Dark Lycan (Dark #24)(61)
Author: Christine Feehan

Her teasing note soothed him as nothing else could. And she had a good point.

Of course I have a point. You knew it was dangerous to access the rogue werewolf’s memories, but you did it anyway. Of course there were repercussions. You expected that. And every single warrior facing a vampire must believe that he can defeat him. Acknowledging that you are smarter and faster and more skilled than a vampire is the only intelligent thing to do. You did what every Carpathian hunter does. You’re so worried about it that you are not remembering what it is like to be a hunter.

Fen hadn’t considered it, but she was right. Every Carpathian male who hunted the vampire did so believing he could destroy the undead. He reached his hand out to her, telling her without words that he loved her.

Mikhail frowned as he paced with restless energy through the great columns of his ancestors while he thought about what Fen said. No one interrupted him. Fen was grateful that Mikhail was the kind of man who didn’t simply react to information. He digested it carefully, looking at it from every angle before he made decisions.

"Another concern I have is evolution itself," Mikhail said, coming back to stand in front of him. "Our species is near extinction. Could this be a more evolved species? The combination of our blood with the Lycans?"

Everything in Fen rebelled against the idea that his species was doomed and another would rise in their place-and certainly not the Sange rau.

"Then there is the question of children. For the first time in a long while we have had multiple children who survived their first year," Mikhail continued. "We have no idea if the Sange rau can have children. Manolito and MaryAnn are the only pair we know of and MaryAnn has not become pregnant. That, of course doesn’t mean anything, but it could be worrisome. What would this change in the blood do to a child? Do we want to take chances when we’re just now rebuilding our population?"

Fen hadn’t considered that particular point. He glanced at his brother. Dimitri was not fully Sange rau, but he was well on his way. Had he condemned Dimitri and his lifemate to a life without children because centuries ago he hadn’t known what caused mixed blood and they’d shared blood in the battlefield? When he’d healed his brother himself, he had given Dimitri his own blood. Fen knew the blood would aid Dimitri in healing faster if they could keep him alive, and he’d made that choice for Dimitri.

I would much rather live and know Skyler will live as well, even if we cannot have children. She deserves a life of happiness and I intend to make her life as wonderful as possible. So thank you for saving our lives.

Fen felt humble in the face of his brother’s adamant revelation, mostly because he and Dimitri had been in and out of each other’s minds for centuries and he could feel the honesty in Dimitri’s statement.

"Throughout the centuries," Fen said, "I have lived on and off with the Lycans. During that time, I have come across only two other Sange rau. The first I hunted with Vakasin and the second was Abel. I, of course, didn’t know that at the time. Abel turned Bardolf for whatever reasons. But I never once met a pair, not in any country I traveled in. At one time I speculated that perhaps a woman couldn’t have mixed blood. Tatijana told me about Manolito De La Cruz and his lifemate. I was worried they wouldn’t know the danger they were in from the Lycans."

"So to your knowledge, worldwide, only you, MaryAnn and Manolito are Sange rau who have not succumbed to darkness. Bardolf and Abel are the only ones you know of alive, who have," Mikhail reiterated.

Fen nodded. "That doesn’t, of course, mean there aren’t others. Worldwide, I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be others."

"Lycans have avoided Carpathians for centuries," Mikhail pointed out.

"Their council has discouraged interaction between the two species, probably for this reason. There was never any animosity that I heard," Fen replied.

"That would explain the small numbers," Gregori said. "MaryAnn was Lycan already. Do we know what happens when a Carpathian woman changes?"

Tatijana shrugged. "I’ll let you know when it happens. It’s my choice to be what he is. I doubt that Lycan blood can overpower Dragonseeker to the point that I would be in any danger."

"We hope not," Gregori said, his voice dry. "If something happens to you, what guarantee would we have that Fen would follow you?"

Dimitri scowled at him. "There is never a guarantee for any of us. You included, Gregori, should something happen to Savannah. All Carpathian males are at risk without a lifemate."

"True, but we are not the Sange rau. Our hunters will find us and destroy us before we can inflict too much damage on the other species around us. Can you imagine an army of Sange rau? Your brother told us a single one decimated the ranks of the Lycans. We are few. They could wipe us out entirely very fast," Gregori said.

"There is truth in what he says," Fen agreed. You do not need to stick up for me, Dimitri, although I greatly appreciate it. I knew when I went to Mikhail the enormity of the problem I was bringing to him. The Sange rau are as much a danger to Carpathians as they are to Lycans and humans. We don’t have any answers to the questions he’s raising. I’ve had centuries to consider these problems and I still haven’t come up with solutions.

We are not Lycan, Dimitri hissed in his mind. I refuse to believe that Mikhail will outlaw the Sange rau without discrimination and sentence you and anyone else who becomes such a mixture to death.

Fen had lived with the Lycans a long time. Do you believe we’re more civilized then? He couldn’t help the note of amusement in his voice. The Lycans were well entrenched in every high society and public office in nearly every country. They served in the military, and most were highly educated. While the Carpathians had withdrawn from the world of humans for the most part and become silent guardians, the Lycans had done just the opposite-they embraced that world and protected humans just as aggressively.

Dimitri, the rogue pack isn’t indicative of Lycans. They’ve reverted to the animal just as vampires embrace the darker side of Carpathians. Zev and the elite hunters represent the Lycans far better. Don’t be fooled into thinking we’re superior to them.

"I don’t believe we have to worry about Fen turning vampire," Mikhail stated in his usual soothing, calm voice. "We need to come to some decision on what we’re going to do. Clearly we need to meet with the Lycan council. We’ve discussed it at length for several years. We need them as allies, not enemies. This is our best opportunity to invite them to a sit-down meeting and come to some kind of terms."

"Zev is your best man for that," Fen advised. "The elite scout sent ahead of the pack is normally the most intelligent and their best man. He’ll report directly to the council and they’ll listen to him. His word carries the most weight."