Dark Descent (6 page)

Traian leaned over to catch Joie’s chin. “I will be back immediately. Do
not
attempt to engage the enemy.

They
must
not get their hands on you.” There was an underlying urgency in his voice. His dark eyes stared into hers. “Be safe, Joie. I need you to be safe.”

He was taking her family to safety for her, when everything in him demanded he take her first. Joie understood his look immediately, recognized how difficult it was for him to do what was important to her rather than to himself. There was a storm of emotion churning inside him, yet his features remained tranquil. Only his eyes burned with intensity. With possession. With promise. With passion.

His mouth fastened on hers, a hard kiss that staked his claim on her. That kiss told her he meant to have her and nothing would stand in his way. She felt his body tremble and tasted his passion, tasted his fear for her.

He pulled away abruptly, lifting her brother and sister easily, as if they were no more than children, shifting into a creature with wings, half man, half bird, and flying across the abyss into the dark where she could no longer see him.

Joie was left standing alone on the edge of the precipice with the darkness pressing down on her. With the strange rhythmic clicking and the dripping water. Heart pounding and mouth dry, she turned toward the sound, shining her light to see what was behind her.

In the small confines she could see water trickling from the side of the cavern; it was not clear, but a milky yellow, and gathered into a foul-smelling pool. She moved cautiously, positioning herself to keep an eye on what was gathering there. Something evil. Something alive.

The water rippled in response to a dark disturbance below the surface. The pool darkened into an oily substance, revealing two red orbs glaring with terrible malevolence. A chill crept down her spine. The hair on her arms stood up.

Traian.
Automatically, without conscious thought, she reached out for him, showed him the pool with its macabre secrets.

Move! Get out of its line of vision, Joie.

Chapter Five

Joie stared back at the flame-red eyes in horror, unable to look away. The eyes were real, watching her, some terrible apparition set on her destruction. She had never seen so much malice, so much black hatred pouring from any entity. Her body rebelled, sickened by the evil emanating from the thick slime.

At Traian’s warning, she tried to wrench her gaze away, but she was trapped, unable to break eye contact with the red flames. Her airway began to close, choked off by an invisible noose. Instinctively her hands flew up to her throat as if she could pry unseen fingers from around her neck, but there was nothing there. As white stars flashed across a black background, Joie realized dizzily she had only precious seconds to break the invisible hold on her throat. She reached for her knife, following through in one smooth motion with a throw directed by sheer desperation.

The blade sank deep into the fiery left eye. Immediately the water bubbled up in a blackish-red ooze and the hold on her throat loosened, allowing her to breathe. A terrible howl filled the cavern, assaulting her ears. She stumbled away from the poisonous pool, dragging air into her lungs, coughing as her raw throat protested.

In the next moment Traian was dragging her into his arms, his body crowding hers, his hands moving over her to assure himself she was unhurt. As he lifted her, she clung to his strength, not bothering to pretend the encounter hadn’t shaken her. He moved quickly through the air, so fast the cold air bit at her face, numbed her arms, and tore tears from her eyes. Joie buried her face against his chest, allowing herself a few moments to recover before she faced her siblings.

“You are teaching me the meaning of fear,” he said.

“Really? I thought it was the other way around. I don’t think your world is the calm environment a woman like me should be in.” Her voice shook, embarrassing her.

“Having courage does not mean being unafraid.”

“True, but everyone doesn’t have to know I was shaking in my boots. Literally.”

“I am not everyone. I still cannot believe you are real,” he said softly. His lips moved against her cheek, a brush lighter than a butterfly wing, yet she felt it all the way to her toes. That small caress sent blood rushing through her veins, her heart leaping; his touch warmed her as nothing else could.

“I’m having a difficult time believing that any of this is real,” Joie admitted. “And what’s up with the wolf? Telepathy, okay, I can accept that. Even your strange little blood fetish, but don’t you think changing into animals and flying through the air might be going a little too far?”

His arms tightened possessively. “You do not enjoy flying?”

“I don’t enjoy anything when I’m not in complete control. And you didn’t have to intimidate my brother.”

His arm was curved around her, pressed against the underside of her breasts. “You will not be in complete control when I make love to you, Joie,” he told her softly.

She closed her eyes at the velvet sound of his voice. Danger surrounded them. Her family was close. It didn’t seem to matter. She was so aware of him, her body ached with need. With hunger. With absolute longing. She felt edgy and hot; a terrible pressure was building inside her.

I feel the same way.

She often spoke with her brother and sister using telepathy, a secret they all shared, but this was different. So much more. An intimacy that whispered of erotic nights and appetites that would never be sated.
Why? Why with you?

I am your other half. We belong together. I have searched the world for you. Waited lifetimes for you.

Joie tightened her grip on his shirt, burrowed closer to his heart. She was a woman who knew herself well. An adrenaline junkie. A feminist. A believer in justice. She loved her life. Traveling from country to country. One assignment after another taking her into danger. Her recreation time was spent caving, white-water rafting, or skydiving. She was not a woman who wanted or needed a man. She was not a woman who clung to a man.

Joie looked up at Traian, the light from her helmet shining on his face. He had changed her very existence for all time. “I’m not altogether certain I approve of you.”

Laughter rumbled in his throat. “Fortunately, your approval is not strictly necessary. Lifemates simply are. We have no choice in the matter. We are like two magnets that cannot be torn apart.”

“Great. I don’t know a thing about you except I can’t exactly bring you home to my mother and father. My family is very close, by the way.”

He put her carefully on firm ground. Jubal and Ga-brielle rushed to her, flinging their arms around her and hugging her close. “I had not noticed,” Traian said with drawling amusement. “We are not safe. We have to keep moving.”

