Dark Challenge (Dark Series - book 5)

by Christine Feehan

  Julian grinned and followed her, his frame stretching and contorting into the heavy, well-muscled shape of a male leopard. He could smell her wild scent reaching out on the night wind to beckon him, and the wildness in him grew in response. To the male leopard, the female’s scent was as alluring as the most expensive perfume. The female leopard’s cry echoed eerily in the night, calling out to him. The male responded as if the call were a whisper of seduction.

  He picked up speed, and moved effortlessly, a streak of golden fur as he silently stalked his prey. When he saw her, the wildness in him increased until he was more primitive leopard than modern man. She was rolling playfully on a soft bed of pine needles, her curves sensuous, almost serpentine. She was so alluring, the male leopard could only watch for a moment, until his age-old instincts triggered his rising need and he cautiously approached the female.

  The female eyed him warily but did not rebuff his approach. He circled her, watching her every moment. She rolled again, moved closer to him so that he could touch her with his muzzle. She accepted his caress, returned it with one of her own. They looked at one another and then began to run together, leaping over logs and branches, winding through the forest with consummate grace.

  Inside the body of the leopard, Julian reveled in the stretch of muscles and sinew, in the night itself and the freedom of the forest. He smelled her welcoming invitation, read it in the seductive playfulness of her body. He stayed close to the female, nudging her occasionally, enjoying the way his body thirsted after hers. He was patient. A female leopard’s rebuff could be dangerous, and no male was going to risk her solid swipe. He simply stayed close to her, following his instincts.

  She slowed her run, then began to circle him playfully, occasionally crouching in front of him in invitation. When his heavier body went to blanket hers, she growled a warning and leapt away, only to return with another seductive invitation. Julian could feel the male cat’s rising urges; they grew stronger and more intense with each pass she took. She was so beautiful, her fur so sleek and soft, her muzzle perfect. Once more she crouched in invitation, tempting him. He blanketed her body, his teeth finding her shoulder to hold her still as he pressed closer to her, using his heavier weight to keep her motionless.

  At that moment, he was so much a leopard, so much animal and instinct, he never knew afterward whether it was the leopard or the man that reacted. He sensed the dark shadow reaching for them just as the attack came. He used his considerable power to knock the female far from him to give her a better chance to run. At the same time he tried to roll, to take the oncoming blow on his shoulder.

  The pain was intense as razor-sharp claws ripped through his shoulder to the bone. Instantly he cut off feeling to the area even as he melted out from under his attacker, shape-shifting as he did so. He faced the vampire in his human form, elegantly dressed, blood streaming from his wound, his golden hair a mane around his harsh face.

  Was this the one? Had his blood called his tormenter, betrayed his lifemate?

  From across the short distance between them he assessed his enemy, keeping his human body placed squarely in front of Desari. He didn’t look at her, didn’t waste time warning her to obey him. His entire focus had to be centered on the vampire. A small smile curved his mouth, unreflected in the icy gold of his eyes, and he bowed slowly. “Very clever, I salute your timing.” His words were soft, his voice gentle and pure. There was no recognition, this was not his archenemy. Julian didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed.

  The vampire regarded him with hooded eyes. He was tall, taller than Julian, but without his heavy muscles. His face was flushed from a fresh kill. Some unlucky camper, no doubt. Julian was uneasy when the vampire refused to be drawn into a dialogue. The creature simply stared at him. It was unusual for one of the undead not to boast or brag when he had scored a blow such as Julian had just received.

  Around Julian the forest seemed to blur, the ground rolling almost gently beneath his feet. Deliberately his smile widened, showing strong white teeth. “A child’s trick. I learned that when I was but a fledging. I am insulted that you treat me with such a lack of respect.” At no time did Julian’s voice change pitch. It remained a hypnotic blend of mesmerizing compulsion and purity. His voice was grating on the vampire, he could clearly see. The vampire actually winced and shook his head in an attempt to stay free of the compulsion.

