She sensed the terrible struggle. Something else was fighting for him. Something shadowy, not tangible, but nevertheless, very powerful. She felt the dark stain spreading like a disease through him, the triumph of the beast as it threatened to consume him. At first Corinne believed he was locked in mortal combat with the vampire. Whatever it was, his adversary was evil and greedy and it wanted Dayan. Then she realized the vampire was dying. This other force struggling with her wanted Dayan's soul, wanted to turn him into the very thing he hunted and destroyed. She understood little of it, but instinctively she latched on to the mental strength flowing from Darius into her. She regulated her breathing, worked at regulating Dayan's. Adrenaline was pumping through his body, mixing with the frenzied savagery of the predator until he was more animal than man. Cunning, feral, a creature of the night.
'You are Dayan, a musician without equal, a poet with words that take my breath away. You are my lifemate, my heart and soul. Come back to me, Dayan. Leave that place. Leave that poor unfortunate aberration. Pray God will find him a better place. You can do nothing more for him. Come home to me.' She spoke from her deepest core, meaning every word, feeling every word. He was so deeply entrenched in her heart, buried so deeply in her soul, she didn't know where he left off and she began.
For a moment, reason and judgment shimmered in his brain, a whirling silver mist breaking through the red killing haze. 'Corinne?' His voice was distant, a faraway thread of sound, drowned out quickly by a bellow of rage.
Corinne remained very calm, sending waves of love and tranquillity to Dayan. Darius was with her, guiding her from a great distance. On some level she was aware of his direction, but most of her actions were instinctive. This was Dayan, her other half, and he was out in the dark night somewhere with lightning and thunder crashing to earth around him, a fitting backdrop for the turbulence in his mind. They were merged so closely, she could feel the wild winds, the terrible vortex of violence, whirling like a tornado, strong and destructive, determined to sweep aside the man and leave the aroused beast. 'Dayan, come back to me. Leave that place and come to me. The baby is resting quietly and I'm very tired. I need you here where you belong.'
She was tired. The mind link was difficult for her even with Darius's strength infusing her. Her body was worn and tired. A sound was beginning to impose itself into the violence of Dayan's mind. It was weak, irregular, a soft thumping like a distant drum. The code was strange and erratic. A beat. A miss.
Corinne felt Dayan move within her mind. A soft hiss, a groan of despair. 'Corinne!' Her name was whispered in that velvet soft voice. She closed her eyes, certain he would come. The beast could never hold him when she needed him. Nothing would stop him from coming to her. She felt the strength of his determination, knew he was wrestling for supremacy, to cage the beast within him. Corinne left him to it. Breathing was an effort now, her lungs laboring.
She felt Desari at her side, holding her hand, whispering a chant. She felt the healing energy of the three women. It was a warm tingling moving through her body, Desari was tranquil, she was always serene, yet Corinne sensed an alarm. It didn't matter, none of it did. Dayan was on his way, and she knew he would somehow make things right. She wanted to hear the sound of his voice.
Corinne drifted in a dream world. She heard his music, the beautiful poetic words that emerged from his soul as he expressed his need for love. His need for Corinne. Only Corinne. She believed him at last. He could do things others could not, and he would come back to her from the dark terrible struggle for his soul. She had faith. "Complete faith." She murmured the words aloud, but her voice was too soft even for the acute hearing she had acquired recently. 'Dayan.' His name was her strength, her anchor so that she wouldn't drift too far from the real world.
'Corinne.' His voice whispered through her mind, filled her heart and lungs, so for a moment it was easier to breathe. Her long lashes fluttered as she tried to reassure the women she was still alive. Her lashes were far heavier than she remembered them being. In the end, it was too much of an effort to raise them, so she made herself smile instead.
‘I knew you would come. Hurry, Dayan. I don't know why I'm so tired.' Corinne was certain she thought the words clearly in her mind, but they seemed to be slurred, running together like fine grains of sand. Her free hand moved slowly over the thick quilt, seeking something she needed.
Desari bunched up the comforter so that one particular symbol was under Corinne's moving fingers. At once Corinne's hand closed around it, tranquil once more.
Dayan streaked through the sky, faster than he had ever moved in his life. Corinne was fading away. He could feel her sliding away from him, moving in a direction he dared not allow her to go. Dark vapor parted as he burst through the clouds, a streak of blue-green against the roiling black of the heavens. Mist swirled in long tails along the ground and began to build up around the trees and houses.
Darius kept pace with him, concentrating on the child, whose hold on life was so fragile he was uncharacteristically worried. Gregori was attempting to hold Corinne to earth, focusing on her fading heart. The amount of energy she'd used to keep Dayan from succumbing to the lure of the kill had been more than her weak heart could stand. Corinne was fighting it, wasn't afraid – she simply trusted in Dayan, knew that he would be there for her as she had been for him.
Dayan could find no recrimination in her mind, no shock at the knowledge of his darker side. She was as accepting of him as ever, and her acceptance humbled him. As he moved across the night sky with the raging storm reflecting his inner turbulence, he gathered himself, preparing for the ceremony to come. He had no choice. He had to bind her to him for both of their sakes. He had to give her his healing blood. The baby was at risk, and Dayan, more than any other, knew the loss of her child was the one thing Corinne would never accept. She would trade her life for that of the baby.
