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 reassurance. 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