Dark 12 - DARK MELODY

by Christine Feehan

  Dayan held her locked to him. Her spirit was being pulled away from him, away from her damaged body. He saw Gregori and Darius working, two points of pure light, massaging and stimulating her heart. He knew Gregori commanded that more blood be given, and it was Jacques, brother to the Prince, who supplied it to Corinne. Dayan saw the two healers work furiously at spreading the blood to the organs of Corinne's body in hopes of speeding the conversion. Both were exhausted from maintaining the out-of-body experience, but neither wavered in his task.

  'I'm tired. Let me sleep for a while.'

  It was those last six little words that convinced him. She wanted sleep, not death. Not eternal sleep. 'Not yet, my love. It is not over yet. One more thing. Just one, and I will allow you to sleep as long as you like. Join with me, merge into my mind so that I can keep you safe while you cross over fully into my world.' The first ripple of pain was shocking. It felt like fire racing through her bloodstream. Corinne's body contorted, jerked in Dayan's arms. He couldn't believe the force of the rush, a fireball consuming her. She cried out, the sound torn from her throat, loud in the hushed stillness of the chamber, so that it echoed up the vent into the night sky.

  'Oh, God, she cannot survive this. I do not want her last moments to be such pain.' The words broke from him as tiny beads of blood oozed across his forehead. He could not take the pain away. He had dulled it, but it was something none of them could fully prevent.

  'She must survive.' Darius was implacable in his resolve.

  Dayan breathed deeply, allowed the pain to wash over and through him before he turned his complete attention inward to that fragile spirit huddling so weakly within the walls he'd constructed. Corinne astonished him. She was unafraid. She was as accepting of the conversion as she had been of her labor. She was weak, though, and unable to aid him in gathering strength for the coming battle.

  The next wave of fire burned through her internal organs with a jolt so severe, she was nearly wrenched out of Dayan's arms. There was no gradual buildup. The healers were forcing the conversion to accommodate her disintegrating heart. It would have failed long before if the two healers had ceased their work.

  Dayan held Corinne's head as she was violently sick, again and again. She was too weak to move or help herself. He took great care that she did not inhale, seeing that she expelled every damaging toxin from her body. He found himself clenching his teeth against the waves of terrible pain racing through her body. Deep within his mind he felt her spirit falter, the light flickering. No! He clung to her, turned every ounce of his will to prevent that light from being extinguished. They had come so far. Death must not take her now.

  The chant was a continual murmur in his mind, and he knew it was aiding the process, but he needed something else, something to draw her to him. The baby was quiet, fighting her own battle for life with Shea's help. It came to him then. The one thing he could give her that he knew she loved. His music. He began to sing. Softly at first, a melody of dark, dangerous love. A ballad of need. Of a man's desperate fight for the one woman he loved above all else.

  Desari joined in on the chorus, her beautiful, magical voice a gift from the heavens. She sang with him, helping him use his voice to draw Corinne from the jaws of death. The notes leapt into the air, silver and gold, dancing like glinting sunlight in the darkened chamber.

  He felt Corinne's response then. Weak, but there. She clung to the sound of their voices, allowed the melody to take her away from the terrible burning in her body, the humiliation of her system ridding itself of human toxins. The loss of control, the helpless feeling of lying unable to move, while her body contorted and writhed with pain. She chained herself to those notes, his gift to her, and floated above the fire, holding to life, clinging to Dayan, her solid anchor.

  He was humbled by her complete trust and faith in him. He had no idea if he would have given his life so completely into another's hands. He was awed and humble and grateful. Blood-red tears dripped onto the back of his hand, but his voice never wavered as he sang to her.

  The ordeal seemed an eternity to him, and his newfound emotions were raw. But he sang with his heart and soul. His voice surrounded her, lifted her above the terrible pain and kept her anchored firmly to him.

  'Now, Dayan.' There was relief in Darius's voice. 'Send her to sleep and we can complete the healing.'

