Another chapter...thanks for reading and a special thanks for those who took the time to share their thoughts with me. bambers:)

Chapter Fourteen

Three months ago . . . .

For two months Conleth watched over Jenna, and slowly she began to respond to him. At first she would only turn her head at the sound of his melodic voice. Then after a while, she gave small gestures such as a blink or a nod in response to something he said or did. Every night he spent massaging and working her muscles to keep them strong in order to support her body when she came out of the catatonic state she'd fallen under when Riordyn chose the mage as his lifemate.

For the first month he struggled to get her to eat human food, and rapidly grew discouraged when instead of gaining weight, she lost it instead. Not knowing what else to do, he converted her into a Carpathian in hope that she would live. Surprisingly he only needed to make two blood exchanges before she underwent the conversion, and caught unaware he wasn't prepared for the painful ordeal she endured. Somewhere in all the time Riordyn spent with Jenna he had made the first exchange, binding her to him, yet he failed to follow through in making her his lifemate.

He does not deserve you, he repeated over and over again to her every night, and sometimes it would bring a small smile to her lips.

With his blood flowing through her veins, her body filled out and the dark smudges beneath her eyes slowly faded away. Sleeping beside him beneath the healing soil, strengthened her muscles and eased away the madness in her mind. And then came the day when she finally spoke. His heart skipped a beat at how soft and alluring her voice was, and for a moment he wished she was his lifemate instead of Riordyn's.

"He's never coming to find me, is he?" she whispered, pushing herself upward in the bed he placed her in every night upon rising from deep beneath the earth.

"I have not told him where we are," he answered truthfully. Taking a seat beside her, he grasped hold of her hand. "I fear the mage controls his mind, csitri. And it is my hope that my blood will be enough to break the bond you have with him. I will not have you die for a man who has no honor." Her eyes filled with tears, and he gently brushed them away as they rolled down her cheeks. "He does not deserve your tears, little one."

"How long has he been with her?"

Conleth hesitated in his answer knowing it would only serve to shatter what was left of her heart. "Since I brought you here, it had been a little over three months," he finally said, lowering his gaze when more tears slipped down her cheeks. "Do you know who I am?" he asked to divert the conversation away from Riordyn.

"Conleth." She gave him a faint smile. "I remember you talking to me every night, telling me about yourself and all the things you've seen and done." Biting at her lower lip, her eyes narrowed on him. "How old are you? You look around nineteen or twenty at most, but from what you've told me about yourself, I know you're a lot older than that."

"I'm four hundred and twenty-eight years old," he chuckled, brushing a hand through his unruly raven hair. "So I guess you could say I am around your age. My brothers Cahal and Seamus are much older than me – they lost their emotions and the ability to see color a long time ago. It is hard on them to deal with someone such as myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Colors are fading from my life, but I still cling to my emotions. It is my hope that I find my lifemate before I lose all emotion. Though it would make it harder to find my true lifemate if that were the case."

Her brows knit together in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would it be harder to find your lifemate?"

"When we find our lifemate she brings color and emotion back into our lives."

"That's not true." Shaking her head, she pulled her hand away from his. "If it were, Riordyn would have known all along that I was his true lifemate. His emotions were fully intact from the moment I met him." Lower lip quivering, she hung her legs over the side of the bed, and bowed her head. "He – he didn't want me as his lifemate," she mumbled under her breath, holding her head in her hands, and weaving her fingers through her thick, wavy hair. "His emotions returned but he didn't want me –"

"No, that is not the case." Cursing under his breath, he wrapped an arm around her. "Riordyn told me his emotions returned several years before he met you. He was captured by humans, and whatever they did to him, it caused his emotions to return. He believed his feelings for you were wrong and would damn you both if he succumbed to them. Still he could not let you go even though no color returned to his world."

"You say that but he never tried to find me when I left him to go to the Carpathian Mountains. And he isn't looking for me now either."

"He is not in his right mind." Pushing to his feet, he paced back and forth in front of her as he gathered his thoughts. He feared if he told her the truth about her lifemate, she would risk her own life trying to save him. Does he deserve to be saved? When Riordyn first told him about the mage and how she deceived him into believing she was his true lifemate, he honestly believed he deserved a chance to find happiness with Jenna. But as months went by, and Riordyn slipped further and further into darkness, his feelings on the matter changed. "He is not the man you knew, Jenna. When I took you from him, it was to save you from him." Licking at his suddenly dry lips, he turned to face her. "He was drinking her blood, and the madness burned red in his eyes."

