Dark Fire (38 page)

His laughter, low with mocking male amusement, brushed in her mind like butterfly wings. I
would not be surprised if you managed to sink the entire pier. If someone told me you were singlehandedly trying to rescue seven drowning victims, I would not raise an eyebrow. There will be no heroics, no hang-gliding, no speedboat racing, and no flirting. I absolutely forbid your helping the security team deal with drunks, brawls, or any other situation. Go back to the room.

I'm not that bad,
she reprimanded indignantly.
Pay attention
to
what you're doing, and leave me in peace.

I do not wish to force my will on you, honey.
It was a clear threat.

But
you will if I don't obey.
Her hot temper surged forth. If he was standing on the edge of the pier in his elegant suit, she would have shoved him right off the edge into the water. You
have no
right to dictate to
me, Darius. In case you've forgotten, this is the modern era. Women have rights. You're irritating me.

I do not have time for this silly argument. Now go.
There was the slightest hint of resignation in his voice, in his mind, and it made her smile. Darius was slowly but surely getting the message that dictating to her did not necessarily get him his way. And she was beginning to understand his driving need to protect her. More and more she was sharing his mind, including memories of his childhood and his life.

"Tempest!" Cullen Tucker's voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. "I have to admit it's a bit surprising to see you out without Darius."

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Is it catching or something? Come on, Cullen. Why would I need an escort at every moment?" She knew she sounded belligerent, but after Darius's little lecture, she was annoyed with the entire male population of the earth.

He instantly and prudently held up a hand in surrender. "Hey, Tempest, you can pack that redheaded temper away. I don't think you need a bodyguard at every moment, but Darius seems to keep a close watch on his property."

Her eyebrows shot up, fury gathering in her green eyes. "For your information, Mr. Tucker, I am not
anybody's
property. Least of all Darius's. Don't encourage him."

You
are definitely my property,
Darius said, laughter in his voice.

Oh, shut up,
she whispered sweetly.

"Okay," Cullen said to appease her, discretion being the better part of valor. He waved a hand toward the glistening lake. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Tempest nodded, her eyes on the waves. There's always something soothing about water."

Cullen gestured toward a riverboat that looked like something that should be on the Mississippi River. "That's pretty cool. I hear you can rent it for private parties or take a three-hour tour on it around the lake. There's a big bachelor party tonight. Darius had me go over the guest list to see if I recognized any of the names."

Tempest raised an eyebrow and quirked a little grin at him. "A bachelor party? Complete with a stripper jumping out of a cake?"

Cullen laughed. "Who knows?" He sighed softly. "You know, you were right about this driving at night business. I'm usually a morning person, but after traveling all night, I swear, I couldn't wake up today. When I finally managed to drag myself out of bed, it was seven o'clock, and everyone was already up. Even Julian." He glanced around to assure himself no one was in hearing distance. "To tell you the truth, I did kind of suspect him of being a you-know-what, but I saw him eating dinner with Desari. They were almost finished when I went into the dining room. I watched him eating myself."

How
can that be?
Tempest demanded, fully aware that Darius was monitoring every word of the conversation.

Eavesdropper.

We can eat. We simply remove the offending substance from our systems as soon as possible
.

Yuck! Tempest pushed down the mental image and turned her attention back to Cullen. "The whole idea was a little farfetched."

"I saw a vampire," Cullen snapped defensively. "I saw him kill my fiancee in San Francisco. It wasn't some delusion."

She rubbed her hand up and down his arm soothingly. "I know, Cullen. I believe you. I was speaking of Desari. She's so sweet and good to everyone. Why anyone would think she was a monster, I can't imagine."

Out of nowhere Dayan and Barack suddenly appeared, casually positioning themselves on either side of Tempest, inserting their larger frames between Cullen and her. The move was subtle, but they definitely removed her hand from Cullen's arm. Tempest heaved an exaggerated sigh, fully aware the two Carpathians had been sent by Darius to retrieve her.

