Carpathian 12 - Dark Melody

Lisa."
    Corinne was looking up at Frank with her vivid green eyes, and the security guard was melting on the spot. Even Cullen could see that. Dayan could see it too. Inside him the beast was roaring with anger and a terrible rage. Hot lava was boiling up through his bloodstream even as his body lay paralyzed, locked beneath the earth. It took a tremendous amount of self-control to keep from using Corinne or Cullen to retaliate against the guard. The man wanted Corinne, but Dayan couldn't really fault him.
    "Should I put my crew on alert, Corinne?" Frank asked, his blue eyes worried. "Are you expecting trouble?" John's murder had shocked them all. John had loved his sister and had come often to watch her photo shoots. Lisa was different from the majority of the other models, the ones who never spoke to the security crew. John and Corinne had almost always been at Lisa's shoots and had gone out of their way to speak to everyone. The three of them were unfailingly polite, warm and friendly. They remembered everyone's name and inquired about family members.
    Corinne glanced up at Cullen, a question in her eyes. He nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping the area.
    There was a large crowd watching the proceedings, and a large crowd was a nightmare to him. Corinne smiled up at Frank. "Just ask them to watch for someone different – I don't know, anyone who looks like he might have a gun."
    Frank nodded, all business. At once he spoke into his radio and waved Corinne and Cullen toward the group where the filming was going on. Cullen leaned down to whisper close to Corinne's ear, "They're here somewhere. I know they are."
    Corinne's breath caught in her throat. She looked around rather wildly, desperate to find Lisa. Dayan's soft voice, as calm as ever, brushed at her mind. What is it, honey?'
    'Cullen says Lisa's in danger; those men must be here.'

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    "That means you are in danger also, Corinne.' Dayan was holding his breath, counting the minutes, the seconds, until it was safe for him to rise. He was Carpathian, not vampire; he could rise before the setting of the sun, but not now, not when the sun had reduced his great strength and power to nothing. He waited, conserving what little energy he might have so he could aid Corinne should it become necessary.
    Corinne walked across the uneven lawn toward the spot where the lights were set up in the middle of the wooded park. A small, frothy waterfall fell with a rush into a deep pool hollowed out of rock. Ferns grew in every nook and cranny surrounding the pool. Lisa was standing beside the pool in the midst of the greenery, looking slim and cool and beautiful. Corinne wanted to cry, she was so proud of her. Lisa was a professional and very thankful for the job and the money it provided her and her family. She was easy to work with, followed directions carefully, and the camera loved her. She had become very popular with photographers and clients for just those reasons.
    Cullen simply stared at her, astonished that she had ever given him more than a casual glance. She looked nothing like the shy, vulnerable young woman he knew her to be. She looked like a goddess to him. She was a seductress in front of the camera, then turned to laugh easily with the photographer, joke with the makeup artist, tease the hairdresser. When she noticed Cullen, her face lit up and she waved.
    For one moment he forgot he had come on a rescue mission.
    "Keep your mind on work," Corinne reminded him. "You're supposed to be her bodyguard. No ogling the client."
    Cullen grinned sheepishly and edged his body in front of Corinne's as his gaze swept the crowd, looking for familiar faces. He was high on the society's hit list, branded a traitor by the organization. Somewhere in that crowd were men with guns – he was certain of it. "Maybe you should get back in the car," he told Corinne.
    "You'll never get Lisa to come until this is over." Corinne was walking carefully through the maze of cable toward Lisa. She waved at a photographer she knew. "Are you on a break? I need to talk with Lisa." She held up one finger, indicating a quick chat.
    The photographer nodded at her. "We can't decide if she looks better standing or sitting. Lisa can carry anything off."
    "She's getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes," the hairdresser called as she patted Lisa's shimmering hair, then swatted at a bug landing on her own arm. "Honestly, Matt, these