Dark Possession

"Where are they?" Jasmine asked anxiously. She didn't like being without the Carpathian males in the house. She paced from window to window, staring out into the rain forest.

MaryAnn remained silent for a moment, touching Manolito's mind very lightly. "They are helping Luiz. He has risen as Carpathian, and he is very hungry."

Juliette smoothed back Solange's hair. "No one is out there, Jazz. I'd know. In any case, the men aren't that far away. I doubt anyone would try another attack."

"I just want to get out of here," Jasmine said, pressing a hand protectively to her stomach.

"We've sent for the plane," Juliette assured her. "We don't want you and Solange trying to make it through the forest to the ranch. It's too far and too dangerous. Now that we know the master vampire is using the jaguar-men to try to capture Solange, we can't take any chances."

"The ranch is on the edge of the rain forest," Jasmine pointed out. "It's still isolated from people. Maybe we aren't safe there, either."

Juliette exchanged a long look with MaryAnn, and both looked down at Solange.

She squeezed her cousin's hand. It's all right. I know I won't be safe anywhere now. Don't tell Jasmine. I had hoped to stay at the ranch, but I don't want to put her in any more danger than she's already in. She's pregnant, Juliette, and she needs care.

Juliette spoke aloud to reassure both her sister and her cousin. "There are several houses on the estate. One has been built just for the two of you, so you can have your privacy. Rafael and Colby are Carpathian and they have their own home on the ranch. Colby's younger brother and sister live with them. Riordan and I have a home there as well. Nicolas and Zacarias share the main house. Manolito and MaryAnn will have their own home. Aside from that, the Chavez family resides and works on the ranch. They are well equipped with the knowledge and the weapons to fight the vampire or anyone else who happens to try to harm either of you. The ranch is the safest place you could possibly be right now, with eight Carpathians to guard you."

Solange sighed. "She's right, Jasmine. We'll probably be safer at the ranch than anywhere else. I need some time to recuperate anyway. And I've always loved horses."

Jasmine turned around, for the first time more interested in the conversation. "I didn't know that. You never told me."

Solange tried to look nonchalant. She rarely gave anything of herself away these days, not even to her family. "When I was younger I used to ride."

"I remember that," Juliette said. "You were such a daredevil even then. You always rode bareback and scared the heck out of Mom."

The light faded from Solange's eyes and she lay back again on the couch. Juliette and even Jasmine glanced helplessly at MaryAnn, as if asking what they should do.

MaryAnn waited until Jasmine was seated on the couch beside Solange before she brought out her nail polish. She held up the bottle. "Anyone want to use this?"

"I've never painted my nails in my life," Solange said, looking faintly shocked. "Can you imagine me with red nails?"

"Not red." MaryAnn gave a little shake of her head, frowning as if Solange had committed a huge fashion gaffe. "Passion pink."

"Passion pink," Juliette prodded her cousin. "That's hysterical. I've never seen you in pink anything, let alone passion pink."

"Why not red?" Jasmine asked.

"It would be wrong with her skin tone," MaryAnn said knowledgeably. "She has beautiful hands. You want people to notice them."

Solange put her hands behind her back. "I'm not interested in men noticing me."

MaryAnn laughed. "Silly woman. Do you really think women dress up just for men? Some do, but the majority dress to give themselves courage in any situation. If you look good, you have more confidence. For instance, if you and Jasmine have to go to some dinner party, you're going to want to look your best so other women don't make you feel like a poor relation. Women are much harder on women than men are."

"You always look good," Juliette said. "What else do you do?"

MaryAnn looked left and right and then lowered her voice. "The secret weapon is cucumber."

Solange sat all the way up. "Jasmine, cover your ears."

MaryAnn, Juliette and Jasmine burst out laughing.

"Sheesh, Solange," Juliette said. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"My mind is just fine, thank you. It's MaryAnn's I'm concerned about."

"You put them on your eyes," MaryAnn said, laughing even harder.

Solange's answering smile was slow in coming and very brief, but it lit her eyes. "I knew that."

It was the first time MaryAnn saw a flash of normalcy in Solange, as her guard slipped just for a second.

"I'll paint your toes and fingernails for you, Jasmine," MaryAnn offered. The key to Solange's cooperation, and maybe ultimately her healing, was her love for her young cousin. As long as MaryAnn kept every suggestion for Jasmine, Solange would push herself to get out of her comfort zone for the younger woman.

