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Without women to protect, they moved with double the speed, graceful and precise, utterly without fear, their attacks well orchestrated.

The first wave of Carpathian males charged the center of the mass of death slaves, Nicolas leaping over the first line of the enemy, forcing them to either come after him and turn their backs on the other Carpathians or fight the men coming at them. The death slaves had no choice but to defend themselves against the newcomers, giving Nicolas more time to fight the three facing him.

It was obvious the battle was well-coordinated on the part of the Carpathians. They each knew how the other worked, never once having to look to see if their backs were guarded. They flowed together, almost like a ballet, cutting through the ranks of Xavier's guardians.

The ice cave expanded and contracted as more death slaves poured into the battle from all directions. They must have been guarding other entrances and, with the disturbance, came running. They swarmed into the chamber, slicing at Carpathians with lethal swords, attacking with a fury born of desperation. Xavier punished any who failed him and even the dead were careful not to cross him.

Lucian waited until the fighting was at its most ferocious, when the chamber was arcing with energy. He began to gather the energy into a ball, pulling power from every conceivable resource. The ball spun brighter and hotter, so much so that he was forced to cloak it, to keep from blinding himself. Still, he drew power to him, collecting every bit he could summon to him without draining his companions. When the ball pulsed with power, threatening to detonate, he called out to Nicolas.

Your sun is ready.

Mist.Nicolas gave the command on the common path and shifted.

The other Carpathians shifted at exactly the same moment.

Lucian released the whirling mass of energy, a bright white light spinning out of control through the chamber. The ice cave lit up like daylight, only brighter, as if a bomb had gone off, the flash as bright as the sun.

The death slaves screamed a collective cry of denial, the note shattering the ice chamber, causing cracks all along the walls and ceiling. Their bodies glowed bright, burst outward into molecules and scattered across the floor.

Out! Nicolas was already streaking for the tube.

Vikirnoff and the others burst into the open. Branislava and Tatijana cried out, covering their eyes. Neither had ever been out of the ice caves before and the wide-open space was terrifying. The male Carpathians gathered around them, shielding them from the early-morning dawn and providing a tighter group so they felt safe.

Lara didn't look back as they set out for the home of the prince. She never wanted to see the ice caves again. She held tight to Nicolas's and Tatijana's hands as he whisked them through the skies to the deep forest.

Francesca had already been alerted and she was waiting along with Mikhail to greet Rhiannon's daughters. The two women were thin and weak, their bodies' wracked with pain, muscles cramping continuously. Lara sat between them, holding their hands while the two healers worked on them. Mikhail gave them his blood and Gregori followed suit, while outside, the unmated Carpathian males formed a ring of protection.

"How is it you are fully Carpathian?" Lara asked, feeling guilty that she was asking questions when both were so weak and needed to go to ground to rejuvenate.

"Our mother," Tatijana explained. "It was the only way she could think to help us fight him. And we did the same for Razvan, your father, after Xavier killed our brother."

Nicolas knelt beside them. "I am Nicolas, lifemate to Lara. Lara and I would be honored to take you home and watch over you until you are at full strength, but we will take you wherever you are most comfortable."

"Of course with Lara," Branislava said. Weakly, she touched Lara's arm, love filling her gaze. "We never thought you would return for us."

"Thank you, Lara," Tatijana added. "We had lost all hope."

"Do you have news of my brother?" Natalya said. "We thought he had turned."

"Xavier torments him with that idea that you believe he betrayed you, that all Carpathians abhor him and that his own daughter believes him a monster."

"I did," Lara admitted. She rubbed her wrist where it burned and ached.

At once Nicolas took her hand and turned her wrist up to feather kisses over it.You had reason. Do not feel guilty when you have just saved your aunts. No one else would have