Embrace the Night

Page 241



Too soon, it was almost midnight.

Lying in bed, Sarah watched him dress. He left the room for a moment, and when he returned, he was wearing his cloak.

"I won't be long," he promised, bestowing a kiss on her cheek. "Keep the bed warm for me."

She choked back a sob as she watched him leave the room, overcome with a terrible premonition that she would never see him again.

The door opened at his bidding. He stood in the entryway for a moment, his senses probing the darkness of the house.

"In here, Giovanni."

Quillan's voice. Deep. Predatory. Deadly. Too late, Gabriel realized Quillan had not come alone.

Three vampires materialized out of the shadows; a fourth ghosted up behind him, cutting off his escape. Fledglings all, they circled him like winter-starved wolves, fangs gleaming even in the darkness, eyes aglow.

Fear slithered down Gabriel's spine. "What do you want?"

"We cannot let you rejoin the ranks of humanity," Quillan said flatly. "You know our habits, our weaknesses. We cannot take a chance that you might turn against us."

"Why would I do that? What would I have to gain?"

Quillan shrugged. "Everything. Nothing. As I said, it is a chance we cannot take."

Gabriel glanced over his shoulder. A tall, slender vampire stood behind him, a stake clutched in his gloved hands. "So you're going to destroy me."

Quillan nodded. "A stake through the heart has always been the preferred method," he said. Gabriel was afraid, and he didn't like it. Afraid for himself. Afraid for Sarah. "What of the woman?"
"She dies, too. Delano and Sydelle are on their way as we speak."

"No!" The denial was ripped from Gabriel's throat.

"We have survived thousands of years only because we have never let mankind know of our existence. They may suspect. They may have seen or heard something for which they have no logical explanation, but they do not want to believe. The woman dies."

"Quillan, please…"

"Too late, Giovanni."