One of the green buttons activated the lift that sank each room into the ground, making it a sealed panic room that was inaccessible to any outside source. The floor covered the opening so that it was impossible to know the room was underground or that there was a room at all. Josef had thought the idea up and at the time, Tariq thought him a little fanciful, but it was a sound idea and one that would keep the occupants of the compound from harm.

He could see on the monitors as each member of his family was dropped beneath the surface so they were safe underground and impossible to detect. The rooms were sealed with good airflow and amenities, even a bathroom, just in case the stay was longer than expected.

Danny and the girls could move from room to room; they were all connected once below the surface. At the moment, they were still peacefully sleeping and unaware. Genevieve’s and Lourdes’s rooms connected. Like the other children, they slept, the push Tariq had given them still holding. Donald and Mary were on their own. He saw that they were safe beneath the ground, but he couldn’t see Emeline. He hadn’t put cameras in her home. She’d insisted she wouldn’t stay if he did. He could only hope she’d obeyed the order and that she was afraid enough of Vadim that she didn’t hesitate.

His gaze went back to Liv. Charlotte’s gaze had never left her. The child was calmer because both Tariq and Charlotte were in her mind, anchoring her, soothing her and more importantly, keeping Vadim and his commands at bay. There was nothing to be done about the wildly spinning horses. Already, Tariq could feel the buildup of energy as the horses and chariots spun madly.

The horses were now in the center of the compound and had formed a complete carousel, they and the chariots acting as if they were suspended from chains and whirling faster and faster so that Liv’s steed was forced outward by the centrifugal force. All around them the explosions kept coming, bouncing off the safeguards so that none penetrated the fortress Tariq had created.

Liv clung to the horse as it swung out so fast and hard that it appeared to be on its side as it whirled madly. In the middle of the carousel, a dark force began to rise, a cloud, spinning just as fast. In the center and flashing through the darkness were streaks of fire, of lightning.

Tariq swore. Vadim always prepared for everything. He overprepared. It was a characteristic his brothers had often given him a bad time about, but now that preparation served him well.

What is it? Charlotte sounded scared.

There was no way to save Liv. She couldn’t get off the horse, and Tariq knew an explosion was coming, one that would blow right through the safeguards from the inside and allow Fridrick’s army of puppets and humans entry. The others would be safe, but Liv…

No. Beside him, Charlotte tried to struggle. To move. When she couldn’t she stared in horror at the screen, her gaze glued there in spite of the bloodred tears tracking down her face. Tariq. She whispered his name in his mind. An intimate connection. A plea. Tariq wanted to reassure her, but he couldn’t.

The cloud rose, whirling as fast as the horses. And then a figure came running across the yard, onto the screen where Tariq could see. Emeline. She wasn’t safe belowground; she was leaping, timing her leap exactly, putting her life on the line to catch Liv around the waist and yank her from the spinning horse. The force of the wooden animal sent them flying through the air. Emeline tucked Liv into her and tried to land in a protective ball. She hit the ground hard. Too hard. Emeline rolled like a rag doll, her arms outstretched, clearly unconscious. Liv rolled as well, not as far as Emeline, but she’d hit the ground hard enough to stun her.

They’re alive. He breathed the knowledge into Charlotte’s mind. Relief was tremendous, but he knew what was coming. His fingers inched their way to find Charlotte’s hand so he could thread them together with hers. Beloved, this will not be good. Take a breath.

The explosion rocked the compound. It put deep cracks in the ground and several walls in the houses cracked. A tree groaned and then slowly toppled over. The chariots and horses went flying. One landed in a tree. One in the middle of the dragons. Another in the playground. Splinters of wood became arrows and spears, knifing through the air, looking for a target.

Stay on the ground, Liv, Tariq ordered the child.

She moved, a writhing of pain, but her hands had gone flat to the shaking ground to push herself up. At Tariq’s command she hesitated and looked cautiously around. Emeline was absolutely still and he could see a thin trail of blood seeping out from under where her head was. Her hair was a fan around her, thick and dark, so dark it appeared almost blue. Thin red streaks matted the strands and soaked into the ground. Charlotte’s fingers tightened around his as Fridrick’s army poured into the compound.

The humans tossed pipe bombs at the houses. Several threw grenades. Tariq recognized some of the human men who had been in the tunnel when Charlotte had accessed the memories from when Liv had been thrown to the puppet. Puppets swarmed the compound. Liv let out a small shriek and began to cry.

Stay quiet, baby, Charlotte advised. Her eyes frantically searched the screens. Smoke was filling the air, making it difficult to see everything.

Without warning, the blue dragon in the play yard stood on his back legs, spread his wings, and fanned them so that the smoke was driven back. Charlotte caught a glimpse of a series of small boulders artfully placed in the garden. They were only a few feet from Liv.

Can you make it to those boulders, honey? Look to your left and behind you. There’s just enough room for you to slip between them.

If you stay low, Liv, I can shield you, Tariq added.

Sobbing, crawling on her hands and knees, Liv hurried across the few feet to the edge of the garden where the boulders were. She squeezed between two of them and went to her tummy, pulling her knees under her in an attempt to imitate the rocks around her.

Tariq instantly began to weave a shell of protection over her. It wouldn’t help if she moved, but as long as she stayed there, it was a cloak of invisibility the attackers couldn’t penetrate. His security force would be arriving any minute and then chaos would really reign.

Emme hasn’t moved. Charlotte filled his mind with worry.

There was nothing he could do for Emeline. She lay to the right of the play yard, her body on its side, arms flung out, blood a halo around her head. She’d saved Liv’s life. Liv wouldn’t have survived the explosion, but there was no telling what price Emeline paid for her courage.