somewhere between laughter and exasperation as she led the humans away. she was no fledgling to be treated as if she weren't very bright. sometimes the males of her race set her teeth on edge.

julian could not hurry the healing of the owls. each feathered body had to be entered and healed from the inside out. he tried to push away every thought but becoming energy and light so that he would make no mistakes. still, he felt guilt for using the beautiful creatures - the price to be paid for once more feeling emotion. sorrow and guilt over the owls that had lost their lives. fear for desari, for the separation forced on them through his own weakness.

wearily he tossed the last owl into the air and watched the powerful wings lift the bird high so that it soared away. he was swaying now from the tremendous drain on his energy, from the volume of blood he had lost. he desperately needed to go to ground and seek the rejuvenating sleep of his people while the soil healed his body.

julian turned and surveyed grimly the blackened ground strewn with the owls he could not save. with a sigh he once more called down the lightning from the clouds and sent a bolt slamming to earth to ignite the bodies. when the last of the forest floor was clean, he stepped away from the area to bring up the wind. it whirled around like a small tornado, sweeping ashes high into its funnel and dispersing them in all directions.

julian shape-shifted slowly, his muscles and sinews protesting, his shoulder shrieking in outrage as he once again compressed his body into the shape of a bird of prey. one wing did not want to move correctly, so it required great concentration and skill to take flight. once in the air, julian soared over the forest, seeking the vampire's recent kill. it, too, was a grim task, and he did not want desari anywhere near the site. he spotted her with her charges, returning the campers to their tents and motor homes.

he dipped low to ensure no danger threatened her before proceeding up the riverbank away from the main campground. desari touched his mind with warmth and concern, and he attempted to feel strong and able so she wouldn't worry. he could feel her compassionate nature, her soft heart a beacon to guide her lifemate back from the edge of predatory madness.

below him, he smelled the stench of death. he dropped low, and circled the riverbank twice before gliding to earth. he shape-shifted as he landed. at once his body protested again, this time the pain nearly driving him to his knees. he had never been able to abide weakness in himself. swearing eloquently to himself in the ancient language, he walked to the bodies of two young gold-panners. they lay broken and discarded in the usual messy vampire manner, their faces rigid with terror. these two had seen the undead exposed in all his horror. they were young, not more than twenty-three or twenty-four. julian shook his head, irritated with himself for not having sensed the ancient's presence earlier. ordinarily, no vampire could approach within miles of him without his knowledge. his emotions were so new and intense, colors so vivid, desires so compelling, he felt almost blinded. he certainly had been occupied with his lifemate and his own needs instead of what was happening around him.

desari?

he touched her mind gently, needing to know she was not in any danger.

everything here is taken care of, julian. shall i come to you?

her voice was a soothing breath of fresh air in his head.

no!

his warning was sharp.

do not, cara.

go to the others and the bus, and i will meet you there.

he was grateful for the beauty of her voice and longed to be away from the sight of evil and death, back in her presence, where he would find comfort.

she withdrew without argument, sensing his weariness, knowing he was hiding the true extent of his injuries from her. she fed, certain he would need blood, but took care to use only women. the last thing she needed was for her lifemate to go berserk on her.

julian, still a shadow in her mind, found himself smiling at her thoughts. he might be too weary to go berserk at this precise moment, but he was grateful she was considerate of his feelings. he incinerated the human bodies and blew their ashes over a large area, leaving their camp scorched and blackened, as if it had taken a bolt of lightning in a ferocious storm. the authorities would never find the bodies, and would perhaps presume the campers had drowned, the currents carrying them off. julian felt for the families, but he could leave no evidence of the vampire's handiwork or tainted blood to be analyzed by some human coroner. protecting his race was top priority. he had no other choice. he took one last look around to assure himself he had done all he could to hide any evidence of the undead. satisfied, he began to walk toward their own campsite.