Dark Challenge Page 0,16

and knew every detail; I felt him lock on to me. Wounded, he rose and came to save me."

"Darius heard you while he slept?" Desari, like the others, had assumed Darius had risen while they hunted. By the time she and Dayan and Barack had returned, Darius had already destroyed Savon and was healing Syndil's terrible wounds even though he himself was weak from loss of blood.

Syndil nodded solemnly. "He came when I believed there was no hope for me." She bowed her head, her voice soft, filled with tears. "I feel so ashamed that I cannot control my sorrow and ease his pain. He feels guilty. He feels he failed me."

Desari lay her head protectively over her brother's chest. She knew Syndil was only half-correct. Darius believed he had failed Syndil, but he did not feel guilty. He did not feel at all. He hid his lack of emotion from all of them, but Desari was so close to him, she was well aware of it and had been for some time. It was only his intense loyalty and sense of duty that kept Darius fighting for them. It was not feeling.

She knew Darius feared for their safety should he ever turn as Savon had. She was certain, as was he, that neither Barack nor Dayan could defeat him in battle. She doubted even their combined strengths could do so. She believed Darius was invincible. He could not turn. To her, it was that simple. Whatever darkness in him that was growing, spreading, whatever the lack of feeling in him, he would never allow it to turn him. His will was far too strong. Darius had shown that from the very first. Nothing could sway him from his chosen path.

Unless, perhaps, he simply allowed himself to be honorably killed. That was Desari's prime concern, her deepest fear. She was frightened for all of them. Carpathian men had natures completely different from the women. They were dangerous, powerful predators, even when protective of women and mortals, they were dominating, arrogant, and thus truly perilous if they turned. It wasn't in Syndil's feminine nature to chafe under the males' constraints or to rebel against them. Desari alone did what she wanted and damned the consequences, which only served to make the men more dominating and protective. Yes, they would all be in grave danger if Darius were to die or turn vampire.

"You will have to drive the bus, Syndil," Desari instructed. "I will guard the rear to ensure we are not followed."

Syndil wished she could navigate the big vehicle and also cast an illusion over it to hide from the mortals, but it was impossible for her. She would have to leave it to Desari, even in her weakened state, to fashion as many blockades as possible to any that might follow them. They were evidently in danger from some murderous group of mortals.

"Go, Syndil," Desari said, making her way to the back of the bus.

Who was it that had saved her life, she wondered. Why had he done so? Darius said he could detect no evil, no tainted blood in her, and he should know. He had hunted and killed the undead often enough down through the centuries. He knew better than any of them the stench of tainted blood. He said it burned skin, raised blisters, and ate through flesh if left in contact too long. Darius had learned that bit of important information as he had everything else: the hard way.

Desari knelt on the bed at the back of the bus and stared out at the scene of dwindling chaos. Ambulances and police cars were pulling away, the crowd was beginning to disperse. She hadn't thought to ask Darius if any of their attackers had escaped. Knowing Darius, she doubted it, but he might have been so concerned with her, Barack, and Dayan that he had allowed some of those guilty to escape his particular brand of justice.

Syndil drove the bus with surprising expertise, and Desari kept her eyes glued behind them, watching for any lights trailing the vehicle. Suddenly her heart was in her throat, pounding in alarm. For some reason she didn't want to leave the bar. She felt she was leaving behind her destiny. She needed to be where he could find her.

He?

Desari gasped and sank back onto the bed.

"What is it?" Syndil demanded, looking into the rearview mirror. She could hear Desari's increased heartbeat, her sudden gasp of alarm. The blood was pumping through