Dark Melody (Dark 12)

I am here with you, honey.

Dayan made the calm announcement before he touched the door handle of the car, afraid of startling her. He was a shadow in her mind, knew she was already afraid, and worried about his safety. The fog was oppressive to her. He could feel how uncomfortable she was, sensed that the baby was kicking strongly, but her heart and lungs were laboring. He sent the warmth of his love into her mind, strong and intense, his reassurance that he was in good health.

Corinne reached for the door even as he opened it. At once she flung herself into his arms, uncaring what he might think. "I was so worried about you."

He held her tight, savoring the feel of her fragile body against his. "Breathe, honey. You scare me to death when your heart tries to work so hard. I was never in any danger. Never. I told you that. You need to listen to me when I say important things." He buried his mouth against her soft neck, inhaling her fragrance, breathing evenly, willing her lungs to follow the steady pattern of his.

Corinne rubbed her face against his broad chest. "I never know what is actually important and what is sheer nonsense," she admitted teasingly, trying desperately to lighten the mood when she really wanted to cry in relief.

Dayan laughed softly, obliging her. "You are so good for my ego. Everyone else obeys me; I think you should too."

She pulled reluctantly out of his arms and looked around in astonishment at the rapidly disintegrating fog bank. It was melting away as if it had never been. "I'm the one everyone listens to, Dayan," she pointed out, her mind puzzling over the peculiar phenomenon.

Dayan intertwined his fingers with hers to bring her back to him. He kept her locked firmly beneath his shoulder as they walked toward the house. "And I am certain we all obey." She fit perfectly, her smaller frame moving against his, soft and feminine, reminding him continually of their wonderful differences.

Corinne glanced up at him, studying his features, then ducked her head to hide her expression. His eyes held warmth when they looked at her, but they took on a merciless stare when he looked away. He seemed more animal than human. Even his movements, fluid and powerful, seemed inhuman. She struggled to understand exactly what it was about him that she found intimidating.

Her heart, instead of matching the rhythm of his, was pounding very hard and fast. Her mouth was dry. "Dayan."

"Why are you frightened of me when I treat you so gently?" His voice was soothing and tranquil. He never sounded annoyed or irritated by her thoughts. Dayan took the keys to the front door out of her hand and unlocked it.

Corinne thought a long time before she answered.

Just how afraid was she of Dayan? She looked up at him, at the rugged angles and planes of his face. At his strong jaw. At his sculpted mouth. "I don't think I am, really," she mused aloud. "There's something different about you, Dayan - something dangerous. But not to me. I don't think the threat is directed at me." Her chin went up. "You know, I've always detested the way everyone wanted to tell me what to do with my life because of my health. I have a good brain and I can figure things out for myself. If you choose to spend your time with me and you want to care for me, knowing full well the repercussions of what can and probably will happen to me, then so be it. It's your choice, Dayan." She reached up and framed his face with her hands. "Just know that if you care too much, death can be very painful to the one left behind."

"Would it stop you, Corinne?" he asked quietly, his dark gaze drifting broodingly over her face. "If I were the one with the bad heart, would you walk away from me?"

A slow smile curved her mouth, lit her face and dispelled the worry hidden in her eyes. "I love life, Dayan. I believe in living it. I would never pass up love or laughter or knowing you because I was afraid of pain. It would be a small price to pay for your company. But then, I've known pain and experienced things others haven't. I've learned the value of love and laughter."

Dayan turned his head slightly even as his gaze remained fixed on her face, devouring her. He kissed her hand, drew her finger into the heat of his mouth.

At once her body clenched and a thousand butterflies brushed at the walls of her stomach. He made her feel beautiful, and sexy and very wanted. "What do you think you're doing?" She faced him with her heart in her eyes and her breasts rising and falling in anticipation.

His tongue did a slow, silky caress along her finger, then reluctantly released her. "Seducing you," Dayan admitted without remorse. He bent his head to find her mouth with his, kissing her leisurely, a long, slow kiss meant to tell her what he couldn't seem to convey with mere words. Poet or not, there were no words to say how much she meant to him. No words to say he would follow her anywhere. That she was life to him.

"You say it just fine." She whispered the words into his mouth, into his soul.

