Dark 12 - DARK MELODY

by Christine Feehan

  Corinne was watching Desari's face. "Because you think I'm going to die."

  Desari shook her head decisively. "Because Dayan has no choice but to bring you fully into our world, and Lisa cannot follow you here. You will remain good friends, but you can no longer be the one to manage her life for her." Desari spoke as gently as possible, but her seriousness showed in her dark, expressive eyes.

  Corinne bunched the quilt in her hand, her fingers rubbing nervously over the strange symbol sewn into the edge of the comforter. "Fully into your world." She repeated the phrase softly, under her breath.

  "Dayan's world," Desari reminded her gently. "Just keep that uppermost in your mind. You will be in his world."

  "What about my baby?" Corinne finally voiced the question she had been unable even to consider. She was terrified for her baby.

  Desari smiled encouragingly at her. "Are you strong enough for the truth, Corinne? Because you have to know you want the truth when you ask for it."

  Corinne found that tracing the strange symbol over and over on the quilt was soothing. It helped to keep her mind from shutting down with fear. "Is my baby going to live and be healthy?"

  "We are doing everything in our power to make that happen. Dayan's blood, which we believe will save your life and will convert you, will also convert the baby if you are given the blood while you are pregnant. That presents us with a few problems and new territory we have never dealt with before." Desari's voice was hauntingly beautiful and tranquil. "I am being completely honest with you. We do not have the answers you seek. This has never happened before, at least not that I know of. Certainly, it has not happened to Gregori, and he is the acknowledged healer of our people."

  Corinne's fingers found the next symbol in the quilt and traced the character. "I'm trying to understand what you're telling me. If Dayan doesn't give me his blood, I will die for certain. You're saying that's a fact."

  Desari nodded solemnly. "We are only delaying the inevitable. He would have completed the conversion already if you were not carrying this child."

  Corinne heard her heart racing and took a moment to slow it. "How does he do it? How does he complete the conversion?"

  Desari's gaze held hers captive, almost as if she were sharing her courage. "There must be three blood exchanges. Each blood exchange will bring you a step further into our world. And of course, because you are his lifemate, Dayan will complete the ritual and make you wholly his."

  "And you think this will save my life?" Corinne asked doubtfully, watching Desari's face carefully. Dayan believed it because he had to believe it – he had no other choice or he would go crazy – but Desari had no ties to her. "Do you really believe it, Desari?"

  Desari sighed softly. "I believe the odds are in your favor if everything goes right and we time it all perfectly. You know as well as I do that your heart is in bad shape. Even with Dayan's strong blood reshaping your internal organs, you will have to have the necessary strength to go through the actual conversion. Gregori thinks we can get you through it, and I have heard he is capable of great miracles."

  "He is capable of miracles, Corinne," Savannah affirmed.

  Corinne smiled sadly. "Still, for the baby's sake, I must be near Lisa. If something happens to me, she is the one who must raise her. She'll be the baby's only living relative."

  Desari was shaking her head. "When Dayan gives you his blood, the blood will pass through the placenta to the baby. The child will have his blood, his genetic code, not your former husband's. The child will eventually be one of us."

  Corinne was silent, listening to the sounds of the house, the wind outside the window, the branches swaying and dancing. She could hear her own breathing and the heartbeat of the child growing within her. "He gave me his blood already. What did it do to the baby?" She was struggling desperately to understand.

  "Corinne – " Desari began gently.

  Corinne shook her head. "No, I don't want you to treat me like a child. Just tell me straight. What happened to my baby?"

  "Your daughter would never have survived the birth," Desari said. "Your heart was barely able to provide for you, let alone for both of you. Without Dayan's blood, both of you would have died, and that is the truth. She already carries his genetic code, but she is not fully in our world. Darius monitored her along with Gregori during the exchange. When it became too much for the baby, the transfusion was stopped to allow her body to adjust." Deliberately she used the human term transfusion to soothe Corinne.

