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  He waited for Gary's verdict, knowing the healer would tell the absolute truth about the child. As much as he wanted to protect Emeline and the baby, he couldn't risk allowing Vadim to gain any foothold in the compound--or have any power over Emeline.

  "I examined the child," Gary said.

  The moment he spoke, all eyes were on him. Emeline put both hands over her womb. Dragomir covered her hands with his as if they could protect the child from Gary's findings. Emeline leaned her head back against Dragomir's shoulder and pressed her lips against his ear.

  "If you cannot save her, be merciful when you do it."

  Not the healer. She expected him to be the one to end the child's life. He already thought of the baby as theirs. Emeline's child with him--not Vadim.

  "Have no worries," Gary said. "It will take time. You must be patient, but her brain shows no abnormalities. We can continue to check, but both of us examined her carefully. We still have much work to do."

  Andor. If you hear me, I have great need of you. There is a war coming. If the healer could drive out the parasites from mother and daughter and replace their blood with that of ancient Carpathians, Vadim would be wild with rage. I have found my lifemate and we are in great danger. Reach out to Petru and Isia and Benedek.

  "Are you saying you think you can drive out Vadim's servants? You can keep him from hurting her?" Emeline asked.

  "We are hoping to keep him from harming either of you." Dragomir looked up at Maksim. "I have sent for ancients, men from the monastery. Their blood is . . ." He shrugged. "Should they come, please let them in. They will watch over us while you and your lifemate attend to the young girl."

  "Amelia," Emeline supplied. "Blaze, check her closely. Take her away from the men and ask her if they did to her what Vadim did to me. Something terrible happened. She came to talk to me a few times. She claimed she was talking to Charlotte and it helped, but I don't believe her. I don't think she told them the truth. Let her know that Gary and Dragomir can help her. Or Tariq and Gary."

  "You think they might have done something like this to her? Impregnated her?" Blaze was clearly shocked. "She's fourteen."

  "Age wouldn't matter to a vampire," Gary said. "They are incapable of feeling emotion. More than likely, she was terrified. Her terror would have given them the rush they needed. They feed on the fears of others. That's why they torture before they kill. If she was very, very scared, they would have tried just to increase her fear."

  Blaze looked at her lifemate. He touched her cheek gently. "Go, o jela sielamak, see to her. The moment the others come, I will aid you."

  Blaze nodded once, leaned down to brush the top of Emeline's head with a kiss and hurried out. Maksim looked after her and then sighed. You realize, Dragomir, that many Carpathians may reject the idea of a child with any DNA from the Malinovs.

  I am very aware. Dragomir knew he sounded grim. He felt grim. He was preparing to go to war with his kind, should they try to harm his lifemate or her child. He would have destroyed the baby if it was in any way evil, but it was innocent. She is female and has only light in her. Vadim couldn't twist the child into something he could use as his tool.

  Dragomir turned his head to study Gary. The Carpathian looked utterly impassive. He had traveled great distances, something that had to have worn him out, but it didn't show on his face. He had taken part in the battle to drive the vampires out of the compound, yet that didn't show, either. He'd spent hours healing Dragomir and more with Emeline, yet he simply sat waiting.

  The Daratrazanoffs were a line of warriors with a connection to the prince's line. They always acted as second-in-command to the prince. They were renowned as fighters and healers both, a natural balance that aided the Carpathian people when one was near. Gary had been human, which meant that to be accepted as a true Carpathian, he would have been taken to the sacred caves where the spirits of the ancestors could be called. To bring him fully into their world, he had to die and be reborn, his soul split in half at that moment of rebirth. Somewhere in the world a child had been born with his other half.

  Dragomir couldn't imagine what it would be like to carry the burdens of all those ancients that had come before him. Men battle scarred and weary. Men who had never found their lifemates. It was bad enough to carry one's own burden, but to take on the burdens of so many? He would be the age of the oldest of the Daratrazanoffs. He would know every single skill and fragment of knowledge each of those warriors possessed. That in itself could be a tremendous burden.