Dayan tensed, his arms imprisoning her, holding her tightly to him. There had been no blood exchange. Yet she was reading his mind. Slipping in like a shadow, with skill and ease, going where only those of Carpathian blood should go. Had she learned too much? Her heart wasn't laboring any more than normal. Carefully he touched her mind. Corinne hadn't even noticed what she had done.

She pulled away first, in a small, delicate retreat that made him smile even as he opened his arms to allow her escape. "What attracts you so much to music?" Dayan asked, surveying the neat stacks of music magazines on the coffee table.

"Music takes me to all the places my body will never let me go," Corinne told him, glancing up at him almost shyly. Her soft smile made his knees weak. "I'm able to feel the sensation of jumping out of an airplane or swimming beneath the ocean by just selecting the right piece. No matter where I am, or how difficult it is to breathe, if I can hear music, I know it will be all right." Her grin was self-conscious. "That probably sounds silly to you, but you're strong and free. I'm a prisoner trapped in this body. What my heart and soul and brain want are things I'll never experience, so I use music to soar."

Dayan said nothing. He couldn't speak; the lump in his throat was blocking his ability to breathe. It was the way she lived her life. Corinne accepted what had been given to her and lived wholly despite her limitations. She embraced life. Tasted it. Experienced it. He could imagine her flying as a bird in the sky, swooping through the treetops. He would always have to stay close to her, watch over her, or Corinne would go for the stars.

"Don't feel sorry for me, Dayan," she said softly. "You see, I've been incredibly lucky. I treasure each day I have." She turned to look around her home. "I've had so much in my life, so many unexpected things. Come with me, look at this. Lisa is an absolute cretin when it comes to musical instruments so she didn't appreciate this at all, but you will." She caught his hand and tugged. "I know you will."

He went with her because he had no other choice. He would have followed her to the ends of the earth. She took him through the hall to the open room with the piano, quickly exposing the ivory keys. Her fingers were tight around his as she pulled him to the bench, nearly pushing him onto it.

"Listen to this. Listen to the sound." Her hands skimmed across the keys, fluttered and settled to play a sonata he immediately recognized.

The sound was beautiful, the notes true. Dayan watched her fingers glide over the keys. She played effortlessly, with a certain abandon, losing herself completely in the music. She played the way she lived life. The way she would love him. Passionately, with everything in her. Giving freely, generously. A complete merging of her body and soul and heart.

She was so beautiful to him. Her head bent over the keys, her eyes closed, her hair tousled and tumbling around her face, her expression one of concentration and rapt enthrallment. Dayan reached around her, planted both hands on the piano so his arms created an effective wall. He bent to taste the temptation of the nape of her neck. Her natural fragrance drew him, assailed his senses so that he could think only of Corinne. Of her soft skin and inviting body. Of the passion in her, the magic.

Corinne's fingers stilled on the piano and she turned into his embrace, half rising to meet the heat of his mouth. She found fire and flames. A burst of sunlight and a shattering need more compelling than life itself. They fed off each other, devoured each other, unable to get close enough. His mouth was hot and commanding. Hers was silken and insistent. She lost herself in his mouth, in his masculine taste. He couldn't get enough, feeding on her, taking the sweetness she offered like a starving man.

Her hands slid beneath his shirt, his hands were tugging at her blouse. The fire was explosive, the heat an inferno. There was no rational thought, only the feel of skin, hers satin soft, his firm and defined with hard muscle. He shifted her, his knee thrusting between her legs so she was riding on the hard column of his thigh.

Dayan made a soft sound, an edgy note of ravenous hunger welling up from his soul. The tone pierced her heart, invaded her mind so that she wrapped her arms around his head to cradle him to her, giving him everything, anything. Wanting to be whatever he needed. He pushed her shirt up out of his way, all the while his mouth and hers performed a tango of seduction.

His tongue stroked and teased, danced with hers. His teeth nibbled at her lower lip, the corner of her mouth, settled over her dimple. His lips drifted over her skin, down her neck and throat, leaving flames in their wake. He lifted his head then. Inhaled. Drank her scent in, deep within his lungs. His half-closed eyes slid over her.

