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  Emeline tried to pull out of his mind to spare him. In agony from the twisting, dying organs, she still attempted to put him first--to spare him the pain of what she was going through. She hadn't told anyone about the agony of Vadim's parasites eating at her day and night, and he realized her reasons hadn't just been to protect herself from the possibility of being thrown out of Tariq's compound, it was about keeping the others from being harmed by the master vampire. She didn't dare have any of them attempt to cleanse her, give her blood and especially not take hers. He refused to give up his connection with her.

  Please. You've done enough for me.

  This is for all of us. You. Me. The baby. We're in this together, Emeline. All three of us. What you feel, so must I. What our child feels, so must I.

  Her breath caught in her lungs and then came out in a sob. Her body twisted in his arms and he laid her down in the soil, shielding the sight of her from the Carpathians, not because he was modest, but because he knew she was. He stripped her clothes from her with a single thought. Her body temperature was rising and the barrier of her clothes to the cool air was a terrible burden.

  That only serves to make me love you more, Dragomir. She whispered the declaration into his mind. She gave him the reassurance of their intimate connection when she should have been conserving her energy for the next swelling wave of agony. Thank you for accepting my daughter. I want us to give her a name now.

  The wave hit and her body convulsed. He felt the healer easing the baby through it and wished he were the one. The moment he had the thought, both mother and daughter reached for him, connecting mentally, as if he was the one easing their way. He breathed with them. Sent them strength. Held them close, sheltering them as best he could. He was grateful for the Carpathian people surrounding them, just as determined as he was that the baby wouldn't die.

  He stroked caresses over Emeline's forehead, his fingers twining in the thick mass of midnight black hair. He loved every strand. She was beautiful to him, more beautiful than he'd ever conceived. He realized she'd made an effort, showering and washing her hair when she'd been too weak, almost, to stand. She'd done that for him even knowing what was in store for her. Blaze had told her just how difficult the conversion was on human women. She had known what she was facing.

  The wave subsided and Emeline opened her eyes, her long lashes framing all that true violet. No one really had violet eyes, but she did. His woman. He brushed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

  Blaze told me to relax and embrace the change. That breathing and relaxing would make it easier. I mostly worry for you and the baby. Do you have any names you think are beautiful? I couldn't make myself name her when I thought he would win.

  Staring into those violet eyes, he could only think of one name. "Carisma means gift. You have given me the greatest gift a woman can give her man. We can call her Carisma when she is being our sweet girl. No doubt she'll have your fire."

  I don't have fire. I just go my own way.

  We go together, sweet Emeline. He didn't tell her that when she kissed him, he felt her fire. It was deep and passionate. She definitely ignited for him, and more, she made him ignite.

  He could feel the swelling pain building before it was there in her eyes and in the lines of strain around her face. This time she pulled her knees to her chest and turned away from him, vomiting repeatedly to expel the human toxins. He swept the toxins away as fast as possible, keeping the air around her clean and fresh.

  When the long wave subsided, she didn't turn back to him. He felt her humiliation. He didn't understand it. Expelling toxins was part of the process, but the fact was she was uncomfortable, and he needed to ease that for her.

  "No one can see you but me," he assured her. "The healer has all he can do with keeping our daughter safe. For us, this is part of bringing you into our world, and we celebrate each step toward your entry."

  She touched the tip of her tongue to her upper lip as she turned her head to look at him. Thank you. This is difficult, but I am happy I'm moving us closer to you. She took a breath and tried a tentative smile. Carisma. I like the sound of that. Calling her a gift sounds beautiful. I think of her as a gift, something innocent and beautiful created in a moment of evil. I want the world for her, Dragomir. I want a home and happiness. Love filling it. I want her to have one of those stone dragons Tomas, Lojos and Mataias made for the other children. I would love for us all to soar through the sky together and point out stars. Her childhood and life are going to be so different than mine ever were.

  "She will be well loved, sivamet," he assured, and once more reached out to the child. Lana--daughter--are you holding strong for your mother and me? The healer is cradling you in his arms, easing your way into our world. I hold both of you, mother and child. Do you feel me with you? Do you feel her? We surround you with such love. Hold strong for us.