  "It is time," Gary announced.

  Dragomir nodded. He caught Emeline's chin in his hand and turned her head toward him. She'd been burrowing into him, her thin body shivering. At least Vadim wasn't aware of what they were doing or he would have been fighting them, using her pain and suffering against them. Emeline's eyes were wide with shock. With fear. With all the negative emotions a man never wanted to see on his woman's face.

  He brushed his mouth over hers. Lightly. Needing to reassure her. His emotions were still a little overwhelming being so new and intense, but with Emeline, he was grateful he felt them. He didn't want her to ever feel the way she was feeling in that moment. He tightened his arms around her and lifted her back up onto the couch.

  "It is going to be all right, Emeline. Blaze has accepted the child. So has her lifemate."

  "He has reservations," she clarified.

  "We are losing the night," Gary said.

  Dragomir sent him a warning look. He knew they weren't going to remove all the parasites this night. They would have to face Vadim's wrath the next rising--unless he was injured so badly that he remained asleep. He was going to take the time to reassure his woman.

  "It doesn't matter if he had reservations," he said, keeping his voice gentle but firm. "She will be loved and protected."

  Gary sighed as if even explaining was difficult. "Ivory Malinov is one of the bravest, strongest women I have ever met. She holds all the light of the world in her soul. She shines brightly and is one of the greatest treasures of the Carpathian people. A fierce warrior and a gentle woman. Ivory is Vadim's sister."

  The relief on Emeline's face made Dragomir want to thank the other man, but Gary shed his body fast, leaving just a shell behind, his speed reminding them all that they were racing the dawn. Dragomir followed him, leaving behind his shell, his spirit moving freely, white-hot energy flowing through Emeline's body.

  He could see that the healer couldn't possibly remove all the parasites. Vadim had made certain Emeline was flooded with them. He wasn't taking any chances on losing her. Do you have a plan? He began burning the wiggling creatures with the intense heat of his spirit. Most fled in front of the light, or tried to hide in cells or along her bones.

  We can trap them between us. It won't get all of them in the time we have, but if you find a good place to sleep and heal, tomorrow we can use you as a filter.

  Dragomir wasn't certain what that meant. I'm listening. His light moved into position opposite the healer's so they could prevent the parasites from escaping.

  You will remove her blood. All of it. While you remove it, we will supply her with our blood. The parasites will go into you and you will destroy them by pushing them out of your pores. We'll burn them as they come out. It's a nasty, ugly business and will look like something out of a horror movie. It would be best if you put your woman to sleep. She isn't going to want to see.

  Dragomir would wait to talk to Emeline before he made that decision. I am not certain she is so easy to put to sleep without her consent. If that were the case, the sleeping spell would have worked on her.

  They burned several of the parasites and then moved over a few inches. The creatures had tried to embed themselves in her ribs to keep from being seen or removed.

  Vadim is a master vampire, Gary pointed out. Not just a master vampire, but one that is ancient and has schemed and battled his way to the top of the food chain. In other words, he is extremely powerful. For your woman to resist his compulsion
s and continue to fight him, she must be very strong. Once ancient blood flows in her veins and she is fully Carpathian, she will be even more so.

  Dragomir waited to hear what Gary meant. Of course Emeline would grow in power. Her gifts would be stronger. She would be stronger. Where was the ancient healer going with his observations?

  She will be turned when we take her blood and give her ancient blood. So much of it. You must do the initial exchanges. It will not be easy on the child, but as your lifemate grows in power, so will her daughter, Gary said.

  There is a child here, Liv, a ten-year-old who Tariq was forced to turn. All Carpathians gathered and they did so joined together beneath the main house where Tariq has brought in rich soil. By all of them joining together, they were able to minimize the girl's pain. It would be best if we do the healing and turning there. We can ask others to aid us.

