Dark Lycan Read Online Free PDF

When one’s lifemate refuses to claim his woman, there should be a reasonable explanation.”
    “You have no desire for me to claim you,” he pointed out.
    “That’s beside the point.”
    Fen found himself grinning. The three humans waiting in the brush were discussing what to do next now that the element of surprise was gone. The one continued to try to persuade the other two that they were drunk and going to get into trouble. That he couldn’t have them hurting a woman.
    Fen didn’t care one way or another if they attacked, but he was truly fascinated by the woman who all but stamped her foot at him. As a rule, Carpathian women were tall with dark hair. Tatijana was on the diminutive side, with light ever-changing hair and her amazing emerald eyes.
    The vivid colors, after centuries of no color and then spotty, muddy hues, were almost blinding. The joy of feeling filled him even as the intensity of emotions nearly overwhelmed him.
    “I want the explanation and I think, as your lifemate, I deserve to hear it.” She sounded both snippy and regal if that combination was at all possible.
    “And no matter what, you aren’t going to do the practical thing and leave me, are you?” he asked.
    She had him. The mystery and intrigue surrounding her drew him almost as much as the call of her soul to his. The pull between them was very strong, and he wasn’t certain, in the end, he would have the strength to watch her walk away.
    “Of course not. Do you think I’m a coward?” She tossed her head like a fractious filly, indicating the three men now arguing in low tones they thought couldn’t be overheard. “Like them? I am Carpathian. I may not have practical experience in a battle, but I certainly have knowledge of every kind of enemy and how best to defeat them. I will never run from a fight, nor will I accept another’s command over me.”
    She was . . . magnificent. The moon was mostly obscured by the veil of mist, yet her long braid seemed to give off sparks.
    “How did you get your knowledge?” Fen asked.
    She shrugged. “Perhaps you know the name of my father. He was the most powerful mage ever known, Xavier. He was a false friend to the Carpathian people, tricking them for years into thinking the alliance between mage and Carpathian was strong. He wanted immortality and the Carpathians did not give him their secret. He killed my mother’s lifemate and held her prisoner, as only the most powerful mage could. He forced her to have his children, triplets, two girls and a boy. My sister, Branislava, my brother, Soren, and me. He needed us for our blood.”
    Fen was shocked and he knew it showed on his face. “I studied with this man, centuries ago. We all did. No one knew of his treachery?”
    She shook her head. “My sister and I were held from birth in his lair deep beneath the ice where he fed from our veins, keeping us weak. Our mother had turned us completely when she realized what Xavier meant to do, in the hopes that we would find a way to escape. He killed her the moment he felt we could provide the blood he so craved.”
    Fen had been centuries gone from the Carpathian Mountains and his brother hadn’t had time to give him much news. To know that a mage as formidable as Xavier had betrayed them and committed heinous acts against a Carpathian woman and his own children chilled him to the bone. He’d seen deceit in the form of vampires, but someone his people had considered such a friend and ally—Xavier’s betrayal seemed far worse. They had all trusted him.
    “How long were you held captive?”
    For the first time he saw her hesitation. Her hand trembled when she reached up to push back stray strands of hair. Fen covered her hand with his.
    “My entire life. Centuries. We never left the ice caves until nearly two years ago. We’ve been in the Earth healing,” Tatijana admitted.
    “And the prince allows you to go unescorted? Unprotected by his hunters?” He didn’t bother to conceal the