Dark Fire (27 page)

Heed an animal?
He would do it because she asked it of him, because he knew that if he did not, she would attempt to find another way to heal the cougar. You
do not need me for
this, he whispered softly, realizing it was true. She was capable of holding the pain-wracked creature in check while she worked on it. He could feel the strength in her, the determination, and it was her own.

Tempest didn't look around to see Darius; she knew instinctively he was there. A small smile touched her mouth, revealing the intriguing little dimple that always drove him wild. She could feel his strength of will pouring into hers, doubling her control. It should have made her feel less confident in herself, but Tempest always knew when she had an animal in the palm of her hand. This cougar was receptive, and she laid a hand on its leg to allow it to get used to the feel of her.

She poured her reassurance into the mountain lion as she examined the vicious wound. The cat trembled beneath her ministrations, its fur darkening to a muddy brown. She breathed for it, for both of them, as she dug for the offending thorn. It was buried deep, the entire area swollen and angry-looking. It was more difficult to assert her domination over the cougar as she caught the end of the thick silver and began to extract it.

Darius watched the cat closely, its facial expression and the images in its mind. It wanted to strike out, end the terrible pain, but Tempest was in command. She pulled the thick thorn, a good inch in length and tapering to a nasty point, out of the paw. The cougar shook, howled, but remained still. Darius couldn't help himself. Even though he knew Tempest was in complete control, he stilled the beast, capturing its mind and holding it helpless with his merciless control.

Tempest glanced at him once, but she didn't protest. She could feel Darius's driving need to protect her. It would have been the same as asking him to put a gun to her head to ask him to back off and leave her to her task alone. She was grateful when he focused on the cougar's paw and used his energy to draw out the poison until it boiled up and exploded out of the ugly wound. Tempest watched it run down the cat's fur into the earth.

Back off now, Tempest,
Darius commanded firmly. This was as much as his heart could take.

She's very hungry. Can you find her some game?

Back off, Tempest.
He bit the words out, a crisp, imperious order.

Tempest rolled her eyes in exasperation. The man was going to drive her crazy. She reluctantly backed away from the animal, very slowly, careful not to trigger the instinct to pounce in the cat. Try
not to sound so much like the king of the castle. It's very annoying.

She slipped into the brush and began to amble along the trail toward the top of the falls. Darius was summoning an old doe for the cougar. The animal was injured, its mouth filled with sores, rendering it unable to eat. She was glad he had managed to find something that was suffering rather than a young, healthy animal.

"Where are you going?" Darius materialized beside her, his stride slowing to match her shorter one. His body barely brushed hers, yet she was immediately, acutely aware of him.

"Back to the falls. Where do you think?"

Darius shook his head. "I think I am going to get you a compass."

Tempest stopped abruptly, her smile mischievous. "I never quite got the hang of reading one. I mean, I know the needle points north and all, but where does that get you? I never know what's to the north."

His eyebrows shot up. "A map?" She was already shaking her head, her smile widening to a heart-stopping grin. "You cannot read a map?" He groaned. "Of course you cannot read a map. What was I thinking?" His hand found her elbow. "You are heading away from the falls, Tempest."

"I can't be. I'm following the stream," she pointed out with her faintly haughty air.

Again one eyebrow shot up. He glanced around them. "The stream?"

She shrugged. "It's around here somewhere."

Darius burst out laughing, his arm circling her shoulders. "It is a very good thing you have me as your keeper."

Her green eyes glinted at him. The night stars seemed to get caught there, sparkled and glowed. "So you say."

His mouth found hers, a little roughly, a little tenderly, somewhere between laughter and a blatant brand. She melted into him, accepting his warring emotions. Her arms crept around his neck, her body, soft and pliant, pressed against his.

Darius simply lifted her, his mouth fastened to hers. "I must get you to the others this night. You need food."

The words were whispered into her mouth, the sensation warm and sensual, though Tempest wasn't the least hungry.

