Dax moved through her body, white light illuminating the dark blue clusters of cells spreading slowly, multiplying and invading healthy cells. Dax attacked the clusters with bursts of energy. The darker cells tried to hide from him, but he ruthlessly followed them, moving through every organ to ensure he got every last one. He would never be complacent about her health or safety again. Had she not begun to question why she was acting out of character, the virus might have had a much better chance of taking hold.
He knew the moment he returned to his body, the owl would attack, because Mitro would know Dax would be at his weakest and would orchestrate the strike that way. The bird was a predator and would hurl itself at Riley, going for her eyes with its lethal talons.
Jubal. Watch for the one you can’t see. He couldn’t help himself, he had to warn Jubal. As much as he’d learned of the two human men traveling with him, he still preferred to rely on himself, especially when it came to protecting his own lifemate.
Clever Mitro. I know you so well by now.
Dax burst into his body, accepting the disoriented effect that came with shedding one’s physical shell and then returning to it. Simultaneously, he allowed the armor lurking beneath his skin to the forefront. Diamond-hard scales erupted from his feet to his neck, sliding over his skin to encase him in a shield. He spun around in a quick circle feeling for the real attack. The cat hit him hard in the chest, a monster of a jaguar, the hot breath on his face as wicked teeth rushed for his throat. Claws raked at his belly.
As if from a distance, he heard the rush of wings as owls dropped from the trees, talons extended, trying to get at Riley. He clamped his hands around the neck of the jaguar, holding the teeth away from his neck. A gun went off right near his ear and two more fired from a short distance away. With a quick wrench of his hands, he broke the neck of the cat and flung the body from him, turning to face the threat of the owls.
Three birds lay dead on the ground surrounding Riley. She held a gun in her hand. Jubal and Gary stood with guns out as well. Handy thing, guns. Dax liked the idea of them. A gun might not kill a vampire, but it could definitely kill a vampire’s puppets. Mitro was clever, but he hadn’t counted on Gary and Jubal or guns. This trap hadn’t slowed them down or caused real harm.
Dax nodded his thanks to the two men and reached down to help Riley to her feet. She stood a little shakily, and Gary leaned in to remove the gun from her hand.
“Maybe we should be a little careful with this thing,” he said.
Riley held out her hand. “I hit the thing instead of you, didn’t I?”
Gary grinned at her. “I believe you did, Miss Parker.”
Dax found the exchanges between the men and Riley interesting. He “felt” their affection for one another. Teasing seemed to be an art form.
Riley checked her gun before slipping it back into her pocket. She made a little face. “Here comes Weston. How are we going to explain this?”
Dax waved his hand toward Weston and the man stopped abruptly, looked around him and scratched his head as though he’d forgotten what he was doing. Riley’s laughter spilled into Dax’s mind.
I wish I had that particular talent.
You will, he assured. Aloud, to Jubal he added, “Let’s get them moving again. We want to make the river before the sun is up. If we’re being flown out of here, we’ll have to give the helicopter somewhere safe to land.”
I suppose I’ll learn everything I want to know without having to go to school as well, Riley said. You’ll be making my profession obsolete.
He brought her hand to his mouth, placing a kiss in the center of her palm. “Only for you,” he murmured.
She laughed, just as he knew she would. He found he was becoming just as addicted to the sound of her laughter as he was to the way she looked, that soft glow and the curve of her mouth.
Before we join the others, you might want to get rid of your scales. I think you look adorable, but Weston probably will be incredibly rude. You know how you get when people are rude; better just to change out of that outfit.
Her laughter teased at his body this time, the vibration rushing through him like an aphrodisiac while fingers of sound stroked. He found himself laughing with her. Mitro had just made another try at her and Riley had shaken it off and was teasing him.
You’re quite something, lifemate. He held out his hand to her.
She sent him a quick smile and placed her hand in his. They made their way back to the others, Dax ensuring none of the other travelers, other than Jubal and Gary, would remember anything that happened. Once again, Dax lifted the professor and they started off for the clearing where the helicopter was to meet them.
