"Whoa. Back up. What do you mean my potential?" Suddenly she was furious. Shaking with it. Betrayal was bitter in her mouth. "Are you telling me they manipulated me into going with them to the Carpathian Mountains because they thought I was possibly a lifemate to one of the men? Destiny? Gregori?"
Juliette sent her lifemate a silent plea for aid. She felt like she was walking through a minefield and stumbling often.
He shrugged his broad shoulders matter-of-factly. I doubt that Destiny had any idea, but Gregori has shared MaryAnn's blood. He would have known. We cannot afford to lose any more of our males. You know the situation is desperate. Of course Gregori would bring her to a gathering hoping she was someone's salvation.
Juliette resisted the urge to take umbrage at his casual admission.
She will grow to love him if she is destined to be with him. That is our way of life. You certainly resisted being with me. As I recall, you hid yourself deep within your jaguar and tried to escape your fate. You are happy and content with me, Juliette, as she will be with Manolito. Time takes care of many things.
It is still unfair that a man can dictate a woman's destiny.
It is equally unfair on the man. He has no choice either, Riordan reminded her. And far more to lose.
"I feel so betrayed," MaryAnn said. "I thought Destiny knew me, understood me. You don't do this to friends." Hurt colored her voice, but she couldn't help it. She had trusted Destiny, helped her to overcome her past so she could find a new life with her chosen lifemate. She had even left the excitement and sophistication of her beloved city of Seattle and headed to the remote, uncivilized forests of the Carpathian Mountains just to make certain Destiny would find happiness.
Juliette shook her head. "Destiny is new to the Carpathian society. I doubt she would have known, let alone allowed you to be placed in such a position. Gregori would have felt his protection would ensure you would not be bothered against your will. Most males believe a woman will fall in love with her lifemate. The pull between them is strong and the physical attraction is tremendous."
"Has there ever been a man or woman who didn't fall in love with their lifemate?" Because if Manolito was hers, she could see herself wanting to go to bed with him, but living with him was an altogether different matter.
"Like any species, we have some born not quite right. No one knows why or how it happens, but yes, there have been aberrations," Riordan admitted. "Manolito is dedicated to his lifemate. He would never dishonor her with another woman. We have waited far longer than you could ever comprehend for our women, and, although you may think us overbearing and arrogant, we cherish and hold our women above all else."
The sincerity in his voice made her feel a little better. And Juliette was no pushover. It was just that MaryAnn found all that testosterone a little annoying. The De La Cruz brothers would demand full surrender in all things. She couldn't see them compromising all that much. Even the very tone of their voices put her on edge. She couldn't imagine herself with one of them as a husband. They might be easy on the eyes, but she'd probably develop ulcers trying to be with one.
"That's admirable, Riordan, it really is." She could be sincere as well. "But I'm not certain you're right about me being meant for your brother. If he did put this mark on me," she struggled not to blush, remembering the heat of his mouth and her body's reaction to it, "then he did it without my consent. I don't know why in your society you would think that was okay, but in mine, it's wrong."
"You're no longer living in your society," he said without a trace of remorse. "Our rules are rules of survival. We only have one chance of survival after centuries of living as honorably as possible. That chance lies in finding our lifemates. Without our women, our species cannot exist and our men must either commit suicide or become vampire. There is no other choice for us."
MaryAnn sighed. Without grief and despair eating at her, she should have been able to think much more clearly, but now confusion reigned above all else. Were her own emotions to blame, or was it Manolito? And if it was Manolito, how could he survive in the rain forest without knowing what was happening to him?
"How do I reach out to him? I've never even tried anything like that before."
Riordan and Juliette exchanged a long, puzzled look. They'd never had to explain what seemed to come naturally to them.
"Picture him in your mind. Use details, down to the smallest thing you remember about him, including scent and emotion," Riordan advised.
Great. She remembered feeling he was the most sensuous man she'd ever conjured up in her life. Heat swept through her body. Had his mouth really traveled down her throat to the swell of her breast? Had his teeth sunk into her skin to draw her life's blood out of her into him? The thought should have been repulsive to her. Any sane woman would have found it repulsive. She closed her eyes and thought of him.