  The soulless creature moved then, his steps a gliding pattern, a hypnotic dance. Julian remained still, not drawn into following the strange dance. He stayed alert, his body relaxed and ready, on the balls of his feet, his mind scanning the areas around him, even the skies. This behavior in the undead was totally unnatural. Julian was missing something, and, with Desari in danger, he dared not act too soon or make a mistake. His lifemate had not run, so he had to protect her.

  You think there is another out there?

  Desari was a shadow in his mind, aware of his thoughts, of his unease. She had scanned but, had been unable to detect another being.

  And it would be better to face the two of them together? I would have a better chance to orchestrate the battle.

  Desari had made herself small, wanting to give Julian as little to worry about as possible. Now she drew herself up to her full height and, with great confidence, stepped to his left. It gave her lifemate plenty of room to maneuver yet allowed him to see her so that he would not have to seek her with his

  mind. Do not listen to the music I will make, Julian,

  she cautioned, the words like the brush of fingers in his mind. She lifted her face to the blanket of stars and began to sing softly.

  Julian’s entire body clenched at the first silvery note. It took tremendous will power to force himself to shut out the sound. Her voice was haunting and beautiful, rising into the night air and spreading throughout the forest. It was carried on an unusual wind that seemed to swirl through the trees, reaching into the heights of the canopy and delving into the deepest ravines. It was a summons, a soft command to come forth, to come to her. All creatures, good or evil. Who or what could resist that otherworldly voice? It was pure and beautiful, the notes gold and silver, shimmering visibly in the dark night. Calling. Reaching out. Beckoning. A demand so soft and hauntingly beautiful it was mesmerizing, impossible to ignore.

  Julian watched the effect of Desari’s singing on the vampire. The face became gray and drawn, the skin shrinking over the bones until the undead looked like a skeleton. The clothes began to tatter and shred, rotting from his body like his skin. He could no longer keep up the illusion of youth and cleanliness. He looked a thousand years old, decayed, soulless, a parody of a living man. The notes drove him insane, beckoning him with the light of goodness and compassion, the things he had given up along with his soul.

  Growling, spitting, fighting every inch of the way, the vampire hissed and dragged itself closer to Julian and death. Still Desari sang. The night air groaned with the effort to support the gathering weight of the owls flying in, settling on branches all around them. Deer, mountain lion, bear, even fox and rabbits, were drawn to the spot, circling the three upright figures.

  The vampire covered his ears, grunted oaths, swore vilely, yet his feet continued to drag through the dirt toward Desari. From behind Julian another crawled forward from the bushes. His eyes were red and glowing with hatred. He was staring at Desari, his jagged teeth snapping together, his hot, fetid breath heralding his arrival. He was more ancient, more skilled than the first one, evidently using the other vampire as his pawn to draw out the hunter. He was fighting Desari’s compulsion with every breath in his body.

  But he was not the one.

  Julian knew immediately that he was dangerous and cunning. There was a ruthless set to the ancient undead’s mouth and something alarming in the way his eyes never left Desari’s face.

  Take care not to look at him,

  Julian cautioned her, a rush of fear invading his calm confidence. He cursed the fact that she was there, that his se
nses were divided by such overwhelming emotion—terror for her.

  Julian struck without preamble, moving with the speed he was so famous for among his kind. But the vampire was not there. He had somehow broken the spell Desari had woven and was on her before she could move. Julian whirled immediately and went for the second target, his fist slamming into the wall of the chest, driving through muscle, bone, and sinew until he reached the one thing that could destroy the lesser vampire. The corrupt, pulsating heart was in the palm of his hand when he withdrew it from the chest, stepping back quickly from the screaming undead.

  The tainted blood spewed everywhere as the vampire insanely spun around in circles before falling to the ground, where he convulsed hideously. Julian was moving again, drawing energy from the lightning arcing from cloud to cloud overhead. The bolt hit the writhing body, incinerating it immediately. The flames then jumped to the heart where Julian had tossed it. In seconds the lesser vampire was nothing more than smoking ashes. And Julian simply vanished as if he had never been.

