Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

wind. The dread
     seeping into her made her stomach churn. The sound of the machetes slashing through
     the screaming branches and foliage only added to her frayed nerves.
    Riley and Dax had caught up with the others quickly. He’d simply shifted into a giant
     bird and taken to the air, carrying Riley until they were close enough to join her
     fellow travelers. To make better time, Dax took over carrying the professor. He could
     go for miles without breaking a sweat. She resisted looking over her shoulder at him.
     He was close, but with the weight of a grown man in his arms, he couldn’t be leaping
     into action if someone went crazy with a machete or the monkeys ambushed them.
    Gary walked directly in front of her. She caught him twice looking over her head,
     back toward Jubal. They exchanged a knowing look that made her shiver. Okay, she wasn’t
     entirely losing her mind; they both felt the danger, too, they just reacted better.
     She put her hand in the pocket of her light jacket, assuring herself the Glock was
     there should she need it.
    Your fear is beating at me, yet you do not allow me to share your mind. What is it?
    His voice was always so calm and reassuring.
    We don’t make any sense. She would have glared at him if she wasn’t so busy looking in the trees for an imminent
     attack. Sometimes being so utterly calm was annoying.
    Match your heartbeat to mine. Your heart is beating too fast, Dax ordered. In what way don’t we make sense?
    Smug male amusement was much worse than calm. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder to glare at him. He
     wasn’t even breathing hard, while her lungs were burning. He was all muscle and hotness,
     and her body felt like lead. He didn’t seem to mind that at any moment he might have
     to pitch the professor into a spiny tree to save the day like some comic book hero.
    Comic book hero? Is that how you see me? I must have a cape.
    His laughter filled her mind, raw and masculine and unexpected. She found herself
     smiling just because he was. He’d managed to find his way into her mind when she had
     been so certain she was closed off to him. He could make her laugh in the worst of
     circumstances. Ignoring the gathering anxiety pressing down on her, she deliberately
     began to conjure up an image of Dax in pink tights, a long tunic and a pink cape.
    This is what you wish me to wear? He sounded perfectly serious. It is much like the Inca garb. The color might clash with my skin tone.
    Riley burst out laughing. Clash with your skin tone ?she echoed. Small beads of sweat ran down the valley between her breasts. She had
     to rub more out of her eyes. What in the world does Gary have going on in his head? You got all your information
     from him.
    Jubal as well. He has sisters. Once again he sounded smug.
    She took a deep breath, hoping he’d deny it, but knowing he wouldn’t. You know we’re going to be attacked.
    Yes, of course.
    Riley stumbled, but caught herself before she fell. She felt light-headed, dizzy enough
     to sink to the ground in a faint. She bit down hard on her lip, the stinging pain
     grounding her. You’ve been talking to Jubal and Gary. She made it a statement.
    Coordinating what they need to do.
    Riley cringed a little at her ridiculous reaction to his matter-of-fact tone. Speaking
     mind to mind seemed so intimate to her, a secret shared with a lover. Could she be
     jealous? How utterly beneath her. And in the middle of an incredibly dangerous situation.
     She was acting like an idiot. She wasn’t even the jealous kind.
    She frowned as she walked, counting her steps to clear her mind. There was no buzzing
     in her mind to indicate the vampire was influencing her as it had the porter who killed
     her mother. She continued counting each step, finding a rhythm, wishing she could
     stop and put her hands in the earth. She felt exhausted, and the soil would rejuvenate
     her.
    Riley? Why do you keep cutting yourself off from me? Your heart is still beating too
     fast.
    She shook her head, not wanting Dax in it. She needed to work this out on her own.
     Her frown deepened. Dax, Jubal and Gary had all agreed that vampires preyed on weaknesses.
     She was definitely insecure, feeling as if she somehow wasn’t worthy of Dax. To her,
     he was noble and courageous. He’d sacrificed his life for his people. He’d endured
     all kinds of suffering and wounds in battle, been completely alone while she’d had
     a wonderful, happy childhood with