Corinne responded immediately, kissing him back without hesitation, the electricity arcing between them as strong as ever. Her body seemed to melt into his with total acceptance. He made her feel instantly sheltered by him, protected. “I would never take a chance with your life, Corinne,” he whispered fiercely against the corner of her mouth. “How could you think that? You are my life. My sanity. My music.
Without you, there is nothing. I have known that existence, and I will not go back to it. I believe my blood can save your life. That is what allowed Gregori to heal you to the extent that he did.”
“But the repairs won’t hold up,” she guessed softly, snuggling deeper into his arms. She was very tired and knew she needed to sleep again, but she wanted to be as close to him as possible.
“No, honey, not for long. We are hoping for enough time to give the baby a chance. That is the biggest complication.” He chose his words very carefully.
“If my heart won’t last, why are you so certain you can save my life?” She murmured the words softly, not really caring about the answer. If he could save the life of her child, she would be more than grateful to him. It would be worth everything, every bad moment in her life.
“My blood would transform your internal organs, convert you to what we are. That is my intention, Corinne. I know you are my true lifemate and I know it will work. There are no doubts in my mind.”
She raised her head, pushed at his chest to put space between them so she could look into his black eyes. “Make me like you?”
Her heart had skipped a beat, but went on steadily. She was simply watching him, almost as if she were observing the scene from a great distance. Dayan captured her hand, needing to hang on to her, suddenly afraid the blankness in her mind was a refusal of his intentions. “It is the only way, Corinne, the only thing that will save your life. If you live, I live. We have no other choice. Gregori said your heart was too far gone and he could only hope to keep it going long enough for the baby to be born.”
Corinne framed his face with her hands, her green gaze steady. “Perhaps you should have thought to ask me what I might want. I believe in talking things over, and I certainly think a decision this big should be made
by
me, not
for
me.”
Dayan nodded. “I will not lie to you, Corinne. I thought about discussing it with you and dismissed the idea. As it is, you are very weak; your heart is strained to the maximum. I would have had to explain everything to you — “
“Like you’re doing now,” she pointed out solemnly.
“I am attempting to explain,” he conceded, “but I am monitoring your heart closely to be sure the information is not too frightening. It is not every day that one hears of another species.”
“And that is what you are?”
Dayan nodded slowly, his black gaze holding hers, his mind firmly in hers to catch every thought that passed through her brain. “Yes. We are as old as time and we live long lives. Our blood is different, and we have many gifts. We can run with the animals, soar with the birds, become the mist should there be need. But there is a price for these gifts. You would inherit these abilities, but you would also pay the same price.”
“Which is...?”
“The sun is harmful to us. Our bodies become like lead, paralyzed in the light of day. Those of us who have not chosen to lose our souls can move about in early morning and early evening while the undead are locked beneath the earth, but we are vulnerable during the afternoon. There are those who hunt us.”
Corinne lay back among the pillows, pale and small. She took his breath away with her slight angelic smile. “Don’t look so anxious, Dayan,” she advised softly. “I am having more trouble believing this than accepting it for myself. I have never been able to run like other children. Now I am stuck on this bed, so weak I can’t carry my own baby without help. You are the one keeping my heart beating.” Her long eyelashes fanned down, two thick crescents against her white skin. “I am locked to this bed as surely as you say you are locked to the earth. The idea of running with animals and soaring with birds is very appealing to me. And I am already hunted. Remember, someone killed John and made another attempt on me. Although the threat is frightening, I can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”
The relief sweeping through him left him feeling weak. Corinne laughed softly without opening her eyes. “Don’t get too sure of yourself, Dayan. I haven’t decided if you’re a certified nutcase and I should be screaming down the house for help. I’m too tired to figure it out right now, so you’re relatively safe at the moment.”
“At least you are giving me a chance, Corinne, and I cannot ask for more than that. If it becomes necessary, I can remove your memories permanently.”
“You can leave well enough alone, Dayan. I want to know you before I commit my life to your life. I met John when I was eleven years old. I thought I knew him well, but the truth is, I didn’t.”
He brushed his hand through the silk of her hair, a soothing caress meant to ease the tension in her. “You knew him. He did not know you.”
She felt tears welling up out of nowhere. John. She never should have married him, never should have promised what she knew she couldn’t give him. She had loved John, but not in the way she should have. Not in the way he deserved.
“Do not cry, baby, you are breaking my heart,” he whispered softly, bending to kiss away her tears. He pulled his guitar into his lap, cradling the familiar instrument to him. His fingers began to move, flashing over the strings as if a spell had been cast over him. His offering. His comfort to her. A pouring out of his deepest soul.
Dayan played softly, his voice filling her mind with love and happiness, with dreams of a life together, with fantasies of running through the woods in the form of a wild cat, of flying through the air like an eagle, free and content. Of silk sheets and candlelight. Of children playing in the moonlight, singing along to his music. Of life. He was offering her life.
Chapter 13
Lisa raised her head and looked carefully around the room. Her heart was pounding very loudly and her mouth was dry. She had no idea where she was or how she’d gotten there. Her last coherent thought was of getting something to drink from the hospital cafeteria. She was definitely not in a hospital now.
Cullen lay stretched out on a bed, a king-sized mahogany bed, his skin color much less gray. If anything, Lisa thought he looked even more handsome than before. She touched his face with gentle fingertips, an unnamed emotion rising sharp and fast out of nowhere. She barely knew him, yet he seemed to mean so much to her already. That frightened her, as everything frightened her. Life itself frightened her. Lisa knew there was no real stability; people you loved, people you thought you knew, could turn into monsters right before your eyes and plot to destroy you.
She had no right in getting involved in this man’s life. He was too good, a steady rock, someone capable of attempting to protect her against killers with guns. She was damaged, and she would never be all right. Where Corinne had grown strong and accepted life, had learned to find beauty and goodness in the world, Lisa thought in terms of shadows. She was so afraid all the time. No matter how hard she tried to overcome her failings, she knew she could never face the world on her own. Where was Corinne? Where was her brother? She couldn’t go on alone.
But you’re not alone.