Dark Nights Read online

  He let his breath out with a long slow hiss of promise. The woman belonged to him. She had the other half to his soul. He should have bound her to him right then, but the distance was too great and if it took too long to find her, the ritual words would wreak havoc with both of them. No, he had to heal first and then his only mission would be to find her.

  Traian lay back and waved his hand to close the small amount of soil and mud he’d discovered over him, stilling his heart, his breath, allowing the song of the earth to send him into a deep, healing sleep.

  Chapter Two

  Jubal Sanders glanced up at the sky, heavy with clouds, the temperature dropping alarmingly. “Night’s going to come fast when it does,” he announced. “Maybe two hours to sunset. If we don’t want to camp up here on the side of the mountain, we’ve got to start down.”

  “You’re losing it, Joie, there’s nothing here.” Gabrielle Sanders sank gracefully to the ground and drew up her knees as she regarded her sister with cool gray eyes. “Stop making yourself crazy and enjoy the view. It’s breathtaking up here. You’ve been in a frenzy for hours now.” Tipping her head back, she stared up at the sky. “We’ve been climbing forever. If you were going to find anything, you would have done so by now.”

  “I’m not losing my mind, Gabrielle,” Joie insisted. “Or, truthfully, maybe I’ve already lost it.”

  There was a sudden silence. The wind paused. A hawk screamed as it missed its prey. Gabrielle exchanged a long look with her brother. They both stared at their younger sister. She seemed focused entirely on the rock surface she was studying.

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Gabrielle replied, laughing. “All this time I thought I was the abnormal one.”

  Joie let her breath out slowly. She knew she was acting crazy, almost out of control. What was she going to tell Gabrielle and Jubal? That she really had lost her mind some weeks ago and this was a last-ditch effort to hold on to her sanity? That she wasn’t joking, and she belonged locked up somewhere on heavy medication?

  She’d woken up in the hospital in Austria with a strange buzzing in her head. Whispers that never ceased. A man’s voice, not just any man’s voice, but his voice, her mysterious, sexy stranger. She could imagine telling Gabrielle and Jubal she’d met a hot man during one of her numerous astral projection jaunts. Oh, yeah, and he was deep beneath the earth in a network of unexplored caves in Romania. They’d lock her up and throw away the key.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She was certain she was clinically obsessed with an apparition. How could he have been real? The doctors had told her she was out a long time. Who knew what went on in one’s brain when they were under anesthesia? If she told her sister and brother she wasn’t so much looking for the perfect cave as she was the man trapped in one, they’d definitely haul her butt to a head doctor. There was no way to explain her need to find him to anyone.

  She’d been placed on leave, as was typical when one of the professional protectors was injured on the job. She hadn’t gone back to the States, but when Gabrielle and Jubal had come to visit her, to help her with physical therapy, she convinced them to go to the Carpathian Mountains and go caving with her.

  In the beginning she’d tried to ignore the whispered intimacy, but eventually she’d succumbed to the sheer lure of it. She’d carried on silly conversations with him, sometimes philosophical ones, and God help her, sexy, nearly erotic exchanges she couldn’t imagine herself having with anyone else. The voice in her head had been growing stronger since she’d entered Romania, as if, finally, she was much closer to him.

  What are you doing?

  The voice came out of nowhere, unexpectedly as it always did, catching her by surprise. Masculine. Sometimes amused. Sometimes teasing. Always alluring. She tried not to hear it. Tried not to respond. But she could never help herself. She always talked to him. Laughed with him. Wanted him.

  In spite of the beauty of his voice, this time he sounded infinitely weary, strained, as if he were in pain. She’d never heard that particular note in his voice and it alarmed her. Was he hurt? Could he be hurt? If she wasn’t crazy, that meant he was real and she didn’t need to feel crazy most of the time. Right now, maybe a little bit.

  “Come on, I’m so close to the entrance I should be able to see it. Jubal,” Joie appealed to her brother. “You know I’m right. I’m always right. There’s a network of caves, most of them unexplored, and we’re right on top of it.”

