Chapter 26
As Carissa emerged from the lair out into the night, everything was different. The moon was brighter, she could hear even the slightest wind rustle a single leaf on a tree. Even her skin felt different. It was all so unreal. She felt like she was in some sort of a dream and suddenly excited to explore her new world. She flushed at the thought of being intimate with the twins came to her mind. Would it be even more amazing now that she was fully Carpathian?
Samuel, who was standing next to her, let out a heavy sigh. "If you keep thinking like that, I'll take you back inside to our bed. Then we'll never leave."
"I wish that were the case," Carissa replied sadly. After she woke, they had a serious discussion about seeing the Prince. Fearful that she might be separated from them, Carissa had the urge to flee. But the twins remained firm. Even if they tried, apparently the bodyguard of the Prince would hunt them down. She found it hard to believe anyone could outwit or defeat her lifemates.
"I'm pleased to hear you call us lifemates," said Pierce who came to stand on the other side of her. "And while I'm also flattered by your thoughts of our abilities, we are not invincible. We are still quite young compared to other Carpathian males and have never faced a true master vampire. Our skills still need to develop with time."
Samuel snorted. "Speak for yourself." He grinned at Carissa. "There's nothing wrong with my abilities. I'm sure I could take down a master vampire any day."
His twin shook his head. "It's exactly that way of thinking which always gets us into trouble, Samuel."
"While you would prefer just to avoid a fight all together."
Carissa rolled her eyes. "Will you both stop? I pay you both a compliment with my thoughts and it turns into some huge argument."
"Exactly," replied Samuel. "He can't even take a compliment."
"Or perhaps I'm being realistic."
"Can we change the subject, please?" asked Carissa with exasperation.
"We could think about the bed again," volunteered Samuel.
Pierce frowned. "We can't delay this any longer."
"See? There he goes again," complained Samuel. "I think about something exciting and he brings us down."
Carissa gave a large sigh. "Look, let's just get this over with. I already suggested running but neither of you agreed."
Pierce reached out and held her hand. "We cannot run forever."
"And Gregori would find us," said Samuel. "He is known as the Dark One for good reason."
Tears stung her eyes. "Fine. How are we getting there?"
The twins looked at each other, both wanting nothing more than to soothe their lifemate. But there wasn't anything either could do to make her feel better in this situation.
"We'll fly," answered Samuel, hoping to get her mind off of things for a moment.
"Fly?"
"As owls," he said with a grin. "I'll help you transform."
"I can't turn into an owl!" protested Carissa.
"Of course you can," said Samuel. He nodded at Pierce. "Watch."
His twin hesitated, but went along and changed into a large, black owl. He flew up into a nearby tree. Landing on a branch, he looked down at them with glowing, yellow eyes.
"Now its your turn," said Samuel.
"Ah…I don't think so."
"Oh come on, it will be fun."
Fun? Carissa blinked as she looked up at Pierce. "What if I fall out of the sky or something?"
"You can't fall if you're flying."
"But I don't know how to fly."
Samuel laughed. "Carissa, if you are an owl, you'll know how to fly."
She frowned, but it seemed as if she had little choice. "Okay, so what do I need to do?"
"I'll hold the image in your mind," explained Samuel.
Carissa didn't understand but then saw an image of a small brown owl. "It's cute."
"It's your image within the bird."
"Oh. Okay so now what?"
"Focus on the image," said Samuel patiently.
There was a curious wrenching of her bones, but she didn't feel any pain. Then she was staring up at Samuel who was now towering over her. And she had wings! She stretched them out and flapped them.
Samuel chuckled and then transformed into the same black owl as his twin. Fly, Carissa!
She flapped her wings even harder and let out a hooting sound when she lifted herself into the air. She couldn't believe she was actually doing it. It was scary and exciting at the same time. She managed to land in the tree where Pierce was watching her. She felt a little clumsy, but knew she'd get the hang of it.
