Dante slowly held out his hand. "Gome."
Abby paused, staring at his hand for long moments before at last placing her fingers on his own. Dante felt a rush of warmth at her unspoken display of trust. And another rush of warmth at the sensation of her soft skin brushing his own.
Heady stuff for a vampire who had been cold for an eternity.
With a gentle tug, he led her across the room to the large mirror hanging above the marble fireplace. Then, stepping behind her, he placed his hands upon her shoulders.
"Tell me what you see," he commanded in low tones.
She gave an impatient sound. "I see… oh." She leaned forward to peer into the mirror. "God, you have no reflection."
Dante rolled his eyes heavenward. "Of course not, I'm a vampire."
"It's just so weird."
"Abby, look at yourself," he rasped.
"What?" Her brows drew together. 'You want me to see I'm a wreck? News flash, I already knew that."
"Look at your eyes."
"My eyes? I—" Her words abruptly broke off as she reached with shaking fingers to touch her reflection. And no wonder. The soft brown eyes that had always fascinated him were now a brilliant, sapphire blue. The same blue that had marked Selena. A visible sign of the Phoenix that she could no longer deny. "No. No, no, no."
She stumbled backward, straight into his arms. Gently Dante turned her about and pressed her head to his chest as he brushed his hand over her curls.
"Easy, love," he murmured. "It's going to be okay."
A violent shiver raced through her body before she pulled back her head to stab him with a tearful glare.
"How? How is it going to be okay? I have some…
creature inside me." She gave a sudden gasp. "Oh God, that's why the demons were trying to Mil me, isn't it?"
His arms tightened about her. He could lie, of course. And for a few minutes she might actually be comforted. But in the end, he knew that she would have to know the truth.
'Yes. They sensed the spirit within you as well as the fact you are vulnerable. They will halt at nothing to regain their Prince."
A stark terror darkened the brilliance of her newly blue eyes. "I'm going to die."
"No," he swore in vicious denial. "I will not allow that to happen."
"And how long do you suppose we can fight off every demon on earth? Unless you intend for us to hide here for the next fifty billion years?"
Shifting, he placed his fingers beneath her chin and forced her to meet his stern gaze.
"It will not be necessary. With every passing hour, the Phoenix gathers its strength."
"The Phoenix is gathering strength?" She gave a short, humorless laugh. "Inside me? Is that supposed to be reassuring?"
A hint of tenderness eased his stark expression. "I only mean that it soon will be capable of masking itself so that the demons cannot sense its presence."
Far from comforted, Abby regarded him warily. "And what else will this thing be doing inside me?"
"I can't say for certain," he reluctantly admitted. "Selena did not consider me her confidant. I was merely her chained beast."
Her head dropped back onto his chest. "My God, what am I going to do?"
He laid his cheek upon the top of her head, read-ily surrounding himself in her sweet warmth. "I do have a suggestion."