Dark Challenge

Chapter Seventeen

The call to awaken came not from within himself but from outside. At the command, his heart took one beat, and his lungs drew in air. There was pain with his first breath, and Darius quickly assessed the damage to his body without moving a muscle or flickering an eyelid, without allowing anything else to intrude while he took inventory. A thick wrist was pressed to his mouth, and he felt, more than heard, the soft command to replenish what he had lost. He knew immediately who was donating so generously to him. The blood was ancient and powerful, potent as it soaked into his starving cells, carrying with it the energy and strength of a true ancient. Darius slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the blond stranger who was his sister's mate. Darius savored the effects of the fresh blood pouring into his body, strong, rich, ancient blood, and already he could feel the healing powers working within him. He studied Julian as he fed from the man's wrist. Julian was powerful and enormously strong, equally confident. It showed in the way he carried himself, in the straight stare of his strange amber eyes and the set of his shoulders. It showed in the fluid way he moved and the quick decisions he made without hesitation. His leadership qualities were evident when he carefully sidestepped possible challenges by the other males, never allowing his own ego to get in the way. Julian knew he was infinitely capable; he had nothing to prove to anyone, or to himself. Right now he was wearing that sardonic expression Darius was familiar with, as if he were laughing inwardly, amused at life and those around him. As if he had some secret knowledge, of which none of them were aware. Darius decided he probably did. Aside from the knowledge already imprinted on them before birth, Julian had the advantage of learning from ancients. He also knew things about their own kind that Darius's family did not.
Very carefully Darius closed the wound, even in his weakness ensuring he left no telltale mark. He made no attempt to move. His heart was not yet completely healed. He knew what it had cost Julian in time and energy to repair such a near-mortal injury, and he had no intention of tearing the knitting gash before complete healing could take place.
"I am not yet healed, Julian," he said in his mild, expressionless tone.
Julian's mouth curved into a smirk. "No? Do you think you should heal so quickly, then? I put you in the ground only one scant hour ago. I awakened you merely to supply you with blood. Even you require more than one hour. And no, I have not yet tracked the vampire to his lair, but I will on the next rising. Be assured of that."
Darius's black eyes fastened on Julian's gold ones. "I have no doubt that you will find the one you seek. I know the kind of man you are." He was already tired, and his voice was fading, his thick lashes drifting down to cover the relentless, merciless, obsidian eyes. Even with the blood of such a powerful man, his body was so torn, the wound so savage, he was exhausted with just a small amount of effort.
"You did not want to stay any longer in this world." Julian crouched down beside the leader so that he no longer towered above him. "It was in your mind to seek eternal rest. You cannot hide that from me any more than I could hide what I am from you. What made you stay when you felt yourself so close to turning? I can feel your fight, every waking moment; your life is endless darkness. What made you stay when you wanted, needed eternal rest?"
"You did." The reply was simple, brief, yet Julian could read the truth in those two words. "I read some of your memories. I knew of your intention to seek eternal rest before you discovered what you call your lifemate, my sister. I do not know much more, only that she made it worth every moment of your struggle with the darkness devouring us. You have roamed the world and were certain you would never feel again, but you do feel. You laugh. There is a real joy in you that you cannot hide. I had no idea there was hope. I thought that for our males, once we lived a certain length of time, there would be only two choices. Eternal rest or the loss of our souls. Now that I have found this information, I can do no other than try to lead the way for Dayan and Barack. I will hold out as long as I am able to, until I know the crouching beast is close to overcoming my strength, and then I will seek eternal rest. If I can once again feel before I cross over, then it will be worth all the long, dark days." Darius's voice was very soft, a mere thread of sound, as if he could not find the strength to speak more strongly. "I would like to feel the love I have for my sister and my family, not simply remember that there once was such a feeling."
It made no difference to Julian that Darius's voice was fading. Like all Carpathians, he had incredible hearing and could turn the volume up at will.
"In any case," Darius continued, his long lashes hiding the dark depths of his eyes, "I will wait until there is no hope at all for me, so that Dayan will realize he must also have hope until there is proof otherwise. He grows weary of this earth and has spoken often of resting. And he will not follow you so easily."
