A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 195



"I have your word that you will not follow us?"

He nodded.

"And your word that you will wait until tomorrow to find her, that you will not use the bond between you before that time?"

He nodded again. "Have I your word that you will not kill her and you will not turn her?"
"Yes, my word."

Dominic grunted softly, wondering what Petrina's word was worth.
"Franco, Laslo , come."

The two vampires went to stand beside Petrina . The skin on their faces was red and scorched. In some places, it hung in lacy tatters, like bloody cobwebs.

Dominic looked atTracy again. "I will find you, querida . I will always find you."
Eyes wide with fear, she nodded.

And then Petrina took her away.

Dominic stood in the middle of the room, his mental anguish far greater than the pain of his wounds, which continued to bleed profusely.

He had gambled everything he loved, everything he held dear, on Petrina's promise. His only hope was that she wanted Sea Cliff bad enough to keep her word. If she betrayed him, he would not rest until he had cut her heart from her body and flung it into the sea.

Suddenly overcome with the loss of blood, he left The Catacombs. He lacked the energy to will himself home. Instead, he slid behind the wheel of one of the cars parked outside, started the engine with a thought, and drove to Nightingale House.

Leaving the car in the driveway, he went up the porch stairs. He stood on the verandah for several minutes looking out over the ocean. The water was like a great black mirror reflecting the light of the moon. He looked skyward, his gaze tracing the outline of the Big Dipper, following the path of the Milky Way. He would miss this place but it was a small price to pay forTracy 's life. Perhaps they would go back to his house inMaine . She had been happy there. As for himself, he could be happy anywhere,so long as she was there beside him.

Tracy. He clenched his hands at his sides. He could find her with a thought but he had promised not to do so. Was he being a fool to wait, a fool to trust Petrina ? He knew without doubt that if he broke his word, she would killTracy without a qualm. And yet his apprehension grew with every passing moment.

Opening the front door, he stepped inside.

And knew immediately that Petrina had been there. "Tracy!"