as he rose over her. She stared up at him, her heart pounding furiously.
In the dim light of the room, he seemed larger than life. His hair fell over his shoulders like a dark cloud; his eyes were turbulent, like the sky before a storm.
His eyes... surely it was a trick of the candlelight that caused his eyes to glow with that blood-red flame.
Gabriel saw the terror rise in her eyes, and knew that his own must be glowing with the hunger for 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."
"Why?"
"No questions, cara, remember?"
He dropped a quick kiss on her brow and ran from the room, bolting down the stairs and out into the street. The sky was still gray, but even as he ran down the street, he could feel the promise of a new day, the faint heat of the sun.
The memory of the burns he had received the last time he faced the sun spurred him on. With preternatural speed, he traveled through the narrow streets until he reached the abandoned cottage.
He released a long sigh when he was safe inside. Panting heavily, he made his way to the basement, thoughts of Sara uppermost in his mind as he climbed into the narrow box where he slept away the daylight hours.
Sara thought about Gabriel as she rehearsed later that day, wondering why he had left so abruptly. Every time someone entered the room, she glanced up, hoping it would be Gabriel.
Later, back in her apartment, she kept expecting him to appear, but late afternoon faded to early evening, and he still didn't arrive.
Had she done something wrong?
She was a bundle of nerves when she arrived at the theater. Twice, during her warm-up, she forgot the steps, and for the first time ever, she didn't feel like dancing.
She took the stage reluctantly, knowing her performance would be less than perfect. And then she saw him, sitting in the front row, and it was as if she had suddenly grown wings.
As she had once before, she danced only for Gabriel, and when the performance was over, the audience gave