Samuel took off into the sky and Pierce followed him. Both owls circled, waiting for her. Inwardly, Carissa drew a deep breath and then jumped off the branch. Unfortunately, she fell, rather than flew and panicked. But the image in her mind reappeared to where she saw herself flying, not falling. And that's exactly what she was doing. She laughed and swooped up in to the air, the twins encircling her, sharing in her joy of what it felt like to fly.
Are you having fun? asked Pierce who sounded like he was smiling.
This is amazing! she replied with happiness. How high can I fly?
Not too high or you will give us both heart attacks.
That might be fun, she replied, knowing she'd make Pierce nervous.
Not as much as fun as this! said Samuel as he suddenly swooped down on her. Carissa tried to scream which she found didn't really work in the shape of an owl. Instead she gave a distressed screech and lost her focus. She felt like her body was returning, like she was no longer in the shape of an owl.
Carissa! Pierce concentrated, making sure to hold the image in her mind. To his relief, she returned to the owl form, and flew back at Samuel. His twin only laughed when she tried to attack him. Pierce inwardly shook his head in irritation as she chased after Samuel. Impatiently, he called out to both of them. We cannot delay this meeting much longer.
See? asked Samuel. He's no fun at all.
Carissa knew Pierce was right. She took a few more minutes diving and swooping through the air until finally circling back. The twins descended and flanked her on both sides as they set off into the night. The moon was shining brightly, and her owl eyes could make out huge mountains in the distance. The twins flew high and she struggled to keep up with them as the air grew colder. Higher and higher they flew until she saw what appeared to be an enormous home nestled into the side of one of the mountains.
As they flew closer, Carissa shivered as she saw what looked like a pair of silver eyes watching them from the balcony that wrapped around the entire house. When they landed on the railing, the man gave them no warm welcome as he turned and opened a large set of French glass doors. Without even gesturing for them to follow, he simply disappeared inside the house.
Carissa hopped off the rail and was surprised when she landed on her human feet. Samuel and Pierce stood on each side of her, but when she moved to walk forward, the twins made a point to have her slightly behind both of them. She wanted to protest until she looked at their faces. She'd never seen them with so little expression, as if they'd lost all emotion.
When they entered the home, Carissa gave a slight gasp as she walked through what appeared to be an enormous room with high ceilings. Windows were abundant and it was decorated in an old world style of furniture and paintings, some no doubt hundreds of years old. The room was illuminated by soft lights, making the room feel comfortable despite its enormous size. Their footsteps on the wood floor echoed in the room and Carissa peered around the twins. She almost stopped when she realized a number of people had gathered on the other side of the room. Most of them were male, tall and elegant like her lifemates. But their eyes were piercing, as if they'd already passed some sort of guilty sentence on the three of them.
Mikhail watched as the twins and the small female approached. He felt the tension growing in the room for good reason. Mikhail's own blood was beginning to grow heated as soon as he realized the three of them had completed the ritual. The thought that two males had joined with one female made him feel sick. Had they forced this poor woman to do their bidding? Why had Pierce disobeyed his command?
"That's close enough," said Gregori in a gruff voice.
Mikhail tried to look past the twins to catch a glimpse of the woman, but Samuel and Pierce purposefully blocked his view.
Which made him only more agitated.
Pierce tried to speak first. "Mikhail, I know-"
"Let me see her," said the Prince in a low voice.
Carissa cringed at the sound of the commanding voice. It was obvious the man had to be the Prince and he didn't sound pleased. Samuel and Pierce stiffened, probably fighting their instinct to protect her. She gently tugged on Pierce's sleeve, indicating it was okay to move aside. He reluctantly allowed her to step forward and she found a tall man dressed in a sapphire blue silk shirt with dark hair and matching eyes watching her. To her surprise, he fully bowed to her in an old world style.
"Please forgive my manners. My name is Mikhail." He straightened and gave her a sincere smile, trying to place the female at ease. He noted she was small, with a delicate face. Her skin had a soft glow, indicating she'd recently fed and he tried not to frown at the thought that both brothers gave her blood. She was still nervous, her eyes darting from him to those around him.
