"I was here," Tariq said.
Gary shook his head. "You anticipated this happening long before it did. You are going to become a target. I suspect you are already the biggest target. Vadim knows it is your mind going up against his. You are the appointed leader in the United States. You answer only to Mikhail. All hunters coming here are bound by your orders . . ."
Tariq snarled and leapt at Gary, landing inches from him. "I do not give orders to my fellow hunters."
Gary didn't flinch. "You have no choice in this matter. None. Look around you. Long before Mikhail sent me, you already had those ancients following where you led. Mikhail recognized your abilities just as everyone at this table has."
Tariq snarled again, whirled around and paced across the room. The Carpathian had wide shoulders, but already, Dragomir could see weight settling there.
"I am here to protect you. Mikhail sent you a Daratrazanoff to keep you alive. I will do so whether you wish it or not."
Dragomir's head went up. "I was there, Gary. In the monastery. Surely you told the prince that your lifemate was in Paris."
Gary sent him a quelling look. "She is no more than an infant. When there is time, I will search, but there are many years between now and then. As Valentin knows, it is not easy to have a child for a lifemate. It can be a special kind of hell. I know when she was born, and that she is alive, and that is more than most know. I also know it will be years before I can claim her." His strange eyes returned to Tariq. "In the meantime, I have my orders and I intend to carry them out."
Maksim patted the chair Tariq had vacated. "Quit prowling like a tiger and sit, old friend. Everyone but you knows you were born to lead. We need your skills to figure out what Vadim is up to. Sit down and show us your brain power."
Tariq did a slow perusal of each ancient's face. "I think you're all a little crazy, but Maksim is right. We must figure out what Vadim is up to. I don't like that he gave Amelia up. The sliver is destroyed. He no longer has a spy in our camp, and what real damage did she do?" He leaned his hands on the table and shifted his gaze to include them all. "I keep going back to that. What real damage did he do?"
Dragomir had wondered that all along. If Vadim had so senselessly sacrificed Amelia, then she had never been important to his plans. She was merely a pawn. A diversion. "He has to have someone else here, someone who can feed him information, someone he isn't willing to sacrifice or use to kill so he can receive vital information when he needs it. If he knows Tariq is his greatest enemy, then it has to be someone who would have contact with him in a more adult way. Someone Tariq might talk in front of."
Frustrated, Tariq slapped his palm on the table, almost glaring at Dragomir. "But who? How? We've checked everyone. My entire security force was checked. I did it myself. The Waltons, although they had no real contact with Vadim or his army. Genevieve? She immediately offered to have us check her and we did. She was fine. So who else? What are we missing?"
Dragomir turned the problem over and over in his mind. "Who did he have access to? Emeline and Amelia for certain. We know he had Liv. Her blood was taken, and she was given first to Valentin to use for food and then Vadim's puppets. Where was Danny?"
"He was never in the same room with Danny," Tariq said.
"Bella?" Dragomir persisted.
"She was put in a cage in the same room with Liv."
"So he could have put something in her as well."
"We checked her," Tariq pointed out, his head turning toward Gary for confirmation. "We checked her. You did. She had parasites and you got rid of them."
"The parasites were injected into her that rising," Gary said. His tone was strictly neutral. "Once we knew the parasites were in her body, I got rid of them. I didn't check for anything else, and even if I had, if there was a second splinter, I most likely wouldn't have found it."
"O kod belso," Tariq swore. "She's three years old."
"She isn't the only one we have to consider," Dragomir said reluctantly. "Emeline was with Vadim the longest. He could have put a splinter into her. Or the baby. Is that possible, Gary? When he impregnated Emeline, could he have also given the baby a splinter? If he killed the baby, what would happen to the splinter? Because he definitely wanted to kill Carisma."
Again, there was silence as the ancients looked to Gary for answers. Dragomir felt as if he had betrayed Emeline and his daughter. Each time he fed Emeline, his blood went to their child, turning her more and more to his. Her organs and brain developed with the nutrients of his ancient blood. I'm sorry, sivamet, but we have to know.