"My charming personality, no doubt," Julian agreed.
"Dayan is a quiet soul. Not dark of nature like me or Savon. Dayan has always chosen the right paths instinctively. Yet as the darkness grows within him, the heaviness in his heart expands. Hidden within him is an explosive predator, all the more dangerous because he is so opposite to the man. Dayan struggles to understand that side of his nature while we simply accept it." He was deliberately imparting knowledge of his family to his sister's lifemate.
Darius's voice was so low now, Julian was unsure whether he was really speaking aloud or mind to mind. "You grow weak, Darius. Sleep. We can talk of such things when you are healed." Deliberately, Julian allowed his voice to drop an octave, to take on the low, hypnotic tone of his kind. Soothing, peaceful, healing. An underlying command, very subtle but nevertheless powerful.
Darius smiled, a mere flash of strong white teeth. He heard that "push" in Julian's voice and recognized it for what it was. Even in his weakened state, he would ordinarily have resisted such a mind touch, but Julian was going to do as he wished anyway. He would hunt the undead without Darius, and argument with him would be futile. And tiring. Darius planned to sleep for a long while. "I go under, golden one, but do not think you managed to make me overlook the fact that I must thank you for my continued existence."
"Or curse me." Julian stepped away from the black, rich soil, then watched as the breath ceased and the heart quit beating in Darius's chest. He waved a hand so the soil would fill in around and over the body, providing the healing balm to mend the terrible wounds. His hands wove the patterns of strong safeguards to ensure Darius would not be disturbed. He stood for a long moment, savoring the unexpected warmth that came with belonging to something. Once he hunted and destroyed his ancient enemy and knew all was safe, he would seek out his own twin brother. He ached to see Aidan again, to meet his lifemate and to present Desari to him. Though he dreaded having to admit the truth, that he had been marked by a vampire as a boy, he now longed for what interaction with others could bring into one's life. He wanted to be part of a family once again.
"You are already part of a family," Desari reminded him, her body brushing his, her arms circling his waist from behind. She had materialized out of nowhere, her presence filling the healing chamber.
She was there. Completing him. His air. His heart. The part of his soul that really lived and loved and mattered. Without conscious thought he sent up a quick prayer of thanks that he had been granted such a priceless treasure when he felt so undeserving of her.
Julian loved the way she smelled. He inhaled, and her scent washed over him, clean and sexy. "This mess? With all these males?" Julian allowed a low, rumbling growl to escape. "This is no family. This is a man's nightmare."
Desari deliberately moved against him, her body soft and pliant with invitation. "Is that what you think?"
"What I think is" - Julian circled her slender throat with his large hand in mock threat - "you are deliberately tempting me when I have important, pressing business to attend to."
Her slender arms instantly circled his neck so that she could press her body against his hard frame. "I am a superstar, lifemate, yet you wish to leave me alone at every opportunity. There are men everywhere who would be happy to take your place by my side."
He bent his head, his teeth scraping a provocative rhythm over her pulse. Desari went liquid, boneless, her stomach clenching in anticipation. "No, they would not be happy to take my place at your side, cara mia, because I would promptly end their lives in a most unhappy way."
"You are such a caveman, Julian. You look tall and elegant and princely, yet you have not matured beyond the cave." Desari allowed her tongue a brief inspection of the taste of his skin. She closed her eyes to savor the moment.
"I have no intention of rising above caveman mentality," he growled in her ear, his breath teasing tendrils of hair and sending little flames dancing through her bloodstream. "There are so many benefits for the caveman."
"You like playing the part of the dominant male, no doubt," she whispered, her voice so husky with need that his body tightened in urgent, painful response. Her mouth moved over his throat, her hands seeking skin beneath his shirt. "I have a need of you, lifemate, and you are deliberately ignoring your sworn duties to me."
"Little minx." Julian curved his arm around Desari's shoulders and began walking from the chamber into the maze of tunnels carved from molten lava. They were numerous and deep, leading throughout the large mountain, deep within the earth. It was hot and humid, steaming, so that the heat soaked through their clothing as they walked together. Little beads of sweat formed and ran over their skin, following intriguing paths.
