“I want to learn to fight vampires.” Amelia was abrupt to the point of rudeness, her voice belligerent and almost angry. “Blaze is going to work with me when she has time. I want you to help me as well.”
Lorraine steepled her fingers. “I actually think that’s a good idea, Amelia. I wish everyone thought the way you do. We can’t always count on having someone to protect us. I think, rather than seek them out ourselves, we should understand that eventually, given that we live in such close proximity to the hunters, we are bound to see vampires. They are difficult to kill. Really difficult. Have you exchanged blood with anyone?”
Amelia’s entire demeanor changed. She heaved a sigh of relief that Lorraine was taking her seriously. “Yes, Tariq.”
Great. The fearless leader. The teen’s father. Lorraine didn’t know that he would want a child to be running loose in his head. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I had hoped to bring this subject up with Charlotte,” she admitted, changing her tactic. “Maybe gather the women together, and before you protest, I count you among the women.”
“I want private lessons as well,” Amelia said staunchly. “I want to learn fast. I’ll work really hard.”
A red flag went up at the hard belligerence in her voice. “Amelia,” Lorraine cautioned. “You can’t fight these things alone.”
“You did. You fought off three men with a saucepot, and then you protected Andor when he was mortally wounded.”
Gossip traveled fast in the Carpathian world. Lorraine knew it was so easy to communicate telepathically, and all Carpathians seemed to use that method. “I didn’t fight off vampires by myself, and I certainly am far too intelligent to go seek one out. That would be suicide.”
Amelia looked away from her, staring out toward the lake. Since the lake was in the distance, and there was nothing much happening on it, Lorraine took that to mean she didn’t want to discuss her reasons.
“I have a responsibility to you, Amelia. To any of the women I teach. Your body is your temple. You take care of it. You put nothing into it that isn’t healthy, and you don’t contemplate giving up your life, certainly not when you’re one of the few people who actually know about the undead. You have an obligation, just as I do, to these three women and all the Carpathians.”
Amelia frowned at her. “I’m not a grown-up. What I do doesn’t affect anyone but me.”
“You know that isn’t the truth, Amelia. If something happened to you, what of your siblings? Bella is already terrified and upset over the loss of one sister. That one sister isn’t dead. She can still see her and play with her even if that time has limitation.”
Amelia shook her head, as if denying the truth, but she seemed calmer and less agitated, as if she were listening in spite of not wanting to.
“I always have tried to live with truth, Amelia. It’s so much easier than lying to others or especially lying to oneself. If you’re going to study under me, you’ll have to trust me enough to give me truth. Do you understand?”
Amelia slowly nodded. “I can do that.”
“Saying it and doing it are two different things. I want you to think long and hard about it, and if you still feel the same way tomorrow, we’ll have our first lesson.”
Amelia flashed a smile that didn’t quite clear the dullness from her eyes. “You don’t want to start right now?”
“I would, but apparently the council has other plans for me. I have been summoned.” Lorraine stood up and pushed her chair in. “Thank you for the wonderful company. I loved every minute of it. It’s been a long while since I talked to anyone and I’m so glad it was all of you. Thank you for making me feel welcome.”
Charlotte nodded. “It was very nice to meet you. I’ll look forward to the ceremony of your conversion later tonight.”
Lorraine wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, although she was committed. She knew that was part of the problem. “I’m a little nervous about that. I should have just told him to do it right then. But I wanted to have time to go over the details in my mind, and I’m glad I did.” That had given her time for processing to take place, so she knew she was making the right decision. She wanted Andor to always feel as if she hadn’t been coerced. “But at the same time, I’m super nervous. Still, I’ll be looking forward to seeing you tonight.”
She left the women on the porch, waving as she went, inexplicably happy that she’d found some friends. She’d missed being able to laugh with other women. She had it in her mind that once they had lifemates, their lives were so wrapped up in their men, they forgot all about women bonding together. Looking at the four of them laughing together, she knew that wasn’t the truth.
17
Looking down at the very large carved oak table, Lorraine had a sudden urge to laugh. The men were seated around it, although, like gentlemen, they’d come to their feet when she entered the room. There had been no convincing them that she didn’t need the recognition. Carpathians were old-school gentlemen. They might rip a man’s heart out, but that was okay. Forgetting to stand for a lady was an infraction none of them wanted.
Across the table was a map—and it was huge and hand drawn. There was the location of Tariq’s nightclub and his home, clearly marked. Beneath the streets of the city was a labyrinth of marked twists and turns. The map had been drawn by each Carpathian contributing what they knew of the vampires’ whereabouts and lairs. They seemed to be everywhere.
Lorraine was a little shocked to see her camping spot so clearly marked. Every encounter the hunters had with the vampires was put on the map. There appeared to be a wide circle with the labyrinth in the center, as if that maze was the very heart of the undead’s domain.
“What is this?” she asked. “Aside from the obvious.”
