moments before the deathlike sleep claimed him, he sought her thoughts, hoping to reassure her, but he found nothing. Either Nina had killed her or she was unconscious.
"Hang on, Sara," he whispered. "I'm coming."
She opened her eyes to darkness. The filthy cloth that covered her mouth tasted vile; it was hard to breathe, hard to swallow.
The endless darkness, the silence, filled her with unspeakable horror. Was this what it was like for Gabriel? But no, he had said it was like death - no thoughts, no dreams.
The earth beneath her was cold and damp. She flinched as something tiny and hairy crawled across her arm. Hours ago, she would have screamed, but her throat was raw and she had no voice left.
How long had she been in this hole? Was she going to die here?
She shuddered convulsively as she imagined herself trapped in this grave without food or water, quietly starving to death, her body growing weak, emaciated, while she went quietly mad, until the worms came to devour her flesh...
She shook the morbid thought aside, focusing all her thoughts on Gabriel. Surely he would come for her. If he could.
She remembered the creatures who had attacked them, and for the first time she wondered if Maurice was alive.
Had she caused his death, and Gabriel's, too? Would she die here, in this place?
Was it still night? She strained her ears, hoping to hear some sound that would tell her she wasn't alone. Even the company of those awful brutes who had abducted her would be welcome.
She tried to scream, to call for help, but no sound emerged from her throat.
Gabriel, please help me. Gabriel, anybody, please, please, help me.
Tears streaming down her cheeks, she closed her eyes and prayed for someone to find her before it was too late.
He moved through the night like the shadow of death, his face impassive, his eyes burning with the need for vengeance. He had drained Maurice of blood and it flowed through him, warm and vibrant with the memory of life.
He drew a deep breath, sifting the thousands of scents that assailed his nostrils, homing in on the one fragrance that was hers, and hers alone.
He felt his rage stir anew as he caught a whiff of Nina's heavy perfume, and mingled with it the pungent odor of unwashed bodies.
It took him less than an hour to find where they had taken Sara. Trust Nina to choose a graveyard for their last confrontation, he mused ruefully.
And then there was no more time to think. Like hulking beasts rising out of the mist, the mindless brutes Nina had created advanced toward him, their sunken eyes dead, soulless. But he was ready for them this time, and in less than a minute all six of them lay dead at his feet.
And then Nina was there, regal in a flowing gown of black silk. Her hair fell over her shoulders and past her waist like a river of darkness. Her skin was pale, luminescent in the light of the full moon; her eyes glowed with power and hunger and an implacable need for revenge.
"I'm here," he said, and his voice echoed off the gravestones. I'm here, I'm here...
He didn't take his eyes off Nina as he let his mind probe the area for Sara's presence. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he caught her scent. He could feel her terror, smell the fear that paralyzed her.
"I am almost sorry you came, Gianni," Nina remarked. "I can't help but feel regret that I must destroy you."
"Change your mind." He let his glance slide over her, his expression insolent, provocative. "Let Sara go and I'll do whatever you wish."
"I told you before, it is too late for that."
"For our kind, it is never too late."
"How long, Gianni? How long would you stay with me?"
"As long as you wish."
"A hundred years? A thousand?"
"If you wish."
"You went on your knees before. Will you do so again?"
"Yes, bella, if that is what you want."
"I do."
Slowly, his pride rebelling, his soul filling with bitterness, Gabriel knelt at Antonina's feet.
"Speak pretty words to me, Giovanni," Nina demanded, her voice like satin over steel.
"You are the most beautiful, most desirable woman I have ever seen. There is none other like you in all the known world. Your luster outshines the sun. Your voice is like honey; your lips are like the finest wine..."
"You mock me!"
"I speak the truth."
"Liar! If your words were true, you would be here, in my arms where you belong,