Desari's white silk blouse clung to her so that her breasts were dark, enticing shadows, her nipples even darker. Her long hair became damp and heavy as they descended deeper within the earth, and she stopped to twist it and knot it at the back of her neck.
Julian smiled faintly. "How do women do that?" His eyes were on her body, the way her breasts lifted in innocent seduction when she raised her arms to attend to her hair.
Desari turned her head to look at him. "Do what?"
"That thing with your hair." Julian leaned down to taste a small bead of sweat running down the back of her neck. He felt her shiver, felt the answering shiver deep within his own body. His hand slid under the edge of her silken blouse to find hot satin skin, his long fingers caressing each rib. "How do women tie up their hair without looking at it?" His voice was raw and edgy, reflecting the way his body was reacting to hers.
"Why does it feel like forever since you touched me like this?" she whispered. "It is hot, Julian."
"It is getting that way," he agreed. A thought took his shirt from his body so that his bare skin gleamed like bronze. In the blackness of the tunnels, to them it was as if it were daylight. The walls gleamed with yellow sulfur, and all around them was the beauty of nature, shimmering and glittering beneath the earth, ever moving, ever changing, the minerals that enriched the soil and made it fertile and healing, the very things that built the land masses themselves. Because their body temperature could regulate itself, enabling them to be inside the earth, a part of its wonders, they saw it all happening where most humans never could.
Desari felt the intense heat, not from the earth but from deep within her own body, from Julian's fingers radiating just under her bare breast, along her side, lingering, caressing, bringing her body to life.
Julian stopped abruptly, his palm cupping the back of her neck, bringing her to a halt as his mouth fastened on hers. Molten heat raged between them. The taste of them, the moist heat of their mouths mingled. His fingers twined themselves in the thick ebony hair she had so carelessly secured, holding her to him so that he could explore her mouth with languid, lazy seduction and fierce, burning hunger. It was like creating a firestorm. The more they shared, the hotter the flames.
Julian pulled away first, trailing kisses down her throat to the valley between her breasts. Her breasts thrust so invitingly through the silk, his mouth simply found her nipple through the material. The sexual jolt slammed into her body hard enough that he experienced it also, and he answered by dragging her closer, his mouth drawing her breast into its velvet fire, his tongue stroking, his teeth scraping gently.
"There is something so beautiful about you, Desari," he whispered against her. "Something I could never resist even if I wanted to." His hand slipped across her stomach to her jeans. "Sometimes I think if I do not take you fast enough, you will disappear, and I will wake up and all this will have been a wild dream." He confessed it against her breast, his breath hot on her aching flesh. Already his hand had dealt with the fastenings of her jeans and pushed impatiently at the material so he could find the damp heat between her legs. She was always so ready for him, every bit as wild with hunger as he was.
He slipped two fingers into her, his own body reacting as her muscles clenched around him.
He closed his eyes and savored the way her body bathed his fingers in welcoming hot dampness. He felt there was no way to express the depth of his feelings for her, no way to find words for the intensity of his love and admiration for her, for his hunger and need for her. He could worship her with his body yet never find the right way in all eternity to say that same thing.
Her body was so hot and tight and welcoming. A solace, a comfort, a dazzling place of heat and ecstasy created for him exclusively. His mouth found her breast once more through the silken fibers, felt her body respond with another rush of liquid heat. She made a soft sound, moved her hips against his hand, arched her body more fully into his. She was restless with hunger and need, maybe even more so than he.
Julian loved the way it made him feel, to know that she wanted him, needed him with the same savage intensity he felt for her. He allowed himself the freedom of trailing kisses down her throat, of tearing the silken blouse from her glistening body. "You are so beautiful," he murmured again, awed that she was such perfection. His hands traced her skin, the shape of her, from her shoulders to her waist. It was easy enough to dispense with her clothes, and he did so, wanting to see every inch of her just because he could, because she belonged with him.
When he touched her again, his hand was trembling. "What you do to me, cara, should never be done to a male."
"Really?" She asked it with a hint of laughter, but her voice was husky with love for him. She read his thoughts as easily as he read hers. She knew the way he felt about her, words or no words. "Do you think it is too much to ask for a bed?"