Tariq answered. “We were discussing how Sergey is staying in this city. In the past, when hunters came, the vampire fled and took up residence somewhere else. We have evidence to suggest that is no longer true. We send Mikhail, our prince, as much information as we can gather on everything new and different about the undead. If they are doing this here, they have to be doing the same thing there.”
Andor reached for her hand and tugged until she was close to him, close enough that she felt his body heat. “They are definitely coming together in South America as well. The De La Cruz brothers sent word to us and continue to do so. We are all keeping track now with maps. They have all been sent to one of our own, Josef, who compiles them into a worldwide map for each of us.”
“How can he do that?” Lorraine asked. “What kind of software puts together vampire attacks?”
“One of his own making. Josef creates tools for whatever we need,” Gary said. He was seated at Tariq’s right hand.
Lorraine looked closer at the two men. She could see a small shimmer arcing from one to the other, as if that seat of power couldn’t quite make up its mind.
They are learning to work with each other, Andor explained, seeing her look of inquiry. Sit down.
Where? As far as she could see, every chair was occupied. The only one not present that she knew of was Ferro. There aren’t any chairs open. Where’s Ferro? Was he hurt a lot worse than you let on?
You could sit on my lap, Andor offered. There was a mischievous note to his voice.
Um. No. Not with all these men around and your wandering hands. You might accidentally forget what we were doing. I already know about your forays into voyeurism.
Andor laughed, and for a brief moment, gazes from around the table flicked from him to her. She felt a blush creeping up her neck to her face. He waved a hand and produced a chair right next to him. Very close. She gave him her sternest look and sank into it. He dropped his hand on her thigh and she immediately realized her thigh was tight against his.
She should have cared, but the truth was, she was glad to be with him again. She’d kept her mind from tuning to him too often, and only when she fel
t the subject was important, but the toll on her for having to fight her own inclinations had been more than she’d bargained for.
She forced her attention back to the others. Tariq and Gary were new to working with each other. That brought up questions. Why does Gary have to work with Tariq?
The prince asked. When he asks you to do something, you could decline, but no one ever has. Gary is Tariq’s adviser, protector and just about everything else in between.
“Is there word on Aidan?” Tomas asked. He was one of the triplets and had spent some time traveling, she knew.
Aidan is a Carpathian who has been some time in the States. Everyone believed he would be chosen by the prince to lead in this place, but he is moving to New York. There has been activity reported there.
Tariq glanced at Gary. “I will let the healer answer.”
Gary shrugged. “I went to him to see what I could do to help. His family was there. Darius and his lifemate, the others from the Dark Troubadours.”
“Wait. What? The Dark Troubadours? Are they Carpathian?” The band was renowned and working their way into genuine stardom. Everyone she knew was vying for tickets. The band preferred small venues, so it wasn’t easy to be one of the lucky ones to get in.
Andor answered for the others. “Yes. Darius is Gary’s brother. A Daratrazanoff. That should tell you something right there.”
Lorraine didn’t know what it was supposed to tell her other than that maybe Darius was a healer like Gary and Aidan’s wounds had been fatal, much like Andor’s. She felt a sudden kinship with Aidan’s lifemate. Through the tie of their souls, had she held him to her in the same way Lorraine had held Andor? She glanced at her lifemate, knowing he was in her mind, just as she was in his. Did she?
Yes, sívamet, she did.
“He must have been very bad to need two healers,” she pointed out. Now, more than ever, she was worried about Ferro. Why weren’t they talking about his wounds?
Tariq inclined his head. “Aidan was caught in a trap. He fought several vampires, destroying them, and the trap was sprung once he was wounded.” Tariq turned the full power of his gaze on Andor. “This trap was exactly the same as the one the undead used on you. I’ve sent the information to every Carpathian hunter to beware. I know that we’ve always been solitary hunters, and that worked for centuries, but I propose we hunt in twos or threes. We don’t have the armies they have. Sergey is making himself an army by turning human male psychics into newly made vampires.”
“With no experience,” Sandu pointed out.
“Absolutely none,” Tariq agreed. “But they are voraciously hungry and have no control. Those two traits alone make them dangerous. We are outnumbered. We can’t afford losses. We thought they couldn’t, either, but now that we know he’s creating an army, we know we are not taking down his numbers.”
That makes it more important than ever that the women learn to defend themselves.
Then say it. Tell Tariq what you think. Everyone is allowed an opinion and is encouraged to give it when they sit at this table with him.
She liked that concept. She lifted her gaze to that of the leader. “I think it’s time to teach the women and children to defend themselves against vampires. You should all work with them and share the experience of your battles. If you have new weapons that would even the playing field between a woman and the vampire, they need training in how to use them.”
Abruptly, she went silent. Her heart pounded. Her mouth went dry. Ordinarily, she had no problem sharing her opinion, but at the table she was surrounded by Tariq’s men, his army, and they appeared larger than life. Very scary and dangerous. Mostly, just plain powerful. Giving them advice or telling them they had missed a great opportunity in training the women seemed a little presumptuous of her. She didn’t mean it that way and hoped they didn’t take it that way.
