body. No baby would be able to stand that kind of pain. The Malinov brothers weren’t like any other vampires. They were brilliant men who had conceived a plan to overthrow the prince of the Carpathian people and then very deliberately turned undead. All five of them. Quickly they became master vampires, and their reputations for cruelty and cunning were legendary.
From the evidence in the tunnels below, trying to have children was exactly what Vadim was doing. So if Emeline was for Vadim and Blaze had been for Vadim’s brother Sergey, but they had rescued the women, that meant the undead would need two more women to take their places.
“Fridrick said Genevieve was taken, but that you were for him, didn’t he?” he murmured, turning back to Charlotte.
She nodded. “Yes. He implied that Genevieve was spoken for.” A little shudder went through her. “He was going to kidnap us, wasn’t he? And take Vi to someone equally as horrible as he is.”
“But Fridrick said you were for him,” he reiterated, trying to wrap his head around the fact that if Fridrick was involved, the vampires should need three women, not two. So who was the third woman? They’d rescued both Blaze and Emeline.
“What is it?” Charlie asked. “You’re worried. Grace hasn’t texted me that they’re out safely yet. Tell me what’s wrong.”
How could he explain? He couldn’t blurt out there were vampires in the city, not unless he wanted her to run screaming into the night. She would think he was insane, and by the time the truth came to light, it would be too late. There was no doubt in his mind that Fridrick would make another play for her.
“Fridrick runs with a couple of other really nasty men.” He didn’t know how else to explain it, and he didn’t want to tell her any more lies. She’d caught him out anyway. “If he was looking to acquire you with the idea that you would belong to them, there should have been a third woman targeted. As nasty and powerful as Fridrick is—and he is—the other two are far worse. Fridrick wouldn’t be in a position to call you his unless they had a woman for the other two first.”
There was silence in the car. Charlie drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “So you think they already have a woman? Is that what you’re saying? They’ve kidnapped someone and they’re holding her someplace?”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “That’s possible, but . . .” He trailed off. Vadim was on the run. Mataias had trailed him to the harbor. He was gone, and there hadn’t been time to kidnap another woman. There was no evidence showing they’d managed to get out with anyone else. He had taken Emeline and nearly gotten away with her. They’d been lucky that Val Zhestokly had been held prisoner and tortured. When Blaze had released him, he had managed to rush after Emeline, staying on the heels of Vadim so the vampire never had the chance to keep her. In order to save his own life, Vadim had to leave Emeline behind.
“‘Possible’ but what?” Charlie prompted.
He sat up very straight, his heart slamming hard in his chest. He tasted fear in his mouth, and this time it wasn’t fear for his lifemate, but fear for a young woman who had already been through so much—too much. They’d brought Emeline out of the tunnels, bloody and eerily silent, in shock. Vadim hadn’t had much time with her, but he’d had time. He’d sent a small army to slow all of them down, delaying them precious minutes so that he could be alone with her. That he was alone with her.
“There is a young woman staying on my property. One of Fridrick’s friends had her briefly, but we managed to get her back,” he said, the disturbing insanity of his thoughts pushing everything else out of his mind. “If she counts as his woman, then it all makes sense.” It made sense, but it was horrifying.
None of them had talked to Emeline. She’d retreated into her little house and she’d refused to allow anyone to aid her—not even Blaze. Blaze went to see her daily, but she said that Emeline wouldn’t talk about what happened. She kept the rooms dark and quiet and didn’t want to talk even to a counselor. It had only been two weeks, so they all stepped back to give her time to come to terms with whatever Vadim had