Gregori was of course right next to Mikhail, distrustful of the situation even more so now than ever. The entire council was also here, not only curious to see if there were actually twins claiming to have one lifemate, but to ascertain if this was a new threat to their species. The last several years had made them weary of anything different as it seemed vampires were always finding new ways to penetrate their defenses.
Carissa didn't have to guess which one was the bodyguard to the Prince. The man with silver eyes looked downright scary now that she saw him up close. It was no wonder he hadn't given them a warm greeting on the balcony because it didn't look like he was even capable of being friendly. And those eyes were marking her lifemates with the possibility that he'd strike them down in an instant if he thought any harm would befall the Prince.
"Please, don't be afraid. Come forward."
Carissa looked at the Prince who obviously wanted a better look at her. He was probably thinking she needed to be closely examined.. Pierce and Samuel warned her that most would think she was under the influence of a vampire.
She raised her chin. "I think I'd prefer to stay by my lifemates, thank you."
The room erupted into whispers but went silent when Gregori narrowed his eyes at anyone that was talking. Mikhail tried to be patient. "I mean you no harm, Miss…?"
"Brooks," she replied in a curt voice. "My name is Carissa Brooks."
He gave her another smile. "Miss Brooks. It is an honor to meet you." He turned his attention to Pierce, his eyes growing serious. "Explain yourself."
"Carissa is our lifemate," said Pierce. He said it firmly, as if there was no longer any question.
"You truly believe that," said Gregori in a hard tone.
"I do."
Lucian spoke up. "You have broken our laws and used this special female to protect yourselves. It is an impossibility for both of you to be her lifemate."
Pierce felt Samuel's hands curl into fists. He was worried that his twin's anger would soon get the best of him. "Last evening you all gave me logical reasons as to why the three of us could not be lifemates. But I tell you here and now that the three of us share one soul."
Mikhail sadly shook his head. "Do you now deny your brother admitted he was close to turning?"
"I can speak for myself," glowered Samuel.
Gregori's gaze never wavered. "Step away from her."
Samuel actually growled and Carissa felt a stab of fear. She took hold of Samuel's arm and glared at the man with silver eyes. "He is my lifemate. Both of them belong to me." She grew even more scared when there was the sound of soft laughter from some in the room. She felt small and insignificant in comparison to those who may be hundreds of years old.
Mikhail glanced at some of the ancients in the room who appeared to actually be amused with how determined the petite female was to prove both twins were her lifemates. However, others on the council weren't laughing at all and looking at Mikhail. The Prince could tell they did not approve of him allowing this charade to go on any longer than necessary.
He looked toward the doorway, sending a quick message with his mind and Raven appeared. As usual, she took his breath away and her waves of reassurance brought him the calmness he needed for this situation. He held out his hand and Raven smiled as her fingers entwined with his. Mikhail looked back at Carissa who was staring at her. "May I introduce my lifemate, Raven."
Carissa blinked, unsure if the woman across the room was even real. She was beautiful with long, black hair and perfect ivory skin. There was absolutely no doubt she was lifemate to the Prince with how he was looking at her. It was also clear the man with the silver eyes was even more displeased that she was in the room, probably because he was thinking one of the twins was a vampire.
Raven smiled. "Hello, Carissa. It's nice to meet you."
Carissa suddenly felt shy and looked down at the floor. It was hard to concentrate with so many people looking at her and she certainly didn't compare to Raven.
There is no comparison, said Pierce, as you are the only one for us.
Carissa was grateful for his words and she drew a deep breath and looked at Raven. "It's nice to meet you as well, although I wish it were under different circumstances."
Raven's eyes looked at her with sympathy. "You recently converted. It's very hard to adjust to this new world so quickly. I had little choice myself when it happened."
"You were human?"
