Dark Silence by Matrix Taylor (best fantasy books to read TXT) 📖

Melissande sighs and goes back to the other chat where she cound that Inumonkey was engaged in conversation with another user. Melissande sighs as she followed the conversation, but kept silent. She could not help thinking about the myterious user and the brief conversation between them. Worse of all, she did not even know his name...

Chapter 2: Scars

If I traded it all

If I gave it all away for one thing

Just for one thing

If I sorted it out

If I knew all about this one thing

Wouldn't that be something?

"One Thing" Finger Eleven

The Carpathian males, along with their life mates, gathered together at the request of the Prince, Mikhail, himself. Michael knew that it was to discuss him. He knew that it had to do with the fact that Michael was turning.

Like all Carpathian males, Michael was filled with inner darkness, capable of great violence. After 200 years, a male Carpathian lost the ability to feel emotions, sexual desire, and see in color. As a result, the darkness slowly spread and consumed their souls. At this time, the only thing they felt was the thrill when they were about to make a kill. The only way they were returned to them is when the male found his life mate, or what the Carpathian males refer to as the light to their darkness, the other half of his soul. Once life mates found one another, the male recites the bonding words. Once this was done, it cannot be undone. They must touch minds and share their bodies often. If they did not, then one would begin to believe that the other was dead and might attempt suicide or what was referred to as "greeting the dawn".

However, no Carpathian had ever been as closed to turning as Michael was once they found their life mate. It is only when a Carpathian never finds or loses their life mate that, in most cases; they become a vampire, the undead and monsters of human legend instead of meeting the dawn. But, that was exactly what was happening to Michael. The darkness deep inside of him had already, slowly begun to consume his heart, feeding off of Michael's own, silent sorrows. His own bright light, his life mate, seemed to now be filled with some of the same darkness which possessed the Carpathian male. Since the lost of their first child, Dyana had not been able to come with child again, to Michael's dismay. Despite Michael's longing for ever having another child, he still stuck by Dyana's side. He did everything he could to comfort and love her. Even in her deep despair, his lifemate remained the only thing which kept him from falling into the ever present darkness.

Just as these thoughts filled his mind, the memories of the dream which haunted him so flashed in his mind in very clear images. The very next morning after the death of him and Dyana's first and only son, Michael began dreaming of an infant with blue eyes and pale skin. The infant's hair was as black as Michael's own. It was wrapped in a blue blanket lying in a laundry bin of a hospital crying almost as if the child was in pain. But, it was painfully obvious to Michael that the child has been abandoned. It simply broke Michael's heart to know this. The child, he quickly realized, was definitely a strong psychic although a male instead of a female child. But, all that did not matter to him. Michael used his own psychic abilities to try to soothe him until someone came and found him; however, the child kept wailing until finally a nurse came and seeing the child, quickly gathered him into her arms and took him away.

Over the next few years, while giving comfort to his lifemate who still grieved for their lost child, Michael found himself happy to just slip into sleep. It was because it was then that he felt more at peace and had less worries. Silently, he watched as the infant who was abandoned by his mother grow older. He silently shared the child's firsts like his first word, his first step, and even his first tooth. He even used his own psychic ability to give comfort when the child needed it. The young boy, he noted, looking more and more like a Carpathian. He did not know why this bothered him so much. The once forgotten child reminded Michael of what his son would have looked like if his son had lived.

The sudden memory of his lost son once again brought back his silent sorrows.

"Gabriel," Michael whispered to himself as if calling the name of his dead son would bring him back.

But, Michael was no fool. He knew that it would do no good no matter how hard he wished he could go back and change it. Michael, if he could, would have traded his own life if only his son could have lived…

"I think we should do something about Michael. He's more dangerous now that he's so close to turning." The lifemate of Alexandra, Aidan replied.

"I think Aidan is right." Julian, Aidan's twin spoke up. "We can't have a vampire running around."

"That will NOT happen. I will personally hunt and kill him myself if he kills." Mikhail vowed, earning a very nasty glare from both Gregori and Savannah, his son-in-law and the Princess of the Carpathians.

"But Michael has not even turned yet! I mean...after all this this time, he still has yet to turn. Isn't his lifemate suppose to keep him from turning?" Maryann queried. She was the werewolf-Carpathian and lifemate of Manolito de la Cruz.

"Yes. But, if you haven't noticed, the bond between Micheal and Dyana is not as strong as it once was. It's a wonder he hasn't turned by now." Lucian stated matter-of-factly.

It was then he noted the glare that Dyana passed his way before drifting back into her own world. Yet, she still did not speak. Since the lost of Gabriel, she and Michael's first born, Dyana pretty much stayed in this state unless it was to only to speak to Michael. However, that was not often.

