Carpathian 05 - Dark Challenge

room with a silvery glow. Dawn was approaching faster than Desari would have liked, but they still had time to be together for a while longer.
    The wind blew through the open door into the room, filling the air with tales of the night. All at once Julian's hands on her waist gripped her hard, keeping her motionless. The warning came to her from his mind, a silent urging to quickly clothe herself, while he rolled off the bed, coming to his feet in one fluid motion. Everything about him suggested menace. He made a motion with one hand, instantly providing his muscular body with civilized trappings.
    You stay put , he ordered without looking at her, already moving out of the cabin and down the steps, determined to meet any intruder as far from Desari as he could safely get. He had been an arrogant idiot to take her from the protection of her family unit when she was hunted. The darkness in him provided an even brighter beacon for the undead, for his sworn enemy. Whatever was out there, stalking them in the night, was close. He felt it, sensed it, although he could not identify the threat.
    He inhaled sharply, studied the sky, the woods, the very ground itself. He looked every inch of what he was, a dangerous predator. Dam, if an attack comes, call to your brother to meet you, and go to him immediately .
    Desari had no intention of doing any such thing. If anything threatened them, she was not going to run like a rabbit and leave him to face an attack alone. What is it ? she asked.
    Desari's soft tones eased some of the tension in Julian.
    What do you feel ? He demanded her answer, his demeanor reminiscent of her brother's.

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    There was a moment of silence while Desari's senses flared out into the night. She felt no threat. None at all. Crossing her arms protectively across her breasts, she went to the door to lean against the frame, inhaling the night air. Nothing. Are you certain there is a threat to us? I detect nothing of the kind. I can assure you, Julian, I am not without my own power. I think I would know if danger were near
    .
    If a Carpathian as powerful as Desari could not feel a threat, there was only one reason. She was not the one being threatened. Julian took several steps out into a clearing, circling cautiously, waiting to meet the menace. It was there. Somewhere close. He felt the oppressive channeling of energy directed at him. It was strong, much stronger than he had anticipated, beating at his mind with thoughts of defeat, an attempt to tear down his self-confidence. Julian had used such a mind trick himself on many occasions. It angered him that his adversary would think him such a rank amateur.
    It was easy enough to reverse the apprehension, sending it winging back through the night air, reinforced with his own power and strength. There was a moment of complete silence. The very insects seemed to hold their breath, as if his retaliation had struck and the recipient was in a cold, killing fury. The attack came from his left, a blur of motion impossible to see. It was Julian's heightened senses that saved him from the slashing, raking claws. The leopard materialized out of thin air, going straight for his belly with a terrible ferocity. The claws came within a hair's width of nailing him. Julian actually had to hold his breath to prevent the cat from laying his belly wide open.
    Cursing, Julian took to the air, shape-shifting as he did so, acquiring razor-sharp talons, a wicked, curved beak, and a six-foot wingspan. He dove straight at the muscular black leopard, talons outstretched.
    The leopard somersaulted to avoid the lethal charge, heading toward the cover of the trees, knowing its huge, feathered opponent would not have easy maneuverability in the canopy of branches.
    Desari stood perfectly still on the porch, her eyes fixed on the terrible battle. Julian. Darius. Her worst nightmare come true . She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she lifted her hands toward the moon and began to weave an intricate pattern, even as she sang softly.
    Notes sprang to life in front of her, notes of silver and gold, spilling toward the two combatants. Her voice swelled with purity, with beauty, took wing, and rose above the clearing, spreading outward into the forest. The song was a whisper of sound yet perfectly clear. The notes danced like whirling eddies of Stardust, spinning around and between the leopard and the