Dark Nights

Chapter Six

“Gabrielle, run,” Joie urged. Fear clawed at her insides, but she dropped back to protect her sister and brother. “Jubal, go, don’t look back.”

She couldn’t leave Traian. She wouldn’t leave him—not to face hideous monsters on his own. It didn’t matter that he claimed to have hunted vampires all his life, she was incapable of abandoning anyone to face danger alone. And somehow, Traian was connected to her. A part of her blood and bones. Of her heart and soul. She would stand with him.

“Not without you, Joie,” Jubal said. “I mean it. Gabrielle, start down that staircase now.”

“Go with them, Joie,” Traian urged. “It will be easier for me to defend myself without having to worry about your safety.”

Heart beating hard, Joie hesitated just for a moment and then whirled to run after her brother and sister. Guilt settled hard on her shoulders, but arguing when action was called for was just plain stupid and she refused to be that woman.

Seeing that Joie had committed to following them, Jubal caught Gabrielle’s hand and jerked her down the stairs in a race for their lives. Joie took three steps and the chamber shook ominously. Great blocks of ice burst from the walls, shooting across the room from every direction even as the giant icicles hanging on the ceiling rocked, cracking with loud explosive shocks and fell like giant missiles, rocketing toward the floor. Some shattered, so that large chunks and debris fell with the spears of ice.

Traian leapt across the distance to throw Joie down, shielding her with his own body as well as hastily constructing a force around them to deflect the attack from the cave itself. The thick slab of stone slid back into place, cutting them off from the hidden stairway leading out of the chamber. Great chunks of ice fell over the escape hatch, locking Joie in the cavern with Traian and the two furious vampires.

Traian buried his face in her hair for a moment, holding her tightly against him. We will be all right, Joie. You can do this. Follow my instructions and do not look directly at them. They are masters of illusion.

Joie had one knife as well as her utility knife, her ice axe, and a few other smaller, less effective weapons and knew Jubal no doubt was inventorying his weapons as well. He would have to protect Gabrielle and find a way out of the elaborate labyrinth while she faced the undead with Traian. Neither seemed a very good position to be in, yet Traian exuded such confidence, in the calmness of his mind and the steadiness of his voice.

Put your brother and sister out of your head. You will need to focus solely on this situation to come out of this alive.

Joie knew Traian was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to push her siblings out of her mind. Be safe Jubal and Gabby. I love you both.

She took a deep breath and nodded. The warmth of his body infused hers with much needed heat. She flexed her fingers in preparation. I’ll do whatever you need me to do to help. What else could she do? She had no idea how to fight such evil creatures. You killed them and they just got back up.



Gabrielle cried out as Jubal pushed her in front of him, and then the stairway went completely dark. Jubal caught her shoulders in a firm grip to give her confidence. He turned around, shining his headlamp along the walls of the narrow tunnel they found themselves in.

“Joie didn’t make it in, Gabby,” he said. “She’s on the other side and I think the ceiling came down. I can still feel her—and Traian—so they’re alive. We’ll have to find our own way out and trust them to find their own way as well.”

“He took your blood. Can you talk to him? Can you reach Joie?”

“There’s tons of ice between us, Gabby. I tried when the ceiling caved in, but you and I were never as strong as Joie in telepathy. I think it’s possible Traian could reach us, but most likely, taking the brunt of the ice fall and vampires hounding them, they have their hands full. We’re on our own. We can do this. We’ve been in caves all of our lives.” He spoke confidently, deliberately reminding her of the fact that their parents had belayed them up the sides of cliffs and down into caves when they were toddlers.

Gabrielle nodded. “It’s so cold. I think my brain is getting fuzzy. I’m with you, Jubal, I’m not going to panic on you. Let’s just find the way out of here.”

“I’m going to get out in front of you and I want you to stay close to me, Gabby. I don’t know how many of those vampires were in the caves. If we run into one, we have to kill it by going for the heart.” He felt her shudder and he squeezed her shoulder. “We can do it. You know we can.”

He pushed past her on the narrow stair. The steps were carved of ice and very slippery. There was nothing to hang onto. He proceeded with great caution—examining the walls and each stair before he placed his feet. It was very quiet, almost too quiet. He could hear Gabrielle’s labored breathing and every breath she took came out as white vapor.

