A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 97



"Would you care to dance?" he asked.

She shook her head.

He regarded her for several moments,then asked, "What are you thinking?" "It just seems weird, seeing them dance."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know, it just does." "Because they are vampires?"
"I guess so."

"We are not, after all, that much different from you."
'Yeah, right."

"Ah,Tracy , we were human before we were vampires. Our lifestyle may have changed but in most of us, our humanity remains."

"So, vampires are just people with a peculiar lifestyle—is that what you're saying?"
"More or less."

"Except for the blood part.And the fact that you can't go out in the sun.And that you sleep all day." He shrugged. "You knew all this before we came here."

She looked at the dancers again. They didn't really look all that different from normal people. If she hadn't known they were vampires, she would have thought them to be just ordinary people with a penchant for wearing black.

She turned her attention back to Dominic. At first glance, there was nothing about him to suggest that he was a vampire, at least not from a distance. But, close up, she was ever aware of the aura of power that clung to him, the deep inner stillness that sometimes came over him.

Rising, he held out his hand. "Come," he said. "Dance with me."

She hesitated only a moment before she put her hand in his. He pulled her gently into his arms, his dark gaze intent upon her face as he guided her around the floor.

They danced together as though they had done it hundreds of times. His hand was cool, firm against her back. She stared up at him, once again smitten by his bold good looks. For a time, she lost herself in the joy of being in his arms. He gazed down at her, his eyes warm with affection. His breath was whisper-soft against her face.

"This is a pretty song,"Tracy remarked. "I don't think I've ever heard it before."