Embrace the Night

Page 124



"It's true," he said flatly. "All of it. Look at me, Sara. What do you see?"

"I see the man I love." She spoke the words confidently, but he saw the doubt shadowing her eyes.

Gabriel shook his head. "No, Sara, I'm not a man. I exist, but I don't live. I grow old, but I don't age. Face it. Accept it."

She looked at him warily, wondering why she wasn't more afraid. Sadness dragged at his features; his eyes were haunted, filled with more pain than a mere mortal could ever endure.

"Do you despise me now?" he asked.

"No."

"But you're afraid of me." "A little."

"I won't hurt you, cara. Believe that. And if you can't believe my words, then look inside my mind and see the truth for yourself."

"Look inside your mind? What do you mean?"

"We share a bond, Sara. A blood bond. If you but try, you can read my thoughts." "Is that why I heard you calling to me?" Gabriel nodded, waiting for her to take the next logical step.

"But I heard you before you took my blood." He nodded again, his hands clenching as he watched her try to fit the pieces together. "Have you taken my blood before?"

"No".

"You gave me yours." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. Time hung suspended while she waited for his answer.
"Yes."

"When I was burned," Sara said. "That's why I got better so fast. You gave me your blood, and it made me strong. It made me walk…"

"Yes."

"But that wasn't the first time, was it? You gave me your blood when I wanted to die because I thought I was never going to see you again. I remember now. You came to me in the night. I thought it was another dream, but it was real, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"You saved my life. Twice."