Jubal slowly became aware that the strange weapon on his wrist emitted heat, somehow infusing his body with warmth, regulating his body temperature. He paused to shine his lamp on the mage object that seemed to have chosen him. Instead of looking like a weapon, the blades had slowly retreated, forming a simple thick band around his wrist. He could make out a pattern etched into the metal, a design he was vaguely familiar with. He’d definitely seen it before.

“What are you doing?” Gabrielle asked curiously and stepped close to him, looking over his shoulder at the band. “What is that?”

“A crest,” Jubal answered. There was disbelief in his voice. The design wasn’t just any crest—specifically it was the family crest—his father’s family’s crest. The weapon had changed its looks. Could it somehow have “felt” his history through the odd metal? Being made of some kind of metal, the bracelet should have been cold, yet it was warmer than ever.

“This is creepy, Jubal. Maybe you should take it off,” Gabrielle suggested.

Jubal felt the weapon’s reaction—it gripped his wrist tighter and shuddered. “I don’t think so, Gabby. I think this was made for someone in our family to wear. If feels . . .” He paused, searching for the right word: “. . . right.”

“That’s impossible and you know it, Jubal. Mom comes from South America and Dad . . .” She trailed off.

Jubal nodded. “Exactly. Dad. I’m very much like Dad and he never talks about his side of the family. Never. Mom is a very dominant personality and he’s very quiet, but you and I both know we all three are above-average intelligence and we get that part from him. Mom’s the one with the athletic abilities and we managed to get that as well. But just suppose Dad’s family was somehow part mage?”

Gabrielle drew back. “They’re evil.”

“An entire species couldn’t be wholly evil, Gabby. In any case, we need to find our way out of here. Whatever this thing is—it doesn’t feel evil to me and I want to keep it.” There was something about the wrist band, a kind of growing attachment, almost affection, he couldn’t explain. The thing made no sense, but he was sure, once out of the labyrinth of caves, he could unlock the puzzle.

Jubal turned back to the stairway, hating that Gabrielle shivered continually and yet he was warm. His headlamp revealed that the steep stairway curved around, almost spiraling, taking them down thirty feet or more, and then curved back up. Suppressing the urge to hurry, he kept a steady pace, every once in a while reaching out to make certain Traian and Joie were alive. He couldn’t reach either of them telepathically, but he knew they still lived.

Gabrielle didn’t say anything at all, but followed him, stumbling every once in a while and catching herself by grasping his shoulder. Jubal knew he had to get her out of the caves and down the mountain—or at least to the tents where he could warm her up. It seemed a lifetime on the winding staircase of ice, with only their headlamps to light the way.

“I think we’re close, Gabby,” Jubal said encouragingly.

His lamp found the end of the ice stairs. There was a narrow strip of ice that dead-ended abruptly into a thick wall of ice. Gabrielle sank down onto the stair and covered her face with her hands.

“We’re trapped, Jubal. I searched the walls as we came down and they’re solid.”

“There has to be a way out, honey,” Jubal said. “Just give me a minute. The entrances and exits seem to be all about patterns and math. You know how my mind works. I practically see in numbers and patterns.”

“I’m having a difficult time thinking clearly,” she confessed.

Jubal turned to her. She needed to warm up. Her body was protecting her heart and lungs. Soon she wouldn’t be able to walk if he didn’t find a way to warm her. He glanced down at the thick band of metal circling his wrist. If he could take it off and put it on her . . . the weapon tightened as if reading his thoughts. He put his hands on his sister’s shoulders and began to rub her arms up and down through her jacket.

The bracelet brushed against her sleeve. At once he felt the warmth spread through her coat. Immediately he pressed the metal against the back of her neck and when he noticed she stopped shivering, he took both of her hands and cupped them over the weapon. “Are you okay now?” he asked.

Gabrielle nodded. “Much warmer, thank you.” She touched the etching on the bracelet, tracing the strange lettering. “You’re right, Jubal. I have seen these symbols before, in Dad’s study.”