She never quite left him, or he, her. Emeline had gone through too much and there was a part of her that just refused to believe he was real. She didn't want to be lied to, or kept from knowing what was happening around her. He gave her that because she needed it.
He knew she wasn't the only one who needed reassurance. He had never been an easy man. Others often avoided him. He was ruthless when it was needed, implacable in his resolve, and he knew that his woman would always be that--his. To cherish and protect. To make happy. To love and respect. Above all, he would keep her safe. Those weren't qualities in men, as far as he could see, that modern women appreciated. They wanted to be the same as a man, with all the same rights and responsibilities. He didn't know how to make that happen.
He knew Emeline would never have the ability he had to fight a vampire. She could--and would--defend her home, children and herself if she needed, but to seek out a vampire in his lair was dangerous. Seeking a master vampire could be suicide. No, he wasn't ever going to let that happen. He would take her choice away, and that was something a modern woman couldn't live with. He didn't know how to resolve that issue.
Another man might have just let her make her choices and live with the consequences, but he wasn't that man. He'd never be that man.
Stop, Dragomir. We talked about this. I am your lifemate. You told me I am and I believe you. I feel the ties connecting us with every breath I take. That means you respect me and see to my happiness. It also means I do the same for you. I know it won't be easy staying in the house when I think I need to run outside to scoop up a child, but if you assure me you have it covered, and the others are watching over you, I'd only get in the way.
He knew it was the best concession she could give him and he loved her all the more for it. His heart felt painful it was so full. Emeline. His heart and soul. There was no way to express to her the feelings he had for her.
Thank you. I am sorry about discussing Vadim's slivers without first talking to you. I hadn't considered it fully yet. It had been nagging at him. If Vadim gave up Amelia, his eyes and ears in the camp, he had to have another fully entrenched, one he didn't believe anyone would ever consider.
I would want to know, too. There is no betrayal.
I should have spoken first with you.
He felt a wave of warmth pour over him. His woman. Perfection. She didn't see it in herself, not the way he did, but he vowed that one day she would.
"Emeline? Or the baby?" Gary spoke softly, clearly giving it thought. "It is very possible, of course, that either has a splinter. If he killed the baby, the splinter would simply move to a new host. That host would be Emeline, but we inspected the baby's brain for anomalies and there were none. We could have missed it, splinters are tiny, but I doubt it."
"He didn't want any of the vampires to kill Emeline, nor did he try when he had the opportunity," Dragomir said. "I thought it was because of the baby, or that he wanted her for another purpose. Could it be that she is host to a sliver of Vadim? If so, how do we find it without tipping him off? If he knew we were aware of it, he would move quickly to kill both the baby and Emeline. He would have to kill her to leave her body and find a new host."
"We would have to outsmart him," Tariq said. "Emeline would have to be ill. She'd need a healer to look at her. He would have to inspect every part of her and, if he did find the splinter, not give that away."
The idea was repugnan
t to Dragomir. Vadim had done so much to Emeline already. She had gone to Amelia and talked to the girl. He'd heard every word. More, he'd heard and felt the emotions she felt. Not only her, but Amelia as well. Emeline had relived those memories in order to connect with the teenager and bring her back to them.
"Are there any others who Vadim was with long enough to implant a splinter?" Tariq asked.
"Me," Valentin said. "He was with me a very long time. I do not believe he thought I would ever get free, so the chances are slim, but I would very much like the healer to check. I want Liv checked as well."
"At any time were you unaware?" Gary asked.
Valentin nodded. "I was in and out sometimes after he tortured me. He kept me starved and often took my blood. I was weak most of the time. It could have been done."
"I need some others to go with Dragomir to the underground city," Tariq said. "Remember, this is to gather information only. Don't engage unless you have to. Once we assess the situation, we can put together a comprehensive plan of action. In the meantime, Gary, we'll need you and Dragomir to examine the victims for any sign of Vadim."
