She’s a lost soul, Dominic. Tatiana touched her mind to his as she walked away. You can’t blame yourself for her behavior. You may be a Guardian, but you’re not God. She winked at him over her shoulder. You may have the body of a Greek god… but you’re not God. So get off the cross, baby. Someone needs the wood.
Dominic suppressed a grin at her playful teasing as he realized she’d put him at ease. He shook his head in amazement and watched as Dante escorted the two women to the barn. The woman was full of surprises.
“So.” Dominic looked back at Richard and did his best to ignore his sister. “Why is she here, and why is everyone dressed for battle?”
“I have offered Moravian a prisoner exchange.”
“What are you talking about?” He glanced briefly at Daniella, who looked as surprised as he did. “Who do you plan on trading her for?”
“Matt.” Richard’s mouth set in a firm line. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Tatiana. He was abducted by one of the Purists during the attack. The note we found is a fake. Eric discovered trace evidence of an Amoveo signature in Matt and Tatiana’s cabin—a different energy pattern from the individuals who attacked us directly. This morning, Kerry detected that same signature on the paper.”
“It was Savannah,” Malcolm said.
“Shit.” Dominic gripped his gun tighter. “Savannah was here on the ranch?”
“Yes.” Richard ran a hand through his long hair, and the look on his face was nothing short of fury. “When we were dealing with the other five attackers, she was able to slip in and out of here undetected.”
“Why?” Dominic seethed. “Why would she go to the trouble of helping Courtney escape, only to continue aiding her father? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Who the hell knows?” Eric waved one hand in the air. “Why do these Purist douche bags do any of the fucked-up shit they do? Maybe dear old daddy doesn’t know she’s the one who let Courtney go?”
“I doubt it,” Malcolm said. “What if they’re using Courtney’s presence here as a way to link them to the ranch? Richard, you said yourself that the psychic shields you’ve been placing around the ranch haven’t been working. They keep cracking the code, so to speak.” He gave them all a grave look. “Perhaps bringing her here was only a way to help them get to you and your family, Richard.”
The group fell silent, and they all exchanged concerned looks.
“Damn it,” Dominic fumed. He locked eyes with the prince. “Richard, if they were to assassinate you and your main supporters, imagine how easy it would be for Moravian and the other Purists to take over all of the Amoveo? Who would stand up to them after that?”
“Perhaps,” Richard said quietly. “Regardless, we need to get Matt, and I’m more than happy to let Daniella go back to them. The binding bracelets can only be removed by me, and without her powers she will be of little help to their cause. In all honesty, they may kill her, but I don’t suppose that’s our problem.”
Dominic flicked his gaze to Daniella, and his heart sank when he saw the look of pure hatred she leveled at Richard. Tatiana was right. She was a lost soul with a heart full of anger. The girl he’d known all his life was gone.
Daniella turned her hateful eyes to him. Some Guardian you are, you didn’t even know what was going on around here. Her comment cut him to the core, but he said nothing and shielded his mind from her, preventing further telepathic connection.
“When did you figure this out?” Apprehension crawled up Dominic’s back along with a sense of failure as Daniella’s observation taunted him.
“I did. Last night,” Eric interjected. “After you left to take care of Tatiana, I went by the cabin to take one more look around, and that’s when I picked up the energy signature. It was faint, but it was there. Then this morning, Richard asked Kerry to try and pull a psychic impression from the note. It matched the one in the cabin, and she recognized it as Savannah’s energy pattern.”
“I see.” Dominic’s jaw clenched, and he leveled an angry stare at Eric. “As Head Guardian I should have been made aware of this information immediately.”
“Hey man.” Eric held up his hands in defeat. “I’m sorry, but I figured since you two were still trying to figure things out, you needed some alone time.”
“That was not your decision to make.” His eyes flickered to their clan form, and Eric bowed his head in submission. Dominic turned to Richard. “How do you plan on offering this prisoner exchange to Moravian? We don’t even know where he is.”
“It’s already been arranged. Kerry connected with Moravian telepathically. We will be making the exchange tonight.”
“Where?” Apprehension flickered through Dominic. The more he heard, the more anxious it made him. All of this had been planned without his input. He felt as though he’d been replaced as Head Guardian, but no one told him about it. “Where is the exchange?”
“The mountains,” Richard said. “Trapper’s summit on the east ridge.”
“Fine.” Dominic nodded. He knew the spot well and had hiked those mountains countless times since he came to Montana. “When?”
“Midnight.” Richard shot Daniella a look of contempt. “We wanted to be sure there was minimal chance of any humans in the area while we make the trade.”
“What makes you think he’ll even want her back?” Zachary snagged her arm and held it up. “She doesn’t have her powers because of the binding bracelets. Shit, Richard’s right. They’ll probably kill her.”
“I’m a pure-blood,” Daniella snapped. She yanked her arm away. “Asshole.”
“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Zachary asked.
“My mother’s dead. Fuck you.”
“No thanks.”
“I’ll do it,” Dominic bit out.
“I thought you might volunteer,” Richard said. “However, I don’t want you meeting him alone. I’m still wary, and I’m surprised Moravian agreed to this swap. Needless to say, I don’t trust him. The Purists have proven time and again to be dishonorable. Moravian and the others will never keep their word, and it could be an ambush.”
Dominic glanced toward the barn and instinctively touched Tatiana’s energy signature. It was there—linked with his, warm, familiar, and comforting—but as it surrounded him… he knew what he had to do. Richard was right. Moravian would never stop, so someone had to stop him.
“With all due respect, your highness.” Dominic stood at attention. “I will take my sister and make the exchange alone. If Moravian has been linking up to Courtney somehow, the last thing we want to do is to leave everyone here unprotected. Eric and Zachary can stay and serve as Guardians. You, Malcolm, and Pete are fathers who have children that depend on you. Dante and William are fully mated to their women, and if they were killed, the ramifications for Layla and Kerry would be devastating. You should all stay here at the ranch while I make the exchange.”
“What about Tatiana?” Malcolm asked with genuine concern. “She is your mate and would undoubtedly suffer if she were to lose you.”
“No.” Dominic shook his head. “She never wanted to be part of our world, and if she had things her way, she wouldn’t have anything to do with the Amoveo. Tatiana has no desire to commit to the life-mate bond, and I plan to release her from the obligation. If she chooses to go back to Oregon, then I’ll feel a lot better about it if Moravian is out of the picture.”
No one said anything, but they exchanged somber looks. They knew full well he was taking on a suicide mission, willing to sacrifice his life for the safety of his people and for his mate. He’d rather die than risk her life or force her to live in a situation she had tried to avoid.