He turned back to examine the wall. “Keep your light running over the wall in three foot sections. See if you can spot any differences.”

The ice at first seemed to be smooth and very solid and thick. Jubal stepped closer. He moved first to his right and then to his left, examining the wall. When he moved left, the bracelet grew very warm and pulsed with energy. Elation made his heart jump. Oh yeah. He’d found it. He moved his hand carefully over ice and the wall sprang to life, glowing beneath the ice layers to reveal thousands of symbols.

“How is that going to help?” Gabrielle asked. “My God, there’s so many.”

Jubal walked back and forth, scanning the wall up and down and from left to right and then right to left. The secret was right there. He was certain he would find it. Patiently, he held his wrist up, adding to the light their lamps gave off. Several times the bracelet pulsed in recognition. He knew in the midst of all those symbols was the key to unlocking the door. He cocked his head to one side, eyeing the symbols from every direction. Abruptly he stopped, a slow smile spreading over his face.

“Of course, Gabrielle. It was there the entire time. Do you see it? Do you remember Draco, the dragon constellation Dad told us stories about? We had to memorize all the constellations, but Draco was his favorite. He would tell us stories about the great dragon in the sky. How the sky was dark, and he was born of fire, a great raging beast with fire in his heart, courage in his soul, and wisdom beyond the ages. Look at this from a right angle. It’s a night sky with all the constellations and here, on the northern hemisphere, you can see his head and the way his tail slithers between the Big and Little Dippers.”

Gabrielle tilted her head. “You’re right. How in the world did you spot that among all the other graffiti on this wall?”

Jubal grinned at her and confidently touched the first point of the Draco constellation. He traced his way along the wedge-shaped great head and down the body to the long tail. The ice began to shimmer with every touch of his hand along the dragon’s back. The ice rippled, appeared to flow, going nearly transparent so they could both see through the wall to the other side, to the open mountain.

Gabrielle, eager to get out of the cave, took a step toward the wall.

Gabby, stop! Don’t move or make a sound, Jubal cautioned. He held his wrist up for her to see the bracelet was no longer etched metal, but the curved blades had opened like the petals of a flower, unfolding to look lethal and ready for battle. Something isn’t right.

Gabrielle took a firm grip on her ice axe and nodded. Jubal was grateful she didn’t panic. Gabrielle might not be as tough as Joie, but she always could be counted on.

I smell that same foul odor those other vampires put off, Gabrielle told him. There’s got to be one close by, that’s why your bracelet turned into a weapon.

It made sense to both of them. If mages had to protect themselves against vampires, even hundreds of years earlier, they would have had to have weapons to aid them.

It would have been better had it come with an instruction manual, Jubal pointed out.

Gabrielle gave him a wan grin and both turned off their headlamps as he laid his hand over the last star in the dragon constellation. The weapon pulsed and gave off a faint glow, so that both could see the waves rolling in front of him, curving back to form an archway, allowing an escape. The ice glistened and sparkled, the seamless rolls a beautiful entrance—or exit. Instinct told him that the door wouldn’t hold long. Jubal stepped in front of his sister. She put her hand on his back and followed him through out into the night.

The curved blades on the weapon around Jubal’s wrist began to spin. Cold air blasted them, a wind coming off the mountains as they emerged from the cave. The bracelet on his wrist blazed red, pulsing with energy, the blades spinning so fast, Jubal lifted his arm away from his body to keep from being cut. Behind them, just as smoothly, just as silently, the entrance was gone and they were left in the open with a monstrous vampire staring at them with red eyes.

Jubal barely saw the attack. The apparition had been crouching on the ground and it drove forward at him the moment he emerged. Gabrielle screamed and swung the ice axe at the vampire’s head as the spinning blades suddenly leapt from Jubal’s wrist, as if alive with a mind of their own. The weapon hummed as it spun through the air, glowing red, giving off a tremendous heat. The whirling blades slammed into the vampire’s chest, right over the heart, cutting a perfect circle hole through the chest, burning as it did so.

