Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
“The tattoos.”
That faint smile returned, the one that turned her heart over.
“If you can call those lines tattoos. We had to scar them into our skin, or they wouldn’t stay. Even then, it was extremely difficult because unless we have a mortal wound, we don’t scar easily. It was worth the effort it took.”
She had traced the lines reverently and even kissed a couple of the words written in his ancient language. She thought the tattoos beautiful and eloquent. “I’m grateful the thought of me helped you in some small way when you needed it most.”
“Not in a small way, sívamet,” he corrected. “You saved my honor many, many times over the centuries.”
Safia loved the idea that even though she hadn’t been physically present, she’d been with him, helping him through the worst of times. It meant she’d been a partner to him, maybe more of one then than she was now. She’d managed to anger their enemy and turn her wrath on them, maybe before they were ready for her.
“You did hurt Lilith, Safia,” Petru said suddenly. “She was looking at you through Art’s eyes, and you blinded her when you struck at her. You realize she had no idea you had taken control of Art. She still doesn’t know you had taken him away from her. She doesn’t know you have that kind of power, and that’s one more weapon in our arsenal.”
Safia replayed the memory of Lilith in Art’s mind. She’d avoided thinking about it, but now she needed to remember every detail. Had Lilith been aware she’d stolen Art from his mistress? Lilith had berated him severely, accusing him of being a coward. She believed he just hadn’t attacked Safia when the others had because he feared retaliation from Petru. That had been uppermost in Lilith’s mind. Safia had been so caught up in her plan to strike at Lilith that she hadn’t thoroughly read her. The facts were there in her memory to access, but she hadn’t done so until now.
She’d always been thorough when she was facing an opponent, making certain she’d examined every aspect of the demon she was going to destroy, yet she hadn’t. Why? She needed to answer that question.
“She didn’t know I’d stolen Art from her. She hadn’t realized I’d taken control of the sea demons she sent.”
“Lilith wasn’t really paying attention. She believed she would easily retake this region, that after all this time, no one would remember. She was healed and at full power again.”
Safia’s frown deepened. She shook her head. “She wasn’t, though, Petru. At least if she was at full power, she wasn’t utilizing it. I could feel her energy, and yes, it came off her in waves, this tremendous feeling of supremacy, but not nearly what I would expect from someone capable of commanding armies in the underworld.”
Petru’s expression was inscrutable, but she felt his presence in her mind as he moved through her memories, assessing each one frame by frame, studying Lilith through Safia’s eyes. She found Petru interesting, in that his manifestation was every bit as formidable or even more so than Lilith’s but extremely low-key. It was almost as if the power he carried was so much a part of him, he was barely aware of it.
Safia knew she could study him for eternity and never get close to having his knowledge. How had she ever thought him arrogant? He truly didn’t consider himself anything special. He simply was.
His gaze came back to hers with that hint of amusement. “Ku Tappa Kulyak, you persist in thinking such things of me I cannot possibly live up to.”
“You’ll live up to them.” She was utterly confident.
“And when I start dictating?” He traced her dimple.
“I’ll remind you in a way you’re certain to remember that a dictatorship will never be worth it between us.”
The hint of amusement turned into a brief flash of laughter that left her feeling triumphant.
“We have a little time to work on shifting.” He continued to stroke the pads of his fingers over her dimple and then traced her lips. “You’ve got clothing down no problem. Let’s try the little owl. You must be very detailed, and a bird that small will come in handy. You can master flight at the same time. Once you feel confident inside the owl’s body, you will be comfortable in any form—large or small.”
Her heart accelerated before she could control it. She was very excited. As far as she was concerned, shifting was one of the huge perks of being Carpathian. This time she didn’t want anything to interrupt the lesson. She opened her mind to his to show him she retained all the information he’d given her on the little owl, down to the smallest detail.
Once again, Petru was meticulous, examining her owl from every angle, ensuring she had gotten every element right. He flashed a small smile at her. “This time we’ll go straight to the owl’s territory, no side trips, unless you think your nephew is up to no good again.”