Dark Hunger

Riordan erupted out of the sky, a demon with red eyes, his black hair unbound and streaming in the wind. He materialized directly behind the man holding Jasmine as a shield. Juliette actually felt the man's head as if she had grabbed him. Riordan twisted hard. The frightening crack was loud as he snapped the man's neck and dropped him carelessly to the ground.

Jasmine ran to kneel by Solange while Riordan eased the teeth of the jaguar carefully out of Juliette's neck and tossed the heavy body of the cat away as if it were no more than a bothersome branch. Pain engulfed her, rushed through her body now that it was over and he was there. He pressed his hands to the puncture wounds on either side of her throat, clamping down hard to prevent her from bleeding to death.

Juliette began to choke. Is my sister okay? Solange? I can't see them.

Riordan glanced over his shoulder toward the two women. Jasmine's face was swollen and black and blue. Her clothes hung in shreds. There was blood smeared on her body, but she was alive and trying desperately to staunch the flow of blood from her cousin's many lacerations. Solange was naked and bloody, lying on the ground, but she was alert, watching Riordan as he bent over Juliette.

They are both alive, Juliette. Lie still for me. He trusted his brother to remain alert for further trouble as he went outside his body and into hers to attempt to heal her from the inside out. Juliette gurgled, choked and coughed up blood.

"Save her. Damn you, I know you can save her," Solange called to him. "Do whatever you have to do." She attempted to rise, pushed feebly at Jasmine, who held her down.

"I have to convert her."

"What does that mean?" Jasmine asked fearfully.

"Who cares," Solange snapped. "Hurry, before it's too late."

Riordan ignored everything and everyone around him. Juliette was slipping away from him. He bent his head to her throat and drank, taking more of her precious fluid for an exchange. Riordan gathered her into his arms, slashed his chest and pressed her mouth to the wound. Deep within Riordan's mind, Zacarias gathered his spirit into a healing ball of energy and moving through Riordan, found the puncture wounds and torn arteries in Juliette's throat and began to repair them from the inside out. He took his time, making no mistakes, closing the gaping holes and removing foreign bacteria from her system.

Juliette felt both men from a distance. Zacarias broke off abruptly as if the connection between them had grown too difficult to maintain. She felt the lack of warmth immediately and shivered. Riordan leaned down and whispered to her, ending the flow of nourishing strength pouring into her body. She tried to lift her hand to his face. He looked so worried. Her hand fluttered next to her thigh but didn't quite make it into the air. Someone was crying. She turned her head toward the sound.

Jasmine sat beside Solange, wiping ineffectually at the bloody wounds and weeping softly. She was barely recognizable with her swollen face. "Is my sister going to live?"

Her voice was very soft and shaky. She didn't look at Riordan, but kept her gaze fixed on her cousin.

"Yes, little one," Riordan answered gently. "She will live. I have to take her away for a short time. I would like you and your cousin to go to my ranch where you will be safe until I can bring her back to you."

Jasmine shifted closer to Solange. It was a small movement for protection, but Riordan noted it immediately.

Can you take it away from her? What they did? Can you undo it?

Riordan lifted Juliette and carried her to her sister and cousin. "We can't stay long. I need to get Juliette to a place where she is safe while the conversion takes place and where I can heal her fully." You know I cannot undo what has been done.

Solange reached out to take Jasmine's hand. Jasmine twined her fingers through Juliette's. "Together we get through," Solange whispered.

Juliette tried to speak, but her throat was too swollen and raw. Ask Solange if you can heal her.

Riordan could feel the waves of distaste and fear coming from both women. They were doing their best to tolerate him and trust him because they loved Juliette. "She wants me to heal your wounds, Solange. I do not think she will leave this place and be calm without me doing so." It was the only leverage he had. If Solange didn't comply he would have no choice but to use his other gifts.

"Get it over with then." Solange never took her eyes from her cousin. "I am not going to your ranch. I'll destroy these bodies so our race remains secret, and Jasmine and I will go to our home at the edge of the rain forest, far from this place. We'll wait there for Juliette's return. Jasmine and Juliette will not be happy being apart." It was a clear warning.

Riordan nodded. "I am fully aware of that." Not wanting to waste any more time on talking, Riordan immediately allowed his physical self to fall away, called his spirit into a strong ball of healing energy and entered Solange. She had many wounds. Most were superficial, but some went bone deep, just as he had found in Juliette. He spent precious time healing from the inside out, shocked at how difficult it was to keep his mind from Juliette and the fact that time was slipping away from him. He was always focused, yet it required a tremendous discipline to shut out all thoughts and concentrate on his task.

Solange lay watching him. Her gaze never wavered. Her eyes never blinked. Her hand remained in Jasmine's, but her attention was fixed on Riordan. When his body swayed and the soothing warmth disappeared from inside of her she let out her breath. "Jasmine, he's got to take Juliette now. We have to be strong a little longer."

