Tatijana, did you find any trace of Abel or Bardolf? he asked to distract himself.

Well . . . she hesitated, clearly unsure. When I was flying around the mountain of mist, I felt a sudden shiver, an awareness of danger. It was there for just a moment, but it occurred to me that one of them, or both, could be holed up there. The mountain is above the one where the prince resides and it is possible someone could spy on him from up there. But, Fen, honestly, I don't know, it was just a weird, scary feeling.

"Zev, Tatijana is going to land and pick me up. She may have found the lair of the Sange rau. I'd like to take Dimitri and check it out," Fen said.

Zev looked up at that sky. He could see the blue dragon circling above them. "I'll never get used to that sight. It's amazing. Dragons." For a moment he searched the sky, and Fen was fairly certain he was looking for the fiery red dragon. Zev sighed. "I can't stop you, Fen, but you and I both know, even two of you have little chance of killing one of them. If they're together . . ."

"I doubt they'll be together. Vampires don't trust one another that much. It just doesn't seem to me like they'd share resting quarters."

"You've got the best instincts I've ever seen for hunting them," Zev said, "and you certainly know more than I do about fighting one. You've clearly had more experience, just don't get yourself killed."

Fen nodded. "Good luck hunting the other packs. I'll join you if nothing comes of this."

Dimitri, let's go hunting. I've had enough of these rogues and their masters invading our homeland.

I was just waiting for you.

Shift to a dragon and I'll go up with you. Once we're out of sight, I can stop this pretense. We have to find them, Dimitri. I have a sense of urgency growing in me. I can feel a real battle coming.

Dimitri made his way to a small clearing and shifted without preamble, changing to the form of a dragon, politely extending his wing to his brother. Fen climbed up to the dragon's back, settling himself before giving the go-ahead. Dimitri was never showy. His dragon was brown, but the spikes were razor-sharp. Beside the red and blue dragons, he looked drab and could be easily overlooked.

Fen knew that was Dimitri's way. He was nearly always quiet, rarely putting in his opinion, but he was lethal and his dragon would be as well.

Tell me what's going on with you, Dimitri.

Dimitri's dragon stayed close to Tatijana as they winged their way through the night sky. Fen, the wolf is present. He's strong. Very strong. He's been with me a long time now. He spoke abruptly, without any warning, dropping the bombshell into Fen's mind.

Fen let out his breath in a little rush. He'd known all along that his brother was well on his way to becoming what he was. Still, the wolf's presence was undeniable.

He'll protect you. The more you work with him, the faster you'll merge, Dimitri.

Long before we came here, I had already felt him rising. Now, though, he's different, as if we're becoming one. All those years we hunted together. You giving me blood. Me using some of the Lycans for a food source when we were hunting with a pack. It never bothered me. I wasn't afraid of the Lycans hunting me. I figured I could go to ground the way you do.

But now you realize it might not be such a good thing. Fen had realized the same thing some time ago, but he'd suspected it was too late for his brother. A male who spent lifetimes killing and living in darkness was extremely susceptible to the pull of the Sange rau, more so he thought than the Carpathian to the vampire.

There's Skyler.

There it was. Fen had wrestled with that very problem. Did one have the right to expose his lifemate to such a thing when there was no data on a Carpathian/Lycan cross? The more questions that had been brought up, the less of an answer he had. He'd been selfish giving in to Tatijana's demands. He had wanted to be persuaded, and he'd let her seduce him into it.

On the other hand, Dimitri would not survive without Skyler. Now, more than ever, he needed her.

I'm sorry I got you into this, Dimitri. Centuries ago, he hadn't a clue what caused the change, although even then he'd suspected. He should never have gone to Dimitri, but the fight to stay honorable had become nearly impossible.

I went into it with my eyes open. You explained even then what the danger was in exchanging blood. I have to talk to Skyler about this, but before I do, I have to figure a few things out.

Don't make her decision for her. Tatijana was adamant that she had the right to make her own choice, and I have to believe that's true.

Skyler's young.

But she's powerful. And intelligent. Your instinct is to protect her, but don't just discount her because of her human age. She's not yet Carpathian . . . Fen broke off.

There was the real dilemma. Fen hadn't even considered the real problem. Skyler wasn't Carpathian. She was human. She hadn't been converted. If Dimitri converted her with his mixed blood, what would happen? Could he even convert her? Would it work? They didn't have an answer to that question. As far as they knew, it hadn't been done.

Now you see.

Still, there are ways around that. Gabriel or Francesca? Fen suggested her parents. He knew even as he made the suggestion that it wouldn't work. If Gabriel was already insisting Dimitri couldn't claim Skyler until she was much older, he would never aid Dimitri into bringing his daughter into an unknown, uncertain world. Okay, not either of them, but someone will help us. Perhaps Bronnie. She's Dragonseeker and I know Skyler has Dragonseeker blood in her. Isn't her birth father Razvan?

That would be a possibility. There was a grain of hope in Dimitri's voice.

There's always a solution, Dimitri. When you're too close to the problem and it involves someone you care about . . .