You're a skunk,
you know
that? But it was hard to keep the laughter out of her voice; of course she should have anticipated his move.

I
know you do not need to be
touching
other men. I told you to go back to the room, where I know you are safe.

I was going.

Not fast enough to suit me.

Barack took possession of Tempest's arm. Not tightly, but she knew she couldn't break his grip. It was all she could do not to burst out laughing.
I take it Barack isn't a man?
A soft growl was Darius's only answer to her teasing. Deliberately she smiled at Cullen. "I would think it might dangerous for you to be out in the open like this. What if the society sends someone here and you're spotted?" Cullen shrugged. "I'm hoping I can spot them first. It's the least I can do under the circumstances."

Barack was applying pressure, slowly drawing her away from the human, back toward their rooms. "Darius wants you with Desari and Syndil, little sister. He is very insistent." He had heard the growling, too.

Dayan stepped smoothly to Cullen's side, grinning good-naturedly at him. "Darius is the very devil with that woman. He keeps a close watch on her and has a protective streak a mile wide."

"It seems all of you do," Cullen responded.

"It is our way. So you are stuck with me, the bachelor." Dayan walked him toward the concert hall. Darius had made it a point that they watch over Tucker. He might not be Carpathian, but he had warned them of danger at great risk to himself, and Darius was not about to let him die. Dayan understood some of Cullen's feelings. The man grieved for his lost love, felt totally alone, and Dayan knew that feeling well. More and more as the others could feel emotion, the darkness was spreading in him, a stain he couldn't seem to remove. He could touch the others and momentarily feel emotion through them, but it only increased his own barren existence when he slipped from their minds.

Tempest paced alongside Barack, fuming that Darius was forcing his will on her. Barack didn't seem to notice her deliberately lagging steps, simply taking her with him to the room allotted to Desari. He reached around her and opened the door, all but pushing her inside. She glared at him. "You know, Barack, you could use some lessons in manners."

"Probably true," he agreed softly, "but then, you could use a few lessons in obedience."

Syndil slammed the door in his face. "That man is a total brute. I do not know where he got the idea that he can suddenly boss us all around, but I swear, he has been hanging around Darius too long."

From the other side of the door, they heard Barack's mocking laughter. Syndil threw her shoe at the door. "Jerk!" She flung herself into a chair and glared up at Desari. "How do you put up with Julian?"

"Not easily," Desari admitted. "When he gets out of hand, I just go around him. It is much easier than butting heads with him."

"I would very much like to butt Barack in the head," Syndil said. "You should hear him. He thinks he can just start ordering me around because he was an idiot and tied us together."

Desari laughed softly. "He could not tie you together if you were not true lifemates, Syndil. You know that very well."

"I know he has spent centuries bedding women. Who would want him?" Moodily she flung her other shoe at the door, wishing the wooden panel was his head. "And you should hear him go on about my flirting and about men wanting me. I tell you, Desari, he can fling himself into the lake."

"He has not made his ultimate claim," Desari observed. If Barack had made love to Syndil, all of them would have known immediately, as they had with Darius staking his claim on Tempest.

"I refused him." Syndil looked down at her hands, sudden tears welling up. "He has been with so many. I have only had Savon, and that was rape. It was horrible, and it hurt. I could not take the chance. I almost wanted to, but I didn't dare. If I couldn't make myself accept him in that way…"

Desari circled her shoulders, pulling her close. "Oh, Syndil, it would not be like that. You should have shared your fears with Barack."

Syndil shook her head in agitation. "I cannot. I closed my mind to him."

Tempest laced her fingers with Syndil's. "Savon committed a violent crime against you, Syndil. When you're with someone who loves you, he takes great care to ensure your pleasure above all else. If Barack does love you and wants to be with you always, he would treat you gently."

"What if I did not please him? What if I cannot do as he wishes? I think about it, wanting him, but then the memories come, and I don't think I could take his hands or his body on me," Syndil explained miserably. She sounded as if her heart was breaking.

