Carpathian 05 - Dark Challenge

Julian," she added, her dark eyes lighting up with her brilliant idea, "maybe you should tell him to quit being so bossy. She needs him to be more gentle."
    Julian snorted inelegantly. "As if that will happen. I absolutely refuse to interfere with anything Barack is choosing to do. Carpathian males cannot do such things. We believe in allowing one another to work things out alone. Especially anything that might have to do with a woman. Now that I am thinking about it, perhaps I should go and leave you two females to talk privately."
    "Coward," she whispered, her teeth nipping his ear. "Do not go far, as I have great need of you."

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    Julian's tall, muscular frame shimmered, then became transparent in the night air. He was smiling down at her, that little smirk that always got under her skin. Desari felt her heart take wing, soar, even as he disappeared, becoming part of the night itself.
    Desari turned as the female leopard burst out from the brush, shape-shifting as it did so. "Desari."
    Syndil's voice was a mere thread of sound. "I am going to go away. I need to be far from these overbearing males. I do not wish to leave you, but it is necessary."
    Syndil was upset. Desari knew her so well, she knew every nuance of her voice. Yet, as always, Syndil appeared calm and unruffled. Desari reached out and took her hand. "It never bothered you before to have the males beating their chests like cavemen. We have always laughed together over their silly ways.
    Why are you allowing them to get to you now? If Darius has upset you, sister, I will speak to him myself."
    Syndil pushed impatiently at the long strands of hair framing her face. "It is not Darius, although he is bad enough. And Dayan, too, watches me all the time. But at least he does not say anything annoying to me.
    Barack, however, thinks himself my boss. He is rude and obnoxious all the time. I do not wish to put up with his arrogance one more moment." She ducked her head so that her silky hair fell around her like a cloak, hiding her expression. "He denied I am his sister."
    Desari felt Syndil's pain. Barack had really hurt her with that denial. They had been family, closer than family for centuries. How could Barack have said such a hurtful thing to Syndil? Desari had an unfamiliar urge to strike him. She put her arm protectively around Syndil's shoulders. "I do not know why he would say such a thing, but you know he cannot mean it. He must be so worried about you that he says things without thinking."
    "Things to punish me because he thinks I, in some way, am responsible for what Savon did. Perhaps he wished Darius had killed me rather than Savon. He always looked up to Savon; you know that." Syndil shrugged painfully, staring up at the darkened sky. "Who knows, maybe I did do something inadvertently to provoke Savon."
    "Absolutely not!" Desari denied adamantly. "You do not believe that, Syndil, and neither does anyone else. Julian says that the males turn after so many centuries without finding their other half. He says they have a choice, to meet the dawn or choose to lose their souls. Obviously Savon chose the latter. You cannot in any way believe you are responsible for anything that has been happening to the males of our race for hundreds, even thousands of years."
    "They all treat me differently now, but Barack is the worst."
    "Syndil," Desari said gently, her voice soothing and gentle, "you are different. We all are. It is a change we have to go through just like any other, but as always, we go through it together. Barack may be having a difficult time adjusting to what happened to you. He may even feel responsible. Maybe he noticed Savon pulling away from us and did not say anything. Who knows? I believe he is simply trying to protect you. Perhaps he is going a bit overboard, but it might be that we should cut him a little slack."
    Syndil's perfect eyebrows shot up. "Cut him some slack? He should cut me some slack. You do not see how he is with me. He is rude and abrasive and totally out of line. Even Darius does not speak to me as he does."
    Desari sighed and shoved a hand through her hair. "Do you want me to speak to him, Syndil?"

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    "I do not think it will be necessary. I meant what I said. I will be taking a vacation. It is time I went my own way for a while." Syndil's voice was defiant.
    "Darius