Christine Feehan - Dark Possession

«He is fine. Riordan is with him right now. He has a few things to learn. Flying and shifting in the way of our people is not as easy as it looks.» He winked at Jasmine. «Pretty nails. I like the color.»

She smiled. «It's bubblegum.»

Manolito casually took the nail polish from MaryAnn's hand and sat across from her, lifting her feet into his lap. «I patrolled the island, Solange, and saw jaguar tracks on the north side. I followed them to the river. It

looked as if the cat went in.» He spoke matter-of-factly, treating her as an equal, forcing her to do the same with him. He opened the bottle of polish and frowned at the smell.

MaryAnn flashed him a smile of gratitude for addressing Solange as if he didn't notice she could barely tolerate his presence in the room. It had probably been several years since Solange had been in the casual company of a man.

«I have a rather acute sense of smell,» Manolito added, «and I couldn't detect a man within the cat, although the trail was several hours old. How do you tell the difference between a shifter and a genuine jaguar without being able to scan their brain? He wasn't close enough for me to pick up his brain patterns.»

MaryAnn wanted to fling her arms around Manolito's neck and hug him.

I have learned a few things from being in your mind. His voice was a drawling caress. Her toes twitched, wanting to curl, and the brush, slick with polish, landed on her toe instead of the toenail.

Solange had been watching the process, fascinated by the sight of a large Carpathian male, essentially a predator, delicately polishing his lifemate's toenails. Her mouth twitched and she had to look away as Manolito glared at MaryAnn.

«Hold still.»

«I am holding still. You did that thing.»

«What thing?» Manolito asked.

You looked sexy and gorgeous and sounded like heat in the middle of a rainstorm. Behave yourself.

Solange cleared her throat. «When the jaguar-man travels, he usually carries a small pack around his neck.» Her voice sounded low and husky, as if she rarely used it. She didn't look directly at Manolito, but she wasn't snarling. And she continued to work on Juliette's toes, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. «Often when he leaps for the tree, the bag rubs a small amount of moss off the trunk or branch. It's very small, but once you know what to look for, you can spot it.»

«When we get back to the ranch, maybe you could take the time to show me,» Manolito said. «That way when we go on our patrols, we'll know what we're looking for.» His voice was every bit as casual as Solange's. He bent forward to blow on MaryAnn's toes.

«Sure.»

Silence fell, but it was companionable, not filled with tension. MaryAnn looked around the room at the women who had become her family. At the man who was her heart and soul, and she found herself smiling.

Manolito looked up, his black eyes meeting hers. Her heart jumped the way it always would when she looked at him, when she got lost in his gaze.

I love you, avio palafertul. «My lifemate. My wife.»

I love you, too, avio palafertul, koje. «My lifemate. My husband.»

It didn't get much better.

A MUCH-ABRIDGED CARPATHIAN DICTIONARY

3aj

This very-much-abridged Carpathian dictionary contains most of the Carpathian words used in these Dark books. Of course, a full Carpathian dictionary would be as large as the usual dictionary for an entire language.

Note: The Carpathian nouns and verbs below are word stems. They generally do not appear in their isolated «stem» form, as below. Instead, they usually appear with suffixes (e.g., «andam»-«I give,» rather than just the root, «and»).

aina-body

ainaak-forever

akarat-mind; will

al-bless; attach to

alatt-through

al*-to lift; to raise

and-to give

avaa-to open

avio-wedded

avio palafertul-lifemate

belso-within; inside

ca*a-to flee; to run; to escape

coro-to flow; to run like rain

csitri-little one (female)

eci-to fall

ek-suffix added after a noun ending in a consonant to make it plural

eka-brother

ela-to live

elava-alive

elava ainak majaknak-land of the living

elid-life

en-I

en-great, many, big

En Puwe-The Great Tree. Related to the legends of Ygddrasil, the axis mundi, Mount Meru, heaven and hell, etc.

engem-me

es-and

etta-that

faz-to feel cold or chilly

fertul-fertile one

fesztelen-airy

fu-herbs; grass

gond-care; worry (noun)

han-he; she; it

hany-clod; lump of earth

irgalom-compassion; pity; mercy

jalleen-again

jama-to be sick, wounded, or dying; to be near death (verb)

jela-sunlight; day, sun; light

joma-to be under way; to go

jorem-to forget; to lose one's way; to make a mistake

juta-to go; to wander

juti-night; evening

jutta-connected; fixed (adj.). to connect; to fix; to bind (verb)

k-suffix added after a noun ending in a vowel to make it plural

kaca-male lover

kaik-all (noun)

ka*a-to call; to invite; to request; to beg ka*k-windpipe; Adam's apple; throat

Karpatu-Carpathian

kasi-hand

kepa-lesser, small, easy, few

kinn-out; outdoors; outside; without

kinta-fog, mist, smoke

koje-man; husband; drone

kola-to die

koma-empty hand; bare hand; palm of the hand; hollow of the hand

kont-warrior

kule-hear

kuly-intestinal worm; tapeworm; demon who possesses and devours souls

kulke-to go or to travel (on land or water)

ku*a-to lie as if asleep; to close or cover the eyes in a game of hide-and-seek; to die

kunta-band, clan, tribe, family

kuulua-to belong; to hold

lamti-lowland; meadow

lamti bol juti, kinta, ja szelem-the nether world (literally: «the meadow of night, mists, and ghosts»)

lejkka-crack, fissure, split (noun). To cut; hit; to strike forcefully (verb).

lewl-spirit

lewl ma-the other world (literally: «spirit land»). Lewl ma includes lamti bol juti, kinta, ja szelem: the nether world, but also includes the worlds higher up En Puwe than the Great Tree.

loyly-breath; steam (related to lewl: «spirit»)

ma-land; forest

mane-rescue; save

me-we

meke-deed; work (noun). To do; to make; to work (verb).

minan-mine

minden-every, all (adj.)

moert?-what for? (exclamation)

molana-to crumble; to fall apart

molo-to crush; to break into bits

mozdul-to begin to move, to enter into movement

na-for

*ama*-this; this one here

nelkul-without

nena-anger

no-like; in the same way as; as

numa-god; sky; top; upper part; highest (related to the English word: «numinous»)

nyal-saliva; spit (noun) (related to nyelv: «tongue»)

nyelv-tongue

o-the (used before a noun beginning with a consonant)

odam-dream; sleep (verb)

oma-old; ancient

omboce-other; second (adj.)

ot-the (used before a noun beginning with a vowel)

otti-to look; to see; to find

owe-door

pajna-to press

pala-half; side

palafertul-mate or wife

pel-to be afraid; to be scared of

pesa-nest (literal); protection (figurative)

pide-above

pira-circle; ring (noun). To surround; to enclose (verb).

pita-keep; hold

piwta-to follow; to follow the track of game

pukta-to drive away; to persecute; to put to flight

pus-healthy; healing

pusm-to be restored to health

puwe-tree; wood

reka-ecstasy; trance

rituaali-ritual saye-to arrive; to come; to reach

salama-lightning; lightning bolt

sarna-words; speech; magic incantation (noun). To chant; to sing; to celebrate (verb).

saro-frozen snow

siel-soul