Dark Melody (31 page)

Cullen thought she looked more beautiful than ever. "Dayan is good for Corinne. I know him, Lisa. If you value my opinion, at least trust me on this one issue. I know him – I know what he's like. He would never betray a friendship, and he's the closest thing to family I have. The band took me in when I had no one. Everyone I loved was dead, and I had no future. They disregarded the fact that I had actively helped to hunt them and instead allowed me to travel with them for protection. They not only offered protection and friendship, but they took me into their family and made me feel a part of it. Very few people would have been that kind to a total stranger."

Lisa sat quietly, strangely happy in Cullen's company. She felt at peace when she was with him. There was a soft knock on the door, and Lisa turned quickly as Syndil pushed it open and smiled at them.

"Good, you are awake. Is he being good and staying down?"

Lisa found herself smiling, she couldn't help herself. Syndil was a tranquil, appealing woman, and Lisa couldn't imagine her being anything but honest and sweet. "He's being reasonably good," she answered, brushing at Cullen's hair to keep it out of his eyes. "I think his color is better and his voice is strong." She turned to Cullen. "Are you hurting anywhere?"

She sounded so anxious, Cullen smiled, tightening his grip on her hand. "Surprisingly I feel pretty good. But I wouldn't want to repeat the experience. It was fairly scary."

Lisa and Syndil exchanged a very feminine look. "You were out most of the time, Cullen," Lisa noted. "We were terrified for you."

"I'm going to show Lisa the house," Syndil told Cullen in her gentle voice, "while Barack takes a look at you. He wants to explain a few things to you." She took Lisa's arm firmly. "Come with me; I will show you around so you can find everything. If there is anything you need, please tell us immediately." As she led Lisa through the door, she bent closer with a conspirator's whisper. "It is obvious Cullen prefers your company to any other's."

Lisa found herself smiling up at Syndil, never feeling the cold air brushing her as Barack slipped past her unseen to go to Cullen's side. Barack waited until the door was closed and he could hear Syndil talking to Lisa about the food in the kitchen before he materialized beside Cullen.

Cullen watched him with patient eyes. "I knew you were there. You gave me your blood, didn't you?"

Barack shrugged his broad shoulders as if the tremendous gift of life had been a casual one. "You know how the women feel about you. I could do no other than to save your worthless hide or they would have been after me for centuries."

"Darius?" Cullen said the name softly.

Barack grinned at him. "I would not want to be in your shoes when he comes to see you. It is not so much what he says; it is the look he gives you when you nearly get yourself killed that makes you wish your enemy had not missed. He is not happy you placed yourself in such a position. And, of course, there is Dayan."

Cullen groaned aloud. "I don't want to think about Dayan right now. How is Corinne?"

Barack sighed. "She does not have long to live if Dayan does not give her his blood and bring her fully into our world. But there is the complication of the child, it is said she is like Corinne, and we do not want to lose her either. They are trying." He glanced at the door. "We have much to speak about and little time to do it. Lisa is anxious to be back in your company."

"You are too hard on her, Barack," Cullen said.

"So Syndil tells me," he responded. "You know you are different now. You are connected to me for all time. You can touch me when you wish; there is an open path between our minds. The blood bond between us will remain for all your life. You know what we are part of the time, but we shadow your memories most of the time so you are not in danger. It is different now. You will always be a threat to our species. Should your blood be examined, you would endanger us."

Cullen nodded his head, his eyes steady on Barack's face. He had already guessed as much. He had known the moment he had awakened. His hearing was far more acute. It was night, yet he could see clearly in the dark. He felt different, stronger, healthy despite the terrible wounds. He was also aware that his body was healing at a phenomenal rate of speed.

Cullen had been traveling with the band members for some time. He had learned to accept the fact that sometimes he knew what they were and other times his memory of them was hazy and he couldn't conjure up an image of what they looked like. On some level he knew it was necessary to protect the band from any other human seeking information about them. And it was necessary to protect himself from any vampires who might scan the information in his mind. As he traveled in the company of the band, it was likely he would someday encounter one. He knew that everything had changed for him when Barack had given him blood.

