She made the revelation so simply as if what she had done was nothing. He knew better. Zev pushed aside weariness and forced his body to respond to Fen's offer. He couldn't do less for a woman who offered her life for his. He wasn't a coward and he wasn't afraid of pain. He would not allow an innocent to die simply because it was a difficult road to travel back to life.
His entire lifetime had been a fight. He wouldn't lose this one.
20
Skyler ran into her mother's arms, hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much, Francesca. I'm sorry I caused you such worry."
"You scared us to death," Francesca admitted, tears welling up in her eyes. "If it wasn't for Gabriel, I would have . . ." She broke off and shook her head. "I never want to go through that again. Thank God, your connection with Dimitri was so strong he was able to pull you back. Do you realize how far gone you were? Neither Gabriel nor I could reach you."
Skyler hugged her again hard. "I did try to hold on, when I realized I was slipping away so fast, I knew he would come for me. I anchored myself as best I could, but it was so cold and I was so lost, I was terrified I couldn't hold on long enough."
It had been her absolute belief that Dimitri would find her that allowed her, even as her spirit slipped away from her dying body, to withstand the icy cold and dark. It had been terrifying in that other place, the flicker of life in her drawing the attention of those crouched in the darkness, waiting for a new soul to steal.
Francesca drew back to look her over carefully. "I inspected you when they flew you back here, although you probably don't remember much. You were exhausted, needed blood, rest and healing. How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine," Skyler assured. "Fully healed. I couldn't wait to see you, but Mikhail wanted Dimitri to talk to the council members first."
"I heard." Francesca gave her a faint smile. "Were you able to keep your temper while they talked as if Dimitri was a bug to be squashed?"
"You mean exterminated," Skyler corrected with a faint grin. "I didn't blow the place up, that was someone else."
They walked together out into the meadow, crossing a field of wildflowers. "He's good for you," Francesca observed. "You're confident and happy."
"I'm so in love with him," Skyler confessed. "More even than I thought possible."
"We should have seen that you were grown-up," Francesca admitted. "Neither of us could bear the thought of you going away from us so soon. It was selfish, but you're our first and we've always been a bit overprotective."
"I understand. I hated lying to you. It was truly the worst feeling in the world, but no one would give me any information on where he was or what they were doing to save him."
"That was wrong as well. We knew you were his lifemate," Francesca said. They reached the center of the meadow where the flowers grew in abundance. Francesca sank down into the middle of the fragrant wildflowers. "As his lifemate you should have been kept informed at all times."
"Still," Skyler sat beside her adopted mother, "I might not have gone off on my own to rescue him, and he wouldn't have lived. Fate seems to have a funny way of making things right."
Francesca smiled at her. "You came to us and made our lives so full, Skyler. Never think that I don't feel love just as fiercely for you as I do for Tamara. We chose you. I think you were always meant to be ours."
"I think so, too," Skyler said. She was a silent a moment and then reached for Francesca's hand. "You know what Dimitri is, a mixed blood, the very thing that caused all this fighting."
"The Hän ku pesäk kaikak," Francesca said firmly. "He may have been the catalyst, but he wasn't the cause. This type of warfare had to be planned a long time in advance. Our enemies had no way of knowing that Dimitri was Hän ku pesäk kaikak, let alone that he would fall into their hands. They used him as their excuse to start their war."
Skyler nodded. "The thing is, we don't know what having mixed blood might do to a child. MaryAnn and Manolito haven't gotten pregnant. Tatijana is like me, not yet there, but both of us will be someday. It may be that we can't have children."
Francesca was her usual thoughtful self. She didn't jump in to reassure Skyler, but thought it over in her mind. "There are two ways for you and Tatijana to look at this. You could try to get pregnant now, before you have enough of the Lycan blood to fully transform you, or you can wait and see. There is no sense in worrying about something you have no control over."
"I just thought . . ." Skyler trailed off and reached out to grasp a flower stem, pulling the flower to her so she could smell the perfumed center.
"What?"
"The flowers up in the mountains, the Night Star flower, do you think the ceremony helps beyond fertility? Do you think it actually prevents miscarriages?"
"I know that it enhances one's addiction-for lack of a better word-for the taste and scent of one's lifemate. The flower ritual seems to create a tight sexual bond between lifemates, but as to whether or not it helps keep a child alive, no one honestly knows yet."
"But Gregori and Savannah and Mikhail and Raven didn't actually undergo the ceremony, and their babies have survived."
"So has Shea and Jacques's little boy. Tamara survived. Corrine and Dayan's little Jennifer is doing well and she had a very scary start," Francesca said. "None of them even knew about the fertility ceremony."
"Did you know about it?" Skyler asked.
"I'd heard of the ceremony, but of course I'd never witnessed it," Francesca admitted. "Why are you so worried about having a child, Skyler? You and Dimitri are just starting your lives. You'll know eventually because, truly, you have all the time in the world. There is no ticking biological clock for you. You're Carpathian."
Skyler plucked at the hem of her jacket. "Maybe that's true, but what if the clock is ticking? What if I can't have children because I'll be a mixed blood? Josef had to convert me," she confessed in a little rush.
"Because Dimitri had to hold you to earth."
Skyler shook her head. "Not just that. He was afraid to convert me. No woman has gone through the conversion as a mixed blood."
"MaryAnn . . ."
"Was already Lycan," Skyler finished. "Her body refused the total conversion. She retained her wolf. The two bloodlines coexist in her, just as it does in Fen and Dimitri." She bit her lip and looked at her mother. "I knew everything, every concern Dimitri had when I asked him to convert me. And I accept it, if we can't have children, I really do. Dimitri is my everything, but I did always picture us having children."
Francesca stroked caresses over Skyler's hair. "Don't give up on the idea. And you need to talk to Dimitri about your fears."
"I don't want to make him feel bad, it's not like he can do anything about it. This mixed blood thing isn't anyone's fault. It started centuries ago when he would fight vampires, need blood and there you go. He is what he is, and I'll be the same." She shook her head. "I guess I had all these fantasies in my head about my little house and my children and you and Gabriel coming to see us. It's silly."
"It isn't silly. You have a house you and Dimitri will fix up into a beautiful home," Francesca pointed out. "Whether you have children or not, we'll come to see you. Skyler, it's okay to be worried or upset, even when you have a lifemate. It's a natural part of life. Dimitri is there for you to talk to. If children are important to you, he'll find a way to make it happen."
Skyler nodded. "I know he will. I just needed my mom for a minute to tell me everything is going to be okay."
"It will be," Francesca assured. She looked around the meadow. "Look how beautiful the night is, honey. Who would have thought that only two days ago men were killing one another?"
"Does anyone know why yet?"
Francesca shook her head. "I'm sure they all thought they had good reason. The Lycan council is staying to try to work the alliance out with Mikhail. They've sent for their own packs, ones they believe they can trust." She hugged Skyler again. "You saved Zev's life, Sky. It was an impossible wound to heal, but you saved his life."
Skyler shook her head. "I had a lot of help. Tatijana and I played tag team. When one got too drained the other went in. The Carpathian people came through for us in spite of the battle going on, and Branislava"-she shook her head-"I don't even know what she did."