Her hand flying up to cover her mouth, Jenna drew in a sharp breath. She shook her head in disbelief, but in her glistening eyes he saw that she knew it was true. "You have to take me to him. I can save him . . . please I have to try to undo the damage she's done."

"What if he is so lost, he kills you?" Conleth's chest tightened at the thought of putting her in harm's way. "No, I cannot allow it. It is not what he would want for you."

"He lost the right to decide what's best for me when he claimed her as his lifemate!" Chin tilted defiantly, she stood on wobbly legs, and grasped hold of the bedpost to keep from falling. "I'm not a weak little girl anymore. I am strong enough to fight for what's mine, and God help the person who stands in my way!"

"For some reason, I seriously doubt you were ever a weak little girl," he chuckled, slipping an arm behind her back to support her as she tried to walk. "You need to take it slow, little one. Although you are Carpathian now, you still have not used your legs in a long time."

"Carpathian? No . . . Riordyn never – y-you turned me?" Eyes widening, the color drained from her face. "How could you do this to me? How could you bind me to you? You're not my lifemate!" Pushing hard against him, she struggled to free herself from his hold. He swung her around, and wrapped his other arm around her, pinning her to his chest.

"I did not speak the ancient words to bind us as lifemates, csitri," he murmured, using the melodic tone of his voice to calm her. "Maybe it was wrong of me to convert you, but I saw no other way to save you."

"What if Riordyn doesn't see it that way?"

"Then he is a fool and not worthy of you."

Luckily she seemed to accept his answer, and over the next few weeks he helped her regain her strength and taught her how to transform into animals or mist at will. Often she would grow quiet, and without being told what was on her mind, he knew she was thinking about how to save Riordyn from the mage. He'd been giving it a lot of thought himself, yet he couldn't figure out a way to break the hold she had on him.

He reached out to his brothers for help, but for all their age and wisdom, neither could think of a way to defeat the mage without killing Riordyn in the process. His brothers urged him to continue sharing his blood with Jenna to strength his bond with her. Since Riordyn failed to convert her and never spoke the ancient words to bind them as lifemates, his brothers believed the bond Conleth created with her would be strong enough to keep her alive if Riordyn couldn't be saved.

Your duty is to protect Jenna, Cahal told him repeatedly, and Seamus agreed. No matter his reasons, he still betrayed his lifemate, and continues to do so.

You are still young, little brother, Seamus added, do not allow your emotions to sway you from making the right decision.

I will not endanger her life to save him, Conleth assured his brothers. If given no other choice I will kill him along with the mage.

"You're quiet tonight," Jenna said, breaking in on his conversation with his brothers. "What are you thinking about?"

"I was trying to decide when we should leave the Carpathian Mountains and return to the states," he lied, wishing he could keep her safely tucked away in his mountain home forever. "You have learned much in these last four weeks – I am a good teacher."

"And you're modest, too." Rolling her eyes, she grinned. "I'm sure it had nothing to do with all my hard work and endless practice."

"I am glad you agree with me," he chuckled, lightly grasping hold of her hand. Together they strolled through the forest in amicable silence. In the distance he heard a wolf howl a low warning, and sensing it was another Carpathian, he steered her away from the danger. "We must be careful, csitri. There is a vampire in the area, and I do not want him to know of your presence. Another Carpathian is hunting it at the moment, but if need should arise, I will go and aid him."

She paused in her steps, and turned to look at him. "I won't be the girl someone feels they need to protect again, Conleth. I'm keeping you from finding your own lifemate and your duty to your people. That's not what I want."

"I am in no hurry to find a lifemate just yet, and as I said, I will not hesitate to aid another Carpathian if he should have need of my services. For now though, I am quite content in your company."

"I don't want to rely on you," she said, tilting her chin in stubborn determination. "And I don't want anything to happen to you because of me. If you died helping me . . . ." her voice trailed off, and she started walking again at a faster pace.

"You worry that I am too young to protect you? I will admit I do not have as many years of experience as your lifemate, but I am not weak, Jenna."

"I don't think you're weak," she hastily assured him. "But if you died at Riordyn's hands, I would never forgive him or myself."

"Now you injure my pride," he said with a playful wink. "I would like to believe I am capable of handling one mentally insane Carpathian no matter how many years he has lived."

"This isn't a joke, Conleth. You may not be worried about what he could do to you, but I do."

