This story is a fan fiction containing the author Christine Feehan's Dark Series/Carpathian Novels and several of the characters within various novels of hers. That being said, I don't own the characters or the Carpathian world. Enjoy. Give feedback!

Chapter One:

She was lying awake again. Not even on the most peaceful of nights could she sleep the sleep of someone innocent. It was nearing three in the morning- she'd said goodnight to her parents almost an hour ago, ready for bed. But it eluded her. Like every other night, she lay in her bed with nothing but her thoughts to consume her.

Except for his thoughts, that was.

He believed he was shielding her from his thoughts, from his feelings. But he couldn't. She was his lifemate, regardless of how much she wanted it to be otherwise. His loneliness currently stretched out, crossing a great distance, to gnaw at her conscience. He was all alone with no comfort but that of his fellow wolves. Yet even they could not soothe him.

Skyler closed her eyes as a tight knot of sadness and guilt assailed her chest at the thought of causing another person pain. Of causing him pain. Her turmoil was so great that small beads of blood dotted her pale forehead. She hugged her small toy wolf to her, laying her face close to its head, her dark hair fanning out across the pillow, small streaks of red illuminated by the moon. Hey dove grey gaze focused on its crystal-like blue eyes, so intense and so like his. "Dimitri."

All at once warmth flooded her small, childlike body, seeping into her mind and soul.

"Little one. You must go to sleep, your body is tired and your mind needs peace."

Skyler scrunched her eyes shut at his voice, realising the mistake she'd made of accidentally reaching out to him with her mind. Dimitri's voice flowed over her body, sinking into her very bones so that all she could think of doing was burrowing closer to his mind. But she couldn't. There was too much violence there. Despite how velvet soft he spoke, how delicately his mind touched hers. Dimitri was a man of violence, of cruelty and domination. He had awoken things inside her that Skyler wanted undiscovered, that she needed to be left alone. All with a kiss.

She could never be with a man, let alone a Carpathian male. Just the thought of yet another man touching her, his hands on her body, made Skyler sick. She'd been through horrors that no child should have ever had to experience. Betrayed by her father, she'd been abused continuously in order for him to gain drugs.

Although Francesca and Gabriel had dulled the effects of her memories, the scars of her past were on her soul as well as her body. She rubbed at the crescent shaped scar on her temple, unable to stop herself from doing so.

"I do not mean to cause you distress, lyubof maya, I merely felt your discomfort and wanted to ease you." His voice was a caress that effected Skyler more than she would have liked to admit.

"I'm sorry I can't ease you as well." Skyler spoke to him softly, an intimate, feminine touch that rocked Dimitri all the way to his core. Before the demon had a chance to rise and demand he come for her, he pushed it down and focused on what his lifemate needed from him. "All is well, Skyler Rose, you never have to apologise to me."

Skyler found herself relaxing into her white pillows, one hand holding onto her toy wolf- made by Dimitri himself in order to raise money to protect the wolves in Russia- while the other sought out the necklace she was wearing.

The miniature wolf pendent, carved in exquisite detail, was a gift from Dimitri, one that she couldn't bear to remove, even when showering. It was warm between her small breasts. Comforting.

Dimitri allowed himself to feel satisfaction at knowing she wore his present. It was a small step, but a step nonetheless, towards creating a bond between them that wouldn't frighten Skyler. One she wouldn't fight against, or feel threatened by.

He sensed her body was tired, yet her mind refused to allow herself to sleep. "I can compel you to rest, to sleep deep and long, csitri, should you require it," he offered.

Instantly, Skyler shied away from his presence in her mind, cursing herself for letting him in even as much as he was then. "I don't want you to compel me. I don't want anyone to ever have control over me!" she replied in panic.

He caught a ripple of her next hastily discarded thought: "Never again."

Dimitri instantly retreated, giving his lifemate space even though he silently felt anger build at the injustices she'd suffered which now made her so cautious of him. If any of those who had hurt her so villainously were still alive, he'd have tracked them down one by one and exacted vengeance.