His laughter bathed her throat in warmth. "You want a bed? You do not ask for much, do you, cara mia!"
"I thought we could try to make it to the lower caves before we go crazy here." She linked her hands behind his neck.
Julian responded immediately, swinging her into his strong arms. He moved with the preternatural speed of their race, taking her through the network of passages, following the map in her mind. He sent his command ahead, preparing the chamber for their arrival, lit candles throwing dancing shadows on the shimmering walls, rose petals on the ground leading to the large bed in the center of the room.
Julian lowered her gently to the sheets, blanketing her body with his own. He didn't want to be separated from her, not even by an inch. They had little time before they would have to seek the shelter of the earth, and he intended to rise before the vampire could escape.
Desari caught his face between her hands and held him so she could look into his eyes. "The way you love me, Julian, so beautifully, so much, that is the way I love you. You are everything to me. If only we have the next few moments together, everything that came before was worth the time we have had."
He could drown in her eyes. They were deep, fathomless, a siren's lure. Bedroom eyes. He had heard the term but had no idea of its true meaning until that moment. "I do love you, Desari. You know it is so much more than mere physical desire."
"Of course I know. I am of ancient blood, my love. Even one such as you would have a difficult time hiding the truth from me." She raised her head to reach his perfect mouth with her own.
They melded together, a living flame, coming together as if time and space ceased to exist. Everything fell away until there was just Desari and Julian locked in their own world, where violence and unhappiness could not touch them, would never touch them.
His hands moved over the satin of her skin, seeking every inch of her. The feel of her beneath the rough palm of his hands was incredibly sexy, adding to the fire spreading through their bodies. He savored her softness. She was exquisite, every hollow, every swell. He loved the triangle of dark curls guarding her damp, steamy treasure. His hand slid lower, caressed, lingered, once more found the heat inside her.
Desari moaned softly, finding his back with her hands. She needed something strong and solid to hang on to while her body rippled and danced with pleasure. She nuzzled the warmth of his throat, tasted his skin, caught a bead of sweat running over his chest with the tip of her tongue. She heard his heart, the strong beat, the rhythm that matched her own, that belonged to her. His fingers were buried within her, strong and sure, bringing ripples of pleasure to her so that her breath was coming in small gasps and she writhed against his hand, seeking relief.
Julian moved then, his knee parting her thighs to give him access. For just a moment as he lifted himself above her, he stared down into her dark, beautiful eyes. It was impossible to believe, even now, with her lying, waiting, beneath him, her body crying out for his, that she truly belonged to him. He caught her hips firmly in his hands and thrust deeply, burying himself completely in her tight, hot sheath. He heard the breath slam from his lungs at the intensity of completeness, her body tight and hot around his. He began to move then, long, hard, sure strokes, his hips surging forward, over and over, each time trying to bury himself deeper. She was surrounding him with heat and fire, a velvet sheath that locked him to her, that allowed them to become one, as they were meant to be.
Desari was moving with him, matching him stroke for stroke, her body clenching his, releasing, gripping again, until he wanted, even needed, to cry out with ecstasy, but his lungs couldn't get enough air to do so. He bent his head toward the temptation of her breasts. His incisors exploded into his mouth. Without warning, he sank them deep, so that Desari felt the white-hot pain and pleasure mingle together and flow from her to Julian and back again.
It was impossible to tell who was feeling what. They were locked together, body and mind, heart and soul, even their blood flowing together. He felt her body tighten around him; she was gasping, her nails in his back. "Julian." She whispered his name, or maybe it was in his mind. He felt her mind-shattering explosion as her muscles spiraled around him in waves like an earthquake. It was far too much to expect self-control as Julian's own body tightened to the point of pain. And then he was exploding outward, upward, convulsing with sheer pleasure.
He could not maintain the intimacy of feeding while his lungs were raging for air and his body was burning itself up. Julian held her to him, his arms possessive as they curved around her slender body. Very gently he stroked his tongue across the pinpricks over her breast. She was clinging to him as if he were her anchor in the center of a storm. It made him feel amazingly powerful.
Desari reached up to trace his lips. "You have a perfect mouth, Julian. An amazingly perfect mouth." He arched an eyebrow at her. "Just my mouth is amazing?"
