Embrace the Night

Page 118



"Angel… angel…" He laughed then, a horrible sound that bordered on hysteria. "Devil, you mean. Go away from me, my sweet Sara. Go away before I destroy you as I destroyed Rosalia."

"I'm not leaving," Sara said firmly. And before she could change her mind, before her imagination could frighten her away, she crossed the room and gathered him into her arms.

She felt his whole body tense at her touch.

"Gabriel…"

For a moment, he closed his eyes, absorbing her nearness, her warmth. Ah, how he had craved her touch, yearned to hold her, to be held by her. He shuddered as the hunger rose up within him, hot and swift, the need, the pain, more than he could bear.

The heat of her hands penetrated his clothing. He could hear the soft whisper of blood stirring through her veins, smell it, taste it…

"Gabriel, please tell me what to do."

With an inhuman growl of despair, he whirled around to face her. "Go away!"

Sara stared up at him, at eyes that blazed in the darkness like hell's own fires, and knew she was looking into the face of death.

"What has happened to you?" she asked, her voice quivering with barely suppressed terror. "Nothing has happened to me. This is what I am."

He bared his teeth, and Sara took a step backward. Even in the darkness, she could see his fangs, sharp and white and deadly. And the unearthly red glow in his eyes.

"Now will you go?"

His voice was ragged, his hands clenched at his sides as he struggled to control the hunger that burned through him.

Sara took a deep breath, fighting down the urge to run away as fast and as far as she could. "No, Gabriel," she said with quiet determination. "I'll not leave you again."

The room was growing lighter, and she realized the sun had come up, that its light was slowly creeping down the stairs.

With a low cry, Gabriel spun away, his cloak swirling around his ankles like black smoke. Taking refuge in a corner untouched by the sun's searing brightness, he dropped into a crouch, his head lowered, his arms shielding his face.

Vampire.

The word echoed in her mind.