Embrace the Night

Page 203



And then he made the decision for her. Gently but firmly, he gave her a little push.

"Go home, Sarah," he said, his voice harsh, taut with an emotion she did not understand. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a twenty-dollar bill, which he pressed into her hand. "Get a cab and go home while you still can."

"But…"

His eyes burned into hers. "Stay away from the park, Sarah," he whispered savagely. "Stay away from me!"

She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes filled with confusion, and then she turned and ran for the garden gate.

He stood in the moonlight long after she had gone. On this night, he did not worry about her getting safely home. It was not yet late, and she was in far more danger from him than from anyone else she might encounter.

Hands clenched, his body rigid, he closed his eyes while the lust for blood roared through him. He grimaced as his fangs lengthened in anticipation of the hunt.

Sarah…

He knew why she had come to him tonight even if she refused to admit it.

Unbidden to his mind came the memory of Sarah crushed against him, her back pressed to his chest, her buttocks cradled by his thighs. The beating of her heart had sounded like thunder in his ears. Even now, he felt his desire stir to life as he remembered the scent of her blood, the heat of her living flesh.

"Stay away from the park, Sarah," he murmured, repeating the words he'd spoken earlier. "Stay away from me."

But this time the words were a plea, not a warning.
Chapter Four

She had the cab drop her off at the corner market on the way home. For the first time in months, she had an appetite, not for what her mother had called "real food," but to fill a sudden, unaccountable craving for Oreo cookies.

At home, she went into the kitchen and poured a tall glass of milk, then sat down at the table and opened the package, knowing she'd regret her lack of willpower the next time she stepped on a scale.

Relishing every bite, she polished off half the package, drained the glass, and then walked through the house, turning on the lights, the TV.

She dusted the furniture and vacuumed the rugs, cleaned out the refrigerator, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she threw away an unidentified blob of something hard and brown. She scrubbed the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink and the tub, emptied the trash.