n rose and moved silently out to the hunt. desari sighed softly. "he seems very alone sometimes, darius."

"males are always alone, little sister," darius answered quietly. "it is something we all must face." he touched her chin with a fingertip. "we are without your compassion and loving nature."

"what can we do to help?" desari asked immediately, her eyes shadowed with worry.

"your singing helps, the peace in you. you and syndil are our strength, desari. never think you are not."

"yet we are the ones responsible for the gathering of vampires in this region. they are looking for us." darius nodded. "that is more than likely. but it is hardly your fault."

"yet you have to destroy them."

"it is my duty. i accept it without question or thought. now, desari, i am weary, and we must get this man of yours deep within the earth to complete his healing. let us go."

desari started down the aisle, then turned back to address him over her shoulder. "the bus broke down again, darius. i intend to put an ad in some of the papers looking for a mechanic to travel with us. i realize it will change things a bit, but we can easily control a single human. i can even place a compulsion in the ad so that we attract the one we are seeking."

"if he is out there. if your chosen one is not going to get jealous. he appears to be somewhat possessive."

desari turned away from her brother, pleased she was able to get that much of a concession out of him. darius obviously believed she could never find such a person, but she was determined to try. she was tired of seeing to every detail of their travel by herself.

they stepped outside into the gray light of dawn and moved hurriedly into the deep forest to select an area protected from the sun yet with several escape routes.

desari found such a spot and waved her hand to open the earth, revealing the healing coolness the soil provided to rejuvenate those of her kind. it beckoned her, whispering promises of sleep and protection.

behind her, darius floated silently to the site with his burden. very carefully he lay julian in the bed of soil. "sleep deeply, the sleep of our people, chosen one of my sister, that you will heal completely and wake refreshed and in full strength." he spoke the words formally as desari followed julian to earth. he watched as his sister waved her hand, taking her last breath before the soil poured over them.

darius stood a moment listening to the birds and the rustles of mice and small rodents foraging in the bushes. he was normally in the earth before the sun had risen this high; he had almost forgotten the sounds of morning. as he looked around at the black and gray world, he felt the utter loneliness the males of his race endured for most of their barren existence. time stretched out before him, long and endless and ugly without hope. nothing could change what was. it was but a matter of time before the black stain spreading in him enveloped his soul completely. it was only his iron will and strict code of honor, his responsibility for the protection of his family, that kept him from walking into the sun and ending the waking hell he existed in. how much worse had it been for desari's lifemate, with the mark of the vampire consuming his soul, eating him from the inside out? julian savage was a threat to all he came in contact with. and now he was a part of darius's family.