Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

front of her, the next he was not. She saw
     the small explosion of dirt as the bullet crashed into the wall of mud behind the
     spot where he’d been standing. Then another and another. It happened so fast, she
     was still trying to make sense of it when the rifle fell silent.
    The dragon-man had released Gary to disarm Ben. He now had Ben by the shoulder and
     was staring intently into Ben’s eyes. The man’s other hand was pressed against the
     bullet hole that had ripped through his stomach. Ben sat with abrupt gracelessness.
     Ignoring Gary and Jubal, the vampire released Ben and turned his entire focus back
     on Riley.
    She half expected him to rip her to pieces as her mother had been.
    Instead, he gave a small bow and said in a surprisingly calm and polite voice, “You
     are not Arabejila, sivamet . My apologies for the confusion. It is only that you resemble her so strongly.”
    Some small, rational part of her mind was thinking she should be screaming or something,
     but Riley just stood there, mesmerized, staring at the preternaturally beautiful face.
     At the . . . the distinctive fangs that had lengthened in his mouth. Dear God. He was a vampire . An honest-to-God, bloodsucking vampire ! The vampire looked like a man. A stunningly beautiful man. Short, closely cropped
     black hair, skin like burnished mahogany, dark eyes that flickered with ruby lights
     in their depths. And his voice . . . his voice was pure magic. It caressed her like
     a physical touch, soft, smoky, soothing. The stirring cadence of his voice calmed
     her.
    It took her almost a minute to realize he was now speaking English, she was so fascinated
     with the shape of his mouth and that flash of white teeth. His voice was charismatic,
     a blend of honey and warmth.
    “Please, päläfertiilam , allow me to introduce myself.” He bowed slightly, with an otherworldly grace. “I
     am Danutdaxton.”
    Dumbfounded didn’t begin to describe her state as the man straightened to his full
     height. She had never seen anyone so beautiful, so impressive or so wounded. He stood
     there with straight shoulders, his body bleeding from hundreds of small and large
     wounds, his gaze steady on hers, his eyes . . . mesmerizing. His eyes were incredible,
     with as many facets as a cut diamond, the color as luminous as a diamond, yet holding
     tiny red and orange flames. His mouth was cut perfectly and when he smiled . . . his
     teeth looked very white and very sharp.
    “I—” She cast a frantic glance at Gary and Jubal. She knew they’d told her that vampires
     could appear good, but she was shocked at her reaction to him. Tiny electrical charges
     raced up her arms. Her breath caught in her lungs and even her mouth went dry.
    To her surprise, the two men shared a silent, speaking gaze, then both lowered their
     weapons and bowed in the vampire’s direction.
    “It’s okay, Riley.” Gary began speaking to her in a very soft and calming voice. “He’s
     not a vampire. The other one was—the black dragon. But he’s a Carpathian . . . a hunter .” He said hunter as if it held great meaning.
    “B-but . . . he’s got . . . f-f-” She tapped a finger on her teeth and spat the word
     out. “ Fangs. And he can literally dodge bullets.”
    “I know. It’s hard to explain, but he isn’t a vampire. He hunts them. He’s one of
     the good guys, but he’s hurt very bad and he needs blood.” This time Gary looked like
     he knew he was imparting things he didn’t want to.
    “Carpathians need blood to heal,” Jubal added, “and he needs to heal right away.”
    “So . . . what?” Riley glanced between the two men, suddenly not feeling at all reassured.
     “Are you saying he has to take our blood to survive?”
    She didn’t look his way, afraid of being entranced by his gaze again. If he needed
     blood, she didn’t want him taking hers—or did she? Was that what she was afraid of?
     That she wanted to go to him and take away his pain? Her need to help him confused
     her and made her wary. It took every bit of strength she had to hold herself in place
     and not rush to him and offer whatever he needed—including blood.
    “Does he take blood the way a vampire does?” She winced at the question, afraid she
     was insulting him, but she needed to know. While trying to avoid the hunter’s gaze,
     her glance fell to Ben, and she dropped quickly down to check on him. Ben’s eyes were
     glazed over and he swayed as he