Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
She was silent, studying his expression while he switched to her left arm, gently massaging to warm her up. Her lashes were incredibly long. He was very glad he’d wrapped her in a blanket because just touching her silky skin and inhaling her scent was wreaking havoc on his discipline.
“Are you going against your tradition by sharing this information with me rather than just forcing your will on me?”
“Lifemates do not lie to one another. Not ever. If you ask me a question, Safia, be certain you want to know the answer. I do not wish for you to fear me.”
She again was silent, studying his expression. He knew she wouldn’t be able to read much there. He didn’t telegraph emotion because he didn’t feel emotion—unless it concerned her, and he was just beginning to sort through those confused feelings, so he’d shoved them down and just allowed the physical to rise to the surface. If he was honest with himself, he had no choice in that matter. Looking at her brought his body to life. Touching her turned him into pure hunger, a roaring fire of need.
“I think it best if you explain things to me, since no one else has.”
He would give her the short version, be as matter of fact and casual as he could. “Carpathian women grow up knowing they hold the other half of a man’s soul. They know that one day that man will find them, and the two will unite. The binding words are imprinted on the man before he is born. It is our marriage ritual. Once said to his woman, they cannot be taken back. Those words weave the two halves of the soul back together, and she becomes his wedded wife. Blood, in our world, is life. Between the man and woman, the exchange is . . . erotic. She gives him blood should he need it if he is wounded. He gives it to her for the same reason, or if she needs to be fed and cannot find food for herself.”
Her green gaze hadn’t left his for a moment. Twice, her long lashes had swept down and then back up while he gave her that explanation. Each time, his stomach muscles had clenched, and his cock had jerked hard in reaction. She couldn’t fail to notice, not with her rounded bottom sitting on his lap. It mattered little that the blanket separated them. She didn’t pull away, but faint color had slipped under her skin.
Safia moistened her lips. “I’m not Carpathian.”
He switched his hold from her arm to the nape of her neck, massaging with his long fingers. “No, you aren’t. There are times when a special woman outside the Carpathian species is born with the other half of a Carpathian male’s soul, as you were. When that happens, he must find her and bind her to him. I have searched for you for two thousand years. There are stains on my soul that even you cannot remove. I kept to the code of honor. I etched it into my skin so I would never betray you. I stayed alive and continued far past the time I should have left this world but knew I had to find you.”
One arm slipped out from under the blanket, and she traced his jaw with the pads of her fingers. It felt as though a butterfly skimmed along the golden shadow that never quite left his skin, even when he commanded a clean shave.
“Tell me about why, when I am not Carpathian, I must share blood.”
She wasn’t objecting. He was in her mind, and she was struggling to understand. She had accepted that she was his lifemate. The biggest part of her feared him, but she was willing to learn his ways. She hoped for the best between them. She was attracted to him, and that was a big part of the battle. She wanted time to get to know him. Petru wanted that for her, but it was the one thing they didn’t have.
“It is one of the most important rituals we have.” He shook his head. “It isn’t just a ritual. As I said, should I be wounded while battling a vampire, for you to save my life, you would have to be able to feed me. I require blood to survive. At times, it would be a great deal of blood. You would have to be able to take blood from someone else to provide for me.”
He stayed in her mind, prepared for her to be horrified and repulsed. She was not. She absorbed what he told her quickly, the way she did all information. It made sense to her.
“It will take a little time to get over my inhibitions, but I can see, especially now, when we are surely going to war, that I should be able to provide you with whatever you should need.”