Chapter 14

Samuel strode through the house carrying the woman who was wet and freezing. He had to get her warm as soon as possible. He entered the living room and swiftly made his way to one of the large overstuffed couches. He gently laid her down and then with a wave of his hand, her wet clothes became dry. Samuel grabbed a nearby blanket and covered her, tucking it around her body to keep her warm.

Still unconscious, Samuel studied the woman. She was small and had long, brown hair which was a tangled mess from the rain. She was translucent, her skin so white that Samuel couldn't help but think she actually needed blood. He sensed she was special and no ordinary human. She said she was searching for Stefan, but Samuel knew no one by that name.

Her eyes fluttered open and grew wide as she saw his large frame looming over her. He gave her a reassuring smile and tried to soothe her. "You are safe. No harm will come to you while you are here. I give you my word."

"Where am I?" she asked with a shaking voice.

"I am Samuel Falkland and you are in my home."

The woman tried to sit up, but held her head in sudden pain. Samuel instinctively reached inside her mind but found it surprisingly strong.

"Don't!"

He pulled back. "I am sorry," he said sincerely. "I only intended to heal your pain."

"You…you said you are Falkland?" When he nodded, she persisted. "The Falkland twins?"

Samuel cocked his head, unsure of how she knew of them. "What were you doing out in this weather?" He was surprised when she suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Stefan…is he here? Please tell me."

"I am sorry. I do not know anyone named Stefan."

"But he said you would come for me. He has to be here!"

Samuel was puzzled. "Where do you live?"

"I-I don't have a home. The lab…Morrison captured me when I was a child. They captured Stefan but he escaped. He freed me."

"But then he left you alone?" No Carpathian male of worth would leave a psychic woman with no protection.

The woman began to cry. "Please help me. Help me find him! I have to find him. I can…feel him."

Samuel desperately wanted to calm her mind. "You are in shock. Let me help you. Relax your mind and let me see."

"No!" she said sharply. "I won't allow anyone ever again into my mind. I don't care if he said you would protect me. I'm not going through that ever again."

Samuel sighed, trying to call on his patience. And his twin selected the perfect time to cut into his thoughts.

What the hell is going on?

For once, I have no idea, Samuel shot back in exasperation. He felt Pierce in his mind, instantly taking in the information about the woman.

She began to sit up again, trying to get to her feet.

Samuel placed his hand on her arm. "I don't think you are well enough and you certainly are not going back outside in that rain."

"I don't care. You can't stop me."

"Oh really," replied Samuel while raising his eyebrows. He became slightly amused as she struggled to free her arm from his iron grip.

"Let me go!"

Samuel, you aren't helping, sighed his twin.

And just exactly what am I supposed to do? She won't let me into her mind.

Use that charm of yours, replied Pierce dryly.

My charms are reserved for our lifemate.

True. You're probably completely out of practice on other women.

Samuel grew annoyed. Carissa is all I need.

Face it, you're now just as old and boring as me.

"You wish," muttered Samuel.

The woman jerked her arm free, pulling back from him. "What?"

"Forgive me. I was talking to my twin."

"But he's not here."

Samuel gave her another gentle smile. "My twin talks to me telepathically. It is common among Carpathians."

"Carpathians? You mean…vampires?"

"No, we are different," he assured her. Inwardly, Samuel beat down his anger. Morrison only thought all of them were vampires.

"Stefan said he was different."

Since she was no longer trying to run, Samuel sat down on the edge of couch. "He must have been Carpathian."

"What is the difference?"

"All males have darkness. Attached males, ones who have a lifemate, are able to control the darkness. But if a male does not find his lifemate, he loses all emotion. The temptation to feel anything, including a thirst for power and death, may turn them into vampires. A vampire has no honor. Their soul becomes black and their thoughts are twisted."

She was listening intently to him now. The color of her eyes seemed to deepen. "Yet a male won't turn vampire if he finds this lifemate." When he nodded, her voice shook. "How does he know?"

"When a male loses emotion, he also loses the ability to see in color. When he finds her, his world is turned upside down. Emotion and color are restored, sometimes almost painfully at first. It is hard to sort out, but eventually the male understands what is happening."

"And he…experiences pain?"

"Well, more like confusion." He gave a small, sheepish grin. "We tend to think we can command our lifemate at first. Her happiness and protection come first. Unfortunately, a male quickly finds out that those two traits can contradict each other."

She sat back, as if disappointed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just, I mean, he seemed to be in pain. When he touched my mind, he was in pain."

Samuel frowned. "I'm not sure why that would happen."

"He saved me."

"Yet he left you. No honorable male would leave you unprotected."

She shook her head. "He said he would send for you."

"We received no message."

So, what is her name? asked Pierce in his mind.

I don't know.

You really are losing your touch with other women, replied Pierce.

Shut it. He focused on the woman. "What is your name?"

"Arianna."

"Well, Arianna, you are safe with us."

She swallowed hard. "I don't…care about being safe. I need to find him! Please, you have to help me."

Samuel tried to soothe her. "We will do everything we can. But first, you must calm yourself. I swear I will not hurt you. Let me see into your mind."

Panic hit her heard. "No!"

He drew a deep breath, realizing she wasn't going to cooperate. "Okay," he said gently, "but your hunger is beating at me. When was the last time you ate?"

