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males. Carpathian children weren’t considered adults until they hit their fiftieth year.
    The Carpathians were just beginning to understand his genius with technology, especially computers. There was little he couldn’t do, nothing he couldn’t hack, and no program he couldn’t write. She was fairly certain they still didn’t recognize the enormity of his abilities and what it meant for their people. Carpathians were very intellectual, but she knew Josef was a true genius, miles ahead of most people in any species.
    Paul and Josef were outsiders in their own world, just as she was, to a much lesser extent. She lived with Carpathian parents who treated her lovingly, but she wasn’t Carpathian. Paul also was surrounded by Carpathians, but he had to live in a human world, even if he didn’t fit there anymore. He’d seen vampires, had even been possessed by one. And then there was Josef. Her gaze fell on him. Flamboyant. A rebel. Yes, he was both of these things, but he was also loyal, brilliant and someone who could always be counted on.
    Her heart had always gone out to him. She couldn’t deny that she loved him, so of course Dimitri knew. He knew everything about her. Long ago she’d opened her mind to her lifemate. At first she’d allowed Dimitri entrance into her mind with the vague idea he’d see, after her terrible childhood, that she could never be what he wanted her to be. He had been then what he was now. Absolute. Calm. Implacable. Certain. Loving.
    He was a man nearly impossible to resist. Well. Okay. Her resistance to the idea of being his lifemate had faded completely. She just needed a little time to build confidence in herself that when the time came she would be able to be a full partner to him.
    Skyler bit down hard on her lip, wincing a little when it hurt. She wasn’t there yet, not the physical part, but that didn’t matter, nor would it ever if he didn’t survive.
    Josef’s teasing nudge nearly sent her flying. He groaned. “There she goes again, off to la-la land. She’s taken to doing that lately, Paul. You’ll be talking to her and she seems like a normal person and then she gets that hokey, moon face, all gooey-eyed and goofy and she drifts off somewhere. I think before we do anything else we need to get her to a doctor and fast.”
    “Oh, you’re going to need a doctor.” Skyler retaliated with a swift kick to his shins, and as he turned to flee, she leapt up on his back, pretending to punch his ribs.
    “Help, help, she’s gone mad.” Josef spun in circles as if trying to get her off his back, all the while holding her safely to him.
    “Come on, you goofballs. We can’t be certain someone hasn’t figured out yet that Sky is not where she said she’d be,” Paul cautioned. “All either Francesca or Gabriel has to do is try to touch base with her.”
    Josef stopped his wild spinning and bent his knees to ease Skyler to the ground. He glanced around him, suddenly wary.
    “I don’t think they’ll find us this fast, bro,” Paul said.
    “No. Not Francesca and Gabriel,” Josef said, stepping in front of Skyler and sweeping her behind him with one arm. “But something has.”
    “I can help,” Skyler hissed. “I’m very adept at all kinds of defense.” She peeked around Josef. She had met and faced all kinds of monsters and they scared the hell out of her, but she wasn’t about to show fear to either of her friends—not when they were risking their lives in her rather desperate plan to take Dimitri back from his captors.
    Paul closed in on the other side. “Pipe down, lunatic, at least let us see what’s coming at us.”
    “The coffin’s in the truck, do you want to try to just drive away?” Skyler suggested hopefully.
    “I’d rather meet them out in the open,” Paul said. “Josef?”
    Josef held up his hand, fingers spread wide. “Five of them. Punks. They saw the customs guy close up shop and they like to come see what might have been left behind. Two of