to have it rise again. Khira had made him what he was. There was a bond between the two of them that could not be broken - a bond she would never be able to break, one she would never be able to share.
Until you become a vampire.
She pushed the thought from her mind. She would not think of that now.
With a sigh, she decided she would start weeding near the street and work her way back up the driveway. When she reached the house, she would reward herself with a root-beer float.
When she reached the front gate, she was surprised to find it open. Grigori always locked it. She was about to close it when a sudden shiver ran down her spine. Turning, she gasped as she came face to face with a man she had never seen before.
"Excuse me!" she exclaimed. "You gave me quite a start."
He stared at her through blank gray eyes. "You will come with me," he said woodenly.
Revenant.
She recognized him for what he was instantly. She took a step backward, chilled by the empty look in his eyes. Whoever the man had been, he was forever lost now, his mind no longer his own. Soulless, mindless, a creature made by a vampire, yet not a vampire. Alexi Kristov had turned Grigori's first wife, Antoinette, into such a creature. When Ramsey and Grigori joined forces to hunt Kristov, the ancient vampire had used Antoinette against Grigori. To rescue her from her thrall to Kristov, Grigori had brought her all the way across, given her the Dark Gift. But Antoinette could not endure being a vampire. She had begged Grigori to release her, but it had been Ramsey who had laid her soul to rest.
The creature took a step forward, his arms outstretched. "Come."
She didn't waste time or energy arguing. Instead, she turned and ran for the house.
Grigori! Grigori! Help me!
She screamed the words in her mind, screamed in terror as the revenant tackled her from behind. She cried out again as her knees slammed against the driveway.
She lashed out at him, kicking and scratching, but it was no use. He was oblivious to her blows. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet; then, lifting her into his arms, he carried her down the driveway and out the gate.
She raked her nails down his face, hoping, praying, that someone would come along to save her, but there was no traffic on the street.
She struggled anew as he opened the passenger door to an old pickup truck and thrust her inside. As soon as he closed the door and started for the driver's side, she reached for the door handle. There was none.
Fear rose up in her throat, making it difficult to breathe, to think.
She sat as close to the door as she could get as the revenant slid behind the wheel. He looked at her through soulless eyes as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hypodermic needle.
"No!" Marisa begged. "Please, don't."
She might as well as been talking to a piece of wood.
He held her immobile with one hand, slid the needle home with the other. A moment later, everything went black.
Grigori! Grigori! Help me!
He swam through thick layers of darkness, drawn out of the abyss of the Dark Sleep by the fear and panic in Marisa's voice.
Grigori!
He fought against the blackness of eternity that ensnared him, his need to protect his woman stronger than the darkness that weighed him down.
Struggling, he sat up. He felt the weight of daylight press in on him, knew the sun was still high in the sky by the lethargy that engulfed him. With an effort, he gathered his power around him, sent it outward. Marisa!
She was in danger. The thought slammed into him, his alarm growing when his mind couldn't connect with hers. Panic drove him to his feet, and he left the attic and made his way down the stairs. He ignored the pain that seared his eyes as he left the protective darkness of the attic. Knowing she wasn't in the house, he still searched every room, including the cellar.
Marisa!
He sent his thoughts outward again, shutting out the myriad everyday sounds that assaulted his senses. His mind brushed Ramsey's and Kelly's. They were deeply asleep. He sought Khira, but she blocked his thoughts effortlessly, even in sleep.
He paced the floor in the living room, the need to find Marisa clawing at him. Torn with the need to find her, he