Dark Melody (28 page)

Corinne turned the information over and over in her mind. It sounded insane, something from a science fiction story, but the fact remained that the doctors had given up on her and she was supposed to be dead. Her fingers remained tangled with Dayan's for support. "I feel much better."

Desari's smile was beautiful. Her raven-colored hair was in a thick braid hanging to her waist. She tossed it carelessly over her shoulder. She looked so poised, so beautiful and healthy, so alive that Corinne found herself close to tears. She herself would never look that good, not in a million years, and beside her was Dayan, the perfect male specimen.

'There can be no other for me, honey.'
His voice whispered intimately in her mind, a soft reprimand. He flooded her with his feelings, everything at once. She sensed aching love, so strong that nothing could ever come between them, not even death. Physical desire, a raging fire in his blood, a hunger and need to unite them for eternity.
'You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I do not see another.'

There was something wildly erotic about talking to Dayan in her mind. It was so private and sinfully intimate. Corinne blushed for no reason at all. She was so pleased with his response to her thoughts, she barely noticed the two men who had entered the room.

Gregori cleared his throat politely, inclining his head toward her. "I hope you are feeling better, Corinne."

Her fingers tightened around Dayan's. "I am, thank you very much." She blushed, realizing she sounded like a child thanking an adult.

"What we did is temporary, Corinne." The healer's silver eyes glittered at her. "I do you the courtesy of telling the truth. The disease has progressed beyond our abilities to cure it. I will treat you as often as necessary to ensure that your daughter has time to grow strong. She needs a few more weeks. Every day, every hour counts for her. You must stay on bed rest and not tax your heart. Do not fear the birth; we have no intention of allowing you to slip away from us." Gregori smiled his encouragement. "Darius is with me, and I know he can appear quite intimidating. I do not want his manner to frighten you. He is my younger brother, and if he snarls at you, I will take him to task as befitting a younger sibling."

Corinne blinked. It took a heartbeat or two to realize the predatory man with the slashing eyes was teasing her. Teasing his brother. She glanced at Darius. Her mouth twitched, but she managed not to smile. "I'm certain you heard that, Darius. I'll take full advantage if you get all snarly on me."

For all her teasing manner, Corinne still gripped Dayan's hand hard when Darius loomed over her. Like his older brother Gregori, Darius wielded a power that seemed to fill the entire room. Dayan's enormous power was strong but subtle. Gregori and Darius were altogether different. A bit shorter than Dayan, they carried most of their weight in their wide shoulders and muscular arms. Each had pulled his long black hair back with a leather thong at the nape of his neck. While Gregori had peculiar silver eyes, Darius's eyes were as black as coal. Both looked very dangerous. Corinne couldn't believe she had dared to tease them.

"Good evening, little sister," Darius said courteously. "I am glad to see you have awakened. I was beginning to worry, something I prefer not to do. You will do well to remember that." He leaned close to her ear, speaking in a fake whisper. "Just so you know, Gregori does not travel with the band."

Corinne found herself smiling. "Thanks for cluing me in. I guess I won't be ratting you out after all. He probably just wanted an excuse to pound on you."

"Most likely. He has a certain reputation – a myth, you know – but he likes people to believe he is the bogeyman. Do not let his severe frown get to you. How is your daughter behaving?"

Corinne smiled at him. "She seems very strong, kicking quite a bit."

"That is the answer I wanted. You gave your lifemate quite a scare. Do not do that again." He made it a decree, as if everybody obeyed him. She suspected everyone probably did.

"Is your breathing any easier this evening?" Gregori asked.

Corinne studied Gregori's handsome face. There was a definite resemblance between Desari, Gregori and Darius.
'Gregori is the lifemate of Savannah Dubrinsky. Do you recognize the name?'
Dayan wanted to remind her that Gregori was taken. He owed the healer much, but he couldn't shake the notion she might find him attractive.

'Of course I do. Savannah Dubrinsky is a famous magician. In any case, you are the only man I find remotely attractive,'
Corinne assured him, secretly amused. She thought he was the handsomest, the most charming and romantic man in the world. How could he possibly be concerned she might look at anyone else?
'You're very silly.'
It didn't occur to her in that moment that she was easily reading his anxiety.

