A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

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aflame as it went down in a blaze of fiery reds and ochre and orange.
She sensed his presence behind her and when she turned, he was standing there.

For stretched seconds, they stared at each other, and then Dominic held out his hand. Without hesitation,Tracy put her hand in his. As if by prearrangement, they turned and walked along the path that led through the gardens.

"How was your day?" he asked.

She shrugged."Fine. I spent most of it rearranging the furniture. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not.My house, like my life, is yours."

She wasn't ready to hear that just yet and because she couldn't think of anything else to say, she asked, "How was your day?"

He looked down at her, one brow arched in wry amusement. "Quiet." Tracygrinned. "It must be lonely, sleeping alone all the time."
"You could change that."

She stared at him. "You aren't suggesting that I…" She swallowed hard. "That I sleep beside you during the day?" The thought of lying next to his cold, unmoving body sent a chill down her spine.

"Of course not.But if you would accept the Dark Gift, we could sleep away our days together."

He stopped walking and drew her into his arms. "Do you know how often I have yearned to succumb to the darkness with you beside me? How often I have wished to wake with you in my arms?" His hand stroked her cheek. "How oft I have wished that your face would be the last thing I see at daybreak and the first at the moon's rising."

"Dominic…"

He pressed one finger to her lips, silencing her."Be mine, my best beloved one. Let us be together in life and death, as we were meant to be."

"But I don't want to be a vampire, Dominic."

"I know." He blew out a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul. "I know." He had tried to persuade her to join him countless times. Always, she refused, choosing mortal death over sharing his life with him.

Taking her by the hand, he started walking again. "You might enjoy being a vampire," he remarked. "You would see colors and textures as never before. You could paint for hours and never grow weary. Music becomes more than mere sound, sight more than mere vision. You would see the world as never before, experience life as never before. There are so many things I long to show you, to share with you."

He stopped suddenly, his gaze moving over her, lingering at the pulse throbbing slow and steady in the hollow of her throat. "Tracy…"