  It took a few moments for Dayan to realize what Darius meant. The healers had managed to utilize his blood and the precious blood of the Prince's lineage to convert Corinne's failing human heart into a strong Carpathian heart. The danger was over. He could barely comprehend that it could be so. He felt as if he had fought ten thousand battles, as if he had been fighting for all time.

  He issued the command to sleep, strong, compelling, instant. Corinne had no choice but to obey, and in her weakened state, it was easy for him to send her into the Carpathian method of sleeping. Dayan breathed a sigh of relief. At last she was beyond pain. He looked up, his broad shoulders sagging. He was completely drained of energy. He had given Corinne a large amount of blood, he had not fed, nor had he slept in the rejuvenating soil. His every ounce of energy had been utilized to keep Corinne's heart and lungs going, to bind her to him. The emotions he had withstood would have been enough to drain his great strength. He was dangerously weak and pale.

  He looked around the chamber to the others who had offered so much for him, for Corinne. Shea was working on the baby. He found himself smiling, a slow grin that replaced his fatigue with warmth. His child. Corinne might think of their daughter as John's, and he understood, but in truth, she carried Dayan's blood in her body. While Darius and Gregori continued to work at healing Corinne, he studied the baby.

  "Will she live?" he asked Shea quietly.

  The red-haired woman glanced at him. "She's very strong and she wants life. Corinne, Gregori, Darius and you did a good job of instilling a strong will in her. She will have loving, nurturing parents. I think it will be best if she stays here for a few weeks to give her body time to adjust to the outside world, but she is doing quite well."

  "Few babies survive the first year." Pain sliced through him at the thought of losing the infant. He felt fiercely protective of her.

  "That is so," Shea admitted, "but I have done a tremendous amount of research and I think I can keep her alive. Diet is important. A Carpathian infant's body is different from an adult's. We can no longer nurse them the way humans can, and they need a mixture of nutrients. Our blood is too rich for them. That is why it was important the baby didn't convert before she was born. She is just too small to live through it."

  "It does not make sense that a mother cannot feed her own baby. Has this always been so? Nature provides for the young."

  Shea nodded. "Hundreds of years ago, according to Gabriel and Lucian, our people didn't have this problem. Something has happened in the intervening years to cause this dilemma. The change took place sometime around the late thirteen hundreds or early fourteen hundreds. I'm almost certain of it. I'm very close to finding out." She spoke confidently. "In the meantime, this baby has special needs. She is not fully human, nor is she fully Carpathian. Rather than try to bring her over, I believe we should allow her to grow as she is, at least until she is older. I was not fully Carpathian and I managed to survive. Gregori and I have worked on a diet we think will aid this little one in growing strong. And should there be any problems, we can monitor from a distance and immediately aid you. She has a good chance, Dayan."

  "Thank you for what you have done for us."

  Shea smiled at him. "I am glad I could get here in time. The journey was long, and we could travel only at night, covering many miles quickly. I feel your worry for Corinne. Darius and Gregori will heal her body completely. When she rises, it will be with a strong heart and a perfectly healed body. She won't have any aftereffects of childbirth. They will see to it that she feels no discomfort. Allow her to rest for several risings beneath the healing soil. The baby will be fine with us. She knows us, a
nd although she wants the comfort of her mother, we will do for her."

  "Who will care for her during the hours of daylight? She cannot go to ground as we must, and she is too weak to be unattended, commanded to sleep during our hours of sleep. We must bring Lisa here." Suddenly Dayan was thinking like a father, not a Carpathian.

  Shea smiled her reassurance. "We have dragged poor Gary Jansen with us. He has been a tremendous help in my research and is fully under the protection of all Carpathians. He will tend the baby while we are deep within the soil."

  Dayan looked skeptical.

  Shea laughed at him. "Gary is perfectly capable of taking care of this baby. Trust me. I work with him all the time. And he was entrusted with the care of Falcon and Sara's adopted children during daylight hours."

  Dayan nodded reluctantly and indicated the small enclosure. "What is that?"

  "It is much like a human incubator. She is still too small to live entirely on her own, but with your blood and care, she will grow very fast." Shea cleared her throat carefully, her eyes suddenly shifting back to the baby. "When Corinne rises, she will want to see the infant, Dayan. It is natural for a mother to feel this way."

