Carpathian 06 - Dark Fire

helping the security team deal with drunks, brawls, or any other situation. Go back to the room.
    I'm not that bad, she reprimanded indignantly. Pay attention to what you're doing, and leave me in peace.
    I do not wish to force my will on you, honey. It was a clear threat.
    But you will if I don't obey. Her hot temper surged forth. If he was standing on the edge of the pier in his elegant suit, she would have shoved him right off the edge into the water. You have no right to dictate to me, Darius. In case you've forgotten, this is the modern era. Women have rights. You're irritating me.
    I do not have time for this silly argument. Now go. There was the slightest hint of resignation in his voice, in his mind, and it made her smile. Darius was slowly but surely getting the message that dictating to her did not necessarily get him his way. And she was beginning to understand his driving need to protect her. More and more she was sharing his mind, including memories of his childhood and his life.
    "Tempest!" Cullen Tucker's voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. "I have to admit it's a bit surprising to see you out without Darius."
    She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Is it catching or something? Come on, Cullen. Why would I need an escort at every moment?" She knew she sounded belligerent, but after Darius's little lecture, she was annoyed with the entire male population of the earth.
    He instantly and prudently held up a hand in surrender. "Hey, Tempest, you can pack that redheaded temper away. I don't think you need a bodyguard at every moment, but Darius seems to keep a close watch on his property."
    Her eyebrows shot up, fury gathering in her green eyes. "For your information, Mr. Tucker, I am not anybody's property. Least of all Darius's. Don't encourage him."
    You are definitely my property, Darius said, laughter in his voice.
    Oh, shut up, she whispered sweetly.
    "Okay," Cullen said to appease her, discretion being the better part of valor. He waved a hand toward the glistening lake. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

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    Tempest nodded, her eyes on the waves. There's always something soothing about water."
    Cullen gestured toward a riverboat that looked like something that should be on the Mississippi River.
    "That's pretty cool. I hear you can rent it for private parties or take a three-hour tour on it around the lake. There's a big bachelor party tonight. Darius had me go over the guest list to see if I recognized any of the names."
    Tempest raised an eyebrow and quirked a little grin at him. "A bachelor party? Complete with a stripper jumping out of a cake?"
    Cullen laughed. "Who knows?" He sighed softly. "You know, you were right about this driving at night business. I'm usually a morning person, but after traveling all night, I swear, I couldn't wake up today.
    When I finally managed to drag myself out of bed, it was seven o'clock, and everyone was already up.
    Even Julian." He glanced around to assure himself no one was in hearing distance. "To tell you the truth, I did kind of suspect him of being a you-know-what, but I saw him eating dinner with Desari. They were almost finished when I went into the dining room. I watched him eating myself."
    How can that be? Tempest demanded, fully aware that Darius was monitoring every word of the conversation.
    Eavesdropper.
    We can eat. We simply remove the offending substance from our systems as soon as possible .
    Yuck! Tempest pushed down the mental image and turned her attention back to Cullen. "The whole idea was a little farfetched."
    "I saw a vampire," Cullen snapped defensively. "I saw him kill my fiancee in San Francisco. It wasn't some delusion."
    She rubbed her hand up and down his arm soothingly. "I know, Cullen. I believe you. I was speaking of Desari. She's so sweet and good to everyone. Why anyone would think she was a monster, I can't imagine."
    Out of nowhere Dayan and Barack suddenly appeared, casually positioning themselves on either side of Tempest, inserting their larger frames between Cullen and her. The move was subtle, but they definitely removed her hand from Cullen's arm. Tempest heaved an exaggerated sigh, fully aware the two Carpathians had been sent by Darius to retrieve her.
    You're a skunk, you know that? But it was hard to keep the laughter out of her voice; of course she should have anticipated his move.
    I know you do not need to be touching other men. I