But already she could feel the change overcoming him. It started first in his mind. She saw the vivid image. It was breathtaking, real, each individual feather perfect. Darius lifted his head, breaking the kiss reluctantly as his body began to shape-shift. She watched in awe, still amazed that he could actually do such a thing. Through it all her mind stayed merged with his so that she could examine his emotions.

The sense of freedom was overwhelming. The powerful wings stretched a good six feet. Climb
onto my back.

Tempest shook her head, suddenly afraid of hurting him. "Darius, you're a bird. I'm too heavy for you to carry."

I
refuse to argue with you.
She caught the unspoken threat. It was in his mind. He would force her compliance. Despite the fact that he was a bird, Darius was as powerful as ever.

"You remind me of a spoiled little boy, always having to have your own way," she sniped indignantly. But she was obeying him, not daring to take the chance that he might impose his will on her. Certain things she could not accept. Forced compliance was definitely one of them.

The owl was tremendously strong. She could feel its strength beneath her legs. The flap of the wings was graceful yet powerful, the rush of wind nearly somersaulting her off backward. The ground fell away fast as the owl accelerated. Tempest gasped, her breath catching in her lungs, her heart nearly stopping. The feathers were soft, the silence complete. She was in a whole other world.

Tempest glanced down, saw the tops of trees, and quickly squeezed her eyes shut tight as the owl climbed higher and higher. It took her a few minutes to remember she needed to breathe. Several deep breaths calmed her enough that she was able to look around. "It's really okay, Rusti," she murmured aloud to herself. "It isn't real. You know it isn't. This is some weird fantasy thing the king of the castle stuck in your head. Just go with it. No big deal. Everyone always wants to fly. Enjoy the hallucination."

She couldn't hear her own words. The wind whipped them away so that they fell into the silence behind them. You
still find it necessary to talk to yourself. I am right here. You can talk to me.

You aren't real. I made you up.

His mocking laughter brushed at the walls of her mind, sent heat curling like molten lava through her abdomen.

Why do you think that?
he asked.

Because no real man would have your eyes. Or your mouth. And no one can possibly be as arrogant and confident as you.

I have every reason to be confident, baby,
he taunted, his male mockery setting her teeth on edge.

Have you ever been plucked?
It was the best threat she could come up with on short notice. I
bet it's extraordinarily painful.

His laughter made her smile. She knew he didn't often laugh. He was the most serious man she had ever encountered, yet he seemed to be discovering a sense of fun. At least with her.

She found, as time passed, that she was enjoying the sensation of soaring. The night enfolded her, the stars crowding the sky overhead. The moon threw the landscape below into sharp relief. The sense of freedom was incredible. She relaxed even more, finding herself becoming light, part of the owl, part of Darius.

They covered hundreds of miles, the strength of the owl enormous. The air was cool against her skin, the night jewel-studded, a perfect foil for the ride of her life. She felt as if she had been given a great gift. Darius. She breathed his name into the night, took it into her heart. He was magic. For just a moment she allowed herself to want their union to be forever. The real thing. The fairy tale. He made her believe it might be possible.

Darius never quite left her mind. It seemed so much safer that way. Tempest, out of his sight, was at her most dangerous. He knew she could talk herself out of their relationship at any moment. Inside the owl's body, he smiled, a small, secret, male smile. She had no idea of his power. That was his Tempest. She was accepting of his nature, of his special talents, but it wasn't in her to question closely things she didn't understand. That he really meant he wouldn't let her go never crossed her mind. She just couldn't conceive of him wanting her the way he said. Needing her.

Below them, the vineyards in the Napa Valley began to take shape. Tempest could make out the mountains rising majestically above the rich green valley. A lake shimmered in the distance, reflecting the silvery sheen of the moon. The owl seemed to be making its way toward that body of water, circling lower, dropping into the shelter of a thick stand of pine trees. It seemed much darker beneath the trees, yet Tempest was able to see more clearly than she ever had at night before.