The spike drove deep into the right temple of the undead. He opened his mouth wide in a scream that had the mountain rumbling ominously. Snow slithered down from above them, the first sign of an avalanche. Jubal shoved Gabrielle back towards the overhang and both watched in a kind of horror as the undead burst into flame and incinerated. The mountain rumbled again and shook itself. The weapon leapt toward Jubal’s outstretched arm just as tons of snow blew down the mountain, taking the ashes of the vampire with it.

Gabrielle and Jubal clung to one another there in the shelter of the overhang, waiting for the snow to settle. He stared down at his wrist. The bracelet was once more just that, a thick band of metal with familiar etchings keeping him warm.

Gabrielle lifted her head from his shoulder and gave him a small, wan smile. “If we’re going to spend any time around Joie’s man, I’m going to have to buy a new ice axe . . . fast.”

The two burst out laughing, half relieved, half a little hysterically.



The chamber stopped rumbling and the ice settled around Traian and Joie. Traian was on his feet instantly, facing the threat of the vampires, his hand pulling Joie up with his easy strength. Her heart thundered loudly in her ears and she tasted fear in her mouth.

Let your heart follow the rhythm of mine.

His voice was terribly intimate, a soothing balm that allowed her to keep her breathing even. She moved a distance from Traian, giving him room to fight. She could taste fear in her mouth. She had no gun, and only one knife.

My fourth dan black belt doesn’t look too promising considering that those very nasty things have wicked-looking talons and mouths full of shark teeth. We could use a gun or two. Maybe a machine gun.

Stay close to me. I want you where I can protect you. They can move the earth, and rain down missiles from the ceiling. They will not fight in the way you expect.

Traian had never really experienced gut-wrenching, bone-deep fear before. He had never had anything to lose. Now there was everything. A woman whose mind he shared, whose body he didn’t yet know intimately.

I’m well aware of that. Joie inched closer to him, trying to appear confident in a situation she’d never encountered and had little idea what to expect.

For some reason her simple words made Traian relax, want to smile. Joie didn’t panic easily. She didn’t lack for courage and she was committed to fighting with him. She wasn’t going to faint because vampires were real and had come with vengeance and death in mind.

Don’t count on it, she denied, staying close in his mind, reading his thoughts. Fainting might be my only option if they get their hands on me, and I’m not above trying it.

Her wry amusement told him she was a shadow in his mind, looking for strategy on how to defeat the enemy.

Do they have a weakness?

Ego. Vampires are extremely vain.

Joie took a deep breath as the creatures slowly pulled themselves up to their impressive heights. Fire burned in their eyes. A foul stench permeated the cavern, choked off all the cool, clean air and replaced it with a thick putrid substance. The falling ice hadn’t come from them, that much was obvious. They had protected themselves just as Traian had done.

Which is the stronger?

Traian noted her calm manner. She accepted that they would have to fight their way clear. Having battled with the same vampires on three occasions, Traian was well aware of their strengths and capabilities.

The one with the incisors over his lower lip—he is extremely powerful. He is called Valenteen and is a master vampire. The other is called Shafe. There might be more, so stay very alert.

Well, darn, and here I was expecting I’d take a nap while you did a little cleanup.

Traian worked at keeping a straight face. Even in their desperate situation, Joie could let him know her feelings.

I was worried you might be a little tired and needing a rest. Can you distract them for a moment?

Joie tapped her foot. “If it isn’t the troll brothers. How are you? Just dropped in to be neighborly? I’m so glad you didn’t bother to dress formally. It’s just a small get-together we’re having.”

Deliberately she walked across the stone patterns in the floor, keeping their attention centered on her even as she made certain she was just a bit behind Traian. “We’re in the midst of redecorating. What do you think? Too many crystal balls?” She indicated the largest, nearly a foot tall, resting on a tall pillar of black obsidian. “They’re very valuable. You can see your future in them. This one answers questions and finds objects.” She reached out as if to pat the smooth sphere.

Joie was fully aware that Traian was keeping his body between her and the vampires. The two creatures stood in a swirl of steam and mist, coated in black ooze. The moment she mentioned the spheres, greedy eyes stared at the globe.

