Amelia looked back at her with a hint of laughter in her eyes. “Even the scary ones? Because there’s one that . . .” She trailed off and looked around her to make certain no one else was close.
Deliberately Charlotte leaned close. “Dragomir. I know exactly who you’re talking about.”
“You haven’t met Val yet,” Amelia said. “I saw him once in the tunnels. He was as scary as Dragomir, although Liv doesn’t think so. And the one Tariq calls Siv.”
Charlotte nodded. “I have gotten that impression from everyone, including Tariq.” She seemed to catch a lot of thoughts even when she wasn’t looking for them. She was changed already, more in Tariq’s world than in her own. Food was abhorrent to her, and when she couldn’t eat or drink anything, Tariq had helped her. It hadn’t been easy; she had a heavy shield on her mind, something that helped when vampires wanted to control her but was a deterrent when her man wanted her to eat something she didn’t want.
“Can you help Emeline?” Amelia asked. “Liv is so worried about her. She goes to see her every day, and every day she comes home saying it’s worse. I feel better talking to you.” Her gaze shifted to the ground. “Touching you is like holding on to an anchor. I don’t know why I’m so clingy; I’m not like that naturally. You just feel so real to me. The things you say give me hope.”
“I’ll try to help her, Amelia,” Charlotte said. “I want to help her. I don’t know Blaze, but she’s family to Emeline and she hasn’t been able to do anything for her, so I don’t know that I’ll be able to, either, but I promise, honey, I’m going to try.”
They stood together, holding each other, Amelia’s hand on the orange dragon, both watching the younger children playing on the rock statues that were far more than they looked. Charlotte had an overwhelming sense of sadness. These were her children. Her family now. They were locked behind the high fences like prisoners, unable to go anywhere or have friends. Their families had been ripped apart. Tariq put them to sleep during the day, and they had an older couple watching over them in case Vadim sent humans or puppets after the children during the daylight hours when he couldn’t protect them. It was a beautiful prison, but it was still a prison. She had to help Tariq find a way to get them out.
We will, Tariq whispered softly in her mind.
Charlotte was completely tuned to him. Aware of him with every cell in her body. Her mind wanted to stay in his. She needed the continual touch between them, both physical and mental. Fortunately, he seemed to need it as well. She loved that they could touch each other’s mind and know the other was alive and well. She needed that reassurance as well.
What are you doing?
Sending Danny to you so I can deal with the intruders. They’ve set up a couple of places to spy on us. I intend to have a talk with them.
Be safe, she cautioned, unable to help herself. We can’t do without you.
She felt the brush of his fingers along her jaw, the touch of his lips against hers. The sensation was faint, but it was there and it was enough to reassure her.
Danny strode toward her. He was a gangly young man, mostly legs and arms, but with the promise of a strong physique. He frowned a little when he observed Amelia clinging to Charlotte, her face stained with tears. “Something wrong?” he asked as he neared them.Danny was fifteen, nearly sixteen, and he was extremely protective of his sisters. Already she could see Tariq in him. The way he walked and carried himself. Expressions. Hand gestures. The boy had serious hero worship going on. It was going to take a little more for him to accept Charlotte into their lives. He’d lived on the streets long enough to learn not to trust easily.
He reached out, snagged Amelia’s arm and pulled her awkwardly to him. “What’s wrong?” His voice was a replica of Tariq’s. A demand. A command.
Amelia shrugged. “I needed to talk to someone, Danny. Charlotte let me. She just listened, that’s all. No biggie. What were you and Tariq talking about that was so important he took you off alone? I hate that. Like it’s man business and I’m not supposed to know what’s going on.”
Danny grinned down at his sister. “It is man business, girlie. Heap big man business.” The grin faded, and he looked far older than his teen years. “In this case we were discussing what it takes for a conversion. He’s worried about Liv. He has no choice with her. She can’t live half in our world and half in his. It has to be soon. She isn’t eating or drinking enough. And he worries that she’ll . . .”
Amelia gripped his arm. “I know. I know. What did he say it was like?”
