Dark Nights

Chapter Four

“Lamont is not the only one,” Traian agreed. “His friends are coming this way fast, and they have murder on their minds.”

He had to get Joie and her siblings to safety. The network of caves was a huge maze. How was he going to quickly explain a concept to them they all found impossible to believe? He looked at Joie. She was a miracle to him, an impossibility, just like the vampires and his need of blood must seem to them—as if they were caught in a nightmare and he was caught in a dream.

The vampire struggled to a half-sitting position on the floor, black blood and spittle running down his chin. His red-rimmed eyes fixed on Joie with a mixture of hate and fear. Long fingernails dug into the ice and he dragged himself another inch toward the blackened heart, all the while staring directly at Joie.

Traian’s heart jumped, and then began to accelerate. He tasted fear in his mouth. Apprehension was alien to him, an emotion he hadn’t felt in hundreds of years. Now, with the vampire silently vowing revenge on the one woman who mattered to him, Traian found dread filling him. Of all places for his lifemate to show up—in a labyrinth of caves when he was drained of his enormous strength—with a brother and sister in tow. He’d searched centuries for her and when he was at his most vulnerable, she appeared. Fate was a terrible jokester.

Joie! Do not look at him directly like that. It is easy to become ensnared.

She pulled her gaze away with an effort. “What the hell did you do to my knife, you fiend? Do you have any idea what a blade like that costs?” She held out her hand to Jubal for the knife she had given him. “Give that to me. I think I’m going to need it.”

The vampire snarled, spraying foul blood across the ice, where it burned deep. His fiery eyes promised a vicious revenge.

Gabrielle gasped and covered her face. “I want to go, Joie. I’m not like you and Jubal. I can’t do this.”

Jubal immediately put his arm around her. “We’ll get out of here, honey.” He looked at Traian. “Can you kill it? We’ve got matches in our pack, so we can set the thing on fire.”

Gabrielle made a sound of horror in the back of her throat. “We’re going to burn it alive?”

“We have to do something,” Joie said, taking a step toward the creature.

Traian swept her firmly behind him with a strong arm. She was worried about her sister and feeling guilty that she’d brought her siblings into such a dangerous situation, but he couldn’t allow her to place herself into danger when he could kill the foul creature. He signaled to Jubal and Gabrielle to move away from the vampire. They did so carefully.

Lamont continued to make hideous noises, his talons cutting deep gouges into the ice. The blackened heart wriggled and rolled a couple of inches toward the outstretched hand.

Jubal handed his sister the knife. “Let’s get out of here while we can. I don’t think I want to meet any more of these things.”

“I’m going to pretend I never met this one,” Gabrielle said firmly. She shuddered, and took a deep breath. “Just do it. If we’re going to kill the thing, do it fast please.”

Traian nodded and stepped in front of all three of them. Joie watched him closely. He seemed to be gathering something unseen into his hands. She could feel the buildup of energy in the chamber. The gallery was actually warming, increasing the dripping of the water dramatically. Between Traian’s palms, light glowed, a bright orange-red, emitting heat. It appeared just smaller than a basketball, the energy coiling and spinning.

The vampire screamed in rage and attempted to rise, desperate to attack the hunter. When he couldn’t make it to his feet, he threw himself forward across the floor of thick ice, and reached for his twisted heart. The blackened organ responded to his desperation, rolling toward him in little macabre stops and starts.

The ball of glowing energy left Traian’s hands, hurtling through the chamber to land squarely on the writhing organ. The heart burst into a white-hot flame, burning blue and then purple. Tiny writhing maggots fell onto the ice, burning. The flames leapt from the heart to the outstretched hands of the vampire, racing up his arms to his shoulders. The long strands of dank hair caught fire. The vampire’s mouth gaped open, his eyes wide with shock and horror.

The heart incinerated completely, ashes erupting in a blackened volcano, throwing more maggots into the air. The blackened worms lay like drops of black soot staining the ice. The undead shrieked, his cry carrying through the labyrinth of caves, high-pitched and horrible, the sound hurting their ears. Jubal, Gabrielle, and Joie clapped their hands over their ears in an effort to drown out the noise.

Above their heads, great spears of ice shook. Spider-web cracks ran up the walls surrounding them. Jubal caught his sisters by the arm and jerked at them, trying to get them moving out of the chamber as the ominous sound of thousands of years of tons of ice pressing down thundered through the gallery.

