putting them in harm's way, shouldn't they know what they're dealing with?" She scrubbed her hand over her face. "Gary, Jubal, how fair is that?"
For the second time since waking, she felt the sensation of a warm hand touching her back, calming her and drawing the focus of her anger away from Jubal and Gary. She turned to glance behind her, but no one was there.
"We considered it highly unlikely they'd find Marty or Pedro," Gary said. "Before Dax went to sleep, he ran a preliminary search in a five-mile radius around the camp, and found nothing."
"Riley, you have to understand," Jubal added when she continued to shake her head. "Gary and I swore an oath, to keep the Carpathians' secrets at all cost and by doing so keep their race safe. We didn't make that vow lightly, and we don't keep it lightly. There are men, women and children ..." He paused for a fraction. "And babies counting on us." He watched the returning members of the search party as they separated and sought out their own tents, and his expression turned resolute. "We will not fail them. We can't share even a hint of what we know with others. Too many lives depend on our silence-not to mention, do you really think the likes of Don Weston would believe us?"
"Gary, how long have you known about the Carpathians?" Riley asked.
"For some time now," he admitted. "Several years."
"And in that time you've never told anyone else about them? Ever?" Her question made the two men go still, as if she had touched something sacred.