Dark Fire

The Konocti Harbor Inn, famous for its food and concerts, was built on the edge of a large lake nestled in the mountains, cool and shaded by majestic pine trees. The resort drew large crowds to its outdoor concerts, its large amphitheater, and the more cozy indoor venue where guests could dine and watch their favorite performers. The Summerfest was legendary, bringing visitors from all over the country to the festivities. It was one of Desari's favorite places to perform, and she scheduled concerts there each time she was in California. To Darius and Julian, the security was a logistical nightmare.

The head of security appeared to be in his forties and had the air of a man who knew his job and could handle any situation that should arise. He listened attentively to the group's special problems. Already aware of the attempt on Desari's life a few months earlier, he had made additional preparations himself. Still, he was open to their ideas and more than cooperative. Darius found himself liking the man, going so far as to give him the grudging respect he generally reserved for his own kind. Darius expected cooperation and got it either through consent or compulsion, but it was easier when he had the full cooperation of the security team.

Desari was to perform indoors. All three men agreed on that. It was safer and the environment much easier to control. The head of security showed them around, going over the recent renovations with them, showing them floor plans and every possible entrance and exit. He was easy to work with and had a fairly competent staff for the small resort. Still, for the kind of problems they expected, all of them knew it wouldn't be enough.

Locals, mostly young, were employed as event staff, and they were far too inexperienced to handle the kind of threat Desari's enemies posed. Darius and Julian knew they would have to check the entrances themselves, testing each individual's thoughts as he or she moved through the doors. Dayan and Barack would be able to help at least up until the actual performance. With the ability to mask their appearance at will, they could blend in with the security staff and not look like band members.

While the men were occupied with pre-show security arrangements, Tempest enjoyed the shower in the suite of rooms provided by the resort. Darius had come up with a wardrobe of clothes for her, and she had never had such clothes in her life. The jeans didn't have holes in them, the dresses clung and swirled, and everything fit perfectly. For a moment she almost didn't wear them, feeling like a kept woman, but then she couldn't resist. She was part of the troupe, like it or not. Desari and Syndil were both elegant, striking women. She couldn't very well run around in her oily bib overalls.

She stepped out into the night air, remembering at the last moment to pin the little tag in place identifying her as a member of the band's crew. She wandered around outdoors, inhaling the scent of pine trees and flowers. The lake was a stone's throw away, boats docked in rows, waves lapping at the shore. The lake called to her, the breeze blowing gently in her face.

Tempest felt free walking by herself, even though Darius would have a fit. He was becoming more and more protective of her, so much so that she was thinking of breaking out of prison for a few hours, maybe during the concert. Darius would be busy and unaware of what she was up to.

Do not count on it, my love. You are not to wander around unescorted. Go back to the room while I am workng. Later you may come and listen to the concert.

His very voice held magic. A velvet caress that sent heat pooling low within her. How could he do that from such a distance? How could he bmsh the nape of her neck with his perfect mouth and span her throat with his palm, make her pulse race and her blood turn to molten lava?

How kind of you to give your permission, she

retorted. Concentrate on your work, Darius. I'm just looking at the lake. What possible trouble could I get into?

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.

Youliave 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. "1 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 already. 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.

Did she believe in the fairy tale? Darius might believe he would grow old with her, but perhaps he would soon tire of her as men often did of their women. No man could really devote himself to one woman for all time. Certainly not for an eternity. She was a loner. Solitary by nature. Yet the thought of an eternity of solitude wasn't all that appealing. Tempest didn't mind going around once in life, but over and over didn't sound all that great. And then there was the blood thing.

Tempest made a face. Sucking the blood out of somebody's neck was a sickening thought.

Baby, you think the most depressing thoughts. Just put the whole thing out of your head. I will be fine, I will not tire of you, and you will never be allowed to suck anyone's blood. I, however, will have the pleasure of sucking on your neck and other parts of your anatomy as often as possible. After I strangle my two little sisters, everything will be fine. You don't have to strangle them. I was the one who asked. I will not leave you, my love.

His voice was a soft caress, but it carried total conviction. As their minds wen merged, she could clearly see his thoughts, his beliefs even his memories of the time before he met her. Hi had been a bleak, barren existence. She was his world She would always be his world. He believed that implicitly.

"I need to find the courage," she whispered aloud to herself.

