Chapter One

Somewhere deep in the Carpathian Mountains, a lone wolf cried out into the midnight skies. Mikhail Dubrinsky heard the hunters painful cry as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists into tight balls. He knew that howl, the howl of his right hand warrior. He had had no idea that Requiem was doing to come home for the holiday celebrations but he could feel the hunter's presents from miles away. As the prince of his people, Mikhail's duty was to ensure the safety and wellbeing of his people as Requiem's duty was to his prince. He could feel how close his friend was to turning, turning into a vampire as all Carpathian hunters eventually did if their darkness was not anchored by their lifemate.

Requiem had killed too many times and was hunting too much for one so close to his turning. Mikhail knew that Requiem was too proud to face the dawn and cease to exist but he also knew that if Requiem did not find his one within the year he would be lost forever and the childhood friend he had hunted with for centuries would become the hunted. He could feel the darkness encroaching upon his most trusted comrade and his heart sank.

Raven, Mikhail's lifemate could sense the sadness in her prince and lightly touched his mind for comfort. She could feel his worry over his friend consume him; he felt like he had failed Requiem some how. Raven knew no one was to blame for the hunter's current state, she knew that duty and honour bound this tortured soul but she felt as compelled as her lifemate to stay by Requiem's side until he found his lifemate. They both knew that the hunter would never accept their help and yet they knew he needed to hold onto something other then the fading hope of redemption.

"Go to him my love. Bring him to our gathering where at the least he will be among his own." Raven begged Mikhail along their intimate telepathic path.

"He will not fight alone lifemate, have no fear of that."

With a prayer in his heart and Raven in his mind, Mikhail, the prince of the Carpathian race, took to the skies.

XxX

Requiem leaned against the wooden doorframe of Mikhail and Raven's giant dining room with his arms crossed. He watched his people talk and laugh with one another by the fire as children played by the Christmas tree. It should have been festivities he enjoyed but he had not felt emotion of any kind for centuries now and was completely indifferent to the goings on around him. He felt his darkness closing in on him and he knew his turning would be soon. The monster in him was raging as he watched the pairs of lifemates in distain. They held each other with such reverence, with a love he could not even imagine – some were even expecting children. The sounds of their laughter would have been enough to bring joy into the heart of even the loneliest creature and yet it only turned his stomach and made him sick. It enraged him that this miracle was denied him and that fate could play such a sick joke on him as he was forced to look upon their blessings with none for his own. It called upon the darkness within him and strengthened his need to kill.

"I'm glad you were able to come Requiem, it means to much to Mikhail." a smiling woman greeted. "I'm Raven, Mikhail's lifemate. He's told me so much about you it's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"The pleasure is all mine." he replied out of politeness. "It is an honour to have made your acquaintance lifemate to our prince and hostess."

Mikhail strode over with a beaming grin spread across his face.

"Requiem my friend! I'm so glad you decided to come!" He griped his old friend's arm in the greeting of a Carpathian warrior.

"It is quite a turn out." the hunter admitted.

"It's wonderful to have so many of our kind all together. Brings about a more tangible sense of belonging." Raven smiled.

Requiem saw the happiness in their eyes and did not wish to ruin their special occasion. The truth be told, he did not feel any sense of belonging in this place he once called his home. He felt as estranged from these people as he did from the entire world. Nodding politely to his prince and Raven, he excused himself from polite conversation to escape to the front porch where he would collect himself in the cold mountain air.

"He's changed." Mikhail said sadly. "His darkness is really taking its toll on him."

"He'll be alright." Raven whispered, trying her best to believe it as she watched the dark hunter exited without even answering the chorus of welcome from his comrades.

The wintery air washed over Requiem's body as he stepped outside and yet made little impact upon the hunter whose ability to feel temperature had long since died. The wind that had once called his name, summoning him home now seemed to only taunt the cruelty fate had bestowed him.

He shook his head in disgust. He was a hunter of the undead not some sort of sociable twit. He couldn't fathom why the prince would host such a pointless event after so many assassination attempts and with the woman and children present…it was too much of a risk. Woman were rare among the Carpathian people although it had been recently discovered that a psychic human woman could be converted by her lifemate and even with what women they did have, children were rarer still. Even if a child was conceived, the odds were against it as miscarriages were more common then births by about half.

Needing reprieve from the world, he turned about to take to the forest in wolf form when he spotted yet another group of guests coming up the way. There was a couple of lifemate and yet they were escorting a third, a female; a single female. He could feel her and he knew she was not Carpathian and yet he could feel her energy strong and pure. Her blue-black hair was caught in the wind as she tried fruitlessly to keep the long, wild tresses at bay. Blue-black… How could he see the colour of her hair? His ability to see colours other then greys had been lost to the winds long ago… And yet…her hair…

She looked at him as she walked by to enter the house. Her eyes, a glowing light brown met his before the door closed behind her. Light brown. Colours. Emotion flooded centuries of loneliness had harboured came crashing down as he grabbed at his chest and gasped for air. Pain. He felt pain. He felt. Anger. Hurt. It was all there inside of him; along with something else. Something he could not recognize.