Rested on her breasts. Soft. Creamy. Firm and tantalizing.

Her bra was a lacy dusky rose, lovingly cupping her full breasts. Corinne heard the hitch in his breath as he slowly bent his head to her. His long hair slid over her skin, brushed at her like silken caresses. His hands were incredibly gently as he cupped the soft weight of her, lifting one breast free of the bra. His tongue swirled over her nipple. Waves of sensation rocked her, shook her. His mouth, hot and moist, closed around her aching flesh. Corinne's legs almost went out from under her. She leaned back into the piano, the keys playing a jangling note. Streaks of lightning sizzled in her bloodstream, raced to the very core of her.

Her body clenched, dampened. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the pure ecstasy of feeling he was evoking with his mouth. With his hands.

A small, discordant note invaded his consciousness. A whisper of trouble. Her breath was labored, her heart struggling. At once Dayan lifted his head, buried his face in the hollow of her shoulder. Her hands were exploring his back, driving him to the very brink of insanity, so he caught her wrists and held her still.

When he could breathe again, when it was safe again, he lifted his head to look at her. She was so beautiful with her thoroughly kissed mouth and her wide, dazed eyes, he was nearly undone. "Your heart and the baby," he reminded her. "Another couple of minutes and we were not going to be able to stop. I do not want you going unexpectedly into labor. Your safety and that of the baby come first. I was being selfish, and I ask your forgiveness. In truth, I was not thinking clearly."

His voice was a blend of haunting notes, so beautiful it brought tears to her eyes. It wrapped her in a cocoon of safety, a dark melody of love and sensual hunger. "There's nothing to forgive, Dayan. It was both of us. I wanted you as much as you wanted me. Thank you for being strong enough for both of us." Her hands crept protectively over her baby. She smiled up at him. "In truth, I wasn't thinking clearly either, and if you really knew me, you'd know how rare that is."

His eyes drifted over her face, intense, hungry, melting with warmth. "You are my heart and soul, Corinne. You do not know me, because you cannot merge your mind with mine, but I can read your thoughts, your memories. I know you as no other ever could. I do not need days, weeks, months to get to know you. I have only to touch your mind to know what you are like. I know how intelligent you are. I know how very much this baby means to you. We will be much more careful."

Very gently he drew her shirt down over her swollen, aching breasts. She circled his neck with her arms and leaned into his larger frame, allowing him to take her weight. "I'm sorry, Dayan, I didn't mean for things to get out of hand. I know better." Her hand slipped down his chest, rested on the front of his jeans. "I don't want to leave you this way." She could feel the bulge of his erection, so heavy with desire.

His body shuddered with excitement, anticipation, hardening more, his blood thickening. Dayan took a deep, steadying breath. "You mean the same way I have left you? Aching and unfulfilled? I think we will be partners, Corinne. When I am able to take care of your needs, you will take care of mine." He brushed a kiss along her temple. "We are in this together."

She pulled back to look into his eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"

Dayan nodded. "I am no saint, Corinne. You are looking at me with stars in your eyes. I want to devour you right now. I think the safest thing for us to do is pack up your things and Lisa's and go back where we will no longer be alone."

Corinne leaned closer, pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I hate to tell you this, but my things are in the bedroom." She laughed softly, teasingly, and stepped away from him, knowing she was perfectly safe with him. Her legs weren't completely steady but. she managed to walk without falling. He followed her into her bedroom, watching her with dark, intense eyes. She felt the weight of his gaze on her as she moved about the room, and it did nothing to calm her own storm of desire. Resolutely she gathered her things without looking at him. He robbed her of good sense, and for both their sakes, she needed to be responsible. Corinne continued into Lisa's room, pausing for a moment to place her hand over the baby. Dayan had protected both of them.

"Is she kicking?" Dayan asked softly, managing to make the question sinfully intimate.

Corinne nodded, afraid to look at him, afraid she would lose herself in his terrible hunger. In his poet's soul. Dayan moved up behind her, as silent as any jungle cat, and wrapped his arms around her, his palm over the small mound of her belly. He bent his head so his mouth was dangerously close to her frantically pounding pulse. "She is very strong. Such a miracle. All around the world people are finding out they are having babies, yet they do not appreciate what a miracle it is. Perhaps if they had no women, no babies, they would understand what is supposed to be treasured. As I treasure you, so do I treasure this child."

