Carpathian 12 - Dark Melody

have Dayan a shadow in her mind. He had been there so much, she took it for granted now, although she hadn't realized until just then that she felt so connected to him at all times. How much it mattered.
    'So,my love, it is happening.' Her fingers tightened in his hair. She held the silken strands against her face. ‘Ithink we're ready for it, as ready as anyone can be. I love you very much. Hear me, Dayan. I love you.'
    The wave started again, a long, angry ripple that seemed to rise higher and higher so that she breathed over the top of it, concentrating on the air moving through her lungs, winding its way to her baby. The child was uncomfortable, frightened. Something was squeezing down on her, pressing her to move, but she didn't want it to happen yet.
    Instinct took over and mother and child began to work in a kind of union. Corinne commanded her body to stay relaxed and tranquil, breathing through the uncomfortable contractions, all the while soothing the baby with her mind. She found herself astonished that she could touch the infant's mind, that the baby was so intelligent and aware at such a young age. The baby would warn her before Corinne actually felt the onset of a contraction, enabling her to take a deep, calming breath and breathe her way through each one. She wished she could get up and walk around, knowing it would speed up the process, but didn't dare take the chance. Despite her determination not to panic, Corinne found fear flooding her as the contractions increased and a heavy stone seemed to settle in the vicinity of her chest.
    She knew the instant Dayan awoke. He was there in her mind even as he drew his first breath, even as the sound of his heart filled the chamber with its reassuring, steady beat. Her rock. Her anchor. 'Dayan.'
    She breathed his name, inhaled his scent. Of course he would come to her in her time of need.
    His hand moved over her face, a loving, tender gesture. She could feel his love for her pouring out of his heart and soul and into hers. "You will never be alone, my love, not ever again. Whatever happens here this night, I will be with you."
    "I'm glad you're with me. I wanted Lisa, but I know she would have had a difficult time coping. I couldn't lean on her too hard. That makes her feel so guilty. She doesn't realize she has given me so many other gifts. I don't need to lean on her to love her." Her breath caught in her throat as the next contraction began to swell like a great tide.
    "It is time." He made it a soft statement. His voice was velvet soft. His black eyes met her moss-green ones, and instantly she was falling through time and space into a deep, fathomless well. Dayan shifted position even as he held her mesmerized within his hypnotic gaze. 'Her time has come. The baby is coming, and her heart is failing. We have need of healers now.' He sent the call out into the night, knowing the others were somewhere close by, sleeping beneath the soil in the network of underground tunnels and chambers. His call would awaken them instantly.
    He held her in the thrall of his gaze, removing the pain from the experience of labor to rest her heart. He could hear it, the terrible skipping, the heralding of disaster. Her body was already worn out, and she was just beginning.
    "I can't feel the contractions anymore," she whispered. "I'm supposed to help the baby through this, Dayan. If I can't feel what's happening, how can I help her?"
    "I am simply blocking the pain as mortals often do with medications when they give birth; you will feel the contractions without the discomfort of labor." He was outwardly calm, tranquil within his mind where Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    she was safely merged with him. Deep inside where she couldn't see, a hand was squeezing his heart like a vise. "There is no need to put unnecessary strain on your heart if I can prevent it." He tried to sound matter-of-fact. The moment the contraction was over, Dayan pulled her into his arms, sensing her need to change position.
    Corinne was devoting every ounce of will to keep her heart going, but the labor was depleting her energy quickly. Dayan buried his face in the silky strands of her hair, hiding there for a moment while he forced away his own fears. "I wish I could do this for you, Corinne," he murmured softly.
    She tilted her head to kiss him. "Lisa is fragile, Dayan. She's my family and I love her very much."
    Corinne found it difficult to catch