Danny hesitated. “A lot of pain. He doesn’t want that for Bella or Lourdes or Liv. He can’t stop it, though. If they’re converted, and Liv has to be, then they’ll experience a lot of pain.”
“Danny, if she’s converted, then all of us are. That was our agreement,” Amelia said. “All of us. We stick together no matter what.” She looked up at Charlotte. “He’s converting you. Are you going to have him do the same for Lourdes?”
She didn’t know. The thought of Lourdes in pain was more than she could bear. Lourdes was three, the same age as Bella. Even Tariq was worried about converting the children. All she could do was tell the truth. “I plan to go through it first. Then I’ll have a better idea of whether Lourdes can handle it. Tariq is also consulting with a couple of expert healers or doctors. I’m not altogether certain what they are, but he wants to have all the information before any decision is made.”
“If Liv has to go through it, we all do,” Amelia said stubbornly. “All of us. If you’re going to marry Tariq and be our mother, then you can’t leave Lourdes behind any more than we could leave Bella.”
Charlotte glanced at Danny, seeing the knowledge in his eyes. Tariq hadn’t pulled any punches, and he knew exactly how difficult it would be for a child. She shook her head slightly. What was the use of arguing with Amelia right then? She needed normal, just as they all did.
“Danny, check out the cool dragons Lojos, Tomas and Mataias made last night,” she said, changing the subject, hoping he’d get the hint. “We were in the tunnels and a few of the vampires and some of their army tried to trap us inside, and the three of them made these dragons out of stone. It was the coolest thing I ever saw. The dragons actually flew. Amelia tells me she can hear the orange one whispering to her. Clearly the other girls can hear their dragons as well. I think the brown one is yours.”
“Put your hand on him, Danny,” Amelia encouraged.
Danny obediently stepped away from his sister and laid his hand on the brown dragon’s neck. Instantly, his face lit up. The worry left him. The lines etched deep softened. Once again he appeared a teenage boy without a care. All because of three Carpathian hunters who couldn’t see in color and didn’t feel emotion. Still, they took the time to try to find a way to help heal children.
14
Tariq strode straight up to the heavy, ornate gate, yanked it open and went outside. He didn’t hesitate as he walked down the road that led away from his estate. The two properties on either side of his also belonged to Tariq. Maksim’s property bordered his, but this road led straight to the compound. One had to use a different entrance to get to Maksim’s home. Tariq had ensured privacy and yet now, three humans spied on him, his woman and his children. That was totally unacceptable to him.
If these men were in any way connected to Vadim, like the other human male psychics, then they were dead men. He planned to kill them fast and dispose of their bodies. It wouldn’t be that difficult. He’d been making people disappear for centuries.
He didn’t hesitate or pretend he didn’t know where they were hiding. He walked straight up to the blind they’d painstakingly set up across from his front entrance and stood, hands on his hips, glaring at them.
“Can I do something for you? And you might identify yourselves and which magazines you’re working for.” It was always better to act as if the paparazzi hounded him, which, technically, they often did. It was the best excuse of all to confront anyone spying on him.
The three men exchanged uneasy looks, and then their obvious leader stepped forward. Tariq had marked him in the club as the one to watch. Daniel Forester, tall, but not quite as tall as Tariq, and that meant he had to look up at the Carpathian. He was probably considered handsome by human standards, but his face was flushed with annoyance at being caught out.
“Daniel Forester. I don’t work for a magazine.” He turned to indicate the two men flanking him. “This is Vince Tidwell and Bruce Van Hues.”
That much was the truth. “That tells me exactly nothing. I have family and friends and I keep my private life private. I don’t like anyone spying on me . . . or them.”
“We’re worried about a couple of friends of ours. They were in your club a couple of nights ago and they seem to have disappeared. They were seen getting in a car with you.”
Tariq remained silent. He simply stared at them. Forester wasn’t telling the truth now; rather, he was mixing lies with truth. They had powerful binoculars and they’d caught glimpses of Genevieve and Charlotte with the children on the playground.