Corinne closed her eyes and allowed his words to seep through the pores of her skin. How could he say such beautiful things? How could his words always be so perfect? Why had she found him now, when she had so little time left? For a moment she leaned against his hard strength, inhaled his wild, untamed scent, was grateful for his enormous strength and poet's words and the way he made her feel that her child was a part of him too. Totally accepted. Without reservation.

"I want you to feel that way," he said softly, his breath warm, inviting, "because it is the simple truth."

"You are temptation personified," Corinne scolded, but her voice gave away her pleasure, and she covered his hand with her own. "You could have any woman, Dayan. Why in the world are you with me?" Her heart ached for him. She didn't want him to be hurt.

"There is only you. I can see no other, nor will I," he answered, completely certain. "You are everything."

Corinne pulled away from him gently, regretfully. "And what if I don't feel the same way? What would you do then?" There was a wealth of interest as well as humor in her voice.

He reached around her to pick up both suitcases. "You forget I read minds. If you truly did not want me, then of course I would have to accept such a thing, but you are my lifemate. There is no mistake. I see in color. I feel emotion. I look at you and there is meaning to my existence. You look back at me."

Corinne smiled then - she couldn't help herself. "I definitely look at you, I can't very well deny that. And I want to be with you. I knew John practically my entire life. I loved him, yet I couldn't give him passion, I couldn't give him my soul. I look at you and everything in me wants you, wants to be everything you've ever needed."

Dayan shook his head. Corinne was confused by the intensity of her emotions, the sheer chemistry between them. He didn't want her to feel guilt for not having shared her passion with her husband. "I am your lifemate, you were meant for me. We know each other, recognize one another because we're meant to be together. You loved John as a dear friend, but you belong with me. Lifemates do not lie to one another. I am telling you the truth."

She reached out to touch his strong jaw, her fingers gently caressing. "Thank you, Dayan." She took another look around the house. "I think we have everything."

He took possession of the suitcases and made certain the house was securely locked before following her down the brick pathway and across the large expanse of immaculate lawn. Corinne stopped suddenly, looking up at the abundance of stars overhead. Stars that couldn't be seen earlier. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Dayan nodded and continued to walk to the car. Corinne was very pale, and he could hear her struggling to breathe. She acted as if she were normal, as if she were strong, but he was beginning to be alarmed again. He wanted to swoop her up and fly across the night sky with her, taking her to the nearest healer to demand she be put right. "You need to get in the car, honey," he advised softly.

She nodded, hating the weakness that prevented her from enjoying so simple a pleasure. Headlights caught her in a bright spotlight as a car whipped around the corner and raced straight toward her.

Corinne stood frozen, her heart stammering, her baby kicking as a rush of adrenaline flooded her mother's body.

Dayan dropped the suitcases and moved with preternatural speed. He caught her up into the safety of his arms and leapt over the speeding car, taking to the air as he did so. Below him, the driver was spinning around, fishtailing, the occupants yelling with excitement. He could see them clearly, and for the first time, rage was beginning to smolder deep within his soul. He wanted no more humans threatening Corinne. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat, and he leaned over her silky hair, intending to whisper a command to her.

Corinne clutched Dayan's arm as they raced across the sky. He wasn't running anymore. She was certain his feet weren't touching the ground. No one could move that fast. No one. She felt the warmth of his breath against her ear, felt him merging with her mind, the waves of reassurance, of love and commitment. "Don't tell me to forget this," she countered sharply.

Don't order me to forget, Dayan. Not yet. Let me see you.

She was seeing him for the first time. Before, she'd had glimpses, tantalizing clues, but she couldn't fit the pieces together. Now he was sharing her mind, and she saw things, memories, images; she saw Dayan in different time periods. His memories didn't make sense to her, but she knew they were real and not from history books. They were too detailed, too vivid. And he had saved her from the speeding car, leaping into the air and virtually flying with her.

Your heart must match the beat of mine. Listen, Corinne, for I will not lose you. Breathe with me and do not be frightened.