The flutter of wings overhead told Riley they weren’t completely out of danger. She was shaken at the thought that even when Mitro was long gone from the forest, he could still leave such successful traps behind. He was much more powerful than she had ever imagined. She should have known when Dax was so amazing and yet in battle after battle with the vampire, neither had won. Mitro had to at least be his equal.
“Stay alert,” Dax advised Jubal and Gary. “Keep everyone in a tight formation and pick up the pace.”
The travelers fell into line, Weston and Shelton grumbling as usual. “It’s best to stay quiet,” Dax said. “You never know what’s going to trigger a jaguar attack.”
Weston swore under his breath, but both men immediately fell silent. Riley hid a smile. You have such a way with people.
I am learning to be in your world.
Smug. Arrogant. Male. Hot as hell. Why in the world did she find him so attractive? He made her feel as if she could do anything when she was with him.
I think I’ve fallen in love with you. Right here in this rain forest in this terrible, awful, ugly situation. She made the confession as she walked along the trail, keeping her head down as if she was watching the narrow trail. All the while, she held herself still. You’re so beautiful, Dax. Your heart. Your soul. I don’t think I could ever find a better man.
Dax poured himself into her mind, needing the closeness every bit as much as she did. Carpathians knew. There was no doubt for them. But humans wondered. Worried. And Riley was moving from her world into his—an enormously generous decision. A gift beyond price. How could he not treasure her?
Dax felt his soul brush hers. You are hän ku kuulua sívamet, which means, “keeper of my heart.” And you are ainaak enyém, “forever mine.” I am fully aware of the courage it took for you to bind yourself to me without fully knowing what you were getting into, and I will forever be the keeper of your heart, Riley. I will be forever yours.
Riley hugged his words to her as she kept moving through the dense foliage. She listened to the sound of water racing down the slopes and over rocks to run in narrow ribbons or wider streams. Water was everywhere. Drops fell from the leaves above them to add to the rushing rivulets. More water burst from the side of the hill in a long fall over boulders, a frothy stream of glittering silver. Below the waterfall, the large, moss-covered rocks formed a pool.
Bright green moss covered everything near them, the rocks, the fallen tree trunks, even the trees standing. Riley spotted flowers springing from the green slopes and rocks, some in bushes almost as tall as some of the smaller trees. The splashes of color along with the bright silver of the water in the dark were beautiful. She wished she was alone with Dax and could just sit quietly with him, holding hands and listening to the sounds of the waterfall splashing into the cool pool below.
Dax answered her with a caress down her cheek. I can always have the Old One make an appearance. He isn’t fond of people. He’ll clear them away fast.
Riley laughed, unable to contain her happiness that she had him. He made her feel safe in a world turned upside down. She could forget the ugliness of the situation for just a few minutes and see the beauty around her because of him.
“It’s damned hot,” Weston called. “Come on, Riley, want to strip down naked and go swimming tonight
with all of us? Bet you’d like that. You’d be the center of attention.”
Riley glanced back at Dax. Their eyes met. Amusement bubbled up. Serpent in paradise. There’s always one.
The Old One particularly finds him foul.
Riley reached deeper. The dragon opened a sleepy eyelid, winked and went back to sleep. He wanted little to do with man. The Old One, or you? she teased.
Perhaps both, Dax conceded. His hands were gentle on the professor, his steps sure as they continued hiking toward the river. If Weston truly wishes to be naked, I can help him with that.
The trail led down a ravine and back up the other side. The going was easier. Miguel’s machete was silent. Ferns grew everywhere, in between the boulders and along the banks of the pool and stream, creating a glimpse of paradise.
Don’t you dare! Laughter bubbled over.
Perhaps not, Dax agreed, but he quickened his pace until he was up beside Weston.
