Dark Curse Page 0,117

and tortured under his rule," Nicolas added.

Immediately, at the suggestion, heated discussions broke out. Mikhail said nothing, simply let the men discuss the possibility of asking aid of other communities-ones they had protected but had been careful not to reveal themselves to.

Mikhail sat quietly, his senses flaring out to bridge with the power emanating from the forest of crystals. Each geode hummed a slightly different note and as he listened, turning his mind to the notes, he heard the quiet voices of the ancient warriors who had gone before. Each told of the old days when all the species existed in harmony. The reclusive lycanthrope, as powerful as the Carpathians in their own way, but running on a short fuse, the males every bit as protective of their females as the Carpathians, which made for a volatile situation when so many Carpathian males were unable to find lifemates among their own kind. Would an emissary be welcome if they were found? Or would he be killed to protect the lycanthrope society as a whole? Whoever he sent would be at risk.

Leadership wasn't about knowing the right thing to do, it was about making decisions and being willing to accept the responsibility that came with inevitable mistakes. If he allowed his men to reach out to the various species, he could put his people at terrible risk. Over the years the vampire myths had grown and become legends. Few would distinguish between a Carpathian and vampire. Jaguars had turned on their women.

Mikhail rubbed his eyes wearily. Their world seemed too long at war. He had so many problems trying to keep his dying species alive, yet at that moment, surrounded by his fellow warriors, his mind continually tried to reach for his lifemate and check on his child.

When the discussion looked as if it might go from heated to outright mayhem, he broke in. "Mage and Jaguar have mixed with humans and I would guess lycanthrope have done so as well over the last few centuries. Many of the shifters have diluted their blood. They carry the gene, but they no longer can shift.

Shea had a human mother and a Carpathian father. We do not know whether Razvan deliberately impregnated human women or whether he was forced to do so, but we know the children carry Carpathian blood. Our species is not so far removed from any other. We have to have allies and we need to actively find them."

Mikhail's voice was quiet, but carried the weight of his absolute authority. "We cannot abandon other species to fight the vampire alone. We need to change with the times and become more open to friendship and alliances."

"The more we let into our circle, the more difficult it will be to protect our women and children," Gregori pointed out. "We are surrounded by enemies and we do not know friend from foe at this point."

"Then all of us need to be trained in destroying vampires," Jaxon proposed. "It should be mandatory, so no matter where we are, we have a chance to get out alive."

"We train the male children from the time they are born now," Mikhail said quietly. "I am already passing my knowledge to my son who is in Raven's womb."

"What about your granddaughters, Mikhail?" Jaxon asked. "Is anyone teaching them?"

Gregori scowled, his silver eyes glittering with something close to a warning. "My daughters and my lifemate will never be allowed into a dangerous situation."

Destiny's eyebrow shot up. "You can't possibly know that. You can't. No one, not even you have that kind of control throughout a lifetime, especially a lifetime as long as we have. Absolutely all women and even our children should be trained in how to destroy a vampire," Destiny said. "It only makes sense."

Jaxon nodded her head. "Why should you only train the male children? Even if a woman never has to use her knowledge, she should have it. You never know when she may be attacked and males are not always by our sides."

"Why not?" Nicolas demanded. "Your lifemate and every other male whether he is attached or unattached should be with one of our women when they go anywhere. Each and every one of you, and especially our children, should have bodyguards. Ivory died because she left the safety of her family. We lost Rhiannon for the same reason. The moment Xavier closed his school to males and took only our females, we should have refused to allow them to attend."

There was a murmur of