Surprisingly, Joie felt warmth along her palm as she positioned it above the crystal ball. The crystal leapt to life at the close proximity of her hand. For a timeless moment, she saw her own face swirling in the mists of the globe, and Traian standing behind her, reaching for her, love etched into the lines of his face, hunger and desire burning in the depths of his eyes. She couldn’t look away from his face, there in the sphere, from the intensity of his love. He couldn’t feel that way about her, could be? He didn’t know her. How could two people be so drawn to one another, recognize love so quickly? His look robbed her of breath, of sanity. She wanted to crawl inside the sphere and be with him for eternity.

Get away from that thing.

Joie blinked, and forced herself to look up. White swirls of mist were filling the cavern, consuming Traian. Consuming her. In the tendrils of fog, something moved—something dark and menacing. She caught a glimpse of another shape in the shadows curled protectively around an object, but she couldn’t make it out with the white mist and gray shadows merging together.

Traian turned slowly toward those gray shadows, his hands down at his sides and slightly outstretched, palms up as if appeasing something—or someone. Behind him, a darker shadow loomed, one with a hideous skull, skin stretched tight, blood-stained teeth and glowing red eyes.

Watch out!

Joie tackled Traian. Her momentum carried them both away from the vampire and close to the outer wall of the cavern. Traian rolled with her, his arms tight around her, taking her through the dense fog. The drops felt wet on their skin, the blanket muffling sound, but still, something moved inside all that white and gray swirling mist.

Very gently, Traian eased her to her feet. Stay very still. Perfectly still, he cautioned.

Joie looked cautiously around her. An array of weapons adorned the nearest alcove. Glittering gems decorated wicked-looking knives and long spears and swords. Here was a virtual treasure trove for Joie. She was drawn to the weapons, yet something held her back, some finely tuned warning system that prompted her to put her hands behind her back and ignore them.

Traian calmly regarded the black shadow that was emerging from the fog in the cavern. “Justice has come, Valenteen,” he said to the master vampire. “A shadow warrior has been awakened and he is seeking our deaths. Do we fight each other?”

Valenteen growled harshly, shaking his head, backing away from the large, smoky creature emerging from the shadows.

Joie twisted her fingers in the back of Traian’s shirt, peeking around him at the thing Traian had identified as a shadow warrior. It was insubstantial, made of ever-moving black and gray smoke. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, not like the bloodshot eyes of the vampires, but fierce flame burning brightly. There was something very noble in the stern face she occasionally caught sight of, as if the shadow was a warrior of old who had long fought for honor.

I wouldn’t mind waking up now. If the vampire is afraid of it, how much trouble are we in?

Traian reached behind him, circling her bare wrist with his fingers. Gently. Barely there. Just a whisper of contact, yet it was enough. They were together. It was all that mattered. He would shield her from the warrior, from the vampires.

Can you get out of here by yourself? It suddenly occurred to her that he could shape-shift, perhaps become as insubstantial as the mist. Maybe even burrow through earth and ice as the vampires had done. He had known she would be a hindrance to him. He’d told her to leave with the others. Traian? Can you get out of here without me?

The vampires dissolved, leaving behind a pool of black goo. It bubbled and spat a poisonous brew at the shadow warrior. Joie gasped. There was a strange silence. An icy blast of air cleared the stench from the chamber and pushed the smoky creature away from Traian and Joie.

It matters little if I could. I would never leave you behind. His voice was reassuring. Calm. Steady. Confident.

Joie’s mouth went dry. Jubal and Gabrielle are still in the caves. If the vampires find them . . . my brother and sister can’t protect themselves from the vampires.

Both vampires have remained in this room. They will not leave or move to give away their presence to the warrior. In any case, there is little we can do other than hope they make it out fast. At this moment, both are alive. I would know if your brother perished. You’re doing fine. Stay calm. We will get out of this and your brother is a man of great resources.

Joie let her breath out and worked to control the wild beating of her heart. Why isn’t that thing coming at us? Can’t he see us?

The shadow warrior has not attacked because we haven’t touched anything. If we draw his attention to us, or take something the mages left behind, he will strike.

Joie frowned. My brother took the weapon that came to him. It’s on his wrist. Why didn’t the warrior attack him?

I believe that is a good question. The shadow warrior would not attack a mage.

