A Whisper of Eternity - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,39

vampires running around sucking people dry and no one knows?"

He laughed softly. "It is easy to pass among mortals. They do not want to believe vampires exist and so they dismiss the little things they see that are beyond their comprehension. As for sucking people dry, that is rarely done these days except by overeager fledglingswho cannot control their hunger."

"Did you... have you ever... done that?"

"Not for many years."

Tracygazed out over the gardens. They were beautiful, even in the moonlight. The air was fragrant with the scents of earth and grass, trees and flowers. It was beyond bizarre to be sitting here having such an outlandish conversation.With a vampire.

"Where do you sleep?"

He pressed a kiss to her palm. "That is one question I cannot answer."

She regarded him curiously."Why not?"

"There is no need for you to know."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Should I?"

"I don't see why not. I knew where you... where you slept at Nightingale House."

"Indeed."

"Are you afraid I might... let's see, whatare the ways to destroy a vampire ?" She frowned, trying to remember how it was done in the movies. "You can cut out its heart, or chop off its head, or burn it up. Isn't that right?"

"It?" he asked with a wounded expression. "Do I look like an 'it' to you?"

He didn't kiss like an 'it'! Oh, no, he was all man in that regard. "Don't change the subject," she admonished. "Let's see, what am I forgetting? Oh, the ever popular stake through the heart."

"Shall I hide the axe and the matches?"

"No need," she said, laughing in spite of herself. "I couldn't dissect a frog in biology class. I think you're safe from me."

He laughed with her.

Warmth passed between them, bringing with it a sense of camaraderie from shared laughter.

His gaze rested on her lips again.

Her heart seemed to skip a beat.

Before she succumbed to the look in his eyes and the yearning of her own heart, she said, "What's it like for you, during the day? What happens when the sun comes up?"

"The sun steals a vampire's strength. We are overcome with a lethargy that is, in the beginning, impossible to resist. We sleep the sleepof, you will pardon the expression, the dead."

"And if someone found you while you were asleep, what then?"

"Very young vampires are totally helpless when the sun is up. After many centuries, some vampires are able to stay up after sunrise and rise before sunset."

"Can you?"

"Yes, though my powers are weak until after dark."

"And if someone invaded your resting place, would you know? Would you be able to protect yourself?"

He nodded. "Self-preservation is as strong with us as with anyone."

"Has anyone ever tried to... to destroy you while you were at rest?"

"Yes."

"What did you do to them?"

He did not answer, only gazed at her through fathomless gray eyes.

"You killed them, didn't you?"

"Should I have let them destroy me?"

"No, of course not."She smiled faintly. "It was self-defense, after all." She didn't ask how many times he had defended himself, didn't want to know how many men or women he had killed to defend his life or to satisfy his thirst.

Silence settled between them.Tracy was keenly aware of Dominic's presence beside her. Their conversation, while interesting, had been quite disconcerting. Feeling a sudden need to change the subject, she asked him how she was supposed to pass the time.

"In any way you wish.Paint. Read. Walk in the gardens. If there is anything you want or need, you have only to let me know."

"And you'll get it for me? Kind of like my own personal Santa Claus?"

"If you wish to think of it like that, yes."

Tracysmothered a yawn behind her hand. Though it was still early, she was suddenly sleepy.

Dominic stood and offered her his hand. "Come. You've had a long day, and much to think about."
Chapter 12
Much to think aboutwas putting it mildly,Tracy mused as she lay in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin later that night. She had locked her door even though she knew it would not keep Dominic out. She was completely at his mercy here, in this house. He could take her blood or her virtue and she would be helpless to stop him. He could keep her here for as long as she lived, and no one would ever know what had happened to her. It surprised her that she wasn't afraid of him, but then, he had never done her any harm.

Still, she couldn't stop tossing and turning. She didn't know whether it was the strange house,