With her growing concern for his welfare, he realized he couldn't put off returning to the states any longer. "I have done you no favor in trying to shelter you from what is to come. We will leave for your homeland upon our next rising."

"You're not even listening to me, are you?" she huffed, pushing her bangs out of eyes. "I tell you he might kill you, and you just blow it off as if he's a harmless puppy."

"I am not afraid to die."

"That's all well and good for you, but I like the idea of you being alive when this is all over."

"As I am hopeful that the same could be said for you and your lifemate."

She chewed at her lower lip, something he noticed she did whenever she was contemplating something. He waited patiently for her to speak again, and secretly he wished she would ask that they put off traveling to America for a while longer. If she did, he might be able to persuade her into letting him go alone. The last thing he wanted to do was kill Riordyn in front of her eyes, and he wasn't so certain that wouldn't be the case.

"I know a way to save him," she uttered, swallowing hard and he noticed she was trembling. "The only thing is, if it doesn't work – if he doesn't choose right this time," she swallowed again, "he'll be killing both of us."

"Whatever you are thinking of doing, I cannot allow it."

"It is already done," she said before he could make any further objection. "You have to take me home, Conleth. Jinn-Si is waiting for my return."

He whipped around and gripped hold of her shoulders. "What have you done?"

"I challenged her." She gave a one shoulder shrug as if it was no big deal. "She thinks I am not strong enough to beat her, but she doesn't realize I won't be facing her alone."

"I am glad to see your faith in me is restored, but I do not like you challenging her. She is more powerful than you might think, and she controls your lifemate."

"My faith in your abilities was never in question, but I wasn't referring to you when I said I wouldn't be alone."

Conleth hated her plan, and made that fact known the whole way back to Riordyn's lair in America. He expounded on all the ways in which it could go wrong, stressing all the ways she could die.

"You worry too much," was her stock response along with "I can take care of myself."

By the time they reached the cave where he first found her, he was ready to tie her up and lock her away until he killed the mage. Better still, he would command her to sleep until she came to her senses. Of course he would do that right after he found Riordyn and beat him within an inch of his life for removing every piece of furniture from the cave, leaving it cold and empty.

"I will fix this," he vowed over Jenna's quiet sobs. "I am certain if he knew you were returning home he would have prepared for your arrival." From memory he recreated everything he recalled from her bedroom and the outer area. "Men are stupid sometimes," he added, filling the cave with fragrant flowers of every variety. "And do not forget, he is insane."

She giggled through her tears, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "I believe everything is now as you left it." When her gaze strayed to the bed, he added, "Well, that is not entirely true. I noticed from your clothing you prefer shades of purple so I took the liberty of changing your comforter and sheets from blue to amethyst. I can change it back if you would like."

"No," she ran her fingers over the comforter, "I like the color."

Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "I think it would be for the best if you wait a few days before you try to contact Riordyn. It was a long journey and you need your rest." He purposely failed to mention that most likely Riordyn wouldn't be happy to see her, and he feared leaving her alone with him.

"Did you think I would not sense her presence the moment she returned?" came a dark melodic voice from behind him, and he pivoted around to find Riordyn framed in the doorway. His eyes burned red, and there were still traces of blood on his lips. "You would think to keep what is mine from me?"

"You claimed another as your lifemate, Riordyn," Conleth reminded him, moving to place himself between Riordyn and Jenna. "Jenna does not belong to you – and that is of your own doing."

"I would argue that it is not your place to say who Jenna belongs to," Riordyn countered, tilting his head to look beyond him at Jenna. "If you stand in the way of what is mine, I will not think twice about killing you."

He took a step forward, but paused when Conleth said, "She is fully Carpathian – I need only speak the words, and she will be bound to me forever. Do not think to force my hand or I will claim her!"

You can't do that, Jenna protested through their shared mental pathway. I won't let you bind yourself to me when you have a lifemate out there waiting for you to find her.

Do not worry, little one, I have no intention of claiming you as my own. But he does not know that.

Riordyn's upper lip flared, revealing razor sharp fangs. Then suddenly changing tactics, his fangs retracted, and he addressed Jenna directly. "Jenna, I only wish to speak with you alone. When I heard nothing from Conleth, I feared you were dead, and it drove me to madness. Now all I wish is to hold you in my arms so I will know you are not a cruel dream meant to torment me further."

Do not listen to him, Jenna, Conleth cautioned even though he knew it would do no good. Even if it is true that he loves you, it will not stop him from hurting you if the mage commands it of him.

