The thought that a male Carpathian would use a protected woman-a potential lifemate –and she would not be aware was distasteful to him.
Nicolae sighed. Many of our unattached males are in the vicinity. There is no telling who it is. I couldn't get a scent.
We have to be dealing with a very skilled ancient.
Vikirnoff moved up closer to Natalya, scanning, not liking the way the clouds overhead began to swirl and darken. The wind rushed at them, kicking up the snow as they moved in a tight group toward the house where Gabriel was staying. Skyler kept shooting anxious little glances toward the deeper woods.
«Have you ever flown with Gabriel?» Nicolae asked her.
«Or run with the wolves?» Vikirnoff added.
«Or a tigress?» Natalya volunteered.
Skyler's gaze jumped to her face. «I love animals. Wolves especially. But I always wanted to be close to a tiger. Is it dangerous?»
«Whoa!» MaryAnn held up her hand. «I know you re not going to do something crazy right in front of me. I'll go back to the house. My heart can only take so much.»
«You wouldn't really like to fly, MaryAnn?» Destiny coaxed. «Or pet a wolf or a tiger? Just once, to say you did it?»
MaryAnn looked at Skyler's hopeful face. She sighed. «Okay, here's the thing. I'm really not adventurous at all. I'm a real city girl, you know, boutiques and girlfriends shopping in a mall, not petting wolves. But if you really want to do this, child, I'll climb one of those trees over there and watch you do it.»
Nicolae slung one arm around Skyler and the other around MaryAnn. «We were thinking more of you riding on the back of one of the wolves.»
Lightning edged the sky, turned the darker clouds to a fiery orange. A whip lashed out and slammed to the ground, rocking the earth and scorching a long streak in the snow. Thunder clapped directly overhead. In the deafening roar, a beast growled a distinct warning, sending the hair on the back of their necks up.
Skyler stepped away from Nicolae looking anxious. «Was that Dimitri? He doesn't like it if anyone touches me.»
Vikirnoff and Nicolae exchanged a long look. «I don't know, honey. We'll talk to him later about it. I can't see him angry over one of us being affectionate. We have lifemates.»
«He knows it bothers me to be touched,» she admitted.
«Well, if it was him, then he's within his rights to protect you. He would want to keep you safe and happy and if it was bothering you that one of us made you uncomfortable, then he would send a reminder.»
MaryAnn moved closer to Destiny, one hand going to a spot just over her breast where it throbbed and burned. She pressed hard with her palm, holding the ache to her. She hated being afraid all the time, and here, in these mountains, she seemed to have lost her usual confidence. In a city she would walk into the worst parts of town and feel in complete control, but here, in this world, nothing was as it seemed. And she wanted no part of wild animals or men who could reprimand others with violent storms.
«Let's just get Skyler to her house and get back home,» she said.
Chapter 16
The sound of music filled the small house Dayan, of the Dark Troubadours, occupied with his family. Two guitars played softly as Dayan's voice rose in a lullaby. Abruptly, Corinne put down her guitar, leaned over the crib and shook her head. «She's not going to sleep, Dayan, not even with that beautiful song you wrote for her. She knows we re having Christmas tonight and she wants to go.»
Dayan put his own guitar aside and tried to look stern as he stood beside his lifemate over their infant daughter. She was tiny, barely fifteen pounds now, yet she looked back at them with far too much intelligence, and he was very much afraid she ruled their lives. She was just such a miracle to them both, and they had fought so hard for her-were still fighting. Her little body was fragile, although her will was strong.
«Young lady, you are supposed to be taking a nap.»
One small hand waved toward his face. His heart lurched in his chest the way it always did when he looked at his child. She didn't look in the least bit sleepy as she cooed at him, coaxing him with her wide open eyes to pick her up. «She takes after you,» he murmured. «With that little stubborn streak. Too beautiful for words, and wanting her own way, even when it isn't good for her.»
Corinne nudged him with her hip, but it was too late; the smile had slipped out and the baby saw it. She smiled back at Dayan and he was lost. He reached down and picked her up, cuddling her close.
«Little Miss Jen, you are so naughty,» Corinne said. «I was just about to go for a run too, before all the madness starts. Now what am I going to do with you?»
«She likes to go. We can put her in the pack,» Dayan said.
«It's too cold.»
Dayan leaned down to nuzzle his daughter's face. «She's getting good at regulating her body temperature and we can dress her warm. Were taking her to the inn later, and that's not much different. She wants to go, Corinne. She loves it when you run with her.»
Corinne loved to run. She'd had a bad heart all of her life, preventing her from doing anything physical, and now that she was Carpathian, she couldn't run enough. It made her feel free and whole and so very happy. Back home in the States, she ran with a stroller, so Baby Jennifer could feel the same happiness flowing through her, but here, in the mountains of Romania, the trails were too rough for the stroller and she was afraid of jarring the baby if she used the front-pack.
