Carpathian 12 - Dark Melody

Corinne," Cullen admitted with a small grin. "I'm not the playboy type. I can't believe she even looked at me. And these same people who murdered your husband are after me. I know what they're like. I would never have acted on my feelings if she hadn't already been in danger. The minute I met her, I was attracted to her. I had no idea she would be at all interested in someone like me." He drove fast but expertly. After Lisa's wild driving, Corinne was appreciative of his skill. "I could easily fall in love with Lisa if I allowed myself to spend any time with her. In the last few years, I've never looked at a woman in that way." There was a heartbeat of silence. "I never thought I could – not again."
    "What is Dayan like?" Corinne asked in spite of herself.
    Cullen shrugged with studied casualness. "Dayan is a law unto himself. No one can predict what he might do. He's a genius with a musical instrument, and his voice is beautiful. He's loyal to a fault, but he isn't a Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    man another man would ever want to cross. I don't know how to explain Dayan. But I've never seen him like this over a woman. Whatever he feels for you is genuine. He isn't a ladies' man."
    "Why am I hearing a but in there somewhere?" Corinne asked astutely.
    "I didn't say 'but,' " he denied.
    "You have reservations about Dayan," Corinne guessed, "What are they?"
    Cullen looked at her very soberly, concentrating on putting his vague uneasiness into words. Finally he shrugged, shaking his head. "He's just different. Dangerous, maybe, I don't know how to explain it to you. The entire band is different. Darius is a very scary man. Seriously, Corinne, Dayan is just different. I don't know how else to explain it. The whole family…" He trailed off helplessly. There were no words to adequately describe Dayan's family.
    "Dangerous to me? He isn't the type of man to hurt a woman." She believed that with her heart and soul.
    She knew it with every fiber of her being. "What aren't you telling me, Cullen? Does it have something to do with my heart? The pregnancy? Or something to do with Dayan disappearing each time I wake up?"
    Cullen glanced at her set face. "Corinne, he doesn't want to be with anyone else. If you think he has someone else stashed somewhere, you're wrong. I'm not worried too much about your heart condition; I even tried reassuring Lisa, because she's very afraid. But Dayan's family can work miracles.
    "I never imagined Dayan with a woman, so protective and…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "But I've seen it before in the band members. You should meet Darius. Now, there's a scary man, but with Tempest he acts entirely different, the way Dayan does with you."
    Exasperated with him, Corinne stared out the window at the passing traffic. Clearly, Cullen was concerned about something, yet he wasn't going to tell her. Maybe it had nothing to do with Dayan and everything to do with her. Maybe Cullen didn't want his friend mixed up with someone like her. She was pregnant. She had a bad heart, and she moved objects around with her mind.
    With each passing mile she felt more tired, more strained, her heart laboring so hard it was difficult to breathe. And she thought of Dayan. Worried about him when she should have been worrying about Lisa.
    What if Dayan had returned to their home again and someone had hurt him? Perhaps he was lying injured somewhere, needing her help, and she was unaware of it.
    "Dayan didn't go back to my house last night, did he?" There was a little catch in her voice that she couldn't prevent.
    Cullen shook his head. "Not a chance. He had no need. He took you with him to retrieve the things you and Lisa wanted. I was surprised he did that, by the way. I would have bet my last dollar that he would have tied you up at our house to keep you safe. How did you talk your way around him?"
    "He's very reasonable." Even as she said it, the car was taking her further and further from him, and her heart was laboring harder and harder.
    "You're certain he didn't go back to the house? We ran into trouble – did Dayan tell you?" She tried to sound matter-of-fact about it.
    Cullen pinned her with speculative eyes. "No, he didn't say a single word. What kind of trouble?"

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    Corinne rubbed her pounding temple. She was feeling sick to her stomach. And the terrible dread was increasing with