  Desari’s breath slammed out of her lungs when the clawed fingers of the ancient vampire circled her neck. His touch was vile, making her skin crawl. The air around him was foul, and she didn’t want to breathe it. Julian had destroyed the other vampire so quickly she was barely aware he had done so before he dissolved, leaving no trace of himself anywhere. She was completely confident in him. She didn’t stop to think why, but she knew with a certainty beyond anything she had ever known that he had not deserted her.

  “Why have you been stalking me, old one?” she inquired softly, using her voice as the weapon it was. The musical notes raked at the evil one.

  The vampire flinched and hissed, his poisonous talons pinching her skin in warning. “You will not speak,” he ordered, spitting and growling as the words burst out of him.

  “I am sorry,” she replied gently, her voice soft with innocence. She was determined to give Julian every advantage.

  The vampire was turning her in every direction, using her slender body as his shield, all the while keeping a razor-sharp talon pressed over her jugular vein. The tip pierced her skin, sending a thin trail of blood trickling down her neck onto the white silk blouse she had donned on shifting. Her captor desperately scanned the forest around them. He could find no trace of Julian.

  Above their heads, the owls began to shift their weight. Two of the mountain lions screamed, the human-sounding cries eerie. Other animals paced restlessly, outside the invisible circle Desari had created. Their eyes glowed fiercely as lightning continued to arc among the clouds.

  “Your hero has deserted you,” the vampire taunted her, his hate-filled eyes searching the night endlessly.

  “You believe that I need him to save me? I am an ancient. I can defend myself. Besides, you do not wish to slay me. You have not stalked me time after time simply to rid the world of my presence.” Her voice was like velvet, the notes musical. “You have challenged two of the most powerful ancients I know to get to me. You would do this and then slay me? I do not think so, old one.”

  His fingers tightened around her throat with bruising force, threatening to cut off her air. She laughed softly, tauntingly. “You think to frighten me with your empty threats? Your stench is more likely than your fingers to take my breath from me.”

  The undead hissed in her ear, spat curses and threats, but suddenly he screamed, dragging her backward and spinning wildly, attempting to escape the flames erupting all over his rotting clothing and flesh.

  The vampire wrenched Desari’s hair cruelly in retaliation for Julian’s unexpected assault. But as he did so, the owls launched themselves from every direction, a hundred strong, talons extended, going directly for the vampire’s glowing eyes. The beating wings created a swirling frenzy of leaves and twigs and pine needles, obliterating sight. Desari ducked as the owls rushed at the vampire’s head. A huge owl, his feathers soaked in blood, materialized out of thin air, strong, curved talons outstretched. They bypassed the vampire’s eyes and went straight for its chest. Even as the talons bore into flesh, the other owls were raking and slashing at the vampire’s face, keeping him howling and off balance, unable to use his power and ancient skills.

  Desari dropped to the ground and covered her head, but not one of the birds even scratched her. Julian had orchestrated the battle perfectly, giving the undead no time to harm her. She lay perfectly still, forgetting for the moment that she, too, could disappear. The sound of ripping flesh was terrible, the screams of the vampire unearthly. It wasn’t until his foot touched her that Desari remembered to dissolve into droplets of mist and streak quickly into the safety of the trees. Perched in the top of one tall tree, she turned around and reappeared, biting her lower lip nervously as she watched.

  The scene was like something out of a horror film. Darius had always sheltered her from his hunts, as had Julian when he put her into a deep sleep. This was brutal and terrifying. The vampire’s stink of evil intensified; he was deliberately attempting to foul the air, making it impossible for beast or man to breathe. But as hard as the vampire tried, Julian countered every poisonous hiss, bringing forth a cooling wind of fresh air.

  The undead was nearly blinded by the owls raking at his eyes. His chest cavity was cracked open and spewing a geyser of tainted blood that seemed to purposefully spray every creature in its path, burning like acid, even killing some of the birds. The animals were closing in tighter and tighter, a ring of restless, hungry beasts aroused to a fever pitch by the spectacle of violence and the smell of fresh blood.

