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I fla hysterically

Pain seared through hih the layers of oblivion, his gaze opening on darkness He knew iht and for asave the threat of ihed hiht of day

Sara!

He knew in that er, that the pain that had seared through him had been her pain His hands clenched at his sides as he tried to rise It was like trying to fight his way out of quicksand, and he fell back, breathing heavily, fearhis heart beat fast

Sara!

Histhunder

Sara!

She was hurt, perhaps dying, and until sundown there was nothing he could do

Never before had he felt so helpless, so cursed Fro a kindly heaven to help her, to spare her life

"Please Please Please"

Just that single word, repeated over and over again, as he was dragged down into the darkness

When he woke, he could still feel her pain, her anguish, and he knew she was still clinging to life

I&039;hts across the

"He&039;s coh a ain

"Lie still, child," Sister Mary Josepha said "YouI&039;ve I&039;ve got to be ready"

Sister Mary Josepha glanced up at Sister Mary Ynez "Who&039;s co about?"

Sister Mary Ynez shook her head "Maybe she&039;s thinking of her father Will you stay with her while I look in on the others? I fear Elizabeth will not survive the night"

Sister Mary Josepha nodded "Poor child," she an to pray

Gabriel walked down the narrow hallway, his nostrils filling with the odor of alcohol and antiseptic, of strong carbolic and ether Of blood Soat hi around him Blood Warm and sweet

He turned down another hallway, and the lust for blood was overshadowed by pain Sara&039;s pain She was unconscious, but her silent screa at his heart, his soul

On silent feet, he approached the doorway She was lying on a narrow bed, covered by a thin white sheet An elderly nun sat in a straight-backed wooden chair beside the bed, a orn rosary clutched in her gnarled hands

The nun glanced up as he stepped into the roo in horror "What are you doing here?"

Gabriel said nothing, his guilt over what he was rising up to choke him in the face of the old nun&039;s purity of heart and soul

"Spawn of the devil," she whispered, "why are you here?"

Her words cut him to the quick "I mean her no harm, Sister, I assure you"

Sister Mary Josepha clutched her rosary to her breast, her thuone!"

Gabriel shook his head "I ed and small of stature, the nun bravely put herself between Gabriel and Sara

"You will not have her" Sister Mary Josepha lifted the crucifix, thrusting it toward hione, I say!"

Gabriel took a step backward and then, drawing on his revenant power, he gazed deep into the nun&039;s eyes, delving into her mind

"Sit down, Sister," he said quietly

Slowly, her movements stiff and unnatural, the nun moved to the chair and sat down

Gabriel passed his hand in front of her face "Sleep now," he said, his voice quiet, soothing

He felt a ainst the dark power of three hundred and fifty years Her eyelids closed, her head lolled forward, and she was asleep

On silent feet, Gabriel azed down at Sara Revulsion and a wave of pity rose within him as he stared at her, at the blistered skin on her ar in his eyes as he saw the ugly burns on her chest, her legs Miraculously, her face had been spared

She es of his soul He placed his fingertip against the pulse in her throat Her heartbeat was slow, her life force weak She was dying

"No!" The as ripped fro her in his ar her swiftly fro those he passed to their presence

With preternatural speed, he raced toward the abbey Sara lay li at all and he carried her effortlessly

"Please don&039;t let her die Please don&039;t let her die"

The words were a prayer in his heart, even though he didn&039;t believe that God would hear him

When he reached the abbey, he carried her into his room and laid her on the floor A blink of his eye started a fire in the hearth Re his cloak, he spread it before the fireplace, then placed her on it, his heart pounding with fear She looked so still; her skin, what little hadn&039;t been burned, was as pale as death

With a sob, he slit the vein in his wrist, parted her lips, and let his blood drip into her mouth One drop, two A dozen How h, he drew the fur-lined cloak around her, then gathered her into his arazed into the fla how the fire had started, listening to her softShe sobbed for herhi, cara," heand knew the ti as he could, held her until his body felt drugged, heavy Reluctantly, he laid her on the floor in front of the hearth, wishing he had a bed for her, blankets Clothes And hard on the heels of that thought cas, that he had given her his accursed blood in tiive her, only a bottle of aged red wine He left it on the hearth where she would be sure to see it if she woke, and then, having done all he could, he left her

On feet that felt as heavy as lead, he made his way down to the catacombs and secured the door With Sara in the house, he would have to take his sleep with the rest of the dead

He rose as the sun was going down, the smell of rain heavy in the air He took the stairs two at a time, ran down the narrow hallway to his room

Sara lay as he had left her, her blond hair spread like a golden halo around her head

Mur back his cloak, his gaze swept over her froh of relief She was healing Not as swiftly as he would have, but she was healing Her skin still looked raw in places, but the blisters were shrinking, drying

Gently, he covered her once h hiht

"Gabriel?"

He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him, her brow furrowed in bewilderment

"How do you feel?" he asked

"Terrible What happened?"

"There was a fire at the orphanage"

"A fire! How did it start?"

"I don&039;t know"

"Do you know if Sister Mary Josepha and the other nuns survived the fire? And the children ?" She blinked back a tear as she thought of all the sweet dear children she had grown to care for Had they been burned, as well?

"I don&039;t know, Sara, but I&039;ll find out"

"Thank you"

She glanced over his shoulder "Where are we?"

"This is where I live"

"Here?" She stared at the rooe, thronelike chair There was a faded space on one here a large crucifix had once been She thought it odd that the room&039;s only as covered by a thick black cloth "What is this place?"

"It used to be a ue an to surface "I seeet here?" She stared at hiry?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject

"No I want to knohy I&039; to answer her, and she was too muddled by all that had happened to pursue thesuddenly dry

With a nod, Gabriel poured her a glass of wine, and she reached for it, her hand halting halfway to the glass

He saw the horror in her eyes as she gazed at her hand, at the reddened skin, the ugly yellow scabs left by the blisters

"Sara"

"My hand What happened to my hand? My arm?" She threw the cloak aside, the fact that she was naked not registering as she looked at the raw red patches that covered her ar in her throat, the panic in her eyes, and cursed hi to prepare her

"Sara, listen to ht?" She stared at him, then slowly shook her head "I don&039;t understand Why doesn&039;t it hurt?"

"I" He took a deep breath "I gave you so?"

"A new medicine Sometimes it works miracles" He drew the cloak around her "Rest now, cara Sleep is the best healer of all" He stroked her hair "Don&039;t be alar," he said "I htfall"

She nodded, and then she closed her eyes and curled into his ar as a babe

He held her until he was certain she was asleep, and then he went out She would need soarments A comb and brush and pins for her hair A bed to sleep in

Unmindful of the rain, he went into the city The shopkeepers all knew hiht the best, the er to serve hierly opened their doors, anxious to do his bidding

He bought bread and cheese, a variety of fruits and vegetables, a bottle of vintage wine He bought a sreen striped da footstool, a small table inlaid with ivory, a box of scented candles, a Persian rug, a narrow bed with an elaborately carved headboard, sheets and linens, a pillow stuffed with feathers

Entering one of the ladies&039; shops, he picked out several colorful frocks, undergars, a pair of shoes with silver buckles Ribbons in rainbow colors for her hair A bonnet trimmed with feathers and lace Perfumed soap for her bath A dark blue cloak triown of rose-colored velvet He bought her a box of chocolates, a feather fan, a pair of gloves, another book of poetry, a bouquet of spring flowers, an elegant crystal vase to put them in

He was on his way home when he passed a toy shop The doll in thei all his goods into a rented wagon, he drove back to the abbey