Desari leaned into her. "You are our sister, beloved for: what you have given Darius. You already have shown great courage, just to brave being with him. Do not let us make you fret. Darius has chosen. So be it."

And you think this will relieve you of the responsibilityfor making my lifemate fear for me, little sister?

Darius demanded.

Desari shook her head as if he could see her. The knock came again, signaling that it was time for the band to make an appearance on stage. "Come with us Rusti," she invited.

Tempest stepped back, suddenly shy. She had never liked crowds, and she definitely preferred to be anonymous. "I'll listen from a distance. Good luck, you two."

Syndil was appearing with the band for the first time since the trauma of her rape. Out in the hall, Barack and Dayan were waiting, along with several security and event staff, to escort them on stage. Julian and Darius were at the entrances. Security would remain tight for the duration of the concert, and there would be little chance for patrons to wander about the auditorium unobserved.

Tempest followed the band from a short distance, looking around for Darius. When she couldn't find him, she stayed just outside the door and listened. A roar went up, signaling that Desari was on stage. The band began a slow, moody ballad, one particularly suited to Desari's beautiful voice. It filled the hall and spilled out, dreamy, sexy, mystical.

Tempest touched the door with reverent fingers. No one had a voice like Desari. Once heard, it was impossible to forget. It conjured up dreams, fantasies, evoked intense emotions in all who heard her. Tempest felt a surge of pride in her. Somehow she had become part of them all. Accepted. Respected. A member of their peculiar family.

Cullen hurried up, obviously out of breath, his heart loud enough for Tempest to hear. "Where is he? Where's Darius?"

"At the entrance to the balcony, I think," she replied.

"The riverboat party. The bachelor thing. I saw Brady Grand among the passengers boarding the boat, but I don't think he got on. If he's the one who booked that boat, then it's a set-up. He's got a crew here."

"Who's Brady Grand?" Tempest was pacing alongside Cullen as he raced toward the stairs to find Darius.

"He's someone you don't want to meet. He heads up the society here on the West Coast. Damn it, where's Darius?" Cullen started up the stairs but was stopped by a uniformed security guard. He pointed impatiently to his tag and pushed past the man.

Tempest turned and ran to the door, rushing outside, running around the building toward the marina. The riverboat was still tied to the dock. Men were laughing and shoving one another as they moved up the pier to board the boat. She had no idea exactly what she was looking for. They all looked like normal partygoers to her. She stood very still, trying to see one thing that jangled, that jarred. The revelers continued to board the boat, their jokes lewd, a lot of playful pushing and shoving going on. Most of the men looked as if they'd already indulged in a great deal of partying before they arrived.

She shook her head and moved away from the bushes toward the marina store. Almost at once she felt a sharp object poking into her back. Thinking it was a branch, she started to turn. She saw a blur coming at her head, nothing she could identify, but she had no chance of getting her arms up to protect herself. Whatever it was smashed against her head, hard, and she was falling.

Inside the building Darius froze in place. Not a muscle moved. It was as if he stopped breathing. Then he was moving, far too fast for the human eye to see. He burst from the building, the beast raging for release. He felt it growing stronger and more lethal within him. He let it consume him, reaching for it, so that the thin veneer of civilization was gone. The savage predator was loose, and there was not one shred of mercy in its soul.

Tempest.

Her name was a whisper of sanity in his mind, the only thing keeping him from a berserker's rage. He could not kill everyone who crossed his path. He had to stay focused. She had been taken from him. But because she did not answer his call did not mean she was lost to him forever. He would know if she was dead. His soul would know. No, they had knocked her out in some way, made it impossible for his mind to reach hers. They had baited a trap, and in his arrogance, he had fallen into it. Thinking Desari the ultimate target, he had concentrated his protection there. Cullen had been right all along. They wanted Tempest.

Julian, they have taken Tempest. Stay and protect Desari and Syndil. Alert Dayan and Barack. I will go after her. It is a trap. Of course it is. Why else would they grab her when we were all here far the taking? They are using her for bait. I will go.

Darius moved swiftly away from the crowds, needing the open spaces. He sent a call to the night, sent a wind seeking his answers. It brought the scent of his prey, sharp and pungent, to his nostrils. Darius took to the sky, shape-shifting as he did so, his body becoming that of a winged night hunter. Below him he saw the winding ribbon of highway, the car speeding over the mountain road. They would be taking her somewhere close. Leading him into the trap.

