Dark Challenge (Dark Series - book 5)

by Christine Feehan

  Darius suddenly moved, his speed incredible even within their race, his body forcing his sister’s into the shelter of the porch, down low. “Merge with Savage now, as you did before,” he commanded, a hiss of sound in the stillness of the night.

  Desari obeyed because she always obeyed Darius, merging her mind completely with Julian’s. She expected anger, at the least smoldering resentment at Darius’s high-handedness. Instead, she found him on the alert, moving to position himself alongside Darius to protect her. She submerged herself within Julian’s mind so that any outside source probing and seeking a feminine touch would get nothing.

  She felt the darkness sweeping over the land, the perverted aberration they called the undead. The vile touch of the vampire sickened her as it moved ever closer, searching, always searching. She smelled the stench of evil, the twisted, damned soul of one who always killed his quarry, drained his victim’s lifeblood, often after torturing and tormenting the doomed creature.

  Sheltered between the two powerful males, Desari was unafraid, but the vileness of the vampire was making her body react, her stomach rolling and heaving. Julian enveloped her mind completely as he had done before, shielding her from the undead as it raced across the sky. Dawn was on the heels of the vampire, and it could not face even the first rays of the sun. It needed to find sanctuary immediately. It passed overhead and was gone, leaving a dark stain in the sky like an oily patch of evil.

  “They seek our women,” Darius hissed grimly. “Always they track us down. I know it is the women they sense.” He sent an urgent inquiry traveling on the wind.

  Is Syndil protected? The undead have once again found us.

  Julian reluctantly allowed Desari to surface from the total submersion, his arm circling her shoulders protectively. His heart was pounding in alarm. Had the darkness in him brought this vile creature straight to his lifemate? He had to destroy the demon.

  The reply to Darius’s inquiry came back on the mental path used by the family unit so that both Darius and Desari heard the news.

  We felt his approach and took precaution. Syndil is deep in the earth where he cannot find her should he try another probe. It is near; he must go to ground soon.

  The voice was Barack’s.

  Do not fear, Darius, no one will take Syndil from us, and no one will attempt to harm her and live.

  “There will be others,” Darius informed Julian, once satisfied that all was well at home. “They have taken to traveling together in numbers, perhaps thinking those of us who hunt them will be more easily defeated.” There was a natural self-confidence in Darius’s voice that said plainly it didn’t matter to him how many vampires tried to defeat him; it would be an impossibility.

  “My brother has resided in San Francisco for many years, hunting the undead in the western United States,” Julian volunteered. “He, too, noticed a trend of late in northern California and up into Oregon and Washington of usually solitary vampires suddenly congregating. It seemed insanity to me that they would not simply avoid his area altogether.”

  Julian stepped off the porch, taking Desari with him, his fingers shackling her wrist. “What is the news of the rest of your family? The vampire did not detect the other woman, did he?” He knew Darius had contacted his family; he would have done the same.

  Darius’s dark eyes flicked over him. Julian was astonished at how much the man reminded him of Gregori, the healer of the Carpathian people. Although Gregori’s eyes glittered silver with menace, Darius’s black eyes could portray an equal threat easily. “Our family is safe,” Darius replied softly, thoughtfully. “I will hunt this one now and go to ground when it is done.”

  “Do not risk yourself. Remember you are needed,” Desari said in a low voice, betraying her fear.

  “I am needed to hunt down these killers,” Darius reminded her with great gentleness. “They follow us wherever we go. The reason vampires congregate in this part of the country, Savage, is because Desari prefers to perform in this region. Her favorite place to play is a small resort north of here called Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa. It is much to her liking. The people are friendly, the audiences receptive, the countryside is beautiful, and the place is small and intimate enough to suit her.”

  Julian circled her waist with one arm and brought her up against the heat of his body, needing to feel her for just a moment. “I should have known you were the troublemaker, Desari,” he whispered against the bare skin of her neck, wanting to comfort her with his teasing.

  “Do not do this, either of you.” Desari’s soft eyes were liquid with sorrow. “You are trying to distract me, both of you. You will hunt this vampire despite my wishes.”

  “I will hunt,” Darius corrected firmly. “Savage will stay here to protect you.”

  “No. Desari is safe here for now. I will go with you,” Julian stated in a soft voice, aware of his lifemate’s silent terror, that her brother would choose to be mortally wounded, and achieve an honorable death, fighting a vampire.

  Be easy,

  cara,

  I will ensure that your brother returns to you unharmed. No vampire could possibly defeat the two of us. Go to ground, and we will return to you after we destroy the undead.

  He did not want not to leave the hunting of this vampire to her brother for reasons of his own, as well.

  Her fingers clutched at his arm. There were tears in her mind.

  You will probably end up killing one another without me to referee. I have given you my word on this,

  piccola.

  You must trust me.

  The deep timbre of Julian’s voice in her mind was reassuring, sending waves of warmth and comfort throughout her.

  “There is no need for both of us to go,” Darius challenged softly.

  Julian’s white teeth flashed in answer, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “I agree with you, Darius. As Desari relies so heavily on your protection, it would indeed be best that you stay with her.” He leaned over and brushed his mouth over the corner of Desari’s lips. Cara,

  do not fret.

