«Oh! The prince.» Mrs. Sanders stepped back to wave him inside. «Lovely to meet you. I have so many questions.»
He bowed slightly. «I will try to answer what I can for you.»
She stopped in the hall so abruptly he nearly ran into her. «Prince of what? Are you in exile? Everyone just refers to you as the prince, but they never say of which country. I imagine there are quite a few princes thrown out on their royal…» She brought herself up short, and swung back to continue walking down the hall.
Mikhail nearly groaned out loud, but managed to suppress it. Traian! He issued the summons sharply, and in that moment he didn't give a damn whether the entire population of Carpathians heard the panic in his voice or not. He was not answering this woman's questions.
She showed him into the large living room, and immediately took the chair opposite his and leaned forward eagerly. «I've just come from Sara's. You'll be happy to know the seamstresses are on track.»
«Seamstresses?» he echoed faintly. What seamstresses, Raven?
I have no idea. Ask her.
Mikhail nodded, trying to look wise. «That is good, Mrs. Sanders. Uh-er-which seamstresses would that be?»
Her eyebrow shot up. «You obviously dropped the ball on that one. Good thing I was here to pick it up. The children needed costumes for the pageant.»
«Costumes?» He seemed to be repeating her words, but he couldn't help it. He ran a finger around the neckline of his shirt. Traian, get in here before I do something like send an earthquake rippling through this house.
«Did you expect to simply produce the outfits out of thin air?»
«I suppose I was, yes.»
Mikhail! Raven's voice reprimanded him sharply before he could speak. Don't you dare say another word and I mean it. That poor woman has two daughters who are now Carpathian. She deserves a little respect.
Mikhail closed his eyes briefly. Of course she deserved respect, but he shouldn't have to deal with her. Where is my second in command? It's your job to protect me at all times and distance me from these unpleasant tasks.
Gregori gave a derisive snort. I think you are capable of handling one little woman. I have my hands full at the moment with your daughter.
Mikhail struggled between self-preservation and prank, and the prank won. He was not going to pull out his son-in-law card. He could handle this woman no matter what she threw at him. It would be well worth it to see Gregori prancing around in a Santa Claus outfit.
«Just like a man. You order a huge celebration and then expect it all to get done on its own.» Mrs. Sanders crossed her arms over her chest and regarded him with a stern eye. «Just what has been going on with my daughter Gabrielle? Joie and Traian said she was with you. I certainly hope you aren't the kind of prince who believes in harems because, and let's get this straight…» She leaned forward to look him in the eye, bent on intimidating him. «I'm not the mother to stand for it.»
Mikhail choked. Coughed. Traian! I'm commanding you to get into this room immediately.
Sorry, Mikhail. I am on the way. Joie and I were just a little bit occupied.
Mikhail heard Raven's soft laughter at the admission. They don't need to be enjoying themselves while I'm stuck with this woman.
Maybe they re making a baby. Do you really want to disturb them? Raven breathed in his ear, teasing his senses and stirring his body.
Yes! And stop that. I need my brain to actually function around this woman.
We are occupied with Gabrielle, Joie hastily added, clearly embarrassed.
Mikhail sighed. Forgive me. I should have known you would be with your sister. It wouldn't be easy for Gabrielle to rise and know she needed blood to survive. Newly converted Carpathians always seemed to have difficulty with the concept. He could never understand the big deal. Carpathians weren't flesh eaters like humans and they didn't kill like the vampire, yet they were reviled for their need of blood.
«I won't have my daughter regulated to the status of a-a-concubine. I won't allow it. I know you're married, so don't bother to deny it. You don't even have a country that I can see.»
Mikhail let his breath out and reached for the woman's mind, uncaring if it was impolite. He could make her forget all this nonsense and simply go into the kitchen.
Her mind collided with his, as if she were reaching for him at the exact same time. Thunder rolled. Lightning sizzled in the sky and the clouds roiled impressively. The two minds impacted, slamming against one another, hitting hastily erected barriers. Mrs. Sanders jumped to her feet, her face pale, both hands clutching her head in pain.
Puzzled, Mikhail rose as well. He bowed slightly. «Forgive me, Mrs. Sanders.» It took a moment to recognize the unfamiliar brain patterns. It was no wonder her children were so gifted and such phenomenal psychics-all three of them. «You have the undiluted blood of the jaguar.»
«And you are Carpathian.» She looked around the house, took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. «Of course. That explains a lot. Traian is Carpathian, isn't he?»
Mikhail felt the flicker of another's presence. Her husband stood silently in the doorway, his mind trying to assimilate what was being said. It was obvious that Mrs. Sanders was capable of telepathic communication. Her psychic abilities were very strong, and she had called her husband to her in her distress. Mikhail continued the conversation as if there were only the two of them present. «It is essential for Carpathians to pass as humans at all times.»
She sank into a chair. «I have never heard that a human can become Carpathian, but Joie is, isn't she? That's why she looks different-a subtle difference, but it is there. And you really were going to make the costumes out of thin air.»
To Mikhail's alarm, she looked as if she might cry. «I am very sorry, Mrs. Sanders. You can understand why Traian couldn't simply give you this information. It is necessary to protect our species at all times.» He studied her averted face. «You haven't revealed your
lineage to your children. They have no idea, do they?»
She shook her head. «I didn't want them to know. I was afraid for them. My husband knows, but he's very protective of me. When I need to let the cat out, he goes with me and I run in the hills. He stands by to make certain no accidents happen.»
«Can any of them shapeshift?»
She shook her head. «I never taught them. I've seen them all grow restless and moody at times, but I didn't want them to carry that burden. I don't know if I did the right thing or not. But having a son and trying to raise him right is a big responsibility when he is jaguar. His instincts…»
«Jubal is a fine man. He's very protective of his sisters.» Mikhail reached out a hand and touched her.
Immediately she calmed, blinking the tears back, regaining the control she thought lost. «Jaguar males are very dangerous.»
«I am centuries old, Mrs. Sanders. I will admit I did not have a lot of contact with your species as we resided in separate parts of the world, but I remember many of the males were wonderful people. Need and fear often cause people to do things they would not ordinarily do. Jubal was born a good man, and will remain so throughout his lifetime. Should he be forced into extreme circumstances, I believe he will rise to the occasion with his mind and strength and the gifts given to him, not fall back on primitive means.»
She took a deep breath. «Thank you for that. It's my worst fear.»
He had glimpsed that small piece of information clearly, as it had been in the forefront of her mind before she had slammed the barrier down. «You have remarkable children, Mrs. Sanders. Joie is a treasure we all seek to protect. Jubal has been helping with vital research –as has Gabrielle.»