Dark Challenge (26 page)

“What can we do to help?” Desari asked immediately, her eyes shadowed with worry.

“Your singing helps, the peace in you. You and Syndil are our strength, Desari. Never think you are not.”

“Yet we are the ones responsible for the gathering of vampires in this region. They are looking for us.”

Darius nodded. “That is more than likely. But it is hardly your fault.”

“Yet you have to destroy them.”

“It is my duty. I accept it without question or thought. Now, Desari, I am weary, and we must get this man of yours deep within the earth to complete his healing. Let us go.”

Desari started down the aisle, then turned back to address him over her shoulder. “The bus broke down again, Darius. I intend to put an ad in some of the papers looking for a mechanic to travel with us. I realize it will change things a bit, but we can easily control a single human. I can even place a compulsion in the ad so that we attract the one we are seeking.”

“If he is out there. If your chosen one is not going to get jealous. He appears to be somewhat possessive.”

Desari turned away from her brother, pleased she was able to get that much of a concession out of him. Darius obviously believed she could never find such a person,
but she was determined to try. She was tired of seeing to every detail of their travel by herself.

They stepped outside into the gray light of dawn and moved hurriedly into the deep forest to select an area protected from the sun yet with several escape routes.

Desari found such a spot and waved her hand to open the earth, revealing the healing coolness the soil provided to rejuvenate those of her kind. It beckoned her, whispering promises of sleep and protection.

Behind her, Darius floated silently to the site with his burden. Very carefully he lay Julian in the bed of soil. “Sleep deeply, the sleep of our people, chosen one of my sister, that you will heal completely and wake refreshed and in full strength.” He spoke the words formally as Desari followed Julian to earth. He watched as his sister waved her hand, taking her last breath before the soil poured over them.

Darius stood a moment listening to the birds and the rustles of mice and small rodents foraging in the bushes. He was normally in the earth before the sun had risen this high; he had almost forgotten the sounds of morning. As he looked around at the black and gray world, he felt the utter loneliness the males of his race endured for most of their barren existence. Time stretched out before him, long and endless and ugly without hope. Nothing could change what was. It was but a matter of time before the black stain spreading in him enveloped his soul completely. It was only his iron will and strict code of honor, his responsibility for the protection of his family, that kept him from walking into the sun and ending the waking hell he existed in. How much worse had it been for Desari’s lifemate, with the mark of the vampire consuming his soul, eating him from the inside out? Julian Savage was a threat to all he came in contact with. And now he was a part of Darius’s family.

The sun set slowly, hues of orange, pink, and red spreading across the sky. It sank behind the mountains, its colors radiating throughout the forest, casting dancing shadows on leaves and brushes. The wind blew gently, fresh and clean, renewing the cycle of life.

Most of the campers had long since left the area, disturbed by some unknown sense of distress, as if something dangerous lurked nearby. Two missing campers who had been panning for gold had never been found despite a search of the area on horseback, by helicopters, and with dogs. The search-and-rescue teams found themselves heavy of heart, an oppressive burden on their chests making it nearly impossible to breathe. All of them secretly wanted to get out of the area.

The barrier Dayan had erected was a good one, and Darius had reinforced it when he rose several nights previously. The bus had also finally been repaired.

Julian became aware of his heart and lungs beginning
to function, of the sound of another heart beating close to his. Carefully he scanned the area above and around him to ensure they were alone and free from danger. He checked for blank spots that might mask the presence of the undead. Then he opened the earth above them to reveal the swaying canopy of branches and the night that belonged to him. He moved in a slow, careful stretch to feel his body out. The movement brought him in contact with soft skin and silky hair. He inhaled deeply, bringing her fragrance into his lungs.

Desari. It was a gift, a miracle he had been given that he would never again wake alone. He would never again roam the earth, always alone. His fingers touched the ebony strands, brought them to his mouth. How would he tell her the truth? He could never give her up. Julian had been strong enough to separate himself from his twin, from his people, but he did not have the strength to walk away from Desari, even if every moment in his company would be fraught with danger for her. He turned toward her to bury his face in the wealth of her hair.