  Already his solid form was shimmering, evaporating, so that it was a prism of crystal fog rising toward the graying sky.

  Darius swore under his breath, clearly outmaneuvered. He was beginning to feel a grudging respect for the stranger with the golden eyes. It had not been quite as easy as he had suggested to unravel Savage’s trail, and he had been fairly certain the man knew he was following. Darius found him interesting. He didn’t altogether trust him; he was a renegade, and there was something not quite right about him. Something buried deep. Darius intended to keep an eye on him.

  “Go to ground, Desari. Do not argue with me, as I am giving you an order, not asking. I want to know your exact location so that I may sleep above you in the earth this day.” His hand touched her face in a display of love and affection that he wanted to feel, that he should have been able to feel, yet could not. Nevertheless, he always granted her the gestures because he knew she needed them, knew she wanted him to feel those emotions that were no longer his to feel.

  Without waiting for a reply, knowing the dawn’s first light would render it impossible for the vampire to hunt Desari, Darius leapt skyward, dissolving into a fine mist that streaked after the stream of iridescent fog. Desari stared after the two male Carpathians, squinting slightly as the twilight before dawn began to replace the darkness. She didn’t want to feel fear for either of them—they were both strong and powerful—yet she couldn’t help but worry. On more than one occasion, she had seen Darius return torn and bloody from a vicious battle with a vampire. And they were braving the dawn as well, which would weaken them enormously, albeit not as drastically as it would one who had turned.

  Darius had always tried to keep the women away from that aspect of their existence, but she was of his blood. The same power and intelligence ran as deeply in her, and she knew of Darius’s terrible struggle. She knew he was slipping away from her. She feared for his soul, feared for her race and that o
f the mortal beings. She truly believed in her heart that should Darius turn, there was no hunter alive who could defeat him. All would be lost, including Darius and all he had done, everything he had sacrificed for them throughout the centuries.

  She went into the small cabin and wandered around, touching the things in the room. Works of art—unusual, old, and unique. Julian liked beautiful things. She picked up his silk shirt, brought it to her face, and inhaled his masculine scent.

  Julian. I am with you,

  cara.

  Do not fret.

  It was amazing to her that the communication between them was so strong. Just a thought of him, the worry for him in her mind, and he was aware instantly.

  I shall return to you soon. Go to ground now. I will go to ground,

  she assured him,

  but I will not sleep until I know the two of you are safe. You will not monitor me while I destroy the undead. It would be upsetting

  —

  maybe even dangerous—for you. Please do as I say, Desari.

  He used the word

  please

  as if he were asking her, but there was a subtle undertone of command.

  Desari had never considered that. When Darius hunted, Syndil and she had always been secured in a safe place, contact with him restricted. They had never thought to defy Darius; in such matters, his word was law. Now all was changed. Somehow, some way, she was locked to Julian. The thought of him in danger was so terrible, she could barely breathe. How could she do as he asked and not touch him? Not reach through the gray-streaked dawn and see for herself he was untouched by the vampire’s vile perversion?

  After all, Darius was the ultimate warrior, a stone-cold killing machine when the situation demanded it. Julian was a man with emotion, which could confer both weakness and strength.

  Desari left the cabin. It was rare for her family to use a building to rest in; most of the time they sought deep earth. They had learned in early childhood it was the only real haven in a dangerous land. All of them felt uncomfortable, far more vulnerable than usual, if they slept above ground. In the hours of high sun, their great strength was totally drained. And if their bodies somehow came to be exposed to that intense light, they would burn. Early morning and late evening they could tolerate, although not always comfortably. Even dim sunlight affected their hypersensitive eyes, the burning pain driving through their heads like shards of glass.

  Desari found an unobtrusive knoll covered in waves of green grass. She liked it immediately, feeling a sense of peace. With a wave of her hand she opened the earth and floated deep within its bed. Immediately she sent the coordinates to both her brother and Julian.

  Close the earth and sleep.

  She recognized Julian’s soft-spoken commands. He was like Darius in that he didn’t need to raise his voice to convey either menace or authority.

  Not until you return. I do not want to have to force your obedience. As if that could happen. You seem to forget I am no fledgling but your equal. Do not waste your energy attempting the impossible. Destroy this vampire if you must, then return to me quickly. We will discuss your conceit on the next rising.

  There came the soft echo of his laughter. Desari relaxed, certain Julian understood she would take no nonsense from him. When he struck, she was completely unprepared, the compulsion strong and total, the need to obey him paramount. Before she could prevent herself from doing so, she relinquished control to him. Immediately Julian sent her to sleep, the deep sleep of their people, stopping her heart and lungs, covering her with the healing, soothing soil for protection and rejuvenation.

  After his command to Desari, Julian turned his attention toward his goal. He would have to face Desari’s wrath on the next rising, but for now she was beyond the reach of any vampire. She was safe. No vampire could touch her using Julian as a route.

  Feeling the dark presence of the undead nearby, Julian settled to earth, his vaporous form shimmering into solid bone and muscle. Darius materialized a heartbeat after him.