  Dayan suddenly smiled, the flash of his white teeth dispelling the worn look from his sensual features. "Are you trying to tell me in your delicate way that my lifemate will not rise with the same appetite as I will have?"

  Shea laughed softly. "I think she will have the same hunger, Dayan, but her instincts will demand she see her daughter."

  "Corinne wanted to name her Jennifer after John and Lisa's mother. I read in her mind that she was afraid to give her daughter a name, afraid it would somehow jinx the baby." Dayan leaned over to look into the transparent enclosure. He stared at the child, a horrified expression on his face. "She would fit into my hand."

  Shea laughed at him. "She weighs about four pounds. Don't worry, she will gain weight fast enough."

  "Dayan – " Julian clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations are in order. You have a lifemate and you are a father. It is cause for great celebration. However, we must postpone any festivities until after you have fed and have gone to ground. This has been a long ordeal, and you need to rejuvenate properly. Your lifemate will heal beneath the welcoming soil. Darius and I will guard your resting place and your child with our lives." Even as he spoke, he was casually bringing his wrist to his mouth. Without so much as a wince, he tore a wound in his skin and pressed his hand to Dayan's mouth. "Take what I offer freely so you might grow strong to protect your lifemate and child."

  Dayan gratefully accepted the ancient blood. It soaked into his cells and tissues, bringing a rush of power to his depleted body. Julian had offered freely, knowing Dayan wouldn't leave Corinne. He had gone through far too many traumas with Corinne to entrust her to any other. Dayan would guard Corinne himself, and Darius would guard the entire family as he had done for centuries. Julian, Desari's lifemate, had taken his position guarding Darius's back.

  Barack and Syndil sent their joy winging to Dayan through the night air, a shower of sparkling gems like fireworks in the sky above the vent in the chamber's chimney. Dayan was grateful to his family for sharing in his happiness.

  The band's beloved Desari leaned close to brush a kiss on his cheek, happiness radiating from her. Her lifemate, Julian, grinned with his familiar teasing look. They watched the other Carpathians leave the chamber, their mission of mercy accomplished. They were now free to return to their homes.

  Besides Dayan's family members, only Gregori and Shea remained behind with their lifemates. The healers would be exhausted when they finished their work, desperately in need of blood. Their lifemates would supply them blood before they would hunt on their own this night.

  Gregori emerged first, his body pale, exhaustion obvious on his face. Then Darius, stumbling so that Tempest and Julian both reached for him at the same time. His skin was almost gray. He circled his lifemate's waist lovingly. "It is done, Dayan. She will live, whole and strong."

  Gregori nodded. "Allow her to rest beneath the earth for two or three risings. Shea and Darius and I will make sure the baby lives. Corinne's body desperately needs time to heal fully. It was the most difficult work I have ever done. I advise caution before rising; check her before you awaken her. If in doubt, call to me or Darius. We will examine her for you and give you advice."

  Behind Dayan, Julian laughed softly. "So, Gregori, perhaps you will accept my dark embrace to replenish you, after all. Savannah is rather pint-sized."

  Savannah tossed her wealth of raven hair and thumped Julian on the chest as she pushed past his much larger frame to take Gregori's hand. "I don't know why the lot of you insist I'm short. I happen to think of myself as being very tall."

  Dayan found himself smiling at the tender expression on Gregori's face as the healer looked down at his rather petite lifemate. He tried to recall all he had heard of the healer. Gregori. The dark one. He had a reputation as a renowned vampire hunter, an individual others walked carefully around. But Dayan doubted that Savannah was in the least intimidated by her chosen one; she seemed to be a woman very much in love and secure within her relationship.

  Dayan knew Julian fairly well. As Desari's lifemate, Julian traveled with the band. He was definitely a law unto himself, confident and certain of his own abilities after traveling the earth alone for centuries. He could needle both Darius and Gregori easily with his taunting sense of humor, almost as if he were secretly laughing at the two men over their downfall with their women. Dayan liked Julian's sardonic, independent nature, although it had been difficult at first to allow him entrance into their family.