Joie didn’t like the speculation in his voice or the distrust in his mind. Voices whispered, distracting her. She could hear the continual murmurs filling her mind—filling the chamber with temptation. Before she knew what she was doing, Joie’s fingers were nearly curled around a knife with a wicked-looking curved blade. It called to her. Her palm itched to feel the weapon in her hand. She clenched her fist, resisting the temptation. The voices increased in strength. She glanced toward the spheres, saw them all active, the clear colors swirling with life, with deeper hues and sparkling gems.

Traian caught both of her hands in his. Talk to me. Tell me about yourself. Everything you can think of. Look only at me. Look into my eyes. See me. Only me.

His hands were much larger than hers, enveloping them. When she obediently tore her gaze from the jeweled daggers and knives, she was caught in the black depths of Traian’s gaze. The world narrowed for her.

Around them, smoke and mist drifted upward from the floor, creating a world in the clouds where voices muttered, the words in an ancient tongue, harsh, yet not foul, insistent, yet not commanding. Colors pulsed in the room, bright banners from the spheres, which were alive with heat and energy.

Look only at me, Traian reiterated when she would have turned her head toward the pulsing lights. This is a trap directed at you, at your love of weapons, at your curiosity. Think of me. Let me tell you who I am, what I am. What I need and want. I want to know everything about you and your family. Talk to me. Tell me who you really are, what you stand for. Tell me everything about yourself.

His voice was mesmerizing, tugging at her heart when she thought there should be only physical attraction. He was easily the sexiest man she’d ever encountered. They were in mortal danger. Vampires huddled somewhere in the room, awaiting their moment to strike. A warrior come to life out of the shadows that guarded centuries-old treasures in a world of sorcery, yet Joie was fascinated by the man in front of her.

You don’t make sense.

I make perfect sense. He smiled, a flash of dazzling white teeth. We make perfect sense.

She nearly stopped breathing. You know I work as a bodyguard.

Joie found it difficult to resist the pull of temptation for those amazing weapons just inches from her fingertips and her gaze strayed to the ornate swords.

Traian tipped her chin up, forcing her gaze to his. Silly profession, placing your precious body between someone else and danger.

She laughed softly in her mind, amazed at how, in the middle of danger, he could mesmerize her.

Traian felt the vibration pulse through his body, touch him in places he had long ago forgotten.

You spent several lifetimes chasing vampires. I’m catching very interesting memories in your mind, unless you spent all of your life watching Dracula movies. I think you’ve placed your precious and very sexy body between danger and people many times. And don’t say you’re a man and that it makes a difference. That would seriously annoy me.

Growls of hatred mixed with the insidious whispers. The smaller vampire, the one Traian had identified as Shafe, emerged from the black goo, hissing and spitting, dragging himself across the floor on his belly. His gaze firmly fixed on the largest crystal ball, his claws scored the stones as he tried to stop himself from answering the summons.

Even with Traian’s mesmerizing eyes and hypnotic voice, it was nearly impossible for Joie to ignore the drama being played out in the swirling mists of the cave. The insistent voices chanted a steady rhythm, drawing the vampire toward the glowing crystal. Greed and fear were on the face of the creature as it edged closer and closer. All the while, the dark shadow of the warrior, guardian of the wizard’s treasures, watched dispassionately.

Joie shivered. Fear was a living, breathing entity nearly choking her. At times, through the rising mist coming off the stone floor, she could make out a suit of armor on the warrior; at other times it was as insubstantial as the clouds.

Traian pulled Joie into his arms, drawing her tightly against his chest. His movements were deliberately slow, careful, wary of drawing the warrior’s attention to them. We are going to float upward, Joie, just drift toward the ceiling above us. Keep looking at me.

She was afraid. Battling human adversaries was one thing; facing down vampires and warriors made up of smoke and shadow was something altogether different. She slid her palm up Traian’s chest, the solid wall of flesh and blood reassuring her. Her arm curved around his neck. She locked her fingers there, fitting her body tightly against his. His much more masculine frame was hard like an oak tree. There was little give to the defined muscles beneath his skin. She felt her feet leave the ground and she closed her eyes, sending up a quick prayer.