At once Desari responded, putting her arms around him, holding him with ferocious strength. He could feel her trembling against him. “I thought I lost you,” she whispered softly against his neck. “It was far too close.”

He tightened his own hold, molding her soft, pliant frame to his. “I told you to trust me,
cara
. You were worried needlessly.”

Her hunger was beating at him along with his own. Both had stayed in the ground these last few risings while he healed and rejuvenated. Now both of them required sustenance. Julian took to the air first, rising swiftly to meet any potential danger to them, immediately. Desari followed only when he signaled all was clear. She closed the earth, leaving no sign of their occupancy,
as she followed Julian across the sky in search of prey.

The forest seemed quiet, nearly empty of human quarry. In the bodies of owls, they circled above the trees, taking in a far larger hunting area than they could in other form. Upriver several miles from their place of rest, Julian spotted movement below. He dropped down into the canyon and made a single silent pass overhead. Two males were setting up a tent together, laughing at each other’s jokes. Julian signaled Desari to find a tree on the rim of the canyon and wait for him. He continued to circle, scanning the area for dangers, ensuring she was safe before he flew to a tree near his prey. He tucked his wings under him and walked along a branch, his clawed talons digging into the wood. He studied the layout of the campsite, lifting his head to catch the wind’s tales of the surrounding forest and river, making certain they were alone.

Desari waited patiently for Julian to feed for both of them. She watched him, finding pleasure in any form he took. What was it about him that drew her gaze like a magnet? He had somehow stolen into her heart and wrapped himself around it until there was no living without him. She didn’t really mind anymore. Their species was of the earth and sky, a part of nature itself. She had learned centuries ago, in an ever-changing world, that nature was wild and free, making its own rules and as quickly abandoning them when it no longer needed them. One could not remain rigid. Like the changing seasons, the rising and setting sun, the spinning earth itself, everything changed. Including her life. Julian was now a part of it.

She watched him drop to the ground and shape-shift back into his human form. At once her heart somersaulted, and butterfly wings brushed inside her stomach
at the sight of his tall, muscular form. He looked like a warrior of old, intimidating and dangerous, yet handsome and sensual. Desari followed his every movement, the casual, fluid way he moved when he approached the two campers, his friendly smile and softly spoken words hiding the instant enthrallment. He bent his head to drink. She noticed that he was careful and respectful, almost gentle with the first man as he helped him to sit beneath the tree before turning to the second man waiting so patiently for his turn to provide what the soft voice had commanded. Desari found herself marveling at the way Julian treated the humans, almost as if some part of him liked them.

She liked humans. There were many good people in the world. Darius and the other men considered each of them a potential threat, even though Carpathians had the ability to control human thoughts and even implant or wipe away memories if need be. Desari assumed all the males were similarly distrustful. It was nice to realize Julian felt gentleness toward the human race.

Do not credit your lifemate so much
, cara mia.
I do not feel the compassion and camaraderie you are capable of feeling. I wish it were so, but I am primarily a predator
.

Desari found herself smiling even within the body of the bird. Julian was a shadow in her mind, monitoring her thoughts.

It is the only way I ever hear good of myself
, he explained.
Aloud, you prefer to lecture me at every turn. Your thoughts are much more to my liking.

I should be more careful. You are arrogant enough.

You are crazy about me.
A wealth of smug male satisfaction filled his voice.

Desari tried to keep herself from laughing, but it was impossible. Julian Savage was everything she ever could
have wanted. Even his warped sense of humor and overbearing self-confidence were too endearing to pretend otherwise.
You wish I were.

You cannot help yourself. Doubtless it is my good looks.

And your charming manner
. She laughed again, this time dislodging herself from the tree branch. The owl circled lazily over the canyon before settling to earth, shape-shifting as she did so.
It is particularly your modesty that attracts me.

