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He was on the brink of awareness when he heard her voice

Startled, he sat up, wondering if he had dreaain, her voice, as loud and clear as if she stood beside him

Hurry to me, beloved Hurry toin the sound of that single word Beloved If only it were true

He dressed hurriedly, anxious to see her again, to see her sh the night, his preternatural speed carrying hi up in bed, an angel in a high-necked, long-sleeved gown Her hair fell over her slender shoulders in endless waves of honey gold

His heart quickened when he ht of him

Ah, Sara, he thought, if you only knehat lad to see hter than the sun at noonday

"So," he said quietly, "tell me about your day"

Pleased at his interest, she told hier children, of how she had envisioned herself as a nun, helping to teach the other orphans

A nun! The word thundered through him A nun! But what a waste that would be, to clothe her frail beauty in robes of soold-colored hair, to bury her forever behind these walls where she would doubtless receive the love of nuive birth to a child of her own

A nun He nearly choked on the word, on the idea And then jealousy rose up within hi around his heart Better she should be a nun than find happiness in the ar, he kneould destroy anyup at hihtly to one side, her eyes filled with concern "Are you all right?"

"Of course"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes" He sat down on the stool beside her bed "I&039;m sure you would make a fine nun, cara, if that is your desire"

"It isn&039;t, really" She lowered her gaze to her hands "I hat every girl wants," she said, though her voice lacked conviction "A husband A ho or disagreeing, and she looked up at his," she said, "but what I really want is to dance! Oh, Gabriel, if only I could dance"

"I&039;m afraid I cannot transforret, "but you could dance with me, if you like"

"With you? How?"

"Like this"

Effortlessly, he lifted her from the bed and held her in his arms so that her feet were mere inches above the floor And then, to her utter surprise, he began to sing, his voice soft and clear as he waltzed her around the room

For a moment, she could only stare at him, mesmerized by the sound of his voice, and then, as he whirled her around and around, pleasure bubbled up inside her like a wellspring, erupting in peals of happy laughter Ah, the wonder of it, she thought as he twirled her around with all the innate grace of a dancingabout her shoulders and Gabriel&039;s voice wrapping around her,shtly, so easily, as if she weighed nothing at all His arentle His hand held hers, warhter died in her throat as she gazed into his eyes, those fathoray eyes that held all the sadness of the world

She hardly realized he had stopped dancing, stopped singing, so lost was she in the depths of his gaze He held her body to his with both arms now, and she could feel every inch of his hard ainst hers The sadness in his eyes was burned away by a sudden blaze of enize She felt the heat of it spiral through her,her aware of hi before He was tall and muscular His shoulders and chest were broad She could feel the heat of his body, the ether, she ht crossed her mind, she became acutely aware of her own body, of a sudden restlessness She wanted hihter She wanted him to kiss her, the way the prince kissed the princess in the fairy tale

"Gabriel" She leaned toward him, until all she saas his face, his eyes

"No" With a choked cry, he carried her back to the bed, dropping her onto the mattress as if her skin burned his hands

"What is it?" she asked, confused "What&039;s the hed, a harsh sound devoid of humor "Ah, Sara, you foolish child If you only knew"

"Knehat?"

He clenched his hands at his sides in an effort to still thewithin him Not for centuries had he satisfied his unholy desire with a girl as young, as pure, as Sara Not since he&039;d first been made vampire had he quenched his thirst with the blood of an innocent

"Gabriel?"

Ah, the sweet, trusting sound of her voice as she whispered his na, the untapped passion He could hear every beat of her heart, hear the thruh her veins, thick with desire It was almost more than he could bear

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep, cal breath This was Sara, his Sara He could not violate her He would not take her blood, though to do so would be ecstasy

"Gabriel, are you ill?"

"No" The as one of harsh denial "But I o"

"So soon?"

"Yes" He opened his eyes and forced a sht" She repeated the words, holding theht, cara," he said, his voice thick, and then he was gone, running as if he, hi pursued by demons

He ran for hours, unable to outrun his loneliness, his longing, and then, filled with self-loathing, he entered the ht as hestaircase that led to the underground catacombs where the monks had buried their dead It was a dark place, e and decay

To punish hi the lid, he brought it doith a resounding thud, burying hi darkness he hated

"Monster," he murmured, and the word echoed off the sides of the oak casket "Deotten spawn of the devil," he declared, his voice growing thick as the heavy sleep of the undead dragged him down, down, into the deep abyss of oblivion

"You will not"

He woke the following evening, awithin him as he opened his eyes to eternal darkness And then he re an oath, he climbed out of the coffin He had not used it into take his rest in the big throne-like chair upstairs

He stared at the burnished oak for a long ti himself of what he was Not abut death and darkness

His steps were heavy as he clied his clothes, combed his hair, donned his cloak

As if to further punish hi what could never be his, he went out into the shadows, a bloodthirsty beast stalking its prey

This is what you are The words echoed and reechoed in his head as he bent over his hapless victi you&039;re still a ht but a ht toward the orphanage And all the while, he tried to convince hiht, should not be conta to talk hih stone wall

She aiting for him He had expected to find her tucked into bed, but she was sitting in her chair, facing the veranda doors Her goodness, her sweetness, reached out to hiht

"A new dress," he remarked as he crossed the threshold

She nodded shyly "I made it"

"It&039;s lovely," he murmured And, indeed, it was The deep blue darkened her eyes, the full sleeves res "You are lovely"

His words brought a flush to her cheeks "Thank you"

"So lovely" He held out his hand "Would you go out with me, coral"

"Out?" She looked puzzled "Out where?"

"Wherever you like"