"You are under the protection of the family," Barack said softly, "and Darius wants you to know you always will be. But we cannot undo what has been done. There are decisions to be made. We made the choice to save your life, and the blood was freely given because of your place within our family, but only you can make the rest of the choices for yourself. We will respect whatever you decide."

Cullen nodded, understanding more than Barack knew. When his memories of them were clear, he remembered every detail and he had learned a great deal about their species. They were offering him a choice, and he was grateful that he was even being consulted.

"It is not a decision to be made lightly, Cullen," Barack counseled. "You must know I will always be able to read your mind, whether you choose full knowledge or to have your memories removed. I would know if you betrayed us to anyone, including your future wife. I see clearly into your mind. You want Lisa to be your partner, but she will never be able to accept our species as we are. She must always see us as human. She could not accept Corinne's differences, and she would be unable to live with the knowledge. If you choose us as your family, you can never reveal what we are to her. You are someone who values honor and integrity. You want a full partnership with your wife. She will always be in our lives, because she loves Corinne and Corinne loves her. To Corinne, Lisa is family, as you are to us. But you will have to keep this knowledge from Lisa for all time. We have lifemates. We understand the bond between male and female. If you choose to remove the memory of us, we will understand. Remember we will still have the same feelings for you, and you will remain under our protection. It is up to you."

Cullen smiled, his teeth very white. "You are my family."

"As Lisa will be."

"Exactly. As Corinne will be. Lisa loves her as a sister. My wife will be connected to you for the rest of her life. If I choose to forget, then I can't give her my protection and help to shield her from the things she can't accept. I know what Lisa is like. She needs a protected environment, someone willing to shield her from the things she can't accept. I want to be that person. Not you or Darius. Me. I never thought I could feel alive again. You know strength, Barack, but you don't know what it's like for someone to struggle like she has to do to live in a world with people capable of doing monstrous things she can't understand. You have it in you to kill if need be. She is incapable of shouting at anyone. It hurts her when people raise their voices at one another. You think of that as a weakness. I look at her and see someone too good to live in a world like this one. I want to shield her. I want the chance to have her love me."

"We will love and accept the one you choose to share your life with. Forgive me, Cullen – I will work on my failings. Syndil has pointed out this same flaw, and I do not intend to continue with this behavior if I can help it. I will get to know Lisa and I will always protect her. You can count on that."

"Thank you," Cullen said quietly. "I'll retain my memories and work to guard our family, as you, Dayan, Julian and Darius always do. I don't want to forget any of it. Neither the good nor the bad. You are all I have."

"Then so be it." Barack gripped Cullen's hand hard for a moment, then backed off. "I have sent your answer to Darius and the others. If you have need, you have only to follow the path in your mind and you can speak with me." He grinned. "Of course, you can do the same with Darius."

Cullen stared up at him for a moment, thinking that over. He should have known that Darius had taken his blood to open a channel to his mind. Darius
always
protected his family. It was his nature. "Go away. I like looking at Lisa better. But tell Dayan we are praying for Corinne and baby."

Corinne slept fitfully, with strange images flitting in and out of her dreams. When she woke, sometimes the healers were in the room with her, but most of the time there was only Dayan. There were times he lay beside her. Often he sat quietly holding her hand and staring lovingly down at her face. Other times she woke to the sound of his music, a soothing harmony of voice and guitar. She tried a few times to overcome the terrible lethargy that seemed to have invaded her body, but it was too much trouble and she closed her eyes time and time again with the image of Dayan filling her mind and heart. Strangely, she wasn't afraid anymore, not for herself and not for her baby.

She had no idea how much time had passed before she managed to really wake up. She lay quietly taking inventory of her body. Corinne could hear her heart beating, as well as that of her child. She moved her hands protectively over the baby and murmured softly to the child, wondering if she could hear her. As she talked to her daughter, she looked around the beautiful room. It was full of treasures, from the artwork to the carvings on the high ceilings. The room was very large, the colors muted and elegant. The carvings looked like strange, beautiful hieroglyphics. Some of the symbols were soothing to her, while others made her heart pound if she stared at them too long.