Dayan shimmered into a solid frame, bending over Corinne as he did so, his large hand engulfing hers as he brought it to his mouth. Her lashes didn't lift, but her soft mouth curved. ‘I knew you would come.'
* * *
Chapter 15
They were gathering. Dayan wrapped Corinne in the quilt she loved so much to transport her to the cave of healing. He held her easily, her weight no more than that of a child to him. He held her carefully, his most precious treasure in all the world, sheltering her body from the elements as he whisked her through the night sky.
Corinne rubbed her face on his shoulder, snuggling closer to him, once more feeling connected to him in a strange dream world. The wind was blowing hard, tugging at her body as they rushed through the air, but it was exhilarating rather than frightening. She felt perfectly safe, perfectly protected in Dayan's arms, even traveling at such a fast pace and in such a bizarre fashion. She turned her face up to the sky, observing the purplish hues streaking across the rolling black clouds. It was unbelievably beautiful, and she found tears burning in her eyes. This was Dayan's world, a place of magic. The night was his, and he could soar like an eagle or run through a forest as fast as a wolf. Corinne had never been able to run in her life. This was her moment, her last moment to fly.
Dayan, reading her thoughts, blinked back the tears threatening to burn his eyes and choke his throat. 'Not so, love; we have eternity.'
As they sped through the waning storm, Darius and Gregori remained very close to Dayan and Corinne. Desari's lifemate, Julian, was also on his way to the cave, still a distance away. He had been designated the cleanup man, assigned to erase all evidence of the destroyed vampire and the human members of the society the vampire had used to try to throw the hunters off his trail.
Corinne was content to rest in Dayan's arms. She knew the others were arriving, some in pairs, some alone. She was fast gaining the attributes of Dayan's people. Her hearing was far more acute. She could see clearly in the night. Her talent was telekinesis, yet now she felt things much more deeply. She knew the Carpathian people were gathering to help Dayan save her
life and the life of her unborn daughter. The healers were preparing for an early birth, perhaps even an attempt to take the child should Corinne not survive. She wasn't certain whether she was receiving the information from Dayan or she was so connected to the healers that she was reading their minds by herself.
Dayan glided across the floor of the healing cave, holding Corinne close to him. They seemed to be floating, feather-light, unconnected to the ground. Lights sprang up, hundreds of them, candle after candle so that the flames flickered and danced on the walls of the cave. It was beautiful. The multicolored crystals, some tall towers, others in rows of squat columns, shimmered with muted fire. Gems picked up the colors and flames, amplifying them and generating replicas all over the chamber, adding to the brilliance. The candles gave off that strange, soothing fragrance Corinne remembered from before. The combination of scents instilled a peaceful tranquillity in all who could take it into their lungs. She felt the power of the place moving through her body, as well as the combined strength of the healers.
Corinne made the effort to look around herself, wanting to see these people who had traveled long distances, some of them across oceans, to aid in the efforts to save her life and that of her daughter. She recognized some faces from her first trip to the cave, but there were more now. In her mind she could hear the soft chant of voices, not just of the people in the cave, but also those of unknown Carpathians far away. She knew from Dayan, that this was a well-coordinated effort on the part of the healers, who were determined not to lose her to death. Determined not to lose Dayan. Not to lose her baby.
Corinne was grateful to them all, but it seemed as if it were all happening to someone else. She was observing everything as if she were hovering above the scene, rather than in the center of it. There were males determined to save her for more reasons than simple sympathy. She was a female of great psychic talent, proven to be capable of conceiving a daughter of extraordinary psychic talent. Her daughter was already prized by these people, a treasure they would guard and protect should something happen to her. She felt it. She read it in their minds, merged as they all were together.
She turned her attention to Dayan. He was pale, lines etched deeply into his handsome face. His black eyes drifted over her face lovingly in a brooding, sensual study that melted her heart. He looked alone, raw, vulnerable. Corinne lifted her hand and touched his face, her fingertips gentle as they traced his mouth. "Don't look so sad, Dayan," she said softly. "You came back – that's all that matters."
"I should never have left you. There were other hunters who could have killed the vampire. I should have been strong enough to overcome my nature."
He was exposing more than his guilt to her; he was exposing his heart and soul. Laying them out in front of her, uncaring that she saw his naked vulnerability. His sorrow. His fear. "You are my life, Corinne, everything to me. I want you to fight. Not just for the baby, but for us. Know you are fighting for both of our lives. Keep that knowledge in your heart and mind and soul as you unite with me and with my people to preserve your life, all of our lives."
Corinne smiled up at him, a slow, loving smile. "I'm not afraid, Dayan, and I don't want you to be either."
He bent his dark head to close the inches between them, uncaring that there were so many witnesses. His mouth found hers, gently, tenderly in a dark melody of heart-wrenching love. He lifted his head slowly, reluctantly. Her heart was struggling now with every beat. They all could hear it despite the sound of the water pouring into the cave, despite the chanting of the ancients joining in from faraway countries.