Desari stroked her hair. "A lifemate dwells in the mind as well as the heart and soul. He would see to your needs, help you overcome your fears. You must give yourself a chance at happiness, Syndil. What Savon did should not be allowed to destroy your life as well as Barack's. Remember, what happens to you, happens to him."

"Why do they have to make it so damned hard on us?" Tempest asked. "They act as if we should be in a convent when we're not with them."

"They have the old values, Rusti," Desari said. "After all, they were born centuries ago. And there are so few Carpathian women. You cannot really blame them for wanting to protect us."

"I'll never fit in," Tempest said sadly. "Even if I convince Darius to convert me, I know I'll never be able to take the way he tells me what to do." Her feelings for Darius were growing at an alarming rate, winding deep into her heart and soul so that she had to see him with all his dark memories, had to see him for the man he truly was. She needed to love him and protect him in the same way he needed to love and protect her.

Syndil and Desari exchanged a long look. "You asked Darius to convert you?" Desari asked, shocked.

Tempest shrugged. "He won't do it. He says it's too dangerous. Is it? Does anyone know?"

"I asked Julian," Desari said eagerly. "He said that you must have some psychic ability. Otherwise, as a human, you could not be Darius's lifemate. And believe me, Rusti, it is rather obvious you are his true lifemate. I have never seen my brother like this."

"I don't have any psychic ability," Tempest protested, looking confused. "I really don't."

"Of course you do," Syndil said. "You communicate with animals."

"Oh, that." Tempest shrugged. "That's not anything special."

"It is what enables you to understand Darius's predatory nature," Desari explained, excited. "The conversion would work. I just know it would."

"And if it didn't?" Tempest prompted.

Desari chewed her lower lip nervously, her gaze sliding away from Tempest's. "You could become a deranged vampiress and would have to be destroyed."

There was a small silence. "A deranged vampiress," Tempest said sarcastically. "No wonder Darius doesn't want to chance it." She leaned over to meet Desari's eyes. "What else are you keeping from me?"

Desari glanced at Syndil, who nodded. "Julian says the conversion process is very painful."

Tempest shoved at the hair spilling around her face "Oh, yeah, I'm into pain. Did you know all this when you first brought up the subject? You did mean for me to think about it, didn't you?"

Desari looked guilty. "I am sorry, Rusti. It is just that I love my brother, and I can see the strain in him a ready. He would never shirk his duties. Even though his strength is lessening, he will continue to fight those who threaten us. I was thinking of him, not of you. I ask your forgiveness."

"Darius was furious with both of us," Syndil admitted "He did not raise his voice-he does not have to-but he fairly shook with rage."

Tempest paced the length of the room. "What kind of pain?"

A flood of remorse slid over Desari. As much as she wanted her brother to live, he would be furious at this conversation, at Syndil and Desari for using Tempest feelings for Darius to persuade her.

"You cannot be serious." Desari jumped up and caught her shoulders. "It was wrong of me to suggest such thing. It is against Darius's wishes. He has told me he has made the decision to age and die with you, that he has no regrets. I must accept his will, although it is difficult."

Syndil nodded. "Darius says the woman should not have to risk her very life for a man." She looked down at her fingers, remembering Darius's chastisement. "He said it was bad enough that he taken away your choice your old lifestyle, and he would never willingly risk you life." There was pain in her eyes when she raised them to Tempest's. "We should not have continued to discus this."

"But then, it really isn't his risk or his decision, is it

Tempest asked softly. "I have as much right to worry over his health and well-being."

"It is the male's duty to see to his lifemate's health and happiness," Desari pointed out. "He can do no other."

"My happiness," Tempest repeated softly, almost to herself.

The sound of a knock on the door made her heart pound. Inside she was turning over their revelations. Could she do it? Chance it? Did she have that kind of courage? The words
deranged vampiress
did not conjure up a pretty picture. She didn't like the sound of that at all. But the thought of Darius losing his great strength, growing old when he did not have to, was a heavy weight on her heart.