Traian watched the warrior. Colored lights pulsed through the cavern, lit the mist so that wraith-like creatures appeared to be moving within it—ghosts of the mages, lost so long ago. He tightened his arms around Joie. She fit perfectly to him, her mind comfortable in his, drawing knowledge and studying tactics. He could feel her there inside him, sharing his memories and gathering information on his battles with vampires, fully prepared to join him should there be need.

More than anything else, he wanted her to know him as a man. He wanted time with her. He wanted to hear her laugh, to see warmth and acceptance in her eyes the way he had imagined during their long-distance chats. And he wanted her out of danger. Things could go wrong in an instant and he focused on one thing—getting Joie to safety.

They drifted higher in the cavern, and Traian clouded their image with more mist, more smoke, so that they seemed part of the haze. He took care that their movements were slow and lazy and as natural as possible, so that nothing would trigger the instincts of the warrior.

The shadow creature was motionless, even while the smoke that made up its body whirled and spun in dark threads. The fierce eyes remained fixed on the vampire crawling toward the temptation of the pulsing crystal orb. Shafe drew closer, closer, reaching out to the visions and promises of wealth and power swirling inside the globe.

Triumphantly the vampire placed his palms around the beckoning crystal. The moment he touched the globe, the shadow warrior threw back its head and roared. For a brief moment the smoke around it cleared. The guardian stood tall and straight, dressed in glittering, multihued scaled armor. And then it was smoke again, rushing across the wide expanse of floor, not quite touching the ground.

Valenteen, the older vampire, oozed from the black pool, shifting into the form of a snake-like creature with a head like a drill. It slithered to the nearest wall and began to burrow through the ice wall. Joie strained to see below her, to see the shadow warrior as he reached the undead cupping the crystal ball.

Your light. Turn it off.

Her heart jumped. We need the light.

I see fine in the dark. We want to escape this chamber. I can take us through the air shaft and do not want to chance drawing the warrior’s attention.

As she doused the light, Shafe screamed hideously. Colors glowed in the rising mist. A dark blood-red stain slowly began to invade the smoky fog. It spread like a virus. A violent clash of light and sound burst through the chamber as the vampire’s voice shrieked and wailed until Joie buried her face in Traian’s neck, her body trembling.

His gut knotted. We are almost out. Do not look. This cave is a trap and we will seal it up so no others can find it.

You’re thinking you’ll come back tomorrow night and find out what the vampires were searching for, she guessed.

I have to find out. I have been in these caves several weeks, fighting the vampires on and off. I destroyed more than one, yet they remained. That is highly unusual and it worries me. Worse still is the fact that Valenteen was not the only master. There was another in the group, Gallent. I was able, after several battles, to destroy him, but he was clearly with this group. And I think there is still one more. . . . so much more powerful . . .

Joie sighed and hugged him tighter. This is not happy news. Sounds like our gang problems. We’d better start looking on the internet for a site called vampires of the world, unite.

Above her head, he smiled. It had not occurred to me to check there, but if we find such a thing, are you volunteering for undercover work?

She made a small growling noise of dissent and bit his shoulder hard.

The air shaft was narrow, but he angled their bodies until they slipped through, taking them to the upper levels. As soon as she felt the ground beneath her feet, she turned on her light, caught his hand, and sprinted through the tunnel toward the entrance.

“Valenteen is not following us. Although he is a master vampire, he will not attempt to fight me alone.”

His words stopped her. The idea that a creature as hideous and lethal as a vampire wouldn’t fight Traian alone was frightening. What did she know of him, after all? He was a voice speaking to her in the night. A man who drank blood and shifted shapes.

“I am a man of honor. A man who has found the one woman. The only woman.” He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know this happened too fast and you do not altogether trust it.”

“If I don’t think about it, I trust it, and that scares me, Traian. I’m not particularly a trusting person. All this time I thought I was still in control, after all, I did rescue you. But now you’re saying those creatures won’t attack you while they’re alone and that tells me that they’re very afraid of you.”

“I am an ancient hunter. I have been tried in battle for more years than I care to remember. I know the ways of the vampire and I am much skilled in what I do.” There was no arrogance or bravado in his voice, only acceptance and truth.