Her hand moved over the thick quilt covering her. It was art too, a beautiful blend of colors with similar symbols woven into it. Each character was wide and clear, the surface smooth to the touch. She found her fingers continually seeking out the different symbols and tracing them carefully over and over.

She felt Dayan beside her, just lying quietly, his body wrapped protectively around hers. Corinne turned her head to find him watching her, his black gaze loving. There was so much tenderness there, so much emotion, he robbed her of breath. She smiled, her soft mouth curving as she lifted a hand to touch his face with gentle fingertips. "Hello," she said softly. "Have you been waiting there long?"

"Several risings," he answered honestly, shifting so that he could prop himself up on his elbow to better study her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked, slightly embarrassed by his close scrutiny. He was watching her with unblinking eyes.

"Memorizing your face," he answered truthfully, his gaze drifting over every inch of her classic features. "I want to close my eyes and still be able to see you. I used to welcome daylight as a relief from the everpresent whisperings of darkness, yet now I resent those hours because I cannot be with you. I want to talk to you, just be silent beside you, look at you, reach out and touch you, know you are real and not some figment of my imagination." He traced her mouth, her eyebrows, his thumb lingering on the corner of her lips. "I do not want to sleep anymore because I cannot take you with me."

"Do you have to sleep away from me?" she asked, running her hand up and down his arm, needing to touch him almost as much as he needed to touch her.

He bent to brush a gentle kiss across the temptation of her mouth. "When I sleep, it is as if I am dead. I shut down my heart and lungs and do not breathe air. Our species does not have to seek the earth to sleep, and many of our people do not, but they sleep in chambers below ground where they are relatively safe from human hunters and accidents. Most of us do seek the rejuvenating sleep of the earth because it is safer and more natural to us. I would prefer to be beside you always, but it would be unsettling to you to wake and find me as if dead."

"Not if I was expecting such a thing. Why are you so distressed, Dayan?" She pushed her fingers through his hair. "I'm beginning to be able to read you, and you are having a difficult time. If something is wrong, just tell me."

"Everything is going the way the healers have predicted with your health," he answered vaguely, his black gaze slipping away from her.

She curled her fingers around his wrist. "What is it?"

He shrugged casually. Too casually. "There is a ritual between lifemates. It is necessary to bind us together. Until we are formally bound together, I am still a slight risk to others. There is nothing to be done about it, Corinne, until your health is better. It is just uncomfortable for me." The beast was struggling for supremacy from within. He felt it growing stronger with each rising. He needed her more than ever to anchor him. He needed her soul bound to his, her heart to complete him, her body for a safe haven.

"What ritual?" she asked curiously. "And don't shrug and put me off. If we're a partnership, then you have to give me the trust you insist on having from me."

He sighed. "You are getting tough on me, Corinne. Am I losing my charm?" He made an attempt to tease her, to make light of a dark situation.

"I don't think you could ever do that," she reassured him with an answering smile. "But I want us to be very certain we're together on this. It's important to me, Dayan. I don't want to do the wrong thing and take a chance of hurting you. This has happened very fast. I'm someone who has to think things through thoroughly before I make decisions. And you are asking me to take a lot of things on faith."

"We might come from two different worlds, Corinne, but you know we belong together."

"Maybe," she agreed noncommittally. "So tell me the ritual."

He circled her waist with his arm and leaned down to kiss her again. This time he lingered over the simple pleasure, savoring the moment. "When a Carpathian male recognizes his lifemate, he recites ritual words to bind her. The words are imprinted on him before birth. It is much like a human marriage but more permanent. Once said, the words bind the two, heart and soul and mind. She cannot escape him. They cannot be apart after that. They must touch one another often, using mind touch or they become…" He hesitated, searching for the right word. "I don't know – they need to be with one another or they can be very uncomfortable."