Carpathian 05 - Dark Challenge

He had never been able to abide weakness in himself. Swearing eloquently to himself in the ancient language, he walked to the bodies of two young gold-panners. They lay broken and discarded in the usual messy vampire manner, their faces rigid with terror. These two had seen the undead exposed in all his horror. They were young, not more than twenty-three or twenty-four.
    Julian shook his head, irritated with himself for not having sensed the ancient's presence earlier.
    Ordinarily, no vampire could approach within miles of him without his knowledge. His emotions were so new and intense, colors so vivid, desires so compelling, he felt almost blinded. He certainly had been occupied with his lifemate and his own needs instead of what was happening around him.
    Desari ? He touched her mind gently, needing to know she was not in any danger.
    Everything here is taken care of, Julian. Shall I come to you ? Her voice was a soothing breath of fresh air in his head.
    No ! His warning was sharp. Do not , cara. Go to the others and the bus, and I will meet you there .
    He was grateful for the beauty of her voice and longed to be away from the sight of evil and death, back Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    in her presence, where he would find comfort.
    She withdrew without argument, sensing his weariness, knowing he was hiding the true extent of his injuries from her. She fed, certain he would need blood, but took care to use only women. The last thing she needed was for her lifemate to go berserk on her.
    Julian, still a shadow in her mind, found himself smiling at her thoughts. He might be too weary to go berserk at this precise moment, but he was grateful she was considerate of his feelings. He incinerated the human bodies and blew their ashes over a large area, leaving their camp scorched and blackened, as if it had taken a bolt of lightning in a ferocious storm. The authorities would never find the bodies, and would perhaps presume the campers had drowned, the currents carrying them off. Julian felt for the families, but he could leave no evidence of the vampire's handiwork or tainted blood to be analyzed by some human coroner. Protecting his race was top priority. He had no other choice. He took one last look around to assure himself he had done all he could to hide any evidence of the undead. Satisfied, he began to walk toward their own campsite.

Chapter Ten
    Desari kicked the wheel of the bus. "The darn thing refuses to start. I knew it. I knew it would happen at the worst possible time." She kicked the tire again in frustration.
    Julian stood in the shadows of the trees, swaying slightly, his eyes glued to Desari's slender figure. She was all grace, like flowing water, her ebony hair cascading around her like waves of silk. She was beautiful even in her fit of temper.
    She swung around, her enormous eyes instantly locating him beneath the trees. At once her expression changed to one of deep concern. He was gray and drawn, blood coating his shirt. He looked so tired, she was alarmed. She instantly leapt across the space separating them, one slim arm curving around his waist in an attempt to support him. "Lean on me, Julian," she crooned softly. He had walked the distance, not flown or used his astonishing speed in any way. It was evidence of his ebbing strength.
    He circled her shoulders, putting a small amount of his weight on her. She looked so anxious, he wanted to kiss her in reassurance, but the poison inside him was growing and spreading, and he wouldn't take the chance of infecting her. "You must call Darius to us, Desari," he ordered softly. He had given this much thought on his return to her. He had wanted to call Gregori to him, the healer he knew and trusted, but there was no time to lose. He would need to avail himself of Darius's strength and expertise.
    She helped him up the step and into the bus. Julian went down the aisle on shaky legs and nearly fell onto the couch. "You need blood, Julian, and then, once in the ground, you will recover quickly." She sounded anxious in spite of her determination not to.
    Julian shook his head. "Call Darius to us." His voice was a thread of sound, his lashes sweeping down as if he were fighting to stay awake and cognizant.
    Darius. Can you hear me ? Desari was alarmed now. Julian was not the kind of man to ask for help.
    You have need ? Darius was far away, but he could sense her fear.
    Come to us now. Please hurry, Darius. I