"What are you doing? You're hurting me!" A musical voice cried out in his mind. Closing his eyes he could see the brown-eyed girl double over in pain inside. It was her. She was the one. She also happened to be inside and he was not with her.

Every instinct leapt to life as he vaulted himself over the porch rail and barreled through the front door. Inside, the party was as welcoming and alive as when he had left but it was changed. Colours swirled around him making him dizzy and light-headed. A sense of family overwhelmed him as his fellow hunters greeted him, cheerfully thumped him on the back as he strode over to the fireplace where his woman was clutching onto the mantle piece for support. He could feel her laboured breathing from the tightening in her chest the flood of his pain had caused. He raced over to steady her taking her into his arms, enfolding her tightly against his chest.

He felt her tense in his arms, unsure of what to make of her present predicament. He could feel her trying to pull away from him but he could not let her go. She felt so right pressed up hard against him, burning his skin with her own. Burying his face in her thick mane of hair, he inhaled her sweet strawberry scent. The raging in his heart and soul ceased and for once everything seemed still and at piece. There was only the two of them in the whole world. He felt her shudder against him as his emotions overwhelmed him and once again overflowed into her mind, but this time, none of them were painful.

"It was you wasn't it?" she whispered softly.

"My lifemate." was all Requiem could force from his lips as tears welled in his eyes. He had found her at last.

A strong hand pulled Requiem backwards hard, slamming him against the wall. Shaking off the blow he straightened to find the hunter Vikirnoff standing protectively in front of his lifemate.

"Get away from her." Requiem snarled.

"What do you think you were doing?" the other hunter countered.

"Vikirnoff! What the hell are you doing?" A short brunette woman shoved Vikirnoff lightly, easing him away from the girl.

"He was taking advantage of Sakura." Vikirnoff growled.

"She's my lifemate. She came to me willingly." Requiem countered.

"She's Natayla's friend in her care. She is not Carpathian and she is too young for a lifemate." the hunter stated.

"Vikirnoff back down." Natayla warned.

"She's a child!" he snapped.

"She's eighteen Vikirnoff, she's not a child by human standards."

"By ours she is and she is not to be touched!"

"She's mine." Requiem snarled again, reaching for Sakura who stood silent and wide eyed against the wall.

"You're being a caveman. She's a woman now and can made her own decisions! Jeez! We're so in trouble if we have a daughter of our own." Natayla huffed.

"If we have a daughter she'll be locked in a tower for hundreds of years so we don't have to deal with this!" her lifemate countered.

Sakura hated it when people were fighting. Even when people raised their voices she tended to shrink into a corner and hide until it was all over. She had no idea what had just transpired or what was going on. All she could think about was the way she had felt safe for once in her life in the arms of the handsome stranger Vikirnoff had cornered. She'd lived with him and Natayla for long enough to be accustomed to his overbearing and over protective tendencies. She knew that Carpathian males were aggressive in regards to protecting what they felt was their own, but she was not part of Vikirnoff's family. Natayla had insisted that they take her in after she had watched Vikirnoff incinerate a vampire's heart in front of her, the same vampire who had just killed her family minutes before.

Taking advantage of Natayla's tiff with Vikirnoff, Requiem slipped passed them both to take Sakura into his arms once more. She shivered as he drew her close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head in the hollow of his throat, needing to feel safe once again.

Sakura. Her name was Sakura. The sound of her name rang through Requiem's ears like a sweet song. Sakura. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he had found her; that the one he had been searching for all his life was in his arms at long last. She was beautiful. Her petite frame and short stature gave her the appearance of being extremely delicate. Her soft brown eyes sparkled in the fire light, as deep and mysterious as the midnight skies. Her lips were full and looked so soft he had to fight every compulsion in him just to capture them with his own. Long black-blue hair fell in straight silky tresses well passed her waist. She looked like an angel with light radiating from her soft smile. In his wildest dreams he could never have pictured the beauty that was, at the moment, cuddled against his chest. He took her hand in his, reveling at the sheer delicacy of her small fingers.

His heart felt as if it was about to explode. There was so much to feel, centuries worth, and it all come crashing back in one night. It was all too much to believe. Gingerly, he laced is fingers in her hair, cradling the back of her head in his palm, guiding her gaze to meet his. The breath was slammed out of his lungs as she looked up into his eyes in wonder. The world disappeared as they held eye contact, Requiem's face inching closer to hers until he stopped mere centimeters from her mouth, as if to allow her time to run away and escape from him. She held her ground closing her eyes and offering herself up to him.

