As I boarded the private jet, my age slowly started to evaporate and I began to excitedly bounce around like a little kid. I darted inside, ignoring the smiling attendant at the top of the stairs, and looked around. It looked exactly like I had imagined, with seats facing one another, a couch in the back along with a mini bar, and other assorted accessories strewn about.

"Do you like it?" Diego asked from right behind me. I jumped, startled, and was met with one of his wolfish, mischievous smiles.

"Yes! It's awesome! I've never been in a plane before!" He cocked his head to the side.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I'm honored to give you your first time." I glared, immediately sensing his underlying joke.

"Ha ha, Diego. Ha ha." Again, he smiled and gestured to the seats in the middle of the plane.

"Would you like a window seat?" I bolted toward the seat and plastered myself against the window, looking at anything and everything. My eyes widened as I spotted the setting sun and I whirled back to Diego. "I'm fine," he said, reading my mind. "Carpathians, unlike vampires, can go into the morning or evening light if we train ourselves to. Of course, the pain is still there, but bearable."

"We should have waited," I stated.

"No. The trip will take time and I wish to arrive at night. I do not want to wait to see our prince. It has been too long." With his new emotions, I could feel the new feelings he held inside of him. He was proud of Mikhail yet lonely from the separation of him and his homeland. He was excited to return to his age old home once again.

"I bet he'll be surprised."

"He will feel my presence the minute I touch the soil of my homeland."

"Well that's no fun," I muttered. Diego finally took the seat beside of me and the attendants went to the front of the airplane to strap themselves in for takeoff. The conversation forgotten, I plastered myself against the window as I heard the jet engines start. I looked in fascination as the turbines began to push the plane faster. I felt the pressure begin to press against me and I leaned back into my seat, still looking out of the window. I gasped as we finally lifted off and watched as the ground began to get farther and farther away from me. I leaned up again and looked down to see the countryside below me. It was so beautiful from this point of view! A few moments later we hit the clouds and the plane began to shake slightly. I gripped the seats and looked to Diego for reassurance.

"It's only the clouds," he answered, his voice calm and soothing.

"But they're clouds! It's just water vapor! Why is it shaking the plane?"

"Because the moisture is in a current. Heat from the earth makes the water and air rise inside of the cloud, causing the plane to shake." I gave him a look of disbelief. "It's the truth, Esmeralda."

"No one asked you to bring logic into this conversation," I muttered.

"And would you have rather heard me say that the turbine has just failed and we are going down to hit the earth and become a fireball of molten metal?" I paled and he laughed, but slung and arm around my shoulders in reassurance. "I would never let such a thing happen to you, Esmeralda." He nuzzled my hair and I blushed.

"Your lifemate's going to kill you one day. In fact, I hope she does." He chuckled.

"I hope she'll be like you." I blushed deeper as he whispered the statement into my ear.

"I hate you." Again, he laughed, and I snuck a peek at him. His eyes, once cold and frigid, were dancing with merriment and laughter. I finally realized that the plane had stopped shaking and I relaxed a bit.

"And it's because of your gift. I'll treasure your selflessness for all time."

"Me? Selfless? All humans have selfish tendencies," I said, laughing. "Don't let me fool you."

"Well, you're beautiful and that makes up for it."

"Oh dear god, will you stop!" I cried out in exasperation.

"But I love to see you blush." So much for a good little Carpathian. "And I'm not little."

"No!" I said, pointing my finger at him. "We're not going there!" He smiled wolfishly.

"And why is that?" he asked innocently. Too innocently.

"Because," I said, the blush never leaving my face. "It's just not right. And…er…my lifemate will kill you! So hah!" He gave me a look that made me feel like I had just said the lamest comeback in the world.

"Your lifemate couldn't handle me," he said, finally dissolving the look into a smile.

"Oh yes he could," I said, crossing my arms huffily, my eyes glinting with mischievousness. "He'd kick your ass."

"I'd love to see him try."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

After our few hours of bantering, the day caught up with me and I closed my eyes and snuggled into my seat to take a nap. Diego, not knowing I was still partially awake, dropped a cover over me and leaned the seat all the way back into a recliner. He then kissed my forehead, stroked my cheek, and leaned back into his own seat, letting me fall asleep.