Traian sent another ball of fiery energy toward the vampire. Fire engulfed him completely, burning hot and bright. For one ghoulish moment, a blackened skeleton of a man rose up in the smoke, bony fingers reaching for Traian. He stood his ground without flinching and blew on the apparition. A foul stench filled the cavern.

The black smoke vanished, taking with it the stench. The ice settled, all at once quiet, other than the persistent sound of water dripping.

Jubal let out his breath. “Holy shit.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said, one hand on her throat, “that’s just gross.”

“Handy little trick,” Joie observed. “You’ll have to teach it to me.”

Traian managed a boyish grin. “Finally, something impressed you.”

A terrible howling, like that of a demon pack, echoed through the subterranean caverns, sending chills down Joie’s spine. She swallowed sheer terror and managed a small, wan smile for her sister’s sake—sheer bravado. “I think that’s our cue to leave.”

“Can we climb? How do we know where they are?” Gabrielle asked anxiously.

“Damn it to hell, how many of those things are there?” Jubal demanded.

“It used to be, they hunted alone. Essentially, vampires are very self-centered and vain,” Traian answered. “But what I’ve found here is unprecedented as far as I know. Three master vampire—Gallent and Valenteen allowed a third, a much more powerful master to manipulate them and their followers.” He reached out and plucked hair from Joie’s head. “They are coming for us. We have to get out of here now.”

“Ow!” Joie glared at him. “That hurt.”

“I need hair from all of you, preferably from the scalp, do not just break it off,” Traian instructed, pulling a hair from his own head.

Jubal frowned, but did as Traian asked, handing him his hair. Gabrielle followed suit. Traian pulled a tiny bit of cloth from the wound on his leg, ignoring Gabrielle’s hastily covered protest. He wound blood-stained threads around the hair.

“Stay where you are.” He rose into the air, moved over the ice to a tunnel leading to the right and gathered more energy. He threw the hair and thread into the chamber and sent a powerful blast of air shooting through the tunnel.

“I’m going to carry you all to the hall you came through and then we’re going to run fast. Try to run light. Vampires are creatures with great hearing. We want them to think we went right while we’re going left,” Traian instructed. “If possible, run single file.”

“I’ll bring up the rear,” Jubal agreed, nodding his head.

Traian caught Joie’s hand and tugged, dragging her after him. Joie reached out for Gabrielle.

If we talk telepathically, my brother and sister will hear as well as long as we remain connected like this physically. And we can run in synch, Joie explained as she tried to match Traian’s strides, settling her feet where his had been. Her crampons made it easier to run along the ice without slipping, but she feared the scrapes in the ice would alert the vampires.

The vampires will follow the scent of blood and I am masking our noise.

Gabrielle reached for Jubal, who tucked his gun into his belt and ran as lightly as possible in his sister’s footsteps.

I don’t really understand how you can do that, but you managed to make some kind of fireball and you sort of flew a bit, so I’m convinced, Joie said, careful to use telepathic communication so the sound wouldn’t travel through the caves.

A Carpathian needs blood to survive, he explained as they hurried down the hall away from the bloody, blackened chamber. We do not kill those who give us blood. They are treated with the respect due them. We cannot be out in full sunlight and we sleep beneath the ground.

He felt it necessary to educate the three humans as quickly as possible. Should they become separated from him, they had to know how to survive. He could feel the stirring interest in all of them. Gabrielle was a scientist, and the information would appeal to her. Jubal would take it as it was meant—to save their lives. And Joie . . . his heart turned over. His lifemate. He hadn’t had time to really accept the truth of that.

More, Joie demanded. If you aren’t a vampire, where did they come from?

We are a species nearly immortal. I say nearly because we can die given the right circumstances. Over time if we do not find our lifemate, the woman holding the other half of our soul—and there is only one—we lose emotion and the ability to see color. The world becomes a dull, unrelenting place.

The tunnel twisted unexpectedly, spilling them out into another great hall. This one had smooth, blue-green walls on three of the four sides, the ice folded in bands. The gallery opened into several hallways. The high ceiling was covered in sharp stalactites hanging down like giant icicle spears. One wall, rather than smooth, was covered in ice balls, many as large as boulders where the water had run down and frozen. The sound of water was louder here, but coming from where, they couldn’t tell. The roar seemed to echo through the chamber, making it impossible to tell which direction the underground river was.

Have you been here before? Jubal tested the telepathy link through their joined hands.

I do not know this place. I believe this is a mage cave.

Joie made a single sound in her throat and glanced back at Gabrielle as they paused to take stock of their surroundings and determine the best way back to the surface. Mage cave? I hate to ask.

