"You once loved me," Antonina said. "Remember? Ah, those long summer nights we spent together,
cara—"
"Don't call me that!"
Antonina lifted a delicate black brow. "Did she hurt you, Gianni? Is that why you've come here, to lick your wounds?" She moved toward him, her footsteps so light she seemed to float across the floor. "Come out with me, Gianni," she crooned, her dark eyes shining with the lust for blood. "Let us hunt together."
Slowly, Gabriel shook his head. "Go away, Nina," he said wearily. "I don't want you."
She drew herself up to her full height, her expression regal, haughty.
"You wanted me once, Giovanni Ognibene. Can you deny that it was good between us?" A knowing smile teased her lips. "I see that you remember the nights we spent together. In all these years,
mon amour, I
have not found another lover to compare with you."
He stared at her, hating her because what she said was true. They had been good together. She had loved him with the passion and strength and endurance that only a vampire could possess. She had been insatiable, hungry for his touch, and he had delighted in it. At the time, he had thought it was because he was a superb lover. He knew now that, even as a mortal, she would have been insatiable, forever lusting for more.
Eager to put some distance between them, he walked to the fireplace and rested his hand on the mantel. "You haven't told me why you're here."
"I'm lonely," she said petulantly. "Lonely and bored. Won't you amuse me for a little while, Gianni, for old times' sake?"
"No."
"Once you wanted what only I could give you," she said, her voice brittle. "Now I want what only you can give me."
Gabriel shook his head. "There are other vampires in the world, Nina. Seek your pleasure from one of them."
"But none of them are you, Gianni. You owe me a debt. Were it not for me, your body would have been food for the worms these last three hundred and fifty years."
"I can't give you what you want."
"I'm not asking for your love, Giovanni, only a moment of your time."
"No. You have nothing to tempt me with this time, Nina. You can't offer me life. I have no need of gold." He breathed a weary sigh. "Go away."
Her eyes narrowed ominously, her lips thinned, and he wondered how he had ever thought her beautiful.
"So," she hissed, "you would deny me a single night in your bed?"
"I would deny you a single minute."
"Think carefully, Giovanni," she warned. "Think about your little ballerina."
In an instant, he was across the room, his hand locked around her throat. "You will not touch a hair on her head! Do you hear me? Not a hair!"
She laughed in his face. "Do you think to threaten me, Giovanni?"
"It is no threat, Antonina. If you dare to lay a hand on Sara, I will drag you out into the sunlight and watch you burn."
She made a low sound of disbelief. "You would die for this mortal woman?"
"If need be. Look at me, Nina. Never doubt that I mean what I say. I will burn beside you rather than let you harm Sara."
"You fool! Do you think I have survived for a thousand years by being intimidated by the likes of you? Be careful where you rest,
cara
. I have those who will do my bidding by day. They will not hesitate to drive a stake through your ungrateful heart, and then bring me your head." She glared at him defiantly. "And what do you think will become of your little ballerina then?" She laughed softly, wickedly. "I should hate to destroy a creature as handsome as you,
mon amour
. Perhaps I shall bring her over instead. Would you like that?"
Gabriel's hands wrapped around her throat, choking off her breath. He wished fervently that he could squeeze the life from her body, but such a thing was impossible.
With a cry of frustration, he let her go, then wiped his hands on the sides of his trousers, as if touching her had somehow denied him.
Rage flickered in the depths of her hell-black eyes. "You will regret this night, Giovanni. I promise you, you will regret this night!"
"Nina!" Fear for Sara's life rose up within him. "Damn you, Nina, come back here!"
But it was too late. She was gone in a swirling gray mist, her voice trailing behind her like smoke.
You will regret this night
…
Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. Damn! What had he done? Why hadn't he given Nina what she wanted? A night of his time. What difference would one night have made?
He glanced out the window. The sky was growing light, changing from black to indigo. Antonina would have to go to ground soon, as would he.
Muttering an oath, he found a scrap of parchment and quickly wrote a list of directions, advising his servants that he had been called away in the middle of the night, leaving instructions that the crate in the basement was to be shipped to Paris immediately, along with his horse. He left enough money to pay for his passage, as well as a generous gratuity. As an afterthought, he invited his servants to take up residence in the castle until he returned, if they so desired.
With the last detail taken care of, he went below to seek his rest, confident that his instructions would be obeyed without question.
His last thought, as the darkness carried him away, was of Sara.
She was never going to see him again. Finally, after three long months, she had resigned herself to that fact. She had stopped looking for him in the audience while she danced, she had stopped searching for his face in the crowds that lingered outside the theater, she had stopped waiting for his knock at the door.
And she had told Maurice that she would marry him in the spring.
She glanced at him now as he donned his hat and coat. He was indeed a handsome young man, lean and fit from hours of dancing and exercise. The ballerinas in the corps de ballet eyed her with envy because she had everything. She was the
prima ballerina
. Her name was well known in Venice and London and Paris. And she was going to marry Maurice, the
premier danseur
of the company. Perhaps, one day, they would even form their own ballet company.
She walked him to the door of her apartment, accepted his kiss, bade him good-bye.
Closing the door, she leaned back against it and closed her eyes. She had everything she had ever wanted, so why was she so unhappy? Why did she have to force herself to smile when she was with Maurice? Why did his kisses leave her cold and unmoved?
Because of Gabriel. Always Gabriel. Forever Gabriel. He was out of her life, but he would never be out of her heart, and try as she might, she would never make it so.
"Gabriel." His name was a sob on her lips.
"Cara."
She whirled around, her heart climbing into her throat at the sound of his voice, at the world of tenderness in his endearment for her.
"Gabriel!" She stared at him, unable to believe he was there, that she hadn't conjured his image from the depths of her aching heart.