"I am going to check the baby," Gregori said, deliberately bringing her attention back to him. "She is strong and she wants to live. She has rare talents, much like you have. She is very precious to our people."

"You have to save her, no matter the cost." Corinne didn't look at Dayan. She sensed the strength of will in the healer, his complete determination to save her daughter.

Gregori's silver eyes shimmered for a moment like molten mercury, and then he shook his head. "There will be no trading of life, Corinne. You have a lifemate. We will not lose either of you. Each couple is needed. Both you and your baby will be saved. Dayan will not allow otherwise. You must believe that completely. Your daughter is very aware of you and already is bonded. She will not want to trade her life for yours. And we cannot lose her either. There will be no trade."

Corinne watched him closely. He was breathing deeply, regularly, then seemed to go into a self-induced trance. The same trance she had observed in her bizarre dream. She glanced up at Dayan. ‘I
was really in that cave, wasn't I?'

He sighed audibly.
'Do you really want the answer, honey?'

"Corinne," Darius said very calmly, "your heart is beginning to accelerate rapidly. Breathe and keep it under control. You must be aware of your heart rate, and when it begins to quicken, you need to relax and focus to bring the rhythm back to normal. You are capable of doing so. You must start believing."

Corinne immediately obeyed, suspecting there was a hidden compulsion in the softly spoken order.
'Don't
put me off this time, Dayan. I was in that cave.'
She kept her eyes steadily on Dayan's.

His black eyes became aggressive, trapping her stare in their dark mystery so that she couldn't have looked away from him even if she'd wanted too.
'I do not wish to alarm you, honey, and each time we speak about what I am or what is happening, your heart gets jumpy. If you are certain you want the truth and are ready to accept it, then I will give it to you gladly.'

She tilted her chin determinedly.
‘I always want the truth from you, Dayan. Without that between us, we have nothing at all.'

'I agree with you.'
He took a breath, counted to ten and let it out slowly. He was careful to be a shadow in her mind, ready to erase any revelation that might be too difficult for her to accept.
'The cave you were in is deep below the surface of the earth, below the mountain formed of fire and ice. It is a place of power, and we needed such a place to perform the healing ritual. The candles were made of herbs and compounds known to promote healing through aroma. The healing ritual was conducted by the two healers, their lifemates and my family. It was a large gathering. While we were attending to you, two other members of my family, Syndil and Barack, were rushing to aid Cullen.'

Chapter
12

"Come here to me, my love," Barack said softly, gliding to his lifemate even as he gave the command. He enfolded her in his arms. "You are drooping with weariness and you must feed."

"Cullen needs blood fast, Barack, or he may not make it. I am not a true healer like Darius or Gregori. I have never attempted such a healing before." Syndil rested her head on his chest, her fatigue catching up with her. "I do not know if I have done enough for him. My gift is in healing the earth, not humans or Carpathians. You must give him blood."

"You come before Cullen, Syndil," Barack said gently, his voice an invitation. Beneath her ear his heart was a steady beat; she could hear the beckoning of his blood, the ebb and flow of the essence of his life. Her arms circled his neck and she moved against him, restless and in need.

Syndil said his name softly as she slowly began to unbutton his shirt, her fingertips smoothing over the heavy muscles of his chest. She felt his body clench in answer, in anticipation. As always, she wondered anew at the beautiful mystery of their union. Barack. Her lifemate. She had known him throughout her long existence, and yet had not known the wonders of a true union until recently. The simple act of feeding was no longer just that. It was erotic and filled her with pleasure, with needs far beyond satiating hunger. She nuzzled his chest, smiled when his hands gripped her hair and his body moved aggressively against hers. Teasingly she nipped his chest, swirled her tongue over his jumping pulse, allowing the movement to trigger her incisors.