Love, Dimitri corrected. I love her with everything in me. I'd rather meet the dawn then expose her to something dangerous.

I hate to be the one to tell you: she was exposed to danger long before you knew she was your lifemate. The moment Gabriel and Francesca adopted her, they brought her into our world. Fen frowned. How did you manage to hold silver with the wolf already in you?

I burned my palm the first time I tried to use it, so I just coated my hands. That way Zev and the others wouldn't suspect anything.

That was Dimitri. Smart. No fuss.

We're making the approach, Tatijana warned. Do you want to change shapes just in case? We're very close to where I felt the warning.

17.

Fen touched Tatijana's mind. She didn't know. Didn't realize. The dragon had flown high into the misty clouds surrounding the upper part of the mountain. The dread was there, a feeling of revulsion, the need to leave. Tatijana had spent her life deep under this very mountain, in the ice caves of her father, Xavier, the high mage. She had never seen the outside of the mountain, only the inside. The mage spells were still intact and working to keep every species away from Xavier's laboratories.

He signaled to her to take her dragon to the ground. Dimitri, you know what this place is, right? The ice caves where she was held are below.

I knew that, but how did you know?

In the old days, Xavier was considered a friend to the Carpathian people. We all studied with him. That was how we first began weaving safeguards. I studied with him for years. No one had any inkling he was plotting against us, Fen explained.

I'm only a century behind you. I studied with him as well, Dimitri said. It was shortly after that he kidnapped Rhiannon of the Dragonseekers and killed her lifemate. Of course we didn't know Xavier had committed such treachery for some time.

Dimitri settled his dragon beside Tatijana's and Fen leapt off, landing in a crouch.

I cannot imagine Abel choosing to set up a lair in the caves of Xavier.

What of Bardolf. Although . . . do you think Bardolf would have been affected by the warning emanating from the mist? He would have no idea just how dangerous that entire labyrinth of caves really is.

Dimitri shifted into his own form as did Tatijana. Fen went to her immediately and put his arm around her. He leaned in to brush a kiss over the top of her head.

"Did you feel it?" she asked.

"Tatijana, there is every possibility that Bardolf might have chosen those caves to retreat into. Look at the mountain. Really look at it. Those caves were your prison for centuries." He held her while he delivered the blow, his mind firmly in hers.

For a moment she rejected the idea, her mind trying to protect her from the memories of the torture and death of so many she'd been forced to watch.

"Breathe, sivamet," he encouraged. "We're here with you. Xavier is long gone from this world and can't hurt you. You don't have to go in with us to check. You can monitor us from right here."

Tatijana had heard the screams of the dying, felt the weight of the dead-so many; Xavier had never discriminated between species. The only things that mattered to him were immortality and power. He thought himself above every other species and he wanted to rule. He wanted for himself the gifts each had and would stop at nothing to get them.

She had been forced to feed her blood to Xavier for centuries. When she and Branislava grew too strong and even keeping them anemic didn't help, Xavier kept them encased in ice in the form of dragons. They were his laboratory wall decorations, forcing them to watch every heinous crime he committed against humanity, Carpathians and every other species. They were helpless to stop him.

He had possessed the body of his grandson and violated women, impregnating them in order for him to find new sources of Carpathian blood. If the child was deemed unsuitable, as in Skyler's case, he sold them into a life of misery or simply abandoned them. He kept his grandson prisoner as well, torturing him with the foul things Xavier used his body for.

Tatijana could hear her own silent screaming and abruptly stopped, knowing her distress would pull Branislava to her. She had to gain control. Fen was right. She was safe-but he and Dimitri wouldn't be if they went into those caves. Xavier might be gone, but his traps and evil spells remained behind. She knew every mage spell ever conceived by him, as did Branislava, as well as where most of the traps were in areas visible to where she'd been held, but Fen and Dimitri wouldn't know.

She lifted her chin. "I'll go."

Fen slipped his hand down her arm until his fingers tangled with hers. "Perhaps you could fly your dragon for us and keep guard, just while we explore the outer caves for signs of Bardolf. If he's not there, there's no need for any of us to enter what was Xavier's domain."

She didn't know if it was being cowardly, but, relieved, she took that way out. "That makes sense. But, if you think he may have gone in, give me your word that you will call to me right away. There can be no untruth between lifemates. I need to face this with you, if Bardolf has gone in. With you and Dimitri, I know I can. If you leave me out and something happens to either of you, I would for all time feel as if I caused it through my cowardice."

"You have my word, my lady. The moment I suspect, you will know."

She put her arms around his neck and leaned into him, needing to feel how solid and strong he was. "I know both of you are worried about what the change in your blood will do to a woman and our future children, but in this moment, I'm grateful both of you have the mixed blood. And Dimitri"-she turned in Fen's arms to look directly into Dimitri's eyes-"I guarantee you, Skyler would feel exactly the same way."

Dimitri nodded. "I'm certain of it. Let's do this, Fen."

His form shimmered and he took to the sky streaking for the mist that veiled the top of the mountain.

