Embrace the Night

Page 232



the house, she pretended that she and Gabriel were no different from any other couple.

While she shopped, she pretended Gabriel was like any other man, busy at the office instead of sleeping in the cellar. She took the Jag and went shopping at the best furniture stores in town, and when she couldn't find what she wanted there, she went browsing through the antique shops. She bought a round oak table and two chairs, a lovely four-drawer chest, a drop-leaf desk.

Life fell into a pleasant routine. A hot and humid August gave way to a hotter September. When she tired of shopping, she went swimming, or lounged beside the pool, reading or just relaxing. Sometimes she rode Necromancer around the corral, reveling in the sense of power she experienced while riding the big black stallion. He was a beautiful horse, with clean lines, a coat that gleamed like ebony satin, and a silky mane and tail.

In the evening, she ate dinner before sunset, took a quick shower, then went into the parlor to wait for Gabriel, pretending he was coming home from a hard day at the office instead of rising from a deathlike sleep.

It was a good life, marred only by the fact that, once each week just after midnight, Gabriel left the house. At those times, knowing he was going out to feed, Sarah found it impossible to pretend they were just an ordinary couple.

Now was such a time. She watched as he slipped on a black Long Rider coat, then pulled on a pair of black kidskin gloves.

She felt faintly sick to her stomach as she imagined those gloved hands wrapped around some poor unfortunate woman while he drank of her blood.

"Is this something you have to do?" She knew it was, yet the words slipped out before she could stop them. "Couldn't you just rob a blood bank or something?"

"I prefer my nourishment fresh and warm," he replied bluntly.

"I could warm it up in the microwave," she suggested, hoping to erase the hard look in his eyes. "Sort of like a TV dinner."

She glanced away, unable to believe she was making jokes about such a gruesome subject. "This is what I am, Sarah," Gabriel said quietly. "Can you accept it?"

With a small cry, Sarah threw her arms around his waist and held him close. "It doesn't matter, really," she said fervently. "But how did you ever get used to it?"

He let out a sigh that seemed to rise from the soles of his feet. "It's a craving, Sarah, an addiction that can't be ignored. I need it to survive. In the beginning, I tried to do without it, but the pain was excruciating, like nothing you can imagine."

"Have you… have you killed very many people?"

Gently, he wrapped his arms around her. "I've existed a long time. It's no longer necessary for me to kill to survive, cara. I don't need as much blood as I did when first I was made. Those I use feel no pain, nor