Dark Carousel (Dark 26)

"We both supposedly tested very high, and they asked us to take more of their tests. We agreed at first, but they were so pushy, asking us very personal questions about private things neither of us wanted to disclose. Then they wanted to separate us. We were in a little room at that point and both of us had the feeling we were being watched and recorded. We decided to leave. For a few minutes there, it didn't seem as though they'd let us go. We actually had to push past a couple of men and be very belligerent about it."

Genevieve nodded. "They kept saying we were making a mistake and that we needed to finish the testing with them. We just grabbed on to each other and made a run for it. We felt a little foolish once we were on the street with people around us, but even before we got home, we knew we were being followed."

"You saw these three men?" Tariq prompted.

Charlotte shook her head. "Not right away. We saw them there, at the psychic testing center, but off in the distance. We didn't even recognize them when we first saw them again in your club."

"These men following you were in my club?" Feigning shock, he took a step away from them as if he might go into the nightclub and drag the three men out. "Did they approach you?"

"Tonight they did," Genevieve said. "They flirted and danced with a lot of women, but they kept coming back to our table, even though we made it plain we weren't in the market for a hookup."

"And you're certain these men are the same men you saw in Paris?"

Charlie nodded. "Absolutely positive."

"What time of day did you go in for testing? Was it dark?"

"Midday," Genevieve said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Fridrick likes to come out at night. He thinks the cover of darkness will keep everyone from ever seeing his crimes." Tariq glanced at his watch. "Will you come back to my house with me? That's where they'll bring your friend Grace and your young niece."

Charlie glanced back at Genevieve, who nodded. "We'll stay the night," she agreed. "And thank you for the invitation. We can talk about the rest of it tomorrow when things are more settled."

Tariq didn't want to leave her, not even for a moment. He didn't feel any of the vampires close. The hunters were on the heels of the vampires and four humans Fridrick had left behind. Being pursued by Carpathian hunters would keep them from the two women, but he would have to leave his car behind because he wasn't taking any chances with his lifemate's safety.

"Maksim brought me." He murmured the lie, uncomfortable with telling an untruth to his lifemate. It wasn't done, but he knew it was necessary. She had every reason to be leery of strangers, and for all intents and purposes, he was that to her. She didn't have the same reaction to him that he had to her. She was already his world. There was no going back for him. He had searched through centuries to find her, and she was everything and more than he could have ever expected. He wasn't losing her.

Charlie took a deep breath, her green eyes moving over him slowly. "Then I guess you'll have to ride with us."

She knew he was lying. His heart jerked in his chest. Pride in her abilities shook him. Who would have thought a human woman would be able to read him so easily? He sent her a quick grin.

"I guess I will. Let me just give my car keys to the valet and tell him to make certain my car that I didn't bring with me is safe here in the parking garage."

Charlotte smiled at him, a genuine smile for the first time. She pulled her cell phone out. "I have to call Grace really quick and tell her to expect your friends. I want her to pack a couple of things for us as well."

Genevieve pushed closer to Charlie, adding her list of items for Grace to pack for her. "And the men coming for you are really hot," the two women assured their friend.

Tariq frowned. "You find my friends hot?" His eyes were on Charlie. Assessing. Something moved inside of him, something not good. His belly tightened into several hard knots.

Charlie shrugged. "They're good-looking, Mr. Asenguard, of course we noticed. That will make Grace happier--to have her rescuers be hot guys."

"Call me Tariq. And it would please me immensely if you would not find my friends 'hot.' I would be okay with you having that assessment of me, but not of them."

Genevieve laughed.

Charlie's eyebrow shot up. "So I have your permission to find you attractive?"

He nodded solemnly, staying in step with her while they covered the short distance to her car. "More than attractive. More than hot. Is there such a thing as more?" He scanned continually to make certain no vampire was close to them. The four humans were hanging out inside his club. He thought it was a good thing that Dragomir and Siv had gone with Maksim to keep Fridrick from Charlotte's niece. He couldn't imagine either of them in a nightclub, nor did he altogether trust them with all the pounding heartbeats. They were both far, far too close to the end. Those in the monastery could no longer even hear the whisper of temptation to feel. Not even that. Putting Dragomir in the nightclub would be like putting a fox in a chicken coop.

