A Whisper of Eternity - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,13

of the night. Forever lost, forever damned. If she joined him of her own free will, she would forfeit all hope of heaven.

"No." She shook her head weakly. "I cannot... not even for... you. "

Tears filled his eyes. Crimson tears. "I love you,"he said, his voice thick. "I will find you again, I promise, no matter how many lifetimes it takes ...."

She woke with a start, one hand spread over her stomach, her eyes damp with tears. Never had she had a dream like that before, a dream so vivid, so real, that she had felt the pain. What was happening to her?

Flinging the covers aside, she slipped out of bed, padded barefoot across the floor and drew back the curtains, then opened the window. With a sigh, she lifted her face toward the heavens, basking in the sunlight, reveling in the warmth of it against her skin.

The light of a new day, the sound of the waves dancing cheerfully on the shore below, banished the last remnants of the dream from her mind. This was reality! And she hadwork to do.

After taking a quick shower, she dressed in a faded pair of paint-stained denims and an old shirt,then went downstairs to make a pot of coffee. Pouring herself a cup, she carried it upstairs.

When she opened the door to her studio, the first thing she saw was the painting she had done. It was just as unsettling in the bright light of day as it had been the night before. She couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine as she moved into the room.Couldn't shake the feeling that the painting was somehow alive. It was disconcerting, the way the eyes seemed to follow her.

With a huff of annoyance, she lifted the canvas from the easel and put it on the floor, facing the wall. Feeling better, she drained her cup, then put on her smock, grabbed a fresh canvas, and placed it on the easel. She had no time to waste. She still had to paint that English castle, and she had a seascape that had to be finished for a new client by next week. If the buyer, Mr. Petersen, liked it, he had promised to purchase a dozen similar paintings for all the offices in his bank.

She studied the numerous snapshots of the ocean she had taken a few days earlier - pictures of the ocean when it was calm, photos of the waves crashing against the shore, pictures taken at all hours of the day and night.

She closed her mind to everything else and lost herself in her art. She loved the smell of the paint, the sense of creativity, of accomplishment, that flowed through her as the scene she saw in her mind took on depth and color and life on the canvas.

She took a short break to get another cup of coffee and something to eat, and then spent the rest of the day in the studio.

She quit when she lost the light. After cleaning her brushes and tidying up the studio, she went into the bathroom, filled the tub, lit a couple of candles, and took a long, hot bubble bath. Lying there with her eyes closed, she decided that cooking didn't sound appealing, so when the water cooled, she stepped out of the tub, pulled on a pair of gray slacks and a white sweater, and drove down to the village.

Dominic rose with the setting of the sun, his preternatural senses immediately probing the upper level of the house. He had no sense of her presence. Where had she gone?

He dressed quickly in a pair of black trousers and a shirt and willed himself into the upper house. He walked quickly from room to room until he reached her studio.

He paused in the doorway. There were several lamps located around the room. He supposed they were to provide light when the skies were overcast or when she felt the urge to work after dark. An overstuffed chair took up most of one corner. A couple of paint-stained smocks hung from hooks near the door.

Stepping inside, he moved slowly around the room. Her scent was strong in here, as was the odor of paint and turpentine. There were several blank canvases stacked in a corner. Three easels, each holding paintings in various stages of completion, stood several feet apart along one wall. Though all three were exceptional, he preferred the seascape. It was done mostly in shades of blue and green