Fortunately they didn't move fast, and that gave her time to consider her next move. The one on the ground suddenly let out a shriek as if he finally felt the flames consuming his body. He stared at her through the orange and red tower of conflagration. She froze. The eyes were black holes, no intelligence. Vacant. Gone. Not even red. Suddenly they were alive again, menacing, staring at her with malevolence. There was intelligence there and promise of retribution.

She blinked and the fire consumed the puppet, engulfing him completely so that there was nothing left but black ash. Still, she shivered and deep inside, for the first time, she felt absolute terror. The other puppet was close. His smell sent her stomach churning, and the heat told her the fire was building.

"Step back," a voice said, and she whirled to face a tall man with long, streaming black hair and a grim, weathered face. He looked just like Tomas, only maybe a little scarier, although Tomas had the same look to him that warned others not to cross him.

She did what he said instantly. He moved fast, so fast she couldn't really see the blur. He was like Maksim, one moment there, the next he tossed a blackened heart of the dying puppet to the ground. Lightning forked in the sky. Thunder rolled.

"I have to learn to do that," she murmured aloud as she hurried around the big man to the two Carpathians lying on the ground. Crouching, she ran her hand over Maksim's face, trailing her fingers down to his pulse.

"It kills them faster," he explained.

Maksim's pulse was slow. So slow she almost missed it, but she was patient. He'd trusted her to keep them safe and that meant the world to her. Lightning sizzled and slashed across the sky, jumped down in a long ropy whip and hit, first the heart with deadly accuracy, and then the remaining puppet. To her astonishment, the lightning whip hit dead center in the middle of the pile of black ashes from the other puppet. The ashes went gray and scattered with the wind.

"They both have some kind of poison in their system," Blaze explained as the other Carpathian came up beside her and crouched low. He put a hand on his brother's leg, but remained silent, his eyes on her face, as if expecting something from her. She did her best. "I don't know what to do. Tomas shut down his heart immediately. He took the worst of the hit, but the spear or arrow went through him and hit Maksim in the calf. Maksim took out the vampire waiting here for us, and then he had to shut down his heart as well to slow the spread of the poison."

"I am Mataias." He motioned her to move out of the way. "Stay back. I need to a.n.a.lyze the poison and remove it from their bodies. In some cases, the poison used is a parasite that can jump from one body to another."

Blaze nodded and gave him room, but she remained close enough to help Maksim if needed. She touched his mind. He was there. Alive, but far from her. She swallowed hard. It had taken all of the ten minutes to keep the puppets from the two Carpathians. She wasn't certain if the poison had continued to spread through Maksim's body while he lay motionless, covering the other hunter, still protective even in his hibernation.

A second hunter strode toward them. The first glanced up, blinking as if coming back from being asleep or a long way off. "Tariq," he greeted. "You take my brother. I am already working on Maksim."

He hadn't touched Maksim. Blaze nearly protested, but then she realized Mataias was no longer there beside her. His body was. But he wasn't. She held herself very still listening. Feeling. Waiting. Then he was there. Inside Maksim's body. She was connected to Maksim and she felt Mataias's presence. He was pure light. A white-hot light, all spirit. No ego. No sense of self. Only healing energy.

She didn't move. Didn't startle. But she watched and she followed the light through Maksim's body. It didn't seem possible, but she knew she was there with the hunter as he pushed the poison ruthlessly toward Maksim's pores, forcing it out of his bloodstream. Out of every organ and muscle. He was meticulous, slow, taking time to check and double-check that not one single drop of the dark, thin streaks of sludge remained hidden.

She was shocked. Moved. She felt as though she witnessed a miracle. More than the ability to do such a thing, it was the sheer selflessness of the act. Mataias wasn't there at all. He gave himself to his fellow Carpathian, turning himself into a tool to heal, without thought for himself. It was so beautiful, Blaze found tears in her eyes.

"I think we got it all," Mataias said softly.

She blinked and found herself staring into his dark eyes. Mataias was back in his body. Maksim was already stirring beside them.

"I don't think there was a 'we' doing that, but thank you. That was amazing. I wish I could do that."

"You will be able to," Mataias a.s.sured. "He needs blood." He brought his wrist to his mouth.

"I have to give it to him," she said softly. "I know I have to."

He hesitated. "He needs strength and Carpathian blood . . ."

"I feel that I have to. Strongly."

