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)
Safia clenched his wrist in excitement, but she studied the image of the little owl from every possible angle. She was meticulous, taking her time, going over and over the tiny raptor to make certain she didn’t miss anything about its appearance.
Petru had spent time studying Safia’s approach to learning the necessary skills for fighting demons. She had been training since she was very young, almost before she could walk. She never missed a single day and would practice for hours. Her family used games at first, as did Aura, but Safia took it further after the training session ended. She would go over the instructions in her mind, just as she was doing now with her approach to learning how to open the soil above her head. She’d been a child practicing skills, but even then, she had been using the method of mental repetition to sink the lessons deep into her brain.
While she worked on the farm, no matter what task she was doing, a part of her brain continued to go over the skill she had been learning. Step by step, she processed the way to use new and unfamiliar weapons. When she was introduced to hand-to-hand fighting, she did the same thing, going over each move in her head until her body knew the action without her thinking about it.
“Little owls are most active during early morning hours and at dusk,” he continued. “They like higher perches so they can swoop down on their prey, and they are carnivores. Keep in mind, you may have no choice at times to emulate that behavior and eat earthworms or bring a mouse to a nest.”
“Ugh.” She wrinkled her nose, but her dimple was very much in evidence, her sense of humor overcoming her distaste. “If I ever have to carry around a mouse in my beak or eat an earthworm, I’ll have disgusting tales to tell Charif and Igider. They’ll love them.”
Petru’s heart contracted. She thought in human terms. Naturally, she would want to share amusing tales with her nephews. She was used to telling funny stories. He had looked into the memories of her family members, and with all of them, their favorite times were gathering together and sharing stories.
Safia didn’t yet understand that Carpathians were secretive. They didn’t allow humans to know of them. Although Aura was considered a part of their family, she hadn’t told all of them the circumstances of her birth. Only the grandparents were aware of who she was. She was allowed into their home and presented as a playmate for their children. She grew as they grew. That cycle was repeated time after time.
Aura had taught the ancient language to Safia because Safia was Petru’s true lifemate. She’d given her more facts on the Carpathian people only because she recognized that Safia guarded the soul of one of their own.
Safia suddenly leaned into him and rubbed at his lips. Her touch, no matter how light, always seemed to burn through his skin straight to his heart. Her eyes met his in a blaze of brilliant green. “You always have that very stoic look, Petru. You look intimidating and dangerous. Definitely the legendary warrior that led the way to victory against the underworld. But inside, I can feel your worry for me. It isn’t for yourself. You never seem concerned for yourself; it’s always about me. I know your fear doesn’t have anything to do with my ability to learn to shift. I can see you have absolute faith in me. It’s something else.”
“At times, I wish I could have grown old with you in the human way. It is a gift I would have wanted to give you, Safia.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss into the center of her palm. “You deserve more than this short time we have, cramming lessons that should be leisurely and fun into minutes because a war is coming. You should be spending months getting to know me. I should be doing the same with your family.”
“I have no complaints, Petru. I’m excited to learn shifting. I might be a little bit frightened, but anything new can be intimidating. Opening the soil is exciting; being buried in it is terrifying. I know I can get used to it, because I already am adjusting to the idea in my mind.”
“Our people have so many secrets, Safia. We have them for many reasons, but most of all because we wouldn’t be accepted if humans knew of us. They declare war on one another over differences in beliefs. You can imagine what they would do if they knew of us. They believe us to be myths. We prefer it that way. It must remain that way.”
He willed her to understand what he was saying without him having to spell it out for her. She was very intelligent, and her mind worked fast, but this was really about her family, and she might not want to comprehend the enormity of what he was telling her.