Jasmine glanced at Solange and then her sister. "I've never painted either one."

"Well it's time you did, then," Juliette said.

"And I think Juliette ought to try the cucumber," Solange suggested.

Juliette threw a pillow at her.

"On your eyes, your eyes," Solange said in defense.

"I'll paint my nails if you will," Jasmine said.

Solange shook her head. "No way."

Juliette nudged her again. "Solange is afraid we're going to think she's a girlie girl. A little fashionista."

"Hey!" MaryAnn managed to look affronted. "What's wrong with that? I still kicked vampire butt. I just looked good doing it." She didn't mention she'd been wearing fur at the time. She held out her nails. "And I only broke one."

"Your nails are long," Jasmine said in admiration. "I break mine all the time."

"But not polished. Come on, Jasmine. Solange will let me do her toenails. She can cover them up so no one knows. Kind of like wearing ultrasexy underwear and no one knows. It makes you feel beautiful, but you're the only one aware."

Juliette frowned. "Underwear? Who wears underwear?"

"Eew!" Solange threw the pillow back at her. "You're just wrong."

"Okay," Jasmine said, "I have to agree with Solange on that one. That's way too much information. I'll never be able to look at you again without picturing you..." She broke off, making a face.

Solange actually smiled. A genuine smile. It changed her entire face, lighting her eyes and making her look years younger. "Now you've got that image in my head, too."

She and Jasmine exchanged a look, making a face and simultaneously saying, "Ugh."

"Then my mission here is complete. I've managed to disturb you both." Juliette folded her arms, looking smug.

Jasmine laughed and held out her hands to MaryAnn. "If Solange is passion pink, what color am I?"

Everyone waited. MaryAnn glanced at Solange, who raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, I think you're more of a bubblegum." She extracted another small bottle from her bag.

"That's pink!" Solange pronounced, sitting back against the cushions.

"It is not," MaryAnn said indignantly. "There's a subtle difference."

"What else do you have in there?" Juliette wanted to know. She peered into the bag with the neat rows of polish shoved through loops. "I don't believe this. Check this out, Solange." She snatched up the bag and

exposed the contents.

There was a small, awed silence.

"Just how many different bottles of nail polish do you have?" Solange asked.

MaryAnn took the bag back and opened the bottle of bubblegum polish. "I rarely leave home without at least ten. You never know what might happen, and a woman needs to feel good about herself no matter what." She heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I have no idea what the three of you did without me."

"Well," Solange said, sitting so far forward her nose was nearly in the nail polish as she watched MaryAnn apply it to Jasmine's fingernails, "we didn't wear passion pink or bubblegum, that's for sure."

"Here." Juliette grabbed the passion pink. "Stick your foot out, Solange."

"Wait!" There was panic in MaryAnn's voice. "You can't just do it that way. Here." She pulled out two small pieces of purple and orange foam. "You have to use these. They'll separate her toes."

Solange drew her foot up and tucked it under her. "Back off, cousin. You're not sticking anything that weird on my foot."

"Don't be such a baby." MaryAnn slipped the foam onto her feet and lifted them up into the air. "See. It doesn't hurt at all. I have another pair and they aren't purple."

Jasmine let out a cry of delight. "Look, Solange, they're pink."

Solange rolled her eyes but allowed Juliette to put them on her toes. "You'd better never tell anyone about this."

MaryAnn worked happily on Jasmine's nails, occasionally glancing over at Solange's toes. Juliette was making a mess, and making Jasmine laugh so hard she could barely keep her hands still. MaryAnn glanced several times at Solange. She seemed to be relaxing and allowing herself to have fun. It was a small step, but it was still progress.

MaryAnn found her favorite polish and began on her own toes while Jasmine blew on her nails and Juliette allowed Solange to work on her toes. Solange suddenly stiffened and glanced toward the door.

Manolito? MaryAnn felt his presence close. Be careful with Solange. She really has suffered trauma; both she and Jasmine need help. Warn Riordan and Luiz as well, please.

He flooded her with reassurance as he strode into the room. "Good evening, ladies. I trust you are well." He bent to brush a kiss on top of MaryAnn's head, pretending not to see Solange wince at his close proximity.

"How is Luiz?" Jasmine asked.

"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.