"I-I don't remember."

"Let me get you something?" When she didn't reply, he tried another tactic. "If he truly intended for my brother and I to provide for your safety, he would want you to have nourishment." When she finally gave a small nod, in an instant he was on his feet and headed to the kitchen.

Arianna looked around and found she was in an enormous room. Several feet away from her there were windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, giving a spectacular view of the city lights far below. Samuel had disappeared and she took advantage while she could. Standing, Arianna walked over to a large desk against the far wall. She sifted through the various papers, noting a number of what appeared to be ancient maps.

And then she saw the word 'Carpathian' on one of them. Carefully, she unfolded it and discovered details of the Carpathian Mountains. There was a note attached to the bottom which read: "Mikhail Dubrinsky." There was nothing else…no other content or writings about why the map was related to this Mikhail. But if this was the Carpathian Mountains, was that where Stefan was headed? Was he Carpathian or vampire?

"Looking for something?" asked a deep voice.

Arianna's heart almost came out of her chest when she looked up to find Samuel looking down at her. "Oh! I-I'm sorry. I was just-"

"Snooping?"

She flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, but if I can find out where he went…"

"My brother already said we would assist you."

"Your brother? I mean, that was you-"

The man stepped back and gave her a formal, elegant bow. "I am Pierce Falkland, Samuel's twin. You are most welcome in our home."

She now realized who she thought had been Samuel was wearing different clothes. Pierce was dressed in a casual, but elegant manner. His blue silk shirt with black trousers made him look like a model from some of the magazines Derrick would sometimes allow her to read.

Derrick.

The memories came flooding back all at once. From the time when she was a little girl, he'd haunted and tormented her. Vampire or not, Stefan had put an end to his terror.

"Arianna?" Pierce said softly.

"I'm sorry, I need a moment." Arianna meant to walk back to the couch, but she found herself falling. In an instant, strong arms caught her. She felt herself being carried and then set down on soft cushions. When she opened her eyes, she found two identical faces looking at her with concern.

"What happened?" one of them asked.

"What does it look like? She fainted."

"You must have said something wrong."

"Or maybe you took too long with the soup and she fell over from starvation," shot back the other twin.

"Maria usually does these things. I wanted to make sure I had the right nutrients for what she needs. Makes me realize how grateful I am to feed our lifemate only blood."

"Samuel, she's already ill. You don't need to bring up that particular subject when she needs to eat."

"I thought you said she was starving."

"I did."

"You just said she was ill."

Arianna opened her mouth and let out a small noise of irritation which had both of them looking at her. "I'm fine."

The one twin jabbed the other. "See?"

"Samuel, shut it. Arianna, we need you to eat. Can you sit yourself up?"

She struggled, and the twins reached out to help her. A few large pillows were placed behind her and once sitting, the twins sat down on the edge of the couch. One of them held out a bowl of steaming soup and her stomach rolled. "I…can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't eat. I don't seem to be able to hold anything down."

The twin not holding the soup gave his brother an 'I told you so look.' But then he gave Arianna a nod with sympathy. "Will you allow me to help you?" When she hesitated, he tried again. "You cannot find Stefan unless you are strong."

Arianna reluctantly allowed him to take control, although she still refused to let him see into her mind. Still, he was able to control her just enough to eat the soup and keep her stomach under control. Finished, she felt slightly better and looked at the twins. "You're identical."

"In looks only," said one.

"You're Samuel," Arianna said as she noted he was wearing jeans.

"She's onto us," replied the other.

Samuel grinned at her. "Admit it, I'm the better looking one."

Arianna couldn't help but give way to a smile and he laughed. "See Pierce? I haven't lost my touch with other women just yet."

"I don't think Carissa would appreciate you saying that."

Arianna completely lost her smile. "Carissa?"

"Our lifemate." When she didn't say anything, Pierce tried to explain. "Usually there is only one lifemate for each male. But Samuel and I share a soul. Carissa makes us complete."

But Arianna was thinking about what Stefan said. "Carissa?" she whispered.

Samuel jabbed his twin. "Nice going. Now she's in shock."

Pierce sighed. "As if you're helping."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who said something that made her faint."

A female's voice suddenly broke in. "Will you both stop? She's here for only a few minutes and you're already driving her crazy."

"You love it when we drive you crazy," said Samuel. He stood up and pulled a small woman with long, brown hair into his arms.

The woman smiled at Arianna. "Hello, I'm Carissa. I'm sure my lifemates can help you find who you're looking for."

Arianna opened her mouth but nothing came out.

Carissa looked at her with sudden concern and sat down in Samuel's place. "Are you okay?" She took Arianna's hand.

"He spoke of you," she replied, her throat suddenly feelings tight.

Carissa's eyes widened. "It's you." She swallowed hard. "He said before he left to tell you he was sorry."

Arianna began to tremble. "Stefan?"

"No," said Carissa shaking her head, "Tyrell."

The twins immediately stiffened. "Excuse me?" asked Pierce.

Without taking her eyes off Arianna, Carissa answered. "Tyrell told me on our private link that he would send word to both of you. He wanted you to watch over her." She looked at Arianna and squeezed her hand. "I know it was him. And his name is Tyrell."