  "I thought a human couldn't be converted unless he or she has a lifemate." Corinne felt numb, trapped, suddenly panicked by the repercussions of her decision. It was one thing to make such a decision for herself, to choose Dayan's world, but something altogether different for her child. Where was Dayan? Her lifeline, her sanity. 'Where are you?' She reached across time and space to him. Her fingers clutched the quilt, a strange thing to find so comforting.

  ‘I am here, my love, always with you, a shadow in your mind. I hunt the evil one to make our world safe, but I am never far from you or our child. I will return unharmed to you as soon as we accomplish what is necessary. We will face what is frightening to you together, as it is meant to be. Uniting our two worlds is not so difficult when we feel as we do. Our love for our daughter will aid us in our choices.' His voice was a blend of heat and light, music and melody, so beautiful it took her breath away. He felt strong and real and a part of her.

  "Your daughter has a strong psychic talent, perhaps even stronger than yours," Desari said. "She can be converted without danger to her sanity, but there are other complications. It is not something we do lightly, Corinne."

  Corinne could feel unexpected tears welling up out of nowhere. "I feel like I'm being given little pieces of a jigsaw puzzle one or two at a time, and the picture is so overwhelming I can't comprehend it. What other complications?"

  "Our species has problems having babies, particularly females. Few of us conceive females, and those that do rarely carry them to full term. Even after they are born, our babies often do not survive the first year of life. It is a terrible tragedy and has contributed to the decline of our race. Because you must be given blood to save your life, the baby will be given the same blood – "

  "No!" Corinne was adamant. "Her life is more important than mine. She has to come first in every decision. I know Dayan doesn't want that, but it is my decision to make, not his. I don't want to give her life only to have her lose it because I selfishly wanted to live myself. It would be better to chance giving birth to her now and allowing the doctors to do their best. They are performing miracles with premature babies. You said yourself she was strong."

  Desari shook her head. "She would not have survived had you given birth the night Dayan removed you from the hospital. It took all of Gregori's strength and power to keep her alive. It is too late to turn back now. She has Dayan's blood in her system. She needs us now to help her survive. A human doctor could never save her life."

  Corinne twisted her fingers into the quilt in agitation. "I feel helpless," she confessed to the women. "I've always been the one to handle the problems in our lives, and now I can't help my own child when she needs it the most."

  Desari shook her head. "You are so wrong, Corinne. Now more than ever it is you who will have to have the strength of will to carry her. You are already monitoring your own heart and attempting to regulate it."

  "I feel Dayan with me when I have trouble. He's the one regulating my heartbeat and pushing the air through my lungs," Corinne corrected. "I know he's there."

  "Of course – he is your lifemate," Desari said complacently. "But he cannot save you if you are not willing to be saved. You are using your will, and it is considerable." She patted the quilt. "I see you like this quilt. Francesca, lifemate to Gabriel, made it for you. She is a great healer who lives in Paris. When she received word that you were carrying a baby and you needed aid, she made this specifically for you. It is a healing quilt. Along with the healing symbols,
she used other symbols to aid in your protection should there be enemies that – find you."

  "It's so beautiful," Corinne said honestly. "I didn't want to give it up. I hope I will have the opportunity to thank her for such a unique gift."

  Desari patted her hand. "I would like to examine you and renew the healing process if it is possible. Do you remember what it felt like? Savannah and Tempest will lend me their strength, and we shall at least make you more comfortable. Lie back and we will begin."

  Dayan, streaking through the air, appeared as a long trail of droplets, much like a comet moving rapidly through the night sky. Gregori and Darius were on either side of him, formidable hunters both, but it was Dayan's lifemate who was threatened, and he was the one who must save her. He felt the beast rising within him, struggling for supremacy. Gregori, renowned for his storms, generated a fierce squall, and dark clouds rolled in swiftly to cover their flight through the night sky in pursuit of the vampire.

  Lightning zigzagged, arcing from cloud to cloud, intense and ominous. Hues of deep purple and black smeared the sky so that the stars were slowly obliterated. Thunder reverberated through the valley, echoed down the canyons, heralding a storm of great magnitude. Far below, as the three hunters streaked across the roiling sky, wild creatures sensing dangerous predators hastily found shelter and remained very still. Domesticated dogs yelped in fear and hid as the dark shadows passed overhead.

