Dark 12 - DARK MELODY

by Christine Feehan

  Lisa nodded, flinging her arms around Corinne again. "I owe him everything for saving little Jennifer and you."

  "Lisa!" Cullen's voice was still slightly hoarse but he sounded strong enough. "What are you doing out there?"

  Dayan knew perfectly well that Cullen could hear every word with his enhanced hearing. Dayan walked down the hall, reached past the two women to push open the door. "Hey, lazy boy, these two cannot make up their minds whether to cry or laugh or just stand there hugging each other. I need another male around for balance."

  "We aren't that bad," Corinne denied, slipping her arm around Dayan's narrow waist as Lisa rushed forward to Cullen's side.

  Cullen was sitting in a chair, a little pale, but looking stronger than Corinne had expected. There was something different about him. It took only moments, but when she glanced at Dayan he nodded imperceptibly. 'Power recognizes power. He cannot do what we can do, but he walks partially in our world. He shares a mind merge with Barack.'

  Corinne had known about it, Dayan had discussed it with her, but it was strange to her that she could see the difference in Cullen the moment she walked into the room. She touched his hand with gentle fingers. "I'm so sorry you were injured, Cullen, and that my heart was acting up at the same time. Poor Lisa and Dayan had to take the brunt of worrying about us. How are you feeling?"

  "Like I could go dancing if anybody would give me the opportunity."

  "You shouldn't rush yourself, Cullen," Lisa said anxiously. "What's the big hurry?" She laced her fingers through Cullen's with one hand while pushing at his hair with the other.

  "A man can't very well ask a woman to marry him when he's dressed in a bathrobe and hasn't a proper ring. It isn't done," Cullen said.

  Lisa looked at Corinne anxiously, as if she didn't dare understand him. "I don't think a woman would care one way or the other," Lisa said carefully. "Were you planning to ask someone to marry you?"

  "I wanted to ask someone," Cullen admitted, "but she's beautiful and famous and far too good for me. I could pull it off dressed up in formal attire with a candlelight dinner and a ring, but bathrobes do something to take away a man's courage."

  Lisa stood there looking so helpless, Corinne wanted to gather her into her arms. Evidently, Cullen felt the same way. He pulled Lisa down onto his lap, his arms circling her body. "Lisa Wentworth, would you consider marrying me? Before you answer me, I want you to be aware I have enemies. We will spend time on the road, traveling with the band, and when we're not, we will be hidden away in places like this. I can promise you I'll work my best to get out of danger so we can live somewhere comfortably, but in the meantime, we will have to travel around in safety with the band."

  Lisa swept back her hair. "I want to be with you, Cullen. I'll have to find a way to get out of my contract, but I'll do it. I'll find a way."

  "Barack and Syndil will help you with that," Dayan said. "Let them go with you to take care of it. Barack is a superb businessman, and since Cullen cannot go with you, one of us should protect you and your interests."

  "That's a wonderful idea," Corinne said.

  Lisa found herself nodding, blinking rapidly. Sometimes she felt as if she were falling forward into Dayan's eyes when he stared directly at her. It was the craziest thing. And she always seemed to agree to things she wouldn't ordinarily agree with. She looked at Cullen a little helplessly. "What do you think?"

  "I think if I can't go, Barack should go with you. He knows a lot about contracts, and if anyone can find a loophole, he'll be able to. If you go, Lisa, you have to stay right with Barack and Syndil and do everything they tell you."

  'Why does Barack have to go with Lisa? We should go, Dayan. She's uncomfortable with this.' Corinne objected.

  'She cannot rely solely on you, honey. Barack and Syndil will protect her from any members of the society who should be lurking around, and of course, either of them can easily persuade those holding her contract to let her out of it. Let her depend on Cullen and the others.'

  "Syndil thinks I'll have to hole up here for a few more days, but Lisa and I will join you before the first concert date," Cullen promised. "I'd like to get married as soon as possible." He looked up at Corinne. "Will you be terribly upset if we get married quickly? It would be dangerous to plan a large wedding with Lisa having such a famous name. It would draw the society members out for certain. I think we should do it in secret and then we can have a celebration with the band members. What do you think, Lisa?"

  "I always thought I'd want a huge wedding with the long train and roses everywhere, but I really just want you. It would be nice if Dayan and Corinne could be there as witnesses."

  "You name the time and place, Cullen," Dayan promised at once. "We'll be there." He was glad he'd said that when he felt Corinne's happiness blossoming inside him. She loved Lisa and wanted to see her married.

  He slipped his arm around Lisa's shoulders, pulled her close to him. "Is Barack taking good care of you?" There was a slow draw to his soft voice.