Walk farther into the trees while I release these two from my command. I will not have them near you.

Desari’s head snapped up, and her dark eyes smoldered dangerously. She walked away, but she was tired of all the orders the males of her race seemed determined to toss out as fast as they were able.
Has it occurred to you, Julian, that I can sing a binding song and leave you trapped in the body of a bird the next time you choose to shape-shift?

Julian laughed softly in answer, that same male smugness that made her want to wring his neck. He had moved with his incredible speed and was keeping pace beside her with his easy, fluid strides. His arm circled her waist, and he bent to brush the side of her neck with the warmth of his mouth. “You might do so,
cara mia,
but you would not leave me in such a state for long. Your need of my company would be my freedom.”

Excitement was rushing through her body at the touch of his. He smelled clean and fresh, his clothes immaculate, as if they had not been covered by earth these last few days. His veins were bursting with life, his heartbeat calling to hers. “Arrogant man,” she sniffed with pretended indignation. All at once his playful boasting didn’t matter. She hungered, her body crying out for sustenance, and mixed with that need was a bolt of lightning
streaking through her, turning her insides to molten lava, spreading its heat low and wickedly.

Julian caught her up in strong arms and took her, airborne, through the forest, far from any other being, to a deserted emerald island in the middle of a small lake. He was already finding her mouth with his own, a fiery domination that was met with hot demands from De-sari’s silken lips. Her hands were everywhere, pushing at his clothes, insisting he be rid of them. She traced his shoulders, his chest muscles and ribs, the broad expanse of his back. Her fingertips explored his skin, assuring herself there were no lingering signs of his battle with the undead, that he was completely healed.

Her clothes felt heavy and cumbersome, an irritant to her suddenly sensitive skin. At once she rid herself of them so that nothing was between her and Julian’s hard frame. He felt so right, his arms locking her close. She burrowed closer, needing to feel him, wanting to crawl inside him, wanting him buried deep inside her. After so many centuries without someone of her own, without a chance for children and someone to truly love her and want her, Desari woke with joy each rising.

Someone to
need
you
, he corrected. His voice was husky as his hands did their own exploration. He dropped to his knees in front of her, looking up at her dark, smoldering beauty, the fire and flame in her. She was such a part of the night, of their world, shining like the moon and stars.

Julian caught her slender hips firmly in his hands and forced her forward so that he could trace every inch of her satiny thighs. He found each and every hollow, her body already committed to his memory for all eternity. It was as if time stood still for him, allowed him a moment from the universe, a moment that would last forever, to be consumed completely by the wonder of
woman. The firmness of her muscles, the softness of her skin, the sheen and silk of her hair, the smoldering sexiness in the depths of her coal-black eyes, even her long eyelashes, inky and dark, and the triangle of dark curls that guarded heat and fire. She was so beautiful to him, such a miracle of light and goodness, that for a moment tears shimmered in his eyes before he could blink them away.

Julian rested his head on her thighs, inhaling her scent, while the wind whispered its secrets and teased their bodies. She was a creature of the night, as wild and hungry as he. She was his other half, and yet a part of him could not comprehend that she wouldn’t vanish to leave him to be consumed once more by utter isolation, by total hopelessness.

His mouth found the warmth of one silken thigh, leaving a long trail of kisses, every one of them in thanks for what he had been granted. He was still awed by her whispered promise to him as he lay gravely wounded, her voice soft and husky, pure and compelling. There could never be untruth in her, not with her voice. She had meant that promise to him, meant it with all of her being. Had he slipped away to the afterlife, she would have followed him.
Always together. You are not alone. I will follow you
. Her commitment to him went beyond anything he could have hoped for. His hands tightened possessively on her small bottom, drawing her closer to him. Her heat beckoned, her wild scent calling to him to assuage her need. Julian wanted only pleasure for her, for everything to be perfect for her—the night itself, the touch of his mouth, his hands, his body inside hers, locking them together as they were meant to be from the beginning of time.