"I'm not afraid of you," she whispered aloud.

I'm not afraid of you.

She didn't want him to use his telepathic ability to rob her of this memory. Was she seeing the reason Dayan was so lonely, so utterly alone in a world where everyone seemed to be drawn to him? He was completely different. He could do magical things.

Dayan took her to the safety of the rooftops, settling her gently in the shelter of a dormer. He glanced at the sky, and immediately clouds began swirling overhead, building fast and furious. The thick fog bank was returning with the unstable weather.

Corinne watched his every move carefully, noting that his expression was exactly the same, but deep within his eyes burned a red flame of retribution. "You're going to confront them, aren't you?"

"I want you to concentrate on your heart, Corinne." He made it an order, delivered in his black-velvet voice. "It needs to be a nice steady beat. Hear it, feel mine." He brought her palm to his chest, right over his heart. "Feel that rhythm? You can control it to some extent."

"How could you move so fast?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonder. Corinne had been handicapped physically all of her life, so Dayan's abilities were wondrous to her.

"We will talk later, honey. I have a few minor details to attend to right now."

She reached out and caught his arm. "Be careful, Dayan. There's such a thing as being too confident."

He bent his head to brush her forehead with a kiss. And then he was gone. Corinne blinked and Dayan had disappeared. She drew up her knees, breathing slowly and deeply, concentrating on her heart as he had commanded. For the moment, she allowed herself the luxury of belonging to him, of knowing he wanted her. Only her.

What was he? Who was he?

Dayan felt enormous power sweeping through his mind as he dissolved into droplets of mist. Streaking though the layers of fog, he moved swiftly toward the car that was roaring through the streets. A jagged lightning bolt slammed to earth directly into the path of the car. The vehicle lurched and fishtailed before it raced on. Hail poured out of the sky; ice the size of golf balls rained down on the roof of the car so hard it dented it. Visibility was destroyed by thick fog and sheets of ice. The driver slammed on his brakes, and the car slid to a halt. At once the deadly fog invaded the vehicle, pouring in through the windows and filling the empty spaces until it pushed out all the air.

Within the fog was a peculiar mist, a vapor trail of a shadowy color that left an impression of great menace. The driver reached for the door handle, but it was already too late. The fog was winding around his throat like the coils of a snake. The strangely colored mist wound tighter and tighter until the driver was choking, gasping, turning gray, then blue, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Both men in the back seat reached simultaneously for the doors. The fog seemed alive, fibrous, with tentacles that reached out to envelop them, slipping coil after coil around them like ever-tightening nooses. They struggled frantically, but their struggles caused the loops of fog to squeeze them more tightly until they were gasping and choking, reaching up to tear at the coils around their throats. Their hands simply went through the fog as if it were mist and nothing else. They died silently, without a chance to cry out for help.

Dayan guided the vehicle through the thick fog, using his peculiar radar so that he could keep the cloud cover around him as he removed the car from Corinne's neighborhood. These men would be found, but their deaths would baffle any coroner. Dayan had left no marks on any of them. All three appeared to have choked to death or strangled on something, but there were no drugs in their systems, no marks or evidence of foul play. Dayan was tired of being chased, and the members of the society had gone too far this time. They were determined to capture or kill Corinne and Lisa. Dayan could not allow the society to threaten his lifemate. By leaving the men dead in their car a few blocks from Corinne's home, he was sending his message loud and clear to the society members. They would continue the pursuit at their own peril. Corinne and Lisa were under his protection, and he would destroy anyone who threatened them.

The swirling black clouds overhead were dissipating along with the trails of fog. Corinne lay back on the roof, watching the patterns of the clouds, the lightning arcing from one black cauldron to another. It was a beautiful display, but it was frightening too, because it seemed so intense, so personal.

Like Dayan.

Everything about him was intense. He was always outwardly calm, tranquil even, yet she sensed so much more beneath the surface. Swirling like the dark clouds above her head.

Just as fast as he had gone, Dayan returned, standing over her, tall and powerful. She blinked up at him in total amazement. She closed her eyes when he reached for her. Tall. Elegant. Powerful. That same wildness was on him, clinging to him along with a lethal menace. It was something she couldn't quite define, but that was nonetheless real.