  Gregori smiled down at Savannah, his features full of love, then he turned ice-cold silvery eyes on Julian. "I should accept your offer, Julian, and drain you dry. It would put you in the earth for a few days and out of your lifemate's hair."

  Julian laughed softly, nuzzling Desari's thick mass of long, silky hair. "She loves me in her hair, right, Desari?"

  Dayan could feel the relief in the room, the release of tension into humor. Gregori was nearly gray with fatigue, but no one mentioned it. Savannah glanced up at the healer, and they both simply dissolved into mist and streamed from the chamber before Dayan had a chance to thank them. He knew he owed a huge debt to Gregori.

  "We will leave you now," Desari said in her soft, musical voice, "that you may sleep undisturbed. I cannot wait to greet Corinne as a sister. I will check on Cullen this night as well. Do not worry, we are all bound by Darius's word. He has taken Cullen into the family, and with Corinne comes Lisa. They are human, but they are well loved. I will see to it that Lisa has all the news and knows that Corinne is out of danger. I will tell her you will bring Corinne and the baby to her the moment Corinne can safely travel. Syndil says Lisa will be much relieved when she hears news of Corinne."

  Dayan shoved a hand through his black hair, leaving it more disheveled than ever. "Thank you, Desari. Corinne has been anxious about Lisa. And I know Cullen has very strong feelings for her."

  "So Syndil tells me. Do not worry any longer, Dayan. It took some time for everyone to accept Julian into the family. Corinne and Lisa will also work out their places with time. I know you are concerned that Corinne may not want to travel with us because she has a baby, but she loves you. She knows that in your heart and soul you are a musician. As she is home to you, so are you to her." Desari leaned over and hugged Dayan. "I love you very much, and I am so happy for you."

  Dayan kissed her and watched as Julian and Desari left the chamber, walking side by side. Julian had his arm around Desari's slender shoulders and was whispering softly, suggestively in her ear. Dayan heard her musical voice laugh softly, happily. The sound filled him with so many memories, flooded him with warmth.

  Corinne was alive and out of danger. The baby was alive and safe within the enclosure. Darius opened the earth and gestured for Dayan to gather Corinne's body into his arms. Dayan hesitated. "You are certain this Jansen will watch o
ver my daughter?"

  Shea laughed softly. "You are already becoming a worried father. Gary is very reliable. I will be here with Jacques, of course. Darius and Tempest will sleep above you and Corinne. Gregori and Savannah are in the next chamber. Our people are everywhere within this network of tunnels. No harm will come to the baby while you rest."

  Dayan took a last look at the baby, touched the top of the transparent enclosure with his fingertips, right over the tiny infant's head. Then he floated down into the rich, welcoming soil with Corinne, holding her close, his body protective as he allowed his heart to slow and eventually cease beating.

  Darius closed the earth over their heads and turned then, into the arms of his beloved lifemate, Tempest, needing to replenish his strength.

  * * *

  Chapter 17

  Dayan woke deep beneath the surface of the earth with his heart pounding and his body on fire.

  Corinne.

  He turned his head to look at her, afraid, exhilarated, so hungry for her he thought he might go up in flames. She lay beside him where he had placed her, unmoving, completely still; she lay as if dead. She looked unbelievably small, fragile beside him. Her body was a woman's, soft and curvy, and he knew she had the heart of a lion, yet she looked like a child in her sleep.

  It had been three risings since he had gone to earth with her. He had awakened each night to check that the baby lived and was doing well in her little cocoon. He knew Corinne would expect it, but he did it because he found he was filled with worry for the infant. Each time breath came into his body, fear for the baby, his daughter, would cycle through him. Daughter. He tasted the word. He was a father.

  Dayan scanned automatically, searching the immediate area first for danger, then to assure himself that no others of his kind lingered near their resting place.

  Darius and Tempest had risen and were some distance away. Shea was already awake and bending over the child, feeding her with some formula she had concocted.