"Esmeralda!" Diego called, alerting Vincent and I of their return. Diego's voice acted like cold water and I stepped away from Vincent and the wicked sensual spell he wove. Strangely, I didn't feel remorse, but my mind knew that I had to tread carefully from now on. Yet, I still felt the strange giddy high, almost as if this was the first boy I had ever crushed on.
"What?" I called back, trying to fight my embarassment. I felt the male satisfaction emanating from Vincent and tried to ignore that as well.
"You have an incoming visitor!" A joyful grin burst onto my face and I used my newfound strength to jump onto the tree branch and look around for Diego. I spotted him with the other Carpathians and I went to jump again when I felt an arm snake around my waist.
"We go together, mor-forwyn." I quirked an eyebrow at him, the words rubbing me the wrong way; he didn't have to be an ass about it. All he had to do was ask. He felt my slight annoyance and simply stared at me, showing me he was displeased with my action. I snarled at him, even going as far to bare my teeth. He may be gorgeous but seriously, he needed help with women. Just to screw with him, I connected with Diego's mind and he pulled up the image of mist before I even asked him. I transformed and flew over to Diego, who was inwardly laughing.
"I think we have to have a discussion, Vincent," Raven stated, holding her laughter in check. Vincent turned his stony gaze on Raven and she hid her chuckle behind her elegant hand.
"You men are so archaic," Shea agreed. Jaques turned to her and threw her a boyish grin, and by the answering smile on her face, it had to be a particular weakness of hers.
"Is that so?" Jaques asked her.
"You don't count," She retorted. "I've had time to train you." Vincent jumped down next to me, crowding my body with his. I tried to step away, but his hand craught my wrist in a soft but vicelike grip, hindering my escape.
"Train me?" Jaques continued, trying to calm the rising tension between Vincent and I. "I believe it was the other way around," he purred. I smiled at the look of adoration on Shea's face as Jaques lightly kissed her nose.
"Esmeralda, your visitor?" Mikhail interrupted.
"Oh, right," I said sheepishly. I tried to subtly reclaim my arm, but Vincent held tight.
"If he is male, he leaves now." I growled in the back of my throat and started listing reasons to not kill my lifemate.
"Even if he was male, you wouldn't have a damn thing to do about it. I will not dump friends just because of your petty jealousy."
"I will be the only male you ever need. You don't need another other friends."
"Oh how the mighty shall fall," Diego said, redirecting my anger. I grinned at him and Vincent yanked me back hard enough to throw me off balance. I collapsed onto his chest as I felt the pain shoot up my arm. Diego took a threatening step forward but Mikhail held up his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"Vincent, please let go of your lifemate. You're hurting her." Mikahil used his most pure voice, laced with a hint of compulsion. Vincent shook his head to clear out the order, but he released me regardless. "I understand how you feel. These emotions are powerful and hard to control, but you must leash them. You hurt your lifemate, Vincent." Vincent's gaze turned to me.
"I apologize, mor-forwyn." I didn't move back over to him, though I secretly wanted to. "Mikhail is right. This is my flaw, not yours." I eyed him warily, trying to sense if he meant his apology. "Yes, I do." Christ. I felt Vincent's subtle hold on my mind once again, though it didn't surprise me. He had been slipping in and out for years. I couldn't keep him out on my own, even if I wanted to.
"Stop that," I said out loud. "And I'll go and meet my friend, whoever it is, and I don't want you to do anything, and I mean anything, to them. Do you promise?" Vincent slightly inclined his head.
"As you wish." I spared him one last look before turning back to Diego. Once again, I felt the change coming on and I became Hedwig once again. Of course, I hadn't gotten the talent of walking with talons yet, and I fell to the side. I flapped my wings furiously, trying to right myself and minimize my embarassment.
"She looks like you, Mikhail," Raven said, placing her hand on her lifemate's shoulder. "But I believe you were more...persistent in falling." I felt the laughter inside of me and I hooted...literally...in response. Raven being the kind yet vindictive woman she was, let replayed the memory in my head. She had been correct. Mikhail as a fledgeling had horrible problems with the owl. The stumbling over the poor and seemingly drunken bird was enough to relax me and let me concentrate on the art of walking.