  Cullen laughed. "He's getting used to Syndil adoring me. She has from the moment she laid eyes on me. He just can't seem to admit it yet."

  To Corinne's surprise, Lisa laughed with him. "Cullen is so mean to Barack. He's always winking at Syndil and blowing her kisses. He says outrageous things to her. Barack gets this look on his face – it's priceless, Corinne."

  "I haven't met Syndil and Barack yet," Corinne admitted. "But Desari and her husband, Julian, are very nice."

  Lisa nodded. "They've visited every evening. I can't believe I've met the entire band. Even the bodyguard Darius and his wife, Tempest. She's really nice, but Darius is intimidating."

  Corinne was shocked that she caught the echo of Lisa's thoughts. Like Dayan. Lisa found both Dayan and Darius intimidating. She thought Barack was funny, and Syndil was a sweetheart. Corinne stretched out her hand to Lisa. "I want to tell you all about baby Jennifer. Come on, let's go talk while Dayan makes certain Cullen really is as well as he keeps saying he is."

  "How much did she weigh?" Lisa asked.

  "She's very small, only four pounds, but she is gaining weight. She should be out of the incubator soon. She has lots of hair, and little dimples by the comers of her mouth."

  "Lake you do," Lisa said.

  Corinne laughed and hugged her. "I'm so happy, Lisa. Truly, truly happy."

  * * *

  Chapter 19

  Corinne woke tangled in sheets, her heart pounding erratically and a cry of alarm in her throat. There were tears on her face, and both hands reached protectively for the small mound that was gone from her stomach.

  'What is it?' Dayan dragged her close to him, his arms closing around her, a safe shelter in the storm of her nightmares. 'Tell me, honey.' He was scanning their surroundings, merging more deeply so he could see into Corinne's haunted dreams.

  "I couldn't breathe, Dayan – for a moment I couldn't breathe!" Her heart was settling into the calmer, more steady rhythm of his. She lay in his arms, grateful for the strength of his body. She listened to the reassuring sound of her heart and the softer, almost imperceptible sound of her daughter's breathing. "For a moment, none of it was real – not you or the baby or my new heart. You were gone and I was left alone."

  Dayan pressed his mouth to her temple. "You were resting in the way of humans, Corinne. You wanted to lie down on the bed here in our new home."

  Corinne found herself smiling in spite of the echoes of her terrible dream. "Do people consider tour buses home?"

  Dayan turned so he could look down on her face, his fingertips tracing the delicate bone structure. "We live mainly on the road, so these buses become home very quickly. I noticed you were very nervous around the cats."

  His thumb was stroking tiny caresses at the corner of her bottom lip, sending little shivers running down her back to the base of her spine. He always made her so aware of the differences in their bodies. How hard his muscles were, his bones thick and strong; her body seemed soft and very feminine
in contrast although her muscles were quite firm. She reveled in her new strength. Still, he made her always remember he was a man and she was a woman.

  'My woman.' He reminded her he was always a shadow in her mind.

  "Cats? Is that what you call those things? They aren't cats, Dayan, they're wild animals. Real wild animals. Leopards eat babies. Little Jennifer would be a tasty treat for them," she pointed out.

  "Tasty treat? I like that." His hand spanned her throat as he bent to take possession of her mouth. A slow swirl of fire. When he lifted his head, his glittering eyes black with hunger, his hand drifted lower to find her abundant breasts. "Everyone needs tasty treats now and them." He bent his dark head so that his long hair slid over her skin like strands of silk, teasing every nerve ending into raw need. His breath was warm, and her body tightened in anticipation.

  Corinne found herself smiling, relaxing inside where she was still hearing the echoes of her nightmare. Jennifer was out of the incubator and sleeping peacefully in the small built-in crib Dayan had designed for their new motor home. The tour was beginning in another week and they needed to get moving. Jennifer was so tiny, both Dayan and Corinne were almost afraid to hold her, so it was reassuring to have the other band members nearby to help out. Gary Jansen had elected to travel with them until Jennifer no longer needed his protection or Cullen and Lisa returned to travel with them.

  "What time is it?" Corinne asked, suddenly worried.

  Dayan moved closer to a beckoning peak, his mouth skimming creamy flesh so that her thoughts immediately scattered in all directions. Her hands bunched fistfuls of his charcoal hair into her palms, and she pulled his head down to her eager body. "Stop teasing me. We don't have all night."

  His tongue stroked a caress. "I like taking my time. Every inch of you deserves attention."

