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.
You wanted me naked on your carousel.
I did, beloved. But I need you naked on my carousel when I have time to do something about it.
I know. I just wanted you to have a small respite before the war begins. I love you, Tariq. Let’s get our daughter back.
Just like that she licked at his chest to seal the small evidence of her teeth and clothed them both. He couldn’t fault her on her attention to detail. “How did you learn how to do this so quickly?”
She smirked at him. “I spent time around Vi and she’s a total fashionista, so I learned to be one as well. I like clothes. I like your clothes. I asked Blaze to show me and she did. It isn’t that difficult once you get the hang of it. I even managed to make Emeline smile when I first made a few mistakes.”
A small, child’s voice flowed into his mind. Broken. Filled with sorrow—and resolve. Tariq, please tell Danny, Amelia and Bella that I love them. Tell Emme I’m sorry. And Val . . .
Liv’s voice cut into him and Tariq’s head snapped up. Don’t you dare! He poured every ounce of command into his voice. We’re coming for you.
I knew you would. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me. I can’t stand his voice in my head. I can’t stand knowing he might make me hurt my brother or sisters. Or Emeline. Or you.
There was a stirring in their minds. Val flowed in. Power flowed with him. You will not do this, Liv. There was power beyond imagining, an ancient who had been born in fire and pain, tortured beyond conception, one relentless, brutal predator. You are far too young to understand yet, but you hold my honor in your hands. You will choose life and you will endure until we get to you. Do you understand me? You will not choose death, because when you do, you choose it for me as well. That is totally unacceptable to me. Live for me. It was a command, nothing less.
19
Small waves lapped at the harbor, the sound deceptively soothing. Bats dove through the air catching insects as the sun began to sink slowly into the choppy water. The wind rose as the sun went down, bringing ominous patches of churning gray.
That’s Fridrick’s work. Tariq had known all along he wouldn’t be facing Vadim. Vadim would never chance risking himself against the combined power of the Carpathian hunters. He would send his pawns in his place. Not his brother, Sergey, but Fridrick and his army of newly made vampires, puppets and the hybrids. Fridrick would have one or more of his brothers with him as well.
Tariq waited. Breathing in. Breathing out. He was a hunter, and patience was everything. How could you know? He sent the query to Val. A Carpathian male rarely knew a female was his lifemate before she was sexually mature. Only then, when he heard her voice, would his world change. Tariq knew even at her young age, had she been mature, Vadim wouldn’t have thrown her away.
Val Zhestokly had risen at last. All the Carpathian hunters had. Tariq had already fully scouted the area around the warehouse and harbor and knew exactly the count of guards outside. He had time to examine the safeguards and knew it would take several of them working in unison to bring it down and they would be under heavy attack. That wouldn’t work. They had to get Fridrick to take down the safeguards. He also had the count of those inside, the majority of Fridrick’s army, through Liv.She isn’t of age. She could not possibly have restored colors and emotions to you. He tried not to sound like a father, wary and protective, but he felt that way.
Liv had gone through so much, and Val was . . . well, one of those who had secluded himself in the monastery because he deemed himself not safe to be around others. He’d left it of his own accord, for his own reasons, and fallen into Vadim’s hands, where he’d been tortured for an extensive length of time. He was a good man. Honorable. A warrior of amazing skills, but too hard for Tariq’s Liv. Val wouldn’t claim her until she was of age, but that would still be too young for him. She would be forever too young for such a hardened warrior.
She is mine. Eight years from this day I will claim her as my lifemate. Until that day, I will be close to help you protect her.
There was finality in Val’s voice. Tariq sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have enough problems. I ask again as she is my daughter; how would you know? You cannot just claim her.
There was silence. Val had said his piece and he wasn’t going to argue. That didn’t bode well for their future. Tariq sighed again. At least Liv had listened to Val and had subsided in her cage, no longer trying to get the puppets to attack her.
The wind rose on a wild shriek. Fridrick. He was testing them, seeing if there was any response to the penetrating note he’d sewn into the wind. At his right side, Maksim just looked bored. Blaze, looking exactly like Genevieve, stood close to Charlotte. The two women were tucked against the side of the building, deep in the shadows. Neither made a movement as the wind tore through the parking lot, whipping debris into a wild frenzy, whirling it and throwing it with such force paper actually penetrated a power pole a few feet from them.
The Carpathian hunters quietly stalked the hidden guardians scattered around the warehouses. On the rooftops. In the alleyways. Three roving. The triplets arrived first, Tomas, Lojos and Mataias. They killed the three roving through the complex of dirty, unkempt buildings. Nicu snapped the necks of two others on the rooftops across from the warehouse where they held Liv. Siv and Dragomir both swept through alleys and between the warehouses, killing the remaining puppets and hybrids as they went.
Charlotte held her breath, twisted her fingers together nervously. If she blew this, Liv would die. She had to believe in Tariq, in the other Carpathians, and play her part. More, she had to believe that no matter what happened around them, Val would get to Liv and bring her home safe.
She watched the whirling leaves to the right of the warehouse. They lifted and moved to the left, then the wind took them high. Her stomach dropped. He’s here.
I see him, sielamet. You are not alone. Stick to the plan and keep Blaze close.
Tariq had carefully explained to her that if she were in mortal danger, if the hunters thought Tariq’s lifemate might be killed, they would all come to her defense, not Liv’s. They couldn’t afford to lose one of their women. Losing Charlotte meant losing Tariq as well. But Val had dropped his bombshell and that changed things. She knew it did. Time meant little to Carpathians and knowing Liv was in the world made the waiting for her to grow up and mature fully much easier.
He cannot feel.
He has to feel something or he wouldn’t know. He wouldn’t be so gentle and focused on her, she protested. She had to believe Val would save Liv no matter what. All the while she connected so intimately with Tariq, she watched those whirling leaves. The moment Fridrick materialized right by the warehouse door, she stepped into view, “Genevieve” right behind her.
Fridrick spun around, saw them and carefully looked for their escort. Charlotte shook her head. “I was able to rise before Tariq and made my way here. I knew where to come because two of your men were captured and they said you had taken Liv here. I’m asking you to allow me to trade places. Genevieve is willing as well.”
“Genevieve” pressed trembling fingers to her mouth, but didn’t say anything at all. She did shift just slightly, still a couple of steps behind Charlotte but also to her left. Charlotte was well aware Blaze was giving herself room to attack should she have to.
Fridrick continued to look around, scanning the area, looking for anything that would tell him the women were bait. “Why wouldn’t I just take you without freeing that horrible little brat?”