"Yes, I was injured and Mikhail saved me. It took some time, but I am grateful now for this life. I can imagine this is especially a difficult time for you."
"You said you had little choice," said Carissa, "but the truth is I made the choice. I asked both of my lifemates to complete the ritual." More murmurs were heard in the room, as if they didn't believe her.
"Carissa," said Raven, "how do you know for sure both are your lifemates?"
"How do you know the Prince is yours?"
"I know what you are feeling is very intense," she replied. "But are both with you continuously? Have both been in your mind all the time?"
Carissa bit her lip. She knew Raven was questioning if it was possible for one of the twins or even both to be capable of manipulating her. "As they are my lifemates, of course they are in my mind all the time."
"Is that what they are telling you to say?" asked a tall male with blonde hair and golden eyes.
Pierce shook his head. "Julian, as you are a twin yourself, I know this is hard for you to accept…"
"Accept?" the golden warrior asked with a hiss. "How about outright wrong? It's bad enough to say you're sharing a female with another male, but your own brother? Your twin?"
Mikhail, in his diplomatic nature, tried to ease the tension. "We all have questions," he said calmly, "which is why they are here and of their own free will."
Lucian spoke in a rough voice. "Julian is only voicing what the rest of us are already thinking, Mikhail. This goes against every law, not mention it is morally wrong. It sickens me that these two have used an innocent female of our species when so many of our males are turning." He looked at Samuel with contempt. "You dare to hide behind your twin and his lifemate? You are not worthy of her."
That did it. Samuel launched himself at Lucian and Carissa screamed. The man with the silver eyes moved so quickly, she didn't even understand what happened except to find him blocking the Prince and Samuel on the floor. She cried out and dropped to her knees when she saw blood seeping through Samuel's shirt on his right shoulder.
Samuel glanced up at Gregori and grinned, making sure his fangs were revealed. "You must be getting old, Dark One." Carissa looked at the man with silver eyes and was shocked to see a thin line of blood form from a scratch on his neck.
Gregori spoke in a low voice. "You're lucky to even be alive at the moment. To fight one of us, especially in such close proximately to the Prince, is unforgivable."
"I wasn't in any danger," said Mikhail who pushed past Gregori. He had instantly pulled Raven away the moment Samuel attacked as he was more worried about her safety.
"True," snorted Lucian. "A mere fledgling such as this probably wouldn't last long."
"I'd like to see you try without your little brother protecting you," shot back Samuel.
"Enough of this!" snapped Mikhail in a sudden, deep voice.
Carissa froze, feeling the power which emulated from the Prince. When she looked at him, it was obvious he was a powerful leader, a look of warning on his face if those in the room did not obey him. Samuel was in pain, but never showed it in his expression. Instead, he gracefully stood without her help. Pierce bent down and helped Carissa stand and she leaned against him, feeling suddenly tired from all the tension. She was also surprised to find that he shoulder hurt. While she didn't feel any blood, she felt Samuel's pain.
Mikhail gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes, trying to remain calm. The SongMaker would have been a welcomed advisor to him at this point. His only solution at the moment was to continue the inquiry. When he looked at Pierce, it was then he realized blood was seeping through the young Carpathian's shirt on the same shoulder where Samuel had been injured.
Gregori reached out to Mikhail on their private link. This leaves no doubt it is Samuel who is manipulating this union.
How can you be so certain?
He is more emotional and the wound immediately appeared on Pierce. He is reflecting onto his twin, making Pierce believe they share a soul.
It was hard to know what to believe. Mikhail looked at the twins. "Both of you remove your shirts." They were momentarily surprised but did as he asked. The wounds to their shoulders were exactly identical. The Prince looked at Pierce. "Take a moment to heal yourself." He then looked over at Samuel. "But not you. I want your mind open so I know you are not doing so."
Pierce connected to Samuel. He wants to see that when I heal myself, it will also heal you.
