slender hand, and she was gone.
Dominic stared up atTracy 's bedroom window. Had Kitana gone there first? Filled with a growing sense of unease, Dominic hastened toTracy 's side. She was asleep, but tossing restlessly.Bad dreams, perhaps?
Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he took her hand in his. "Rest now, my best beloved one," he murmured. "I will watch over you until the dawn. Nothing will harm you while I am here."
She stilled at the sound of his voice. A sigh escaped her lips as she turned onto her side, slipping deeper into the peaceful abyss of sleep. He listened to the steady beat of her heart, the soft, even sound of her breathing.
Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek, smoothed a lock of hair from her brow. They had shared many lifetimes, each different from the last yet the same in so many ways. Each time he had found her, he had been certain that, at last, she would be his, forever his, yet each time he had lost her before he could bring her across.
"But not this time, querida ," he murmured. "Come what may, I will not lose you again."
He stayed at her side until the first golden rays of dawn brightened the sky and then, reluctantly, he left the house to seek his lair.
Tracywoke slowly. Sitting up, she glanced around the sunlit room, expecting to see Dominic there even though she knew it was impossible. She had felt his presence so strongly last night. Had it been a dream, or had he actually been there in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand? She had been having a frightful nightmare when his voice penetrated her dreams, chasing away the horror that had been pursuing her. Had she truly heard his voice, or had it been another dream?
Dominic.
She wished suddenly that he were there, that she could climb into his lap and feel his arms holding her close. Strange, that she should think of his arms as a place of safety when, in reality, he was far more dangerous than anyone else she had ever met. Of course, even though Dominic might be dangerous, she knew that he would never hurt her, and that no one else would ever be able to hurt her, either, so long as she was with him. She knew that he would defend her with his very life, if need be, knew that he had defended her life and her virtue countless times before.
She felt a rush of warmth in the region of her heart.
He loved her beyond her ability to comprehend and with that realizationcame a truth she had thus far refused to acknowledge.
She was in love with him.Loved him in this life as surely as she had loved him in all the others. The thought made her giddy with excitement, and filled her with a sudden sense of dread. She had died in his arms in all her previous lives. Was she destined to die in his arms this time, as well? If so, was it possible to change her fate?
Throwing back the covers, she slid out of bed and headed for the kitchen. She couldn't be expected to think clearly without her morning jolt of caffeine.
She stared out the window while she waited for the coffee to perk.
She loved Dominic.
The thought lingered in the back of her mind the rest of the day. She thought of him while she showered, while she painted, while she ate lunch, while she walked in the gardens, while she counted the hours until sunset when she would see him again. And each time she thought of him, happiness welled within her, bringing a smile to her face.
She loved Dominic.
And then, as the sun began to sink behind the wall, she was overcome with nervousness. Did she dare admit she loved him? If she confessed how she felt, would he ever let her go? Did she want to be free of him? What sort of future could a mortal have with a vampire? Was it possible for him to become mortal again? Could she... she thrust the thought away. She had refused to accept the Dark Gift in every past life. That, at least, had not changed. She could not imagine herself as a vampire, forever doomed to dwell in darkness, never to see the light of day again,forced to drink blood for eternity. How could she face the future if she knew she would never again be able