"I told you to keep your heart rate steady," he greeted her very softly, the menace strong in his voice. He lifted her in his arms, cradling her against his chest so that her heart immediately began to tune itself to his. "You said you were not afraid of me, honey, yet your pulse is racing."

"You appeared out of nowhere," she said defensively, thumping his shoulder with her clenched fist. "I am human, you know." She looked up at him with large, steady eyes. "Are you human, Dayan?"

He bent his dark head, his teeth very white in the night. "What do you think?" The words were whispered softly against her throat, against her pulse. "Do I feel human to you?" His voice was temptation itself.

Corinne knew better than to listen, she was so easily distracted by the sheer enticement of his voice. Her hands of their own volition found the thick abundance of his hair and tangled in the silky strands. "How do you do that so easily?" she asked, knowing her eyes would have given away her feelings even if he couldn't read her mind. She loved being with him, everything about him. She wanted to erase that look from the depths of his eyes for all time. The emptiness. The loneliness. "I'm beginning to think you're bad for my heart, Dayan. You can melt a woman at twenty paces. You can. And you made the weather change."

Dayan's mouth continued to explore the soft column of her throat. "I did? I must be very talented. I hope such a feat earned your everlasting admiration." He sounded slightly distracted, as if it were more important to discover the softness of her skin than to hold a conversation. "You are very tired, Corinne. We ought to start out to meet the healers this night, but I think you need to rest. You have had enough excitement for one evening."

Her head rested on his shoulder, her long lashes fanning her cheeks. She was tired, more now than ever. As he carried her to the edge of the roof, he moved with such smoothness, she felt as if she were floating. "I loved dancing with you," she murmured without opening her eyes, enjoying the breeze blowing in her face. "I love the way you move."

"So I am making progress after all," he said. He floated with her to the ground easily, his mind fully merged with hers so that he could control her impressions of what was happening, fogging the memory a little at a time so it was slowly fading away. He had wanted to reveal what he was, who he was. He wanted Corinne's acceptance of him, yet he knew her body was weak, her heart failing. He couldn't take a chance yet. When she found out the truth, he wanted the healer's assurance that her heart would withstand the shock. As he drew a hazy veil over the evening's shocking events, he stressed different memories: his kisses; her response. Retrieving the suitcases, he made sure her seat belt was snug before he pulled the car away from the curb.

Corinne sat quietly on the seat beside him, astonished at how tired she was. The stress of the pregnancy on her body was beginning to tell on her. Dayan was driving carefully through the streets, his fingers entwined with hers. "Isn't it strange?" she mused. "If someone hadn't tipped Lisa off that you were playing in that bar, we would never have met."

"I would have found you." It was a statement of fact, quietly delivered.

Corinne was silent the rest of the way home. Her mind was pleasantly blank. She was tired and strangely happy just to be in his company. Minutes earlier, she had scented the wildness in him, but now she felt his tranquility, an utter calmness that seeped deep into her soul. Dayan seemed content to drive through the night, humming softly under his breath. The tune was one she had never heard before. It was hauntingly beautiful.

Lisa was waiting on the small balcony, trying not to look like she was worrying. She watched anxiously while Dayan courteously helped Corinne out of the car. He would have carried her, but Corinne was all too conscious of eyes on them.

You are being silly.

The words brushed her mind tenderly.

Who cares what anyone thinks?

Corinne summoned up her courage to answer him in her mind. The sheer intimacy of their communication appealed to her.

I don't want her to think I'm not feeling well.' 'You are not feeling well.

He pointed it out very nicely.

Corinne looked up at him from under her long lashes, just one swift reprimand before she smiled at Lisa. Above her head, Dayan found himself smiling. That was his Corinne. Sweet and sassy at the same time.

"Are you feeling okay?" Lisa asked, her eyes anxious.

"Of course. I'm just a little tired," Corinne admitted. "I thought I'd lie down for a while. What are you doing still up?"

"Waiting for you." Lisa glanced at Dayan and looked away. She wasn't certain why she trusted him when she was with him but felt suspicious when he was out of her sight. He made Corinne act out of character. Corinne had never looked that closely at men, not even when she had been single. Corinne was practical, businesslike. She wasn't the type to cling to a rock star. Lisa tried not to glare at the man.