  'Dayan.' Gregori's voice was compelling, a soft command. 'The beast is strong in you. Remember, you are in twofold danger. Your lifemate is not locked to you. There is no anchor to hold you to the path. The violence will trigger the rising of the beast. It is a time for care, not rage. Along with your life, your soul is in mortal danger.'

  Dayan could hear the purity of Gregori's voice and it washed through the red haze of anger clouding his mind. For a moment he could see and hear clearly again, but then the thought of the vampire seeking Corinne, threatening her consumed him again, and he continued his swift pursuit toward the enemy.

  Darius and Gregori flying on either side of Dayan easily kept pace, senses flaring out to scan for any hidden traps. The vampire wasn't attempting to conceal his line of retreat. They knew from centuries of experience that if he was seriously attempting to evade them, he would be throwing up more of a blind.

  Dayan was well aware of the vampire's intentions. He didn't care. He had tremendous confidence in his own strength and skill. Though he did not consider himself a hunter of the undead, he had often accompanied Darius on such hunts. It was his lifemate who was threatened now, and their code of honor dictated it was Dayan's responsibility as well as his right to remove that threat.

  Suddenly an acid shower came from above the storm clouds, assaulting the flying hunters. Thin streaks of silvery light began to rain through the swirling black vapor. Almost impossible to see, the droplets burned with a caustic acid, searing the skin. The threads fell like poisonous darts straight at the hunters. They knew that the deadly shower was a delaying tactic of the fleeing vampire.

  Immediately Gregori rose above Dayan, instinctively protecting him. As Gregori took the higher position, Darius sent up a flaming streak of orange-red light, pure energy, vaporizing the slivers of acid before they could reach their targets.

  Dayan caught a glimpse of the vampire through the clouds, streaking across the sky. Dayan doubled his speed, moving straight as an arrow toward the fleeing vampire. He was a protégé of Darius, had learned from him. Dayan believed in directness, taking the fight to the enemy. He felt the presence of the evil one, a thick oily substance left behind so that the air reeked with the stench of the undead. Dayan shot out a wave of vibrations, a high-frequency sound that deafened the skies and knocked the fleeing demon from the clouds.

  Just ahead they saw the figure struggling to shape-shift, to sprout wings. He was already dangerously close to the ground, and at the last possible moment, the vampire did an amazing athletic feat and spun, landing on his feet like a cat. At once he sought to cloak his presence from the hunters and the mortals occupying the area.

  'Dayan!' Darius's imperious warning was sharp. 'It is a trap. Scan.'

  Dayan had automatically done so as he streaked in behind the vampire. There were four humans in a small cabin, all males. All fanatical. The stench of the society clung to them. Dayan knew they were not in league with the undead; The vampire was simply using them as another delaying tactic. Dayan was supremely confident in Darius and Gregori. Their reputations were legend. He didn't have to look to see that they were gliding in behind him. He knew they were there and trusted them to take care of the humans.

  "I believe you wanted to introduce yourself," Dayan said softly to the vampire, his voice pure and melodious, the sound filling every atom of space around them though he hadn't raised his voice. "You will turn and face me, vampire. I am quite willing to accept your challenge."

  The vampire shuddered with the effort to break free from the sound of that voice. It was made for golden tunes, truth and honesty. It was hideous to the creature, so that he pressed his hands hard against his ears in an attempt to block out the sound. He turned slowly, hands clamped to his head, his body swaying slightly. As he turned he opened his mouth as if to speak. A black swarm of insects erupted all around him, the air thick with them, so many they appeared as a solid wall, for one brief second obscuring Dayan's vision of the undead.

  He was striding forward, easily blocking the stinging, poisonous bugs by deflecting them away from his body with a powerful current of moving air he produced with a casual wave of his hand. He continued moving rapidly, a blur as he whipped through the cloud of living shields. Dayan realized immediately that the vampire had used the insects to flee once again. He had disappeared as if he had never been, leaving behind an empty space in the air. Blankness.

