Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 165649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 663(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 663(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
She took that as her cue to follow the healer into Lourdes first. It was Charlotte who led them, not Tariq. She wasn’t surprised. Had she been the child’s mother, she would have insisted she be there as well. Charlotte didn’t know her at all and had no reason to trust her.
The red streaks were so faint on the developing brain that they were actually more pink than red. It gave Elisabeta, Ferro and Gary the chance to study the faint layers and how they lay over the frontal lobe. The burn hadn’t settled into the brain itself yet, nor had it covered it. Elisabeta was able to simply blow the easiest of breezes to remove it. She did the same with Bella’s. It took no real effort, as both girls had the same faint streaking.
“Do you have any idea what is causing this?” Tariq asked Elisabeta directly, rocking Bella gently. It was clear he expected an answer.
Elisabeta’s stomach churned. She pushed her hand tight against the gathering knots and pressed closer to Ferro.
“The three of us were just discussing that,” Ferro said, coming to her rescue. “We don’t know. Send in Mary and Donald Walton. Andor found very few burns on them. Less so on Mary than Donald. We will lose the night if we don’t hurry, and Elisabeta will grow too tired. She still has Liv and Danny to heal after the Waltons.”
Charlotte rose. “Thank you, Elisabeta, we’re in your debt. I hope to get to know you better when you have had the time to adjust to being with your lifemate. I know that is important. And now the entire compound is counting on you. This must be so difficult for you. I just want to say how much we all appreciate you.”
11
Hand in hand we are strong;
Sing with me, it’s to you I belong.
Ferro called to Elisabeta with the rain first. Their song. The drops played through the rich soil, reaching to tease her body, to wake her gently. It had been a very long night and she had been so exhausted after tending to Liv, the older couple and lastly Danny, who had very violent burns, that even after Ferro had given her blood along with Andor and Dragomir, he had to carry her to the healing soil beneath their home and place her in it. She had been pale. Ethereal-looking. Entirely unaware of her surroundings.
Ferro vowed this rising was going to be very different for his lifemate. It was going to be about the two of them. He would give her as many wonderful experiences as possible without the continual interruptions from those living within the fortress Tariq and the others had formed. He needed time with his lifemate, just as Charlotte had suggested. It was important to form those close bonds outside the merging of their minds.
The one good thing coming out of the continual need the Carpathian community had of her was that Elisabeta was growing more confident, understanding that her gift was unique and of great value. He wanted her to have the same confidence in herself with him. He had always thought there was an equal balance of power between Carpathian couples no matter how dominant the male might be simply because it was the male’s duty to always see to his lifemate’s happiness. It was impossible to set up a dictatorship if his partner wasn’t happy.
Come to me, minan piŋe sarnanak. Rise and come to me. You have no need of clothes. Practice opening the soil above you and freshening your body and hair.
He gave her the command and waited, his body already anticipating her and what lessons they would learn this rising. What they would practice from the rising before. He had risen before her and gone hunting for blood. He had closed the earth over her so that she would have the experience of opening the soil for herself. On his return, he had deliberately woven strong safeguards around the property to keep everyone out, including other Carpathians, in the hopes that he could have his lifemate to himself.
Intertwined with notes of their song and in the drops of the rain, he threaded the deep passion he felt for her. Elisabeta. His world. His center. He needed her to realize how much she meant to him. How much he wanted her, both physically and emotionally. If she knew, she would have all the confidence in the world.
Ferro felt her then, that first moment when she awakened, hearing the raindrops beating in a rhythm with his heart. He scanned her carefully and noted immediately that she was different this rising, more anticipating than fearful, although trepidation was still there. In spite of all the energy she had expended ridding so many of the mysterious burns, she seemed healthier, most likely due to ancient blood given to her freely in large amounts.