Charlie laughed, the sound sliding inside of him, restoring his good mood. She sounded a little flirty. He liked that. "If there is something that's hotter than hot, you're it, Tariq," she assured. "But then you already know that. You have a bit of a reputation as a playboy."

Uh-oh. Not so good. "I do? Really? Because of a few publicity photos and charity events I attended? I assure you, Charlotte, I live quietly."

She slid into the driver's seat and Genevieve slipped into the backseat, leaving the passenger front for Tariq.

"You live quietly?" Charlie echoed. Her tone was quite frankly disbelieving.

She waited to start the car until he'd put on his seat belt, something he was reluctant to do because he needed to move fast if there was trouble. Still, it was expected of him and he'd lived in the world of humans a long time and had learned to fit in.

"Yes, quietly," he assured, snapping the belt around him.

She gave a little sniff that sounded very suspiciously as if she didn't believe him. "You own a nightclub."

He frowned, genuinely puzzled. "I own several of them."

"Women dress up in sexy, very skimpy club clothes looking for someone to hook up with for the night. You're hot. You're wealthy. You can carry on a conversation. The women are going to be throwing themselves at you every night. No way are you living quietly."

He caught the underlying tone she had. She was striving for conversational and matter-of-fact, but he heard the little bite to her voice. She was far more interested than she was letting on. "Go left, out to the lake district."

Maksim. Dragomir. Siv. Tell me you have the child safe. They were taking too long to secure the little girl. Charlotte's little girl. If Fridrick managed to get his hands on the child, Charlie would be frantic. She would do anything to get her back, including handing herself over to the vampire without hesitation.

Not yet. Engaged at the moment. Maksim's reply was clipped.

Tariq turned his head away from Charlie to look out the window. He'd hoped the three hunters would get there before Fridrick. Had Maksim gone alone, he would have run up against two master vampires, but Dragomir and Siv were with him. To engage all three ancient hunters, Fridrick had to be desperate. What had he said? Genevieve was for someone else. Charlotte was for Fridrick.

He went very still. Vadim Malinov had lured two women down into the tunnels beneath the city. One of those women, Blaze, was Maksim's lifemate. The other was her best friend, Emeline. It had been Emeline Vadim was after, but they'd also tried to acquire Blaze. When the hunters had gone through the tunnels, they'd discovered that all kinds of experiments had been conducted. They'd also discovered the gruesome remains of several women in various stages of pregnancy. Was it possible this all centered around the vampires taking women for their own? Trying to produce families? The idea seemed so far-fetched, so completely impossible Tariq could barely fathom it.

Vampire blood was acidic. It burned in one's body, through one's body. No baby would be able to

stand that kind of pain. The Malinov brothers weren't like any other vampires. They were brilliant men who had conceived a plan to overthrow the prince of the Carpathian people and then very deliberately turned undead. All five of them. Quickly they became master vampires, and their reputations for cruelty and cunning were legendary.

From the evidence in the tunnels below, trying to have children was exactly what Vadim was doing. So if Emeline was for Vadim and Blaze had been for Vadim's brother Sergey, but they had rescued the women, that meant the undead would need two more women to take their places.

"Fridrick said Genevieve was taken, but that you were for him, didn't he?" he murmured, turning back to Charlotte.

She nodded. "Yes. He implied that Genevieve was spoken for." A little shudder went through her. "He was going to kidnap us, wasn't he? And take Vi to someone equally as horrible as he is."

"But Fridrick said you were for him," he reiterated, trying to wrap his head around the fact that if Fridrick was involved, the vampires should need three women, not two. So who was the third woman? They'd rescued both Blaze and Emeline.

"What is it?" Charlie asked. "You're worried. Grace hasn't texted me that they're out safely yet. Tell me what's wrong."