"I think it has more to do with the simple fact that he hates vampires and detest the thought of them." Michael's brother, Isaiah, responded jokingly.

Isaiah was Michael's older brother and were different from each other like night and day. Michael was more of the silent type while his brother, Isaiah, was silly and more outspoken. However, until the tragic lost that both Michael and Dyana suffered, you never saw one brother without the other. It upset Isaiah that his brother was turning and there was really nothing he could do about it. But, if his brother did turn, then he knew that it would be he who would have no choice but hunt and destroy the monster his brother became.

There were a few chuckles, however, some of the Carpathians remained stone faced.

"The turning of a Carpathian is no joke!" Gregori snapped at Isaiah.

Isaiah shrugged nonchalently. "Who's joking? I was just stating a fact."

Half of the Carpathian quickly tried to smother their laughter as Gregori glared at everyone.

"Michael can stay, but if he turns..." Mikhail warned.

"Yeah we know!" Isaiah said with a wave of in hand in dismissal of the subject. "If you all have forgotten, Michael doesn't even hunt anymore."

"It's true," Byron agreed without hesitation, also concerned for his friend's welfare.

"While none of us are unaware of the loss of even one hunter during this time of attacks on our Prince, we cannot overlook the fact that Michael is lifemated and that what is happening should be impossible. There is only one thing that could possibly be causing this and it's disturbing beyond belief," Sara, the lifemate of the legendary Falcon, stated. Falcon was not in attendance, but Sara and he were bonded far closer than any lifemate couple, save Jacques and Shea. Sara could, at any point in time, dive into Falcon's memories and come up with answers that were beyond her ability to know as such a young Carpathian.

But, hey, everyone realized that being lifemated to a much older Carpathian had many benefits.

Mikhail turned to her with every bit of respect that would have been granted Sarantha, his mother. One did not dismiss the opinion of an Ancient nor their lifemate lightly. "Please explain further, Sara."

"Could either one of them being lying about something?"

The room froze, half of the lifemates looking disgusted at the thought. It was supposed to be impossible to hide something from your lifemate because of the requirement to brush minds so often, but Dyana was a born Carpathian, as was Michael, and had learned at an early age how to compartmentalize their thoughts. To shield certain compartments so hard that even Xavier the Mage could not have breached the areas.

Lying to a lifemate, while distasteful and horror-inducing, was not a complete impossibility.

Although the rest of the Carpathian nor their lifemates noted, Isaiah saw the quick change of expression on Dyana's face before she shut down. This expression suddenly made Isaiah curious, though it caused his blood to run cold.

"Are we talking a casual lie, or something very important?" Isaiah queried of Sara, who immediately got the far away expression that indicated that she was talking to Falcon and they were searching his memories.

The reply was terrifying.

"Falcon says that it would have to be something very important. Something casual, like the color of a dress or something equally stupid, wouldn't cause this. This is bitterness, darkness. This is betrayal," Sara replied.

Dyana's expression turned to fury before anyone could stop her and it was an ugly expression on a woman that was supposed to be the light to someone's soul. "Michael's never betrayed me and he never would!" she growled, speaking aloud for the first time in twenty-odd years.

Isaiah, who had never had a particular fondness or dislike for his sister-kin, pounced on the omission. "So, that leaves you betraying him," he countered easily.

"I would never!" she gasped after a long pause, stunned. The other female lifemates stirred, a bit concerned that one of their own was being accused of something, to them, that was unforgivable.

"Then that leaves him betraying you," Isaiah purred lowly, angered. "And, Dyana, I know my brother too well to believe that."

"Enough!" snapped Raven. "If she says that she hasn't betrayed her lifemate, in any fashion and she believe he hasn't betrayed her, we need an alternate solution."

Dyana's expression displayed a kind of relief that made Isaiah more suspicious and more cross towards her. Where before he truly hadn't cared for her beyond the thanks that she had saved his brother from the long search for a lifemate, he was venturing further and further towards outright dislike for her and her attitude towards this. Could she trulyy be so self-centered as to not realize that, unless something changed, be it tomorrow, ten years from now, or fifty years from now, her husband was going to turn into a vampire and kill her?

"This meeting is adjourned for now." Mikhail said to them all, his own thoughts turbulent with the thought of a lifemate betraying her chosen. No one had ever contemplated that kind of issue before and every male had told their lifemate that betrayal was an impossibility...

But, now, there was evidence to the contrary, and not one of the males liked it.


Chapter 3: Interesting Conflict

Angel of God,