Disclaimer: I do not own the Carpathian Series, and definitely do not own the amazing characters in Christine Feehan's wonderful books. This is just a fanfic.

"Alana!"

She woke in a fog, pushing reluctantly through layers of dreams to focus on the urgent knocking at her door. For a moment she wished nothing more than to drift back to sleep, to wait until her dark dream returned to her.

Shaking her head at the strange thought, Alana forced herself to get up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Hold on," she managed to get out while she searched through her luggage for something to wear. "I'll be right out."

She glanced at the clock on the bedside table as she brushed her teeth and made a sound of irritation. It was already late in the evening; she had slept the entire day away. Quickly, she changed her clothes and stumbled to the door, only remembering at the last minute to break the line of power she had set before falling asleep the night before.

When she opened the door, Alana was surprised to see the concerned faces of Josef and handsome young man. She peered around the doorway, noticing that Skyler and Dimitri had also come and were waiting patiently further down the hall. "Is everything okay?" she asked her friend, brown eyes blinking up at him owlishly. She really just wanted to snuggle back up under the covers.

Josef and the other young man shared a look of relief and her friend smiled warmly. "Alana, this is Paul. He's friends with me and Skyler."

Paul grinned and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you at last. I think we exchanged a couple posts on Josef's blog."

Alana wracked her brain for a minute as she shook his hand, then brightened in understanding. "Ranchcarp101?" she guessed.

"Hey, that's pretty good," Paul affirmed.

She chuckled, a little embarrassed at the praise. "I thought you just liked fish, but I guess the 'carp' part makes sense now."

Josef guffawed as Paul's face turned bright red. He and Paul used a number of different usernames online, but that one was one of Paul's favorites. "Fish," he repeated amusedly.

Behind them, Skyler stepped up, her dove gray eyes fixed on Alana with a hint of concern. "We worried when you didn't come down earlier."

"Yeah," Paul chimed. "We wanted to show you some of the area. Josef told us you study history and there are some pretty cool sites to visit."

"Um. Thanks." Truthfully, that was something Alana had been looking forward to, but she had just been so tired. And then her dreams had been filled with so many strange and wonderful things. . . She felt a blush creeping over her cheeks as she thought of one particular dream of a mysterious man hovering over her bedside, pressing a kiss to her neck. It took all her willpower to keep her hand from pressing against her throat at the thought of that dream kiss.

Skyler moved closer. "Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Alana pulled herself from her thoughts and took in everyone's concerned expressions. "Oh, yes. I'm fine. Just a little tired." She let out a little self-deprecating laugh. "My sleeping schedule is always a bit strange, and I guess with all this traveling, I'm just exhausted." She brightened. "Anyway, is there anything to do after dark here?"

Josef scratched the back of his neck, trying not to meet her eyes. "Actually, there's a get-together at Skyler's parent's place, if you wanted to come with us." He raised his head. "If not, there are some pretty cool movies I could share."

"A get together?" Alana asked dubiously. She didn't do crowds. Or parties. Or groups of more than five people at a time. It just didn't work out for her. Although, the only person she was picking anything up from right now was Paul, and even that was quieter than anything she normally felt. Maybe if everyone they knew was like that, it wouldn't be so bad.

Skyler smiled conspiratorially and placed a light hand on the other woman's arm. It was a rare thing for her to touch someone else, but she felt that Alana needed the contact. "If it gets too loud, we can go up to my old room and hang out." She shrugged. "We just figured you'd like to get a taste of life in the Carpathian Mountains; you know, immerse yourself in the culture."

Dimitri next tried his hand at convincing her, surprising Alana with his break from his usual reticence. "Our people have lived her for thousands of years, and while we have adapted to modern life fairly readily, our customs have changed little over the centuries."

It was a deal too good to pass up. Despite her reluctance, Alana was caught. It was such a rare opportunity to visit a community so endemic to an area. She wondered if Skyler's family would mind very much if she asked them about the region and its history.

Alana nodded slowly. "Okay," she acquiesced quietly. Josef and Paul exchanged grins and Skyler relaxed subtly. "But should I change first?" She glanced down at herself. She wore a form-fitting sweater and a pair of jeans but wondered if she shouldn't wear something nicer. The outfits was one of her favorite, the clothes a little worn.

Skyler shook her head. "You look fine," she assured the other woman. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, making her face light up. "Besides, I think it'll be a hit."

Alana didn't question any further and instead ducked back into her room to get her boots and jacket. She also picked up the old-fashioned phone by the bed and connected to the front desk, letting Slavica know she'd be gone for the evening.

When she was ready, Alana stepped out into the hall, silently fortifying herself for the social encounter to come. And then she stopped short. "Will there be food?"

Josef burst out laughing at the worry in her voice. He reached out a hand to ruffle her hair but stopped when a cold wind rushed down the corridor. He and Dimitri both looked around before Josef turned back to his friend. "Definitely."

As Josef and Paul walked Alana down to the lower level, Dimitri and Skyler remained where they were, pausing to find the source of their uneasiness. Twice they had sensed the presence of another while in Alana's company, but neither could say for sure.

I don't like this, Skyler said silently.

Neither do I. There is another here, but it is hard even for me to get a fix on him. Dimitri lifted Skyler's hand to his lips. Do you feel anything? As a Dragonseeker and a powerful psychic in her own right before her conversion, Skyler was very sensitive to the presence of the undead.

She shook her head. Nothing concrete. But there's still something . . . She trailed off, frustration filling her. "I just don't know," she admitted.

Dimitri drew his lifemate into his arms and dropped a kiss onto her head. "We are bringing her to your family, where she will be surrounded by a number of ancient warriors. If there is something stalking Josef's friend, we will find it.

Come, little love. Let us catch up with the others before they get into too much mischief.

Skyler's laugh filled his mind. Josef might just be banished if he does too much more.

Not if he keeps befriending young psychics, Dimitri countered thoughtfully. If it continues, he could well be a huge asset. Despite Josef's many antics, the young Carpathian male had been a tremendous help on numerous projects, including the recent efforts with the confiscated list of human psychics. The Carpathian community was just now beginning to realize the depth of his contributions to their people.

In the shadows of the inn, Andreas swore in the ancient language as his lifemate was escorted to the home of Gabriel Daratrazanoff. The gathering of that particular clan would prevent him from stealing her away, though it did not deter him. He had fed well that rising and had hoped he could lure his lifemate away from her friends for even a few moments. Still, the gathering could be used to his advantage if he was careful. Having lived a solitary existence for centuries as he hunted down and destroyed the undead, Andreas was unused to interacting with others of his kind. But perhaps tonight was the perfect night to present himself to Mikhail