I woke again, but gasped, amazed. I wasn't in the darkness I was used to. I was now looking through my god's eyes!

"Mor-forwyn?" he questioned in his mind.

"You…can feel me?" I asked.

"Of course I can. How could I not?" The silence stretched on.

"Where are you?"

"I am on my way to visit my prince to gain his approval." Why was he hedging so much tonight? What was wrong? Did I do something? "You have done nothing wrong," he answered in the low pitched sexual purr he managed to voice so well. I felt the impression of a hand skimming my cheek and I gasped. How did he do that? He chuckled. "I can do many things," he stated. "Most would confuse your fragile mind."

"I don't have a fragile mind," I ground out, my temper flaring. "I may be human but I've seen things too!"Why the hell was I defending myself to him? Why couldn't I stop?

"Oh?" he asked, disbelief in his tone. "And what would that be?"

"I've seen shape-shifting," I said, rising to my feet and glaring, though it was odd looking through his eyes. "I've seen vampires feed and humans die by their hand. I've seen my mom killed and a vampire's heart ripped out. I've seen your world and I'm ready to accept it as such, so don't give me that cock and bull excuse that I haven't seen anything!" As I finished my speech, I realized I had just yelled and lost my temper to someone who didn't even give a damn. I growled out, pissed at my god for the moment, and turned away, breaking my gaze with his. At once, I was back to the cold blackness with only his emotions to contend with. "Now what did Diego say…" I muttered, tapping my finger to my lips. "To block my mind, I must imagine an inanimate object and focus on it. He said to start with a brick wall…God, this sounds stupid." Still pissed and getting more so at the lack of answer from my god, I simply imagined a brick wall. A red brick wall with the cement in between the blocks.

"You think you can hide from me?" he asked, a hint of anger laced with disbelief and amusement in his voice.

"Watch me," I retorted. There was a chip on the second brick from the left, one row from the top. On the one above that, the corner was a bit rounded. On the opposite side, the far right brick had a scar, from probably a scalpel.

"You will not be able to do this. I am an ancient of our kind and you are a mere fledgling, though you do wield great power for one so young."

"Diego!" I cried out. "I need your help." I felt Diego's awareness in my mind and he assessed the situation.

"Who is Diego?" my god snarled. I felt the impression of red hot anger…almost beastlike in nature, well up from my god.

"Anytime would be nice, buddy." I felt Diego's mind clamp down on my own, adding his strength to the mental block. I felt my god reaching for me and I stiffened in surprise as I felt my own mind trying to reach for his. I turned my mind back in, though I felt a sense of loss, and concentrated on the brick wall.

"Leave my päläfertiilam alone! I will not have you in her mind!" I could feel the rage spewing forth from my god.

"Take me out of here, Diego!" I cried out, suddenly afraid. I shied away from my god and began to run, clutching my arms to my chest in a protective gesture. "Please!" I felt my god grow angrier with my words and I shivered. How could my god, who I had known through all of these years, have this type of rage? I had never felt anything like this from him before. I felt Diego's power grow into my mind and I felt the actual severing of my god from within my mind. How had he gotten there?

I jumped awake and looked frantically around. The plane was descending and the seatbelt light was flashing. Diego was looking at me, his face impassive like he had been without our mind merge.

"Who was he?" Diego asked softly.

"I…I've had dreams about him. I call him… 'my god'. I thought I was just making it up! He was in my mind and I didn't even know it! What if he was a vampire? Oh god!" I buried my face in my hands. I knew the raw fear and adrenaline were catching up to me and I knew that Diego felt it too. He took pity on me and drew me into his chest, simply stroking my hair while I cried from the adrenaline overload. "I thought I was protected…Does this mean that vampires can get into my mind too?"

"No," Diego answered in a calming voice. "That was a Carpathian male. You are under no threat to him; he will never harm you. However, he is unmated, which is a dangerous combination. The necklace around your neck will protect you from vampires entering your mind." I was quiet for a moment.

"You said this necklace was Rhiannon's, right? Who was she?"

"She was one of the most revered Carpathian women of her time. She was captured by a dark mage and experimented on."

"Why?"

"He wanted immortality and he believed the answer to be in Rhiannon's blood. However, she has known descendants. One is Dominic, an ancient of our kind. Another is Colby Jansen, a recently turned human woman. The last is Natalya Shonski, lifemate to Vikirnoff."

