It was a decree, not a question and her heart jerked hard in her chest. She was often lulled into a false sense of security because Tariq was sweet to her. He was reasonable. He was sophisticated. He was also a predator just like Dragomir, only he disguised it better. Dragomir didn’t bother, while Tariq did. Tariq’s thin veil of civility could shred at any moment.

Still, Charlotte knew she would choose him every single time. He was the man for her. Born for her. And she was born for him. She leaned down and kissed him again and then slowly slid off his body. He didn’t have to change for her; she wanted him just the way he was.

“Okay,” she agreed softly. Because for her, there wasn’t any other choice. “I’ll be ready.” She wanted to go see Lourdes and talk with Danny, Amelia, Liv and Bella. She wanted to visit with Genevieve and Emeline and maybe meet Blaze for the first time. Be normal in a world that wasn’t hers anymore.

He reached for her as she slid off the bed, his hand cupping her face, thumb sliding gently over her lips. “I’ll take care of you always, Charlotte. You’ll want for nothing.”

She believed him, but that wasn’t what was important to her. “Just feel about me the way you do now. Always.”

“It grows every single day. It will continue to grow. Your courage in taking on Danny, Amelia, Liv and Bella astounds me.”

“You’re taking on Lourdes and Genevieve for me.”

He nodded and was up, towering over her, waving his hand to clean and clothe her. She liked her soft, vintage blue jeans and equally soft dove gray sweater. He had good taste in casual clothes. Her bra and panties were sheer lace, but the bra was supportive, and her boots were gray leather with three leather ruffles down the back. She loved them.

“You’ll be able to do that yourself,” he said, and bent to take her mouth. When he straightened, he was dressed in his immaculate and very sophisticated clothes. “Go have fun. Don’t forget Emeline. She’s ours, too.”

“I won’t forget. I have Vadim’s splinter in me and I detest it. She hears him as well. At least we have that in common, and in Paris, we were becoming fairly good friends. Hopefully that will count for something.”

She kissed him again, just a brush of her lips across his, but it was enough to claim him. To tell him that he belonged to her.

13

Lourdes and Bella were in the bathtub playing with rubber ducks when she entered the bathroom. Charlotte had never seen so many kinds of ducks. They weren’t the standard yellow ones she’d had as a child. These were various characters, and the girls clearly loved them. They chattered away together, laughing like old friends – or sisters. She sent a small grateful warmth to Tariq for thinking of toys for the girls.

“They’re already bonding,” Genevieve whispered, sipping at her coffee. “I never thought I’d be so crazy about a couple of little girls but I love spending time with them. They make me feel…”

“Normal,” Charlotte said, with a small laugh. “I was just telling Tariq I needed normal, and here it is.”

Genevieve nodded. “I can’t agree with you more. Do you want a cup of coffee? It’s the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

The thought of drinking coffee made Charlotte’s stomach roll. She pressed a hand to her belly and shook her head. “I’ll pass, but thank you.”

“You and Tariq good?”

“Better than good. I’ve fallen so hard so fast. Thanks for taking care of the children while we’re sorting things out. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing that for me.”

“I wanted to. After all the things you’ve done for me, Charlie, this was easy.” She sighed and put down the mug of coffee. “I can’t stay here forever, but I have to admit I’m a little afraid to strike out on my own.”

Charlotte heard the tremble in Genevieve’s voice. She leaned toward her. “Do you want to leave?”

Genevieve shook her head. “Of course not. It isn’t that, but I’m not about to be the fifth wheel here. This is your family and you need space to make it that way.”

Charlotte shook her head. “You are my family. I don’t have anyone else, Genevieve. It’s the two of us. We chose each other in Paris, long before your grandmother was murdered. Way before my brother was murdered and all of this happened to us. You’re my family. Tariq knows that. He wants you to stay. You can have your own house and eventually, when the danger is gone, live life the way you want, but for now stay here; make one of the houses yours.”

Genevieve looked away from her, back toward the two little girls. Three-year-olds, both of whom had witnessed brutal, vile violence. They were whispering together, dunking the ducks and watching them pop back to the surface. Both would giggle when the little ducks bobbed and looked as if they were swimming.

“I want to do that, Charlie, more than anything. I want to stay. I feel safe here. I’m not afraid for the first time in months. But I don’t want to rain on your parade. You deserve to be happy and to form a family with Tariq…”

“Stop, Vi. Seriously, just stop. Just because I found Tariq and I want to bring together these children doesn’t mean I don’t want you in my life in a huge way. I’ll need help, a lot of help. I’m counting on you for that. I don’t know the first thing about children. You already agreed to help me with Lourdes. The only thing that’s changed is we have four more children, two of whom are teenagers.”

Genevieve snickered. “Is that all that’s changed? Four more children? A little thing like that shouldn’t stop us.”

Charlotte found herself laughing. Real laughter. She loved the fact that it was genuine, that she could laugh in spite of the circumstances. “Okay. Maybe it’s big.”

“Try huge. But if you’re certain Tariq won’t think I’m just hanging around living off him, I’ll stay and help you.”

“You have your own money, Vi,” Charlotte reminded with a small smile.

“I’ll offer, but I can guarantee you, he won’t take a cent. He’s the throwback kind of man, you know, to another century. He’ll want to pay.”

Genevieve was so right. Charlotte nodded. “Whatever it takes to keep you here with us, Vi. I don’t care if he wants to foot the bill. We can help out when the crisis is past. In the meantime, it’s my turn to take care of the kids. You go choose a house. Make a list of everything you need to make it a home. You love lists. Wander around. See the property. I’m going to try to visit Emeline later this evening. If you see us on her porch, come by casual-like and visit with her, too, okay?”