  Okay, not a little crazy. Joie was certain she’d already begun her descent into madness. She’d rather be with that voice in her head than with any real person in the world. She lived to hear that voice. She thought about him day and night, had become consumed by him.

  Joie lifted her chin a little defiantly and reached for him—her imaginary friend who was fast becoming an imaginary lover.

  I’m proving you don’t exist so I can get over you. I have a list of would-be lovers a mile long, and I’d like to have a little fun for a change.

  You’re too close. I can feel you. You have to leave. This mountain is dangerous.

  Joie frowned, studying the snow-capped rock face. She was so close to the hidden entrance. So close. The mountain needed to breathe, a soft sigh of air and she would have it.

  Of course you would say that. You don’t want me to know you aren’t real. She stepped to her left, skirting around an outcropping. She could feel the entrance now. Her body responded, excited. Eager. And it had nothing to do with him. Look, honey, it’s been fun, but we have to break up. I can’t have a mythical lover, even if you’re an awesome lover in my dreams. A girl wants to have the real thing once in a while. It isn’t like I can introduce you to my family. Hey, guys, this is my invisible pal, Traian. He has a name like a locomotive, but that’s my fantastic imagination.

  Traian is a very old and respected name.

  She heard the amusement seep into his voice, but it was still very strained and a terrible urgency to get to him fast took seed in her heart.

  Go away from here, Joie. I will not comment on your name, as it would be considered extremely rude.

  Comment away, Traian. You’re not real and neither is this conversation, so insult me all you want.

  “You’re always looking down when you should be looking up, Joie,” Gabrielle said with a sigh. “If you reach straight up, you might be able to catch a cloud. Have you even noticed the flowers? They’re gorgeous. I wish I knew what they were called. For once in your life, think of something besides caves.” She waved her arms to encompass the countryside. “This is Dracula country. If you’d forget your obsession with caves, we might be able to explore the old castles for a change.”

  The flowers that are pink with a yellow middle are called Tratina. The white daisies are Marguarete. I cannot remember offhand what the blue ones are called, but it will come to me.

  Are you eavesdropping on our conversation?

  You are thinking loudly—and denying my existence—which seems to be a habit of yours lately.

  Joie gave a little sniff. He was a figment of her imagination and he knew the names of the flowers. She glanced over her shoulder at her sister.

  “Gabrielle, the pink ones are Tratina, and the white daisies are Marguarete. I have no idea what the blue ones are called.”

  “You’re a walking encyclopedia,” Gabrielle said, impressed.

  “That should teach you to tell me I have no interest in anything but caves,” Joie said. She shivered, although she was dressed for the cold. There was just something a little off about the place and a part of her felt as if they needed to get off the mountain fast. She glanced up at the sky. Maybe there was a storm coming.

  Jubal stared at the wild countryside surrounding them, on either side and below. There were many deep gorges and several caves. Green valleys and plateaus made the view breathtaking. Below them, in the heavier depressions, water had soaked the ground, causing peat bogs. There were vivid green beds of moss and numerous shallow ponds winding their way around stands of birch and pine. The area was magical, and yet Jubal was uneasy. The air was crisp and cold and the sky seemed clear, yet a strange mist covered the surfaces above them. At times he thought something moved in the mist, something alive and terrifying.

  He studied the towering heights rising above them. They were halfway up the mountain and the mist seemed to be slowly descending. If they were caught out in the open, they had the equipment to spend the night, but it would be a nasty night.

  “Joie, give it up and let’s get out of here,” he said. “This place feels haunted to me. I don’t like the vibes.”

  Gabrielle turned her head to stare at her brother. “Really, Jubal?” She arched a winged brow at him. “That’s strange, because I feel exactly the same way—like we shouldn’t be here, or that we’re intruding in some way. Do you suppose it’s all the vampire stories we were listening to at the inn last night that’s made both of us jumpy? Normally, creepy stories are amusing, but I definitely feel apprehensive.” She raised her voice. Her younger sister had moved around the outcropping and appeared to be examining another limestone boulder jutting out of the side of the mountain. “What about you, Joie? Does this place give you the creeps?”

