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She had the cab drop her off at the corner market on the way home For the first time in months, she had an appetite, not for what her mother had called "real food," but to fill a sudden, unaccountable craving for Oreo cookies

At holass of e, knowing she&039;d regret her lack of willpower the next ti every bite, she polished off half the package, drained the glass, and then walked through the house, turning on the lights, the TV

She dusted the furniture and vacuu her nose in distaste as she threay an unidentified blob of so hard and brown She scrubbed the kitchen sink, the bathrooo into the nursery She couldn&039;t face that rooe that, sooner or later, she&039;d have to take down the crib, pack Natalie&039;s clothes in boxes, and adht when Sarah treated herself to a long hot bubble bath She closed her eyes, and into her mind came the memory of a spacious bathroom and a pale pink tub

She would not think of him, or the room he professed had been decorated solely for her

Wrapped in a towel, she stared at the velvet dressing gown she had tossed over a chair, vacillating between folding it up and shoving it in a drawer, or putting it on Finally, with a huff of disdain for her weakness, she slipped it on, her hands gliding over the rich fabric

Swathed in luxurious velvet, she sat on the sofa and searched the channels until she found an old movie

Moan to drea Swan Lakewith a handso at her skin

Of a black-hairedat her feet, his head buried in her lap She heard his words, bleak and edged with despair, as if all the sadness in the world was carried in his soul

Can you holdwoman&039;s reply: I don&039;t understand

And then his voice again, filled with an aching loneliness that tore at her heart: Don&039;t ask questions, cara Please, just holdin her face, and tears in her eyes

And her first thought was for Gabriel

She supposed she shouldn&039;t be surprised to find that he had invaded her dreahts ever since the first night she saw hiirl in her dreams, the one in the wheelchair?

Her brow furrowed in a frown, she went into the kitchen and prepared breakfast, the first one she&039;d fixed since the accident

Sitting down at the table, she ate the French toast, hardly tasting it Who wasGabriel? It was obvious that he was rich Filthy rich He was also the eously handsoht, his words, the anger in his voice, had frightened her Go home while you still can, he had said Stay away from the park Stay away from me!

And that was just what she intended to do She had buried herself in her grief long enough It was tilanced around the cheery sunlit kitchen, res she had spent here, fixing breakfast for David and Natalie It had been in this roonant, in this room where Natalie had taken her first steps

There was no help for it, she mused, she&039;d have to sell the house She&039;d never be able to look ahead while she lived here, surrounded by memories

A fresh start hat she needed A new job A new house A new life

Some of her optimism vanished as she considered the possibilities She hadn&039;t worked in four years She hatedShe didn&039;t want a new life; she wanted her old one back again

She wanted to see Gabriel

With an effort, she put hi from the table, she washed her few dishes, took a quick shower, and drove to the ot her hair done, had aneear

He prowled the silent house, restless, edgy Hungry For blood For the touch of a huain, he paced from room to room All were empty of furniture, of life, save for the front parlor and the bedrooht this place, he wondered What need had he of a ht bedrooms when he preferred to sleep in the quiet darkness of the cellar? He had no need of a kitchen or a forlass-enclosed solarium and enjoy the beauty of a suardens, i along the narrow tree-lined paths, sitting in the swing, sunning herself near the goldfish pond

Sarah

Swearing softly, he turned away from theHe wanted her, wanted her as he had wanted his other Sara But he could not endure the pain of loving again, could not endure the agony of watching another woe or disease while he re, a e, he dropped to his knees and s the pain that splintered through his hand and up his arm Blood spurted from his knuckles, and he cursed hier that fed upon his anger, and fueled his unfulfilled desire

For Sarah

With an oath, he rose to his feet, needing to get out of the house She had spent but one night here, and yet the walls whispered her naed with her perfume, his very soul had been branded with her essence

On swift and silent feet, he walked the moon-dappled streets Pity any poor huht darkly For there was no compassion within him now, no er coupled with a seething rage He wanted to hurt so, to drain the life out of another as the will to live was being drained from his soul

For centuries, he had wandered the earth alone, with no one to love, no one to love hi to his existence, but, all too soon, death had claiain, had found another woth of spirit as the woman he had lost

He stalked the darkness, drawn inevitably toward the park Hoping, all the while, that she&039;d had the good sense to heed his warning and stay away

His gaze pierced the darkness as soon as he entered the park And she was there, a bright beacon in the blackness of the night

He would leave, he told hih to see her face, to breathe in her scent, and then he would leave

On silent feet, he drew ever nearer, draard her as though he had no will of his own

And then he was there beside her, his whole being vibrating with her nearness as he sat down on the bench, war himself in the welcome of her s she was thinking, feeling, in the depth of her eyes She was afraid She was lonely She needed co She wanted hi else

"Sarah"

Trapped in the web of his gaze, she slowly shook her head "I can&039;t I&039;m afraid"

"Of me?"

"Yes"

"I won&039;t hurt you," he promised, and hoped it was a vow he could keep

"I don&039;t even know you," she retorted, angry with hiry with herself for wanting this man when David was dead

But he knew her He looked deep into her eyes, and he knew her Recognition led with shock The improbability, the possibilities, struck him with the force of a blow He knew her She was older than when they&039;d met before Her eyes were brown instead of blue She had known another man But her heart and soul remained the same

Sara Jayne

The wonder of it rocked hi?" Sarah asked, alaraze

Slowly, he shook his head "Nothing"

"You&039;re scaring ed with awe And then he knelt at her feet, his ar around her waist as he buried his face in her lap

"Gabriel!"

"Don&039;t ask questions," he murmured "Please, just hold me, touchin her htly stroked his hair She&039;d heard those words before, only last night, in a drea his hair

A cold chill swept through her, and she jerked her hand away frohtened around her waist "Don&039;t be afraid I won&039;t hurt you, I swear it Just hold me," he pleaded "Just let h hiain Ah, the touch of a hu with life It was the touch of Sara&039;s hand, so welcome, so familiar

Sara, Sara, can it really be you?

Tears burned her eyes as she lightly stroked his hair, caressed his nape, brushed her fingers across his cheek She could feel his body tre, or was it her own?

So hers, and in the dark gray depths of his eyes she saw a hunger so deep, a yearning so painful, that it caused her heart to ache