Barack groaned and pulled her tightly against him, wrapping her close while she fed. In the midst of the danger, with Cullen at the top of the society's hit list, Barack still felt the jolt of urgent need riding him hard. Syndil was careful – he could feel the hunger in her, sharp and fierce – but she took only enough to sustain her so Barack could give Cullen necessary blood as well. Afterward, Barack would always have a connection to Cullen, and Cullen to Barack, but they had no choice. If the mortal was to survive, he needed their healing blood to aid in repairing his damaged organs. Very carefully she closed the tiny pinpricks with the healing agent in her saliva and lifted her head, her eyes drowsy and slumberous. Barack bent his head at once to find her mouth, kissing her hard. "I am very proud of you, Syndil," he said softly.

"He is brave," Syndil replied, "and a good friend to us. He has risked his life many times. I wish Gregori or Darius had come to do this."

"You did fine." Barack reluctantly released her and sat on the edge of the bed. "I will give him blood, Syndil, and then we must take both of them out of here. Do not allow the woman to give you any trouble. Take control of her at once. No chances."

Syndil ruffled his hair as if he were a mere boy instead of the enormously strong man that he was. "Stop with the woman bit, Barack. Have you not touched her mind?"

"Who would want to except to command?"

"She was terribly traumatized. She does not see things she is afraid of because her mind does not allow it. She is merely protecting herself. It is the only way her mind could remain sane. Lisa is reliant on Corinne and clings to her as a safety net. Corinne is much stronger and must have realized it at an early age. She protects Lisa from the outside world, and Lisa knows she cannot get along without her. I have looked into her mind. She knows she needs a buffer."

Barack ducked his head, ashamed. "I do not deserve you. I never have."

"Very true," Syndil said complacently, "but I think I will keep you around anyway." She watched as he bent and lifted Cullen into his arms. Observing the expression on his face, her heart skipped a beat. Barack felt strong affection for the human, something few of their kind ever experienced. It was always necessary to keep a distance from humans so that no one ever found evidence their species existed. It was becoming more difficult as computers and travel made the world a much smaller place.

Barack murmured the ritual healing chant softly as he forced his blood into Cullen. A small amount only to aid in the healing of his broken and torn body. By their laws they should not have done so. They should have allowed him to die naturally, but Darius ruled their family, and to them he was a higher authority than the Prince of the Carpathians. It was Darius who had decreed Cullen was to be saved if possible. To Barack and Syndil, that meant they could use any means possible.

Syndil brushed back Cullen's hair with gentle fingers. "I am happy he is the one who found Lisa. He will always care for her and appreciate her goodness, where another man might see only her weakness."

Barack's black eyes fixed on her face. "I have apologized for my error."

She smiled at him. "It was an idle comment, not directed toward you, Barack, but I am glad you feel remorse for prejudging Cullen's choice so harshly before you touched her mind to find out if she was worthy of him. She will love him and be faithful. She will want only to please him and make him happy. Theirs is a good match. He needs to be needed, Barack."

Barack stopped the flow of blood from his wrist with a casual stroke of his tongue. "I am certain you are right, Syndil." He touched Cullen's mind to be sure that he was breathing easier, that his body had accepted the small amount of blood and was utilizing it to heal the terrible wounds. "We must take him out of here quickly, Syndil, to the safe house where we can better protect him. Call Lisa back to us."

Syndil took a step toward the closed door, then stopped abruptly, her alarmed gaze going to Barack's. "They are here. They have come for Cullen. We should have known they would move quickly to eliminate him. They consider him a threat and a traitor. Of course they would want to finish the job."

Barack could feel the vibrations of violence in the air, coming toward the room. "Four of them." He said it unnecessarily, tersely; Syndil could pick up the thoughts of violence as easily as he. "I will take Cullen, while you remove Lisa from danger. Call me if you have need of my aid to shield the two of you." He was already scooping Cullen easily into his arms, creating the illusion that Cullen remained lying helpless and still in the bed alone.

Syndil gave a very feminine cough of derision. She was an ancient, capable of walking unseen among humans and keeping Lisa from being seen as well. She dissolved instantly into mist and streamed from the room as the four human assassins shoved open the door. They stood a distance from the bed, pointing weapons at the motionless body they perceived to be there. The sound of the guns was muted, like a soft spitting that no one would hear beyond the door. Barack dulled it even further, directing the security guards and nurses away from the area to keep the humans as safe as possible.