Dark Melody (36 page)

'Then you must stay with her at all times, awake or asleep. I do not see that she fears very much. It is better to risk her knowledge of our weakness than another close encounter with the beast.'
There was a finality about the decree. Darius had led his group of Carpathians fearlessly down through the long centuries. They trusted his wisdom and skills. His word was rarely questioned.

Corinne knew that the man Dayan referred to as his brother was speaking telepathically to him. "I can feel his concern for you, Dayan. Whatever he wants you to do, please do it." She whispered the words against his throat.

"I do not want you to suffer any more on my behalf."

She smiled at him although her lashes were sweeping down. "I've never suffered on your behalf. What an idea! My heart has been failing since the day I was born. You have nothing to do with it."

"Are you certain? Be certain, Corinne. There is no going back. Each step forward you take is another step into my world."

"I have never been more certain. Whatever world you're in, Dayan, I belong there too." She could hardly speak now.

There was a moment of stillness in the cave. A waiting. Corinne knew the moment Darius and Gregori merged with her, Gregori traveling through her body to her daughter.
‘I love you.'
She whispered the words to Dayan, wanting him to know, wanting him to realize that if this didn't go the way they all intended, he had been loved unconditionally, accepted unconditionally, even if they had never had the opportunity to consummate their love.

Dayan kissed her forehead, her eyelids; then his mouth drifted down to hers. He took possession with elemental hunger, with raw aching need, rocking the earth for both of them. "I claim you as my lifemate," he whispered softly to her, against her lips, amid the ancient healing chant. His mouth skimmed over her neck, feather-light, sensual, a whisper of satin and silk. "I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul and my body."

White-hot pain lanced through her body, gave way instantly to a pure pleasure arcing through her, through both of them. Corinne felt drowsy, unexpectedly sensual. Her body clenched and burned with heat and need. She tried to stay awake, not drift, wanting to experience the beauty of what was happening, wanting to lend her feeble strength to that of all the others fighting for her life, but she found herself relaxing beneath the connection. She felt the sweep of his tongue as he closed the tiny pinpricks.

His mouth moved gently along her throat, up to the corner of her lips. "I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all time." With her new awareness, Corinne sensed when Dayan further distanced her from what was happening. As though in a dream, she observed one fingernail lengthening into a single long talon, dagger-sharp. He slit his chest, opening the heavy muscle, pressing her mouth to him so that his blood ran into her.

She was astonished to find herself drinking almost ravenously, astonished to find she wasn't in the least repulsed. Strength seemed to pour into her body, a richness unlike anything she had ever experienced. This time she felt his power, felt the greedy way her cells and tissues absorbed the gift of life he was sharing with her.

Dayan was holding her with exquisite tenderness, looking down at her as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world, a treasure, a priceless gift he was guarding. Corinne felt tears burning in her throat, in her eyes. He was so handsome, so tortured, his face etched with lines of worry and sorrow she had put there.

"You are my lifemate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care." He whispered the last of the ritual words, binding them together in the Carpathian ceremony as old as time. The words were imprinted upon him and all other males even before they were born. Each male had the extraordinary ability to bind his lifemate to him for eternity.

Corinne felt it immediately, her soul, her heart, even her mind, reaching for his. It was as if thousands of threads were weaving them together, forming an unbreakable bond. She became even more aware of what was happening inside her body. Gregori was working hard to repair the damage to her disintegrating heart, while Darius was monitoring the baby for potential problems caused by the rich blood pouring into her body. Inside Corinne, organs and tissues were actually reshaping, and the same thing was happening to her daughter.

Corinne knew the moment the richness and power became too much for the baby. She heard her own protest, made the effort of movement away from Dayan even as Darius gave him the command to stop. It was Julian who closed the wound on Dayan's chest with his own healing saliva. For a moment Corinne lay there, afraid to think or breathe, wrapped in the soothing quilt and the shelter of Dayan's strong arms. Her baby was struggling to survive. The blood was changing her tiny body too fast – it was uncomfortable and frightening for the infant. Corinne heard Darius whispering to the child, conveying images more than words. Beautiful, tranquil, soothing images.