The engineer snickered. “You got something to say to me? I’m just saying what every man here is thinking, including you.” He grinned at Riley. “Isn’t that so, baby? Your fantasy. Naked with all these men licking that gorgeous skin. You’d love it.”
Riley’s heart stilled. She shook her head, her breath burning in her lungs. Weston had no idea what he was dealing with. Dax could go from easy-going to extreme violence and back in seconds. Don’t. Don’t hurt him.
He will not feel a thing. His voice had gone from soft and sensual to grim and forbidding.
A shiver went down Riley’s spine. This was a man—a being—one couldn’t control. He would go his own way, make his decisions based on the rules of his world—not hers.
Weston opened his mouth to taunt Dax again and a deep, bullfrog croak came out. Startled, Weston’s hand went to his throat, his eyes going wide. Shelton burst out laughing. “Dude! What’s wrong with you?”
Riley pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Your sense of humor is out of hand.
I don’t find anything about Weston humorous. You wish him to live, so better he croaks this way than another.
There was no amusement in his voice, or in her mind, but his answer made her laughter escape in spite of her determination not to encourage him.
Weston cleared his throat and tried again. A series of loud sounds much like croak, croak, croak burst from his throat.
Even Jubal’s mouth twitched as though he had to suppress his laughter. Gary and Miguel smirked, but neither commented. Miguel continued leading the line of travelers down through the narrow canyon that was a shortcut to the river. The small gorge would save them miles.
You can’t leave him like that.
I think it’s best, Dax replied.
Once again warmth flooded her mind, all that slow, heated molasses filling her brain with erotic fantasies.
He can’t say your name and naked in the same sentence, not without me remembering just how soft your skin is. The only man to lick water off your skin is going to be me.
A frisson of pure arousal slid down her spine. Heat curled in her belly. Even when he was being bad—especially when he was being bad—he was downright sexy.
Now you’re just being outrageous. She paused and then let her imagination take flight, wickedly feeding him a few fantasies of her own.
She felt his breath catch in his throat. Fire smoldered deep.
You could get yourself in trouble. I can always shield us from prying eyes, and believe me, sivamet, I am more than willing.
Her womb clenched. Hot moisture gathered. Her breasts felt instantly achy. She would love to be in his arms, legs wrapped tight around his waist, him buried deep inside her. She would love to be in the cool water with him, under the waterfall, or better yet, in a soft bed …
Hard bed, he corrected. The things I could do to you in a hard bed. Or on a hard floor.
She swallowed, nearly stumbling at his sexy implication. The things he could do with his voice alone left her breathless; she couldn’t imagine what he had in mind on a hard bed. Her mouth went dry and the blood in her veins throbbed. The ground shifted beneath her feet.
Riley glanced down to see water bubbling up around the soles of her boots. The ground appeared so saturated that the water had nowhere to go. It actually took a moment for her mind to assimilate what was happening. She looked around her. Water leaked from the moss-covered boulders and trickled between smaller rocks. She blinked and several small mudslides gave way to ribbons that swelled in volume.
We have to get out of here. This is a natural basin and it will flood fast. The other side of the canyon looked a good distance away. More leaks were springing, the mountain too saturated to hold all the water. I should have been warned. I should have known.
She felt as if the earth had betrayed her. Granted, she was diverted by her exchange with Dax, but still, she should have felt her connection with the earth was so strong, she should have been warned the water was rising all around them.
Another trap, Dax soothed softly. Mitro knows I can counter this, so why would he bother? It makes no sense. Can you feel anything beneath the water? Or perhaps in the sides of the canyon?
Riley fought down panic. Miguel picked up the pace, clearly reading the danger. Both Jubal and Gary looked at Dax briefly and then at each other. They must have known Dax could stop the rising of the water, or at least delay it enough for them to get out, but neither said anything.
She forced her mind to stretch, to see beyond the obvious danger of the moment. It was difficult to get past the urge to flee. Her brain told her flight was best, but she grabbed on to Dax’s calm and took a deep breath and let it out. She actually felt her mind unfurl, reaching for her connection to the earth. For a moment, she felt a little dizzy, disoriented, as if she was in two places at one time—aboveground and below.
