Carpathian 06 - Dark Fire

huge block lettering on the sides."
    He grinned at her, and Tempest realized it was the first time she had seen the man smile. "I bet you give the bodyguard more trouble than the entire band put together, don't you?" he teased.
    She tilted her chin, ignoring Darius's silent laughter. "Why in the world would you say that?"
    "Because I know the bodyguard type. And this one is clearly powerful, maybe even deadly. I'd say he'd be dominant, aggressive, and the extremely jealous, posses-sive type if he ever fell for a woman."
    "What an interesting assessment." Take that, Darius, she added happily. He hasn't even met you yet, and he knows exactly what you're like. Rather interesting description, don't you think?
    What I think is, you had better bring your lovely little butt home fast, honey, or I might be tempted to spank it.
    You're welcome to try, she said haughtily, knowing she was perfectly safe.
    Cullen Tucker stood up, tossed some money onto the table, then held her chair. She sighed. Her nice, solitary existence used to be so simple, so quiet. She heard Darius's low growl of aggression when Cullen guided her toward the door with his palm at her back, and she sighed again. The words echoing in her mind were in another language, one she was unfamiliar with, but the blistering tone told her Darius was swearing.
    Step away from him. He has no business putting his hands on you.
    He's simply being polite.
    Cullen yelped, removing his hand from her to bring it to his mouth. "Something stung me."
    "Really? I didn't see a bee." Tempest looked as sympathetic as she could under the circumstances, but she felt an unexpected urge to laugh. Spoiled little king of the castle.
    Learn same respect, honey, Darius ordered.
    Cullen opened the car door for her, then yelped a second time when he held her elbow to help her in.
    He frowned at her. "What the hell's going on?"
    Tempest was fumbling for dark glasses. The sun seemed to be sending shards of glass into her eyes.
    Almost at once they were swollen and red, streaming in response to the burning light. "I can't think what Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    you mean," she told Cullen.
    She drove back to the campsite at a much more sedate pace than she had used heading for the town.
    Aware that Cullen was following her, she took care to keep to the speed limit, annoying though it was.
    The road was made for the sports car-winding, narrow, climbing upward, sheer drop-offs on one side, the mountain rising on the other. She had to fight the inclination to let loose and enjoy what the car could really do.
    Once in the forest itself, she moved through the network of dirt roads like a professional. Cullen needn't know she had practiced driving the route so she wouldn't get lost. She maneuvered through the maze of narrow tracks, selecting one bearing to the right. At once she felt a curious, mood-wrenching sensation, the dark oppression of entering a time warp of evil-the perimeters Darius had set around the camp to keep others out. She was more sensitive to them than she had been before. It wasn't so bad that she couldn't drive through the barricade, but she feared Cullen might have a problem.
    He pulled up behind her, not quite to the barricade. "What's the hold-up?" he called.
    She pulled her car forward, waiting for him to see what would happen. Cullen drove toward her a few feet, then stopped abruptly, slamming on the breaks. Tempest glanced in her rearview mirror and noted that he was trembling, beads of perspiration dotting his forehead. Can he make it through the safeguards? Does it get worse?
    For a mile or so. He can take it.
    Can you get rid of it?
    Lead him through it. Darius was implacable. He would not lower the barrier when he knew they were hunted, when he was aware Tempest could be in imminent danger.
    Muttering about stubborn men, Tempest got out of the sports car and walked back to Cullen. His breathing was labored, his hand clutching at his chest.
    "I think I'm having a heart attack," he managed to get out.
    "Move over," she said. "I'll drive. It's just a kind of security measure Darius dreamed up. He's a genius, you know," she said briskly. "It drives people away from the area."
    "It feels evil, like something is waiting to drag us into hell," Cullen said, but he obediently moved over.
    "Yeah, well, after you meet Darius, you might think that's just what happened," she replied grimly. "God help you, Cullen, if you're not on the