would think the miracle worth the price if she knew how it had been wrought.
Holding her arms away from her sides, she twirled around, her gown billowing around her ankles.
"A miracle! Gabriel, I can walk. Do you know what that means? I can walk." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "If I can walk, I can run! If I can run, I can dance!"
With boundless energy, she twirled around the room, her eyes shining, her hair floating around her shoulders like a golden nimbus.
"I'm going to dance!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "I'm going to dance and dance and dance!"
She grabbed his hands and twirled him around, laughter bubbling in her throat. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Aye, cara," he agreed, her happiness flooding his damned soul like sunshine. "It's wonderful."
Abruptly, she stopped twirling. "Dance with me, Gabriel."
With a slight nod, he took her in his arms and began to waltz her around the room.
Sara tilted her head back. "We need music. Won't you give us some?"
"If you wish," he murmured, and he began to sing a slow song from his youth, of love lost, of love found.
He had an incredible voice, deep and rich, filled with such passion and longing it brought tears to her eyes.
They danced together as if they had done so a thousand times before. The sound of his voice wrapped around her, adding to the magic of the night. She looked into his eyes and saw a tiny flame that grew and grew until she felt the heat of it envelop her.
And then he was kissing her, his lips warm, gentle, hungry. The heat of his hands seared her skin. The beat of his heart thundered in her ears. And she was drowning in sensation, smothering in a blanket of desire.
She kissed him back, shivering with delight, with fear. His tongue stroked her lower lip, and fingers of flame exploded within her. She pressed against him, yearning to be closer. His chest was hard and solid. She felt his arms tighten around her waist. His breath was warm against her face, labored, rasping.
"Gabriel..." Her voice sounded heavy, drugged.
" Cara..."
It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to put her away from him. The scent of her, the softness of her, stirred his desire, not only for her sweet body, but for the vital essence of her life. The hunger raged through him, urging him to take her, here, now, to satisfy the awful thirst only her blood could quench.
He heard her gasp and knew that the blood hunger was visible in his eyes.
With an oath, he turned away. He stared into the fire, and the flames exploded upward with a mighty roar.
"Gabriel!"
"Go to bed, Sara Jayne."
But...
"Go to bed, Sara!"
She didn't argue this time. Jumping into the bed, she pulled the covers up to her chin, her gaze focused on Gabriel's back. He was breathing heavily, his hands clenched at his sides.
"Good night, Sara," he said, his voice gruff.
"Good night."
He took a deep breath, and then, without looking back, he left the room.
She stared after him, confused by what had happened, by the unholy light that had burned in the depths of his eyes. But surely she had imagined that. A trick of the flames, perhaps. Yes, that was it.
With a sigh, she snuggled deeper into the covers, then wiggled her toes.
She could walk! Tomorrow she would explore the abbey. She would go outside and run barefoot through the grass. She would write the good sisters and tell them she was well, that she was more than well!
And tomorrow night, she would dance in the light of the moon. With Gabriel.
Murmuring a heartfelt prayer of gratitude for the miracle that had been bestowed upon her, she gazed at the thick black cloth that covered the window, wondering absently why Gabriel had put it there. Perhaps she would ask him tomorrow...
She dreamed of blood and death, of the darkness of eternal damnation, of the loneliness of hell.
She dreamed of demons with blood-red eyes and teeth as sharp as daggers.
And woven into the tapestry of her dreams, like a fine gold thread, she saw Gabriel, heard him singing to her, his eyes sad, filled with a haunting loneliness she couldn't comprehend.
Gabriel... she saw him lying in a dark place, surrounded by death...
With a cry, she sat up, the covers clutched to her breast. For a moment, she was tempted to get out of bed and search for Gabriel, but the thought of