Chapter 1
The "SongMaker" - based on Carpathian Series
Deep beneath the earth, Armando slowly woke to the sound of voices singing inside his head. His heart began to beat, his body warming from the circulation of his blood within his veins. Armando's gut clenched, his sudden hunger for blood so strong it overcame his exhaustion.
It was time.
For so long he had waited, locked beneath the earth for most of the last few hundred years. He now only lived to fulfill the one promise he made so long ago to the former prince of his people. And now, finally, it was time.
Armando burst from the ground, shifting into a large, grey owl to hide within the darkness of the night. Despite his hunger, he took a moment to breathe in the fresh night air and soar toward the full moon that brightly lit the sky. The singing within his head was gone, but to Armando it had been a signal that it was time to perform his final duty before facing the dawn. His emotions were barely existent at this point and he saw only in shades of grey. He was grateful for his life to finally be at an end.
His instinct led him far away from the Carpathian mountains, seeking prey that would not be close to any of his people within the area. Armando would introduce himself when the time was right. The current prince only needed to know of Armando's message, imprinted in his memory from hundreds of years ago.
He spotted a house which still had lights on inside and he landed on a branch in a nearby tree. Surprisingly, the light did not flicker as it normally would from a lantern. He flew closer and discovered the light came from some type of round object, not fire. It was then he also realized there were no horses but some odd carriage with wheels. The house was also strange, not made from wood but some other material he did not recognize.
Armando frowned to himself. He had been gone for so long that he was out of touch with whatever updates had been discovered in the last few hundred years. He would have much to learn. But he shrugged it off. His only task was to regain his strength in the next few weeks, waiting for the impending ceremony which would signal his appearance.
Armando flew to the ground, shifting back to human form as his feet touched the grass. He peered inside the window and completely froze.
A small woman was talking loudly to a man in the room. Her voice traveled within his mind, unexpectedly hitting him hard. The world turned upside down and for a moment he was blinded by the light and colors he saw inside the room.
Impossible.
He was seeing in full color, the light making him briefly shield his eyes as he made out the woman who was wearing a pink blouse and…pants? Since when did women wear men's clothes? Armando blinked, suddenly realizing he should care less about the fashion of a woman and the reality of what seeing in color meant.
Lifemate.
Why now? Did the former prince see this in his vision? He had not indicated such a thing, only that it was vital for Armando to deliver a message to his son Mikhail when it was time.
The man stepped closer to the window and Armando let out a slow hiss. Whoever he was, the man had lewd thoughts, looking at the woman as if she were his alone. As Armando penetrated the man's memories, he bared his fangs.
The man was married in human tradition to his life mate.
xxxxx
Janelle shook with anger as her husband had once again been out late. Even worse, they were on vacation! They were from the United States and she thought the travel to some distant land would help them concentrate on their marriage.
But as usual, Randy was behaving as the deceptive husband she'd married long ago. She knew the relationship was mentally abusive, but Janelle couldn't find it within herself to leave him. Perhaps it was because she'd lost her parents at such a young age, she was terrified of losing anyone ever again, even if they were hurting her. But she also believed divorce was just wrong. The vows she took meant to stay married to Randy in sickness and in health.
Unfortunately, she found out later the marriage was doomed to be only in sickness. Randy was extremely possessive of her, refusing to allow her to work or even have friends. But he made it quite clear early in their marriage that he could do whatever he wanted. She strongly suspected he saw other women, but he always denied it.
Randy placed his hands on his hips after she'd finished her millionth argument with him. He looked at her like she was an idiot and he shook his head. "You know, I'm really tired of having to even tell you where the hell I am all the time."
"We're on vacation!"
"Yeah, so? Don't I get a little time to myself? All I ever do is work to give you everything you want. I deserve a little party time now and then."
"You go out every weekend!"
"Spare me another lecture and wait for me in bed."
"Why?" she shot back. "Most likely you've already had a woman tonight! So why do you need me in your bed?"
"Shut your mouth!" Randy snapped. He suddenly smiled at her. "Come on, baby. You know you're the only woman for me. Ever think that I want something from you because I didn't cheat? Maybe I've had a few drinks and enjoyed just looking at a few women but then I just want you."
Janelle logically knew that might not be true. Randy was more than capable of having sex at least two or three times in one day. Despite the fact that he was almost forty, he still had the stamina of damn teenager. But the weak side of her wanted to believe him. Although she didn't believe in divorce, he certainly could have left her long ago. He really did love her…isn't that what mattered?
xxxx
Armando had never felt such rage at the man married to his lifemate. As far as he was concerned, her husband was vile. The man's memories revealed affairs with numerous women. He also controlled his wife, limiting her freedom and ability to see the truth. Armando found his feet moving closer to the house while his fangs were bared.
He wanted to feed to the point of killing the man.
Armando tore himself away from the temptation. For thousands of years, he held himself to a strict code of honor and had never broken one law. In his old life, he condemned any Carpathian who broke any law, citing that their race must hold themselves to the highest standard or they were no better than those who gave up their souls to become vampire.
Still, he found himself shaking while he walked away. His lifemate was in that house, married to a human. Everything inside of him screamed to claim her and convert her from human to Carpathian. He was the oldest living Carpathian and his knowledge was extensive. Armando knew it could be done.
But she was married to a man who would not let her go. It was against the law to take a human life, nor could he simply erase the husband's memory of so many years. Making a human forget a few minutes while taking their blood was one thing, but removing a lifetime of memories was impossible. Even worse, Armando was well aware of the limited time he had. For the first time, he felt real fear that he would give into temptation and break every law to do what he wanted. He held a dark secret within him that he had no intention of ever revealing, even to the Prince. All the more reason to believe the possibility of becoming a vampire was very real. Deep down, he knew even if he could somehow be with his lifemate, there would be no time for a proper courtship. He was too old, too far gone to hold back and he worried the claiming could even end up placing her life in danger. He had waited too long. The darkness within him may be uncontrollable to the point that he could still even turn while he completed the ritual.
Armando closed his eyes in pain at the situation. Now, he was even more dangerous to anyone who dared to come near him…which could also mean the Prince.
Breathing heavily, Armando realized his lifemate was not his decision. When the time came, only the prince could decide his fate. Armando would seek the dawn before he broke any law. Honor was all that mattered.
