Dark Hunger

Juliette opened her eyes cautiously in the hopes that none of her recent experiences had been real, that she'd just been having nightmares. She had participated all too eagerly in the exchange of blood, in the exchange of kisses. "Damn, damn, damn," she muttered and pushed herself up from the bed of foliage she was lying on.

She could hear the steady drip of water. She was in a cave, and the leaves and twigs that formed her bed were man-made, not at all natural. Riordan had provided her with the safety of a shelter and a soft bed while he had "gone to ground." She carefully avoided walking over the spot where she was certain he lay in a bed of rich soil. She felt him there beneath the dirt and leaves, buried deep. Still, not breathing.

Juliette dragged air into her burning lungs and backed away from the spot. She had a mad desire to fling herself to the ground and claw the dirt away to get to him. A sob welled up in her throat. She took another step back. "It was a ceremony of some kind, wasn't it?" She whispered. "My people do not marry." She backed up another step, although this time her feet dragged. "You're an extraordinary man, but I'm not what you think and I never could be."

She had no choice; she had to get home to her sister. Juliette tugged off her boots and tied the laces together. She shrugged out of her blouse and then her jeans, tying the two garments tightly together with the boots. She stood there completely naked, holding one hand over her throbbing neck. Her body called to him. Her mind called. Her very heart tried to find the beat of his. Hastily, before she gave into the grief and madness welling up in her, Juliette tied the clothes securely around her neck.

She closed her eyes to block out all visual distractions and calm her mind. She would need every ounce of strength to leave him. When he had recited those ritual words, Riordan had carefully explained that they were tied together and should she wake without him she would feel the separation as intense grief. "And you weren't kidding," she said aloud. "I feel like my heart's been torn out. Whatever it is you are, whatever it is you did, it definitely works on me."

What are you doing? There was alarm in his voice. She could almost feel his fingers brush over her face, trail down her throat, slip over her breast. Her entire body reacted, recognizing his touch, reacting with heat and need.

Her eyes opened wide and she looked wildly around. Where are you? Why can't I see you? How can you touch me when you aren't here?

I am locked beneath the earth until the sun sets. You cannot leave me, Juliette. You know you must not.

Another gift? You can touch me, but I can't reach you? It was shocking that his touch seemed so real, could arouse her body and affect her heart when he wasn't even a substantial presence.

Tell me what you are doing. Why would you leave when you feel that we belong?

You don't know me. He had his secrets, but so did she.

You refuse to allow me into your mind and heart.

I can't. Her hand went to her suddenly raw throat. The thought of leaving him was painful. Hearing his voice only added to her torment, but she had obligations and she couldn't put them aside because her heart and soul and body cried out for his.

You can't escape me. Your blood flows in me and mine in you. He sighed. I can see your mind is made up. When it becomes too difficult, reach for me, I will answer. In the meantime, try not to get into too much trouble. Abruptly he broke the connection between them.

Juliette felt the loss like a physical blow. She took a deep breath and released the air slowly, calling up her other self, calling up the part of her that could give her the strength to go home where she belonged, when she really wanted to crawl into the earth with Riordan.

The change took her slowly, almost reluctantly, as if a part of her brain was fighting rather than embracing her other form. Spotted fur slid over her skin, muscles and tendons contracted and stretched. Stiletto-sharp claws sprang from her curving hands. She landed heavily on all fours while her body went through the change. It was always a slow process and somewhat painful, but never like this time. Juliette wept as the jaguar took her over.

The cat was small and stocky. Roped muscles and a flexible spine allowed her to flow across the cavern floor, seeking a way out to the jungle where she belonged. Rain fell softly as she emerged from the damp cave. She paused to get her bearings before taking to the trees and running along the twisting highway of branches high above the forest floor. She couldn't maintain this form for long periods of time, so she had to use it efficiently to travel across the greatest distance before shedding it. She ran as quickly as possible, threading her way through the leaves and foliage.

The rain barely penetrated the canopy, dripping steadily on the leaves but rarely touching her fur. Steam rose from the forest floor, but the jaguar didn't feel the heat the way Juliette would have. The boots banged against her neck and chest as she made her way through the trees and shrubbery. The birds screamed a warning to one another at her approach and monkeys chattered and threw sticks and leaves at her. She snarled at them, but hurried onward, not stopping to teach them manners.

After a time, she began to shake, her legs suddenly growing weak. She stumbled twice, tripped on a branch and leapt hastily to the ground. She was miles from the cave; the sun was setting and Riordan would be rising. Hopefully he would only find the scent of a large cat and she would be gone. Even if her blood called to him, she was a great distance away with a good head start.