“Wait, Traian,” Jubal objected. “We found something. Something really important. You said those vampires were hunting something. You have to take a look at this. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Traian hadn’t relinquished Joie’s hand, even when her siblings dragged her into their arms. She felt a little silly holding hands—she’d never really done it, not even in high school. But there was something warm and comforting, something extraordinary about being close to Traian.

“You can bring me home to your parents.” He said it softly, honestly, as he followed Jubal and Gahrielle through a narrow hall. “I would never embarrass you, or frighten them. I want to meet them. Anyone important to you is important to me.”

Joie tried to prevent her heart from going crazy. She was no young girl, but a fully grown woman. A man shouldn’t have such an effect on her, yet he did. There was honesty in his voice. A simple sincerity that shook her. She knew nothing about him, not even what he really was, yet she knew everything. She knew what kind of man he was. The knowledge was instinctive, the one thing she was certain of.

“Where is your family?” she asked.

“I have only my people. My prince.” His eyes gleamed a deep black in the soft glow of the helmet lights. “You are my family. Your brother and sister have become my family.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “And we have only just met. A very strange concept for you, but completely natural to me. Lifemates are two people who meet and need to be together, two halves of the same whole. Finding a lifemate is what every Carpathian male dreams of and longs for and fights to keep our world together for, yet few of us ever gain such a treasure. I never thought to experience such an earth-shattering event.”

“Are you disappointed that I’m not what you thought I’d be?”

Traian looked down at her. “You do not yet understand the concept of lifemates. I am surprised and even shocked by the idea of a human lifemate, but I could never be disappointed with you. We were made for one another. We complete one another. You are fascinating to me. You always will be.”

Joie hurried to catch up with her brother and sister, not wanting Traian to see the pleased grin she couldn’t quite hide. Jubal turned toward a shallow alcove in the wall, directing his light onto the ice. There was a sudden silence as all of them held their breath. The creature encased in ice was large, an enormous beast with scales covering its body, a wedge-shaped head, a serpentine neck, and a long tail ending in a sharp spike. The wings were folded in close along the body. It had sharp claws for rending and tearing. One eye was wide open and staring at them through the thick wall of ice.

Joie let her breath out slowly. “That’s no dinosaur.”

“It has to be,” Gabrielle said. “It can’t be a dragon. Don’t tell me it’s a dragon.” She glared at Traian. “There aren’t vampires. You can’t change your shape, and there aren’t dragons. The air is bad down here and we’re all having a mass hallucination. It can’t be anything else.”

“Is it real, Traian?” Jubal asked. There was awe, even reverence, in his voice.

“Yes. It is real. I had no idea it was down here.”

“Do you think this is what the vampires are looking for?” Joie asked.

Traian shook his head. “They have no interest in the remains of a dragon. But this is definitely a cave the wizards used. I suspected as much. It could be a gold mine of information for our people. The wizards had incredible power and knowledge. It would be terrifying to think that the vampires might get hold of any of the power the wizards wielded. Do not touch anything. We must be very careful in here. The wizards used spells and traps to guard what belonged to them.”

“That’s what you meant when you said the bridge could be a trap. You thought the wizards had made it,” Jubal said.

Gabrielle held up her hand. “We’re talking about things found in fantasy books. Legends. Myths. There has never been evidence of dragons existing. Not even when dinosaurs roamed the earth.” She reached out to touch her sister. “Joie? Are you certain of this? Certain of this man? He flies through the air. He changes into a wolf. He can talk to you telepathically. He takes your blood like a vampire would.” There was pleading in her voice.

Traian pulled Joie closer to him. He was well aware of Gabrielle’s influence on Joie. He could easily read his lifemate’s mind, just as he could pick up the thoughts of her siblings. Joie loved her brother and sister and would willingly sacrifice her own happiness for them if need be.

Joie felt the possession in Traian’s touch, felt the brush of his mind in hers. She smiled up at him in reassurance. At the same time, she reached for Gabrielle’s hand. “The one thing that matters is family. And more than anything, we want each other to be happy,” she explained to Traian. “I know what I’m doing, Ga-brielle. You know I’ve always relied on my instincts. I know this is right. I don’t understand any of it, but maybe I’ve been preparing for it all of my life. I fit with him. You’re right, I don’t know him yet, but I fit with him.” She rubbed her face, smearing mud across it. “A one and only sort of thing. Silly, but true.”

Jubal groaned. “Joie, I never thought you’d turn all mushy romantic on us.”

Gabrielle exchanged a long look with Jubal and turned to Joie. “Well, I suppose your life with him will always be interesting.”

“My sisters have already put gray in my hair. I won’t survive Traian hanging around, howling at the moon, biting Joie’s neck. And, just for the record, stay the hell away from mine, Traian. Having a woman bite my neck might be a turn-on—kinky, maybe, but I could handle it. Having a man bite my neck is out of the question. Doesn’t do a thing for me,” Jubal said dryly.

“Ouch. That hurts, Jubal,” Traian said. “I was really looking forward to a snack later.” He leaned down to brush the top of Joie’s head with his chin. He had to touch her, keep reminding himself she was real. Even when they were speaking telepathically while he searched the complex of caves for whatever the vampires were frantic to find, he almost believed he had made her up.

Gabrielle managed a grin. “Well, he fits in with our weird family, Joie. I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad’s reaction.”

“I need to seal this area off, slow the vampires down, and get all of you out of this cave,” Traian said. “I’m not so eager to leave,” Joie responded, studying the huge body of the dragon. “This is a treasure. There must be other fascinating things down here.”

“You are being hunted,” Traian said severely. “I am getting you out of here now. I will come back later and find whatever the vampires want so badly.”