Carpathian 17 - Dark Celebration

hear the end of it."
    She laughed as she began a slow jog, skimming over the snow, trying to get the feel of how to place her feet to stay on the surface. "You're all so afraid of Darius. Have you even watched him with Tempest? He's a total pushover. He just can't be that scary."
    "You even say that about Gregori," Dayan pointed out, keeping pace with her.
    "He was wonderful to me and to the baby. The man is a teddy bear."
    Dayan snorted. "I've heard him called a lot of things, but teddy bear is not one of them."
    She shot him a small loving smile. Dayan felt his heart melt. She did it so easily. A look.
    A touch. And his world was right. All those years on the stage with so many women throwing themselves at him, not seeing him, not caring who he was. And then Corinne.
    She'd given him life.
    "You gave it to me," she said softly, showing him she was becoming adept at being a shadow in his mind. "You gave me life." For a moment she reached out to take his hand, connecting all three of them. Baby, mother and father.
    Dayan's heart swelled. He loved having a family. He would always love it.
    Corinne shot him a mischievous smile. "Keep up, music man." She bolted, running like a machine, smooth and fluid, her body moving easily, heart and lungs in perfect synchronization. Dayan ran behind her because he loved to watch her run. It was something she had wanted more than anything, something that had been denied her all of her life.
    Others took it for granted, but Corinne enjoyed every single step she took. He could always feel her enjoyment, and he knew the baby felt it too. Jennifer always loved to go running with her mother, and Dayan knew it was the waves of happiness rolling off Corinne that both he and his daughter wanted to bask in.
    Corinne was impervious to the cold, but not to the sparkling beauty around her. The trees were transformed, branches laden with white crystals, so that they glittered with millions of gems. She felt like she was running in a fairy-tale world with her handsome prince. Her daughter snuggled tightly against her chest, rocking gently, as if in a cradle, adding to the surreal effect.
    Corinne flung out her arms. "I love my life!" She shouted it to the sky, happiness bursting through her until she couldn't contain it.
    Dayan smiled, even while he was scanned the area around them for enemies. They were closing the distance to Nicolae and Destiny and the small group of people with them. He could tell the couple and their friends were walking in the general direction of Francesca and Gabriel's home, so the young girl had to be Skyler. He was beginning to know individual scents now and it helped ease his mind. He was used to living in the much smaller family of the Dark Troubadours. Even that had grown recently as each had found a lifemate. He was the only one of the Troubadours with a child, but he hoped that would change soon so Jennifer would grow up with other children around her.
    Corinne listened to the steady beat of her heart. It always amazed her to hear that rhythmic beat, to feel strength in her arms and legs and be able to breathe easily even while she was running. She took a step, blew air out and her heart skipped. Missed a beat. She heard it clearly, felt the invasive weakness slide into her body. The breath left her lungs in a rush and she faltered, stumbling. Her heart missed another beat. She stopped running, wrapping her arms around the baby, holding her close, her mind racing, terror gripping her.
    Was it possible her heart had been so damaged that even conversion to a Carpathian couldn't keep it going? She heard it distinctly, the beat, a skip, two beats, another skip. Fast.
    Slow. She turned to Dayan, eyes wide with shock.
    "What is it?" He stepped back away from her, turning in a circle, searching the area around them for any enemies.
    "Can't you hear it?" Her voice shook.
    Dayan listened to the night, sorting the sounds muffled by the snow. He could hear voices in the distance, knew Nicolae and his brother were close. Something is wrong . He sent them the message on the common telepathic path.
    There was a moment of silence. We're coming to you from the south . Nicolae responded.
    We have MaryAnn and Skyler to protect .

    We have the baby.
    Dayan felt edgy, troubled, but he couldn't find a blank spot that might indicate a vampire.
    They weren't alone, someone or something was watching, but he couldn't find a location. It didn't appear a vampire was the threat. He swore under