  “We came here to explore the caves,” Joie said firmly. “We’re always very respectful when we’re on the mountain and never leave anything behind, so there’s no reason to be nervous. The mountain gods have no reason to be angry with us, if there are such things. I know the opening is here. I’m feeling it very strongly. I know I’m close.”

  Joie ran her hand up a long crack and then walked carefully back around the outcropping of the mountain, stepping over her brother’s outstretched legs without even glancing at him. Her heart began to pound, a sure sign that she was close. She closed her eyes and tried to image the opening, to “feel” her way with her mind. Her obsession was growing stronger and with it, the conviction that this was the place.

  “The entrance is here, I know it is,” she muttered aloud.

  The others feel the threat of the vampires. You must go, Joie. Traian’s voice came to her softly in warning, slipping into her mind, bringing with it an ominous chill.

  Oh, now you’re going to tell me you believe in vampires. I just picked up that thought from Gabrielle. You aren’t real, so be quiet and stop trying to frighten me away. I’m not leaving until I know for certain. She was not buying a vampire story to scare them all away.

  You already know; you just cannot admit the truth. I am trapped and will not be able to rescue you should you come upon them.

  “Rescue me?” Joie nearly shouted the words, her eyes flashing with indignation. She turned her head to smile in reassurance at her brother and sister.

  Gabrielle and Jubal exchanged a long, amused glance, used to Joie and her ramblings when she was on the scent of a new cave. Few people were as adept as their youngest sibling at discovering magical worlds below the surface.

  Rescue me? She hissed it into his mind. You can just bite me, Traian. Do you have any idea how annoying it is for someone like me to be treated like a ditzy little woman who can’t fend for herself? The trouble with arguing with the voice in her head, Joie decided, was trying to determine whether it was all imagination or real.

  I would not mind biting you. This time his voice purred with sexual innuendo. But another time would be better. Seriously, I’m in some trouble and if you managed, by some fluke to actually join me, I am not certain I could adequately protect your party from harm.

  Joie shivered in spite of herself, yet heat curled deep inside her. If you keep this up, my brother and sister are going to figure out I’m crazy and have me committed. Then where will you be? Strands of dark hair blew across her face, hiding her expression from her siblings.

  And just for your information, Sir Galahad, I am not the “in need of rescue” type, so get over that one fast. Sheesh. First it’s vampires and now it’s rescuing. Will you just be quiet and let me figure this out? I don’t suppose you want to tell me, give me a hint or two, if you’re really down there and know where the opening is.

  Jubal leaned back in the tall grass with his hands behind his head, studying the cloud formations. The mist had begun to reach them, long streaming tendrils that looked as if giant hands were reaching for them. A few of the thicker streams had dropped low and looked almost as if they were winding their way around Joie’s legs as she made her way back around the outcropping, drawn again and again to the same place.

  “You’re like a hound dog on the scent of a criminal, Joie,” he said, narrowing his eyes, watching the snake-like ribbons of mist. “You would have made a great detective.”

  “She would have,” Gabrielle agreed with a little grin. She concentrated on the bright blue flowers with their symmetric petals, lying on her back waiting for her sister to call it a day. The beautiful masses of flowers were unusual, yet something sinister seemed to lie beneath the ground, just inches from the soft petals, an obscene, malicious presence.

  The wind rushed over the mountainside. The flowers shook, some closing quickly. Gabrielle gasped and drew her feet up. She sat up quickly, blinking rapidly.

  “What is it?” Jubal asked.

  “I don’t know. For a moment I thought I saw something moving beneath the soil. I know this sounds crazy, Jubal but the soil rose up an inch or so as if something alive tunneled beneath it.” She looked around her, noting the mist streaming down toward them. “This place definitely gives me the creeps.”

  “Joie, come on. We’re getting out of here,” Jubal decided, reaching a long arm to gather their gear. “The sun will be down in a couple of hours anyway.”