"You are such a man." Her eyes laughed at him. "You need constant reassurance that you are magnificent."
He nodded. "Magnificent. I like that. I could live with magnificent. Good choice of words, lifemate."
She circled his neck with her arms. "Arrogant male. Darius is right, you know. You are incredibly arrogant."
"But deservedly so," he pointed out. He bent his head once more to find her mouth with his.
She had the perfect mouth. And she tasted delicious. There was something about the way she clung to him that turned his heart over every time. Desari shared herself with him without inhibition, without reservation. She gave herself completely into his keeping when they were making love.
Carefully, he eased his body out of hers and rolled slightly so that his weight was off of her. Her long lashes fanned her high cheekbones, making her more exotic-looking than ever. She snuggled closer to him, enjoying their time alone together and the silly conversations they always seemed to have.
"You grow sleepy, cara mia"
Julian whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "We should go to your brother's chamber. I will check him once more before we go to ground."
Desari refused to open her eyes. She made a soft purring sound, completely contented to lie in his arms. "Not yet, Julian," she protested softly. "I do not want to leave this place for a little while longer."
"I can feel how tired you are, my love. I can do no other than - "
"Do not say it!" Desari thumped his chest. "Just lie there and hold me. That is what I want. Men are such difficult creatures, Julian. I am beginning to realize this."
He rubbed his chin on the top of her head, her hair catching in the shadow along his jaw. "Men are not difficult. They are logical and methodical."
She laughed softly. "You wish it were so. I must tell you, although I am taking a huge chance that you might become impossible to live with, that you are an extraordinary lover."
"Keep talking, lifemate. I am listening," he responded with a deep satisfaction. "Magnificent was only a starting place. Extraordinary lover is the perfect description. I see that now."
Her soft laughter washed over him, as gentle as a breeze. Touching him. Just like that. She could touch him with her breath. Julian wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his face in her ebony hair. "Why is it you always smell so good?"
"Would you want me to smell like a cavewoman?"
"I do not know, cara. I do not know what a cave-woman smells like."
She opened her eyes at that, her long lashes fluttering in the sexy, flirty little way she had. "You'd better not want me smelling like any other, Julian, or you will find out what a real ancient woman can do when she is enraged."
"You do not know what rage is, my love." He rubbed his face in her hair once more before lifting his head. "There is no rage in you - nothing that can be called upon to save your life should there be need."
Desari immediately sat up, coming to her knees to face him, her long hair spilling around her, framing her slender body. "Where did that come from? Why would you worry about such a thing at this moment?"
He is still out there. My sworn enemy, the one who resides in me. And whoever sent the human assassins after you is still out there, and you are still insisting on singing in front of crowds.
He tried to censor the thought before she could read it, before it actually was in his mind, but it was too late. She was a shadow within him, just as he remained locked to her mind.
Desari smiled, her eyes loving and warm. "There is no need for this constant fear you are developing. I have survived centuries and will survive many more. I plan on having a family of my own someday, with my handsome lifemate. No one is going to take my future from me. I may not have what it takes to fight those who threaten us, but I am highly intelligent and have many gifts of my own to ensure my safety. And I can take care of you, too, should there be need. We are partners: I will lean on your strengths often, as I hope you will lean on mine."
"I have more faith in you than you can know," Julian replied honestly. "I just never had anything to lose before." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and gave her a faint smile. "I used to watch some of the human men, the ones I knew really loved their women, go through the agonies of fearing something might happen to take away their happiness. I always wondered what was wrong with them that they couldn't just enjoy what they had right then. Now I am like they were."
"If we were in your homeland and far from my people, would our life be so different?"
"In some ways. Many ways," he admitted. "You will have to come there with me soon. It is so beautiful, and the soil there is amazing. Nothing can match it. Syndil would be astounded."
"And what of your brother?" She rubbed her hand along his jaw, coaxing the shadows from his eyes, pleased that his invitation obviously included her family. "Aidan and his lifemate. We must go to see them very soon. I want to meet this man who looks as you do."
Julian was silent for a moment. "I, too, want to see him. I owe him an explanation."