Traian knew he was asking a lot to have these three humans understand his world. They’d been thrown in at the deep end of a very murky pool and were fighting for survival against mythical creatures out of horror films. He wanted to draw Joie into his arms and comfort her, but there was little comfort in a place of such danger.

A roar reverberated through the ice caves, a sound that rose to a high pitch of rage and promise of retribution.

They caught up with the bloody hair. We’ve got to go. We have to stay to the left. I know the general direction to get out, but we’ve got to run.

Above their heads, the stalactites rocked, the ominous sound of ice cracking loud, all around them. Traian took off running just as the chamber rocked with loud continuous claps of thunder. Great ice balls hurled out of the walls toward them, big enough and with enough force to kill them should one hit them.

Gabrielle screamed and let go of Joie’s hand, sprinting across the ice.

“Stay quiet,” Traian hissed. “Stop her,” he added to the woman’s brother.

Jubal raced after Gabrielle and caught her, throwing her to the floor as a large spear crashed to the floor, shattering, sending shards of ice in all directions. Traian caught up Joie, his arms surrounding her, nearly crushing her against his chest as more ice spears rained down and blocks of ice thundered out of the walls.

“Keep her there,” Traian demanded of Jubal.

He ran, dodging spears and boulders of ice with Joie locked in his arms until he made it to Jubal and Gabrielle. He crouched beside them, pushing Joie close to them as he gathered energy. The build-up was so fast and powerful, static electricity sent charges ricocheting off the ice walls and floor.

He covered the group as best he could, building a shield around them so the powerful conical pillars of ice and large ice boulders smashed into the invisible force and broke apart. The ferocity and speed of the weapons flying at them was terrifying to see, as shaking stalactites broke free of the ceiling. They could look up and see the great columns of solid ice coming down right on top of them.

Is this natural? Joie asked. Because I’ve never seen anything like it all the years I’ve been going into caves. It was a storm of ice, a cavern angry with the intrusion and fighting to drive the trespassers out.

Traian could feel her heart pounding. He pulled her closer, sheltering her with his body. His strength was waning fast. The rags pushed into his wounds were soaked. He needed the healing earth and more blood fast and they were still a distance from the closest exit. He didn’t get lost in the sense that he knew direction, but where any tunnel or hall within the cave led, he had no idea.

No. I will get you out. They cannot sustain this attack on us. The moment it lets up, we will make a break for the narrowest hallway to the left.

Gabrielle heard him through the grip her brother had on her. She raised her head to look at the stranger. His face was white and etched with small lines. She nudged Jubal, who glanced over his shoulder at the man.

Can you do this? Jubal asked. Hold out against this attack?

There is no other choice, Traian replied. There was no discussion, because there could be no other answer. He did what had to be done. The vampires were throwing a tantrum and doing their best to slow their prey down, but they had no idea exactly where they were yet and they wouldn’t use up all their strength when they couldn’t see their targets. We have to stay very quiet. They will find our scent and follow us, but there is no reason to make it easy on them.

I’m sorry, Gabrielle said. I’m not usually such a baby, I swear I don’t usually lose control and fall apart.

Joie reached out to comfort her sister, taking her hand and holding it tight. We’ll get out, we always do, she assured. You’re not being a baby, Gabrielle.

Traian could hear the love in her voice. He could actually feel her love for her sister. The emotion was stark and raw and filled his throat with a lump. It had been too many centuries since he’d experienced such things.

The attack is already waning, Traian assured as he felt the violent energy around him lessen. A couple of minutes more and then we stay left. There’s a tunnel, an ice slide, very narrow but passable, that will take us down and away from them. I can close it after us if we are lucky and then we just have to find our way out.

His eyes met Jubal’s over Joie’s head. Her brother was no fool. It wasn’t going to be easy finding their way out of the labyrinth. He hadn’t explained mages and quite frankly, he didn’t want to try. They were dealing with enough trying to get around the knowledge that vampires were real.

The thundering roar died down, leaving only the sound of cracking ice and dripping water. He threw off the shield and jerked the two women up. “We’ve to go now. They are tracking us and they can move faster than we can.”

They ran toward the left hallway.

You could outrun them without us, couldn’t you? Joie asked.

That is beside the point. I will not leave you.

You’re wounded.

Jubal entered the narrow hallway first. His shoulders scraped along the ice. “It’s tight in here,” he called back. “It dead-ends into a hole.”

