Carpathian 05 - Dark Challenge

him. It was unusual for one of the undead not to boast or brag when he had scored a blow such as Julian had just received.
    Around Julian the forest seemed to blur, the ground rolling almost gently beneath his feet. Deliberately his smile widened, showing strong white teeth. "A child's trick. I learned that when I was but a fledging. I am insulted that you treat me with such a lack of respect." At no time did Julian's voice change pitch. It remained a hypnotic blend of mesmerizing compulsion and purity. His voice was grating on the vampire, he could clearly see. The vampire actually winced and shook his head in an attempt to stay free of the compulsion.
    The soulless creature moved then, his steps a gliding pattern, a hypnotic dance. Julian remained still, not drawn into following the strange dance. He stayed alert, his body relaxed and ready, on the balls of his feet, his mind scanning the areas around him, even the skies. This behavior in the undead was totally unnatural. Julian was missing something, and, with Desari in danger, he dared not act too soon or make a mistake. His lifemate had not run, so he had to protect her.
    You think there is another out there ? Desari was a shadow in his mind, aware of his thoughts, of his unease. She had scanned but, had been unable to detect another being.
    I am certain of it .

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    And it would be better to face the two of them together?
    I would have a better chance to orchestrate the battle.
    Desari had made herself small, wanting to give Julian as little to worry about as possible. Now she drew herself up to her full height and, with great confidence, stepped to his left. It gave her lifemate plenty of room to maneuver yet allowed him to see her so that he would not have to seek her with his mind. Do not listen to the music I will make, Julian , she cautioned, the words like the brush of fingers in his mind. She lifted her face to the blanket of stars and began to sing softly.
    Julian's entire body clenched at the first silvery note. It took tremendous will power to force himself to shut out the sound. Her voice was haunting and beautiful, rising into the night air and spreading throughout the forest. It was carried on an unusual wind that seemed to swirl through the trees, reaching into the heights of the canopy and delving into the deepest ravines. It was a summons, a soft command to come forth, to come to her. All creatures, good or evil. Who or what could resist that otherworldly voice? It was pure and beautiful, the notes gold and silver, shimmering visibly in the dark night. Calling. Reaching out. Beckoning. A demand so soft and hauntingly beautiful it was mesmerizing, impossible to ignore.
    Julian watched the effect of Desari's singing on the vampire. The face became gray and drawn, the skin shrinking over the bones until the undead looked like a skeleton. The clothes began to tatter and shred, rotting from his body like his skin. He could no longer keep up the illusion of youth and cleanliness. He looked a thousand years old, decayed, soulless, a parody of a living man. The notes drove him insane, beckoning him with the light of goodness and compassion, the things he had given up along with his soul.
    Growling, spitting, fighting every inch of the way, the vampire hissed and dragged itself closer to Julian and death. Still Desari sang. The night air groaned with the effort to support the gathering weight of the owls flying in, settling on branches all around them. Deer, mountain lion, bear, even fox and rabbits, were drawn to the spot, circling the three upright figures.
    The vampire covered his ears, grunted oaths, swore vilely, yet his feet continued to drag through the dirt toward Desari. From behind Julian another crawled forward from the bushes. His eyes were red and glowing with hatred. He was staring at Desari, his jagged teeth snapping together, his hot, fetid breath heralding his arrival. He was more ancient, more skilled than the first one, evidently using the other vampire as his pawn to draw out the hunter. He was fighting Desari's compulsion with every breath in his body. But he was not the one .
    Julian knew immediately that he was dangerous and cunning. There was a ruthless set to the ancient undead's mouth and something alarming in the way his eyes never left Desari's face. Take care not to look at him , Julian cautioned her, a rush of fear invading his calm confidence. He