Jasmine leaned over immediately and kissed Juliette. She didn't look at Riordan when she spoke. "Thank you."

"You two must be safe. If you go to my ranch-"

Solange shook her head. "No, I can't. Please try to understand. I know you've helped us, but we haven't had very good experiences with men and we feel safer alone."

Riordan couldn't help but see the shudder that went through Jasmine. Juliette squeezed her sister's fingers. "I am sorry. I really have to take her to a safer place for the conversion. I do not like leaving the two of you alone and unprotected."

"Thanks to your healing skills, I'm able to protect us." Solange looked around her at the bodies lying on the ground. "Most of our enemies are dead. Take her before we lose her."

Riordan gathered Juliette in his arms but stopped when Jasmine made a soft sound of distress. "What is it, little one?" He used his most gentle voice.

"How long?" Jasmine clung to Juliette as if she couldn't let her go.

"Can you be separated two days? That will give her time to heal enough to be safe rising. Solange knows of my people. Our word is our honor. I give you my word, we will return at once to you, the moment we rise. Juliette would want nothing else."

Jasmine nodded and reluctantly allowed her sister's hand to drop limply from hers. She leaned into Solange for protection. Solange wrapped her arms around Jasmine. "Go now, we can be unselfish enough to let you take her. I'll take care of things here."

Riordan didn't wait for a second invitation. He already felt the first stirrings in Juliette's fragile body, a wave of unease, a ripple of fire. Time was running out. He launched himself skyward, hugging Juliette to him, hearing Jasmine gasp then begin to sob. Glancing down he could see Solange sitting up slowly and gathering her young cousin to her.

I should be with her, with Jasmine.

It should never have happened, Riordan replied grimly. He had no idea how he managed to keep the black anger swirling inside him at bay. He had Juliette's memories now, the intensity of her love for her sister and cousin. The memories of her aunt and her mother dying at the hands of deviant males. His every protective instinct was aroused, and rage lived and breathed inside of him.

Thank you for caring about them. And thank you for what you did for my cousin. I know it was uncomfortable not being accepted.

Fire blossomed in her stomach, spread through her body, engulfing every organ. He shared the pain, shocked at the intensity. He was as unprepared as Juliette for the violence of it. She shivered in his arms, biting back the cry of pain and trying to break the merge between their minds.

Riordan increased his speed. He couldn't make the protection of his ranch, or even get close to his home range, but after centuries living and hunting vampires in South America he was very familiar with their current surroundings. He dropped to earth in the rise of mountains, heading for a deep cave with natural hot springs. The soil was rich with minerals and the cave would be a natural protection against enemies. He could set strong safeguards and know humans and animals were safe from accidental encounters.

It took only minutes to prepare the cavern. Candles sprang to life, casting eerie lights across the shimmering pools. He placed Juliette on a soft bed he'd fashioned of rich soil that cushioned her body in welcoming arms. "I know it hurts, Juliette. I had no idea it was so painful."

We really didn't have much of a choice. Juliette didn't try to speak. Her raw throat wouldn't allow it, and in any case it was too tiring. She could feel the beast in her fighting for life, resisting the change in her body. The jaguar didn't want the reshaping of organs and tissue. Juliette was just too weary and in too much pain to care.

I would have converted you without the attack from the male. He felt compelled to confess it, settling next to her, holding her in his arms, lifting her fingers to his mouth. I would not have been able to continue without you. Riordan wasn't certain it was an apology, only that he wanted her to understand his conflicting emotions.

I would have been unable to continue without you. Riordan, so stop beating yourself up. Get my clothes off, I can't stand the weight of them against my skin. The last was said in desperation.

He stripped her clothes away without a thought for the material, shredding it from her body as quickly as possible. Her skin was hot to the touch. Riordan dipped his shirt into the coolest of the pools and bathed her face and wrists.

"I dreamt of you once," he said softly as he squeezed droplets of water over her throat and down the valley between her breasts. "You were laughing. I remembered the sound of your laughter for years afterward. It kept me going at times when I could not find a reason to continue." He pushed the hair from her face. She was sweating. The beads of sweat mixed with tiny beads of blood.

I dreamt of you, too. There was happiness in her voice, the only thing that kept him from crying when a convulsion took hold of her and pain lashed for what seemed an eternity. She gripped his wrist, held on, trying to breathe through it, stay on top of it. When the wave released her she sighed. I still think you're a dream.

He had to swallow several times before he could speak. "Even now, with what I'm putting you through?"

Her eyes flashed, a reminder of her passionate nature, the fire contained in her feminine body. I am jaguar. I have choices, and I make them. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you. As a jaguar, I have no future. With you I do. As a jaguar, there is no happiness, with you there is. I know the difference, Riordan.

