Dark Lycan (Dark #24)(74)
Author: Christine Feehan

Fen really had written the song for her. He sang it to her in front of their people, and their prince, uncaring who heard as he poured out his heart to her. She hadn’t known a man, a fierce independent warrior, could make himself so vulnerable in front of others the way he was. He didn’t seem to care that everyone could see how much she really meant to him. His voice, when he sang the lyrics, rang with raw honesty. His emotions were totally exposed for all of those present to see.

The music began to fade and she lifted her head, tears in her eyes as she looked up at him. She had fallen so deeply in love with him, and yet she didn’t even know when her emotions had grown so intense. Out of the corner of her vision she realized other couples had been dancing as well. She hadn’t even known they were there, she’d been so completely wrapped up in her magical dance with Fen.

To make her dance happen, not only had Fen written a song for her and sang it publicly, he had to have enlisted the aid of other Carpathians for the music and the show of stars on the ceiling.

"Thank you," she whispered almost shyly, slipping her arms around his neck and leaning into the shelter of his body. "I don’t know what to think about you, sometimes, Fen. This was such a beautiful, amazing gift and I’ll always treasure the memory of it."

"I wanted you to know how I feel about you, Tatijana. You need to know how truly extraordinary you really are. You love to dance and I thought this would be a good way to let you know how much you mean to me."

"This was perfect, Fen. Just perfect. I’ll never forget it."

Fen brushed his mouth gently over hers. She was more radiant than ever. For him that was enough. He had wanted to give her something special. He had poured his heart and soul into his music for her. He had no idea what the future would bring for them. His life was one of battles and secrecy. Every moment that he could, he wanted to give her laughter and joy.

"Fen." Gregori came up behind them. "Thank you for that. Savannah has wanted to dance for some time. We haven’t had a lot of celebrations and this has been fun for her."

"Is she leaving already?" Tatijana asked, swinging around to see Savannah holding Anya in her arms. Destiny held Anastashia. Neither of the little girls looked happy.

"We’ve invited Zev and the others to join us," Gregori explained, "but we thought it best if the children went home. It’s late for them to be out."

Fen knew Gregori was protecting the children, using the guise of lateness. It was still fairly early for Carpathians. All of the youngsters had to be used to staying up nights, even Sara and Falcon’s human children. There was no danger from Zev and his pack. If anything, everyone would be that much safer with them around. Still, he couldn’t blame Gregori. There were only a handful of Carpathian children. If he was in Gregori’s shoes, responsible for their safety, he would have spirited them away from strangers as well.

"I’m so glad I had the chance to see them," Tatijana said. "They bring us hope."

Fen slipped his arm around her waist as they waved good-bye to the children. Several of the unlifemated males escorted them as they left. Gregori went to work changing the entrance of the cavern so the Lycans could easily slip inside and yet would never find the entrance again when it was changed back to the natural formation.

"The children have plenty of protection." Fen made it a statement. He was uneasy with the rogue pack so close and two Sange rau in the neighborhood. Surely by now, after all the discussions and the casualties the pack had inflicted on the Carpathians, Mikhail and Gregori were taking the threat as very real.

Gregori nodded. "We’ve enlisted the aid of our ancestors as well. This night no harm will come to these children."

Fen frowned. The temperature in the labyrinth of sacred caves was far too much for a human child. "What of Falcon’s children?"

Gregori suddenly smiled and it transformed his face completely. He looked younger and more relaxed. "A word of advice, Fen. With your soft heart you’d better never have daughters."

Fen scowled at him. "I don’t have a soft heart."

"You’d be a complete pushover."

Mikhail had quietly come up behind him. "He says that kind of thing to all of us to make himself look better. Everyone knows his twins rule his life." His laughter was very genuine. He nudged Gregori. "Poor man. Brought down by babies."

Gregori gave Mikhail his deepest, forbidding scowl. "I’m very firm with those girls. They know better than to mess with me."

Fen couldn’t help but join in Mikhail’s laughter. Clearly Gregori didn’t care if he was firm with his daughters or not, they were everything to him.

"Gregori even told my adorable granddaughters to call him Isanta out of sheer desperation." Mikhail continued to give Gregori a hard time.

"Master of the house," Fen translated. "And did they?"

"It might have worked," Gregori said, "if Savannah hadn’t laughed hysterically every time they called me master."

Tatijana’s laughter joined the men’s. "I’m sorry, Gregori. What a blow. Your little girls are adorable, and quite frankly, I’d probably give them anything they wanted and Fen would be even worse. Don’t deny it, Fen, you would."

Fen had to admit she was right. "Your daughters are just too beautiful, Gregori, with their sassy attitudes and their adventurous streaks. I’d be lost."

Gregori smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if finally giving up. "Her mother doesn’t know it, but Anya has already tried shapeshifting. I caught her two risings ago. Took a hundred years off my life. Forbidding her isn’t going to work. And what she does, Anastashia does. I’m going to have to start working with them. I promised Anya I would, but only if she promised not to try on her own."

"Savannah is going to kill you." Mikhail made it a statement.

"I know. I haven’t figured out how to tell her. There isn’t any stopping Anya," Gregori said, running a hand through his hair in the first sign of agitation Fen had ever seen him make.

"She’s a miniature you," Mikhail pointed out. "You were just like that as a boy."

"I can’t believe I started this early. She’s barely two," Gregori said.

"I was your friend, you maniac," Mikhail told him. "We got in so much trouble together, and you were always the instigator. Even at two."

"Don’t believe him," Gregori said. "He’s never followed anyone in his life. Especially when any advice given was for his own good."

The deep affection and easy friendship Gregori and Mikhail had for one another was very clear. Fen believed Gregori. Mikhail definitely was born to lead. He listened to those around him, but in the end, he made his own decisions. He’d most likely been that way since birth, and his son probably was a great deal like him. Little Anya would have just as difficult a time trying to protect young Alexandru as her father had with Mikhail.