Embrace the Night

Page 109



"I'm fine." He leaned his shoulder against the door jamb in what he hoped was a casual pose. "What do you want, Sara?"

"Couldn't we go upstairs and talk?" "I'm rather busy at the moment."
"Busy?"

"No questions, cara."

She bit down on her lip, resisting the urge to scream at him, to insist that she would no longer be bound by that ridiculous promise, but something in the depths of his eyes warned her to keep silent.

Gabriel clenched his hands in an effort to keep the overpowering lethargy at bay. His gaze was drawn to her throat, to the pulse throbbing there. He hadn't fed in several days, and her nearness, coupled with the knowledge that she could appease his demon thirst, was a temptation he feared he could not long resist. Even now, he could smell the blood flowing in her veins, hear the rapid beating of her heart.

"Sara, you must go. I'll come to you tonight if you wish. We can talk then."

She nodded, bewildered by his apparent weakness, by the strange pallor of his skin, the sudden harsh rasp of his breathing. Was he ill? She glanced at the door behind him, wondering what secrets he was hiding there.

"Sara… please… go." "I'll see you tonight?"

"Yes," he rasped. "Tonight."

He watched her climb the stairs, and then he fell back against the door, his strength nearly gone.

He released a deep sigh when he heard the front door close. Then, and only then, did he return to his retreat.

The image of Sara's face, lined with concern, followed him into oblivion.

She knew Gabriel was in the audience even before she set foot onstage. The knowledge that he was there, that he would be watching, set her pulse to racing. For the first time in almost three weeks, she felt like dancing.

Maurice slanted her a quick, questioning look during the pas de deux, and she knew he was aware of the change in her. How could he help it, when her feet suddenly felt lighter than air, when her leaps were effortless, joyful, when her solo was once again filled with passion and joie de vivre!

He was at her side the minute the final curtain came down. "He's here, isn't he?" "Who?"