Dark Carousel (Dark 26)

How could he explain? He couldn't blurt out there were vampires in the city, not unless he wanted her to run screaming into the night. She would think he was insane, and by the time the truth came to light, it would be too late. There was no doubt in his mind that Fridrick would make another play for her.

"Fridrick runs with a couple of other really nasty men." He didn't know how else to explain it, and he didn't want to tell her any more lies. She'd caught him out anyway. "If he was looking to acquire you with the idea that you would belong to them, there should have been a third woman targeted. As nasty and powerful as Fridrick is--and he is--the other two are far worse. Fridrick wouldn't be in a position to call you his unless they had a woman for the other two first."

There was silence in the car. Charlie drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "So you think they already have a woman? Is that what you're saying? They've kidnapped someone and they're holding her someplace?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's possible, but . . ." He trailed off. Vadim was on the run. Mataias had trailed him to the harbor. He was gone, and there hadn't been time to kidnap another woman. There was no evidence showing they'd managed to get out with anyone else. He had taken Emeline and nearly gotten away with her. They'd been lucky that Val Zhestokly had been held prisoner and tortured. When Blaze had released him, he had managed to rush after Emeline, staying on the heels of Vadim so the vampire never had the chance to keep her. In order to save his own life, Vadim had to leave Emeline behind.

"'Possible' but what?" Charlie prompted.

He sat up very straight, his heart slamming hard in his chest. He tasted fear in his mouth, and this time it wasn't fear for his lifemate, but fear for a young woman who had already been through so much--too much. They'd brought Emeline out of the tunnels, bloody and eerily silent, in shock. Vadim hadn't had much time with her, but he'd had time. He'd sent a small army to slow all of them down, delaying them precious minutes so that he could be alone with her. That he was alone with her.

"There is a young woman staying on my property. One of Fridrick's friends had her briefly, but we managed to get her back," he said, the disturbing insanity of his thoughts pushing everything else out of his mind. "If she counts as his woman, then it all makes sense." It made sense, but it was horrifying.

None of them had talked to Emeline. She'd retreated into her little house and she'd refused to allow anyone to aid her--not even Blaze. Blaze went to see her daily, but she said that Emeline wouldn't talk about what happened. She kept the rooms dark and quiet and didn't want to talk even to a counselor. It had only been two weeks, so they all stepped back to give her time to come to terms with whatever Vadim had done to her.

They all knew that Vadim had exchanged blood with Emeline. That had been horrifying enough. It would allow Vadim to find her anywhere she was. He could whisper to her, command her, see through her eyes at any time. As long as she stayed on Tariq's property, under the combined safeguards of all the hunters, Vadim couldn't get to her, or steal her mind from her, but if she were to leave . . .

He shook his head, not wanting to entertain the idea that Emeline's fate could be worse than that. She was a beautiful young woman, courageous and sweet. She'd gone in the tunnels to save children--strangers to her--all the while knowing what would happen to her. She'd seen her fate in dreams and yet she'd still gone, determined to keep the children out of the hands of an extremely cruel vampire.

"Tariq," Charlie said softly. "You've gone a long way away. What's wrong? You helped us out, let us help you."

He looked around. The road leading to his estate was just up ahead of them. "On your left. That leads to my property. Maksim's property borders mine." Do you have the child? He didn't know what he'd say to Charlie if Maksim, Siv and Dragomir weren't able to rescue Lourdes and Grace.

She's safe. They both are. Siv has Lourdes, and I am with the woman while she packs. She did not like the separation but she had no choice. Siv is not one for conversation. He walked in behind me while I was giving her the code, took the little girl right out of her bed and was gone before Grace could say a single word. He does not have a civilized bone in his body. Dragomir has gone after Fridrick and his brother.

Tariq wanted to smile at that. Siv had never been civilized. After centuries of battles, he was probably even less so. Val was more than likely the same way. Like Val, Siv and Dragomir had been tortured over a long period of time, not by Vadim, but in other, even worse circumstances. Tariq had been spared that fate.

