"You wouldn't dare," Gabrielle said. She pushed at Joie's shoulder as the slender stranger approached, trying unsuccessfully to move her sister aside for a better look. "Now that is a hottie, Joie. There's more to a man than muscle." She grinned at Traian. "No offense or anything."
"None taken," he assured her.
"Your tongue is hanging out, Gabrielle," Joie whispered. "Stop ogling him. For you to be falling at his feet, he must have an IQ of two hundred." She glanced up at Traian. "No man she's ever looked at could carry on a normal conversation. I think she can see straight through to their brains." She nudged her sister. "Your eyes are popping out of your head."
"I was just looking," Gabrielle hissed back. "At least I didn't throw myself at him and show off by doing in underfed trolls fresh out of the grave."
"I was happy she did that," Traian pointed out.
"Yes, well, I suppose you would have been, under the circumstances," Gabrielle conceded. "But she has a major hickey on her neck. If Mom saw that, there'd be consequences."
Traian bared his strong white teeth at her. "I think I can handle your mother."
Gabrielle and Joie looked at each other and burst out laughing. "It isn't possible, Traian, even for you," Joie said.
The slender man stopped in front of them and held out his hand to Traian, although Joie noticed that his gaze continually shifted to Gabrielle. "I'm Gary Jansen. Mikhail Dubrinsky sent me. He asked me to convey his apologies, but unforeseen circumstances prevented him from coming himself. Should there be need, he asked that you put out a call to him and he will send Falcon.
Mikhail's brother is in Italy at this time, so I was sent to gather the information and aid you in any way I can."
Traian gripped Gary's hand firmly. "I am Traian Tri-govise. This is my lifemate, Joie Sanders, and her sister, Gabrielle. I trust the prince and his lifemate are well?"
"Raven has been ill," Gary said briefly.
Traian caught the echo of Gary's thought.
Miscarriage.
Joie slipped her hand into his, an offer of condolence that betrayed the fact she'd been a silent shadow in his mind. She might not understand the importance of the news, but she could feel his sorrow. "We need to speak somewhere quiet," Traian said. "I have news the prince must hear."
Jubal joined them, slipping an arm around his two sisters and waiting to be introduced. Traian did so as they followed Gary from the lounge to the comparative quiet of his room.
"Nice," Jubal commented. "We're on the second story with small balconies. This is great." He looked out the double doors to the spacious verandah. "Joie, we should have asked for the ground floor."
A dull red swept under Gary's skin, and he glanced at Gabrielle as he hastily cleared clothes from a chair. "Sorry about the mess."
Gabrielle smiled at him. "You should see my room. We were in a cave, and our clothes were filthy. All I could think about was taking a hot shower." She blushed for no reason, turning away from Gary to study the verandah Jubal seemed so interested in.
"Mikhail wanted me to ask you why you did not simply give him the information when you requested that someone join you here," Gary said.
"Had I used the common telepathic link, the undead would have heard what I had to say," Traian said. "I have never exchanged blood with the prince and do not have a private telepathic link. It was better to keep my news confidential."
Gary nodded toward the Sander siblings. "Forgive me for asking, but you are certain everyone in this room can be trusted?"
"I am more certain of them than I am of you," Traian answered.
Gary smiled, relaxing for the first time. "That's good enough for me. I can give Mikhail your news, although he asked me to have you return home as soon as you are able. He has called in the ancients his father sent out. He needs their knowledge to make informed decisions in the ongoing war with the undead."
"Where is his second? I fear the life of our prince is in danger. I do not like the fact that the undead dare to gather so close to our homeland."
"Gregori is in the United States but will be returning soon. Falcon and Jacques stay close to the prince."
"There are many undiscovered caves in these mountains," Traian said. "I went to ground in one of them and came across several vampires. They were hunting something beneath the earth and they were so frantic to find it, they began to hunt me, instead of avoiding me as would be usual. We had several battles. I destroyed two of them, although more than one master vampire travels with them and they are extremely powerful. I was severely wounded after one of the battles, and they found my resting place. Instead of killing me, they decided to use my blood so they could continue searching. Joie and her brother and sister found us. Joie killed one of the vampires."
"Sort of," Joie corrected when Gary looked at her with admiration. "The darn thing fried my favorite knife. Traian had to incinerate it before it was really gone."
He isn't like you, Traian. He's human. Few humans are trusted with the knowledge he has of our people. He must be much respected for Mikhail to send him to me.
"Vampires are very difficult to kill," Gary said, "and with even one master vampire in the vicinity, it is too dangerous to engage in battle." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm a biochemist, not a hunter, but I've seen the results of what the vampire can do to humans. It's terrifying."
Gabrielle shuddered visibly. "I think Joie was having fun down there in the cave, but all I wanted to do was hide under the bed. And I kept thinking about viruses and touching all those microorganisms down there." She made a face. "I think I'll leave vampire hunting to the experts. If I never see or hear of another one, I'll be happy."
Joie grinned at her. "And here I was planning on making it my new career."
"That's not funny, Joie," Jubal said. "What you do is bad enough. You give us all gray hair. You stay away from those things."
"How did you get involved with all of this?" Gabrielle asked Gary curiously.
He looked sheepish. "I actually developed a compound to paralyze the system of Carpathians, thinking, of course, they were vampires. The compound was twisted into a poison and used to torture and dissect whomever the human society of vampire hunters deemed one of the undead. When I tried to expose them and rescue one of their victims, I met Gregori." He shrugged his shoulders. "I can't describe Gregori or what meeting him was like, but it changed my life. The society would like to see me dead, so as a protection, Gregori brought me here to help with research. I like it here and have developed strong friendships, so I stay."