Darius plunged straight down, streaking through the sky toward the windshield of the car, his huge expanse of wings spread wide. The bird completely eclipsed the glass, and the driver screamed and instinctively ducked. At the last moment Darius pulled up and disappeared as if he had never been. The car swerved wildly, fishtaiing dangerously close to the cliff. The rear end swung around, smashed into dirt and rock, bounced off, then slid several feet before the driver could regain control of the vehicle.

Brady Grand swore as he clutched at the seat in front of him. "What the hell are you doing, Martin? We almost crashed. Slow down if you have to. Wallace says she has to be alive. We need information, and the only way to lure one of them to us is through a woman."

"You didn't see it?" Martin wiped the sweat from his face. "It was an owl. The biggest damned owl I ever saw."

"There wasn't anything there," Brady snarled. "You're just chicken. All you have to do is drive." Brady swept back the red-gold hair falling across Tempest's face so he could examine the ugly cut where Martin had hit her with the billy club. "You hit her too damned hard. She's bleeding like a stuck pig back here."

A gust of wind hit the side of the car, blowing it several inches into the other lane. Ahead of them ominous black clouds gathered from out of nowhere. Veins of lightning zigzagged from cloud to cloud. Thunder crashed so loudly, it shook the car. Martin ducked again and swore out loud. "This is getting out of hand, Brady. I say it's a warning of some kind. If something's doing this, I don't want to challenge it. Let them have her."

The car was slowing, pulling to the side of the road. Brady slapped the back of Martin's head hard. "Drive!

This is what we want. He'll follow us. We haw a poison that will render him helpless. We'll actually bag one of them. Just drive the damned car."

A cloud, black and sinister, poured into the car through a back window that was cracked open an inch. It flowed in, spreading a dark vapor that obscured all vision. Brady grabbed at the woman but felt something tugging her away from him.

"No way! I'll kill her!" He jerked his gun into position and pulled the trigger as fast as he could. It was too late. The vapor had wound itself around his throat and was pulling tighter and tighter. He felt his captive slide to the floor and tried to aim the gun at her head, pulling the trigger again, cursing as he did so. The reverberations from the shots were loud in the close confines of the car.

"You thought you could take my woman from me," Darius said softly.

The venomous black vapor suddenly felt real, felt like a solid noose, a garrote cutting deep into Brady's throat, slicing through flesh so that his blood ran like a river down his neck to soak into his immaculate white shirt. He was still cursing as he died.

Darius snarled silently as the stench of gunpowder drifted out the window and the black cloud slowly solidified. Blood was dripping from his left thigh, and another bullet had caught him near his hip when he had flung his body over Tempest to protect her. She wasn't moving, and it scared him to death. The driver was dead. Grand had shot him with his wild barrage of bullets.

Tenderly, carefully, he drew Tempest's motionless body from the bloodstained car. He clamped down hard on his own pain, taking time to examine every inch of her before launching himself skyward. Droplets of blood splashed to earth as he flew, mingling with the soil. He took her to the cave.

One of you needs to take care of the car. It must be destroyed, and then we must find the head of this organization that continues to hunt Desari and us. We cannot take any further chances with them, Julian. They must have a hideout nearby.

You are injured. I will come to you and give you aid. Do not leave the women until it is safe to do so.

Darius's voice held hard authority. He knew Julian was unlike the others. They were used to following his orders, while Julian had long been a loner, answering to no one except on the rare occasion when he had contact with his Prince or the Dark One, the healer of their people. Julian chose his own way always. He would likely ignore Darius and accede to Desari's wishes that he aid her brother. Darius let his breath out slowly, acknowledging that Julian would make his own decisions. I cannot protect them at this

time, and I am relying on you. As soon as the concert is over, put them somewhere safe, and all of you meet with me to ferret out this predator.

There was a small silence. You are safe? I am.

Darius was uncertain if he spoke the truth. He was not at full strength, and he had lost a great deal of blood. Ordinarily he would have instantly shut down his heart and lungs to preserve the precious fluid until his kindred came to provide for him. But he didn't have the time or luxury to do so now. Tempest was hurt.

Tempest stirred and moaned softly, raising a trembling hand to the gash on her head. "Ow." Her long lashes fluttered, rose, and she smiled at him. "I knew you would come, Darius, but I've got a hell of a headache."

