A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 49



And in the center of the room, a sleek black casket lined with rich black satin.
She stared at the coffin, stared at Dominic, and then at the casket once again.

She blinked as the room went out of focus, spinning around her faster and faster, sucking her down, down, into blessed oblivion.

He caught her before she hit the floor.
Chapter 8

She woke cradled in Dominic's arms and knew, on some subconscious level of awareness, that he had held her this same way many times in the past. A fire burned in the hearth, providing the only light in the room.

He smiled faintly when he saw she was awake.

"I don't remember ever fainting before I met you." She had an almost irresistible urge to laugh out loud as she muttered, "At least not in this life."

"Are you all right now?"

She nodded. "I think so."

But he made no move to let her go, and she made no attempt to rise. Somehow, the effort seemed too great. Or maybe it was just that she was numb inside, overwhelmed by what he had told her and what she had seen. Maybe she was dreaming again.

He was a vampire.

He was over two thousand years old. She had lived before, many times.

She shook her head to clear it, and shook off her lethargy at the same time. It didn't matter who she had been before, only who she was now.

As for Dominic… she looked up and met his gaze. "Where do we go from here?" "Wherever you wish."

"And if I wish to go upstairs?"

Sitting back, he took his arms from around her. "You are free to go, as always."

Not sure that she trusted him, she scooted off his lap. For a moment, she stood looking down at him, waiting. When he made no move to stop her, she walked toward the door and left him sitting there on the sofa, staring after her.