A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 162



He felt a rush of panic as her eyelids fluttered down and her head lolled forward against his chest.

Holding her in his arms, Dominic gained his feet and followed the passage that led outside,then took the path to her house. She needed nourishment, and she needed it now.

Leaning forward,Bryan adjusted his binoculars. Was he seeing things, or was that Dominic carryingTracy out of the bushes and up the path toward the back door? His heart skipped a beat as the image through the glass grew closer. Damn, it looked like she was dead.

Had the vampire killed her? Damn bloodsucking fiend!
Or, worse yet, brought her across?

And what had they been doing in the bushes inTracy 's backyard?
He stayed where he was, unmoving, until the back door closed.

And then he left his hiding place and made his way toward the side gate. It opened on well-oiled hinges and he slipped inside, his black clothing making him practically invisible in the darkness as he crept soundlessly across the yard.

Dominic moved unerringly through the dark house. Making his way into the living room, he laidTracy down on the sofa and covered her with the afghan that was folded over the back of the couch.

Going into the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator. He stared at the contents for a moment, amazed anew at the wonders of modern technoloogy . The refrigerator itself was a miracle. Did the people of today have any idea how easy their lives were? In his day, meat did not come in neat little packages, milk did not come in cartons, there were no such things as potato chips or donuts or soda or any of the other sweets that he had tasted onTracy 's lips from time to time. If a man wanted meat, he hunted for it. If he wanted vegetables or fruit, he tilled the ground, planted seeds, and prayed for a good harvest. Clothing did not come ready-made. There were no toothbrushes, no toothpaste, no such things as flush toilets and indoor plumbing.

He pulled out a carton of orange juice and filled a tall glass, and then filled a second glass with water. Hot and cold running water was another modern luxury. In his day, the only running water was in the river.

Going back to the refrigerator, he pulled out a steak. Never, in all his life, had he cooked on a stove but he had watchedTracy . Heunwrapped the steak and dropped it in a skillet, placed it on the stove, and turned on the burner. He added salt and pepper, turned it while it was still red in the middle.

When both sides were browned, he put the steak on a plate, plucked a knife and a fork from a drawer, and carried everything into the living room.

Placing the plate and glasses on the end table, he knelt beside the sofa and kissed her cheek. "Wake up, my best beloved one."