  Joie examined every inch of the outcropping and the niche on either side. The rock was grown over with scrub and grasses. Wildflowers lifted their bright heads toward the diminishing sun as if soaking up the last of the rays. Joie narrowed her gaze and stepped up as close as possible to the large outcropping, focusing completely on the jutting surface and every crack and shadow. “I’ve never felt so driven in my life. I don’t think I can leave without finding it,” she admitted honestly. “I’m sorry—if you two want to take off, go ahead. I’ll come along as soon as I can.”

  Jubal and Gabrielle exchanged a long, knowing look. “Sure thing, sis, we’ll just leave you up here all by yourself. Knowing you, you’d disappear into a cave and mate with a troll,” Gabrielle said. “Just like Mom is always saying is going to happen.”

  “Ha ha,” Joie answered, the frown still on her face as she studied the outcropping.

  “What’s the name of this mountain range?” Jubal asked idly, but his gaze was on Joie as she scanned the rock surface. “The bogs are even beautiful. If it wasn’t so freaky up here, I could live in this area.” When Gabrielle arched a black eyebrow at him, he laughed. “I could. I don’t need to live in a city. I’ve got the same genes as the two of you. I just like to have money, you know. I need it for the two of you, to bail you out of all the trouble you get into.”

  “You idiot,” Joie said affectionately, although she didn’t look at him. “You have enough money to retire from that silly job of yours and do something useful with your life. Something humanitarian. There’s a small crack running the length of the rock here. There’s something funny about this, Jubal, come look at it. It just isn’t right the way it is and you’re exceptionally good with puzzles.”

  “My humanitarian contribution to the world is looking after you two thrill seekers,” Jubal pointed out as he got lazily to his feet. “Without me to curb your antics, the world would be a frightening place.” He looked up at the strange, moving mist. “Rather like this place.” He sauntered slowly over to examine the surface of the outcropping.

  “We’re in the Apuseni Mountains, part of the Carpathians, you heathen,” Gabrielle informed her brother. “If you paid even the slightest attention to anything we said, you’d know that. And you could no more give up your luxury condo and live in the mountains than you could swim the English Channel. And, I might add, we take care of you.”

  “Here,” Joie said triumphantly. “I feel the cave’s breath on my face. It’s here. I just can’t figure out how to get in.”

  “Hey! I can swim,” Jubal objected. He ran his hand over the rocks, frowning as he did so. “Just because I don’t like to swim doesn’t mean I can’t. I wasn’t born with gills like the two of you. She’s found something, Gabrielle. This is a pattern, but it needs to be . . .” He trailed off, dug his fingers around several of the smaller rocks, and began to rearrange them.

  “There’s a surprise,” Gabrielle said and rose to her feet also. The cool mountain air fairly vibrated with excitement. “You could always come and research hot viruses with me,” she invited, slinging her arm around her brother.

  “Yeah, I’ll get right on that, Gabrielle, because I’m a crazy man and want to die a miserable, but noble, death,” Jubal said, ruffling his sister’s dark hair. “I think I’ll stick to my stocks and bonds and let you do your wacko research all by yourself.”

  “Feel that,” Joie spun around to face her brother. “The mountain is exhaling into the cave’s entrance.”

  Jubal nodded in satisfaction. “There it goes. Wow, look at that. As usual, Joie finds the entrance and this one is damned strange.”

  The mountain shivered. Creaked. He placed the last rock in the sequence he saw as a pattern. The crack widened, the rock grinding with a loud groan. Ice cold air rushed out as if the mountain had exhaled.

  “This is man-made, not natural. Damn it, Joie, don’t go in.” He snagged his backpack and pulled out a logbook, carefully entering the time. “We’re just doing a cursory exploration, and it’s nearly sunset. No one knows where we are.”

  It was too late. Joie was too driven to wait for anything, ignoring the time-honored rules they always followed for safety. She squeezed into the crack, dragging her gear behind her.