Dark Ghost by Christine Feehan

shook her head. “Thank you, Andre, but really, my stomach is a little upset. Maybe it was the news about Armend. He deserved to be arrested and should have gone to jail, but being eaten by wolves…” she trailed off.
    “That is probably justice if he really killed other women as he boasted to you,” Andre pointed out as gently as possible.
    She nodded before she could stop herself and then looked guilty. “Well, I hope he didn’t suffer.”
    “Like he would have made you suffer?” he asked as he filled the kettle with water from the small trickle of water coming out of the side of the mountain. “As he made those other women suffer?” Again, he kept his body blocking her sight of what he was doing so he could just wave his hand and fill it.
    Keeping the fact that he was a different species from her was going to be difficult. Other Carpathians lived among humans and had perfected the art of blending in. Andre had perfected the art of avoiding contact with them. This woman was his lifemate, and she would have to know, sooner or later, that she was his and belonged in his world, but she’d already suffered a trauma and he didn’t want to compound that, especially after she’d confided in him about her grandmother.
    “Well, I didn’t suffer so much as I was scared,” Teagan admitted reluctantly. She watched him set the kettle in the flames. She winced. “Andre, you’re going to get burned doing it like that. It’s hard to believe you camped out before.”
    He hadn’t felt the heat of the flames. He could call down lightning and not get burned, fire wasn’t going to do anything to him, not unless he was in the paralyzed sleeping state of his people. “I will be more careful.”
    She studied his face. “You don’t like to be around people, do you?”
    Andre turned his gaze to her face. She was definitely a natural empath. He had been intrigued with her gentle nature and the unexpected strengths that suddenly rushed to the forefront. Her very nature had to always be at war. She was a fierce little warrior who definitely had a clear line of justice she didn’t want crossed and would fight if necessary. She was also a healer and protector, one who would face her greatest fears in order to help others.
    “I find I like being around you,” he admitted. He wasn’t certain if that was something he should say, but she was his lifemate and he didn’t want to lie to her. “Ordinarily, I find people trying, but you are very soothing. You also make me want to smile. I had forgotten what that is like.” That also was the truth. He had forgotten emotion.
    Like every Carpathian, he had clung to his memories of emotion after feelings had faded, leaving him in a bleak world of gray. Unfortunately, as the centuries went by, he had even forgotten the memories – at least any good ones, if there had been any. He found he couldn’t relive them through the minds of others. Emotions had receded too far for him to recapture them. Now, feelings were so vivid and alive, pouring through him, he was nearly overwhelmed, and most centered around this woman.
    She sent him one look from under her lashes. Her features were so beautiful to him, he had to keep himself from staring, so he busied himself making certain the water in the kettle boiled fast. He couldn’t resist touching her mind to see what that look meant. He found wariness. She wasn’t used to compliments and it made her a little nervous that he gave her one. But she was pleased. Secretly she hugged his words to her. That made him want to smile as well.
    She didn’t see herself at all the way he saw her. In her mind, she had an image of what beauty in a woman was. Her sisters. Taller. Curvy bodies. Long legs. Lots of curly hair and makeup. He supposed they were beautiful in their own way, probably by human standards as well.
    Teagan was so much more to him. He would never be able to explain it to her. He liked that she was petite and slight. He liked that she had