  They had to spend a long time just in that small area. Are they reproducing? Dragomir asked.

  I believe so. At a rapid rate, too. Vadim took measures to ensure that your woman wouldn't escape him. He wants her, Dragomir, for more than a vessel to carry a child.

  He was prepared to kill the baby, Dragomir mused. Her heart was clogged with the parasites. He would have ordered them away from that organ. There were a few in her brain. If he was monitoring the child as well as Emeline, it is possible Vadim realized it was female and he was planning on retaliating because Emeline managed to outsmart him.

  She did more than that. She ruined his plans. Just for that alone, he should want to kill her. Anyone else would have been dead. You wouldn't have gotten to her in time. Vadim has handicapped himself by letting all of us know he wants your woman alive.

  Dragomir didn't like the sound of that, or the speculation in Gary's mind. What are you planning?

  I am not a strategist, but it occurs to me we have something Vadim wants very, very badly.

  Dragomir considered what it would take to end the healer's life. It would happen if he deliberately endangered Emeline to lure Vadim in. That means he will come at us with everything he has.

  Better to convert her immediately. Her and her daughter.

  My daughter. Our daughter. I will saturate the child with my blood.

  That is admirable, but you know her brain is already developing and she will always have the ability to think like a Malinov.

  The Malinov line is known for intelligence and fierceness in battle--and that includes their women, Dragomir pointed out. You said so yourself.

  He had grown much weaker. The battle wounds as well as exhaustion were catching up with him. He needed blood and the healing earth. That would leave Emeline unprotected all during the daylight hours. By now, the compound would probably know she was pregnant with Vadim's child. Tariq would be arriving home any moment and he wouldn't be too happy with anyone. His time alone with Charlotte had been important to him. Tariq and Charlotte would have to be underground, but what was to stop him from utilizing his human security force?

  We are too close to the dawn. I must get to ground. There was no inflection in Gary's voice, but Dragomir felt the regret.

  They had worked steadily, but the more of Vadim's taint they destroyed with their combined light, the more the parasites seemed to reproduce. Dragomir left Emeline's body and went back to his own. To his relief, Andor, Ferro and Sandu were waiting. Maksim was already gone to help Blaze with Amelia.

  Andor stepped back away from Gary, his odd, rust-colored eyes assessing the healer. Sandu's eyes burned a deep red through the relentless black. He stepped closer to Gary, a clear threat. Obviously the ancients recognized him from the healer's encounter with Aleksei, a member of their brotherhood.

  "Give him blood," Dragomir said, once more collapsing on the floor beside Emeline's couch. "He more than earned it, and he'll work even harder on the next rising."

  He betrayed Aleksei, tried to take his lifemate.

  There is more to that story than meets the eye. Aleksei is happy. We can ask questions later. The important thing is, I need this man to help me keep Vadim from destroying my lifemate from the inside out. Dragomir pushed memories of the battle and everything that had transpired after, including how Gary had come to his aid, into the minds of the three ancients.

  With some reluctance, Sandu extended his wrist. Gary gave him a faint smile, his strange eyes wary, his body, exhausted as he was, on alert. Dragomir couldn't help but admire the man. He was surrounded by four very powerful ancients, but he was ready and willing to take them on if they pushed it.

  Dragomir laid his head back against the couch just as Emeline slid to the floor, drawing up her knees, leaning against him. She felt soft and warm, while he was cold, his temperature telling him he'd been out of his body too long. He reached with one hand to clasp hers, enveloping her small hand in his and bringing it against his chest.

  "You were gone so long. I was worried about you."

  She didn't ask if they had been successful, only said that she was worried for him. He couldn't remember a time someone had worried for him. He tucked her hand over his heart and took the wrist Ferro practically forced against his lips. It was difficult not to gulp the ancient blood. The moment he took it in, it began to work its magic, spreading through him quickly, infusing his cells and organs with rich, life-giving energy. He felt power rushing through him, filling him again when he'd been so spent.

