will protect and keep you safe. These humans cannot harm me. I will make sure they leave."
She recognized the "push" he used in his voice, the urge to obey that was nearly impossible to ignore. As irritated as it made her, Corinne was intrigued by the mesmerizing quality of his tone. Before she could really think about it, Dayan's mouth was capturing hers, whirling her away from anything as sane as thinking, removing every thought from her brain and replacing it with pure feeling. Then he was gone, slipping quickly from the car, leaving her sitting by herself, bereft.
Corinne drew her legs up onto the seat and nibbled at the tip of her fingernail. Dayan. He had crawled under her skin, wrapped himself around her heart, seeped into her soul so she couldn't stop thinking about him. Couldn't stop wanting to be with him. There was something different about him. Each time she thought she was close to the answer, he distracted her. He did it smoothly, casually, effortlessly.
She stared out the window and saw the thick fog. She could see nothing else, and the lack of visual cues gave her the illusion of floating in the sky, cushioned by billowy clouds. No one had the capability to command the sky, the weather. So why did she believe that Dayan had done something to bring in the mysterious fog? It wasn't natural. She had heard the whisper of voices, seen the shadowy shapes moving. It was frightening, yet he had gone out into it completely without fear, as if he knew he would come to no harm.
Why did he use such strange terms? She tapped her chin with her index finger.
Mortals.
He had used that word as if it were natural and meant something. He had said the humans could not harm him.
As if he weren't human.
Corinne shook her head, attempting to dislodge the thought.
Of course Dayan was human. What else could he be? An animal? He certainly had an animal quality in the way he moved. He was like a large jungle cat. There was something in his eyes, in the way his body moved. What was she thinking? A mythical cat person? Corinne let her breath out slowly. It was too crazy to be sitting in the dark allowing her imagination to run wild while Dayan was out there in the midst of killers. He didn't think he needed protection, but she knew she could help him if it was warranted. Resolutely she reached for the door handle. As she did so, her hand trembled and she found she stopped midway. She actually broke out in a sweat. Everything in her demanded she stay in the car.
Very carefully, Corinne pressed her palms protectively over her baby. She was missing something important; she just couldn't fit all the pieces together. Dayan was different, he had tremendous power, but it was more than that. Little things didn't add up. Things no one else seemed to notice about him. Things she found in him when their minds were merged. At first she only heard his voice, but more and more small details were finding their way into her mind. Strange images. Facts. Vivid, detailed images of history, of time periods long gone by. The images were blurred, but they were there in his mind.
Dayan stood quietly by the car with the fog enshrouding him, wrapping him tightly in its coils. He touched Corinne's mind once more, smiled to himself at the way she was working her way toward the truth. Corinne. His heart and soul. His very breath. Corinne had touched things in his mind each time he merged fully with her. His past. Wars and the growth of nations. Vivid details etched in his memories. Feats of strength. Various time periods. It was all part of what had shaped his character. His family. Darius. The vampires attacking their family unit because of the two females. Concerts. Thousands of concerts. Some given as wandering minstrels, others in football stadiums. Horse-drawn carriages and old-fashioned automobiles. Every memory shadowed by the dark of night.
Creatures of the night.
Their world.
Dayan placed his hand on top of the car, right above her head, knowing he was completely invisible, knowing she was worried about him. She was attempting to resist his softly whispered command for her obedience. His heart was melting at the idea that she was determined to protect him when she was so small and delicate, her health so fragile. His love for her, growing with