I have to believe his love for me is stronger than her dark magic or there is no hope for either of us. "Conleth, can you please leave so I can speak with Riordyn alone?"

You do not know what you ask me to do. If any harm should come to you, I will never be able to forgive myself.

I need to do this to see if there is a chance of saving him. If I think he might hurt me, I promise I'll dissolve into mist and escape.

Against his better judgment, Conleth gave a curt nod. "I will not go far."

Jenna gave him a faint reassuring smile, and waited until after he was gone before she finally allowed herself to get a good look at Riordyn. Her hand flew to her mouth to cover her gasp when she saw his blood red eyes and disheveled appearance. His facial features had hardened menacingly, and if she didn't know better she would have sworn he was a vampire.

"Y-you have blood on your shirt," she uttered, pointing at the splatters of red trailing down his shirt. "Please tell me you didn't kill anyone."

"You know me better than to believe I would kill a human," he said, slowly closing the gap between them.

"You didn't answer the question," she said, needing to hear him say he didn't murder anyone.

"I swear to you I have never killed a human." With a slight wave of his hand, the shirt he wore disappeared, revealing his lean muscular abs and chest. "I was distracted when I sensed your presence, and did not realize I had spilled blood on my clothing." As he approached, she held out her hands to keep him at arm's length. "I have tried to make things right, sίvamet. Yet you still have not forgiven me as I have forgiven you for sharing blood with another man."

"I'm glad you've forgiven me for taking the blood that saved my life," she said sarcastically. "Would it have made you happier if I had died?"

"I do not wish to argue with you, Jenna," he murmured, and in a blur of motion, his arms were wrapped around her waist. "I know I am a fool. I truly believed I would damn us both if I claimed you as my lifemate, and I suffer for that mistake every night of my life. Can you not see I would do whatever it takes to be with you?"

His words sounded rehearsed as if he had said them over and over again until he believed they were remorseful enough to fool her. And maybe she would have believed him if his cold lifeless eyes hadn't given his deception away. "I hope you really mean that, Riordyn," she uttered, thinking of what the ancients told her when she called upon them to save him. "If it meant giving up everything you are and everything you know to be with me, would you still feel the same way?"

"To me you are the sun – you are the one perfect star shining so brightly in my otherwise dark world. And as the world could not survive without the sun, I cannot survive without you." Fingers tracing a path along her jaw, he lifted her head so she was looking him in the eyes. "Everything else does not matter."

"Then stay with me," she pleaded, giving him a chance to prove everything he said to her. "Don't go back to her when the sun rises. The only power she has over you is what you are willing to give her. Stay with me and prove to her that she cannot control you."

A low growl rumbled in his throat, and for as much as he claimed to care about her, he pushed her away from him. The ground beneath her feet trembled as his anger rose. "You are too young and naïve to understand how dangerous she is. If I were to stay, she would hurt you, and that I cannot allow."

"I didn't want to believe Conleth when he said you were addicted to her blood. But now I can see for myself that he was right. And what sickens me the most is the way you use me as your excuse to keep returning to her. You could have left her at any point once I was gone, but you stayed. Once you were strong and powerful, now you're just pathetic." Squaring her shoulders, she met his menacing gaze without flinching. "Since you're unwilling to help yourself, I'll take care of her myself."

"You will do no such thing!" he snarled, gripping hold of her arms. His sharpened nails dug into her skin. Blood dripped down her arm, splattered to the ground, and seeped into the soil. Wincing, she mentally sent a message for Conleth not to interfere when she sensed him moving swiftly through the tunnel. "If you die you will destroy us both!"

"It's too late for you to do anything about it! I've challenged her power, and she accepted."

"You cannot win against her, and I will not lose you." His tone turned pleading, and for the first time some of the red drained from his eyes. "I know I have done wrong, and continue to do so, but I can see no other way to keep you safe from harm. She vowed not to hurt you as long as I do as she says, and so far she has kept her word. Do not tempt her to enter your mind again, for this time she will kill you. It is the only thing I know for certain, and it is the only reason I have not risen up and killed her as I should." Resting his head against hers, his arms slid around her waist. "Please give me time to figure this out, and then we will be together as lifemates."

"I've been waiting for you to figure things out since the moment we met," she said, recalling all the ways she tried to make him see that they were meant to be together. "You never wanted me to be your lifemate. I always thought if I gave you enough time, you'd learn to love me like I loved you –"

"You speak as if your love for me is gone. If that is true, I have nothing left to live for."