Dayan felt sympathetic to her. Lisa was disgusted with herself that she was jealous. She didn't want Corinne looking at Dayan with stars in her eyes. She didn't want Corinne looking at anyone like that. She wasn't willing to change her relationship with Corinne in any way, but she didn't like herself very much for her possessiveness.

"It's almost dawn," Corinne said gently. "You should be in bed, Lisa, not worrying about me. You knew we were going to get our things. It was bound to take a little bit of time."

"So there were no problems," Cullen said, wrapping his arm around Lisa's shoulders in a show of support.

"Well - " Corinne seemed confused, a slight frown crossing her small face. She glanced up at Dayan for help as she nervously shoved a stray strand of dark hair from her face.

Dayan immediately flooded her mind with warmth and reassurance. She was bewildered and disoriented for a moment, unable to recall exactly what had happened. She was searching her memories, and they were a jumble of confusion. "Nothing we could not handle," he answered easily, truthfully. His hands settled along her hips, anchoring her to him. "If we had known you were worried, Lisa, we would have called."

"Of course I was worried," Lisa said in challenge, her chin up.

Corinne leaned back heavily against Dayan, weariness sweeping through her. "Lisa," she said quietly, drawing on the strength of their relationship.

At once Lisa reached out and took Corinne's hand. "I'm picking a fight again. Just come and lie down, Corinne. I don't want you to become ill."

Dayan indicated Lisa's suitcase with his chin. "She was very careful to get everything on your list." He was moving Corinne toward the bedroom where she'd slept the night before.

Corinne knew Lisa was worried about her, but she didn't have the energy to reassure her further. All she wanted to do was lie down and close her eyes. Her body felt like lead, and each step was like wading through quicksand.

Lisa watched Dayan's every move - the way he held Corinne so gently, the way his eyes moved over Corinne's face tenderly, possessively. Lisa heaved a soft sigh and moved closer to Cullen. He responded by tightening his hold on her, and she looked up at him and smiled rather sadly. Her world was changing, and Lisa wasn't someone who managed change easily. Corinne looked very tired and fragile. It always frightened Lisa to see her looking like that. Her fragility highlighted the fact that Corinne's heart was fading.

"I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her," Lisa whispered to Cullen. "I really couldn't."

Dayan, with his superior hearing, heard her whispered confession. He knew exactly how she felt and could sympathize with her. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Corinne either. He bent forward to brush the top of Corinne's silky head with a kiss, but he couldn't leave Lisa feeling so upset. He glanced back to capture her anxious gaze with his black one. It only took a few seconds, but it was enough. He sent her waves of reassurance, pushing a little further into her mind so he could implant a feeling of warmth toward him.

Corinne took her time getting ready for bed. Dayan had pulled up his guitar, and she dawdled as he began to play. The music seemed alive, a part of the harmony of the earth and sky, a dreamy ballad. At first his voice was so soft she could barely make out the lyrics. She hurried out of the bathroom into the bedroom so she could listen to every word. His voice was mystical, beautiful, dreamlike. He looked up at her and the world seemed to stop spinning, standing still so the moment was locked in her memory for all time.

You take my breath away.

She thought the words to him, not wanting to interrupt his singing, not wanting to miss one single word of the ballad. It was a song of haunting loneliness, of a man, a wanderer, a troubadour, searching through time, century after century, for the one woman who could love him.

His sensual mouth curved into a smile, and his gaze drifted over her before his lashes lowered and his hand moved over the guitar. His fingers worked so fast she could hardly follow them as they played the haunting melody. He sang of a dark shadow slowly spreading over his soul, a stain that would be impossible to eradicate once it took him over. A powerful beast that roared continually for release from within. As time went on and he did not find his lady, colors and emotions faded, along with all hope, leaving him only his guitar and the words of his song.

It was a dark melody that brought tears to her eyes. Corinne curled up on the bed, intently watching his face as he played. The light bothered her eyes, so she casually flicked her hand to turn it off. All that mattered in her world was Dayan and his perfect voice singing this hauntingly beautiful song. She had a sudden desire to hold him in her arms, to be the woman who was needed so desperately.

