Coordinating what they need to do.
Riley cringed a little at her ridiculous reaction to his matter-of-fact tone. Speaking mind to mind seemed so intimate to her, a secret shared with a lover. Could she be jealous? How utterly beneath her. And in the middle of an incredibly dangerous situation. She was acting like an idiot. She wasn't even the jealous kind.
She frowned as she walked, counting her steps to clear her mind. There was no buzzing in her mind to indicate the vampire was influencing her as it had the porter who killed her mother. She continued counting each step, finding a rhythm, wishing she could stop and put her hands in the earth. She felt exhausted, and the soil would rejuvenate her.
Riley? Why do you keep cutting yourself off from me? Your heart is still beating too fast.
She shook her head, not wanting Dax in it. She needed to work this out on her own. Her frown deepened. Dax, Jubal and Gary had all agreed that vampires preyed on weaknesses. She was definitely insecure, feeling as if she somehow wasn't worthy of Dax. To her, he was noble and courageous. He'd sacrificed his life for his people. He'd endured all kinds of suffering and wounds in battle, been completely alone while she'd had a wonderful, happy childhood with every advantage.
At once her mind was flooded with warmth. You have great courage, Riley. There is no other for me, nor will there be.
She got that. She really did. She'd committed to him. She hadn't gone to sleep insecure, but she'd awakened that way. Her mind turned that over and over. What had been different from the time Dax had carried her back to the others and helped her set up her hammock for the night and when she'd awakened? Something had happened to make her doubt herself, or worse-doubt Dax. What was it? She must have fallen into a trap Mitro had set.
She looked around her at her traveling companions. None of them seemed affected.
Gary turned around abruptly to face her, stopping so fast she ran into him. He caught her shoulders in a steadying grip. "You're burning up."
A lump had formed in her throat and when she tried to swallow, she had difficulty. You're talking to Gary again.
You're shutting me out.
No remorse. She would have to store that away for future reference. Apparently not, because you're back in my head again.
Everyone had stopped at some command from Jubal. Dax set the professor down gently on the makeshift travois the guides had made. Riley watched him stride toward her. Her heart leapt toward him. He was impressive any way one looked at it. Sometimes, when she saw him, like now, so confident and purposeful, he intimidated her just a little, yet at the same time, he made her feel safe.
He seemed to get taller as he approached her. His grip on her upper arms was as gentle as ever, yet she knew if she tried to free herself it would be impossible.
"Look at me, sivamet. Into my eyes."
She was aware that the scales running beneath his skin were very close, which meant he was more upset than his demeanor indicated.
Lightning forked across the sky. The wind howled, sweeping through the trees with deadly intent. The branches swayed, rubbing one another to make a clacking sound that seemed to reverberate through the jungle. Long vines dropped down from the overhead canopy, looking like hangman's nooses in the dark.
Dax transferred one hand to her chin, tipping her head this way and that, studying her eyes. "You're ill," he said.
"The spider bite. That's the only thing I can think of. Mitro must have had insects waiting to attack me. Can he program them to do that?" Even to her own ears, her voice sounded far away. "I should have known something was wrong when I was acting so out of character."
"Out of character?" he repeated, catching her when she would have collapsed.
"You know, doubting that I was good enough to be your lifemate. I'm sure I have a high opinion of myself." She reached up to stroke his jaw. "You really are beautiful, Dax."
He hissed something between his strong white teeth she couldn't catch. She seemed to be floating through the air, while several of her travel companions looked on with trepidation on their faces.
She waved at them. "No worries. He has a pink cape," she assured.
Overhead, the flutter of wings distracted Dax for one moment as he found the spot he was looking for. Crouching low, he looked up as a great horned owl, known as the night tiger, settled on the branches above them. Somewhere in the distance, an eerie scream sent a shiver of goose bumps chasing down the travelers' spines. They all moved closer together.
"This is my fault, Riley," Dax said. "This evening I was so eager to be with you that I dismissed the bite as a typical hazard of the rain forest. I took the swelling and itch away, without delving deeper."
Riley looked up at him, her hand stroking his face. "I'm right, aren't I? Mitro attacked me, didn't he? I should have known right away. I hate it when I'm slow on the uptake."
He passed his hand over her face, taking the sheen of sweat from her skin. "I think, in this instance, you were quick figuring it out. You aren't used to dealing with the undead." He laid one hand over her heart and the other over the small wound on her hand. "Mitro is clever, and his traps can be subtle."
Jubal. Gary. Keep an eye on that owl. Be ready to kill it if necessary. Dax sent the order to the two men he felt had a chance of keeping Mitro's next weapon at bay. He still found it a little disconcerting to rely on humans, but neither man flinched when it came to combat with the vampire's puppets.
Dax took a deep breath and sent himself outside his body, becoming spirit, a white light of energy, slipping into Riley's body to track the sliver of poison the spider had injected. Mitro had kept it very subtle so the threat would have time to take hold and spread before anyone noticed. It was very Mitro-like. Most vampires were anything but subtle. Mitro was in a category all his own.
Dax hadn't known he was lonely until Riley had come into his life. He loved the conversations she had with herself, her smile and the way she would suddenly blurt out that he was beautiful. He also loved that she was intelligent and quick to comprehend the unknown. She didn't waste time denying what was happening, she took it all in stride, and he admired her for that. Now, moving through her body, she remained quite still, observing what he was doing, but not protesting.