"Then we will go." Desari pretended there was no vampire waiting to destroy her family. "Tell me what the people are like in the Carpathian Mountains."
Julian thought about that for a moment. A slow smile softened the faintly harsh edge to his mouth. "You always come up with great questions, piccola.
To be honest, I never thought much about what they are like. Mostly they are hardworking people. They pull together in times of crisis. Mikhail and Gregori are very much like Darius. Leaders, hunters, protectors, healers. It will be an experience meeting your older brother, for you and Darius." His smile deepened, reaching his glittering eyes. "Raven is Mikhail's lifemate. She is very much her own person and quite a handful, from what I understand. You would probably become great friends."
"Try to sound like you might like that," Desari encouraged him, trying not to laugh at the pained expression on his face, "I think the only safe thing to do is lock you up somewhere far from the rest of the world and keep you to myself." For one moment he was half-serious, wondering if there was a possibility he could get away with it. "I might like that." Desari put her hands on his chest to push him back onto the bed. "We are never alone like this, and I think it is very necessary that couples have plenty of time for the things in life that they need. Like great conversation." Her hand moved through the golden hair on his chest to follow the path across his flat, hard stomach. "Do you hear me conversing with you?" she asked softly. Her nails were tracing patterns across his skin, moving dangerously low, tangling in golden hair, encountering the thick length of him.
The breath jolted out of him, and beneath her gently caressing nails he grew harder and thicker, and the need began to build. "I thought you were listening," she murmured. "See what can happen when we take a little time to be alone? You should not spend so much time chasing enemies."
Desari shifted position so she could straddle him, slowly lowering her body over his. Even as she felt his body enter hers, the exquisite slowness heightening the pleasure, Julian suddenly sat up, his arms dragging her against him. He was aggressively male, his hips moving with powerful, sure strokes as Desari clung to him, her breasts pressed into his chest and her head on his shoulder. Julian held her tightly to him as he thrust upward into her. There was no greater joy than to merge with her, physically and mentally. There was no greater joy than to simply be with her, share her body and heart and mind. Julian took his time, wanting their time to last forever, wanting to be one for as long as they could possibly stay that way. In the end, they were gasping for air, clinging to one another, sated and exhausted.
The sun was obviously making its way to the highest point in the sky and their bodies began reacting as they normally did, protesting the time of day with tremendous fatigue. Soon, neither of them would be able to move. Even though they were already deep within the earth, the daylight still had the unwanted effects on them.
Julian raised his head first, all too aware of his growing weakness. "
Cara, I am sorry, but we have little time, and I must see to your brother. I feel it necessary to sleep above him to ensure his protection."
Desari nodded wordlessly. She had never felt so tired before, her body like lead, yet her heart and soul were completely content. She wanted nothing more than to he with Julian in the soil to allow rejuvenation. Secretly she was very pleased that Julian would care to protect her brother. She loved that about him, his willingness to accept responsibility for her family even though he decried it at every turn.
It took a few minutes to gather enough strength to get up and clothe themselves before moving back through the lava tunnels to the healing chamber. At once, Julian was aware Syndil had been there; he could smell her particular clean scent. The chamber was filled with aromatic herbs and candles and the rich healing soil so important to their race.
Julian opened the earth for Desari right above Darius's resting place. It beckoned to them, promising them soothing peace and restoration. Gratefully, Julian accepted what the earth offered. He lay beside his lifemate, one arm circling her, her head resting on his shoulder. She kissed him once, very briefly but tenderly, and at once her heart ceased to beat and the air left her lungs. He lay there holding her to him, astonished that his life had changed so drastically, that he was part of something involving so many others, and that he didn't dislike it as intensely as he made out to all those around him.
Once more he set the safeguards, ensuring that no one would disturb Darius and that the chamber itself was safe from any who might come seeking them in their time of weakness. Once more he waved his hand, and the soil covered him, covered Desari, closing over them so that there was no trace of their existence on the surface. Several feet below them, Darius rested, protected. The last thing Julian did before he succumbed to the sleep of the immortal race was to program his body to awaken just before sunset. He had his mortal enemy to hunt, one who would be trapped by the sun for a few precious minutes, giving Julian time to locate him.