“And these vampires?”

“Should not have been together. They should not be here, in the Carpathian Mountains, so close to our prince and many of our males. I was returning to my homeland when I first came across them. I knew they were desperate to find something in that cave. Although it was risky to pit myself against so many, it was my duty to my people to stay and discover what they were looking for. Even after you found me and I recognized who you were, I stayed because the vampires were so frantic to find something. I had no idea this was a cave of mages. And it looks recently occupied.”

“And what is the significance of mages to a vampire? I know what it would be to humans. Most of us don’t actually believe the fairy tales about wizards and crystal balls—and dragons. That was very cool, by the way.”

“You saw the spheres in that room. Ancient spells and power remain in them. We don’t want vampires, or anyone, for that matter, to get their hands on things best left alone. Carpathians are of the earth. We have gifts, but we do not wield power in the same way as the mages do.”

“You believe that some still live?”

“I would think it likely. At least I would think some of their descendants remain and have retained their knowledge, or at least a portion of it.”

Joie sighed. “Lovely thought. Anyone who created that shadow warrior is not going to be counted among my best friends.”

“Nor mine.” There was an ominous warning to his voice.

She looked up quickly. “I know what you’re thinking. You just remembered, if my brother is a mage, than so am I. We are from the same parents and that’s an indisputable fact. I can’t reach either Gabrielle or Jubal. They’re too far away.” There was worry in her voice.

Traian took a breath and stopped, seeking his blood bond with Jubal. “They are out of the caves and heading for the inn. They thought to get a rescue team together. I have informed him there is no need, we will join them shortly.”

Joie nearly sagged with relief. “You’re certain?”

“Absolutely.”

Joie followed him through the long hall, already feeling the open air on her body, not looking at the beauty and magnificence of her surroundings as she normally would. She was so relieved that her brother and sister had made it out that she wanted to weep. She searched for a topic to keep from giving in to the intensity of her emotions. “You grew up a long time ago.”

He grinned at her, his teeth flashing in the light of her lantern. “Well, yes. I have lived for centuries. I barely remember my parents anymore.” His smile slipped away. “The memory of my childhood days has faded. I catch glimpses at times. I do recall the years just before leaving my homeland. The way the prince looked at us all. I saw it in his eyes. His own death, the decline of our people, his dread for all of the warriors he was sending away from home. Our women were so few, even then the numbers were declining. Back then we had alliances with humans. Now we keep to ourselves and just do our best to blend in.”

She listened to the sound of his voice and heard the sorrow that ran deep. In his mind she saw the battles, sometimes with childhood friends. She saw his inner demons, the insidious whispers of power, the dark stain that slowly spread over him, calling to him. And he was always alone. In every memory, he was always alone. Joie wanted to comfort him. She caught his hand, tangled her fingers with his. She meant it to be a brief gesture, but he tightened his grip.

“I grew up very differently,” she said, ducking her head to avoid a large crystal formation. “My family is very close and very loving. We all talk at the same time and give each other all sorts of unwanted advice. My dad tells outrageous stories. He used to sneak into our bedroom at night with a flashlight shining on his face and tell scary stories until we screamed and laughed and Mom came running in to chastise him. Once, after he read us Stephen King’s Cujo, he put whipped cream on the muzzle of our huge mutt and shoved him into the bedroom. It’s a wonder we all survived his sense of humor.”

She laughed at the memory, deliberately sharing with Traian the warmth of her childhood, the love in her family. “We’re all a little bit crazy, but it’s okay with us.”

“Do you think I will fit in?” He brought her hand to his chest and held it against his heart. “I would not mind having a family after all this time.”

He was a tall man with wide shoulders and eyes that had seen far too much, yet the lost note in his voice turned her heart over. Joie smiled at him. “I can’t wait for you to meet my mother. She does not like men, other than my father, and she can be very intimidating. You’re an alpha male and she will definitely have an opinion. We’ll see how well you can stand up to her. She ran off every boy who wanted to date my sister or me.”

He smiled at her, rather like a wolf smiling at a lamb. “I will have to thank her.”