  Again, he felt that small flutter in his mind and knew it was his daughter. He tasted the word--lana. Daughter. He had never had much of a family and the memory of the one he'd been born into was dim. Now he had a lifemate and daughter. We wish to call you Carisma. Your mother and I consider you a gift, a precious treasure we are honored to love. Carisma means gift. Does this name suit you?

  That little flutter came again. An awareness. The child was reaching out as best she could and he took that as a yes. He had the impression of fear, pain, courage--a little fighter, then. She was stealing his heart, that little presence struggling for her life. He would always be indebted to the healer. Always. For eternity. He knew Gary's lifemate couldn't possibly be old enough yet for him to find as he'd only been recently born again as a Carpathian, but if he could aid the healer in holding on over the next few years, he would do so.

  The waves were starting again, and this time the pain was even stronger. The chanting and song also swelled in volume, and more Carpathians joined the ancients in shouldering the agony of conversion. He felt the women in the mix, working to aid Emeline and the baby, to keep them safe and as far from the pain as possible. No one could stop the convulsions, or the body's purge, but the combined strength and power of the Carpathian people distanced both mother and child from the agony, allowing them to get through that violent wave.

  Dragomir gathered Emeline to him, opening the earth in the richest spot he could find. He would place her in it the moment he could safely command her and Carisma to sleep the healing sleep of their people. Until then he needed to hold her--not for her, but for him. He nuzzled the top of her head, the shadow along his jaw catching in her thick hair. He loved those silken strands, every single one of them, and she had a lot of hair. It was the color that had caught his eye, all that midnight black.

  "You're almost there, sivamet. We're so close."

  "What happened? All the lightning. It was terrifying. I couldn't see much because Gary threw me to the ground and covered my body with his. Beneath me, I felt the ground sizzling, almost like it was fighting back, but I knew it was him--Vadim. I knew he was attacking you. He kept saying he was going to kill you and the baby."

  The little catch in her voice, almost a sob, made his heart clench so hard it hurt. That catch was there for him. He couldn't remember a time when someone worried about him enough to cry. He brushed at the tears on her lashes, wanting to kiss her. Wanting to tell her the things welling up in his heart.

  "The baby is safe. I'm safe. He can't talk to you anymore."

  "He took my blood." She sounded ashamed, as if somehow, she could have prevented it.

  "He did. But your blood isn't the same, Emeline. We used me as a filter and removed every drop of your blood. It was replaced with the blood of the ancients. He can try to talk to you, but your blood will resist his invasion. When we replaced your blood, we replaced Carisma's blood as well. He cannot harm either of you."

  "He'll be so angry," she whispered. Her lashes fluttered and then went down, covering the welling pain in her eyes.

  He took a deep breath as if he could brea
the air into her lungs as the next wave arrived. He shared her mind. He felt the fire blazing through her organs, an endless, agonizing flame. She didn't make a sound. He was aware of Gary, taking that heat, deflecting it from the baby. Both ancients held fast, trying to shield mother and daughter as the conversion raged through them.

  Dragomir knew he'd never given much thought to love. He'd thought about his lifemate often. He'd been obsessed with finding her for centuries, but he'd never considered what he would feel when he found her. Not love. Not this overwhelming, terrifying feeling that shook him to his core. He hadn't known love could be felt through one's entire body. That it could manifest itself physically.

  Emeline's body twisted, convulsed, her temperature raged, an alarming heat radiating from her body.

  Gary. She's like a furnace. Is the baby burning up? Dragomir was alarmed at the heat burning through Emeline. I am doing my best. Her temperature must come down soon. She must die and be reborn, but this heat has to affect the baby. What happens to her when Emeline succumbs?

  She is either strong enough to hang on through those vital minutes, or we will lose her.