“That’s the chute. It is a long slide. It was passable the last time I used it and it is the best chance we have.” Traian didn’t add that it was the only one. What little strength he had left had to get them down that long slide without mishap and then close the way behind them.

The three siblings exchanged a long, shocked look. Jubal studied the entrance, shining his light inside the hole to study what he could see of the narrow tube. “This is too dangerous, Joie. It goes down very sharply. We’d be sliding out of control within minutes.”

Joie stepped up next to him and peered inside. She whirled around to face Traian. “Are you crazy? We’re not going in there.”

“You have no choice,” Traian said quietly. “We may be trapped in these caves for a couple of days so whatever you have to do to stay alive, you will need to keep close.” He hoped that wasn’t so. He didn’t want to explain to them what would happen to him when the sun rose above them.

Joie planted herself in front of him, her eyes glittering. “Obviously we aren’t like you. We’re human. Sliding down an ice chute without checking it out and knowing what we’re getting into is just suicide. No way can the three of us go in there.”

“Then all of us will die right here. I cannot abandon you nor will I be able to defeat the vampires in pursuit of us. I am too weak. If you do not take this chance, the only answer is death. And if you must die, you do not want vampires to get their hands on you.” Traian spoke as matter-of-factly as possible.

To him there was no other choice. He would stay with this lifemate and defend her brother and sister. In truth, his first reaction was simply to grab her and force her to go with him, but the bond between the three siblings was incredibly strong. Joie wouldn’t leave them unless forced and she wouldn’t forgive him if he took her. She wasn’t looking toward him to protect her, she would only enter the chute if her family agreed with the decision. He had a long way to go to earn her trust. The three of them trusted one another implicitly, knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. He was the outsider.

Jubal closed his eyes briefly, glanced back in the direction they’d come and shook his head. “We have to trust you, but if anything happens to my sisters . . .” He nodded at his sisters.

“I plan to keep you all alive,” Traian said.

“Get your crampons off,” Joie advised Gabrielle. “You don’t want a broken leg. If we’re going to do this, we have to take every precaution.”

The three hurriedly removed the crampons from their boots.

“I’ll go first,” Gabrielle announced, her chin up. “If I get stuck, you’ll know you won’t fit,” she added over her shoulder to her brother. Her voice trembled but she was obviously determined.

Jubal caught her arm. “Not a chance, Gabby. I’ll be in front. We don’t know what’s down there.”

“The chute may be blocked,” Traian explained. “The cave is fighting back and we seem to be tripping mage traps as we go. I will lead the way down the chute and clear it. Once we are clear, I will seal it up behind us so the vampires cannot use that shortcut to follow us. It will not stop them, but it will slow them down. As you go down, shine your light ahead. I’ll let you know if the ceiling is low and you have to lie all the way down, but once you do that, you will not be able to see anything ahead of you so once past the obstacle get back into a sitting position as fast as possible.”

“Gabby, when you sit down, keep your axe to your side, hold with both hands and dig the point in to act like the brake,” Jubal instructed.

Gabrielle swallowed hard. “This sounds more dangerous than I thought.”

“We’ve practiced using the axe as a break,” Jubal reminded. “You’ll glissade down on your butt. You can do it.”

Gabrielle shook her head. “I’ve done it on skis and we’ve practiced in soft snow, but not on ice, Jubal. Not like this in a tube. We don’t even know where it leads.” Even as she protested she leashed her ice axe to her wrist.

“We have no choice, honey,” Jubal said. “We’ll be fine. Joie will be right in front of you and I’ll be close behind.”

Gabrielle looked for a moment as if she might cry, but then she squared her shoulders and nodded. “I can do it.”

“You may need your axe to self arrest. If I call back, use them fast. I will be clearing the way ahead of us. Hold until I give you the okay to continue.” Traian spoke tersely, confidently, needing the three humans to follow him without question.

“You know that doesn’t always work, depending on how fast we get going,” Joie said. “It’s a hit or miss proposition and that chute might be too narrow to flip over.”

“It is the best shot we have at living,” Traian reiterated, “and if we’re going to do it, we need to get moving.”

The descent into the ice tube was perilous to say the least. A mage cave was extremely dangerous, filled with all sorts of valuable items and as many or more traps to protect them, each more lethal than the one before. They had stumbled upon a great underground labyrinth, a mage haven beneath the mountain. Few could get past the mage spells pushing dread and fear into the hearts and minds of any trying to make the descent into the deep abyss, making certain to keep everyone away. Traian didn’t think the caverns were abandoned. The fact that vampires had entered didn’t mean a powerful mage was not at work here. He wanted to get his lifemate and her family out as soon as possible. He didn’t understand how they had made it into the caves in the first place, how they had managed to get past mage barriers.