Sounds faded, the pounding footsteps, the splash as boots hit the water inching up on the trail, the roar of the falls, everything receded until she was left with the whispers of the earth. She went still inside, even though she continued forward, on automatic pilot, her eyes on the man in front of her.
A river rushed beneath the canyon, fed now by the continual rain. Steam rose around them, curling through the boulders and reaching out like fingers toward them. Something moved, shifting continually, hiding in the vapor. She was aware of the movement just outside her vision. The sensation was dreamlike, as if she watched from a distance, seeing the steam drifting as the water table rose.
There was something more … Something she just missed. It was there, lurking beneath the water, waiting for its moment. The thing waited, watched, radiating malevolent hunger. She had the impression of red eyes staring beneath the water, fangs dripping. No, not thing—things.
Riley gasped and shook her head adamantly. No, Dax. Don’t.
You control the water. Don’t try to stop it, that will trigger the attack. Just slow it down.
Riley knew she had no choice. Dax was going to face the monsters below them. He trusted her to stop the rush of water pouring into the canyon from both sides as well as the water rising up beneath them. He was utterly calm and matter-of-fact. She took a breath and nodded her head, the terrible rolling in her stomach stilling. She would do this. If he could face those fangs and the single-minded purpose to kill them all, she could slow the rising of the water, but she’d have to get to it—the water was up to their ankles, slowing them down.
Dax handed the professor off to Alejandro and Jubal, taking care to ensure Patton wouldn’t feel the jarring of the two men as they waded through the rising water. He waved his hands, weaving an intricate pattern, so that for a moment the air around them shimmered, cutting off the humans’ ability to see him, and he slipped beneath the soil to drop into the water below.
Jubal’s brain had contained a wealth of information, and Gary was a walking data bank. His mind carried billions of facts, some so strange and outrageous, at first it was difficult to believe, but when he looked into Riley’s memories of airplane
s and trips to the moon, those facts had been confirmed. There was so much he had missed while imprisoned in the volcano. He had knowledge of those things, but he hadn’t experienced them.
Evidently the college student Mitro had found was a walking data bank as well. Jubal recognized a form of the creatures waiting for him there in that river. Goliath tigerfish, although as always, Mitro had manipulated the species and enhanced their natural aggression and savagery. The tigerfish weren’t native to these waters, so the student had to have traveled elsewhere for them to have been in his mind. Surprisingly, it was Jubal’s memories that gave him the most data on the dangerous species. Clearly he was just as well traveled.
Riley’s memories had not contained any information on the fish. Riley. His Riley. She was such a miracle to him. He could feel her fear beating at him, but then she would shore up her defenses, set her shoulders and get the job done. There was so much about her to love. The moment she recognized what he intended to do, she no longer feared for herself—it was all for him. He couldn’t remember anyone ever worrying about him, and it was a strange, two-edged sword. His heart swelled with joy at that thought of a woman caring so much, but on the other hand, he really didn’t like to cause her anxiety.
Dax dropped deeper in the water until he felt the first stirrings of evil. The sensation seeped slowly into him rather than poured in. He expanded his vision as well as his senses, shifting into a tiny, nondescript leaf as he neared the gigantic fish. They were formed loosely in a pack, pacing slowly with the humans above them. As the water rose, so did they, gaining ground. So if the water table dropped, how could these fish possibly escape and do harm to those aboveground? What did Mitro have in mind?
Mitro was cunning. Dax would expect fish. Something nasty and brutally savage, but if he stopped the water rising, how would that trigger an attack from monster fish? He was missing something important. The water would rise, and if Dax or Riley didn’t stop it, the fish would attack. But if they did succeed in stopping it, then the fish would be useless to Mitro.
Dark Storm ('Dark' Carpathian Series) Page 30