Chapter 1

Skyler stepped out of the shower slowly grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her slowly sighing as steam swirled around her . "Skyler?" Francescasaid popping her head in the door. "Your dinner is ready! Can you get Tamara on your way down?" she ask smiling. "Sure Gabrial wouldn't want to get her himself?"

Francesca laughed, her musical voice lighting up the room. "Lord save Tamara if he does! I think she's tired of Gabrial and wants to get away, if you ask me." After Christmas he had been holding onto Tamara as much as possible, almost never letting her out of his sight. Not that he left Skyler on her own very much. She was almost always watched now.

A few minutes later Skyler came down the stairs holding the baby. She could smell the veggie soup that Francesca had made for her and Tamara. The baby had moved from bottles to some soft solid foods.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, her eyes clashed with a pair of piercing blue eyes. She pushed down the urge to run back up the stairs, with the baby and hide in her room. It was Dimitri.

Dimitri had been coming to the house every night to watch over Skyler. He still had a problem trusting Gabrial with his lifemate ever since the Christmas party.

Dimitri bowed slowly keeping eye contact with her all the time, brushing at her mind. "Hello Skyler." Skyler swallowed slowly nodding her head at him ignoring the heat in her stomach from seeing him. "Hi..." Skyler shifted the baby slightly in her arms. Her distress called her parents to the room. "Skyler your dinners waiting." Gabrial said taking baby Tamara from her arms. Skyler nodded rushing to the dinning room, trying to call her nerves back together. Leaving her father and lifemate behind.

When Skyler was out of ear shot Gabrial turned to face Dimitri scowling. "Why do you insist on coming here when you know you distress her." Gabrial asked softly.

"She is my lifemate Gabrial. I can feel her hurt in her ever since she learned of the memories she can not unlock for our people and knowing that it could mean life or death for them does not help her." he said sighing. "My heart will not allow her to be like that alone..."

Gabrial watched the younger male unable to combat him. He was right. Ever since the Christmas party, Skyler had drawn into herself and was increasingly quite. She had been trying to work with the healers and Natalya to unlock her memories but couldn't. Every time they couldn't unlock the hidden memories Skyler felt worse and worse. He sighed running his hands though his hair looking sadly to where Skyler had gone. What was he going to do...

Skyler stood outside on the balcony breathing in the fresh air. She took a deep breath trying to center her thoughts. Why couldn't she unlock her memories? Natalya kept saying she was getting stronger with every session but she kept falling into deeper despair.

She jumped up on the railing near the wall, and sat on it looking out over the forest and mountains. She was trying not to get stressed out but it was hard. She ONLY had the fate of the entire Carpathian race relying on her memories. She just wanted to get out of their and run free if just for a wile. To be normal for once. Just once!

Skyler leaned back against the wall closing her eyes and focused on breathing in and out. That's when she heard some soft noise. Her eyes flew open her head jerking up. Her ears strained to find where the noise came from. It sounded like...music? But who would be playing music in the snow?

Slowly Skyler jumped onto the forest floor, the cold crisp air hitting her face and started walking toward the music. It was a soft slow sound. She slowly started to walk toward the sound. It moved through her made her feel stronger. But why? The melody sounded so familiar! Where had she heard it before?

Skyler slowly started to run to the sound, snow hitting and melting against her face. She reached a clearing and skidded to a stop. There, in the middle of the felid was a woman. She had blue hair with a shine to it. She was slowly dancing in the soft cold wind her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Near her, leaning against a tree relaxed, was a man. Shocked she saw he had dark red hair and lizard like skin that was a light red, almost like a roses color. Looking closer she could see he was playing a flute, his eyes closed. He looked so calm. How did she know that music? Who were this people? She felt like she should know them but why? What was going on?

Skylers eyes wandered back to the woman and stayed locked on her movements. The music seamed to entrance her senses to the woman. Then she felt something move in her. Like it was trying to get out of her, clawing at her skin. The woman's eyes opened snapping to Skylers. Blue eyes met Skylers as they stared at each other. Images flashed through her mind, images that she had locked away. Dragons, blood, crying people, screaming women, red eyes, dragons? Pain burst through Skylers mind, tarring a scream from her throat, falling to her knees clutching her head.

More images flooded her mind. A mans blood red eyes looking into her mind, as his hand reached for her wrist, a knife in his hand. She could hear skin ripping, people screaming, animals screaming they're pain, a blue dragon in front of her. Then as quickly as they started...they went away. She could see a brown headed woman whispering to her, calling to her. She felt strong, untouchable! Something she hadn't felt before. Power surged through her body. Her mind seamed to once more burst through some barrier she hadn't put up. Pain sliced through her small body her back and lower back felt like it was ripping in places and bones pushed out. Her eyes burned as she tried to call out to anyone! The pain slowly left her body and she felt two arms around her body. Holding onto her and a voice in her head. A female voice chanting something. It wasn't the healing chant of the Carpathians. It was something else...something with more power. And then blackness consumed her. And she welcomed it.