He held her gaze for a moment and then he nodded. Her palm was still dripping blood and she opened it and placed it over Maksim's mouth, allowing the ruby drops to drip inside. His lips moved against her skin and unexpectedly, little b.u.t.terflies took off, wings fluttering against the inside wall, traveling down to her s.e.x. She felt him there. In her pulse. In the hot blood suddenly surging through her veins.

Maksim stirred in her mind. Filling her with his warmth. He took the aching hurt of her father's death that she hadn't been able to face and allowed her to grieve when she hadn't. She felt his arms circle her body, and then one hand slid under her wrist, holding it gently to his mouth. The tears streamed down her face. He gave her his love, surrounding her with it, a wall to keep her safe and protected.

He was so gentle with her, yet he could erupt into violence so quickly. Mostly she loved that he gave her license to be who she was, who she needed to be.

Mine, he whispered into her mind. My lifemate. A warrior woman. You kept them off of us.

You believed in me. That meant the world. Not just trusting her with his life, but with the life of his friend. He had put himself to sleep, trusting she would keep both Carpathians safe.

I see you, Blaze, the core of steel running through you. You are already Carpathian. You just have not crossed to us fully. Giving me this blood will complete the third exchange.

She didn't know if he was warning her or praising her, but she took it as praise. She had known all along she needed to be the one to give him her blood-that to be reborn as a Carpathian, wholly into his world, she would have to take this last step. She wanted this. Only Emeline held her to the human world. She loved Emmy. She would always love Emmy, but she could better protect her from her enemies as a Carpathian.

Maksim drank deeply and then slid his tongue across the wound, closing it. He sat up and took her into his arms.

"She held them off," Mataias said. "Using her own blood to draw them away from you. No doubt she would have tried to cut out their hearts next."

She knew that was high praise from a hunter because she knew Maksim was startled by the compliment to her-startled and proud.

"I knew she would do it," Maksim said. "I have to get her to safety before the conversion starts."

"I will take Tomas as soon as Tariq is finished healing him," Mataias said. "Lojos reported he has healed the other woman. She is safe for the moment."

"It will take some time for that wound to heal in Tomas," Maksim observed.

Mataias nodded. "We will watch over him."

There was something in the way Mataias made the statement that set off a series of chills throughout Blaze's body.

TWELVE.

MAKSIM LIFTED BLAZE in his arms and carried her to the large, sprawling two-story house set back on the property. The house was old, very old, but it had been carefully reconstructed, preserving the glory of the time while modernizing the windows, plumbing and wiring. The wood had been restored to a golden hue on the floors, and the walls were a light mauve. High ceilings, crystal chandeliers and ornate wainscoting added to the beauty of the old mansion.

"Is this your home?" Blaze looked around with awe. The floor had beautiful patterns of the night sky all in inlaid wood. "I've never seen anything like this."

"I came here some centuries ago and found this spot. Later, I came back and purchased the land, had the house built, and from any of the windows, depending on where the moon is, you can see it and the stars. Upstairs there are moon windows in the ceiling. The open sky is always close."

Blaze paced across the floor. There wasn't a single creak. The house had a feel to it, one of peace and security. Home. She liked that. Still, she pressed a hand to her stomach. She felt hot, her temperature rising. "What can I expect, Maksim?"

His gaze met hers without flinching. "I have never actually witnessed a conversion, Blaze, but I have heard they can be brutal."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Brutal?" She repeated the word and waited for his slow nod. She was very aware he was watching her closely. Expectantly. She took a deep breath. "I suppose it's too late to back out? 'Brutal' doesn't sound good."

"Back out?"

She nodded. "Seeing as how there wasn't full disclosure," she added. "Had you used the term brutal, I might have rethought my decision." She was teasing, but then again she wasn't. She didn't like that word and all it implied. Brutal. What did that even mean?

He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. Tight. That felt nice. Safe. Protected. But the heat moving through her body wasn't the usual heat she felt for him. She swallowed down fear and tilted her head to look up at him.

"Even if you haven't seen someone go through a conversion, can you at least tell me what to expect? I do better if I know what to do and what is going to happen ahead of time." She kept her eyes glued to his.

Maksim didn't look away from her, but there was wariness in his gaze-in his mind. She clung to his strength.

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly. "Your body's organs have to be reshaped. It will rid itself of all toxins. I think it best if we go to ground and neither of us has clothes on."

She swallowed hard and nodded. The first wave of pain was severe. Hard. Abrupt. No warning. Sweeping through her like a tsunami. The pain took her breath, and both hands flew to her stomach, where it felt as if shards of gla.s.s and hundreds of razor blades cut through her insides.

