Vadim’s two human psychics both looked very apprehensive and tried to get to their feet, but failed, due to the shackles on their ankles.

“Your names,” Tariq bit out. He was very aware of the position of the sun. He had to time everything just right.

The blond spoke first. “Ryan Jenkins.”

The dark-haired man went next. “Andrew Wilson.”

“Tell me why I should keep you alive.” Tariq laid it on the line. He would kill them if there was the slightest hint that they had come to spy or harm his family in any way. “Make it fast – I have a child to rescue.”

“You can’t get into that warehouse without Fridrick bringing down the safeguards. It’s a trap. They’re expecting you to follow. They’ve got a hidden army there,” Ryan said hastily. “You can’t just walk in and get her.”

Tariq was very aware of that fact. He simply shrugged. “So far I’m just getting impatient. Why were you working with Vadim?”

“Fridrick approached us. We had done some psychic testing at the Morrison Center here in the city. He told us he had a job for us using our particular skills,” Ryan answered for both of them. “He took us to Vadim. The man was too smooth and I didn’t like the whole setup, especially when he started messing with our minds. I have a kind of shield that stops most attacks, but he got through and he forced us to drink blood. Not his. Another man’s blood, a prisoner’s. Then he put something in us. Something that works on us day and night to do his bidding.”

Tariq kept his face blank. More splinters. Vadim had no idea that he was diminishing his power by inserting the pieces of himself into others.

“He’s recruited at least fifteen psychics, all male. Two work in your club. He said you couldn’t detect them because they have Carpathian blood covering whatever it is he put into us. There was no way to go against him, not even when he let those monsters he created hurt that child.” There was genuine disgust and repugnance in his voice. “It made me sick to stand there and watch that shit, knowing if I made one move to stop them, those monsters would kill me and I wouldn’t have a chance to save her.”

Andrew took over. “While Vadim sleeps, we can try to fight him, but he’s too powerful when he’s awake. That thing inside of us won’t let up. It’s hard to fight the compulsions.”

Tariq nodded. “You knew they were after Emeline.”

Both men nodded. “We made up our minds that when they struck here, we’d fight them and maybe have a chance to prevent them from taking the women. They wanted us to bring four back to them.”

Four. Emeline. Charlotte. Genevieve. And that had to mean Amelia. She was only fourteen, but Vadim and his army of vampires wouldn’t care about her age. They would have taken her as well.

“If we couldn’t get the women, we were to take any of the children. Fridrick said they would bargain for the women, that he knew once they had the kids the women would do anything to get them back,” Ryan continued. “You can’t let them trade themselves for that child. They’re going to kill her anyway. There’s no saving her.” There was genuine regret in his voice.

Andrew shook his head. “Those things, that giant of a man Vadim created – they’re so strong you can’t fight them. Killing them is next to impossible. He gave them his blood and the Carpathian prisoner’s blood. Vadim likes to experiment, and these hybrids, as he refers to them, are killing machines. They don’t seem to have any feelings at all for caring. They’re especially cruel. Vadim’s got at least six or seven of them guarding that warehouse along with I don’t know how many of those monsters. He feeds them women. Slaves he buys off the cartels or prostitutes they pick up in the streets. He promises them he’ll give them immortality. That’s why most of the other psychics haven’t fought him. They want his power.”

“They’ll never get it,” Tariq said. “They won’t live long. Puppets die fast, but while they’re alive, they wreak havoc everywhere they go.”

“Can you get whatever he put in us out?” Ryan asked. He shook his head. “I just went for a job interview and ended up their prisoner. You have no idea the things they’ve done. The experiments. The women they’ve hurt and killed.” He lifted his shackled hands to his eyes and pressed his fingertips to his temples. “I can’t look at those things anymore. I can’t stand it. I’ve gotten to the point that if they killed me, I wouldn’t care, not if I had to keep seeing the sick things they get off on.”

Andrew nodded. “So if you can’t get it out of us, you might as well kill us. We aren’t going back, and the moment Vadim wakes, he’ll come at us.”

Tariq knew that was true. Vadim would know the two men betrayed him and he would make them suffer before he killed them. He’d force them to do the very things they were trying to run away from.

Tariq made up his mind. Both men were telling the truth. He heard the honesty in their voices. He could take their blood later, but now he had a woman to feed. “I’m out of time. I have things to do, so to ensure your safety, I’m sending you both to sleep. Vadim won’t be able to reach you. And when he wakes, you’ll be the last things on his mind. I don’t know if it will be possible to remove the splinters, but we’ve done it once. We’ll try. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He dissolved in front of them, shifting so that he was a stream of molecules. Charlotte. Come to me. The carousel in the yard.

He’d dreamt of taking her on that carousel. It was magical. He’d designed it, carved the horses and added a few unique touches. He wanted to see Charlotte on the horses, wearing nothing but her long hair.

She was waiting for him, sitting in the golden chariot with its streaks of fire running jagged through its side. He could see the hunger in her eyes. Felt it beating at him as he approached. She looked beautiful and a little fragile, her gaze soft and warm, but holding a sorrow that would be ever present until they brought their child home.

“Sielamet.” He whispered the endearment softly as he gathered her close and pulled her to his chest.

The moment her mouth was on his bare skin his body shuddered with pleasure. Her teeth sank deep in an erotic bite, connecting them in the intimate way of his species. He wrapped his arms around her and threw his head back, savoring the feel of his woman against him. Skin to skin. Shocked, he glanced down at her and found she’d already learned how to shed clothes. At once his hand went up to cup her breast as she fed, his thumb sliding over her nipple, a whisper of breath. All the while he shielded them from any eyes.