The child was aware of her environment deteriorating, of the changes taking place rapidly in her body. Corinne added her own voice to comfort her daughter. Dayan joined with her, merging them together, offering his love and comfort and commitment to the baby. And then Gregori joined them. Corinne was astonished at the power and strength emanating from Gregori, the skill he used to keep the baby from leaving the uncomfortable home she was dwelling in. The baby's body was hot, her insides on fire. Gregori soothed her and provided a cooling balm for the twisting pain.

Corinne blinked rapidly as tears ran down her face.
'She's suffering because of me, what you're doing for me!'
The cry was torn from her heart.
'It hurts her. I can feel that it hurts her!'

At once her heartbeat was irregular, sounding loud and uneven in the cave. Desari reached around Dayan to squeeze Corinne's hand. "Corinne." Desari spoke aloud so the sound of her voice would be an anchor of calm. "Dayan's blood is the only thing keeping both you and the baby alive. Conversion is difficult on the body, and it is painful. Darius is doing what he can to minimize the baby's pain, and we are adding our strength to his, but we cannot take all of it away. Her body is tiny, and a small amount of blood will cause major changes in her. You have need of conversion. The repairs to your heart are not going to hold more than a day or two, perhaps only hours. The child will be born, and we must be ready for that. We are giving her time you can ill afford. With this blood, with her body changing, we hope her heart and lungs will be mature enough to withstand the outside world. It is a trade-off none of us are happy making, but it is deemed necessary."

Dayan leaned down, his dark eyes moving lovingly over Corinne's face. "You cannot panic now, my love. We have chosen a path and have already embarked upon it. We are on the journey together. She will grow strong – trust Darius. He is family. Our family, her family. And put your faith in Gregori. He is a great healer and will do everything possible to protect our unborn child. Neither Darius nor his brother lose the battles in which they choose to engage."

Corinne reminded herself to breathe oxygen for the baby, or perhaps it was one of the others reminding her. She was aware of the minds sharing together, a path slightly different from the one she used exclusively with Dayan. Theirs was private, seemed intimate, sensual. This was different, yet still felt comfortable and caring. Cradled as she was in Dayan's arms, she felt sheltered and cherished by his family and friends.

She was exhausted, and she didn't want to feel that way. They were all trying so hard, and Gregori and Darius were expending tremendous energy on her behalf. She wanted to be better for them all, but her heart was stuttering, and throughout her body a strange lethargy was spreading. It left her weak and unable to do more than lie in Dayan's arms, breathing in and out as slowly and steadily as she was able.

Desari glanced apprehensively at Darius's face. He was drawn and pale from the fight for the child's life. Gregori shook his head. "One rising, perhaps two at the most. The child will benefit from every hour we can win for her." He put his hand over Corinne's. "She is a fighter like you. She accepts what is happening to her, taking her example from you. I know this has been difficult – it is all new and completely foreign to you – but you are doing very well. We will not lose your daughter. She is willing to fight with us, and that is more than half the battle."

"Thank you." Corinne forced her voice to speak aloud, a thin, reedy whisper of sound, but Gregori heard her clearly. She gave up after that, closing her eyes and snuggling closer into the warmth and strength of Dayan's body.

"She can no longer regulate her body heat," Dayan said anxiously to Gregori. "Why is she not responding to the blood and your healing?"

"She did respond, Dayan," Gregori replied quietly. "Her heart is still beating despite the fact that it is disintegrating at a rapid rate. She is using all her energy just to live. When she can no longer continue with her strength of will, with the strength we are lending her, then you must convert her immediately. We must be prepared. It will happen fast. Pray it happens during our strongest hour, not when the sun is at its peak."

Dayan paled visibly. "That cannot happen."

"The child is aware of the danger," Darius said softly, his voice a perfect blend of power and velvet. "She will endeavor to hold on during our weakest hours. She understands and will fight to hold on."