He leaned over her and pressed a wet cloth to her head. "Close your eyes, honey and lie still so I can see what I can do about this."

"They wanted one of you to follow, didn't they?" she murmured, her lashes drooping. She felt sick.

"You have a slight concussion, Tempest." Darius knew his voice reflected his weariness. It was impossible for him to keep the pain at bay with his strength waning by the moment. Fortunately, she had not recovered enough to notice his wounds. He scooped up handfuls of rich soil, mixed it with his healing saliva, and packed the gaping holes in his body.

Darius sent himself seeking outside his own body and into hers. It was difficult to focus as completely as he must while his great strength and energy were draining away. He had tried to slow his heartbeat, to slow the loss of blood, hoping to give himself more time. He could feel her fear, the pounding and throbbing of the pain in her head. She had lost blood, but not the copious amounts head injuries often led to. She would not need a replacement.

He tested the bruising, meticulously worked at healing it inside her skull and then outside until the wound was closed. He took her headache away and retreated, slumping wearily onto the floor of the cave.

For a long while there was only the sound of their heartbeats. Tempest lay floating in a kind of a dream state. After some time she became aware of the differences in the rhythms of their hearts. They always beat the same when they were close to each other, yet now his heart seemed slow, almost stuttering.

Tempest forcibly roused herself. She turned her head slowly toward Darius and, to her horror, found him slumped in an awkward position against a boulder, his skin drawn tight over his skull, his face gray and dotted with crimson beads of blood.

Gasping in alarm, she came to her knees, reaching for him. His shirt and trousers were soaked in blood. "My God, Darius!" she whispered, horrified.

There was no response. She reached for his wrist to check his pulse, found it thready and weak. Tempest knew immediately that he had seen to her needs before his own. He was unconscious. He had lost too much blood. She was afraid he was going to die. They were stuck deep within the earth. There was no way she could drag his body out of the cave and to help in time.

Tempest forced herself not to panic. He wasn't human. What could she do to revive him with what she had at hand? She had no way of contacting the others. The private mental path the family used only worked among them. She noticed the soil packed in his wounds. He had tried to stop the bleeding using the richness of the earth. Quickly she looked around, searching for the soil he'd said was filled with minerals and healing agents. She mixed a fresh pack and spread it over the wounds.

"Darius, tell me what to do," she whispered, feeling more lonely than she ever had before. Smoothing the hair from his forehead with gentle fingers, she felt her heart turn over, then begin to pound. She had somehow fallen in love with him. He wasn't human. He was overbearing and dominant. They probably didn't have a chance in hell of making it work, but she wasn't about to fail him.

Somehow in the short time they were together, Darius had become her other half, more important to her than her own life. He shared his life, his memories, with her; he laughed with her, took care of her injuries before his own. He showed her in a thousand ways that he loved her. Despite his arrogant ways, he cared for her, cooked for her, saw to her every need. She felt his love. More important, through his memories, when their minds were melded, she saw his greatness. And she knew absolutely that he was willing to grow old and die for her.

Well, she was not about to lose him. Tempest eased him down so he would be more comfortable. No one else was around to give him the one thing he needed most. So she stretched out beside him, turning so that her head was pillowed on his shoulder.

"Here's the deal, my darling," she whispered. "You are going to take my blood, as much as you need to heal you. If it works, you'll wake up and save my life. Hopefully I won't be deranged." She made a face. "I really don't want to be deranged. So let's just do this and not think too much about it. Okay? This is my decision." She leaned into him and brushed her mouth against hi: neck. You

understand me, Darius? This is my decision, my free will. I want to do this for you. Take my blood. I'm offering my life for yours. I think you're a great man am well worth it.

She dug the pocket knife out of her jeans and, biting her lip hard, slashed a hideous gash in her wrist, instantly pressing it to his mouth.

Drink, love. Drink for both of us We live together or we die.

She meant every word. Then were no doubts, no regrets, but it hurt like hell.

At first she felt her blood flow into his mouth on it's own, but then he moved weakly, bringing his hand up to capture her wrist, to press it tightly against him. His lips moved, drawing the precious liquid into his faltering body, a mindless, blind instinct for survival.

Tempest closed her eyes, allowed the gathering darkness to float her away.