"I don't know any of these people." Diego lowered his head and placed a kiss on my temple.

"You might meet these people when we go to Mikhail. However, I will supply you with the information if such a situation arises. I'm just preparing you, giving you information so it will be in your mind."

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Look," Diego said, breaking off the somewhat tense conversation by pointing out of the window. I saw the ground coming closer and I found myself plastered to the window, watching the plane land.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Diego led me outside of the plane, where a small carriage was waiting for us. My gaze was immediately drawn to the horses, seeing as I secretly loved riding them.

"Then I should take you riding." I blushed a bit but kept looking at the horses. Diego led me over to the carriage and helped me inside. He sat next to me and the driver flicked the reins, apparently already knowing where to take us.

"Where are we going?" I asked Diego.

"We are going to an inn not far from here. It is owned by a woman named Slavica and she is a close friend of my family."

"All right."

"She is a close friend of our people, Esmeralda. She is one of the few humans who know of our existence. We protect her as she protects us. Mikhail has been watching over her family for centuries." I twitched as I first heard his voice inside of my mind. Only my god spoke to me that way and it was disconcerting not to hear his voice.

"Your prince is a good man," I said.

"And his lifemate a good woman."

"He has a lifemate?"I asked, surprised.

"Yes. Her name is Raven. Raven Dubrinsky." True to Diego's word, we arrived at an inn. Diego stepped out and held his hand for me. I took it and he helped me down.

"It's so beautiful here, Diego."

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked. I sensed an underlying theme to his words and I nodded. Diego nodded once to the driver and offered me the crook of his arm. I took it and we began to stroll down the street towards the woods. Once we entered the actual woods, Diego scooped me in his arms and bolted. I threw my arms around his neck in sheer preservation for my sanity. He was using supernatural speed to travel, and the S.O.B. didn't even warn me. I felt his laughter in my mind but I was too afraid to retaliate. A few moments later, we slowed to a normal walk but I didn't relinquish the hold on his neck.

"Don't worry, my love. We're here." With an oath, I wriggled out of Diego's arms and threw a solid punch to his chest. He easily caught it, threw his head back, and laughed. I glowered.

"Oh laugh it up, pretty boy," I grumbled.

"Diego! It has been a long time, my friend." I felt Diego sober, yet I felt pride and a sense of coming home. I turned to see a beautiful man, oozing an Old World aura. He had long hair tied by a thong and his eyes shone with emotion as he looked at Diego. The woman at his side had an arm around his waist and her eyes were shining. I assumed her to be Raven, lifemate to Mikhail.

"Mikhail, my prince." Mikhail left his lifemate's side and embraced the hunter. Both men stared at one another, grinning. I felt the force of Diego's emotions and smiled at him.

"Is this your lifemate?" Raven asked.

"No," I answered.

"But how can this be? Diego has his emotions. Why is she not his lifemate?"

"I offered him entrance into my mind. He feels what I feel."

"It does not work that way," Mikhail argued. "He should only feel your emotions, not have emotions of his own."

"We can discuss this inside," Raven said, gesturing toward a looming mansion behind her. I gaped. This was the biggest house I had ever seen! Raven led me inside while the two Carpathian men brought up the rear. She sat on the couch and gestured for me to sit beside of her. I appreciated the gesture. It made me feel welcome.

"Now tell me everything," Mikhail commanded. Diego complied and retold our story up until meeting the prince. Mikhail turned his gaze on me and I wanted to shrink back. What had I done wrong?

"You've done nothing wrong, my love." Funny, I actually appreciated the endearment now.

"May I search your mind?" Mikhail asked. I stiffened but Raven, sensing my distress, put her hand on my own.

"It's all right. My lifemate means no harm." I looked at Diego, who nodded once.

"All right," I said, my voice shaky. I grasped Raven's hand as I felt Mikhail slowly enter my mind. I felt him go through my memories and search for something Diego and I had missed. Finally, he pulled out, smiling.

"You are a psychic," Mikhail announced. "However, you deal with emotions rather than telekinesis or precognition. You are able to gift the ability to our males to feel emotion, much like you have with Diego. When he exits your mind, the gift will be gone. However, that is a great power you wield, Esmeralda."