Fen sighed. "You be careful, Tatijana. Don't think because you're in dragon form that you're safe from him. If Bardolf is here and he realizes you're out there circling around, looking for his trail, he could attack you."

"You do your job, I'll do mine. Believe me, even the outside of Xavier's mountain will have a few traps," she cautioned. "Try not to trigger any of them."

He leaned down and kissed her upturned lips, shifting as he pulled back.

He followed his brother up the steep, snow-topped mountain and into the veil of mist. The mountains looked peaceful, ringed as they were with the swirling, dense fog, but the upper peaks were inhospitable. Very little plant life managed to grow amid the boulders and rocks, just a few scraggly flowers and grasses. Above the boulders was the glacier itself.

The locals knew to avoid the peaks, and the few travelers ignoring the mountain's warnings often were victims of falling rocks or avalanches. The mountain trembled and rumbled continually when anyone set foot on those upper peaks hidden within the white veil of mist.

Fen felt the energy concealed inside the bank of fog itself. No wind ever disturbed it or blew it away. The swirling veil acted like a force field of sorts that made anyone approaching the peaks uneasy. Things moved subtly in the dense fog. Shapes. Nothing substantial, but Fen could make out various threats. Voices echoed those threats, warning any and all to stay away.

Fen had seen such things many times in his travels. Xavier had been the father of all safeguards and this one was classic. It was meant for any species exploring the mountain. The first layer would simply make anyone coming close uneasy. Most turned back right there. If that didn't succeed and an explorer kept coming, actually walking around the entrances to the maze of caves, voices would begin to be heard, warnings, and if that failed, traps would be sprung.

"Anything?" he asked Dimitri.

Neither set foot on the mountain, but rather floated along its side to study the ground for tracks, for anything at all that might tell them Bardolf had come this way.

"Maybe. It's small, but he was Lycan. He has skills. Take a look over here." Dimitri indicated a rock that was smashed with others piled high around it. "This entrance was closed by our people a short while back, but in closing this, the area next to it was pushed up. See right there where those small flowers are growing."

Dimitri moved closer, almost crouching as he peered down. Fen moved up beside him to see the struggling flowers growing in the cracks of the rocks scattered all over the ground. He spotted the small telltale sign Dimitri had. One tiny flower and a leaf had been crushed by something heavy as it passed.

"Pretty slim," Fen said.

"Very," Dimitri agreed.

They both looked at the pushed-up rocks, which could have been used to form a cave.

"He's in there," Fen said.

"I'm certain of it," Dimitri agreed. "Let's go get him."

Tatijana, we think he's made himself a cave up here, off to the side of the entrance to Xavier's cave. We're going to check it out.

I'll join you.

She didn't hesitate. Clearly she'd made up her mind that she could face her prison.

"She's a strong woman," Dimitri said.

"She's Dragonseeker. I expect nothing less of her," Fen admitted.

He took the lead, keeping his feet from touching the mountain, careful not to brush up against a boulder. When they got to the newly formed cave's entrance, he shifted to mist. In that form he could move through the air without fear of triggering any trap.

The entrance had been artificially widened, but not by much. Bardolf could shift just as any Carpathian could, but clearly he preferred his wolf or human form. He found a lair and he'd covered the entrance just enough that if anyone got through the veil of mist, they might not notice his cave. The rocks scattered around on the ground helped to camouflage the cave.

Fen slipped into the cave itself. It was dark and much colder than any wolf would like. He knew the moment he entered that Bardolf had been there. His scent was everywhere. The small space reeked of him.

Fen went all the way to the back of the cave-and it was small. It seemed to dead-end. That didn't feel right to Fen. No self-respecting Lycan would ever get caught with no way out.

He's here somewhere. I know he is. Fen felt him. As if they were connected. Maybe by the blood, or the battles, but he felt him-and Bardolf was close by.

He has to have an escape route, Dimitri said. We'll find it.

The three of them inspected every inch of the cave walls and ceiling. It was Fen who found that incongruous little crack that ran from the floor midway through the cave up about knee-high. He came back to it twice, drawn not by the crack itself, but the feel of it.

It's here. But this wall is the outside wall to Xavier's cave, he cautioned.

If he found Xavier's caves, Dimitri said, he won't be able to resist exploring. He's a wolf, and if he sees any weapons, he'll definitely try to figure out how to use them.

He'll trigger traps in there if he hasn't already, Tatijana said.

Fen had no choice but to shift enough to allow his hand to run over the crack. His acute senses told him there was a way to trigger the opening, but how? He moved his palm slowly up and down. It would have to be fast, no safeguard to keep anyone out on this side. Bardolf would want to come and go without trouble.

Tatijana leaned over him and studied the entrance. This opens to the tone of his voice. Can you re-create the sound? You've both heard him. Just say "open," but only if you can get his exact pitch.

You're good at pitch, Fen, Dimitri encouraged. And you knew him before he turned wolf/vampire.

Fen pulled up the memory of Bardolf's voice, listened intently and then tried. "Open."