  Behind him, Dayan heard the shouts of the humans, the loud discharge of a weapon. The air vibrated with power, the storm raged, yet nothing mattered but that he pursue his quarry – the vampire who had sought his lifemate. He used the blankness to track the undead. The vampire was concealing his form, but Dayan wasn't fooled. The stench of his prey was overpowering, and he followed unerringly. He didn't glance behind him; he knew Darius and Gregori would be taking care of the enemy and would follow him as soon as possible.

  The storm was fierce, a boiling, spinning mass of heavy black clouds. Lightning arced from cloud to cloud and there was a fast buildup of electrical charge along the ground. Bolts slammed from sky to earth, the sound deafening. The land shook. Nearby a large tree exploded in a fiery conflagration. Sparks rained onto vegetation. A wall of flames leapt at Dayan, solid, orange-red, a brilliant living, mindless antagonist roaring straight for him. At once he whirled quickly, a cloak of wet mist enveloping him as he raced through the fire with preternatural speed. He heard the sizzle of the mist as it heated and evaporated, but he was through and on the other side.

  A dark shadow was just ahead, fleeing toward the darkened interior of a thicket of trees. Dayan took to the air, shape-shifting as he did so, a streamlined raptor racing through the canopy of branches to reach the undead before it managed to get to its lair. He came in from high above, dropping down out of the turbulent sky so fast the vampire had no warning. The large body of the bird knocked the night creature off balance, sharp talons raking viciously so that tainted blood splattered to the carpet of vegetation, withering it on contact.

  Snarling, the vampire staggered, tearing blindly at the sky around him in an attempt to destroy his enemy, his head undulating back and forth like a reptile. He was a hideous, depraved being determined to live at all costs. Desperately he tried to regain his balance, his bearings, searching the sky and ground for his attacker.

  Dayan was moving so fast he was a blur, a chameleon blending in with the trees, once more in human form. He struck straight at the abomination, the fury of the kill rising with the heat of battle. Flames leapt in the depths of his coal black eyes, and every vestige of the poet was gone,
leaving behind the beast with the lust of battle on him. His fist plunged through the wall of the vampire's chest, a flimsy barrier, straight for the withered, blackened heart. The age-old lure of the beast was on him. Bloodlust was a red haze clouding judgment and honor, beckoning relentlessly. More, always more, it demanded, never sated, never satisfied.

  Corinne heard the soft voice of the Dark Troubadours' acknowledged leader, Darius. A whisper of purity, soft and perfect, cleansing and healing like a fresh cool rain. 'Corinne. You are needed. You must summon him back to you. No other can save him now. I will feed your strength with my own. Call him to your side. You must do so now.' The voice was calm, tranquil even, yet she knew immediately there was a terrible urgency. She didn't stop to question. She was so tuned to Dayan, the moment she reached out for his mind, she felt the killing frenzy, the implacable grip of the beast.

  Corinne lay very still, instinctively taking a deep breath and letting it out to relax. She focused her thoughts on Dayan, blocking out everything else around her. The room fell away, the constraints of her physical condition fell away, even her awareness of Darius, until there was only Dayan in her mind. Her Dayan. Tall and sweet and loving. Generous. Giving. She closed her eyes until she could almost smell his clean woodsy scent. 'Dayan.' Deliberately she used his name. Calling the man. Reaching for the intellect. 'Dayan, come back to me.'

  At once he was there with her, merged deeply so that she was in the heat of his battle with the smell of blood and the lust for the kill dominating his brain. She was quiet a moment, faintly shocked at actually witnessing the violent side of him she had always sensed. Corinne lay very quietly, stayed completely focused. Unknowingly she used her own talent, creating a surge of power. This was simply another side of Dayan. Her Dayan. 'Come back to me. Leave that place and return to where you are needed.' She put all her energy into her call, but that didn't matter. Dayan was all that mattered.