  He detested the detached way the healer gave him the facts. He knew the process, what it entailed, but he had been looking for reassurance, hoping Gary could perform a miracle and make certain his daughter came back when Emeline's body surrendered to the conversion. She was rolling with it, breathing through it, not fighting, but she wasn't surrendering. That knowledge hit him hard. His woman wasn't just giving in to the inevitable. He waited, breathing away her distress, his. He matched her laboring lungs, her struggling heartbeat, and waited for her to recognize it.

  It didn't take long. The moment the wave subsided, her lashes lifted and she rubbed her palm along his thigh. What are you doing?

  She kept choosing the more intimate telepathic method of speaking instead of the human one. She interspersed it with speaking aloud, but it was rare in their communication here, in the Carpathian healing grounds.

  "What do you mean?" He waved his hand to bring in a cool breeze, mindful of the cracks running around the structure, woven in to allow the night to spill onto the healing grounds. He kept his heart and lungs completely tuned to hers, and slowly, painfully slowly, he began to take over for both, giving her more air in little increments so she didn't notice. His heart slowed just a bit, just enough to keep hers from racing.

  Why are you wheezing? Why is your heart so fast?

  "Because you are wheezing. Your heart is beating too fast." Her lashes fluttered, drawing his attention. He brushed a kiss on her forehead because he couldn't stop himself. "Why are you prolonging your agony? Give in, Emeline." His voice was demanding. If she didn't of her own free will, he would have to take over and he didn't want to do that, but she was leaving him no other choice.

  The baby.

  "She needs her strength. The longer this goes on, the less she will have. The less you will have. You'll be drained and so will she."

  I don't want to lose her.

  "The healer is with her. I'm with you and can feel her. Trust me again. You've given yourself to me. Trust me with our child."

  The tip of her tongue touched her bottom lip in an effort to moisten it. He took care of the dryness immediately, annoyed he hadn't thought to do it earlier. When the convulsions had started, he had waved his hand to tidy her braid, keeping most of the long length away from her body, knowing the heavy weight would hurt her skin, but he hadn't considered that her raised temperature and the ridding her body of toxins would dehydrate her.

  Her lips curved into a sweet smile that shook him. You can't think of everything. You were a little busy. And you didn't tell me what was going on when Gary threw me to the ground.

  "Vadim took control of the lightning we used to incinerate the parasites. He must have a spy here, a traitor inside the compound working with him. There is no other explanation. That's how the safeguards were lifted."

  She frowned. I thought Liv did that so the children could fly their dragons.

  It was a sad state of affairs that he found her frown adorable. He rubbed his finger lightly over it as if he could erase it when he didn't really want to. He wanted to commit it to memory so when he pulled up images of her in his mind, it was there.

  "I felt the thread of evil twisting beneath the ground. The safeguards had been in place beneath the ground, yet evil tainted the soil. Liv couldn't have done that. It had Vadim's touch to it. I can recognize the signature of the master vampires, the ones I've chased or encountered throughout the centuries. That had Vadim's mark all over it."

  She turned her face up toward his with an obvious effort. Her eyes, a deep violet that reminded him of twin amethyst gems, looked up at him with a clear reprimand. You don't believe Liv is tainted?

  "She is Carpathian. She opened up the compound and allowed the vampires access, but there was another working behind the scenes to make it all happen. Liv needs to be punished, to be shown just how bad the situation could have been. Any death would have been directly on her shoulders. Every injury. If Vadim had reacquired you . . . " He broke off, feeling that--the near miss. He could have lost her. "That girl has a lot to answer for."

  She's only a child.

  "She's Carpathian, Emeline. There are consequences for every mistake one makes in our world. Let go for me. Do it now, with this wave. I feel it coming and I want you to give yourself to me. To our life."

  The baby . . .

  He tightened his hold on her, afraid if she waited too long neither would be strong enough to make it into their world. "She will be fine. Sivamet, you need to trust in your strength and your love for her. She's a fighter. Give her the chance to live. Let go for me."

  The next wave hit her before she could answer him. She caught her breath, looked up at him and deliberately followed the rhythm of his lungs. He took her hand and put it over his heart, holding her palm tight against his bare chest. She pulled her knees to her chest, but kept her hand over his heart, her eyes staring straight into his.

