Feehan Christine - Dark Song

By Christine Feehan

Torpedo Ink series:

Judgment Road

Vengeance Road

Desolation Road

Shadow series:

Shadow Rider

Shadow Reaper

Shadow Keeper

Shadow Warrior

Shadow Flight

Dark Carpathian series:

Dark Prince

Dark Desire

Dark Gold

Dark Magic

Dark Challenge

Dark Fire

Dark Legend

Dark Guardian

Dark Symphony

Dark Melody

Dark Destiny

Dark Secret

Dark Demon

Dark Celebration

Dark Possession

Dark Curse

Dark Slayer

Dark Peril

Dark Predator

Dark Storm

Dark Lycan

Dark Wolf

Dark Blood

Dark Ghost

Dark Promises

Dark Carousel

Dark Legacy

Dark Sentinel

Dark Illusion

Dark Song

Dark Nights

Darkest at Dawn (omnibus)

Sea Haven series:

Water Bound

Spirit Bound

Air Bound Earth Bound

Fire Bound

Bound Together

GhostWalker series:

Shadow Game

Mind Game

Night Game

Conspiracy Game

Deadly Game

Predatory Game

Murder Game

Street Game

Ruthless Game

Samurai Game

Viper Game

Spider Game

Power Game

Covert Game

Toxic Game

Lethal Game

Drake Sisters series:

Oceans of Fire

Dangerous Tides

Safe Harbour

Turbulent Sea

Hidden Currents

Magic Before Christmas

Leopard People series:

Fever

Burning Wild

Wild Fire

Savage Nature

Leopards Prey

Cats Lair

Wild Cat

Leopards Fury

Leopards Blood

Leopards Run

Leopards Wrath

Leopards Rage

The Scarletti Curse

Lair of the Lion

PIATKUS

First published in the US in 2020 by Berkley,

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Piatkus

Copyright 2020 by Christine Feehan

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this book

is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-0-349-42674-7

Piatkus

An imprint of

Little, Brown Book Group

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

An Hachette UK Company

www.hachette.co.uk

www.littlebrown.co.uk

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

APPENDIX 1 Carpathian Healing Chants

APPENDIX 2 The Carpathian Language

For my amazing team:

Denise, Domini, Brian, Sheila.

You are the best of the best.

FOR MY READERS

Be sure to go to . I would love to hear from you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As with any book, there are so many people to thank: Brian and Sheila, for competing with me during power hours. Domini, for always editing, no matter how many times I ask her to go over the same book before we send it for additional editing. Denise, for staying up nights and letting me write while she did the brunt of the business I never want to do. I cant thank you enough.

DARK SONG

By Caedyn Feehan

Through the howling of the wind, a whisper can be heard;

A soft serenade, pie sarnanak, feel my words.

A slumber for the ages, hidden within your retreat;

Awaken from your nightmare, feel the ground beneath your feet.

Theres light in the darkness, waiting to be seen;

Just as I wait for you, a king for his queen.

The earth may shake, and rivers may swell;

Yet here I stand, ready to break the spell.

The fog along the ridge, drifting through the trees;

A shadow in the distance, nothing but a breeze.

The rain upon a fire, frenzied and in need;

A blessing for all life, and fortune for the seed.

What once was a blaze, grows stronger than before;

A metal in the forge, turns a sword for the war.

A life of hope sings to you, melodies of devotion;

A world of love awaits, vaster than the ocean.

As the hues of the sky, shift upon the shore;

The reds once gray, a spectrum once more.

The waves among the rocks, music of the sea,

Thunderous harmonies carry you to me.

Hand in hand we are strong;

Sing with me, its to you I belong.

Ill be the bright star, in the dark hour of night;

When youre feeling lost, I will be your light.

I am by your side with every step you take;

Fighting every demon, your love I wont forsake.

When evil seeks a place, deep within your mind;

I will be your shield, protecting whats inside.

I cant heal your scars or take away the pain;

But I can be your shelter, a refuge all the same.

Ill teach you the words, and show you the way;

Youre strong on your own but tell me youll stay.

A symphony of power rolling through the land;

You and I together, here we make our stand.

Once blinded by the wicked, now your eyes are clear;

Look inside yourself, theres nothing left to fear.

The cage has collapsed, the prisoner stands tall;

The battle is ours to end, once and for all.

Now tell me this and tell me true;

Say youll choose me, as I chose you.

What once was a blaze, grows stronger than before;

A metal in the forge, turns a sword for the war.

A life of hope sings to you, melodies of devotion;

A world of love awaits, vaster than the ocean.

1

Through the howling of the wind, a whisper can be heard;

A soft serenade, pie sarnanak, feel my words.

Sound woke her. Elisabeta Trigovise didnt want to be awake. She wanted to sleep forever, but those weeping notes refused to allow her to succumb to her need to hide from the world. Like the drops of rain drumming softly into the earth, feeding the soil, those notes slipped into her mind with a song of rising. More and more that gentle melody awakened her on each rising, became more insistent that she comply more fully. That she more than just wake to feed and go straight back to slumber.

Whereas before, the song was in her mind, now it sank into her body, her blood and bones, her heart and soul, calling to her persistently, and she knew it was the call of her lifemateone she couldnt ignore. She didnt dare ignore. It didnt matter how terrified she was of him. She had to answer.

There was safety beneath the ground. Solace. No one could get to her. She was alone and no demands could be put on her, but she had known all along it wasnt going to last. Every rising, each time the sun set, the danger began. She tried to sleep, but they came to feed her. At first many had come. Different ones. That had been frightening, but the blood had revived her, made her stronger, and no one had asked anything of her. She was allowed to go back to sleep in the healing soil to repair her body and fractured mind. Now, only