She shifted into her human form, her sides heaving and her lungs burning for air. Leaves and twigs scraped her bare flesh. She looked hastily around to make certain she wasn't crouching in anything poisonous. The last thing she wanted was blisters on her skin. More than once she'd managed to shift at the most inappropriate time. She had little control when the form became too difficult to hold.

With a sigh she dragged on her clothes. Humidity was so high the material clung to her skin. Juliette was skilled in the jungle, but without the jaguar's fur and claws, it was much more difficult to make her way through the trees. The canopy kept out much of the light, and with the sun setting, the interior went dark quickly. She had excellent night vision, but it wasn't going to help much with night predators.

She passed the miles alternating between a run and walk. She tried to listen to the steady rhythm of the rain, but it sounded like a heartbeat. She tried to block out the scent of Riordan, but it clung to her body. Tears made a relentless path down her face, blurring her vision. Grief was a heavy weight that slowed her steps and robbed her of air.

Every step was a fight to go forward, to keep from turning around and running back to find Riordan. Worse, her mind continually tried to tune itself to his. Fighting herself was more exhausting than fighting the jungle. She needed a place to rest. Juliette found a small circle of boulders, nearly hidden by overgrown ferns. Within the ring of boulders a deep pool fed by a small stream shimmered in the moonlight. She sat down, lifted her face to catch the mistlike drops that managed to work through the thick foliage overhead. Thunder rolled. Lightning lined the clouds. A roar shook the ground, the trees, caused small waves to race across the surface of the water. Juliette's hand fluttered over her heart. He had risen.

Juliette was gone. His first reaction was to roar out his pain and frustration. Now Riordan let out his breath in a long, slow hiss of exasperation. He wanted to shake her. The physical attraction between them was a wildfire. That alone should have been enough to bind her to him. She was in for a long, difficult time, out there alone without him. The ritual bonding words would force her mind to attempt to connect with his. He had explained it to her, had tried to spare her the misery he knew she would be going through.

He was already feeling the effects of their separation. Worse, he was feeling her grief, a torrent of emotion every bit as deep as the well of passion he touched in her. She felt things intensely. Riordan raked his fingers through his long hair. He needed to find prey fast. He needed more time in the ground to heal, but more than anything, he needed Juliette. He lifted his head toward the heavens and roared a second time. She had opened the dam of his emotions. He remembered nothing of anger and jealousy and fear, but now the feelings were crowding into his mind mixed with grief. It was a potent combination and a dangerous one.

He found the tracks of a large cat, but not the footprints of a woman. His heart beat hard in his chest, pounded with fear for her, with need for her. She had managed to disguise herself, leave no trace behind, but the call of blood and the ties that bound them together were far too strong to ever break. He moved quickly through the cave, shifting on the run, bursting into the air as a thick stream of white mist. The sky was orange and red, dazzling and vivid and near blinding to a man who had seen only shades of gray for so long. Even with the heavy mist for protection, his head burst with the sheer brilliance of color. He streaked through the trees, staying below the canopy, using the protection of the foliage while he acclimated himself to his new sight.

A bird shrieked, his only warning. He hit something and bounced backward. Droplets shimmered briefly through a dropping silver net, falling through on the outside. Instincts took over. He shot upward, through and above the silver. In his present form he was able to slip through, but he felt the thin blades, razor-sharp, cutting deep.

Riordan! Juliette sounded panic-stricken.

The trap had been set specifically for him. Juliette knew he would come after her. He had not fully penetrated the barriers in her mind. Could she betray him? Was it even possible for one lifemate to betray another? Riordan doubted it, but he didn't have time to think so he simply didn't answer, pulling his mind from hers. The echo of her anguished cry tore at his heart, but he refused to be swayed, streaking through the canopy and shifting into the form of a bird. He went still, hiding among the birds in the tree, examining the trap that had been set for him.

It had been sprung without an operator. He had merely flown into it, which meant there might be other traps out there waiting for him. Blood trickled down his beak and seeped through his feathers. Far below, on the forest floor, the silver net lay tangled in a heap. He could see traces of his blood on the thin wires.

Humans, puppets of a vampire, had constructed the trap, and only a master vampire could have kept his presence from Riordan. He was dealing with something extremely powerful and evil. Something willing to mingle with humans and use them for its own ruthless purposes.

Fear for his lifemate clawed at him. She was somewhere alone and unprotected. It couldn't have been Juliette. What would be the point of rescuing him only to lead him into a trap? He touched her mind, heard her weeping. His heart shattered. For a moment he couldn't breathe, couldn't drag air into his lungs. How could her soft weeping affect him so deeply?

Juliette, it is nothing, a trap that failed.