"There's a feel to him," Dragomir stated.
Gary nodded. "The longer the splinter is in someone, even if he isn't using it--and I suspect he can't help himself, he has a toy and he'd want to play with it--the taint grows. Dragomir has felt him as well. I think, between the two of us, we should be able to rule out his victims or at least narrow our suspect list."
"Start with me," Valentin insisted, looking not to the healer or Dragomir but instinctively to Tariq. "And then Liv."
Tariq nodded. "And then I want Bella cleared."
Dragomir shook his head. "We need others looking as well. Sandu is capable. So is Andor or Ferro. I want to check Emeline and the baby."
"I go with you," Sandu said. "I am no healer."
Dragomir glared at him, but Sandu just shrugged. There was no changing his mind once it was made up. Kod jutasz belso. "Shadow take you" was a Carpathian curse, but Sandu looked as impassive as always when Dragomir hissed it on their private telepathic path. You know how to heal. You just don't want to do it.
Look what has come of Tariq taking responsibility. Now he has no choice. The healer will not allow him to hunt the vampire. At least he already has a song . . .
Veridet peje, you heathen. Dragomir continued to curse him.
Sandu lifted an eyebrow, but only shook his head. You do realize you could take your woman and go. We would follow you and protect the two of you. Vadim will follow or he won't. Either way, we will be away from the madness of this place. Humans are beyond comprehension, and human women are insane with their demands.
Dragomir wasn't about to admit he halfway agreed with that last statement, not with his woman listening to them.
"Dragomir, I realize you want Emeline tested immediately, but she has been harassed and prodded enough. If we can spare her, I would prefer that." Tariq's tone was gentle.
Dragomir closed his eyes. Was he so selfish that another man had to tell him what would be best for his lifemate? He had wanted to make certain no vestige of Vadim was left in her. Not one single trace.
I share your need, Dragomir. Perhaps I even drove it. The thought that Vadim might still have some small part of him in me or Carisma was more than I could stand. I wanted you to check me immediately. It's okay, though. I can wait. Bella is a baby. She should be examined first. It makes sense to look at Valentin and Liv first as well. I am fine.
She wasn't. He could tell. She felt, once again, apart from everyone. She had been sitting quietly with Amelia, but now she wanted to go lock herself up in her house, away from everyone, just in case Vadim was using her as his eyes.
I am coming to you.
No, don't. Stay and check the others. I'm going to sit on the porch and listen to the night. It makes me feel better.
He made her feel better. His lifemate came first. Before all else. Before the warrior's council. Before finding Vadim's spy. He stood. "My lifemate needs me. I will take care of her. That includes looking for any evidence that Vadim created a second splinter."
Gary rose as well. "I will go with you. I believe she has need of a healer. When I am finished there, Valentin, I will return immediately and check you. I do not think Vadim would put a part of himself in you. It would be too risky. You are a hunter with a hunter's instincts. It wouldn't take long before you suspected and eventually discovered him. No, a human and female would much more suit him. He's bold, but he's also extremely intelligent. He needs someone of the light, someone who would never suspect the evil he's capable of."
Dragomir didn't wait for the rest of the conversation. He sped out of the house and across the yard to the house where he knew Emeline paced. She looked as if she might be wearing a hole in the wood floor. She wore the flowing gray dress and it swirled around her as she paced. Her hair was intricately braided and as he strode into the room he studied it, determined to be able to reproduce it by human means.
She turned as he approached and practically threw herself into his arms. A little sob escaped, tugging at his heartstrings. "I can't believe this, Dragomir. It must be me. You know that's why he didn't try to kill me. That never made sense. Once he knew the baby was female and he was willing to kill her, I really was of no more use to him."
"You know better. You're upset, but I'm in your mind and you know your ability to dream the future is of huge use to him. There are other things in your mind you fear as well, that he can use you to do." Dragomir pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We will get through this together, as we've done everything else."
She took a deep breath and nodded, her gaze clinging to his.