Gregori positioned himself on Corinne's right side, took her small pale hand in his. Darius approached on the left, laid his hand gently over the small mound of her abdomen. Around the large cave, the Carpathians reached out to one another, linking physically as well as mentally. Julian and Desari stood tall behind Dayan and rested their hands in firm comfort on Dayan's shoulders.
"We cannot risk a repeat of tonight's events,' Darius counseled. 'You must bind her to you as you give her your blood. It is necessary, Dayan.'
‘I will not take a chance with her life. She would not survive a separation in her fragile state.' Dayan was adamant.
'Then you must stay with her at all times, awake or asleep. I do not see that she fears very much. It is better to risk her knowledge of our weakness than another close encounter with the beast.' There was a finality about the decree. Darius had led his group of Carpathians fearlessly down through the long centuries. They trusted his wisdom and skills. His word was rarely questioned.
Corinne knew that the man Dayan referred to as his brother was speaking telepathically to him. "I can feel his concern for you, Dayan. Whatever he wants you to do, please do it." She whispered the words against his throat.
"I do not want you to suffer any more on my behalf."
She smiled at him although her lashes were sweeping down. "I've never suffered on your behalf. What an idea! My heart has been failing since the day I was born. You have nothing to do with it."
"Are you certain? Be certain, Corinne. There is no going back. Each step forward you take is another step into my world."
"I have never been more certain. Whatever world you're in, Dayan, I belong there too." She could hardly speak now.
There was a moment of stillness in the cave. A waiting. Corinne knew the moment Darius and Gregori merged with her, Gregori traveling through her body to her daughter. ‘I love you.' She whispered the words to Dayan, wanting him to know, wanting him to realize that if this didn't go the way they all intended, he had been loved unconditionally, accepted unconditionally, even if they had never had the opportunity to consummate their love.
Dayan kissed her forehead, her eyelids; then his mouth drifted down to hers. He took possession with elemental hunger, with raw aching need, rocking the earth for both of them. "I claim you as my lifemate," he whispered softly to her, against her lips, amid the ancient healing chant. His mouth skimmed over her neck, feather-light, sensual, a whisper of satin and silk. "I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul and my body."
White-hot pain lanced through her body, gave way instantly to a pure pleasure arcing through her, through both of them. Corinne felt drowsy, unexpectedly sensual. Her body clenched and burned with heat and need. She tried to stay awake, not drift, wanting to experience the beauty of what was happening, wanting to lend her feeble strength to that of all the others fighting for her life, but she found herself relaxing beneath the connection. She felt the sweep of his tongue as he closed the tiny pinpricks.
His mouth moved gently along her throat, up to the corner of her lips. "I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all time." With her new awareness, Corinne sensed when Dayan further distanced her from what was happening. As though in a dream, she observed one fingernail lengthening into a single long talon, dagger-sharp. He slit his chest, opening the heavy muscle, pressing her mouth to him so that his blood ran into her.
She was astonished to find herself drinking almost ravenously, astonished to find she wasn't in the least repulsed. Strength seemed to pour into her body, a richness unlike anything she had ever experienced. This time she felt his power, felt the greedy way her cells and tissues absorbed the gift of life he was sharing with her.
Dayan was holding her with exquisite tenderness, looking down at her as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world, a treasure, a priceless gift he was guarding. Corinne felt tears burning in her throat, in her eyes. He was so handsome, so tortured, his face etched with lines of worry and sorrow she had put there.
"You are my lifemate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care." He whispered the last of the ritual words, binding them together in the Carpathian ceremony as old as time. The words were imprinted upon him and all other males even before they were born. Each male had the extraordinary ability to bind his lifem
ate to him for eternity.
Corinne felt it immediately, her soul, her heart, even her mind, reaching for his. It was as if thousands of threads were weaving them together, forming an unbreakable bond. She became even more aware of what was happening inside her body. Gregori was working hard to repair the damage to her disintegrating heart, while Darius was monitoring the baby for potential problems caused by the rich blood pouring into her body. Inside Corinne, organs and tissues were actually reshaping, and the same thing was happening to her daughter.
Corinne knew the moment the richness and power became too much for the baby. She heard her own protest, made the effort of movement away from Dayan even as Darius gave him the command to stop. It was Julian who closed the wound on Dayan's chest with his own healing saliva. For a moment Corinne lay there, afraid to think or breathe, wrapped in the soothing quilt and the shelter of Dayan's strong arms. Her baby was struggling to survive. The blood was changing her tiny body too fast – it was uncomfortable and frightening for the infant. Corinne heard Darius whispering to the child, conveying images more than words. Beautiful, tranquil, soothing images.
The child was aware of her environment deteriorating, of the changes taking place rapidly in her body. Corinne added her own voice to comfort her daughter. Dayan joined with her, merging them together, offering his love and comfort and commitment to the baby. And then Gregori joined them. Corinne was astonished at the power and strength emanating from Gregori, the skill he used to keep the baby from leaving the uncomfortable home she was dwelling in. The baby's body was hot, her insides on fire. Gregori soothed her and provided a cooling balm for the twisting pain.
Dark 12 - DARK MELODY Page 27