“First we must see to it that Dayan will be coming with us,” Darius reminded her. “The situation sounds grave,” Gregori commented.
Darius nodded. “Dayan is worried, with good reason. I had never thought to come up against such a problem. He cannot convert his lifemate with the baby unborn. But Corinne’s heart is enlarged and overworked. I doubt if it will last until the baby is old enough to be born, and I am certain it will fail during labor.”
“How long do you think her heart will hold out?” Gregori frowned, his dark brows settling into lines of worry. “You have examined her through your link with him. Do you feel we have enough time?”
“I do not honestly know,” Darius admitted. Feeling emotion had some drawbacks, he was discovering. He loved Dayan as a brother. He could feel Dayan’s pain, his perpetual heartache, and Darius was raw with the need to ease his brother’s suffering.
Gregori allowed his breath to leave his lungs in a long sigh. He had thought Darius and Desari lost to him for all time. The joy of discovery, the affection swamping him, was overwhelming enough, but to feel as if he might fail them when they needed him most was truly daunting.
Reading his mind, Savannah reached up to soothe Gregori, rubbing the pad of her finger back and forth over his frown lines. “You will save her. I know you will, Gregori.” She could feel the sheer magnitude of his emotions swamping him as he looked upon kin he thought lost to him forever.
Gregori’s arm circled her waist at once, locking her beneath his broad shoulder. “I cannot imagine what this man is feeling with his lifemate so threatened.” His silver gaze slid over Savannah. “There are few threats that would shake me, but such danger to you would leave me decidedly rattled.”
A slow grin curved her soft mouth, and her eyes sparkled like gems. She was willing to provide the laughter for him, the teasing to ease the overpowering emotions. She was his lifemate, and
he
was in
her
care, however much he thought it was the other way around.
“Decidedly
rattled? I do love the way you put things. That is such an understatement. If I stub my toe, you lose your mind.”
Darius’s eyebrows shot up and Julian snorted, a blatant smirk on his face. “I would like to see that, Savannah. The dark one losing his mind is an image I will savor for some time.” Julian exchanged a grin with Darius. “I seem to recall, Darius, he often lectured Mikhail on how a lifemate should obey her master.”
Savannah swung around to pin Gregori with a glare worthy of her heritage. “Master? Obey her master?”
The silver eyes slid over Julian, deadly, gleaming with a promise of retaliation. “I am certain I never used the word ‘master.’ “
“I believe, Savannah, Gregori was rather severe with your father at times for the amount of freedom he allowed Raven,” Julian informed her. “And actually, I am certain the word ‘master’ was used more than once. I know ‘obey’ was.” He tilted his head to one side. “You might speak with your sister — she has not yet grasped the concept of obedience.”
Desari made a face. “Do not allow him to fool you, Savannah. Julian and I have a true partnership. He likes to grumble, but it works out quite well.”
Savannah smiled up at Gregori. “That does give me hope, then. I just have to grow into my powers a bit.”
“And what then?” Gregori caught her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “The very idea of you with any more power than you already have terrifies me. I cannot imagine what you are thinking of doing.”
“Why, helping you, of course.” Savannah patted his muscular shoulder.
“We have much to talk about,” Darius said, “and little time to visit. I feel Dayan’s anxiety even now, across the distance. I had thought we might continue our journey through the dawn to draw closer to them, although this is a safe area to spend the day deep in the ground.”
“Link with Dayan, Darius, and I will link with you. I wish to examine her myself and see what we are up against,” Gregori decided. “With all of us holding, we should be strong enough to permit an examination.”
Darius nodded and reached at once across time and space.
Dayan. The dark one has arrived. He is strong and capable and wishes to “see” what he is up against. I feel your anxiety. Has something more happened to cause your fear?
Dayan glanced down at Corinne. She was half awake, half asleep, floating somewhere in a dreamlike state in between.
She is restless tonight, even after our healing session, Darius. And her body is unable to regulate her temperature properly. I feel that she is moving away from this world and approaching the next. Link with her and allow him to see what is happening.
Darius kept his voice calm and sure. More than anything, Dayan had to believe they could keep Corinne alive.
There was a slight hesitation.
You trust this man? He is my brother, lifemate to Savannah, daughter of the Prince.
Darius sent reassurance.
‘
I
stand with you, Dayan. Gregori has traveled far to aid us.
Deliberately Darius used the plural, reminding Dayan they were a family, together in all things. Dayan had all the instincts of a Carpathian male protecting his lifemate. Gregori was a stranger to him and therefore suspect.
Then l can do no other than thank him.
Dayan’s arm encompassed Corinne. There were tiny white lines near her mouth, marks he found alarming. Dayan conveyed the worrisome detail to Darius as he freed himself from his body. He became light and energy, a healing spirit wanting only to perform a selfless act, giving himself up completely in that moment to be anything Corinne should need.
Dayan felt Darius with him. Familiar. Strong. Enduring. Darius had a way of providing complete confidence. It had always been so, as long as Dayan could remember. Darius had been mother and father to him, elder brother, best friend, leader. Dayan was grateful he was there now. Darius didn’t seem to question that they would save Corinne. Her salvation was necessary, so it was already a fact. Dayan took hope from Darius’s pragmatism.
The strength pouring in from the combined Carpathians was vast. Dayan felt the power as they merged with him. He felt the dark one moving through him, seeing what he saw, the enormity of their task.
The heart is deteriorating rapidly. It is necessary to slow it down until we can reach your side.
The calm voice reminded Dayan of Darius. It exuded the same confidence.
I am going to do what repairs I can. She must be brought fully into our world soon. The child is in surprisingly good health. Most of the oxygen and nutrients are going to her little body. She is, indeed, a strong psychic. We must not lose either of them.
Dayan felt the heat and power as the healer began working, moving carefully around the heart. Working to get blood to flow more strongly, carrying precious oxygen throughout the body.
That is as much as I can do for her from this distance. Send her to sleep. Even while you travel, try to keep her asleep, but be careful not to overtax her heart with any compulsion she may fight. She has strong barriers. I will meet you soon, Dayan, and we will see to it that your lifemate survives, if there is any way to do so. I thank you.
Dayan replied formally as he returned to his own body and felt the withdrawal of the others. Using such energy over a long distance was not easy. He knew his family and the healer would seek the rejuvenating soil, as he must too. Beside him, Corrine stirred, drawing his attention.
“Why am I feeling so different?” Corinne asked, looking up at Dayan. Her eyes were clear, and she was breathing much more easily. The tiny white lines of strain around her mouth had disappeared.