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The next teeks were the s with long rehearsals, and her afternoons with Maurice He took her shopping, to lunch, on long walks, onapicnic She refused to discuss Gabriel or the cottage, refused to relate what had happened between herself and Gabriel at the hotel

She took a nap late each afternoon, then went to the theater She tried to lose herself in her dancing, but she found no joy in it Her feet felt like lead; her heart seehtly, ad her to pay attention, to listen to the music, but to no avail There was no joy in her heart, nobut the sound of Gabriel&039;s voice bidding her good-bye

If her days were long, and her dancing less than perfect, her nights could only be described as hellish

She was torhthouls with eyes that glowed, deht after night, she woke in a cold sweat On several occasions, she slipped out of bed and lit the la in the mirror to make certain there were no bites on her neck

As bad as those dreahtmares in which the fiends that chased her had Gabriel&039;s voice, Gabriel&039;s eyes

These drea in the park, or they would be dancing while he sang to her, and then, gradually, she would be overcome with a sense of dread A shroud of darkness would overcos so that she couldn&039;t run, and then he would be there, bending over her, enveloping her in the folds of his cloak until she are of nothing but the blood-red glow in his eyes and the s his teeth, the canines long and sharp

And then the true terror began, flooding through her with each wild beat of her heart as he bent over her Horror would clog her throat, trapping her scream inside, so that she could only stare up at hiht in the jaws of a wolf She would feel his lips on hers, his hands caressing her back And then, just as she had convinced herself there was nothing to be afraid of, she would feel the sharp sting of his teeth at her neck

Taut with fear, she would close her eyes, waiting for the pain, but there was no pain, only a gradual awareness of sensual pleasure that started deep within her and vibrated outward To her horror, she would tilt her head to the side, exposing es of his teeth Heat would pulse through her, its warmth hypnotic, so that, when he finally dreay, she cried out in protest, begging hih softly and then plunge his fangs into her neck again, a lol of de in his throat as he drained the blood from her body

She would wake up screa violently, the bedclothes soaked with perspiration

After the first few nights, she tried to stay awake, but after a strenuous day of rehearsing and dancing, her body deht on, but even that failed to banish the demons that haunted her, and when that didn&039;t help, she asked one of the other dancers to stay with her for a couple of days, thinking Jean Marie&039;s presence htened Jean Marie so badly that the girl packed up her things and left while it was still dark outside

As a last resort, she asked Maurice to cohts on the sofa It didn&039;t stop the dreaood to have hith of his ar would be all right

Another week passed, and then another Maurice proposed to her again, and when she refused hi hihts anyway," he said with irrefutable logic "And it would be so s were here, as well"

"I don&039;t know" Sara shook her head "I don&039;t think that&039;s a good idea"

"You&039;re not thinking of a reconciliation with him, are you?"

"No Whatever we had is over It&039;s just that" She shrugged, and then smiled at hiht, Sara Jayne," he said good-naturedly "We&039;ll let it go for now But I proain Soon" He winked at her "I&039;ll be by to pick you up later"

She kissed hiood-bye, then went to sit by theWhy was she so reluctant to share her life with Maurice? He loved her He was kind, thoughtful, fun to be with, intelligent, generous He wouldto share her apartment with him, excuses that had never occurred to her when Gabriel had taken her in his arms

Gabriel She missed him, missed him more than she wanted to admit She relived every moment she had spent with him, from the first tie to the last night in his hotel roo held in his arms while he danced her around the room, remembered the joy they had shared when she discovered she could walk

She glanced at the ballerina doll Gabriel had given her He had been kindness itself in those days at the abbey, buying her gifts, singing to her, caring for her He had taken her to her first ballet, letting her see for herself that it was as beautiful, as wonderful, as she had i her experience the stallion&039;s marvelous speed and power He had fulfilled her every wish, her every dream The clothes in her closet, the food on her table, the very apartment in which she lived, were all possible because of Gabriel&039;s generosity

But, more importantly, he had made her feel loved, cherished Even when she had been trapped in her wheelchair, he had ift, the ability to make another feel important Until she had met Gabriel, she had always felt as if she had been a burden, first to her faiven her a sense of self-worth, and she knew that, even if she were still bound to her chair, he would still find her desirable

He had given her so else, as well He had allowed her to coht in the park, when he had knelt at her feet and begged her to hold hile tear slipped down her cheek as she recalled the abject loneliness she had read in the depths of his eyes, his hunger for the gentle touch of her hand

She loved hi that had passed between thee that simple fact She loved him And he loved her

They&039;d been apart ale and went to his hotel She had dressed with care in a long-sleeved white silk blouse and a pink skirt She wore a wide-brimmed white hat triloves

Taking a last glance in thedouble-tiain

She lifted her chin defiantly as she walked up the stairs to Gabriel&039;s roolance she received fro she was a harlot, since no lady deserving of the name would call on a man as not a relative unless she was adequately chaperoned But what she had to say to Gabriel was best said in private

She knocked on his door twice, then stamped her foot She should have known he wouldn&039;t be here He was never about during the day; in fact, she couldn&039;t ever re seen him before dusk

What didhe do all day that he was never available?

Frowning, she went outside and sue to take her back to her aparte hertoo closely, she instructed the driver to take her to the cottage on the outskirts of town

"Shall I wait, mademoiselle?" the driver asked

"Yes, please I shan&039;t be long"

"Very well, er to his hat brie in the shade afforded by a tree a short distance away

Lifting her skirts, Sara made her way to the front door, only to find that it was locked Making her way to the back of the house, she peered through the broken

"Gabriel," she called softly "Are you here?"

She listened a ain, no answer, only a strong iathered her skirts and clih of exasperation as she snagged her petticoat on a piece of glass

And then she was inside the cottage The absolute quiet of the place was overwhelination, or could she hear the house breathing? She was certain she could hear the ha to breathe, she tiptoed through the house, her apprehension groith each step

And then, as if drawn by a net, she found herself at the cellar door

She lifted a tree deserted her Whatever lay behind that door, she didn&039;t want to know

She was about to leave when the door swung open and she found herself face to face with Gabriel

He was not happy to see her

" Cara, what are you doing here?"

"That&039;s what I was going to ask you"

Gabriel crossed the threshold and closed the door behind hiht?"

"Fine," he replied tersely In truth, it took a great deal of effort for hith was at its lowest ebb It was possible for hiht at the bottom of the stairs, and because he&039;d needed so badly to see her face one more time

"Are you sure?" Sara asked doubtfully "You look a trifle pale"

"I&039;ainst the door jamb in what he hoped was a casual pose "What do you want, Sara?"

"Couldn&039;t we go upstairs and talk?"

"I&039;m rather busy at the moment"

"Busy?"

"No questions, cara"

She bit down on her lip, resisting the urge to screaer be bound by that ridiculous pro in the depths of his eyes warned her to keep silent

Gabriel clenched his hands in an effort to keep the overpowering lethargy at bay His gaze was drawn to her throat, to the pulse throbbing there He hadn&039;t fed in several days, and her nearness, coupled with the knowledge that she could appease his de resist Even now, he could s of her heart

"Sara, you ht if you wish We can talk then"

She nodded, bewildered by his apparent weakness, by the strange pallor of his skin, the sudden harsh rasp of his breathing Was he ill? She glanced at the door behind hi there

"Sara please go"

"I&039;ll see you tonight?"

"Yes," he rasped "Tonight"

He watched her cliainst the door, his strength nearly gone