  "Absolutely," she agreed, "and we're in a bit of a hurry here, so if you're planning on giving me the attention I need, get on with it and stop making me crazy!" He was driving her crazy and he knew it. Her body in such close proximity to his was hot and aching with need.

  His soft taunting laughter was in her mind when he finally gave in to her demands and took her breast into the hot, moist cavern of his mouth. Her body answered with a rush of damp heat calling to him. Dayan took his time, a long, lazy, very leisurely exploration of her body, caressing every hollow and curve, every secret shadowed place. His hands and tongue brought a thick molten heat to her bloodstream and a building urgency Corinne couldn't ignore. She was on fire, inside and out. Deep within her raged a conflagration, a firestorm burning so hot she thought she might explode. His touch was turning her inside out so that she could barely catch her breath.

  Wickedly she found his body with her hands. Feeling her way through his mind, she discovered every secret thing that drove him crazy. Her mouth found his throat, nibbled and scraped at his pulse. She heard the echo of his heart slamming. Her hands caressed his firm buttocks, delved into the muscles, traced the etched lines there while she spread tiny kisses across the heavy muscles of his chest. He was thick and hard now, his skin hot as she moved along the line of his flat belly. His breath was ragged and his mind was a red haze of hunger.

  Her tongue swirled a path along his hipbone, while her hands found the columns of his thighs. His muscles were hard and rigid with anticipation. Corinne let her breath wash over the velvet head of his heavy erection, while she cupped him in her hands, while her fingers danced and teased. She kept it up until he groaned and caught her head in his hands, dragged her to him. Her mouth was tight and hot, her tongue a dancing fire. His hips moved urgently, a hard rhythm he seemed helpless to stop.

  Dayan muttered something, a thick, husky sound of sheer pleasure, and he suddenly used his enormous strength to take back the lead. He pushed her down on the tangled sheets, his hands catching her curvy hips while he knelt above her. He simply yanked her to him, his shaft thick and hard, demanding entrance. She was slick with welcoming liquid, her tight sheath enfolding him in a fiery welcome. He surged into her, hard and fast, his body a little wild, a little out of control. He watched them coming together, a tango meant only for the two of them, while in his head the musical notes swelled into a crescendo of heat and light and pure erotic pleasure.

  Corinne watched his face as she moved with him. Loving him. Loving what he did to her. What she did to him. All the time the fire built and now she could hear his music, the wild, unrestrained notes dancing with flames inside him. His soul. Or hers.

  Ours! The word slipped into her mind and they fragmented together, crashing into the stormy seas and shooting upward to the glittering stars. They clung to one another while the earth rocked and the wildness in them subsided.

  Dayan's dark gaze never left her face. He bent to kiss her, to taste her again, wanting more but knowing they were out of time. "Our soul, Corinne. The music comes from both of us. Without you, I would never find it in me." He kissed her again. "Why are you just lying there? Aren't you the matron of honor in this wedding? I know I'm the best man. We were supposed to be there five minutes ago. Lisa will be panicking."

  "I forgot! Darn you, Dayan, you always do that. Wipe that satisfied smirk off your face." She loved that look on his face. She sat up and caught his face in her hands because she had to kiss him, she was so happy.

  "I was just showing you this is reality, not a dream. You should be grateful," he teased.

  A loud thump on the door of the trailer had them breaking guiltily apart. Corinne burst out laughing, she couldn't help it. She found herself fully dressed while Dayan was sitting completely naked on the edge of the bed.

  "Get over it, you two," Darius ordered from outside their motor home. "Everyone is waiting. You are holding up the show here."

  "Thanks for the clothes," Corinne whispered to Dayan with a straight face. "That was very thoughtful of you."

  He glared at her. "Darius has excellent hearing," he pointed out.

  She shrugged, still secretly laughing at him. "Then let's hope he's very discreet." She glanced at her clingy gown in the mirror. She looked sexy, feminine, elegant. Different. She was different. She was whole. Corinne smiled at her reflection as Dayan, fully clothed and looking extraordinarily handsome in a suit, came up behind her to encircle her waist with his arms. He bent his head to kiss her temple, and she could see his love for her shining in his eyes.

  "I'll get Jennifer," she said softly, basking in his warmth. Her world was more perfect than she had ever imagined. "We can talk about those leopards the lot of you keep for pets on the way to the chapel. Lisa thinks you're all crazy too, although the little traitor petted one this morning with Syndil."

  Dayan watched her pick up Jennifer. He stared at them for a long moment – his beautiful wife so filled with laughter and warmth – his tiny daughter, such a miracle to all of his people. The melody of his life had been dark for so long, such an endless eternity, yet it was gone in an instant, to be replaced for all time by the melody of love.