Solange placed her hand over Jasmine's rounded stomach. "Not long now at all, Jasmine. Have you had any problems? I should have been checking in more often. I swear, time gets away from a person in the rainforest."

Her youngest cousin smiled at her and shook her head. "I've been fine. No more being sick, thank heavens. Everyone's been very helpful, but we were worried about you."

Solange ducked her head. Juliette and Jasmine had spent their lives worrying about her just as she had them. Perhaps having Dominic for a lifemate made her more aware of the people who loved her and how it had to be for them when she disappeared for long periods of time with no word at all and no way to know if she was alive or dead. "I'm sorry, Jasmine, I should have tried to find a way to get word to you that I was safe."

Jasmine's smile widened into a teasing grin. "Or at least that you found yourself a handsome hottie out there in the jungle."

Solange glanced at Dominic, wishing she had the time to tease and visit with her cousins. She would always be a little uneasy inside a house, always uneasy in the presence of men, even her cousin's family which technically made them hers, but she wanted to spend a little down time with these women she loved. She looked around at all of them, pressing her lips together tightly. It seemed she never came bearing good news. Jasmine was close to her term, and yet, even now, she couldn't rest and feel safe.

"What is it?" Nicolas asked. He came up quietly behind his lifemate, Lara, one hand settling gently on the nape of her neck.

The atmosphere in the room changed from joyous celebration to somber in an instant. Solange shook her head and squeezed Jasmine's hand, remaining close to her. Juliette came up on the other side of her very pregnant sister. Juliette's lifemate, Riordan put a hand on either of their shoulders in a gesture of comfort.

"We bring news of an attack, a large-scale, well-planned attack on your home and that of your people working here. This is to be the practice run before Malinov sends his army against the Prince. Zacarias will be out there," Dominic gestured toward the rainforest, "where he will do the most good. They will come soon and you must prepare those loyal to you for the fight, because they are certain to be on our heels."

"You used the word, 'army', Dominic," Rafael said. "How many are coming at us? You have any idea of the numbers?"

Dominic shook his head. "My sense is, we have a problem on our hands. We need to be prepared for waves of vampires and perhaps human puppets during the day if we do not defeat them immediately. The good news is, they have no idea we are aware of their plot."

"Jasmine can't stay here," Juliette said. "Solange, you have to take her somewhere safe."

Jasmine shook her head. "No. I'm tired of being the weak link, Juliette. Solange is always the one who faces our enemies. I can fight just as well as anyone else if I have to. I'm capable of using some of the weapons Riordan has developed for the workers to use to kill vampires. We do drills all the time. I know what to do."

"But…" Juliette turned her face toward Riordan who immediately pulled her closer to him. "Are you certain, Jasmine? Solange can get you out of here, you know she can."

Solange wasn't as certain as Juliette. "Here we have all six Carpathian males and six Carpathian females. I haven't lost my ability completely to face the day and Dominic is able to as well."

Nicolas frowned at her. "How is that possible?"

"It has something to do with Solange's blood," Dominic answered, aware Solange was very uncomfortable in the spotlight. "I cannot stay as long as Solange. We have done a little experimenting and in truth, we are still struck by the Carpathian weakness, our body going leaden when the sun is at its highest peak. But we have more hours in the morning and evening. That may aid us."

Nicolas continued to frown, his expression turning thoughtful. "Can this be shared by all of us, if we exchange blood with you?"

Solange tried not to squirm at the idea. She forced herself to stand straight, never changing expression. No matter how much she wanted to be comfortable in the presence of such overwhelming, powerful men, she knew she never would be.

I would give them my blood rather than have you distressed.

Every knot coiling so hard in her stomach, eased, settled. There it was, that velvet tone that stroked her deep inside where no one could see. Dominic. Her lifemate. She tasted him on her tongue. He stood with her, shoulder to shoulder. In front of her, or behind her. He was always going to be there with her.

"We are more than willing to share blood, with you, Nicolas," Solange said, knowing that with Dominic she could do whatever had to be done, including sharing her strange blood with the other males. "But you can't count on it to serve you without first testing it for limitations."

"And the effects seem to be accumulative. Zacarias was given blood, but there seemed little effect on him," Dominic added. "So we do not know who it will work on and just what they may be able to do with it."

Nicolas caught Lara's hand. "We will talk to the workers and give them the option of deciding for themselves whether they stay or go, with no repercussions later. This is not a human fight and even with all the training we have given them, they will be a terrible disadvantage. In any case, they should move their women and children out of harm's way. Rafael, you and Dominic work out a battle plan. Manolito get the structures protected. Riordan you do your best with the livestock." He turned his head, his eyes meeting Jasmines. "Little sister, you will do as you are told. You are precious to everyone in this room. You have a child to protect."

Jasmine shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Don't send me away from everyone I love, Nicolas. That's happened too many times in my life and everything is destroyed, everyone I care about dead or injured. I need to be here. I can handle weapons. I'm not a baby."

"No one said anything about you being a baby," Solange said gently. "He's saying we need to know what we're fighting for and you are our reason."

"Luiz and Josef will take Jasmine to the inside vault room the moment we are under attack. No vampire can get inside," Nicolas commanded. "No hesitation, Luiz. If you have to, carry her in and hold her there. Josef, I expect you to obey me in this. You are to guard her."

Josef looked rebellious. "I'm Carpathian and skilled in battle. You're letting humans battle vampires and yet expect me to hide. I may look like a boy to you…"

"I said you will obey me in this and I meant it. Just the fact that you would argue with me while everyone else is rushing to secure the compound is enough to show me you are too young to engage in actual battle."

Josef flushed and ducked his head. Even the tips of his ears were red.

Dominic stepped closer to him. "Have you forgotten you are the only one of us able to decipher the encryption we retrieved from the Morrison laboratory? We need that material to protect those innocent women-to ensure that not a single man who has a potential lifemate among those women is lost. That is a huge responsibility, Josef, and it lies solely with you. Do not ever forget your importance to your people. Playing hero and getting yourself killed would be foolish under the circumstances. Do you not agree?"

Josef shrugged his thin shoulders but he looked much happier. "Yeah. I forgot for a moment how important that was. I'm on it, Dominic, you can count on me."

"We are all counting on you, Josef," Dominic said.

The boy puffed out his chest. Solange found herself smiling. Where the De La Cruz brothers were more like her, annoyed at the boy for having to explain, Dominic was patient and had bolstered the boy's confidence with a few simple words. She really needed to learn such tricks from him.

Obviously you will make the better parent, Dominic, she conceded. That was nice of you.

Everything I said was true. He wants to be a hunter, but his true weapon is brain and that fact that he embraces the modern world as none of us truly do. We need him. He needs to know he is needed.

Solange loved him all the more for that observation.