Carpathian 21 - Dark Peril

in his work, uncaring that the woman he was gathering information about might end up kidnapped and raped, or dead and thrown away like garbage by the men employing him. Dominic probed the tech’s mind. Again, he was astonished that the man wasn’t protected.

    He shimmered into substance, standing behind the tech, burying his fangs in the man’s neck. The blood was energizing, and he took enough to exchange, so he could monitor the tech from a distance as well. He allowed a small amount of his own blood to drip into the tech’s mouth. The exchange gave him complete control. It mattered little that the tech would ingest parasites, as he wouldn’t be alive that long. The tech took the tiny drive from his hand with the program that would allow Josef to take over the computers from a distance. He could download all the data they needed, and when he was done, upload the vicious virus.

    Once Josef’s program was in the computer, Dominic took back the drive and had the tech open the door.
    He floated out to reconnect with his body. The computers were now in Josef’s more than capable hands.
    Dominic had other work to do.

    You’re certain the boy will be able to retrieve all the data and really destroy their network? Solange sounded anxious.

    He knows what he is doing, Dominic reassured, sending up a silent prayer that he was right. Josef was wild, but he was highly intelligent and programming was his first love.

    Reconnecting with his body sent a tremor running through him, and for a moment his legs shook. He stored that reaction in his mind. He couldn’t afford the couple of seconds it took to readjust when he was in the midst of the vampires. One moment of weakness, of vulnerability, and he would be torn to shreds. He was one of the most feared—and therefore the most hated—of Carpathian warriors. And vampires had long memories. They existed on a steady diet of hatred and revenge.

    Dominic made his way through the laboratory. It was actually smaller than it appeared from the outside because the walls were thick to withstand an assault as well as to keep the inside cooler. There were sleeping quarters for the men who lived there, five scientists and three computer techs. The barracks were attached, housing seventeen guards. There was no evidence that the jaguar-men stayed, which fit with their personalities. They would want to sleep in the forest where they could see or feel an enemy coming at them.

    One room had several barred cells. There were bloodstains on the cell floor as well as blood spatter on the wall from the women slaughtered there. No one had bothered to clean up, and the stains were piled on top of one another. Any prisoner would have to endure lying in the cell knowing others had been murdered there. The sight sickened Solange and he felt her silent weeping.

    There was no way to save them all, kessake ku toro sívamak— beloved little wildcat. In this life we can only do our best. He sent her warmth and comfort.

    I know, it’s just that they needed someone, and the thought of them dying like that, all alone, scared, with no one to help them . . . She trailed off.

    His heart melted a little. His Solange. Tenderhearted. Who would ever believe the truth of her? I cannot be late for this meeting, Solange. Are you up to this?

    He felt her instant reaction, the steel spine, the unfailing courage. Her need to protect him. Of course I am.
    There was a bite to her voice, a definite reprimand, the implication that he had no need to ask.

    Dominic knew she was ready, but he wanted her to know it. The sight of the cells had really shaken her. He strode boldly from the laboratory into the open yard. The vampires had gathered just beyond the open area around the building, far enough away that no one else had the opportunity to hear them.

    Giles held court, with at least twenty vampires around him, while his own lesser vampires guarded his back. Dominic had to admit it was an amazing sight, one he had never dreamt he’d witness. Vampires’ egos were too big, and they didn’t stay for long in the company of other vampires. And food sources would eventually disappear. As it was, the hunger radiating from the group was so overwhelming that, even though he’d fed well, he still felt a ravenous appetite.

    The heartbeats of the human guards patrolling around the building were overly loud, a thundering drum calling to them all. Dominic subtly fed the hunger, increasing the need as he slipped into the