They readied their equipment quickly, and very efficiently, hugging each other briefly before nodding to him that they were ready.

Traian pulled Joie tight against him, ignoring the harness with her rack of climbing gear. “Stay close to me, but try to give yourself room to stop fast if you need to,” he said. “It gets narrow in places. We don’t want to be crushed in there. We have to get down before they know what we’re doing. If there’s a problem, call it out and I will do my best to aid you. You will be sliding fast, so pay attention. You will need quick reactions.”

“Maybe we should share a rope,” Gabrielle suggested.

“It wouldn’t be of any use,” Jubal said. “Remember to keep your heels up.”

“You follow me, Joie. Your sister next.” He looked at Jubal over their heads. “You will know in advance that the vampires are close. Insects. A foul smell. A feeling of absolute dread. They are as capable of collapsing the tunnel as I am, but we have to believe they want our blood and they will not. Call out the moment you think they are behind us.”

Jubal nodded. “We’re ready. Let’s do it.”

Traian didn’t wait, knowing that time was premium now and not wanting any of them to change their minds. He slipped inside the chute and pushed off. The smooth ice looked like a giant slide, but it was so dark the others wouldn’t be able to see without angling their heads to point their lamps straight ahead. His shoulders were wide and he touched on both sides. The women wouldn’t have much of a problem, but Jubal had good-sized shoulders as well.

“It’s snug,” he called back and heard Joie relaying the information to her siblings.

Joie took a breath and slipped in after him. It was dark and frightening. She sat on her butt, lifted her heels and placed her ice axe to her side, gripping with both hands, the spike digging into the ice. With the leash of the axe wrapped around her wrist, she breathed through the dread, counting to ten to give Traian a head start and then pushed off into that unknown world.

Are you all right? Traian asked.

A little scared. In all of our conversations, it didn’t occur to you to mention a few pertinent facts such as how you’re a peculiar sort of man who likes blood and has vampires and other mythical creatures stalking you? You might have mentioned, just once, that you weren’t telling me cheery bedtime stories but that you lived this sort of life. Didn’t you think that might be important in the grand scheme of things?

Even in his mind, Traian heard the trembling in her voice. She was more than scared and that was all right with him. She had a bravado about her that at times worried him. Vampires were wholly evil. There was no reasoning with them. He didn’t want her to ever think defeating them would be easy.

I took into consideration your fear that you had lost your mind. It occurred to me that if I started talking about vampires being real and not fictional, you would have yourself committed.

The ice chute was cold after the unexpected heat Traian had generated in the chamber. Joie slid down into the freezing world of blue ice and crystal, knowing he was right. She would have had herself committed to a hospital for the mentally ill at the mere mention of vampires. The ice sloped alarmingly and she began to pick up speed. Her heart accelerated in direct proportion to how fast she was going.

I still might, she murmured in his mind, trying to stay focused through the unrelenting fear. She was sliding down a narrow chute with no real vision, following a man she didn’t know and he wasn’t even human. Having a boyfriend with a neck-biting fetish is definitely not sane.

Traian heard the underlying note of genuine fear in her voice. Finding him in the ice cave, fighting for their lives against such creatures of evil and knowing he needed blood to survive had shaken her confidence in herself. She had been unknowingly trapped by the connection of lifemates.

Gabrielle is right behind me, she informed him.

He felt the tears in her voice. She definitely felt guilty for bringing her brother and sister into such a dangerous mess. You had no way of knowing.

She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. They shouldn’t be here. Especially Gabby. Jubal’s in the chute. It’s difficult to control speed.

Traian caught sight of the first danger sign. Tiny ice balls clung to the sides of the tube. Overhead little icicles had formed, growing larger as he slid deeper into the abyss. Instantly he thrust the sight into Joie’s mind, knowing she would relay the information to her siblings and they would be trying to slow their descents.

He felt rather than caught the first bump as the ice beneath him had flakes. Cursing to himself, he used more energy trying to smooth the way ahead of them. He could taste fear the other three radiated, especially Joie’s sister. She was holding it together by a thread. The intensity of the emotion was amplified by the combination of natural fear, the vampires, and the mage caves. He couldn’t waste his strength shielding them from the disturbing broadcast.

