“That would be natural,” Dax said. “How could you not feel a comradery for a brother after centuries in the monastery chanting those very vows when you were at your lowest point? He must use them as well.”
“It grates on me that I had to leave both of them there,” Sandu said.
“When you say Adalasia guards these gates this Carpathian demon is behind, what do you mean?” Dax asked.
Sandu glanced at his lifemate. They had come for Danutdaxton’s advice, but they hadn’t explained the situation fully to him.
You tell him as much as you wish, ewal emninumam. Sandu accepted that this was a journey for the two of them, not just him.
Adalasia didn’t hesitate. She told Dax and Riley about her childhood of preparation to fight demons. About her mother passing on Sandu’s soul as had her mother before her. About the history of her family and the duty given to them—guarding the eastern gate that held back a demon that could not be set upon the world. Lilith wished to command this demon, and she had armies ready to slip into their realm when she found a portal. The eastern gate was in jeopardy, and Sandu and Adalasia had to find their way to the original source and make the necessary repairs to ensure the demon couldn’t escape.
“I had no idea what I was guarding,” Adalasia finished. “This has been a huge revelation. A tragedy, really. I hate that he’s a Carpathian and can’t be saved. I really hate that my family has had a hand in holding him behind that gate for centuries. Maybe if the Carpathian people had known about him, they could have found a way to save him.”
Danutdaxton shook his head. “They would have had no choice but to hunt and destroy him. He sounds as if he is very powerful. He would have taken many of our best hunters with him before he died. And that’s if he could have been killed. The Old One has taught me many things, Adalasia, and one of the most important is that events unfold as they are meant to. These pieces were put in place long before you were born. You are playing a small part in the drama that is his life, but it has already been unfolding for centuries.”
Sandu could see that what Danutdaxton had said gave Adalasia some comfort. He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.
“You do not know where exactly to go,” Dax said.
Sandu shook his head. “My memories are completely gone. I do not remember my family. I now have glimpses of my sister, Liona, but only brief, a very few images. I do not remember much of her. Her laughter. She shared that with me after I lost emotion. I do remember that about her.”
“Luiz De La Cruz gave you blood many times, Sandu,” Dax said. “He might not be an obvious choice, but he has the De La Cruz warriors in him going back centuries. Long before either of us, I would imagine. If he would answer your call, he might be the one to ask.”
“He already has given so much of himself when he prefers to be alone,” Sandu said, uncomfortable with the idea.
“Perhaps it is not best for him to be alone all the time,” Riley said. “He is so dark that when he comes near, I have a difficult time being close to him. Dax has to stay in my mind.”
Is that the same with you, Adalasia? Sandu was alarmed. If Luiz was that close to becoming the undead and he was tied to Adalasia through their blood bond, he could easily find and kill her once he turned.
She gave a slight shake of her head. There is a difference. I would have a difficult time explaining it to Riley, but you are an ancient. The De La Cruz line holds a troubling dark shadow. They are aware of it and fight to hold honor more than others from the time they are very young. Some have the shadowing more than others. I could see it in the various warriors in Luiz. The more we were together, the more I saw the shadowing. It isn’t the undead. It isn’t a demon. It is more cunning. An animal, a predator, but still darkness that can overtake them.
“I will think on what you have said, Danutdaxton. Thank you both for your hospitality,” Sandu said formally.
Adalasia put out the call to Luiz De La Cruz two risings later, when the guardians, Sandu and she were a great distance from Danutdaxton’s territory. Sandu didn’t want Dax to feel as if he might have to help defend them should anything go wrong. They were on the very edge of the rain forest, the Amazon River flowing fast in a wide, powerful stream on one side, with the large kapok trees rising on the other.
They had gone to ground in the rich soil, closer to one another than normal, but they had no real place to hide from enemies. This was not an area any of them were familiar with, so they were extremely wary. They rose the moment the sun set and hunted for blood. It was only luck that led them to some fishermen still dragging their catch into their boats before returning home for the evening.