  He saw trust. Complete trust. It was a gift, a precious one, and it humbled him. I've got you, Emeline. I will always be with you.

  He was in her mind and saw that first acceptance of their true bond. She was tentative, reaching to touch his mind. She could, he was open to her. She was his lifemate and he refused to hide his past from her. Not even now, when she was making that connection. She was aware of Carpathians and what they were. Predators. Every single one of them. She would be one as well. Her touch might be tentative, but it was intimate, even in the face of her physical distress. His body stirred, an inappropriate reaction when she was suffering.

  Never inappropriate, she whispered into his mind.

  He fell hard. Fast. So deep he was out of breath. Every beat of his heart was for her. She was--extraordinary. All those weeks she had suffered Vadim's attacks, his parasites hurting her, over and over in an attempt to force her into compliance with the master vampire's wishes. She'd held out. She'd kept her baby alive even when Vadim turned his attacks to it. Now, when her insides were dying and being reborn, when she was suffering because of him . . .

  Silly man. Not because of you. This is my choice. Keeping the baby was my choice. Defying Vadim was my choice. You are my choice.

  Her body writhed, twisted, was lifted up, jerking, as he held her to him to keep her from slamming down. That didn't matter to her. Her mind was peaceful. Serene. She'd chosen, and her choice was him. Dragomir Kozel with his road map of scars on his face and the tattoos carved, rather than inked into his skin. His vow--to her.

  Tell me. I need to feel your touch.

  There was a catch in her voice. One that told him she was hurting beyond measure, even with all of them helping to bear her burden.

  Not beyond measure. Talk to me. Tell me what those symbols and letters mean. It helps to distract me, and I really want to know.

  He rocked her, more to soothe himself than her. Stroking back her damp hair with long caresses of hi
s fingers, he told her using the more intimate form of communication because his explanation belonged only to her.

  A few of us believed it was cowardice to suicide. We were at the end, monsters growing worse by the hour, and we wanted--no, needed to keep our honor. We wanted to wait for our lifemates, to hold true to our course. The trouble was . . .

  The twisting fire in her body slowly eased and her long lashes lifted. She reached up to touch his face, drawing in air for both herself and the baby. The trouble was . . . she encouraged.

  He was a big man. Tall, like most Carpathians, but with heavier bones and muscles. She wasn't petite by any means, although thin from her ordeal, but she seemed very small held up against his heavier muscles. His protective instincts were working overtime as he gathered her back to him. "Only once more, sivamet, and I can send you into our healing sleep. You and Carisma did well."

  Tell me.

  He sighed. He'd hoped to distract her, but she refused to let it go. His woman had a mind of her own, and she would get her way with him. Easily. That didn't bode well for him, but he understood why it had been ridiculous for him to think his time was over--that he couldn't live with a woman from this century. As her lifemate, he would do whatever it took to make her happy.

  He felt her stir in his mind, soft feminine amusement. "Within reason, woman. You are my heart and soul and I protect my own. You will not always agree with the way I choose to do that, but as my lifemate, you will do your best to see to my happiness."

  This lifemate business is a two-edged sword. Now tell me. Already I feel the next wave building and it is the worst yet. I need to hear your voice. In my head. Talk to me so I can concentrate on how mesmerizing you sound. You provide me with all sorts of fantasies I can hang on to when things get really rough between us.

  "Things? What things? I intend to provide you with a life without rough."

  She smiled up at him, but the building wave reached higher and higher, crashing through her internal organs. He felt Gary's white-hot spirit, a ball of pure energy, shudder and dim with the assault as he surrounded the baby and took on the growing wave of pure fire racing through their bodies. Dragomir was in Emeline's mind and he felt the pain the way she did. The Carpathian healing chant swelled in volume. The women's voices sang the lullaby, trying to give the baby strength to hold on through the last transformation. All of them connected to share the pain, easing it enough that hopefully mother and daughter would get through it.