A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

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feed and as handy as it might have been to use the woman, he didn't want to scare her away just yet. It might be amusing, even entertaining, to have company for a while.

Taking on his own shape once again, he made his way to the city located some thirty miles past the quaint village where most of the local people did their business. He never hunted in the village. Not only was it too close to his lair, but the inhabitants all knew each other. If one of them went missing, everyone would know about it in a matter of hours. He had ever been discreet in his choice of hunting grounds.

Walking down one of the crowded cobblestone streets, surrounded by warm, mortal flesh and beating hearts, he again felt the hunger rise up within him, growing stronger,more demanding. It was a need that could not be denied, a thirst that could be quelled but never quenched. The beast that dwelled within him had an insatiable appetite, one that could not for long be ignored.

His footsteps quickened as his hunger mounted, and then he saw his prey. She was a few yards ahead, a young woman with short brown hair. He watched the subtle sway of her hips, lifted his head and sniffed the air, sorting her distinct scent from all the others that surrounded him.

She looked up at him in alarm as he glided up beside her. Her eyes were gray and clear. He gazed into them, his mind speaking to hers, assuring her that he meant her no harm, and when he was certain she would offer no resistance, he slipped his arm around her waist and led her away from the crowds into a dark alley.

Lost in the shadows, he took her into his arms. For a moment, he simply held her, absorbing her warmth, listening to the whisper of the red tide running through her veins. His fangs lengthened in response to the sound of it, the warm, sweet coppery scent of it.

With a low growl, he bent her back over his arm and lowered his head.

Dominic could hear the woman moving about in the house above when he returned to his lair. Her presence unsettled him in a way he didn't understand and he paced the floor restlessly, all his senses focused on the woman. He had fed earlier and fed well. Why, then, did this woman's blood call to him so strongly? Even now, the beast within was urging him to go to her, to bend her to his will, to sample the sweet elixir running through her veins. No other woman had ever tempted him so save for one.

He glanced upward, his gaze tracking her footsteps. He had to meet her and soon, had to hear the sound of his name on her lips, taste the nectar of life that thrummed through her veins in a warm, rich river of crimson.

He ran a hand through his hair. How best to accomplish such a meeting? He did not want to appear out of nowhere and frighten her.A chance meeting, then. Perhaps she would take a walk along the beach some evening after sundown, when the air was cool. Yes, that would afford the perfect opportunity.

Smiling at the prospect, he picked up a book of Shakespeare's plays and settled down to pass a quiet evening at home.

The perfect opportunity presented itself two evenings later, shortly after sunset. Dominic was returning from the city, walking along the shore, when he saw the woman who had haunted his every waking