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observed would not be happy living under such restraints as I would put on them, nor can I be other than who I am.” He shook his head. “I cannot regret what I do not know. I am not suited to be a lifemate. Those days are long gone.”
    “Do not be so hasty, old friend,” Dominic said, shaking his head. “I gave up hope and chose to give up my life for my people. It is too late, I have taken the blood and it eats me from the inside out. Soon my brain will rot, and I will have no option but to reveal myself to those I would spy upon. I will go down fighting, but I leave behind my lifemate. I found her at long last, in my last hour. Do not betray your woman as I have mine.”
    There was a long silence. Zacarias’s gaze never wavered from Dominic’s face.
    Dominic nodded. “I see in colors. I feel emotion.”
    “And you go to the very heart of the enemy’s lair.”
    “That is so. Sorrow is a heavy stone to carry,” Dominic admitted. “And guilt. I found her, yet I must leave her alone. If I claim her, she will follow me.”
    Never once did Zacarias’s appearance falter. His impression of an older human was impeccable. He looked and smelled and even kept his brain, should a vampire scan, with the thoughts of a man setting up night cameras. Yet behind the façade, he was the man Dominic had known from so long ago.
    “We must find a way to switch places. Infect me and then take yourself to the healers to see if they can save you.”
    Dominic wanted to smile at the demand in Zacarias’s voice. Perhaps the man was right in saying he had too long been a dominant predator. There was no going backward. Their experiences shaped who and what they were and what they became. Zacarias did not belong with a modern woman. A lifemate was dedicated to making his or her other half happy. He knew only his way.
    Sorrow for the man and his many lifetimes of service pressed hard on Dominic. Zacarias, as if reading Dominic’s thoughts, shrugged.
    “There is no need to feel emotion for me, Dominic, as I cannot feel for myself. I am here first to retrieve a wayward family member, and second, to uncover just where the Malinovs are. Word came to me that you might need aid in your plan. My taking your place makes sense if it is indeed possible.”
    Dominic frowned. “Wayward family member?” He couldn’t imagine any member of Zacarias’s family not submitting to his rule.
    Zacarias inclined his head. “Solange Sangria. She is jaguar. Her cousin Juliette is lifemate to Riordan, and Juliette’s sister, Jasmine, is under the care and protection of our family. Solange is a problem, a little cat running wild. I have to admit—reluctantly—that she has my respect as a warrior, but she will be killed if she continues along the path she has chosen. Both of her cousins grieve for her and fear, as they should, for her life.”
    Dominic felt his heart twist. Solange Sangria. The name was beautiful. The sound resonated in his soul. She was his. Not Zacarias’s, not his family’s; she belonged solely to Dominic. Solange Sangria was the only person—the only thing—in the entire world he wanted for himself. He held the name to him, knowing with absolute certainty that Solange was the name of his lifemate. It rang true, the heart of a warrior, her femininity hidden from the world, but there for him alone.
    “She is mine.”
    Zacarias’s eyes flickered. “I should have known it would be Solange. The woman is as cunning and as wild as the cats in the rain forest. For all that, Dominic, she is a woman worth the world and a worthy match for a warrior such as yourself. She has seen far too much horror and slaughter. She lives only for battle. I fear she will not retreat from this fight. She will need care, Dominic. All the more reason for me to take your place.”
    “It was my decision to ingest the blood and make my way into the enemy camp,” Dominic replied. “This is my battle, Zacarias. It was my choice and I have no honorable option