Before she could say more, the next wave hit her, even stronger than the last. The jaguar was not going to let Riordan have her without a fight. Riordan ground his teeth together, trying to take the pain from her, the bursting fire that rushed through her body and seared her insides. She was stoic about it, enduring the pain without a complaint. There wasn't a hint of blame in her mind. When the wave passed she inhaled the scent of the healing candles. I'm going to be sick.

It was his only warning and he moved quickly, holding her while her body rid itself of toxins. She was violently ill even as another wave of pain raced through her. Riordan was cursing when it ebbed away.

Wrapping her in his arms, he carried her into the coolest pool, submerging both of them up to their necks. He buried his face against her neck. "Are we going to survive this?"

She smiled. Not physically, but he felt it in his mind. You are such a baby when it comes to me. I see you all rough and tough when you're scaring everyone around you with your bad-boy image and you fall apart because I'm in pain. She caught a glimpse of something else and it brought tears to her eyes. You're falling apart because of what happened to Jasmine. Riordan, it wasn't your fault. How could you think that?

Before he could answer, the blowtorch blossomed in her stomach and lungs, eating through her until it was so great she convulsed again, her brain shutting off to prevent her from overload. All Riordan could do was hold her, feeling helpless and guilty and angry for not understanding what would occur.

Juliette opened her eyes and looked up at him. You're crying blood, Riordan. Don't cry for me. I chose this path and I didn't expect my passing from one to the other to be easy. I feel the jaguar fading in strength. I knew from your memories that human women with psychic abilities could be converted, and all the jaguar women, and hopefully the descendents with more diluted blood, are psychic. I had hoped Solange would find a Carpathian to bring her the same happiness, and even, eventually, Jasmine, but I fear the jaguar in Solange is far too strong. It would never let her go.

Had I not taken you when you saved me from the laboratory, you would have been home to aid your sister. He couldn't say the words aloud to her. He whispered them in her mind. The idea that a male would commit such atrocities against a woman burned like a hole in his belly.

I was not expected back that night, Riordan. Jasmine knew I would draw the human trackers away. Neither of us expected an attack by the jaguars. I didn't even know they were in our part of the forest. I wasn't worried about the males.

He forced air though his lungs, so much rage in him the ground shook. I know her through you. A younger sister who will remain scarred for life. I wanted to insist she come home with us to the ranch, but I have brought you fully into my world. Who will be with her in the hours when she is alone?

The next wave was even longer, her thrashing body creating waves in the pool. Water splashed in agitation. The flames from the candles leapt as if a wind rushed through the cavern. The lights flickered, and the scents mingled to bring healing aroma wafting over the pool.

Juliette's nails dug deep into Riordan's skin. It took a few moments to find her breath again. She'll always have me. And now you. She's uneasy with your presence, and so is Solange, but they'll get better with time. We'll be more able to watch over them. Two of us with the Carpathian gifts will be able to guard them more carefully.

He bathed her, taking his time, cleaning her skin thoroughly, his hands lingering in places he sensed soothed her. The water helped to keep her skin cool.

The water helps. And the feel of your hands. When I dreamt of you, I dreamt of your hands touching me. I knew what they'd feel like on my body before you actually touched me physically.

"When did you dream about me? Did I look the same?"

Your hair was flowing in the wind, and you had that same incredible smile. I couldn't see your eyes as clearly because you were touching me and I was feeling rather than looking.

His heart nearly stopped beating. He remembered his dream vividly. He had awakened with a terrible hunger and his body alive with heat. He hardly recognized the sexual urges, he hadn't experienced them in centuries. He heard her in his mind, laughing softly, sensuously, calling to him. She was running just ahead of him, her scent ripe with heat. In his dream he had no choice but to follow her. She was always just out of reach, a tantalizing temptation, leaving in the air behind her a trail of sexual excitement.

We must have been close to one another and I was telegraphing my need. The purer the blood of the jaguar, the more the sexual heats hit us hard. Fortunately, there aren't many of us women left. We stay as far away from the males as possible.

Riordan closed his eyes against the next wave of pain. The convulsion actually took her out of his arms, so that she nearly sank beneath the agitated water. He cursed his people, even his God, everything he could think of, then began to pray, promising everything he could think of if only her ordeal would be over.

He heard her soft laughter in his mind even before the pain leeched from her body. You're going to save the world if this stops?

He rubbed his chin over the top of her head. "I was desperate. It has to be over soon."

No wonder women have all the babies.

"Not you, not if it is anything like this. We will do without babies. I am serious, Juliette. I think I am going to be sick."

Well don't. I'm sick enough for both of us. I'm so tired. I just want to sleep.

He waded out of the pool, bringing her back to the rich, welcoming soil. "I can send you to sleep the moment it is safe to do so." He kissed her eyes closed. Kissed the corners of her mouth. "I love you."

How strange. I love you too.

It took two more intense waves of burning fire and convulsions before the jaguar was gone, the conversion was complete, and he could issue the command for healing sleep. He wrapped his arms and body protectively around hers and wept while the candles burned brightly and the water lapped at the edges of the pool.