"Lourdes is safe," he announced in a low tone.

"How do you know?" Charlie snatched up her cell phone. "Genevieve, contact Grace. Make certain they're both safe."

"You could say I have a couple of psychic abilities myself," Tariq said, giving them both a small grin. The relief of knowing the child was safe was tremendous coming on the heels of what he feared the vampires were doing. His smile faded. He needed to talk to Emeline. More, they all needed to protect her, make certain she didn't leave the property and the protection of the safeguards.

"They're out," Genevieve confirmed, "but Grace isn't happy that they're separated. She's driving her truck and coming here with Maksim. She says Maksim's friend is a first-class jerk."

"Thank God," Charlie said. "Not about your friend who helped us being a jerk, but that Lourdes and Grace are safe." She stole another look at him. "You're still worried."

"It is just strange that both of you were in Paris and so was Emeline, the woman Vadim took prisoner down in the tunnels. Emeline went for psychic testing here in the States with Blaze, Maksim's girlfriend, and her father. You two did the same thing in Paris. Emeline must have been there at the same time. She recently returned when Blaze's father was murdered."

Charlie drove right up to the tall double gates and shifted in her seat so she could look over her shoulder at Genevieve. "Emeline is an unusual name. We met a girl named Emeline. She wasn't going by that, but someone called that name out and she turned. It was clear that was her name. She confessed to us that she had a stalker and was hiding out, using another name. We hung out with her for several days, and then one morning she was gone. I think this is all becoming one giant coincidence--far too much of one."

Tariq thought so as well. Was Paris the connection between the three women and Vadim? The psychic center? He knew that under the Malinov reign, the psychic center's computers had been hacked and all the data on psychic women had been stolen.

The double gates opened inward toward the property. Charlie put the car in drive and rolled through slowly.

"I think you're right," Tariq agreed, "but I have no idea what it all means. Did you meet Emeline before or after the psychic testing?"

"After," Genevieve said. "About three days after. It was before Grand-m

ere was murdered. Our lives went crazy after that. We could barely leave our homes between the creepy guys following us around and a serial killer going after people we loved. I honestly forgot about Emeline, and I shouldn't have because she was in trouble. Do you think this is the same Emeline?"

"If I were a betting man," Tariq said, "I'd be willing to place a very large amount on that as fact."

4

A subtle breeze came off the lake and stroked over her face, touching her with cool fingers and rifling her hair. Charlotte held herself very still, her arms wrapped around her middle, afraid her legs would give out on her. Now that the danger had passed for the moment, her body went into a kind of shock. She didn't want Tariq to notice, so she kept her face averted as she studied her surroundings.

The moment Tariq had told her and then Grace had confirmed that Lourdes was safe, she'd gone limp with relief. She hadn't realized how much she'd been holding herself together, terrified for the child and knowing she could never get to her fast enough. Tariq stood close to her, close enough that she felt his body heat, close enough that she worried she would slump to the ground at his feet. She'd never fainted in her life, but she suddenly felt terribly weak, her arms and legs like lead.

Charlotte glanced at Genevieve, and saw she was still seated in the car. The passenger door was open and she stared out at the lake, but she looked pale and just as weak as Charlotte.

Tariq's arm circled her waist, pulling her body into his, tucking her to his side. "Forgive me, Charlotte, but you look as if you might end up on the ground. You have been through a lot tonight, and you still need to talk to the police. I do not want you to fall and injure yourself."

She shouldn't cling. She really shouldn't. She told herself over and over to be strong, that she was strong, but confronting her brother's killer--that sophisticated, smiling murderer--she hadn't realized just how afraid she'd really been. Fridrick set her teeth on edge. There at the end, she could almost believe in vampires. His smiling oily good looks had suddenly disappeared. He'd looked so different, his eyes almost glowing and his teeth . . . She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. Vampires. She was overtired and scared to even be considering such a thing.