Her eyes widened, but she didn't drop her gaze from his. There was sorrow there. Compa.s.sion. Fear even. He was afraid for her. Blaze forced air through her lungs and tried to relax her body, to put her mind far away where she couldn't feel the pain. There was no stopping it as the wave took her, but she managed to ride it, stay on top of it, and the moment she felt it ease, she acknowledged it to herself so she would always know it came and went. One could endure anything for a length of time-her father taught her that.

"We'd better hurry, Maksim," she whispered. "It's starting."

"Dragostea mea, my love, you are very strong. A warrior unsurpa.s.sed."

She realized he felt the pain through the connection of their minds. She pressed her hand against his chest over his heart. "Don't do that, Maksim. Don't stay connected to me. I want you to remember this-I chose this. You didn't force me. I wanted to come into your world, and I knew it wouldn't be easy. This was my decision."

He shook his head. "It is impossible not to love you, Blaze, but if we are being strictly honest, which all lifemates must be with one another, I didn't give you a choice. I bound us together, soul to soul. I needed you in my world to survive. I have lived centuries, and the moment I met you, the temptation was far too much to resist. The ritual binding words are imprinted on the male before birth. I had to bind us."

If his confession was supposed to make her think less of him, it didn't succeed. She went up on her toes, pulled his head down and kissed him. "I like that you need me, Maksim, because I need you. Now take me to the ground, or wherever we need to be, because I can feel the heat inside growing and I'm uncomfortable."

Maksim swept his arms around, pulling her wholly into his body. Tight. His hand slid along her jaw and he tipped her face up to his. "I love you, Blaze, more than I can possibly express to you. Whatever happens tonight, know I am with you."

He kissed her, and the man could kiss. He kissed hard, and deep, pouring himself into her. She tasted the essence of him, that addicting flavor she'd never get her fill of, but more, she tasted love. Tears burned behind her eyes. Her father had died and practically a day later, she found a man to love forever.

Dad missed knowing you by a day.

He knew me. We talked. I had no idea his daughter was my lifemate, but he made it his business to know who was in his neighborhood. He was an exceptional man. It stands to reason he has an exceptional daughter.

He lifted her into his arms and took her through the house fast, heading toward the kitchen. The door to the bas.e.m.e.nt was tucked in a corner. He waved his hand and it opened for them. They floated down the stairs in the dark. She could see everything, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but concentrating on the wave of pain, much worse than the first one, that shook her entire body.

She convulsed right there in his arms. Her teeth bit down so hard into her lip she drew blood. Her breath slammed out of her lungs. There was no way to control it.

Do not fight it, his voice whispered softly in her mind.

He was there. She wasn't alone with the agony. It was hard to concentrate, not when her body twisted and jerked and the knives and razors slashed through every organ and muscle. Her head felt as if it might explode. Her spine curved, straightened, slamming her up and then down so Maksim had to work to hold on to her.

You have to give yourself to the pain. Let it take you. Let it consume you. Like in battle, Blaze. When you are hurt, you have to let it just have you so you can continue. Let this pain have you. I will not leave you.

She wanted to rea.s.sure him she knew he wouldn't leave her alone. He was there with her even when she'd told him not to be. She knew. She relied on his strength and he would see her through this. She hadn't expected such a physical battle, but he was right, if she were going to survive, she would have to give herself to the pain. And it was excruciating.

Her body stopped convulsing, but she felt sick. Her stomach protested the human toxins. She didn't want to vomit there in his arms. She wanted her hair out of the way and him gone so she could do this in private where he couldn't see.

You have to go and let me do this. Stay in my mind, but don't watch. I can't bear for you to see me this way.

Maksim opened the earth deep. The soil was cool as he laid her naked into the loam rich with minerals. I will be right here. His hands moved through her hair, loosening the thick ma.s.s and then sweeping it up on top of her head to secure it in a loose knot. There was finality in his tone, and she knew instinctively that Maksim wasn't a man to argue. He wasn't leaving her.

When you make up your mind, you're every bit as stubborn as I am.

She tried to inject humor into her tone, but her stomach was churning. Heaving. She turned on her side. As fast as she emptied the contents, Maksim cleaned the dirt around them, keeping the air smelling rich and earthy. The scent eased her, as if somehow the loam, dark and sparkling with natural deposits, reached out to aid her. She felt the soil moving around and beneath her and that was soothing as well.

I guess there are a few good reasons for keeping you around.

His hand rubbed her back, down low, just in the curve of her spine above her b.u.t.tocks. A few, he acknowledged.

If both of us are stubborn, we might have a few arguments.