What she offered, he greedily took. What began as innocent lips meeting in a gentle kiss took a powerful, passionate turn. Requiem's mouth took possession of Sakura's hard and fast as every instinct pounded in his head, telling to take her for his right then and there. It took every strength he possessed to keep that innate need at bay as he attempted to be gentle towards his delicate lifemate. She seemed so fragile that he was afraid she might shatter there in his arms. She offered him a sanctuary from the darkness and pain that threaten to close in on him. She was his. He needed her with a fierceness even his warrior self didn't recognize.

Sakura surrendered to the invasion of Requiem mouth on hers. His tongue grazed along the sensitive skin of her bottom lip before his tongue parting her lips delving deeper into her mouth, forcing her to open up to him. He could feel her breath escape in ragged pants as she pressed closer to him, unable to resist the call of his body. His hands tightened in her hair, his other arm holding her close to him by the waist as he stepped forward to keep her in the shelter of his body. He wanted this girl. He wanted wrap himself around her and never let go.

She sighed against him pulling him closer, not able to get enough of him. It was so exciting and yet so scary at the same time. Sakura had never been with a man before, never kissed a man and yet it came so naturally with this man whom she barely knew. Yet she felt so drawn to him, so compelled by him. There was a darkness inside him, she could feel it and it scared her yet she trusted him. He was so tender and gentle with her and she knew he could never hurt her.

Requiem's beast flared to life as his tongue pressed deeper into her hot mouth; searching, exploring, memorizing. His hands possessively traveled her body, claiming every inch as his own. His body was going up in flames, hardening to the point of pain as she subtly moved against him making the slightest noises of submission as they tumbled forward in their exploration.

Before Requiem could continue his onslaught, they were interrupted by the voices of onlookers who had been watching the entire scene unfold.

"I see Requiem found the mistletoe." Raven giggled, indicating to the bouquet of green and white hanging over the fireplace.

"This isn't funny Raven." Vikirnoff scolded as Mikhail stepped protectively in front of his lifemate.

"Tone down Vikirnoff." the prince snapped. "Requiem do you know what you're doing? You're treading on very dangerous grounds."

"Sakura is my lifemate. I have a right to lay my claim." he protested angrily, holding his woman close to him.

"She's a mere child Requiem, you have to wait until she's older, until she's an adult to fully claim her."

"She's not a child!" Natayla interrupted haughtily. "For Pete's sate she's eighteen. That's legally an adult in most places I know of. She does not have the body or mind of a child. She's does not age as Carpathians do; she's more mature."

"Natayla is right." Raven agreed. "Would you really deny Requiem when he is so close to turning?"

The men tensed angrily. They were all painfully aware of how dangerously close they were to losing Requiem.

"I am standing right here you are aware of that right?" Sakura added in annoyance.

"We know hunn, and we're not trying to be rude." Raven glared at Mikhail. "The men are just a little over protective of all women and everyone just wants what's best for you."

"Then why not just ask me what I want?" Sakura snapped.

"You might know what is truly the best for you little one." the prince explained gently.

"Let me handle this." Requiem pushed the thought into Sakura's mind and felt her scowl at him. "I know what is best for my lifemate."

"Requiem the darkness is closing in on you and you've just regained emotions lost to you that have been compiled for many centuries. You're thinking is clouded and cannot be trusted to do what is right for the both of you." Mikhail reasoned.

Requiem threw himself at the prince in rage. The two men fought for control until several of the other hunters in the room were able to subdue the infuriated wild man.

"Requiem!"

"He insulted my judgment. Prince or no prince I know what is right for my lifemate. Do not be afraid for me."

"You seem to have forgotten your place Requiem." Mikhail warned. "Raven, take Sakura into the kitchen. Requiem, I think it's best that you leave."

"I go nowhere without Sakura." Requiem stated firmly.

"Not until we know that she is safe with you and we trust you will consider the delicacy of her age."

"Let me take my lifemate with me and I shall leave peacefully."

"Sakura has seen much and is still healing from the traumas she's experienced and we cannot let you interfere with that. You'll make things worse Requiem, now leave."

Pain shot through the dark hunter as fear quickly seized every vein in his body. What if he had been too forward? He knew he was very dominant by nature, had that hurt her? Would his true self truly hinder any emotional healing process? The feeling of inadequacy was completely new to him and he loathed it. It was not a physical being he could kill with a blow from his sword, it was a plague eating away at his heart. She deserved better then he could ever provide. She needed someone gentle and tender, two things he was sure he could never be.

"You are right my prince." Requiem admitted stiffly avoiding Sakura's imploring gaze. "I was out of line and I apologize. I shall leave your festivities. I leave for the States tomorrow after sunset."

"Requiem! Don't!' Sakura cried desperately.

"It's better this way little one. You do not need me. You deserve better."

Raven and Natayla jumped to hold Sakura in place as she screamed in anguish watching her lifemate Requiem walk out of the door without so much as a second glance back.