Dark Melody Page 0,81

over her irregular pulse. He murmured something soft in his strange language.

Corinne felt herself slipping further and further into her dream world. With Dayan's arms around her and his body so close to hers, she felt safe and protected. And then white lightning streaked through her, something between pleasure and pain. She lay passively in the crystal world of dreams and music. The flickering flames cast reflections on the wall from the pools of water, reflections that danced and mesmerized, tiny flames of orange and gold.

She felt the presence of the healer once again. Corinne felt a peculiar warmth as if another's spirit shared her body, just as when Dayan had attempted to heal her. It was strangely comforting. With the other presence, her heart seemed to labor less. She was tired, though - very tired. It was too difficult to keep her eyes open even though she wanted to observe the beauty of the chamber and the people in it.

Dayan closed the tiny pinpricks after taking enough blood for a ritual exchange. He shifted Corinne in his arms while he opened his shirt with one hand. "You will do this for us, my love," he commanded softly, gently, using a tone that banished her free will, that ensured she would do as he ordered. One fingernail lengthened into a sharp talon. Dayan opened his chest with a swift slash and pressed Corinne to him. "Drink, Corinne. I offer my life for your life. I offer my life for the life of our child."

Corinne was rather horrified that her beautiful dream had taken such a twisted turn. She couldn't quite force her eyelashes to lift, so she couldn't really look around, she could only lie in Dayan's arm, swallowing the warm liquid. In her dream she could be analytical about it. None of it was real anyway. She was cradled in Dayan's arms, belonging to him; he had taken her blood first, then given her his as if he could make her strong and physically fit. It all made some kind of weird sense, what with vampire stalkers thinking she was a vampire anyway. What was particularly strange to her was the fact that she didn't seem to mind taking his blood.

Gregori moved toward the struggling heart, seeking to find ways to control the damage. Without the baby, Dayan could give Corinne the necessary blood to survive, but that choice wasn't available to them until the baby was born. Gregori watched the healing blood pour into Corinne's frail body. At once her starving organs soaked it up like a healing balm. As Darius's spirit stayed close, monitoring the baby, Gregori went to work on the stuttering heart, meticulously repairing the damaged valve, utilizing the blood flowing freely into his patient. It wasn't the same as treating an injury. This damage was caused by a disease that had been slowly, insidiously wearing away at her heart. In her favor was Dayan's powerful blood flowing into her, along with his iron will, his heart and soul, his total, unconditional love.

Darius hovered close to the baby, soothing her, offering her reassurance and encouragement. As the blood of an ancient flowed into her little body, the transformation began. Her hearing would be superior, her looks enhanced, her body stronger. Corinne could only benefit from the blood, but the baby wasn't wholly formed yet. Reshaping her organs was going to be dangerous to the child. When the baby became frightened, bewildered by the strange sensations, Darius flooded her with warmth and reached out to make a telepathic bond with her. He told her stories of their world, of the Carpathians in need, of how precious she was to their people, how important it was that she hang on and stay with her mother who loved her so very much.

The small amount of blood Corinne had drunk was now cycling through the child's body. Darius was merged with the baby and felt the rush like a fireball.

Stop!

he ordered sharply.

Dayan immediately inserted his hand to gently stop Corinne from feeding. He whispered the order to her, watching her face anxiously. Corinne was astonished when a tall, blond stranger with golden eyes leaned over and casually closed the deep wound on Dayan's chest with his tongue. He kept one hand on Dayan's shoulder, a gesture that spoke volumes to Corinne.

"Are you Julian, Desari's lifemate?" she startled them all by asking.

The man bowed slightly from the waist, his golden eyes on her face. "I am indeed Julian, lifemate to