Disclaimer: I do not own the Dark series. That all goes to the ingenuity of Christine Feehan. I do have rights to my own made up characters though.

"Isa, I don't feel so good," Rachel groaned. Her stomach was rolling and lurching at the taste of so much evil nearby. She knew it was there. Knew it was close and wondered how it had gotten so near to them without her knowing about it. There was so much of it. She felt her older sister Isa take her head and cradle in her arms.

"What is it?" Isa demanded in a gentle whisper. It was a cool, soft touch amongst the harsh evil that was surrounding them. "What do you feel?"

"There's darkness. Lots of it. It's coming here. Make it go away Isa. I can't stand it." Rachel moaned. She wanted it gone. She didn't want to feel it anymore. Isa drew Rachel close to her and began to make cooing noises. They calmed Rachel a little and endeared her more to her older sister. Isa was her mother figure. Diane was the protector, but Isa was the one that Rachel ran to.

"Rachel, I want you to be calm, and whatever happens, don't fight them or run from them. They won't touch you yet." Isa said stroking her sister's hair. Rachel cried silently, but didn't object. She trusted her sisters. They were her life. They would never betray her. But they would sacrifice themselves for her. She knew they would. She also knew she couldn't stop them from doing it. It wasn't something she liked. It wasn't something wanted. She would rather give herself up for her sisters. It wouldn't happen though. They were caught and they would probably die. Rachel knew that. There was no other way out, no other way for this all to end.

Rachel waited alone in the room with Isa while Diane went out to defend them. Would this be the place where they all died? Would they lay here unknown and unfound for a long time. Would they be avenged?

Someone pounded against the door. Rachel began to sob and held tightly to Isa. "Trust me," Isa whispered against her sister's ear.

"Always," Rachel vowed. As the door pounded open Isa bent her head to Rachel's neck and pretended to bite it.

Byzantine gathered a raging storm before he came to the surface with his two brothers. They had been awakened by a disturbance. One of their human servants crying out for help. The man's mind was active and alert, but his body was not his own. It was a primitive demanding impulse saying only one thing over and over again. Must save Rachel. She cannot die. Rachel must live. Save her.

The three brothers followed the call and found the source. A woman who was trapped. Byzantine felt Gaul cut off the impulse to their servant and gave the man the order to continue following the signal from the woman. Byzantine drew back and looked at his two brothers. Hadrian's face was twisted and Gaul stared at him hard. "Hadrian," Even Byzantine could feel the gentle compulsion in the velvety voice.

"We find and protect the woman at all costs," Hadrian ordered launching himself into the air.

Byzantine and Gaul exchanged glances. This…intruder is his lifemate? Byzantine asked.

It would appear so. Let's follow him before he does something stupid.Gaul sent launching himself into the air. Byzantine quickly followed as they tracked both woman and servant to find where their brother's lifemate was being held. It was an older building. The building was a warehouse on the outside of town. It looked abandoned, but the three brothers knew otherwise. Byzantine took the form of a snow leopard and came in from one side as his brothers came each took other points of entry. The smell of old blood was thick in the air and laced with the scent of freshly spilled blood. Byzantine knew that Hadrian would be overcome with rage. It was only a question of how long Hadrian could control the beast. The brothers found the entrance to the underground chamber and entered silent and undetectable.

It was a sight that would demand vengeance from any Carpathian male. There were three females in the room. Two of them were bound to replicas of ancient Roman crosses with gags and blindfolds. Blood ran down their bodies in tiny rivulets. The more muscled of the two females was rigid in an attempt at composure. The other female had the gag crushed between her teeth as a knife was run down her right arm. The other female was small and childlike. She was folded small and tight to fit in a cage that could never be suitable for an animal. Thick, pale red-gold hair fell down over her arms hiding her face. Byzantine stopped abruptly. Color! A color so bright and vivid it almost hurt his eyes. A snarl ripped from his throat. These idiot humans had dared to scare and imprison his mate. They should be grateful it was only death that awaited them.

Byzantine made himself visible and watched as the man's eyes widened in terror. Byzantine lunged at the man and brought him to the ground before ripping the man's throat out. Byzantine stood up in his human form and turned to where Hadrian had the fourth and only other living human male forward. The male had wild savage look in his eyes. Byzantine went to stand at his brother's side. Hadrian looked deep into the human's eyes and spoke in a velvet soft voice. "You will tell us everything human."

The human crumbled easily to his will. He confessed the purpose of him and his companion. They had been hunting for vampires. They had been sent after the twin females and believed that the younger female in the cage was merely their servant. They had been torturing the vampires believing that it was their duty. The human had been almost certain that his companions had enjoyed it. Byzantine and his brothers reached into the human's mind until they had all that the human's mind. "For your crimes, you will be give justice." The three brothers growled as they killed the man with their power.

Byzantine ignored the human's husk and his brothers. Instead he stalked over the cage and tore open the door. His lifemate cowered away from him, her large aquamarine eyes wide with terror. "Do not be afraid honey. I will not harm you. My brothers and are I here to save you. I promise."

The girl bit a full pink lower lip and looked at him uncertainly. Finally she reached out a delicate pale hand to him and Byzantine took her out of the cage and swung her up into his arms. Hadrian faced the center of the room and waited for his brothers. "I will return soon enough." Hadrian said turning to his brothers. Gaul held the muscled woman protectively in his arms while Byzantine cradled the terrified woman-child to him.

"It seems we were all fortunate," Byzantine said with a twisted smile.