I do not argue.

He confirmed what she already knew about him. Laughter bubbled up in spite of the situation. Of course he didn't argue. They were in for some interesting times.

The pain hit again, coming out of nowhere. This time her body seized. Was picked up and slammed down. She curled into a ball, was straightened and thrown backward. There was no control. No breathing through the agony. No way to stop the humiliating shedding of the toxins. They poured out of every pore. Her mouth and nose. Her stomach and every other place as well.

In her mind, when she started to panic, she felt him there. Maksim. Her anchor. He calmly disposed of every drop of the poisonous toxins the Carpathian blood was pushing from her system. He didn't shirk away from her. He kept one hand on her back, or moving up into the knot at the top of her head, his fingers sliding down her cheek. Breathing. Filling their lungs with air when she was incapable. A rock. Her rock.

His tranquility kept her sane. She could do this. She'd done worse. She'd been knocked over by her father's tortured body. She'd pulled him into her arms, held him until the cops got there and they'd taken a long while to come. That had been true agony. Waiting with his mutilated body in her arms nearly all night for the cops and the coroner to come.

Sufletul meu. He whispered the endearment into her mind. Just that. My soul. My air. The very air I breathe. She understood because he was wrapped around her. There in her heart. In her soul. Most of all, she could feel him in her mind, speaking to her, interpreting for her, sharing his life with her.

She had no idea how long the waves came, the convulsions or how powerful each wave was, because she endured. She gave herself to the pain. To him. To the new world she was entering of her own free will. She heard nothing but Maksim's voice, telling her of his life, of the world through the centuries he saw.

Swords. Horses. Battles. Beautiful places. The stars overhead and the moonlight in every stage. Forests. Cool meadows and blue ice caves. He gave her that, all in his velvet voice. His voice became her world and the only thing in it. The waves of agony twisted her body, picked her up and slammed her back into the welcoming earth, but she was so consumed by Maksim's voice, she barely was aware of what was happening to her.

He talked to her about what she meant to him. The absolute beauty of finding her-his unexpected gift-his miracle. He told her of searching for her down through the long, endless centuries, the black void when his memories of his home and his childhood, of his family, began to fade. He spoke of hunting friends and once, a family member, taking his duty and honor seriously.

Maksim talked to her of new worlds and how he no longer could remember the beauty of seeing such things until she came into his world. The things he said to her about the way he felt were so beautiful she wanted to cry, but the tearing agony was too close, and she would have to acknowledge it if she did.

Some time later, Maksim held her in his arms, his lips whispering over her skin. "I can put you to sleep now, lubirea mea-my love. When you rise, you will rise as one of us."

She was exhausted. The pain was still there, but the horrible convulsions had stopped. She managed to lift her hand to caress his hard jaw. Is Emeline safe?

"Lojos gave her blood and she is asleep. He guards her."

Blaze gave herself permission to succ.u.mb to Maksim's control. He sent her to sleep and she went without a fight now that she knew her friend was safe.

MAKSIM woke as he always did, instant alertness, scanning the area above and below him. It was a little too early for Blaze to rise. She needed more healing, so something else had interfered with his sleep.

I need a consult.

Tariq Asenguard. He wasn't alone. Maksim glanced down at the woman sleeping in his arms. She was beautiful. Pale skin, red hair. Lots of hair. He smoothed his hand over the ma.s.s. He'd put her in the ground with a messy topknot, and the thick ma.s.s was still trapped by the cord he'd wound there, but there seemed to be so much more of it.

He couldn't stop himself from rubbing his jaw along the soft, silky strands. He never, over the long centuries, ever really believed he would find her. The last few centuries had been bleak and never ending. A long, gray void. He accepted his life because Carpathian hunters endured. They lasted as long as possible. In the end all they had was honor, and that had to mean something. He had done his duty, but he never really believed he would find his reward. His gift. His own personal miracle.

Blaze amazed him; not once during her entire ordeal had she ever felt a hint of recrimination toward him. Not once. There was no fleeting thought that she hadn't made a good choice or she wished she could take it back. She hadn't made a sound. She hadn't looked at him with trepidation or anger. She clung to his every word and allowed him to transport her away from the agony of the conversion. It was agony. He felt it every step of the way in his own body. In his mind. His muscles were sore. His joints ached. Even now, after a day in the rejuvenating soil. He couldn't imagine how she'd feel when she awakened.

I will be right there. He couldn't go too far from her. She was vulnerable. Their enemies could find them in the ground, and she was in a deep sleep. Defenseless.