Christine Feehan - Dark Celebration 17

Lucian gripped his forearms in a warrior's greeting. Gregori's older brother looked fit and strong, his eyes gleaming, piercing through Mikhail straight to his soul as if he could read inside any man.

«It is good to see you again after all this time, Mikhail. You have grown into a powerful leader since I last saw you. Your father would have been proud.»

Mikhail clasped the man's arms, feeling the solid strength there. «You may tell your woman she can put away her weapon now.»

A slow smile warmed the bleak, cold eyes. «She will not be pleased that you spotted her. She is a cop and definitely prides herself on her abilities. Being Carpathian has only added to her skills.»

«I do not actually know where she is,» Mikhail admitted. «Only that she is close by and pointing a weapon at me. I have heard she does not stay home where she belongs.»

A choking sound came from above him and a young woman materialized, a gun in her hand, glaring daggers at Mikhail. «Where she belongs?»

Her hair was the color of platinum and gold, a shorter length than most of the women wore, but attractive, framing her pixie face. Her eyes were dark, a startling contrast to her pale skin and hair.

Lucian casually removed the gun from her hand and leaned over to shove the weapon in her boot. «You cannot shoot the prince, Jaxon. It simply is not done.»

«I wasn't going to shoot him,» she objected, and sent Mikhail a quick, mischievous grin. «At least, not unless he was going to insist that women stay home while the men have all the fun.»

«You call slaying the undead fun?» Mikhail asked.

She shrugged. «If it isn't housework, it's fun. I like action, not sitting at home waiting for my hero.»

«You like to stir up trouble,» Lucian replied, amusement in his velvet voice. «But at least you admit I am your hero.»

Mikhail had forgotten how mesmerizing and powerful a weapon Lucian's voice was. Everything about Lucian seemed to be a combination of «compelling» and «weapon.» The man's face could have been carved from stone, yet his eyes were more alive, more intense

and more lethal than Mikhail had remembered. «It is good to see you again, Lucian. And good that you have found your lifemate.» He sketched a slight bow toward Jaxon. «I could not resist teasing you as I have heard you are fiercely protective of Lucian,» he told her. «We are grateful to you. He is a legend among us.»

«She insists on guarding me,» Lucian said.

«Well, of course I do. Any Carpathian hunter shot by a human after being warned repeatedly to be careful needs a babysitter-um-bodyguard.»

Lucian bent to brush a kiss on top of her head. «No respect.» The deep love on Lucian's face was mirrored on Jaxon's as she teased him.

«I can see that,» Mikhail acknowledged. Somewhere deep inside he felt happiness for this couple-for all the couples-but this one in particular. Lucian had been alone for so long and he'd fought too many battles, sacrificed too much. This small pixie seemed fragile until Mikhail looked into her dark eyes. She had seen too much, was wise beyond her age and had that same strength of will her lifemate possessed.

She flashed a warm smile at Mikhail, even as her fingers tangled with Lucian's. «Thank you for allowing us to use one of your homes. Lucian's home was so far into the mountains we would have spent all of our time flying back and forth and wouldn't have been able to visit.»

«Please come in.» Lucian held open the door, stepping back to allow Mikhail to precede him. «We have much to discuss. I thought, at first, when I heard of the celebration, that it was a foolish indulgence and far too risky, but now I see I was wrong. It has been good to see everyone and to be home once again. I have stayed away far too long and there is a sense of community here once again.»

«I hope we are doing the right thing,» Mikhail agreed as he stepped inside the snug little cabin.

It had been years since he had entered the old house. The walls had been repaired where gaping chinks between the wood had allowed the wind to sweep in. Lucian and Jaxon had fixed the cabin up so that the interior was bright and welcoming. A fire crackled in the old stone fireplace and the furniture was inviting. Lucian waved him toward the couch, and Mikhail seated himself opposite Lucian's chair.

Jaxon hesitated briefly, glancing at the windows, wariness creeping into her expression as she assessed whether anyone could look in and easily see them through the glass.

«I do not actually bite,» Mikhail said, and gestured toward the empty end of the couch he occupied.

Jaxon perched on the arm of Lucian's chair, one foot swinging free. «I'm perfectly comfortable right here, but thank you.»

«She insists on guarding me,» Lucian explained. «Or at least she pretends so. The real reason is she cannot bear to be apart from me.»

The foot swinging free arced just a little more and she drove her toe into his calf.

«I can see that,» Mikhail said dryly. «I am certain Raven is the same way-hating to be apart from me.» He shared the conversation with his lifemate. Immediately, he felt the warmth of her laughter brushing at the walls of his mind. «Before I forget, I thought you might like to know, we need someone to play the part of Santa Claus for the children.»

The smile faded from Lucian's face, leaving his eyes shadowed and wary. He stiffened slightly. Beside him, Jaxon stirred, and he put his hand on her thigh to prevent her from speaking aloud. Do not dare to volunteer me.

You are such a chicken. They are just children.

It is a red suit and beard.

And you'd look so cute and cuddly.

Mikhail put him out of his misery. He sat back in his chair with a little half smile. «I thought my son-in-law would be the best man for the role. As he is your younger brother, tell me what you think.»

Jaxon choked back a squeak that could have been between laughter and horror. She nearly fell off the arm of the chair, only Lucian's steadying hand preventing her from landing on the floor. «You're kidding, right? Gregori would be every bit as bad a choice as Lucian would be. One look at him and the children are going to either run like rabbits or burst into tears.»

Lucian's thumb swept over the back of her hand in a small caress. «Never underestimate a Daratrazanoff, little one. We can rise to any necessary occasion and I am certain Gregori will enjoy the role.» He sent Mikhail a wolfish smile. «Let me know when you are going to tell him what honor is in store for him and I will be happy to accompany you.»

«Oh, you two are just plain bad,» Jaxon said. «You like stirring the pot. Gregori is bound to get you both back, you know.»

A glimmer of a smirk flitted across Mikhail's features and was gone. «It will be well worth it.»

Lucian nodded and reached for his twin, automatically sharing the information. Gabriel responded on their private mental path. Mikhail was here earlier and I could not resist allowing him to give you the news. There was laughter in his voice. I certainly plan on being present when our prince makes his first demand as a father-in-law.

Lucian's fingers tightened around Jaxon's. That small shared moment of amusement, of

love and laughter, was due to his lifemate. He had been without emotion for so long– loving his twin, yet never actually feeling the emotion. Over the centuries the memory had begun to fade and it had been alarming. He had walked in darkness without hope, until she came into his life.

Jaxon leaned down to brush a kiss on the top of his head in a rare public gesture of affection. Even with her stepfather dead, she still couldn't get over the reticence she had developed to protect those she cared about. Lucian was always the one to make the first move, to take her hand, put his arm around her, and her first instinct was always to look around her with wary eyes-stiffen-and pull away. He was slowly getting her over it, and every small demonstration of affection when others were around was a huge step forward.