  “You should have raised her to obey those who protect her,” Julian drawled in censure.

  Darius’s black eyes, as cold as any grave, flicked over him once. “I have never had need to force Dara’s obedience.”

  They moved together, a slow, cautions hunt along the cliffside, all senses alert. The vampire would guard his resting place aggressively. “That is why she came away with me then? Because you approved?” Julian was running his hand lightly along the rock’s surface.

  Darius caught at him and jerked him back just as a boulder from above their heads dislodged itself and smashed into the very place Julian had been standing. “I knew she was in no danger. If you had wanted to harm her, you would have done so at the concert when the assassins struck,” Darius replied complacently. He was examining a section of sheer rock wall as he spoke, his attention caught by the layers of compressed agate and granite.

  “Ah, yes, the famous concert where you were guarding her.”

  “Do not try my patience too far, Savage. You are responsible for what happened at that concert. Had I not been distracted by the power you exuded, the assassins would not have made it inside. You opened the door for them.” Darius stepped back and surveyed the cliffside. “This rock pattern looks strange, does it not?”

  Julian studied the multilayered face of the cliff. “His safeguards perhaps. They are unfamiliar to me. Have you seen patterns like these before? I thought I had learned most of the ancient works.”

  Darius glanced at him. “You are fortunate that you had the advantage of being taught such things. Most of what I learned came from singeing my fingers when I made a wrong move. This is a relatively new theme, developed in the New World sometime in the last century. I believe it started in South America, where a group of vampires had quite a stronghold. They copied the pattern from native art. This seems to be some derivation of that.” He paused. “In South America I saw evidence of others as well, perhaps like you. But I could not be certain they were not the undead; and with the women, I did not want to chance it, so I moved my family quickly from that place.”

  Julian glanced at him, then examined the rock face carefully, filing away for future reference the possibility that other Carpathians might exist in South America. He would relay the information to Gregori. The Prince would want to know, and what Gregori knew, Prince Mikhail knew. “Interesting. The pattern doesn’t work on the reverse theory. It weaves back and forth.”

  “Exactly. When you unravel it, you not only have to reverse the pattern but also move up and down and back and forth. It is intricate, very complex to unravel. I am unsure if we have enough time to do it. The sun is climbing. Already I am feeling the effects,” Darius admitted.

  Julian studied his companion, his golden eyes seeing more than Darius might like. Most Carpathians could stand the early morning rays. Two things, however, made them hypersensitive. Feeding on blood from a kill, and moving closer to the time of turning. Darius had to be close. Very close. It was in the emotionless pits of his eyes, the total disregard for his own life. Darius didn’t only fight with complete confidence in his abilities; he fought like a male uncaring of the outcome.

  “Go back to my sister, Savage. Guard her well. I will do what I can here, as I am more familiar with this safeguard than you. If something should happen to me, perhaps you will take my place and provide leadership for the others of my family,” Darius said casually, although the latter suggestion must have galled him at least a little. Still, his sense of duty made him want someone of power, even Julian, to protect his family should he seek his honorable death.

  Julian shook his head. “I am strictly a loner. I do not have leadership qualities.” He would not make it easy for Darius to leave his sister and break her heart.

  “Desari feared that if something was to happen to you, it would also happen to her. Is that true?” Darius asked the question almost absently, as if he were not really paying attention.

  Julian nodded. “It is
so. I have bound her to me. If I were to die, she could very well choose the dawn rather than live on without me. You would have to send her to ground for a long while to safeguard her.”

  “It is far too risky. I am unwilling to chance Desari’s life or the state of her mind. You are quite capable of leading should you choose. Perhaps you do not wish it, but if there is need, I am certain you would do no other than to step forward,” Darius replied.

  Julian had the feeling Darius was testing him again in some way. It didn’t matter. Julian had lived long with the darkness crouching in him. He had cut himself off from his people, his own twin, even his Prince. He was used to being an outcast, used to being alone and distrusted. “Oh, no, Darius, you will not do this thing. Desari has feared that you intend to permit yourself to be mortally injured. This I cannot allow.

  Desari is not ready to leave her family, nor would the others accept me. We will both return to your sister now and take care of the vampire at sundown.”

  Darius went perfectly still. All at once he seemed every inch the predator he truly was. “I offered leadership over the family, Savage, not over me. I go my own way.”

  “As do I. I meant no disrespect to you; indeed, Darius, I wish to learn of your history. I believe you are the brother of Gregori, our healer. He is a great man, not unlike yourself.” Julian grinned suddenly. “Gregori and I do not always get along either.”

  Darius blinked, the only evidence of movement. “I cannot imagine why,” he muttered ruefully. “I grow on you,” Julian assured.

  “I do not think you should count too greatly on it,” Darius replied.

  “The sun is rising, my friend. Let us go.”

  “It will not be so easy living within my rule,” Darius cautioned softly.

  Julian’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? As I answer only to my Prince, I think I shall find it an interesting experience.”

  Darius began to dissolve into a fine mist. It was easier to travel without a body in the light of the sun. Even so, the brain insisted that the eyes were swelling, turning red, streaming in the terrible light.