  The moment Gary had taken his fill from Sandu, he rose. "I will return at sunset. We should be ready for a fight, Dragomir."

  "A fight?" Emeline echoed. "What does that mean?"

  Dragomir didn't like that she sounded frightened. He closed the laceration on Ferro's wrist and put his arm around Emeline. "Thank you, healer. We will be ready."

  Gary gave an old-world, slight bow and was gone, shimmering one moment and then disappearing, leaving Dragomir alone with his woman and three of the men he'd spent years locked away with, men so dangerous they had to be locked away in order to keep the world safe.

  "Thank you for coming. Emeline, my friends--brothers, really--Sandu, Ferro and Andor. These are men you can always rely on. Always. They will guard you and have your back. We must go to ground, and we will do so close to you . . ."

  She made a sound, and he felt the tremor go through her body, but she nodded, not voicing her fear that once she was without his protection, if there was objection to the child, Tariq could send his security force to remove her.

  "Before we go to ground, we will weave a safeguard that is impenetrable, keeping everyone out. They will not be able to get into the house, or harm your home in any way. It also means you cannot leave. I don't want you to be afraid if you must remain in the house. It is for your protection and also the protection of the child. The house will not allow even the children or your women friends inside. We cannot take chances with the baby."

  Emeline dropped her free hand to her cover her womb.

  "You will be safe. We will keep you safe." He made the declaration firmly, in the way he stated an absolute. She couldn't help but hear the resolution in his voice. He stood, flowing to his feet, taking her with him, and setting her aside. Each of the men faced a different direction and they began to weave the safeguards no man alive other than those that had been in the monastery had a chance of getting through. When they were satisfied that the protections they'd woven together were strong, the three ancients bowed as Gary had, ready to take their leave.

  For the first time, Emeline looked up at the three men. "Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it."

  It was Sandu who inclined his head, and then the three men disappeared, retreating as the sun began to rise.

  "You still do not fully believe we are lifemates, Emeline, but this day will prove to you that we are. It will be difficult for you not to be able to reach me when needed, but know I am close and will come to you," Dragomir said. "Try to sleep as much as you can."

  She gave him a faint, you-are-a-little-nuts-but-I-like-you-anyway kind of a smile.

  "I
'm going to give you blood."

  She recoiled involuntarily, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around her middle for protection.

  He couldn't let her get away with it as much as his heart wanted to. "You need my blood, and so does the child, sivamet."

  She swallowed hard and then moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. "What does that mean? What you call me? Sivamet. What does that mean?"

  "My heart. You are my heart."

  She looked at him a long time, staring into his eyes, searching for something. He didn't hurry her, although he felt the burning rays of the sun on his skin, when they weren't penetrating the heavy drapes. She nodded slowly, evidently finding whatever she had been looking for.

  "I like that. I shouldn't encourage you, Dragomir, but I like that someone thinks I'm their heart."

  "Do you want me to aid you? To make it easier?"

  Again she nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from his. He reached for her, circling her wrist with his fingers, a shackle, a protection. Very gently, he pulled her to him and leaned down to brush kisses down the side of her face. The corner of her eye. Her cheekbone. He loved that line. The corner of her mouth. He loved her mouth. The shape. The way her bottom lip curved and her top lip formed a perfect little bow.

  She shivered in his arms, relaxing into him. He kissed his way along her ear. That perfect little shell he found intriguing. His tongue made a little foray, tracing the lines there. That earned him another shiver, and her body melted into his. The feel of her in his arms was unlike anything he had ever known. She fit. She belonged.

  His body came to life, a hard, painful pleasure that took him by surprise. Need flowed through his bloodstream, a hot, urgent demand centering in his groin. It was a beautiful, perfect moment, one he would never forget and would treasure for all the rest of his time. Emeline in his arms, holding her against him while she melted into him, making them one.