  Her gaze was drawn to the huge owl she knew to be Julian, her lifemate, terrible to see in his role as destroyer. Touching his mind tentatively, she discovered he had pushed out all thought of her, was as ruthless and merciless as the most efficient predator. He attacked from every angle, again and again, swift, deadly, wearing down the evil one with every razor-sharp slash, every deep laceration, always driving for the heart.

  The vampire had no chance to dissolve and escape, but his claws and tainted blood were doing immeasurable damage. Even in the shape of the owl, Julian was still severely injured by the first vampire’s surprise blow. She could see the feathered creature protecting one side, its wing never spreading its complete span. Desari realized he would have escaped even that blow if his only thought had not been of her. He was incredibly fast, moving like lightning, striking and moving, striking and moving, giving the ancient undead little chance to gather his energy and wield his considerable evil power.

  Its howling was terrible to hear. The ugliness of it hurt her ears. She wanted to close her eyes, not see the dead and dying birds, the spray of blood shining black in the moonlight, hissing and sizzling as if it were alive.

  She didn’t want to see the grotesque vampire, covered in blood, his straggly wisps of hair greasy with it, his eyes pits of it. The deep gouges on his face added to the horror of his hideous features. He was ragged and torn with a multitude of wounds, yet he refused to go down, refused to acknowledge he had no chance of survival.

  On the ground the tainted blood was moving, stretching out across the vegetation to seek a victim. Everywhere it touched, plants withered and blackened in the moonlight. Then Desari realized the blood was following the large owl’s movements, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

  The tiny spot where the vampire’s talon had pierced her neck was throbbing and swollen, as if his claw had been dipped in poison. If that tiny wound hurt her, what did Julian feel from his bone-deep slash? She could not imagine it and again she touched his mind, but she found he had blocked all pain so that his entire focus was on destroying the evil one.

  Desari wanted to rush forward and gather up all the fallen birds that had aided Julian in the fight with the ancient undead. Wounded as he was, he had no choice but to accept their help, yet she knew instinctively that he would feel sorrow over the destruction of such beautiful creatures.

  Her heart ached for Julian, for her brother, for all those who had to fight and destroy
a living entity. She knew the undead were wholly evil, that the only thing to do was rid the planet of them, yet those forced to do so risked their lives and, worse, their very souls, while they did so.

  Desari attempted to calm herself, so that her mind was not in turmoil, so that it contained only confidence and strength. Then she sent herself into Julian’s mind, giving him the rush of energy her ancient blood and power could supply. She was incapable of killing, could not end a life—compassion ran too deeply in her—but she prayed that she did not impede Julian’s ability to do so.

  Julian was grateful for the strength pouring into him. He had suffered tremendous blood loss, and the tainted blood of the vampire contacting his skin through the owl’s feathers was burning deeply into his flesh. Still, he never hesitated but continued his relentless attack, beating back the powerful undead with his talons, driving deeper and deeper into the chest wall. Only when he was beyond the protective muscle and bone did he shape-shift back to his own body, his mind reaching for the remaining owls to release them of the compulsion to attack.

  Desari gasped, her hand going to her throat as she saw the blobs of tainted blood on the ground rush together to form a large pool. The blackened liquid began to obscenely form the parody of an arm, then stretched farther into a diabolical, shadowy hand that began to furtively crawl across pine needles and over fallen branches to reach its goal.

  Julian, on the ground!

  He didn’t respond or acknowledge her warning; he simply faced the vampire calmly. His handsome face was lined with weariness, his golden hair flowing wildly to his shoulders. He stood straight and tall, his shoulders square, his amber eyes gleaming with a kind of fire.

  “I bring you the justice of our people, old one. What you have done is a crime against humanity, against the very earth itself. I carry out the sentence pronounced on your kind by the Prince of our people and hope you find mercy in another life as I can give you none here.” The words were soft and gentle, hypnotic and compelling.