Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

can find yourself in danger very quickly, but it does
     give us some advantages we didn’t have before.”
    “Does all jaguar blood allow Carpathians to stay longer hours in the sun?” Dax asked,
     staring straight ahead at the dazzling display of lights.
    “If that was the case, I would have been the first to discover it,” Riordan said.
     “Juliette was jaguar. I would have been able to spend more hours awake.”
    “How do you know that you couldn’t? Did you try?” Dax asked.
    Riordan and Juliette looked at one another, clearly shocked. Riordan eventually shook
     his head. “I didn’t think to try, why would I? Still, I don’t think Juliette’s blood
     could have done what Solange’s blood does, and of course now, Juliette’s wholly Carpathian
     so it’s a moot point.”
    Dax turned to face the Carpathian. He was a hunter first, and he knew his prey almost
     as well as he knew himself. If Mitro was behind killing pregnant women and taking
     their babies, it wasn’t all for his amusement. He had targeted each victim deliberately.
     If he had found a way to prolong his time in the early morning or evening hours, he
     could do even more harm than he already was doing. He made a formidable enemy already.
     By adding daylight hours, he would have more time to recruit his army and more time
     to kill or make puppets.
    Riordan shook his head. “No vampire could ever go out in the sun. It isn’t possible.”
    “Mitro is no ordinary vampire,” Dax cautioned. “I took his heart and threw it in the
     magma pool and still he lives.”
    Riordan went very still. Juliette’s gasp was audible.
    Dax had no way of knowing, but the morbid, depraved taking of unborn infants from
     their mothers felt like Mitro. He looked at Riley. Obviously, she was thinking along the same lines
     as he was. She looked horrified. Truly horrified. He wanted to put his arms around
     her and shelter her close to his heart, keep her from twisted, depraved monsters.
    Her eyes met his. She sent him a small, reluctant smile and his heart turned over. I’m all right. We’ve seen how bad he is. And we came here for this.
    Arabejila’s blood as well as her gifts—and those of her ancestors—ran deep in Riley’s
     veins. If there was one person who could track Mitro, it was Riley, and she understood
     that.
    “Take us there, to one of these houses where you felt a presence,” Dax ordered. “Tonight.
     We have no time to lose.” He didn’t give the others time to refuse, turning on his
     heel, holding out his hand to Riley and gliding toward the door.
    There was relief in leaving the inside of the house. He could see how the Carpathians
     had designed it to suit them, but they were used to the modern world and civilization.
     He was not. The air didn’t feel the same. Nothing felt the same to him inside four walls. Riley’s presence helped, but he preferred
     the outdoors and the mountains.
    Riordan hesitated. “Juliette?”
    “I’ll stay with Gary and Jubal. We can watch over Jasmine. With safeguards, if the
     vampire has targeted her, his puppets won’t be able to get in here if you don’t return
     before the sun comes up. We’ll be safe as long as we’re inside.”
    Riordan nodded and then followed Dax out. Both hunters inhaled deeply, scenting the
     air, seeking information. Riley crouched low as both worked on the safeguards for
     the house, sinking her hands into the soil. Dax linked with her to gain knowledge
     the earth might provide to them.
    There was always that first little resistance to his push into her mind. She hadn’t
     quite figured out how to be open mind-to-mind at all times, but she couldn’t resist
     the way he poured warmth into her once he touched her. His half of their soul cried
     out for hers, and hers answered. There was no more being alone, every shadow gone,
     and each time they shared minds, they both found it difficult to break apart.
    His blood surged hotly the moment they shared their intimate connection. He waited
     until the first rush passed and watched his heart, that he didn’t change the rhythm
     of hers. Deep in her veins, a pulse thrummed, keeping time to her heartbeat. She seemed
     to be concentrating on what should have been her own pulse.
    He stepped closer to her, dropped his hand on the back of her neck, and moved deeper
     into her mind. She was following something she understood, but he hadn’t quite grasped
     yet. He stayed still, waiting. He was a hunter and he had