Traian smoothed his hand over Joie's hair. He was reluctant to bring her over when she was so close to death. If he failed ...

"You have no choice," Gary said. "She will die either way."

"Explain it to them. They shouldn't be here," Traian said.

Traian didn't look up at Gary to see if he agreed or not. He gathered Joie into his arms. You must accept my blood, Joie. This will convert you to my race, and it is not a pleasant experience to go through.

He felt her touch, gentle, tender, on his face, yet she lay motionless in his arms. A faint smile appeared in his mind as if she found his warning amusing.

"He will take her blood and then give her his own," Gary said. "Her human body will die and if this works, she will become fully Carpathian. The process can be brutal on the body. Once he starts, there is no turning back," he added gently to Gabrielle. "It is best if you leave. This will be painful for you to watch."

"We stay," Jubal said. "The vampire may try to attack him again and in any case, if Joie goes through this, we stay to protect her."

Gabrielle nodded. "We won't interfere."

Traian turned his body slightly, not wanting to drain his strength further by masking what he was doing from her siblings. If they chose to stay, they would see how very difficult the transition was regardless.

The soothing aroma from the herbs and candles mixed through the room, driving out the foul stench of the vampire. Gary began to softly chant in the ancient language of the Carpathian people. The sounds of chanting filled Traian's mind as other voices, far away, joined on the common communication path in the age-old healing chant.

I offer life, Joie. Traian bent his head and sank his teeth above her breast, right where her pulse beat, shallow and slow.

Her blood flowed into him, mixing with his ancient Carpathian blood. Come to me. Give yourself to me. Her spirit was weak, but she didn't try to fight him. Instead, that bright light, fading slowly, moved weakly toward him.

He felt her trust surround him. Warmth. Traian closed his eyes, savoring the feeling, sending up a silent prayer that she would survive the transition.

Very gently he closed the small wound when he was certain he'd taken enough for a final exchange. You must take my blood for the third exchange. Your neck is torn and you are weak, but I will help you.

He opened his wrist. She would not be able to take the blood herself. He would have to press it to her mouth and stroke her throat, forcing her to accept the gift of a life. At first Joie didn't respond, and a few drops trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Joie, please," Gabrielle said. "Please." She suppressed a small sob and hid her face against Gary's shirt.

For our children. For me. For your family. You can do this, Traian encouraged. Try for me, Joie.

It wasn't about acceptance. Joie had already given her life into Traian's keeping. It was finding the strength for that last effort.

You are a fighter, Joie, and so am I. I will fight to keep you with me, but no matter what happens here, I will go with you.

Joie's mouth moved feebly against his wrist. Traian stroked long fingers over her throat. She accepted his blood just the way she did everything else where he was concerned, with complete faith. It humbled him that she did so.

Sivamet-my love-that's right. That's what you have to do. Take more. You need a fair amount to make the exchange. Hold close to me. Do not let your spirit drift.

Gabrielle clutched Gary's arm tightly. "Can he save her?"

Gary put his arm around her. "If it's possible, he'll do it. Lifemates are completely devoted to each other. If she doesn't make it, he'll follow her."

"I don't know what that means."

"Basically, he'll suicide. One can't live without the other. The ritual binding words the male says to the female ties them together in some way we can't possibly understand. Literally, one is a shadow without the other. He's said he'll follow her and he means it. Their belief is, that they go from one life to another-that they will go together to the next life."

Gabrielle looked to her brother for rea.s.surance. Jubal had a strange expression on his face and held up his hand for silence. His gaze remained fixed on Traian.

What is it? Gabrielle asked.

He's here-the master vampire. Lurking in the back of Traian's mind. He's waiting to strike. I can feel him. Traian's too far into Joie. I need to be watchful, Gabby.

Traian concentrated on holding Joie's spirit tight. She was drifting now, slipping into a semi-conscious state. He hoped that he'd given her sufficient blood because it was nearly impossible for her to take any more. He closed the wound on his chest and laid her gently on the comforter, blinking a little as he looked around the room.

"Perhaps you all should leave the room. She would not want you to see her this way. This will get ... brutal."

"You need blood and care yourself," Gary pointed out. "You're weaker than you think, Traian. Take my blood and let me help the two of you through this. I know what to expect. Gabrielle and Jubal can wait in their rooms."

"We'll stay," Jubal said decisively. "She's our sister. And Traian," he hesitated, unsure whether to tell the hunter and risk the vampire knowing he was aware of his presence.

Their eyes met. Traian's nod was barely perceptible. "I will count on you."

Jubal let out his breath. "You can."

"I know."

Traian took a deep breath. He had done as much as he could to make certain Joie could undergo the transition from human life to Carpathian life. The rest was up to her. All he could do was watch and be ready to send her to sleep the moment the transition was complete. He would have insisted her brother and sister leave, but they were not faint of heart. They'd stood with him in the caves and again here at the inn, fighting a master vampire. It seemed impossible that they'd delayed Valenteen and helped him to defeat the undead.

Gary stepped close to Traian. "You must feed."

"You are already weak," Traian said.

"Then I'll get Mirko, he's helped us many times," Gary said and hurried away, preventing argument.

"Is it done?" Gabrielle asked anxiously as Gary left the room. "You gave her your blood. She's still barely breathing."

Traian laid his head back against the wall. All at once, his body seemed like lead, drained of all energy. "I wish I could say that was all there is to it, but her body essentially dies before she is reborn as one of us. This will get messy."

"If it's messy, Traian, Joie would want me here to see to her needs. She's very meticulous about certain things." Gabrielle lifted her chin, prepared to fight for her right to stay. "In any case, I'm a doctor. I've seen messy."

"It might be different when it is someone you love," Traian said, but he didn't argue with her. He was coming to know Joie's family. They stood for one another, and they were determined to stand for him as well.

Mirko entered with Gary, going to Traian's side without hesitation and extending his wrist. "I offer freely," he said without hesitation.

"I am sorry for the trouble," Traian said. "We will send help."

"Everything will be fine," Mirko a.s.sured. "Take what you need." He frowned down at Traian, really observing him as he fed. "Your wound is deep, hunter. You need to go to ground. Even with my blood, you don't have strength enough to heal that gash. He nearly tore out your heart."

Gabrielle watched Traian feeding from Mirko. It should have repulsed her, but instead she was fascinated. It seemed such a n.o.ble moment to her, one being reaching out to aid another. Mirko, like Gary, seemed completely unafraid and matter-of-fact about giving blood, as if it were an everyday occasion. There was no enthrallment with these men as the Carpathian had done with Gabrielle.

Traian closed the wound on Mirko's wrist and nodded. "I will go to ground when my lifemate is able. Again, thank you. I owe you."

Mirko shook his head. "Mikhail is a friend. We'll keep everyone from this side of the inn." When he went out, he hung a blanket across the ruined door so there was no chance of anyone seeing inside the room.

Traian kept his eyes on Joie. The first ripple of pain crossed her face and sent a shudder through her body. Traian felt the pain take her, a fire burning with the force of a torch in the center of her body, blossoming outward like an explosion.