Cole swiftly scooped up her younger sister and cradled her against her chest. Then she quickly ran back through the tunnels.

That was-.

When we get home, we are going to have a discussion about you being out past your bedtime. Not to mention running around in the snow in just your pajamas! And I promise you are not going to like it one bit.

I felt you were hurt. She hung her head and pouted.

Cole's heart melted. Of course that's why she had woken up, undoubtedly climbed out of her window, and then walked all the way through the snow to her. Cole hugged her little sister tightly to her chest. Then she made sure the coat was wrapped snuggly around her sister.

Did you walk straight here from the van?

Sarah gave a very un-lady like mental snort. No! I walked in someone's foot steps to that busy inn then walked from there.

Cole beamed at her little sister. She did well in covering her tracks.

Good, now I'm going to fly you back to the van. When you get there I want you to go straight to bed. It is well past your bedtime.

But you're hurt.

Cole smiled reassuringly at her little sister, I will be fine, little princess. When I get home, you can patch me up like new.

Sarah debated it for a long moment before asking Promise?

Promise. Tell the other two not to wait up for me.

Okay. Cole smiled and then pulled her rapier off of her back. She let it hover in the air in front of her so Sarah could climb on. When they reached the exit of the cave, Cole stopped running and sent Sarah on her way. She settled into her sister's mind so she guide the weapon all the way home.

Gale you still covering us?

Yep.

Good, I'm going to lay false trails. I'm sure they will try and follow us.

No doubt about it.

Cole retrieved ten senbon needles from a wrist guards hidden under her sleeves. Normally senbon needles were used for acupuncture, but Cole found that a six inch needle jammed into soft flesh tended to slow humans and even vampires down. She wiped one end of them under her armpits. The other end she poked into the bubble of blood around her wound. This way they would smell both her and her blood. Then she levitated the needles, and sent them in all directions. They would go zooming off leaving a faint scent trail for the Carpathian hunters to follow. She would leave a wide open area in the direction opposite of their camp. This way when they realized they had been tricked and went the one direction that didn't have sent they would be all turned around. By then, she would be gone.

Cole felt the three Carpathian's in pursuit, so she pulled her twin Chinese hooked blades from their strap and stepped onto the flat part of the blade. She then rose high up in the air; so they wouldn't scent her, and waited. The three men came out a few moments later.

"This isn't good Mikhail." The Dark One told the man in the middle; the one who had spoken to Sarah.

So he really was the prince, Cole thought as she bared her teeth at him.

"That boy was weak from his injuries, and if he is the girl's only protection."

Mikhail chuckled.

"This is not a laughing matter Mikhail. That girl could be a lifemate to one of our warriors."

Cole wanted to rip the man's throat out. She would never let her sister be forced into a relationship with one of these beasts. Sarah was only eight for God's sake.

"Which wouldn't make much of difference Gregori, seeing as the girl is but a child. Besides, I think her brother would sooner butcher one of our warriors than let harm come to his sister. I didn't even see the knife he threw at Andre until he was bleeding."

Andre grunted his agreement. "He is good, I'll give him that, but the child is even more so."

Gregori nodded "I have never, in all my years, seen one who could heal without using magic or leaving one's body. At such a tender age too, and her inner light grew brighter after it. These two could be a God sent to our people Mikhail."

Mikhail seemed to choose his words carefully. "I do not think they will willingly help us."

"They need our protection," Gregori insisted.

"Do they?" Mikhail asked, "He took on a vampire and while he was wounded, we couldn't smell the blood on him or at the site where he killed the vampire. That boy has no small amount of skill. And his sister is a healer, so she'll probably fix him up without much trouble. I think we need them more than they need us. And from the sounds of it they have every right to hate us."

"You mean what the boy said about his grandmother?" There was disbelief in Gregori's voice.

Cole had to resist the vicious urge to throw a senbon at the back of his neck.

"How do you know he even speaks the truth?"

"It was in his eyes, there was pain and anger there. The little girl looked like she was going to go to tears when he mentioned their grandmother and she looked at me like I had betrayed her. I doubt they could fake that. Whatever happened to their parents and grandparents the children clearly view it as our fault, particularly mine if his reference to the royal blood is anything to go by."

Cole sneered at him. Yes, it was his fault, and she hoped he suffered greatly for it, especially after they used that damn crystal to try and trap her there. Cole directed her sword towards home after she made sure the three hunters were chasing her false leads. She hovered close to the ground once she was sure she was far enough away to risk it. She tried to reach out to her brother mentally, but she had used up all her strength and exhaustion was a heavy weight on her body. Her mind disconnected from her siblings as her vision blurred as the ground rose up to meet her. Then everything was still and the only thing Cole was aware of was the cold seeping into her body.

Am I going to die here, she wondered as her eyes drifted shut. She was going to die because she over extended herself. Her father was turning over in his grave at her carelessness. A snuffling noise distracted Cole, bringing her out of her thoughts of the afterlife. Warmth spread through her body as a dog snuggled close to her. No, it was not a dog, it was a wolf. Cole opened her eyes to see a beautiful tricolored female wolf snuggled up against her, but it felt wrong. It was like the wolf was a Carpathian. Unconsciousness swallowed Cole up before she could comprehend what her senses were telling her.