Embrace the Night

Page 84



blood. It took every ounce of his considerable self-control to keep from burying his fangs in her neck as he merged his flesh with hers.

Sara cried out, a low cry of pain, of fear, as their bodies came together. With a groan, he claimed her lips in a brutal kiss, and all thought fled her mind, swallowed up in the ecstasy that exploded deep within her, sending frissons of delight coursing through every inch of her body.

She was his now, she thought exultantly. Only his. He would never leave her, never send her away again. "Sara, are you all right?" he asked, his voice muffled against her shoulder.

She uttered a languid moan of assent, a soft feminine sound that indicated she had been thoroughly pleasured.

Elation bubbled up inside Gabriel. He had claimed her body without damning her soul. For the first time in centuries, he felt like a man instead of a monster. It was a glorious feeling, but all too brief, for hard on the heels of exhilaration came a deep sense of regret, an aching sense of remorse because he knew deep in the empty recess of what had once been his heart that he had defiled something pure and clean.

She felt the change in him, the sudden sense of withdrawal. With a low cry, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"Sara," he groaned, "what have I done?"

"I love you, Gabriel," she whispered fervently. "Please don't spoil this moment for me. Please don't say you're sorry for what happened."

A violent tremor racked his body. "Sara… hold me."

She heard the anguish in his voice, the threat of tears, and she clutched him to her. Holding him as tightly as she could, she wondered what darkness lurked in his past that could cause him such anguish. Sometimes it seemed he feared her touch as much as he craved it.

"Go to sleep, Gabriel," she murmured. "I'll keep your demons at bay." "Ah, cara," he replied, his voice raw and edged with pain. "If only you could."

"Sleep, my angel," she crooned, and in moments she felt his body relax, heard the slow, even tenor of his breathing that told her he was, indeed, asleep.

He woke with a start, his flesh tingling with the awareness of dawn. Sara was lying beside him, her head pillowed on his shoulder.

She stirred as he slid out of bed and began to pull on his clothes. "What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"I must go."