Samuel grimaced. It won't work and you know it. It would have been more convincing if you had been severely injured and then it appeared on me. They think I'm the one who is the vampire.
Carissa squeezed Pierce's hand. I don't understand. Why won't it work? Why is it that you both only can cause injury to one another but not heal?
We don't have all the answers, Carissa. Nothing like this has ever happened before. And Samuel did recover when I needed blood when you flew with him, remember? Perhaps it has to be truly life threatening to work.
Mikhail's voice cut into their thoughts. "I know you are talking to one another. Pierce, heal yourself or Gregori will do it for you."
Pierce swallowed hard, taking a moment to gather himself. Then he went inside his body, seeking the wound and healing it. When he opened his eyes, Pierce looked at his twin. Just as they feared, blood was still running down his arm, the injury to Samuel's shoulder still the same.
Mikhail's face was grim as he looked at Carissa. "My duty is to protect our race. As such, I cannot allow whatever this is to continue."
Tears stung Carissa's eyes. "Please. I can't live without either of them! My shoulder is still aching as a direct result from Samuel. You have to believe me. If anything happens to him, it will happen to me too. I wanted this. I asked them to bind us together. Don't you understand? I would die for either of them!"
The room erupted with discussion. The ancients were appalled that a young woman could be manipulated like this. What did this mean? How was it that Samuel appeared to his twin as still Carpathian when really he turned?
Mikhail held up his hand for silence. When the room quieted down, the Prince looked at Carissa. "Samuel must be removed."
"You're going to kill him?" she cried.
Mikhail tried to calm her, surprised at her strong reaction that something might happen to Samuel. "We will separate him from you. He will submit himself for fully examination by the council," the Prince explained. "We will keep him isolated for a while, ensuring that we have the time needed to assess the situation."
Samuel clenched his hands into fists, but stepped forward. Two tall Carpathian males approached, ready to remove him from the room.
Desperate, Carissa let go of Pierce and threw her arms around Samuel's neck. "Please don't do this! I can't bear the thought of being separated from him!"
Samuel was eerily calm and turned to fully accept her embrace. I will touch your mind, Carissa. You won't be without me.
"But I need more than that!" she said out loud. "I need all of you. Now that we are bound together, I can't do this. I'm not strong enough. Please," she whispered as tears streaked down her cheeks. "Don't let them do this."
"Carissa," said Samuel, "I know Pierce will take care of you no matter what happens." He removed her arms from his neck and gave her hand to his twin. "This is the only way," he said softly.
She glared at the Prince. "What if you're wrong? If you hurt him, you hurt me. If he dies, I die. Do you want that on your own soul?"
Mikhail had been watching her closely, still thinking about her strong reaction. Gregori, what if she speaks the truth?
It's simply not possible, Mikhail.
Mikhail was silent. Or worse, what evil may have caused it?
Gregori shook his head. For what purpose? The only logical explanation is Samuel has turned and we must examine him. Samuel may have some dark connection to her with his blood. It could be something new we have not seen before which is causing such a strong reaction.
Mikhail looked down at Carissa. "I'm sorry." He looked past her. "Darius and Vikirnoff, take him into holding where he will be guarded at all times. Samuel, if you try to escape, I will have no choice but to condemn you. Otherwise, I will not pass a judgment until we've had more time."
Samuel raised his head. "I am no vampire, therefore, I have no need to run." He looked at Pierce. "Take care of her and trust no one."
Pierce watched helplessly as Darius and Vikirnoff came forward to escort him to a secret location where the council would look further into his mind. But Carissa broke away from him, running to Samuel. He caught her in his arms, bending down to give her one last embrace.
"Enough," demanded Vikirnoff. He pulled Carissa away who was now sobbing and gave her to Pierce. He turned back to Samuel and was about to lead him away when a deep voice cut through the room.
"What is going on here?"
Every head turned, including Mikhail, to see Armando, the SongMaker standing in the doorway.
Author's note: Thanks for the increased reviews from the last chapter! -Anne