«I need to run and I do love taking her with me. Running clears my mind and after all this cooking and helping Sara with the children, sewing costumes and rehearsals, I definitely could use some exercise,» Corinne explained.
«Baby,» he said, one hand curling around the nape of her neck to bring her head to his. He kissed her, a slow gentle declaration of his love. «You don't ever have to make excuses to me. If you want to go out for a run, then we will. It isn't safe to go by yourself, but we don't mind going with you, do we, Jen?»
The baby smiled up at them both, happy to have her way.
«I wouldn't be alone,» Corinne tried one last time, reluctant to take the infant out in the cold. «I scanned and Nicolae and Destiny with several others are quite close to the house. I'd be safe with them. You can stay here and keep warm.»
«We're going with you, but you have to carry the baby,» Dayan said decisively. «It will just take us a minute to get ready.» He was already changing the baby's clothes, wrapping her snugly in warm clothes and donning his own outdoor gear. «You know you won't be able to run in the snow like normal. You'll have to use your abilities, to skim lightly over the surface. It takes a little bit of concentration, but you'll get the hang of it. While you're doing it, you'll still have to keep the baby's motion to a minimum.»
«You're certain you want to do this with me?»
«Yes.» He wasn't about to let her go out alone, and he needed his hands free in order to defend them both should there be need.
Corinne adjusted the front-pack and waited until Dayan had put the baby down into it, securing her and wrapping her up with a tiny hooded jacket. «With all the Carpathians in the area, don't you think it would be suicide for a vampire to attack one of us? Look what happened to the one who went after Juliette De La Cruz. I think he must have had a death wish. The De La Cruz brothers are just plain scary.»
«The De La Cruz family was always very powerful, according to Darius. He says they are ancients, somewhat secretive, and have very incredible skills. He has a great deal of respect for their power, and coming from Darius, that's saying a lot.»
«So why would a vampire target a De La Cruz woman? I'm telling you, none of this makes sense. Most of the women here are probably descendents of the jaguar line. Juliette definitely has stronger blood ties to that lineage than most, but still, the vampire drew her out. Didn't he? Wasn't he specific to her fears?»
«I don't really know. There's been some talk about it, but no one really knows what's going on. But that was the second attack, Corinne,» Dayan reminded.
«Lesser vampires are often used by much more powerful ones. I'm not willing to take any chances. I think we've got one hanging around waiting for an opportunity and it isn't going to be with my family.»
«I still say they'd be utterly stupid to hang around here with so many Carpathian hunters gathered in one spot. Why would they do that?»
Dayan shrugged. «It's an old battle tactic. Harassing the lines continually eventually weakens them. And they are definitely striking at our women now.» He glanced at the baby. And our children.
Maybe we shouldn't go then. I can do without running this evening. I just was cooped up for so long with all those children. I don't know how Sara does it. One is enough for me.
Ours is a handful. Dayan bent to brush a kiss across the back of the baby's head. «We
take precautions, Corinne. We don't change our lives. You want to go running, we'll go. And like you said, it's good practice for you. The more you practice using Carpathian methods, the better you'll be at them. We'll be safe enough with all the others in the area as well. We'll head toward them.»
«Falcon dropped by to take most of the food to the inn already, so nearly everything is done,» Corinne said, as she opened the door. «He and Sara were going over the last minute rehearsals with the kids. The children are so excited. Even for Falcon, they wouldn't calm down, and they adore him.»
«I noticed Jen really responds to him as well,» Dayan said, turning back to add safeguards around the house. He didn't want any surprises when they returned. Corinne had embraced the Carpathian life, his way of life, and she'd never looked back, seemingly had no regrets, but it was important to him that she never did. He had come so close to losing her-losing both mother and child-and he wanted her life to be smooth and happy-to give her anything he could.
Corinne put her hand on his arm and smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. «Falcon's gentle like you and the children respond to that. You're such a poet, Dayan.»
He groaned softly, tucking away the fact that he was secretly pleased she saw him that way. «Don't let Darius hear you say that. I'll never hear the end of it.»
She laughed as she began a slow jog, skimming over the snow, trying to get the feel of how to place her feet to stay on the surface. «You're all so afraid of Darius. Have you even watched him with Tempest? He's a total pushover. He just can't be that scary.»
«You even say that about Gregori,» Dayan pointed out, keeping pace with her.
«He was wonderful to me and to the baby. The man is a teddy bear.»
Dayan snorted. «I've heard him called a lot of things, but teddy bear is not one of them.»
She shot him a small loving smile. Dayan felt his heart melt. She did it so easily. A look. A touch. And his world was right. All those years on the stage with so many women throwing themselves at him, not seeing him, not caring who he was. And then Corinne. She'd given him life.
«You gave it to me,» she said softly, showing him she was becoming adept at being a shadow in his mind. «You gave me life.» For a moment she reached out to take his hand, connecting all three of them. Baby, mother and father.
Dayan's heart swelled. He loved having a family. He would always love it.
