Embrace the Night

Page 197



the armoire."

Sarah took another step backward, wondering why she felt as though she had been thrust into a strange and alien world. She remembered bits and pieces of an old French movie she'd seen in which a man had sold his daughter to a beast. The girl had lived in luxury, but she had been a prisoner just the same.

She shook the fanciful notion from her mind. Gabriel didn't look like a beast, and she was free to leave whenever she wished. Wasn't she?

She glanced at the oversized door visible at the end of the entry hall. It was at least eight feet high and made of solid oak. To keep the world out, she wondered, or to keep her in? She told herself she was being foolish, that she was letting her imagination run wild, but she couldn't shake the feeling that if she didn't get away now, she never would, that she would be imprisoned, like Belle in Beauty and the Beast except, in this case, the beast was beautiful.

"I want to go home."

He hesitated a moment, as if he meant to argue with her, and then he nodded. "I'll take you." "No."

"Sarah…"

He took a step toward her, and she whirled around, the glass in her hand forgotten as she darted toward the front door. Wine sloshed over the rim of the delicate crystal goblet, splashing over the white carpet to leave a blood-red stain.

Frantic, she ran down the long marble entryway to the front door. She grabbed the ornate brass knob, twisting it right and left, but nothing happened. Overcome with panic, she dropped the glass, heedless that it shattered into a thousand pieces. She tugged on the door knob, tears of fright and frustration blurring her vision.

And then he was behind her, his hands heavy on her shoulders.

"Sarah. Sarah!" He turned her around and pulled her up against him, his arms imprisoning her as effectively as iron bars. "Listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you, I swear."

He looked down at her, and the sheer unadulterated terror in her eyes stabbed him to the heart. Abruptly, he released her and took several steps backward.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said again. "Please believe me. You're free to go."
"The door… it won't open… I can't get out… please let me go…"

Moving slowly, careful not to touch her in any way, he reached around her and unlocked the door. "My car is in the driveway," he said.

Sarah blinked up at him. "You'd let me take your car?"

"It's dark out," he said, his voice quiet and devoid of emotion. "I don't want you walking home alone."