He smiled at her. Not outwardly of course, his smile was far more intimate, brushing across her mind to reassure her she was the most important person in his world and he didn't want anyone to make her uncomfortable.
"I am not in danger of turning, Gregori, if that's what you're implying," he said, perfectly calm. "I'll be hunting both Abel and Bardolf as soon as I'm back on my feet. They should have moved the pack fast, but they haven't. While Tatijana was checking on her sister, I picked up their trail. The majority of the pack headed south. They hit a farm just on the other side of the ridge, close to the ravine. No one was home, but the animals were slaughtered."
"And the farmer you helped earlier?" Mikhail prompted.
"He will be attacked." Fen sighed and resisted pushing his hands through his hair. He feared the farmer would be killed. He'd taken measures to try to protect him, but if Bardolf or Abel accompanied the pack, the farmer wouldn't have a chance. "He's a good man."
"So Gregori tells me. Perhaps, if we know the pack will attack this particular farm, we should find a way to use that to our advantage," Mikhail mused.
"Or better yet, allow the elite hunters Fen has spoken of to get this information. We can watch them in action and help prepare our own warriors," Falcon offered. "Although, I could never sit out when there is work to be done."
"It is necessary for me to avoid Zev's pack a few more days. He'll be looking for me soon," Fen said.
Mikhail nodded. "He made inquiries at the inn. His pack appears to number six. Five men and a woman. Is it common for a woman to be a hunter?"
"Any child, male or female, who shows promise in the packs as being above average in intelligence and faster in reflexes is sent to a special school as soon as the pack deems them old enough to go. It's a great honor for a pack to have elite hunters emerge from its ranks," Fen said. He looked around the room. "Don't underestimate the female hunter. She wouldn't be traveling with them if she wasn't just as capable of a fighter as the men. Each one often has to take on several rogue pack members alone."
"Do any of them have experience killing a Sange rau?" Lojos asked.
"I doubt it. I came across the first one several centuries ago and then when Bardolf's pack was decimated by Abel. Until now, I've never heard of or come across any other."
"Zev recognized that the vampire was of mixed blood?" Gregori asked.
Tatijana nodded. "Immediately. He and Dimitri both knew, at least I think so. Fen shouted out Sange rau, but they were already sacrificing themselves to give Fen a chance at killing it. Of course, at the time, we didn't realize there were two of them working together."
"There's a feel to them," Fen said. "You'll know immediately as well. I can't describe it, but in the way you know a vampire is foul, you'll recognize that the Sange rau is more. They have the capability of hiding themselves. Vampires leave a distinct trail most of the time. The very plants and trees shrink from them. They leave blank spots in their wake when they try to conceal themselves, but the Sange rau don't. They also don't give off energy before they attack, but if you come across one, you'll know," he reiterated.
"And yet you can track them and know they are present before they attack," Gregori said.
"I am also considered Sange rau. I am of mixed blood."
Chapter 8
Fen was very happy to get away from the four walls of the living, breathing house. He never had spotted Andre, the ghost among Carpathian warriors, but was satisfied that he knew his old friend was there. He inhaled the night air. Tatijana and he had to return quickly to their resting place, but before they did, he needed to breathe the fresh air once again.
Tatijana slipped her hand into his as they turned up a trail to climb higher into the mountains. "I guess that went as well as could be expected."
"Between the two of us, you with the information on weapons and me with what I know about Lycans and rogues, I think we gave them enough to protect themselves," Fen said. Already the surrounding trees cut them off from all civilization, making him feel as if it were just the two of them, alone in the night.
"You were very uncomfortable," she observed.
"It is long since I've been inside a house for any length of time," he conceded. "I felt the more time I was in the company of the prince, the more danger I exposed him to. Even with his hunters gathered around him, and they are some of the best, they have never experienced this kind of threat to him. I can tell them what the Sange rau is like, but until they actually witness one in action, they'll never really understand."
Tatijana's eyebrow shot up. "You believe the threat is to the prince, then. Not the children?"
"Of course. Don't you?" Fen chose a route that would take them even farther up the mountain. More than anything, he needed to be with Tatijana and just savor every moment alone with her that he could have.
The night sky glittered with stars, although darker clouds floated lazily, occasionally blocking out the sparkling diamonds overhead. "If they kill Mikhail, the little prince at the age of two is far too young. His daughter might be able to take his place, but if not, there is no vessel for power. If you wish to wipe out Carpathians, the best way to do so would be to kill the prince now while his heir is young and vulnerable."
"His brother? Jacques?"
Fen shrugged. He threaded his fingers more comfortably through hers and brought her hand to his heart as they walked. Her hand felt small in his and made him feel all the more protective over her. "Maybe. Not all those in a lineage make good leaders. I know little about his brother, but Jacques is as protective over his brother as Gregori is and that tells me Jacques does not believe he can lead our people."
"Or does not want to," Tatijana added thoughtfully.
He glanced down at her, amazed that such a beautiful woman could be his. She moved with fluid grace, in complete silence. She fit into his body so perfectly. He was aware of everything about her. Her breasts moved beneath her shirt, a delicate enticement he'd never noticed on another woman. Her hips swayed gently, and the stars seemed to have settled in her eyes. The wind teased her long hair, trying hard to loosen it from the long thick coil she bound the mass of silk with.
His heart felt lighter than it ever had. He could hear the blood coursing in his veins. His teeth were sharp, and the need to taste his woman was nearly overpowering. With that hunger came rising lust, sharp and terrible yet tempered with such an intense love for her, he knew she was safe. Just walking with her up in the mountains, far from everyone else, he felt as if they were the only ones in the world. The beauty of the night and their surroundings seemed to have been crafted for them alone.