Vincent, however, walked over to me and picked me up. I hopped onto his left arm, trying not to poke him with my talons. Without any warning, he launched me into the air. I paused for a moment and realized gravity was taking immediate effect, causing me to rapidly flap my wings to fight the law of physics. I felt the flare of power below me and felt Vincent take flight beneath me, ready to catch me if I fell. He kept his body close enough to me so that he could catch me if I fell, but far enough to where he wasn't messing with my flying style.
I flew the small way back to Mikhail's house, but once I reached the house, instead of diving, I rose into the air, smiling inwardly. Vincent stopped below me and I felt his confusion. Mikhail, Raven, Shea, and Jaques transformed on the porch and watched the spectacle. As I reached the peak of my upward spiral, I let myself fall backwards. Diego, who knew how much I had enjoyed it before, let me transform back into a human. I closed my eyes and threw out my hands, freefalling towards the ground. I could taste Vincent's alarm and it shattered my euphoric world. He came and caught me in the air, directing me to the balcony, where he lightly touched down. I frowned at him as I felt him searching through my memories uninvited and strangely, he withdrew.
"Why would you do such a thing, Esmeralda?" he asked, leashing his volatile emotions.
"Because it's fun," I answered with a shrug. "Diego would have caught me." Before he could block me, I felt Vincent's rage, the beast within him, rear its head. I stumbled back from Vincent, holding my hands up in a defensive gesture. The pure anger frightened me as nothing else would; whatever resided in Vincent was a dangerous being indeed.
"Esmeralda," he began, stepping forward and holding out his hand. I stepped back into Raven's arms.
"I'm sorry!" I apologized automatically. "It won't happen again, I promise." Vincent stopped and dropped his hand, breathing in once and releasing it.
"Esmeralda, come here. I'm not angry with you."
"Why don't we go inside?" Jacques asked Shea. "It's obvious her lifemate needs to explain." Shea, though her protective instincts were in full swing, let herself be guided away from the five of us.
"Diego, we will go as well." Diego looked mutinous and was about to disagree until Mikhail shot him a look. Accepting the prince's edict, Diego left with Mikhail, leaving Raven, Vincent, and I alone. Raven's thumbs stroked my arms and with her touch came relaxation. I began to release my tense muscles and lower the arms in front of my face.
"It's all right, Esmeralda. Let him explain to you. I will entertain your guest and will expect to see you down shortly." I nodded, warily watching Vincent. As Raven exited the balcony, the tension levels between Vincent and I rose.
"Mor-forwyn, please, allow me to explain."
"No, I don't want to know about the demon inside of you. I don't care...just...try to keep in control of it."
"When I am with you, I am in control."
"Bullshit!" I cried out. "You've unleashed that...thing twice on me now! You've also hurt me twice, and according to Diego, a lifemate isn't supposed to hurt his lifemate!"
"I am your lifemate," Vincent declared forcefully. Instead of making me angry, it helped me relax somewhat. Call me crazy but I reacted with this unsufferable male on some damned elemental level. Even though he was bat shit insane, jealous, and easily angered, I still wanted to be with him. "You will cease this doubt in your mind at once. As for what you sense inside of me, you will cure it."
"How?"
"You are the light to my soul, Esmeralda. You are my lifemate. When we join, you will leash the beast within me."
"Join? I don't understand. Haven't we joined already?" With my naive question, Vincent's eyes darkened and a seductive grin slid onto his face. My reaction was instantaneous. My hands balled into fists and butterflies began to pool inside of my stomach. My knees weakened causing me to twitch slightly.
"No, Esmeralda. We haven't." I waited for him to explain, but he merely closed the distance between us and placed his hands gently on my hands. His touch was as light as a feather, causing goosebumbs to trail after his wandering hands, which were slowly sliding up my arm. He leaned close to me, his lips inches from mine. I backed up, but found myself in the corner of the balcony and the wall behind it. "My mor-forwyn...my temptress..." He leaned closer until his lips were brushing my own. "The last bond a lifemate must make is...sexual." He whispered the last word and it made me shiver. Vincent's body pressed up against mine and I knew that if he wanted to have sex with me, I wouldn't say no. I couldn't say no. The concept should have floored me, but I was way too turned on to care, and he hadn't begun to touch me yet.