She spotted the troupe's campsite tucked neatly into the trees. Parked there were the huge motor home, the truck, and the red sports car. Her heart took an unexpected plunge. She thought it rather silly to be dismayed when she'd just soared through the sky on the back of an owl; a few people shouldn't daunt her in the least.

No
,
honey, they should not bother you. I have told you repeatedly that you are under my protection. Do you not understand that I
would
protect you with my life?
Darius's voice was soft and soothing in her mind.

The owl glided to the ground, wings spread wide, gave a short hop, and waited for her to slide off. Tempest touched the feathers lightly, regretfully, one last time as they began to disappear. At once muscle and sinew rippled beneath skin. She felt the familiar wave of heat as Darius's arm curved around her shoulders and his thick mane of black hair caressed her face.

"These people are my family, Tempest." His voice was soft, mesmerizing, compelling. "That makes them your family."

She turned her face away from him, closing her mind to that possibility. Her large eyes searched for trails almost automatically, as if seeking escape. Darius tightened his arm, guiding her toward the camp. Desari's soft laughter floated toward them. It did nothing to calm Tempest's wildly pounding heart.

As they walked into the circle, Desari smiled at her in welcome. Tempest noted that Julian was close by, his posture protective of his mate. "Rusti, I'm so glad you're here. You won't believe what happened. Somebody sabotaged the truck. I think the idea was to slow us down. It was most likely one of those obnoxious reporters always snooping around or making up wild stories about us."

Tempest's relief was overwhelming. "Rusti" could meet the group much more easily as their mechanic than as Darius's girlfriend.

Girlfriend?
His eyebrows shot up. Is that what
you think you are?
That taunting male laughter mocked her.

She glared at him.
No, that's what you think I am. I know better.
Her voice was deliberately haughty.

Darius burst out laughing. His family turned toward him, startled by the rare sound. He ignored them to lean down, his warm breath against Tempest's ear, speaking softly though he was well aware the others, with their enhanced senses, could hear him perfectly. "I want you to eat before you do anything else. You can look at the truck later."

Tempest's eyes flashed fire at him. "You can stick your little owl's head in the nearest tree, too," she hissed, furious at him. "Why do think you can get away with always ordering me around?"

He grinned at her, totally unrepentant. "Because I am so good at it." His eyes flickered over Syndil.
Help me out here. She must eat.

Dayan seemed to be having a coughing fit. Desari and Julian were openly laughing. Syndil pushed Barack out of her way, glaring at him so that he groaned out loud. She stalked over to Tempest and took her hand. "Come on, Rusti. Do not pay any further attention to these men. They think they can rule us, but in truth, it is the other way around." As she spoke, she looked down her nose pointedly at Barack.

"Come on, Syndil," he pleaded. "You cannot hold one mistake against me for all time. You are supposed to be compassionate."

"Yes, I can," she said sweetly as she guided Tempest to the bus.

Barack swore, leaned down, picked up rock, and hurled it in sheer frustration. It embedded itself halfway into the trunk of a pine tree. "That woman is the most stubborn creature in the world," he said to no one in particular.

Darius walked over to Julian. "I ask for your help," he said formally, pushing down his dislike of such a thing. All that mattered to him was that he safeguard Tempest.

Julian nodded and fell into step beside his brother-in-law. "Of course, Darius," he replied, equally formal. "We are family."

"I have encountered human women turned by vampires. They were deranged, preying on the children of humans. I was forced to destroy these abominations. Now I fear I am placing Tempest in such peril. How are these women changed? I know that she is already different. Her hearing and vision are far more acute, and she is having trouble eating human food."

"It takes three blood exchanges to convert a human woman. Obviously you have not completed the ritual; it is a very painful process. If such a thing were to occur, you would have to send her to sleep once it was safe to do so in order for her body to convert without enduring too much pain to manage."

"Would she become deranged?" Darius was worried. He had already put her in danger, exchanging blood twice with her. "Has there ever been an instance when a human woman survived the ordeal intact?" Not that he intended to take the chance, but he needed the information in case of an unfortunate accident.