Dragomir pushed back strands of damp hair from her face. She was sweating blood. There were dots of it on her forehead and smears on her body. He opened the earth right next to them, making it deep. Seeing the shimmer of rich minerals made his heart a little lighter.

This is the scary part. Buried alive.

Her voice tried to make light of it, but he felt the undertone of horror. You will sleep and the baby will sleep. When you wake, you will be out from under the soil. On your rising we will practice opening and closing the soil until I know you are always safe and feel confident in your abilities.

He brushed a kiss across her mouth. He, as always throughout her ordeal, had swept away the dots of blood on her forehead and the smears on her body. All toxins were gone and the air was sweet-smelling and fresh. Still, she turned her head away.

I am not clean.

You are very clean. I will put you under before the next wave starts. I’ll sleep beside you this night. He waited for her consent. It was a long time coming.

Her gaze clung to his and then finally she nodded. He reached out immediately to the healer. It is time.

I agree. The child is ready.

Dragomir touched his daughter lightly, just to make certain. She was sleepy. Weary. She needed the ordeal over. Gary was back in his body, slumping to the ground. Immediately Tomas offered him his wrist and the healer gratefully took it.

Dragomir kissed Emeline again and sent mother and daughter to sleep. They went under without a fight. He floated into the deep hole with Emeline in his arms. He was gentle as he placed her carefully in the soil before rising again. One wave closed the blanket of rich dirt over her. He turned as Sandu offered him his wrist. His gaze found Tariq’s.

“We need to find the traitor aiding Vadim. We need to do that now, before they have another chance to strike at us.”

8

All trace of civility was gone from Dragomir’s face. There was death in his eyes and he didn’t care who saw it. Centuries fell away until there was only the vicious predator stripped of all mercy, all hint of kindness. There was only the killer left, the one that hunted – and prevailed. He looked like what he was, ruthless and implacable.

Tariq nodded, his face as grim as Dragomir’s. “I agree. We need to find out just who is aiding Vadim and how. I will do that, ekäm. You must feed and then go to earth to heal.”

Dragomir shook his head. “My lifemate was nearly taken by a master vampire, one who raped her mind and invaded her body. He tortured her for weeks. The traitor allowed Vadim and his army access to this compound, putting every single man, woman and child, human and Carpathian alike, in danger.”

Tariq nodded a second time. Maksim moved up to stand on Tariq’s left. Gary took up a position on his right. Tomas, Lojos and Mataias flanked them. Dragomir understood the men were protecting Tariq, although Tariq didn’t seem to notice the others surrounding him. He was the acknowledged leader. Those guarding him were making a statement. Dragomir wondered briefly why Gary was throwing his support behind Tariq, but at that moment his reasoning didn’t matter.

As soon as the Carpathian hunters lined up behind Tariq, the ancients made their move. Sandu moved to Dragomir’s right and Andor to his left. Ferro, Afanasiv and Nicu flanked Dragomir. Afanasiv and Nicu both had the same tattoo as Dragomir, drifting down and across their backs. The two had left the monastery, but they had joined the brotherhood. They were ancients, experienced in every kind of battle, shockingly fast, infinitely powerful. Brotherhood trumped friendship every time.

Dragomir hadn’t asked for that allegiance, not in the issues he had with safety at the compound, but the others had decided to make a show of force and solidarity with him. Emeline wanted to remain in the compound, and for her safety and that of the baby, he knew it would be best. Creating a division wasn’t what he wanted, or what Emeline needed. That didn’t matter right at the moment. He had to shut down every threat to his lifemate. It was his duty, his right, and more than anything else, his need.

Tariq let his breath out in a long sigh, not looking at any of the other ancients, his entire focus on Dragomir. “I understand. Charlotte is my world as Emeline is yours. You know that every woman is cherished by the entire Carpathian community and equally as important. I will examine every member of my security force, the older couple – Donald and Mary Walton – and every other person living on this compound. I intend to get to the bottom of this tonight.”

Dragomir pinned him with a steady, challenging gaze. His eyes were pure gold, glittering with menace and the promise of violence. “My woman is pregnant. The baby was in grave danger, her heart clogged with Vadim’s poisonous filth. If the healer had not been here, Vadim would have forced Emeline to return to him, using the threat of killing her child. This traitor allowed that threat to become a very real possibility by allowing him to use the lightning during the healing and conversion.”

Again Tariq nodded. “I understand the anger you must be feeling.”

“Rage,” Dragomir corrected. “Ice-cold rage. I invoke my right as her protector, as her lifemate, to hunt those putting her in harm’s way.” His voice was pitched low, a hint of savagery deepening the timbre. Still, as softly as he’d spoken, his words carried to the Carpathian people ringing the healing grounds. A hush fell instantly. Dragomir was well within his rights. He could hunt – and kill – anyone threatening his lifemate.

The invocation of Dragomir’s right as Emeline’s lifemate was a formality no one in the Carpathian world could dispute – not even the prince himself. It was a body blow to Tariq, who hoped to take care of it himself. Charlotte came up beside him, slipping her hand into his, looking up at the leader there in the compound.

“What is it, Tariq? What does that mean? Surely we all want to find out if someone is betraying us.”

Tariq understood exactly what was in Dragomir’s mind. Centuries past, children were raised by the community. It was a necessary way. If one’s lifemate was killed, the other followed, leaving behind any children. The children were left bereft, but by having everyone participate in raising them, they were able to carry on. Each warrior could aid in sharing battle experience with the children. When the child did something wrong, the punishments were severe. Every consequence of their action was life-threatening – to the child or someone else, so the repercussions were equally harsh.

“It is your right, Dragomir,” Tariq agreed. “I ask that you make an effort to understand these children. They were raised human and in a different century.”

Dragomir didn’t take his gaze from Tariq’s, not for one moment. He didn’t blink. He focused completely. “You know it is one of them.” He hissed the accusation, a soft, piercing spear of sheer anger. “You know.”

Charlotte gasped and put a defensive hand to her throat, but she glanced up at the mask that was Tariq’s face and subsided instantly.

“I suspect,” Tariq corrected. “There is someone, that much I’m certain of. None of my security force has been near the vampires long enough for Vadim to gain control. Genevieve hasn’t, either. The Waltons aren’t even on the vampires’ radar. The children are the ones he had down in the underground city long enough to put them under his control. But they are traumatized children, Dragomir…”

Swift impatience crossed Dragomir’s face. He waved away Tariq’s caution dismissively. “I am tired of the excuses all of you make for them. These children wield power. One of them was brought into our world. She must abide by the rules of our world, just as every other Carpathian child has done. The other children have chosen to stay here, within the safety of your walls. They enjoy that safety because of the ancients safeguarding them. That means they fall under the rules of our world.”

“There is no mercy in you,” Charlotte whispered. “They are children.”

“They brought evil into the compound,” Dragomir said. “They allowed a master vampire to come into this place of safety, and they endangered my lifemate. As it was, she has been tormented every hour of her existence by Vadim Malinov, and someone here aided this monster in torturing her.”

There was steel in his voice, steel in his heart. He turned abruptly away from Tariq and started across the wide expanse of the healing grounds. “Call them out of their home. They will stand for punishment and inspection.” It was a decree. His invoking the ancient law of their people had given him every right and Tariq could do nothing but comply.