Thanks for taking the time to read. bambers:)

Chapter Thirteen

Present time . . . .

Rafe was waiting for Riordyn as he stepped outside of the house. Brows pulled together in a scowl, he glared at him. His hands were balled into fists, and for a fleeting moment Riordyn believed he might actually hit him in front of the open window with his two little girls watching.

"If you are going to hit me, brother, then I would ask that you wait until we are out of view of my nieces. I do not wish for them to see me beaten to a bloody mess by their father." He nudged his head for Rafe to follow him as he strode determinedly toward the wooded area behind the house. "It was never my intent to cause them any pain," he said, following the overgrown trail, leading deeper into the forest. "When I learned of their abilities, I believed they might be able to help me."

"They are my children, Riordyn, and I cannot allow you to put them in danger!" When Riordyn turned to face him, Rafe struck him hard in the chest, knocking him backward into the rough bark of a tree. In a blur of speed he delivered several more blows to Riordyn's chest and stomach. "What if they had died?" he snapped, slamming a fist into Riordyn's face. Blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering to the ground.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he splayed his arms wide. "Do your worst, Rafe," he breathed, trying to catch his breath. "It is no more than I deserve for all I have done."

With a low growl rumbling in his throat, Rafe lowered his fists. "Genevieve told me you tried to talk her out of letting the girls help you – still you should have known better than to involve my children in this."

"I am running out of time," he said as if that justified endangering the lives of two innocent children. "I have to find Jenna and save my lifemate."

"If she is as powerful as I believe her to be, you cannot face her on your own. You do not have the strength to stand against her. She already hurt you once and stole your lifemate from you. If you had not somehow escaped you would be dead. Next time she will kill you both."

"Better you should continue to beat the hell out of me than to expound on all the ways I am not capable of protecting my lifemate." Dragging his shirt sleeve across his mouth, he wiped away the blood dripping down his chin. "What would you have me do, Rafe? Am I to sit here while you and the others rescue my lifemate?"

"Tell me where you believe her to be, and I will save her for you as you saved Genevieve for me. You are my twin, and as such I can fool the mage into believing I am you."

"I cannot allow you to do that. I have already failed my lifemate, and now her life is in danger because of the choice I made." He stared down at his once powerful hands. To him they didn't appear any different, and yet he knew if he went up against a vampire, it would kill him in a matter of seconds. What chances have I against the dark magic of a mage? "I will face her on my own."

"You will die," came a commanding voice from behind him, and Rafe didn't fail to notice him jump startled. He pivoted on his heel to find Gregori only a few feet behind him, and he wasn't alone. Another Carpathian with amber eyes and dark raven hair stood beside him. From the fleeting hopeful expression crossing his hawkish features, Riordyn gathered he was still young enough to still feel emotions. "This is Conleth," Gregori went on to say, motioning to the muscular man. "Although he hid his trail well enough for someone so young, I tracked him from where you were found by Julian. He is the one who brought you to your cousin."

"Then you know what happened to my brother?" Rafe asked, closing the distance between himself and Conleth. Conleth held his ground, and met Rafe's unwavering gaze. "Why would you leave my brother when he was close to death?"

"I had no choice in the matter," Conleth said, glancing back and forth between Riordyn and Rafe. "You should not have searched for me. I can be of no help to you as I have sworn on my honor not to divulge the identity of your lifemate."

"You know my lifemate?" Riordyn asked.

Conleth gave a curt nod. "I spent many months protecting her from you and the mage."

Riordyn's brows furrowed. "Protecting her from me?"

"When I took her from you, you lost your mind. If it were not for what she did to save you, you would have turned vampire."

"What did she do?" Gregori said, silver eyes narrowing menacingly on Conleth.

"She ended his life," Conleth said after a lengthy pause. "He was addicted to the mage's blood, and it drove him to madness."

"He lies!" Riordyn snapped, noticing the look passing between Gregori and Rafe. "I would not drink mage blood! And if she ended my life, how am I still alive?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out," Gregori said. "Somehow you were brought back from death, and for the sake of our people I need to know how it was accomplished."

"You actually believe him?"

"Yes, we do," Rafe said, and turning back to face Riordyn, he rested a hand on his shoulder. "I know this has been difficult for you. I believed you dead for five long years, and I know you must have suffered in that time. Had you come to me, I would have helped you as I am offering to do now."

"I do not need your help!" Riordyn swatted his brother's arm away, and turned his back on the three Carpathians. "I will find my lifemate on my own, and will rid myself of the mage once and for all!"

"You will make the wrong choice once again," Conleth uttered his tone condemning. "She knows how you think, and will use that knowledge to destroy you."

Teeth gritted, Riordyn swung back and lunged at Conleth. Fisting his hands into the younger Carpathian's shirt, he drove him backward into a tree. "You with tell me who my lifemate is!"

"If I tell you who she is, you will both die!" Conleth grasped hold of his wrists, and yanked them away from his shirt. His fingers tightened around Riordyn's skin. "This was your lifemate's decision not mine. You broke her heart and crushed her soul when you chose another over her. Yet, for all the pain you have caused her, she is giving you a second chance to make things right." His nails bit deep into Riordyn's flesh, leaving him with the distinct impression that Conleth wasn't happy with his lifemate's decision.

"And how does he make things right?" Rafe asked, stepping forward to push his way in between Riordyn and Conleth. "You will tell us!"

When Conleth remained silent, Riordyn muttered, "I have to pick her. My heart must decide who my true lifemate is without the aid of colors and new found emotions to guide me. If I cannot do that than I am lost and so is she."

"The mage will use her dark magic to deceive you," Gregori said, and once again he and Rafe held each other's gaze. "For the sake of your lifemate, Rafe and I will search out the mage, and end her life," he added in a tone meant to brook no argument.

"He must do this on his own," Conleth said. "If he does not regain his honor, his memories and abilities will be lost forever."

"I do not care about my memories or the strength and power I lost. All I care about is my lifemate. If it is her wish that I do this alone, I can do no other than to see this through to the end by myself."