He’d slid another ten feet when he saw the large obstacle blocking the path. A ball of ice closed the chute. It was thick and solid. He felt Joie’s instant awareness. She was locked in his mind, clinging to the fact that he seemed confident.

On three we self arrest, Joie instructed her siblings.

Gabrielle’s sob of alarm echoed through the tube, and Traian’s heart stuttered for a moment. If the woman couldn’t stop her descent, she’d slam into Joie’s head. He had to concentrate on removing the huge block of ice stopping up the slide and there was likely to be more ahead.

One. Two. Three.

He felt the surge of energy as the three climbers slammed the spikes deep into the ice and rolled, their arms taking the shock of the abrupt halt. Joie’s wrenching cry was only in her mind, but Traian felt the jolt through his own body. Gabrielle let out a small sob.

I’m slipping, Joie.

We’re okay, Joie assured. Hurry, Traian.

The three of them had thrown their lot in with him and were trusting in his ability in a situation beyond their comprehension. As he gathered energy he puzzled the best way to dissolve the ice ball. Heat could cause more problems. Blasting it might as well.

Joie. There are handles in this chute, Jubal announced. This isn’t entirely natural.

It is mage-formed, Traian informed them as he carefully blew a steady blast of heat into the center of the solid ball of ice. He took great care to keep a laser-like projection. He didn’t dare allow the sides or ceiling of the tunnel to melt as well.

I can’t hold on any longer, Gabrielle informed her siblings, panic edging her voice.

I hear something in the chute. That was Jubal, surprisingly calm.

Traian redoubled his efforts, no longer caring that there might be a small spill. He blew steadily as he approached the blockage. The ice ball melted into a puddle and ran down the slide in advance of him.

Keep coming but really try to control the speed of your descent.

It would take effort for the three to turn over and reposition themselves without falling out of control down the steep slide. He had faith that Jubal could do it. The man was strong. Perhaps Joie, but Gabrielle wasn’t experienced enough. He took a breath and sent her strength, knowing he was growing too weak to keep controlling everything around him. He kept the ceiling as smooth as possible as he went down, not wanting any of them injured. Ahead of him, he had to continually clear the chute.

Crickets. Thousands of them, pouring over the top of me.

Again, Traian was astonished at the calm in Jubal’s voice. The experience of swarms of insects rushing over one in the dark was eerie and frightening to say the least. He wasn’t surprised when Gabrielle burst into tears.

Close your eyes, Jubal advised. Breath shallow through your nose. They’re moving fast. Trying to get out of here like we are. I think they’re trying to tell us something.

Traian knew that last was for him. They were communicating through his strong connection with Joie, but Jubal had to be a strong enough psychic to feel him in Joie’s mind.

He knew the moment the crickets reached Joie. Everything in her stilled, rebelled, silently screamed as the bugs poured over her in their effort to get away from the evil following them. The rasping was loud as thousands of legs rushed over the ice and humans, desperate to escape.

Hurry. I am out. Do not worry about how fast you go, I can stop you here at the bottom. I must close the chute behind you before the vampires can enter.

The crickets reached Traian and rushed over him as his feet touched the ground to flee in front of the threat of evil. He leapt out and turned to catch Joie in his arms, whipping her out of the way so he could stop Gabrielle. She was bone white, trembling uncontrollably, but when he set her aside, she swayed, but remained upright. Joie immediately put her arms around her sister and held her as Traian gathered his strength to help Jubal out of the chute.

Be ready. As soon as he is out I will have to close the chute. We will have to run. Stay to left. Always go left. Right goes deeper inside the mountain.

“We won’t be separating,” Joie said firmly.

Her voice was almost a shock after the intimacy of mind-to-mind contact. He braced himself for Jubal. The man was large, but he also was extremely strong and he’d thankfully managed to control his descent better than the two women. Traian sent a cushion of air to slow him more and as he burst feet first through the chute, he caught the man, using preternatural strength.

Traian waved them back away from the ice tunnel, staggering a little as he reached for another burst of energy. The others could feel the gathering of heat and power. Joie stepped close to him and wrapped her arm around his waist.

“I can help. Draw from me.”

“And me,” Jubal put his hand on Traian’s shoulder.

Gabrielle stepped behind her brother and laid her hand on his shoulder, connecting all of them physically. Joie opened her mind instantly to him, flooding him with her strength and energy, generously sharing everything she had, everything she was. He felt her solidarity with him, that connection that allowed her—without truly knowing him—to trust him when she was always very cautious in close relationships. Through her, her siblings gave just as generously, boosting his power enormously.