I am at your door, Dragomir. Invite me in. I think she is of great use to him and in her mind is the key to why he is staying here in this area. When I was in her before, I caught glimpses of strange things.
Dragomir had, too. He'd been in her mind now often. He moved around, looking for ways to understand her. That meant looking at her memories, the times with Blaze and her father. The times on the streets. Those saddened and angered him. Even further back, to her childhood.
She dreams. Her dreams often are grounded in reality.
She is the key to all of this, Dragomir. Sandu and the others are out here. They are like a pack of wolves, restless for the hunt. They want direction. We need to point them so they can do what they do best.
It was more than that. The members of the brotherhood were far more predatory and dangerous than wolves, and living among sheep wasn't helping to take the edge off.
"I invite you into my home, healer. Please enter of your own free will." He turned the tables on Gary with just a rearrangement of words. Gary would have power coming in but if he entered of his own free will, that swung the balance of power back to Dragomir. It was an old, ancient balance of power. A vampire or Carpathian had to be invited into a home, if it was closed to them, but if they entered of their own free will, the owner of the house had the power.
"Sandu, Andor, Ferro, just come in," he added. He should have known they would follow him. They thought he had a lead. Maybe he did.
He wrapped Emeline securely in his arms and brushed a kiss on top of her head. "We'll both go in and look for this sliver."
She shook her head. "You protect the baby. Let the healer look."
"Who will protect you? Without you, the baby won't survive. I protect you."
"I can help the healer look," Sandu said.
Dragomir glared at him. "Now you're willing to own up to your healing abilities?"
Sandu shrugged, clearly unrepentant. "Now we're not talking about sidelining our hunters if they have other useful skills. Let's just do this. I'll be the child's shield. You find the kuly and destroy it once and for all. It will weaken him even more."
"You all think the sliver is in me, don't you?" Emeline said.
"There is a good chance," Dragomir said. "You would be the best option for him."
She pulled out of hi
s mind abruptly and he felt the loss instantly. He gripped her forearms and waited until she looked up at him. It took a while and her gaze kept sliding from his.
"Don't do that. We're in this together. It doesn't matter if the sliver is there. We know what Vadim is doing and we're countering his every move. He can't make you less than you are. He simply can't."
"He knows what we're doing. Those moments we talk, or you're . . ." She broke off, shaking her head. "If I leave the house, he's watching the children. My friends. You. He can hear what you say to one another. What we say to each other." Her voice broke.
His heart clenched hard in his chest. "That's not the way it works, Emeline. Just because he put a slice of himself into you, or someone else, that doesn't mean he knows what everyone is doing. He would have to reach for it. Leave his body and go into the splinter. That's always dangerous to him. Just as when we're healing someone, the body is unprotected. If he is attacked or another vampire decides to kill him, he's in trouble."
"You set a trap for him using Amelia. How could you know he was listening?"
"Even if he wasn't, he would go through her memories, but when he is active, there is a taint of evil. She had it," Dragomir explained. "You do not."
"He directed Amelia," she said. "He directed her to hurt others."
"His body was safe somewhere when he orchestrated that attack. He would never have gone that long outside his body without being safe," Dragomir assured. "We have to know. I'm going to keep you safe. Let the healer move through you and search. I will do the same. Sandu will protect Carisma." He nuzzled her hair, slid his nose down hers and found her mouth.
She was very aware of the men in the room with them and she didn't kiss him back, but she clung to him.
"Emeline?" If she wasn't convinced, he would take more time.
She nodded and closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest. He sank onto the couch, pulling her down with him. He kept his arms around her, even as he shed his body to become pure healing spirit. Gary was just as fast and the two entered her a split second before Sandu.
Dragomir and Gary moved through her body, streaming straight to her brain. Vadim had a pattern he repeated because it worked for him. That gave the healers an idea where to search. The splinter in Amelia had been found hiding in a crevice in the cerebrum. Vadim had chosen the cerebrum because the neurons there initiated movement, coordination, hearing, vision, judgment and everything else Vadim needed to control the host.
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