A Whisper of Eternity - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,21

miss the accusation in his tone. "I didn't know you were coming."

He lifted one black brow,then bowed his head in a gesture of contrition. "Forgive me. I did not have time to contact you earlier."

She told herself there was no reason to feel guilty because she hadn't stayed home waiting for him. Just because he had come to see her every night for the past two weeks didn't mean she couldn't see anyone else, or that she had to sit around waiting for Dominic, wondering if he was going to show up.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "It was nice seeing you, Dominic. Good night."

He was not accustomed to being dismissed. It was obvious in the tightening of his lips, the narrowing of his eyes.

"Good night." He inclined his head in her direction, but his gaze never left Longstreet's .

Bryancleared his throat, clearly disturbed by Dominic's scrutiny.Tracy couldn't blame him. The look in Dominic's eyes was cold enough to freeze boiling water.

"Good night.Sir." TakingTracy by the hand,Bryan hurried her down the sidewalk. "Who is that guy?"

"Just an acquaintance."

"He's spooky as hell."

"What do you mean?"

"His eyes!I felt like he could see clear through me. How well do you know him?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, he's just an acquaintance."Acquaintance was hardly an adequate description, she thought, remembering the passionate kisses and intimate embraces she and Dominic had shared.

"Does he know that? He looked mighty jealous to me."

Was that it? Was Dominic jealous? She was surprised to find herself pleased by the idea. And now that she thought about it, she decidedBryan was right. Dominic had looked jealous.And angry.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw he was standing where they had left him. Even from this distance, she could feel his gaze burning into her.

Come to me.

She took one step toward him and then another and then stopped abruptly. What was she doing?

"Tracy, hey,Tracy , are you okay?"

She glanced over her shoulder."Yes, why?"

"You looked kind of funny there for a minute."

"I'm fine. Let's go have a nightcap, shall we?"

A shiver of unease slithered downTracy 's spine as she climbed the porch steps. Why hadn't she left a light on? Why hadn't she ever noticed how ominous the house looked at night with the lights out and the moon shining down on it? The thought that it resembled one of Count Dracula's domains crossed her mind yet again. Maybe Dominic was really the infamous Count. Maybe he had decided to leave the mountains of Translyvania and take a vacation on the coast ofCalifornia .

Shaking off her foolish thoughts, she unlocked the door and stepped into the entryway.

The words, dark as a tomb, leaped to the forefront of her mind.

"Enough!"

The word seemed to echo off the walls...enough... enough... enough .

She flipped on the light switch. Hurrying into the living room, she turned on all the lights,then went into the kitchen, turning lights on as she went.

She paused at the foot of the stairway, her heart pounding as she stared at the darkness at the top of the second floor landing.

Blowing out a deep breath, she turned and went back into the kitchen. A cup of peppermint tea was just what she needed to settle her nerves. She filled the pot with water and put it on the stove, then closed the curtains on the window over the sink.

Sitting down at the table, she crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to listen to the small, creaky sounds the house made. Instead, she thought aboutBryan and what a good time she'd had with him. He had asked for her phone number, promising to call her in the next couple of days. She looked forward to going out with him again...

You will not, my best beloved one. You are mine.

My best beloved one.Why did those words sound so familiar, so welcome? Dominic had never said them to her, and yet it was his voice she heard in the back of her mind, so loud and clear that she turned around, expecting to see him standing there behind her.

But there was no one else in the room.

Or was there?

As strange as it seemed, she no longer felt as though she was alone in the house.

Rising, she opened a drawer and pulled out a butcher knife. "Is someone there?"

She practically jumped out of her skin when the shrill whistle of the teakettle sounded behind her.

Muttering an oath, she dropped the knife on the counter and turned off the stove, then sagged back against the countertop. When her breathing returned to