His nails sharpened into talons without his bidding, the demon roaring at him to let it rise and kill. Dimitri struggled, battling against his feelings which were so powerful. He was so on edge, ever since having found Skyler, and he was not entirely certain if he could hold out much longer against the gathering darkness.

He'd had one moment of pure bliss, serenity and peace the likes of which he'd never known, when he'd first seen her. She was an angel, radiating goodness and light, so much so that by just being in her proximity, he'd felt as if his soul wasn't as damaged, as stained, as he'd thought.

But now, with the distance, with her reluctance to merge with him, both physically and mentally, Dimitri had gone back to a hell worse than being incapable of feeling. He felt everything now, it was painful. That one glimpse of paradise had haunted him ever since.

The demon within howled for its mate, clawing at his insides in protest at being denied his right.

"What is it, Dimitri? Did I make you angry?" Skyler's voice questioned, breaking into his mute battle. She was close to tears, too much stress on her thin shoulders at having to deal with such a thing as his all-consuming need to have her.

He let the sound of her melodic voice soothe him and calm the beast.

"No, it is I who made myself upset," Dimitri replied.

Silence greeted him, and he thought she'd broken off contact. But then he felt it; a delicate brush, like a butterfly's wings, against his mind, his soul, his heart. She was reading his thoughts and sifting through them to find the truth.

He felt pride at her actions even as he hastily hid his previous thoughts on those who had harmed her. He knew Skyler hated to be reminded of those men and the things they had done to her.

Deciding to distract her and to calm her down enough so that she could sleep, Dimitri offered her something he knew she'd never refuse. "Would you like to see a pack of wolves? They are my pack, and I have been running with them for many years."

Instantly, he felt her childlike curiosity and anticipation. Yet she held back slightly, afraid it was a trap of some kind.

"All I will do is show you them and the night through my eyes. It is beautiful. I want to share it with you, because I know how much wolves fascinate you," he enticed softly, keeping all compulsion from his voice, only speaking the purity of truth.

He felt her acceptance and wasted no time in changing into the form of a wolf. Fur rippled across his body, a dark, glossy coat encapsulating him as he became a member of his pack. Holding the mind merge, Dimitri called to his brethren with a loud, lone howl.

Several answering howls carried on the wind alerted him that his pack was running to meet him and would be there in a manner of seconds. He took the time to gaze around him, knowing Skyler saw what he saw: the night was cold and fresh, snow upon the ground blindingly white and the night sky beautifully dark with glittering stars and a peaceful moon. He scented various prey around him and couldn't wait to chase rabbits just to feel Skyler's fascination.

Soon there were wolves surrounding Dimitri, yapping and wagging their tails as they whined and licked his snout. They were happy to see him, sensing he was different. He led the pack, running ahead of them through the forests of his beloved Russia.

Skyler saw through his eyes, read his thoughts and feelings and found herself holding her breath in awe. It was magnificent and wonderful. She'd never felt so amazed in all her life at the beauty of an animal.

Dimitri monitored her thoughts and felt a curious warming in the vicinity of his heart. It felt like it wanted to burst with… happiness. The simple act of showing her what it was like to run with his pack as a wolf, knowing the way she reacted in such an innocent and carefree way, made him happy.

Skyler Rose went to sleep in the early morning hours, a hand on her wolf and another nestled close to her face. She dreamed peacefully of running amongst the wolves herself, of licking at Dimitri's snout and playing with the younger pack-members. Knowing the moment Skyler had succumbed to rest, Dimitri whispered, "Sleep well, sivamet…" His voice calmed her heart so it beat slower.

So, tell me what you think! I'm trying to write at least similar to how Christine Feehan writes, because a Dark novel wouldn't be the same if it was written differently, in my opinion. As soon as I read Dark Celebration, I was desperate to know Skyler and Dimitri's story!!! And I couldn't wait, so I decided to attempt my own. Reviews, please!