"I am not completely powerless at that time and will help should the birth start early, but I can do nothing if Corinne's heart should fail her," Gregori said.

"Then I will convert her now," Dayan said, his black eyes flickering with the flames reflecting off the crystals. A cold wind seemed to sweep through the huge chamber so that the flickering lights of the candles grew and danced in a mad frenzy.

Corinne's small hand fluttered, found Dayan's mouth, her fingertips moving gently over his perfectly chiseled features in a gesture of tender recrimination.
'You promised me, Dayan. I hold you to your word.'

At once he pressed a kiss into the center of her palm, held her hand to him tightly as if he could chain her to earth with him.
‘I can do no other than honor it.'

"Corinne." Savannah's voice was very soft. "Shea is a great healer. Before she became one of us, she was a surgeon, human, much like yourself. Remember? We spoke of her. I have called her; she is making her way swiftly to us. She will be of great help to us with your baby. Do you understand me?"

Corinne nodded. "I understand what you're trying to tell me. I'll hang on until she arrives. If it gives my baby a better chance, I'll do anything."

"Shea is an exceptional woman," Gregori added. "She has long researched this particular problem and is hopeful she has found ways to aid our children as they grow."

"Corinne is very tired," Dayan said softly. "Thank you all for your help."

Corinne was aware of movement in the chamber, another flurry of activity as a bed was prepared for her. There was no thought of returning her to the surface, to the house they had originally taken her to. She would remain with Dayan deep within the crystal world until her heart ceased to provide her with life.

Dayan held her close to him as he murmured his thanks to the vague, shadowy figures moving out of the chamber. Corinne was content to lie in his arms, feeling his solid frame, grateful for the strength in him. The chamber was filled with a fragrance that seemed to envelop her in tranquillity, serenity. She felt at peace, free to enjoy what she could of this strange underground world.

Darius leaned down to rest his hand on the top of her silky hair. "Welcome to our family, little sister. We are grateful you have been found." His hand slipped away and he moved silently, taking the sense of his enormous power with him.

Tempest bent to kiss her cheek. "Be strong, Corinne, and welcome." She took Darius's outstretched hand and followed him out.

Desari and Julian brushed a welcoming kiss of encouragement on her forehead, exchanged a soft word with Dayan and glided out.

Gregori and his lifemate Savannah were the last to slip away. They reassured Dayan they would be close by should there be need.

"At last," Dayan whispered softly, "we are alone." He settled Corinne comfortably in the bed. The sound of the waterfall should have been loud, but already Corinne had learned to mute her hearing so it was one less thing Dayan needed to do for her. He tucked the quilt around her. "After the baby is born, you will be fully healed, and I am going to spend endless nights making love to you. Has my hair turned color yet?
I
expect to rise with white hair after all these scares."

She smiled, her hand tangling in his long black hair. "I love your hair just the way it is. Don't get white hair on my account. Which one of us was the nutcase going out to fight the unholy dragon?"
'What was that, anyway?'
It was too much trouble to use her voice, so she slipped into the intimacy of mind merge.
'You thought you needed an adventure? White knight charging the burning fires with a bucketful of water?'

He laughed softly as he stretched out beside her and once more gathered her close to him. "You're mixing up your stories." His fingertips slid over her beloved face, tracing each delicate bone, every classical curve.

"It's so beautiful here." Corinne's eyes were closed and her voice was drowsily contented. "I knew it would be like this. I used to dream about exploring new worlds. I wanted to swim in the ocean and see the coral reefs." Her fingers rubbed at his hair.
'You've given me so much in so short a time, Dayan. Thank you. I've flown through the sky like a bird. I was able to go beneath the ground and see crystals and gems.'
A smile tugged intriguingly at the corners of her mouth. "I met some very famous musicians – my life's dream, you know."

Dayan closed his eyes tightly, felt a hand squeezing his heart like a vise. His chest burned with terror. She was slipping out of their mind merge and using her voice, entirely unaware of it. "I love you, Corinne," he whispered aloud.