Corinne shot him a mischievous smile. «Keep up, music man.» She bolted, running like a machine, smooth and fluid, her body moving easily, heart and lungs in perfect synchronization. Dayan ran behind her because he loved to watch her run. It was something
she had wanted more than anything, something that had been denied her all of her life. Others took it for granted, but Corinne enjoyed every single step she took. He could always feel her enjoyment, and he knew the baby felt it too. Jennifer always loved to go running with her mother, and Dayan knew it was the waves of happiness rolling off Corinne that both he and his daughter wanted to bask in.
Corinne was impervious to the cold, but not to the sparkling beauty around her. The trees were transformed, branches laden with white crystals, so that they glittered with millions of gems. She felt like she was running in a fairy-tale world with her handsome prince. Her daughter snuggled tightly against her chest, rocking gently, as if in a cradle, adding to the surreal effect.
Corinne flung out her arms. «I love my life!» She shouted it to the sky, happiness bursting through her until she couldn't contain it.
Dayan smiled, even while he was scanned the area around them for enemies. They were closing the distance to Nicolae and Destiny and the small group of people with them. He could tell the couple and their friends were walking in the general direction of Francesca and Gabriel's home, so the young girl had to be Skyler. He was beginning to know individual scents now and it helped ease his mind. He was used to living in the much smaller family of the Dark Troubadours. Even that had grown recently as each had found a lifemate. He was the only one of the Troubadours with a child, but he hoped that would change soon so Jennifer would grow up with other children around her.
Corinne listened to the steady beat of her heart. It always amazed her to hear that rhythmic beat, to feel strength in her arms and legs and be able to breathe easily even while she was running. She took a step, blew air out and her heart skipped. Missed a beat. She heard it clearly, felt the invasive weakness slide into her body. The breath left her lungs in a rush and she faltered, stumbling. Her heart missed another beat. She stopped running, wrapping her arms around the baby, holding her close, her mind racing, terror gripping her.
Was it possible her heart had been so damaged that even conversion to a Carpathian couldn't keep it going? She heard it distinctly, the beat, a skip, two beats, another skip. Fast. Slow. She turned to Dayan, eyes wide with shock.
«What is it?» He stepped back away from her, turning in a circle, searching the area around them for any enemies.
«Can't you hear it?» Her voice shook.
Dayan listened to the night, sorting the sounds muffled by the snow. He could hear voices in the distance, knew Nicolae and his brother were close. Something is wrong. He sent them the message on the common telepathic path.
There was a moment of silence. We're coming to you from the south. Nicolae responded. We have MaryAnn and Skyler to protect.
We have the baby.
Dayan felt edgy, troubled, but he couldn't find a blank spot that might indicate a vampire. They weren't alone, someone or something was watching, but he couldn't find a location. It didn't appear a vampire was the threat. He swore under his breath, startling Corinne.
«Can you hear it?»
He didn't want to hear it. The baby had a regular heart rate, faster than an adult, but Corinne's heartbeat was irregular. Even when he put his hand over her heart and tried to regulate the beat, it was all over the place. He forced calm when he really felt panic. He would not lose her. Not to anything or anybody.
«Do you think my heart is failing?»
«I want to wait for the others to get to us before I check. If I go into your body and we are attacked, the vampire would have the advantage.»
«Do you think we'll be attacked?» Corinne tightened her hold on the baby, her arms wrapping around the infant protectively. She looked carefully around the area, up into the trees and along the snow-covered ground. «Why can't I feel a vampire if there's one close? And how would a vampire affect my heart? It must be failing. The healing was only able to last a couple of months, Dayan.»
He kept his palm over Corinne's heart, in order to keep her heart beating in rhythm with his. «That isn't true, Corinne. I don't know what's going on, but when the conversion was completed, Gregori made certain your heart was whole and healthy.»
Nicolae and Destiny came striding through the trees, MaryAnn and Skyler in between them. Destiny was to the young teen's right, several feet between them, her restless eyes searching the ground while Nicolae searched the terrain. Above them flew two owls, circling the warriors, working their way through the canopy to try to spot an enemy from above.
Nicolae reached Corinne and Dayan, his gaze jumping to the protective way Dayan ha
d his hand placed over Corinne's heart. In the muffled silence of the snow, they could hear the irregular heartbeat overly loud. «Vikirnoff and Natalya search from above. What is it?»
«I don't know,» Dayan said. «I feel something out here, Nicolae, but I cannot find it. And whatever it is, Corinne's heart is responding.»
Vikirnoff and Natalya spiraled down to earth, taking their natural forms, Natalya in leather, weapons everywhere. The warriors spread out, keeping MaryAnn, Skyler and Corinne with her baby in the center. Corinne's heart faltered and her legs went out from under her.
MaryAnn caught her before she could fall to the ground. She helped her to sit and knelt
beside her, screening the baby from anything that could be close and intend harm. «We need Gregori,» she said. «Someone call him.»