"We...have to have sex?" I asked, trying to steady my voice. Nope. My voice came out low and breathless, husky and full of invitation. I cursed myself mentally for not being stronger than this, but Vincent held the power between us.
"Yes Esmeralda." His hands reached my shoulders and began their path down the sides of my body. "Can't you feel this between us? This is proof we are lifemates. You have never wanted another man before me and you couldn't stand the thought of sex with another male." My eyes widened. How the hell did he know that? "What we have between us is real, a bond between lifemates."
"But what if...it comes out again? The demon?" Vincent backed away but kept a firm hold on my waist.
"When we join, Esmeralda, when you come completely into my mind, you will understand. All Carpathian males are born with this inside of them. Even Mikhail, Jaques, and Diego have the same problem. However, Diego has yet to aquire a lifemate and Mikhail and Jaques have experience in controling themseleves. I have not, and cannot adequately restrain myself. I will endeavor to strengthen my hold over this." Vincent kissed my nose briefly before pulling away. He began to lead me off the balcony, but held the side of my body against his. "For now, holding you will be enough." The woman in me softened and I hesitantly smiled, signaling a tenatative truce. We made our way to the balcony on the second floor and I looked down only to see the happiest thing of my life.
"Amber! Victoria! Catie!" I literally jumped from the balcony and landed lightly on my feet, surprising Victoria and Catie at the distance I leapt. Amber took a leap and hugged me fiercly.
"You made it! You're a Carpathian now! Oh my god!" Like the teenage girls we were, we began to squeal and jump around to the amusement of the Carpathians around us. Turning from Amber, I went to Victoria next and hugged her. She hugged me as Amber had.
"I missed you, Esmeralda." She pulled away from me and gave me a once over. "You look good." She looked past me and I followed her gaze, only to see her staring at Vincent. "Well damn, girl." The women laughed at her blunt statement and Vincent smiled his full wattage smile at her. The following pang of jealousy made me stop short and I stopped laughing and stared at my best friend of years. "What?"
"I'm...jealous of you."
"But why?"
"He smiled at you." Victoria deadpanned and smacked the back of my head.
"You idiot." I sighed.
"Thank you boss," I quoted, making my three friends smile. Finally, I turned to Catie, who walked out from behind Victoria to hug me. I felt Diego stir and then withdraw from my mind, and I whirled to face him.
"Diego?" He didn't answer and every Carpathian in the room felt the shift in emotions. He was staring at Catie, who was watching him. "Catie?"
"You..." Diego trailed off. "It was you. My god, it was you all along." Diego stepped forward and Catie watched, as if in a trance. I swapped my gaze between the two of them, not understanding. I felt Vincent in my mind now, taking over the space Diego had left. I felt kind of bereft without my friend and feeling his emotions and I winced. Vincent probably heard that.
'It is all right, mor-forwyn. I will not judge him, even if he was intruding on my lifemate. He is a friend to you, and I promised to behave.'
'Thank you...Vincent. But what is up with these two?' Vincent walked to me and held me in a light hug from behind.
'Don't you see, Esmeralda? He has found her...'
"My lifemate..." my eyes widened at Diego's statement. Catie's eyes widened as she was broken from the trancelike state.
"Lifemate?" She looked at me, eyes gaze questioning. I broke out into a grin.
"Yeah, Catie. You are his other half."
"Other half?" she echoed.
"You are the woman who will complete my soul." I knew she was totally swooining inside. If my lifemate had done this, I would have as well.
"Like Esmeralda?" Diego finally looked at me and he smiled broadly. He grabbed my shoulders and lifted me out of Vincent's arms, lifting me and twirling me in a circle.
"Thank you, Esmeralda. You truly have restored my soul."
"No," I replied, a smile on my face. "Thank Catie. Why don't you go give her the Carpathian talk?"
"Would you come with me, Catie?" She looked at me and I nodded once for confirmation. Diego held out his hand and she slowly took it, letting him lead her to the living room I had my discussion in only nights before.
"Another female is joining us, my love," Raven softly said to Mikhail. "Another hunter saved." Mikhail looked down at his lifemate and smiled tenderly.
"So there is, Raven. So there is."
