Carpathian 12 - Dark Melody

heaved a soft sigh and moved closer to Cullen. He responded by tightening his hold on her, and she looked up at him and smiled rather sadly. Her world was changing, and Lisa wasn't someone who managed change easily. Corinne looked very tired and fragile. It always frightened Lisa to see her looking like that. Her fragility highlighted the fact that Corinne's heart was fading.
    "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her," Lisa whispered to Cullen. "I really couldn't."
    Dayan, with his superior hearing, heard her whispered confession. He knew exactly how she felt and could sympathize with her. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Corinne either. He bent forward to brush the top of Corinne's silky head with a kiss, but he couldn't leave Lisa feeling so upset.
    He glanced back to capture her anxious gaze with his black one. It only took a few seconds, but it was enough. He sent her waves of reassurance, pushing a little further into her mind so he could implant a feeling of warmth toward him.

    Corinne took her time getting ready for bed. Dayan had pulled up his guitar, and she dawdled as he began to play. The music seemed alive, a part of the harmony of the earth and sky, a dreamy ballad. At first his voice was so soft she could barely make out the lyrics. She hurried out of the bathroom into the bedroom so she could listen to every word. His voice was mystical, beautiful, dreamlike. He looked up at her and the world seemed to stop spinning, standing still so the moment was locked in her memory for all time.
    'You take my breath away.' She thought the words to him, not wanting to interrupt his singing, not wanting to miss one single word of the ballad. It was a song of haunting loneliness, of a man, a wanderer, a troubadour, searching through time, century after century, for the one woman who could love him.
    His sensual mouth curved into a smile, and his gaze drifted over her before his lashes lowered and his hand moved over the guitar. His fingers worked so fast she could hardly follow them as they played the haunting melody. He sang of a dark shadow slowly spreading over his soul, a stain that would be impossible to eradicate once it took him over. A powerful beast that roared continually for release from within. As time went on and he did not find his lady, colors and emotions faded, along with all hope, leaving him only his guitar and the words of his song.
    It was a dark melody that brought tears to her eyes. Corinne curled up on the bed, intently watching his face as he played. The light bothered her eyes, so she casually flicked her hand to turn it off. All that mattered in her world was Dayan and his perfect voice singing this hauntingly beautiful song. She had a sudden desire to hold him in her arms, to be the woman who was needed so desperately.
    The music changed subtly, introducing a hopeful strain, one that rose to a joyful crescendo. She found herself smiling there in the dark, her eyes glued to his face. He was an artist, a poet without compare. She loved watching his expression as he played, as his soul poured out its music. Corinne's eyelashes lowered onto her cheeks. She was very tired. And Dayan was there with her, solid and real, impossibly strong and healthy.
    For one moment the guitar was silent as Dayan stretched out beside her, laying the instrument across his chest.

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    She smiled. "Are you going to play for me until I fall asleep?"
    "Absolutely." She heard his answering smile in his voice. "You have sweet dreams, honey. Dream about us together." His fingers once again glided over the strings, producing a soft ballad.
    She was dreaming. Daydreaming. Nightdreaming. She only knew it was wonderful to be with him as she drifted away on his music. He made her feel alive and very feminine. She could even pretend to be healthy. In the midst of her dream, trails of fog began to slowly wind through the stars. She frowned, felt Dayan rub his index finger gently back and forth over her forehead.
    "Go to sleep, honey. I want you to sleep all day until sunset." He brushed a kiss across her forehead, taking away her frown. "Do you understand me, honey? Sleep deeply until I call for you to wake."
    She was more asleep than awake. "You're ordering me around again, aren't you?"
    "Yes. I expect you to obey me." The sounds of his guitar filled the room, filled her heart and soul. "You know you are my life, you know