A scream of rage and hatred echoed down through the chute, the sound growing in volume until ice shattered above their heads and spider-web cracks appeared along the walls.

Traian began to chant in a soft voice, his hands moving quickly in a pattern the three siblings couldn’t quite follow, the movements blurring with his incredible speed, but the ominous sound of ice cracking grew loud enough to be called a clap of thunder. The ice veined in a starburst pattern that spread rapidly outward. At the entrance, the ice began to fall in large chunks, some sliding down the tube toward them.

“Run!” Traian instructed and all of them took off, sprinting for the left entrance.

The sound continued to build behind them, a great roar and a thunderous clap as the tube collapsed in on itself. The earth shook beneath their feet, and the growing rumble emanated from the walls and ceiling surrounding them. Jubal caught Gabrielle’s hand as they followed Traian and Joie at a dead run through the narrow hall. Sharp daggers of ice fell from the ceiling as they rushed through the tunnel. Several times, Traian redirected a lethal missile as they raced along the well-worn path.

They ran through the twisting, dark hall with the sound of ice collapsing behind them. Traian stopped so abruptly, Joie ran into him. He caught her to steady her, drawing her close protectively. “I told you not to come here. I am not certain I can get your family out alive. There is something in this cave the vampires are determined to find—and the mages are just as determined to protect.”

They were on the edge of a precipice. A very narrow bridge, constructed of ice and stone, was the only way across. It appeared dangerously thin in places and had an obvious hole in one section that dropped into a deep abyss. Jubal and Gabrielle halted just as abruptly, staring in horror at the narrow strip of ice.

“That’s no natural bridge,” Jubal observed. “Who, or should I ask what, could have carved such a thing? Can we cross it?”

Traian studied it warily. He shook his head. “I fear that bridge is an invitation to death. A trap—a mage trap.”

Gabrielle slipped her hand into her sister’s. “I’m afraid, Joie. I’ve got a terrible feeling we’re all going to die.”

“The vampires are broadcasting terror and images of death to feed your natural fear,” Traian explained. “They have been hunting for weeks for something in these caves. The network is very large and, as you can see, not all naturally formed. I stayed to try to find what they are looking for. Vampires do not normally put so much energy into a project. Whatever it is they want, their finding it will not benefit either the Carpathian or the human race.”

“They don’t need to broadcast fear,” Gabrielle pointed out, reminding Traian a bit of Joie’s dry humor. “I’m doing quite well on my own.”

Jubal nodded toward the raw wounds on Traian’s chest. “You’ve been in a few battles with them.”

He nodded. “Yes, and I have noticed changes in their behavior. As a rule, they would have avoided me. Now vampires are running in packs. They used to be out for themselves, or occasionally a master vampire would use the newer ones as fodder for his battles, but lately they seem to have more control and are much better organized. To find two masters serving a third and bringing to him their own followers is unheard of and must be investigated.”

Jubal shoved a hand through his hair in agitation. “I feel like I’m losing my mind. Vampires are Hollywood creations, creatures in movies.”

“They are shape-shifters. You must be very careful of what and who you trust.”

Joie could hear a sound accompanying the drip of the water. A soft clicking, like branches banging together in the wind. It made her edgy. Vampires were one thing, but shape-shifting? She exchanged another look with her siblings, and instantly rejected the idea as they did.

There was no warning. One moment Traian stood in the glare of their headlamps, the next a huge, shaggy black wolf with a mouthful of lethal teeth sat in his place, eyes focused menacingly on Jubal. Gabrielle screamed and stumbled backward. Jubal reached out to catch her, dragging her away from the abyss to comparative safety beside the snarling animal, hastily unzipping his pocket to pull out his gun.

Mouth dry, Joie circled the wolf’s neck with a restraining arm. “Totally impressive, but not something I want to take home to Mom.” Her heart was pounding so loudly, it sounded like a drum in her ears. She had doubted him and he’d done this to prove how very lethal and cunning the vampires were. Her legs shook, feeling like rubber.

There is no need to fear me. I would never harm you.

“Why would you think I was afraid of you?” Joie demanded. “I’m not in the least afraid. I’m keeping you under control.”

It may have something to do with the knife you are holding to my throat. Traian said it casually, a soft amusement in his voice, as if the blade pressed so tightly against him didn’t matter in the least.