The music changed subtly, introducing a hopeful strain, one that rose to a joyful crescendo. She found herself smiling there in the dark, her eyes glued to his face. He was an artist, a poet without compare. She loved watching his expression as he played, as his soul poured out its music. Corinne's eyelashes lowered onto her cheeks. She was very tired. And Dayan was there with her, solid and real, impossibly strong and healthy.

For one moment the guitar was silent as Dayan stretched out beside her, laying the instrument across his chest.

She smiled. "Are you going to play for me until I fall asleep?"

"Absolutely." She heard his answering smile in his voice. "You have sweet dreams, honey. Dream about us together." His fingers once again glided over the strings, producing a soft ballad.

She was dreaming. Daydreaming. Nightdreaming. She only knew it was wonderful to be with him as she drifted away on his music. He made her feel alive and very feminine. She could even pretend to be healthy. In the midst of her dream, trails of fog began to slowly wind through the stars. She frowned, felt Dayan rub his index finger gently back and forth over her forehead.

"Go to sleep, honey. I want you to sleep all day until sunset." He brushed a kiss across her forehead, taking away her frown. "Do you understand me, honey? Sleep deeply until I call for you to wake."

She was more asleep than awake. "You're ordering me around again, aren't you?"

"Yes. I expect you to obey me." The sounds of his guitar filled the room, filled her heart and soul. "You know you are my life, you know it. Tell me you do."

"I wish I were your life." She was almost asleep, not certain what she was saying. "You are definitely my life."

She was silent for so long, Dayan thought she had drifted off to sleep. He lay beside her, his fingers moving lovingly over his guitar, his body close to hers. He wanted this moment to last for all time. Corinne was beside him where she belonged. Light was beginning to streak through the darkness, turning the inky blackness to gray. He lay there savoring the feel of her beside him, missing the sound of her voice, her laughter, the way her eyes danced when she teased him. The way she looked at him as if he were the only man in her world. Corinne. He knew what poets wrote about. He knew why his soul had cried out for her. He knew why he had waited centuries for her.

"Dayan" - she murmured his name drowsily - "are you human?"

Startled, he stared down at her. Corinne's eyes were closed, and she was breathing as if she were asleep. He had covered her memories with a veil, not removing them completely because he wanted her to know the truth soon. He didn't want it to be a complete shock to her; he couldn't risk that kind of shock with her damaged heart. He wanted her to have the memories to draw on when she needed them, but his command should have prevented her from wondering.

He examined her thoughts as she lay there beside him. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, having a beautiful dream. She was unafraid. Dayan relaxed, a slow smile curving his mouth. She was moving closer to the truth. Closer to accepting him.

Sleep, honey, while I visit you in your dreams.

And he would. He couldn't bear to be away from her, not even while they both slept. He would be forced to seek refuge in the ground as the sun rose, yet he didn't dare protect her with normal safeguards. If she were to attempt to leave the dwelling despite the guards, the stress could cause problems with her weak heart. As it was, he was afraid if she did go too far away from him, she would begin to feel the effects of separation from her lifemate.

Although he had not said the ritual words to her, he and Corinne were already bound in heart and mind.

He bent once more to kiss her, needing to touch her, wanting to remain with her despite the danger to himself. He knew it was impossible to stay, but it didn't stop him from longing to be with her.

Sleep until I rise, Corinne. Sleep safe.

He murmured the command softly, needing to find a way to protect her while he slept.

When he was satisfied that she had obeyed him, he lay quietly, freeing his mind, seeking his brethren.

Darius. Our need for a healer grows greater with each passing moment. She is much weaker this night. I do not know how much longer she can continue.

There was a wait and then Darius was there. Strong. Reassuring. Calm as always.

Join with her. We will link - Julian, Desari, Tempest and I. You work, and we will supply you with as much help as possible to keep her going until we can come together.

Dayan let his breath out slowly. He should have realized Darius would think in terms of the family strength. His family was there for Dayan, as always, standing shoulder to shoulder with him to fight for his lifemate and the child. He reached for the merge, embraced his family and let go of his physical body to once more attempt a healing. This time with help.