Dragomir wasn’t about to let it go. Amelia had allowed Vadim to influence all of the children, but in particular, Liv, the ten-year-old. Blaze hadn’t found parasites in her blood, so how was Vadim controlling her?

“Check me, then,” Amelia demanded of Tariq. She refused to even look at Dragomir. “I want you to. Check my blood. I know I didn’t do something like that.”

“You did,” Dragomir said softly. “Vadim found a way to control you.”

“That’s not true,” she denied. “Tariq” – she turned to her guardian – “I swear, it isn’t true. I would never hurt my little sister, or Emeline. Either one of them. Where would I get a needle filled with parasites? Tell me that.”

“When I went up to get Bella and Lourdes,” Dragomir said. “He had plenty of time to give you whatever he wanted to give you. You were out of my sight. Danny had run for safety. You were supposed to be right behind him, but you weren’t. Was she, Danny?”

Her brother frowned and then shook his head, his eyes sliding away from the Carpathians to find the ground. “I can’t remember. Everything happened so fast.”

Gary moved then, slowly getting up and moving toward Amelia, who backed away, ran into the barrier Dragomir had set up and turned as if she might try to run. He sent her a sharp reprimand. “Hold still. I’m going to ensure you have no parasites.”

“Wouldn’t I feel them?” Amelia looked as if she might burst into tears.

“Amelia.” Tariq simply said her name. His voice was loving. Persuasive. It carried a soft command, one that ensured his order would be carried out.

She subsided immediately. Gary didn’t waste time on the niceties. He shed his body and entered the teen’s. No one spoke. Amelia trembled continually. Dragomir knew he should feel bad for the girl, but he was absolutely certain she had influenced her younger sister Liv to remove the safeguards and open the compound for Vadim’s invasion. Emeline had nearly been taken, and if the master vampire had been allowed to get his hands on her again, there would have been little chance of ever getting her back.

Dragomir felt Amelia’s gaze, her hatred of him. She stared at his throat as if she could strangle him. He felt a burn there. It was slow, as if the temperature in one spot increased. At first, waiting for the healer’s verdict, he paid little attention to the fact that a human teenage girl despised him. It was beneath his notice. As his throat became more uncomfortable, he realized it was her doing. She hadn’t taken her eyes from him.

He sent a her a perverse grin, one without humor, one challenging her to do her worst. She lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing. He felt her hatred, a tangible thing. Because he was a hunter, he never focused solely on one threat but kept every sense flaring out in order to see the larger picture. Tariq was watching Amelia intently. Charlotte turned Bella so the child was unaware of anything happening, all the while keeping up running chatter with her.

Something flickered inside Dragomir’s throat. The tip of a flame burned along the inside with a delicate touch. Too delicate for a teenager.

Gary chose that moment to emerge. This time it was Tomas stepping close to offer his wrist.

“The girl is clean of parasites,” the healer said and bent his head to the laceration and the ruby drops beading up.

9

Dragomir leaned one hip against the wall and studied the healer’s face. He looked worn, but his peculiar-colored eyes were shrewd and assessing as they compared observations. Tariq had sent the children back to their rooms, reiterating they were still grounded. Tariq, Dragomir, Gary and several of the ancients gathered together in the main house.

“She’s tainted,” Dragomir said. “I don’t care if you didn’t find parasites.”

“Unfortunately” – Tariq’s breath came out in a long, slow hiss of anger – “I have to agree. She’s a child and she’s already been traumatized by Vadim, now this. I don’t know how she’s going to recover.”

Dragomir bit back what he would have said and instead silently observed Tariq. The man had genuine compassion for the teenager. He could see beyond her betrayal to the person underneath, one clearly being directed by a being far more powerful. Tariq was a leader because he cared about those under his protection. Dragomir realized that was what made him someone to follow. He had compassion. He knew Amelia hadn’t betrayed them on purpose, she was being forced to do a master vampire’s bidding. Dragomir hadn’t looked beyond the damage done to his lifemate and their child.

“I agree that she’s tainted,” Gary said. “I could feel evil residing in her, but I couldn’t find it, and believe me, I looked.”

“She came after me.” Dragomir touched his throat. He still felt the effects. “Her touch was delicate, a master’s hand.”

Tariq raked his hand through his hair in agitation. “How can you get rid of his presence if you can’t find it? Gary, you’re our best shot at this. If you can’t get rid of him, no one can.”

“I have to figure out how he’s doing it first. If he discovers we know about him and are looking to get him out of her, he may kill her,” Gary answered. “It’s best to go slow, but remember, she can’t be trusted, not for a moment. You will need eyes on her at all times.”

Tariq shook his head. “The risk is too great. She could harm one of the other children. Look at what she did to the baby, Bella. Charlotte is still worried about the child. She’s taken her to Lourdes and the two little ones are playing with Blaze and Charlotte watching over them, but Amelia could be forced by Vadim to strike at one of the others.”

“It’s a big possibility,” Dragomir agreed. “Vadim swore to Emeline that he would kill those children. What better way to do it than force one of their siblings to commit murder?”

Gary nodded in agreement. “I think his first target will be you, Dragomir. He has to know you’re the biggest deterrent to his plans for Emeline. That’s the other thing we need to figure out. Why does he want your lifemate so badly?”

“Can we use her?” Sandu asked. When Dragomir unfolded his arms and took a step toward the ancient Sandu shrugged his wide shoulders. “The girl. Amelia. Can we feed her information to draw Vadim out? Maybe something about Emeline.”

“Use her?” Tariq’s voice was a whip of anger. Any other might have winced, but like Dragomir, Sandu was in the brotherhood for a reason. The tattoo drifted across his back, letting the others know what he stood for. He was impervious to anger or any other emotion.

Sandu nodded. “Information flows both ways. If we can’t take the chance of Vadim knowing we’re aware that she’s his spy, reporting every conversation, every weakness the compound has, any data he desires, then we can reverse that.”

Dragomir had to smile at the ancient’s use of the word data. He was taking in everything, absorbing the history of the planet and the new technology like a sponge. They all were. It was necessary to survive. Sandu seemed especially confident in computers, software and technology. Once he’d been given the information, his mind grasped it and demanded more.

“I have to agree with Gary’s assessment,” Andor said. “The child will be sent after Dragomir. And Sandu’s right, if we can’t get him out of her, then we need to use her. She’ll make a good weapon.”

“She’s a little girl. A teenager,” Tariq snapped. “Quit thinking of her as Vadim’s spy. Whatever he’s done to her, she can’t stop.”

“And the longer he’s influencing her, the less chance we have to reverse his effects,” Gary pointed out.

Dragomir tried to reason out what his lifemate would be thinking in the situation. She loved the children. She’d put them first from the beginning, before she’d ever met them. They were strangers, creeping into her dreams night after night until she figured out just how to save them. The first few dreams she’d had had been unsuccessful and the children had died, but each night she’d changed her responses in the dream until she’d chosen the right actions to keep them from being killed and getting them free of Vadim.