There was a small silence. He pictured her wiping at her tears, felt the anger stirring in her mind. I hate that you did this to us. Tied us together until we can't breathe without each other.

Destiny tied us together, Juliette.

You had a choice.

I did not have a choice. I was shocked to find you. I had never expected to find you. Tell me why you are so resistant. I can help you with whatever it is you feel the need to do. You are not so opposed to our joining as you want me to believe.

He felt her shock that he had penetrated her barriers to such an extent. He felt her hurt that he might think she was part of a larger conspiracy to harm him when she had risked her life to get him out of the laboratory. He felt her withdrawal, but he could not let it matter. He would find her. He had no other choice.

Carpathians often traveled in the form of an owl. The vampire had prepared to capture him in the form of mist, knowing hunters often used the fog to travel in. The vampire could very well have planned a trap for a bird winging through the sky. Riordan chose the shape of a smaller cat, a civet, able to move fast on the highway of branches above the forest floor. Any trap designed for an animal would be for a wolf or the much heavier leopard, forms routinely used for fast travel.

He was much more cautious as he leapt from branch to branch. His mind continually tuned itself toward Juliette. Riordan was used to being in complete control, without the danger of intense emotions, and his newly acquired feelings threw his normal balance. He sighed. I am as ensnared as you.

The silence was so long, he feared she would refuse to answer. I would not say ensnared. I am merely obsessed, and obsession is very disturbing.

I do not mind if I am the object of your obsession.

I mind. I refuse to be obsessed over anything, or anyone, let alone a man.

He felt the heat in her voice, the raw desire. Somewhere, Juliette was thinking of him, fantasizing over him. There was a silence, and he caught the shimmer of images in her mind. Their mouths welded together, her hands stroking his body, her lips traveling over the terrible burns on his chest. Riordan's temperature rose sharply. Thunder pounded in his head. His body went tight and uncomfortable. The small cat stumbled as the sexual drive hit it hard.

You cannot do this to me. He knew his voice was husky and slightly harsh but he couldn't help it. His body burned, was on fire. Each step was painful and mixed with the cat's animalistic emotions, his own beast roared for his mate.

Why not? You did it to me. I don't think my fantasy about touching your body or kissing you is nearly as bad as you touching me without physically laying a finger on me.

The little cat leapt over a twig holding a spray of leaves and nearly didn't make it, almost somersaulting into a thick snake coiled around a branch. The cat hissed and spit as it gave the snake a wide berth.

Riordan nearly groaned. Juliette wasn't stopping her fantasy at touching his body or kissing him. She was doing delicious things with her lips, working her way deliberately down his body to engulf him in the heated silk of her mouth. He groaned aloud, the small cat shuddering. It was becoming an effort to hold the form while hunger beat at him and desire swamped him. He had not taken the time to fully heal himself and if he were to regain his strength he would need sustenance.

More than anything he wanted to find Juliette, to bury his body deep in the haven of hers, relieve the terrible pressure building with unrelenting madness in his body. He could almost feel her mouth gliding over him. He could taste her heat and spice, feel her soft skin beneath his fingers.

A sound shook him out of his reverie and the small cat went instantly still, crouching low high in the forest canopy. He heard a soft sound in the distance, muted by the natural sounds of the night. Insects hummed. The sap ran in trees. Bats dipped and wheeled in the air. Bushes rustled as small rodents dashed around looking for safety. Larger predators hunted. But the sound was human-and feminine.

Riordan remained still, allowing his senses to flair out into the night, scanning the area for intruders, for traps, for the identity of the human hidden a few miles from him.

Juliette. His heart accelerated. He shifted to his natural form as his incisors lengthened in anticipation. She was close, just ahead near the stream. He could hear the water bubbling over rocks and emptying into a pool of sorts. She had to be there, cooling her body from the heat of the jungle, from the fire raging out of control between them. When he was absolutely certain they were alone, with no one near them for miles, he began to make his way toward her, using the foliage for cover.

I want you. He breathed the words into her mind. Meaning them. Needing her.

There was the smallest of hesitations. Well, maybe I want you too, but I have things that I have to do, obligations to fulfill. I can't just change my life to suit you.

Her voice was breathless, sensual. She was feeling the same heat, the same needs. Riordan was beginning to understand what lifemates were all about. He had been away from his people too long and he had forgotten the close bonds. He had forgotten whatever one lifemate was feeling, so did the other. Relationships were highly sexual and always intense.

He found his way to the small grotto where she rested. He sat above her, high in the trees, pleasure blossoming deep and wild just looking at her. She was so beautiful she robbed him of speech, of breath. He could look at her for eternity and never tire of it.