Tariq’s fingers drummed on the tabletop. “I have considered this for a long time. Blaze has been pushing for this same thing. It breaks with our tradition. Women have always been of the light, and taking a life doesn’t come from that place inside of us. Any life. There is a tearing at the soul when one has to kill another being, no matter what it is. That is how it should be. It is the reason we believe the hunter has no emotions after a certain age. He knows it is wrong to kill, yet he has no choice in the matter. He must destroy the vampire.”
Sandu nodded his head. “Having a woman in on the battle would divide the attention of the hunter. No matter how good she was at the hunt, we would be unable to forget she was there. The hunter would end up dead and so would she.”
“Sandu.” Lorraine leaned forward to look him in the eye. “I’m not talking about taking a woman on a hunt. I’m saying she needs to know how to defend herself. If a vampire gets past your safeguards or she is somewhere unprotected, she has to know she has a chance to defeat him. That isn’t the same as demanding to go on a hunt.”
“Blaze goes with me,” Maksim volunteered.
Lorraine wanted to kiss him. He was Tariq’s partner and he seemed very relaxed, deceptively lazy in the way he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs under the table.
“We are all well aware you choose to risk your lifemate,” Petru said.
Lorraine’s heart sank. She was going up against the ancients and knew that battle wasn’t to be won. She’d thought without Ferro sitting at the table she would have had a chance to talk some sense into them.
“I choose to allow my lifemate to be who she is. Who she always must be. You will do the same when you find yours, Petru.”
Maksim hadn’t taken offense at Petru’s pointed accusation. Lorraine was determined to be the same way. She had a temper that she tried hard to suppress—or temper with wisdom. So far, she hadn’t achieved her goal.
“Petru, I really am talking about the women and Amelia and Liv. Right here in this compound. The vampires managed to get inside. They could again.” She had one ace, and maybe it was time to play it. “It is even possible one of you, one trusted, would turn vampire, and you’re already inside. What happens when you go to tear apart one of the girls and the only ones here are the women? All the men went somewhere and you were left to watch over them. What happens then, Petru?”
There was a shocked silence. Most people, men and women, were careful how they spoke to the ancients. Sometimes, it seemed, the ancient hunters were more feral predators than humans. She had to fight to keep from moving closer to Andor for his protection. The others would use that against her. Still, Petru was intimidating with his eyes the color of mercury and his silent stare.
No one has brought up the threat the ancients present, living here in the compound with us, Andor explained. Not even when I was without you.
Gary moved, drawing the attention to him. It was the slightest of moves, but it was enough when he was usually so still. “This debate has raged in the Carpathian Mountains as well. My brother, Gregori, is categorically opposed to the idea. The prince, however, feels this is something that should be left up to lifemates. He feels forcing a decree, an absolute law, on everyone doesn’t account for individuals, and I have to agree with him. No two people are alike. Ivory is an incredible huntress. Blaze is good as well and an asset in a fight. I do not believe a woman such as Genevieve would be.”
Lorraine thought he was extremely intelligent to use Genevieve as an example rather than one of the Carpathian woman. Her lifemate might object on principle and the discussion would turn into something altogether different.
“My feeling is that all women should be taught to defend themselves. The children should be taught,” Gary continued. “Vampires have evolved, and we have to evolve as well. We’re behind because we didn’t take advantage of technology. We didn’t believe vampires would ban together to fight us, even when we were presented with the evidence. I know it is because Mikhail was struggling just to keep the species alive. I was in that fight. I sa
w the cost to us, but this is different. If Sergey succeeds, we will be extinct very quickly. It is necessary to change in order to survive.”
There were low murmurs as the individuals around the table argued back and forth. Tariq was the one to put a stop to it. “I believe as Gary does. As far as whether or not a woman goes into battle, it is her lifemate’s decision with her, not ours. If Maksim tried to stop Blaze from fighting at his side, she would be unhappy. Our purpose is to keep our lifemates happy. It is a vow we take, and there is no other recourse.”
“Ferro would never agree to such a thing,” Sandu said. “Petru and I will stand with him.”
“I would imagine, if that is the case, your lifemates will not be the kind of women who would want to go into battle beside you. If they were, they were not made for you. On the other hand, I see no reason that they not be taught the art of self-defense.” Tariq turned toward Lorraine. “I would very much like you to begin training after you rise from the conversion. Blaze will work with you once she is no longer needed on the patrols. And that brings us to another topic and the reason you were asked to join us.”
Lorraine inclined her head. “I would be happy to start training the women, but it would be helpful if some of the men volunteered to help us out. I need someone to be an attacker as well as those who would allow the women to see into their minds, to the battles. Gaining experience that way is easier and far more useful. They can see actual battles. I was lucky enough to have Ferro, Sandu, Gary and Andor help me. From their experiences, I was able to choose techniques that I knew applied in the situation I was in, and that I was capable of doing.”
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