There was silence as all of them comprehended what Jubal told Solange.
My father, well, Rory, died last year of an infection. Mom had been acting more and more erratic. She’d always been volatile, but she seemed to be getting worse. Gabrielle is in a very remote area and doesn’t see her often. Joie sees her the most, but even that isn’t much. Mom would make excuses when I would say I would want to come to see them. When our father was ill with the infection, we all went to be with him. She was different. Very subdued. She didn’t leave his side. I believe she had gotten angry and slashed him with her claws. He had evidence of older, deeper wounds that had healed on his body. He never complained. He adored her.
Jubal’s sorrow was heavy in his mind.
I’m so sorry, Jubal. I had no idea you were going through so much, Solange said. I wish you would have shared this with us.
There wasn’t anything anyone could do. After my father died, Mom just seemed to retreat even more. She didn’t want to see me. I would drop in on her so she couldn’t avoid me, but she clearly didn’t want me around. I’d just talk to her about my life, about Jasmine and Sandrine and how much I loved them. I hoped she would want to meet them. That she’d want Sandrine in her life. She never once asked. I did, unfortunately, talk about the weapons the children were learning to use to protect themselves against vampires. I told her far too much in an effort to rally her. I didn’t realize how much her resentment toward the Carpathian people had grown.
You believe your mother found these rogue Jaguar men and gave up Sandrine’s existence to them? Nicu wanted confirmation. He didn’t have a lifemate. He wasn’t feeling the bond between Adalasia and the rest of them. He had no sympathy for betrayal. There was only death for such treachery.
She knew the entire story, yes, Jubal said. All of it. Jasmine’s kidnapping, the rapes, the bloodline. She knows they are of royal blood. She told me to stay away from them. I have royal blood from another line, and she said if we were to get together, I would turn into a hideous monster, and any male child I produced would be an abomination on the world.
Sandu looked down at the Mayan ruins. There was so much hatred and fear in that declaration that a mother would tell her son. She had to be half mad with grief and whatever trauma had happened to her when she was young. Still, that was no excuse to set up that same trauma for another young child. He shook his head, feeling the beast in him rising to counter any compassion he might have had for such a woman.
I am going to bring them out of their little hiding place, Solange said. We have to get all ten out. Remember, they have those weapons, so be very careful.
I will go with you, Jubal said. It will lend more credibility to your walking alone. They know you are with the Dragonseeker.
Sandu had studied Jasmine carefully. I will shift into the shape of Jasmine and walk with you.
There was a small silence. Benedek was the first to speak. Perhaps to give this scenario even more credibility, Jubal should hold your hand, Sandu.
This is a good idea, Petru agreed. Perhaps pull you under his shoulder protectively in the way of lifemates.
O jelä peje terád, Sandu replied.
What exactly does that mean? Jubal asked. It had better not be agreement.
Sun scorch you, Dominic interpreted, amusement in his voice.
Solange floated down to the forest floor, staying under cover of the trees and waiting while Dominic brought Jubal. Sandu shifted into Jasmine’s smaller, curvy form. Her dark, wavy hair cascaded down her back, held by a simple clip at the nape of her neck. Her dark lashes emphasized the vivid green of her eyes. Where before, she’d been thinner, after the birth of her daughter, she had more curves, and her soft, clingy top and light khaki trousers showed her figure and her golden skin to perfection.
Solange was dressed in similar attire, showing off an hourglass figure. She was short, her sable hair braided in a tight weave that hung down her back. She had cat’s eyes that glowed green one moment and then would go gold- and amber-colored. She walked with absolute confidence.
“I suppose we’re taking Jubal to see the temple,” Solange whispered aloud.
Sandu, as always, scanned the entire area around them. They were always looking for the undead. For enemies. For anything or anyone unexpected. There were only the natural animals of the forest that he could feel, but he was still uneasy.
Nicu, there is something else out there watching us. I can feel it. I do not know if Nera’s spies have found us after all, or if the rogues have set a trap. Perhaps the undead are here. Sandu spoke on the path of the brethren so that all could hear, but if a vampire was close, he could not detect one. He continued to walk in between Solange and Jubal, finding the faint trail that led to the ruined temple and the crumbling buildings.