He wore black breeches, black boots, and a dark green shirt. His cloak fell from shoulders even broader than she remembered. His hair was the color of ebony, his eyes the dark gray of storm-tossed clouds.
The silence stretched between them.
She longed to run into his arms, to lay her head on his chest and cry out all the unhappiness of the past three months.
He yearned to hold her close, to assure himself that she was well.
But she was afraid of being rejected.
And he was afraid that if he touched her again, he would never, ever let her go.
And then she saw the aching loneliness in the depths of his eyes and knew she would risk anything, even the pain of rejection, to comfort him, if only for a moment.
And he knew that he had been fighting a losing battle since the moment he first held her.
"Cara."
Just that one word. That was all he said. But it broke the barrier between them. In less than a heartbeat, she was enfolded in his arms, tears of joy flowing down her cheeks. And he was murmuring her name over and over again, his loneliness banished forever by the sight of her tears—tears of love, of happiness, of acceptance.
He held her close for a long moment, feeling as though he had come home at last, and then he bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. And she melted into him, her arms stealing around his waist, holding him as if she would never let him go.
He kissed her again, more deeply this time, letting himself absorb her warmth, her sweetness.
"Ah,
cara
," he murmured, "if you only knew how much I've missed you."
"No more than I missed you." She gazed into his eyes. "I tried to call you with my mind."
Gabriel nodded. "I heard you."
"Why didn't you answer?"
"You must know why."
"Because you're a…"
"Vampire."
She nodded, wondering why the word was so hard to say. In her heart, she knew it was true, but deep inside she believed that if she never said the word, the truth would go away.
"Sara." He rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Why have you come back?" she asked tremulously.
"Do you want me to go?" He had told himself that if she no longer held any affection for him, he would find Nina and do whatever she asked in exchange for her promise to spare Sara's life.
"No! Oh, Gabriel, nothing's the same without you. Please don't leave me again."
"I won't," he promised. "If you're sure you want me to stay, I'll stay."
"I'm sure."
"And what of Maurice Delacroix?"
Maurice! Guilt washed through her. She had promised to marry Maurice in the spring.
At her silence, Gabriel drew back so he could see her face. "What is it,
cara
?"
"I…"
A sudden heaviness settled over Gabriel. Had she fallen in love with the other man in his absence? "Sara?"
"I… I didn't think I would ever see you again," she stammered, "so… so I…" She swallowed hard. "I told Maurice I'd marry him."
"I see."
"But I don't want Maurice! I want you."
"Do you?"
"Yes! You've got to believe me. I only said I'd marry him because it didn't matter. If I couldn't have you, it didn't matter. Don't you see?"
"Has he made love to you?" He spoke the words calmly, as if her reply was of no real import, knowing all the while that he would kill Delacroix with his bare hands if he'd dared do more than kiss Sara good night.
"Of course not," Sara replied indignantly. She studied Gabriel's face anxiously. "You believe me, don't you?"
He nodded, a soft smile curving his lips. "I would know if you were lying,
cara
."
Gently, he enfolded her in his embrace once again, conscious of the warmth of her skin, the life that flowed through her, the steady beat of her heart. She was so young, so alive.
"Gabriel? You didn't tell me what made you decide to come back after all this time."
He let out a long sigh, knowing she deserved the truth. "I'm afraid I've put you in danger, Sara."
"Me? How?"
"It's a long story. Come, let us sit down and be comfortable."
Taking her hand, he led her to the sofa and sat down, drawing her down beside him. He glanced around the room while he gathered his thoughts, absently noting that the furnishings were new.
"You remember the story I told you about how I came to be a vampire?"
Sara nodded.
"The woman who brought me over came to see me in Spain. She wanted me to be her lover again."
Sara stared up at him, her eyes filled with jealousy at the thought of Gabriel caressing another woman. "You never told me she'd been your lover."
"It was a long time ago. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."
"Oh. And did you… did she… ?"
"No,
cara
," Gabriel replied quietly, "we didn't. But when I refused, she became angry and threatened my life." He paused a moment. "And yours."
"Mine? But why?"
"She is also jealous,
cara
."
Sara frowned. "How does she know about me?"
Gabriel shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps she's been following me."
"And she threatened to kill me?"
"Not exactly."
Sara sat very still, her whole body suddenly cold. "What, exactly?"
"She threatened to make you one of us."
"No!" There was a wealth of horror, of revulsion, in that single word of denial.
"That's why I came back, Sara. To protect you, if I can."
"
If
you
can?"
Gabriel nodded. "She's a very old and very powerful vampire. I'm not sure I have the ability to thwart her."
Sara stared at him, more afraid than she had ever been in her life. If Gabriel, who was possessed of supernatural strength and power, wasn't sure he could protect her, what chance did she have?
Vampire. She loved Gabriel with her whole heart and soul, yet she knew she would rather be dead than become what Gabriel was, a man cut off from humanity, from God. She didn't want to live off the blood of others, to spend endless days in darkness. She wanted a home, a husband, children…
She began to shiver convulsively, and Gabriel drew her into his arms and held her tight. Though he made no conscious effort, he could read Sara's thoughts, and he quietly damned himself for not acquiescing to Nina's demands. He should have remembered how spiteful she could be. He should have done anything, promised anything, to temper her anger. Perhaps it wasn't too late…
"No!"
Startled, he glanced down at Sara to find her staring up at him, her wide blue eyes filled with jealousy.
"Don't even think of going to that… that woman."
"It might be for the best,
cara
."
"No."
"Sara, she has the power to hypnotize others to do her will. If she manages to destroy me, you'll be at her mercy."
"I don't care. I won't let you go to her."
Gabriel raised one black brow. "
You
won't let me?"
Sara shook her head. "You're mine now. I won't share you with her or any other woman."