And that scared her more than the fact he had just shape-shifted into a predator. She looked down at her arm curved around his neck. The fur was thick and luxurious, and her arm was nearly buried in it. But she could feel the handle of the knife in her hand. She let out her breath and slowly eased the blade away from his throat. “I was just making certain you were paying attention,” she said as she slipped the blade back into the scabbard.

Traian calmly shifted back into his true form. “Just how many weapons do you carry on you? You seem to be a walking arsenal.”

“This is insane,” Jubal said. “Cool, but insane.”

“I think we’re caught in a mass hallucination,” Gabrielle suggested. “Can we just get out of here? Joie, find us a way out.”

“We’re trying, hon,” Joie assured. “That clicking noise is driving me crazy. I don’t like the rhythm; it’s not natural.” The dripping of the water was more insistent. She looked anxiously toward Traian. Something was wrong. He knew it. She knew it. She looked at Jubal. He certainly felt it too.

“I will take them across and come back for you,” Traian said to Joie. “He can protect your sister while I cross with you.” There was no sense in attempting to take his lifemate first. It was clear she would never go without the others, and he didn’t want to waste time arguing.

“Not without more blood, you can’t,” Jubal said. “You’re so pale you look nearly transparent.” He took a deep breath, shoved his gun back in his pocket and drew his knife. He didn’t hesitate, slashing a cut across his wrist and handing Joie the knife. “If he kills me, I expect vengeance.” He flashed a wan grin at her as he stepped up and offered the bright blood to Traian. “Get us the hell out of here.”

Traian took the offering without hesitation. They would have to most likely fight their way out of the maze of caves and he needed strength. He was grateful Jubal was such a strong man, and large. He was careful not to take too much, but he desperately needed the life-giving substance freely given. He carefully closed the wound with his healing saliva.

“Thank you.” Traian acknowledge simply. He held out his hand to Gabrielle. She stared at him in horror, shaking her head, even stepping back. “Hurry. We have to go now.”

“Gabrielle,” There was warning in Jubal’s voice.

She didn’t look at him, but rather at her sister. “Do you trust him, Joie?”

Joie looked up at Traian, noting the lines etched in his strong, timeless face. The dark depths of his eyes. Old eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. He was a man who had been alone too long. She was a looking at a warrior. A man of honor. Joie reached out to brush a caress along his jaw with her fingertips. The touch jolted him. Jolted her. Heat flooded her body. Electricity arced between them, lightning flashing in their veins. Instant awareness. They smiled at one another in understanding.

“I would trust him with my life, Gabrielle. More importantly, I would trust him with yours. Please go with him now. I’ve got that bad feeling I always get when we’re in danger.”

Gabrielle took Traian’s hand, and allowed him to draw her to him. Jubal stepped close so Traian could wrap an arm around him.

Traian leaned close to Joie. “I will be back immediately. Do not attempt to engage the enemy. They must not get their hands on you.” There was an underlying urgency in his voice. Dark eyes stared intently into hers. “Be safe, Joie. I need you to be safe.”

He was taking her family to safety for her, when everything in him demanded he take her first. Joie understood his look immediately, recognized how difficult it was for him to do what was important to her rather than to himself. There was a storm of emotion churning inside him, yet his features remained tranquil. Only his eyes burned with intensity. With possession. With promise. With passion.

His mouth fastened on hers, a hard kiss that staked his claim on her. That kiss told her he meant to have her and nothing would stand in his way. She felt his body tremble and tasted his passion, tasted his fear for her. She tasted safety. He would come back for her, brave anything to reach her. Even in the midst of the unknown, in that moment, she felt protected.

He pulled away abruptly, lifting her brother and sister easily, as if they were no more than children, shifting into a creature with wings, half man, half bird, and flying across the abyss into the dark where she could no longer see him.

Joie was left standing alone on the edge of the precipice with the darkness pressing down on her—with the strange rhythmic clicking and the dripping water. Heart pounding and mouth dry, she turned toward the sound, shining her light to see what was behind her.

In the small confines she could see water trickling from the side of the cavern; it was not clear, but a milky yellow, and gathered into a foul-smelling pool. She moved cautiously, positioning herself to keep an eye on what was gathering there. Something evil. Something alive.

The water rippled in response to a dark disturbance below the surface. The pool darkened into an oily substance, revealing two red orbs glaring with terrible malevolence. A chill crept down her spine. The hair on her arms stood up.

Traian. Automatically, without conscious thought, she reached out for him, showed him the pool with its macabre secrets.

Move! Get out of its line of vision, Joie.