if he was wrong? What if even now there were men in theworld who were hunting vampires, destroying them where they slept?
She stared at the painting she had created. To be a vampire was to live a life against nature.Would her soul be forever damned if she accepted the Dark Gift?
Dropping her brush into ajar of cleaning fluid, she put her paints away, stripped off her smock, and left the house.
She practically flew down the stairs to the beach. It was a beautiful day. Everything looked fresh and clean after last night's rain. Standing there, with the sand warm beneath her feet, she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun.
She didn't know how long she had been standing there whenBryan 's voice sounded behind her.
"Hey, sun bunny!"
Opening her eyes, she turned to see him striding toward her."Hi, Bry ."
"Hi. How's it going?"
"Fine.I'm taking a break."
He nodded. "I'm glad you decided to take it here. Wanna come up to the tower and have a Coke?"
"Sure, thanks."
Side by side, they walked down the beach.
Tracywas keenly aware of the damp sand squishing between her toes, of the heat of the sun shining down on her head and back, of the smell of the ocean, the cry of the gulls soaring overhead. A sailboat drifted offshore.A half-dozen teenage boys were surfing, showing off for the bikini-clad girls who were pretending to be indifferent but were watching every move the boys made. An elderly man with a metal detector was walking toward them, his gaze intent upon the ground. A pair of middle-aged women sat beneath a huge umbrella; one was reading a book, the other was working a crossword puzzle. Further down the beach, a couple of kids were making sand castles while their mothers looked on.
Ordinary people doing ordinary things.Was she ready to give all that up?
"Tracy?"Bryan grabbed her arm when she started past the tower. "Hey,Tracy , we're here."
"What? Oh, sorry. I guess my mind wandered."
"You okay? You look... well, like you're gonna cry."
She forced a smile. "No, I'm fine."
He regarded her for a moment,then scrambled up the ladder. When he reached the top, he turned and waited for her, offering her his hand when she reached the top.
Stepping into the tower, he pulled a pair of sodas out of a cooler and handed her one.
"Thanks." She popped the top and took a long drink, then sat down.
Bryansat beside her.
"So, have you made any rescues lately?"Tracy asked.
"Three today."
"Really?"
He nodded."Some old guy who swam out too far.A teenage girl who got caught in a riptide and nearly took me down with her.And a woman who panicked when the waves knocked her down.Seems she couldn't swim."
Tracylifted her can to him in a salute."My hero."
Bryan's cheeks turned pink. "Yeah, well..." He shrugged. "It's not brain surgery, but it's still saving lives."
"Life is precious, isn't it? Would you want to live forever, if you could?"
"Sure, if I could stay young. Who wouldn't?"
"Would you really? Part of what makes life precious is the knowledge that it doesn't lastforever, that it could be over in the blink of an eye. Every day, every minute, is a gift. It should never be wasted, never be perverted. We're here for such a short time, we should cherish every moment we have."
He stared at her. " Geez, what brought that on?"
"Oh, I don't know. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately, about life and death and what it means."
"Hey, that's heavy."
She looked at him and grinned."Too heavy for such a lovely day. I think I'm going for a swim."
"Be careful out there.Lots of riptides today."
"I will. Thanks for the Coke."
He took the can from her hand. "Can I see you later tonight?"
"I'm not sure. Call me?"
"Will do."
Impulsively, she kissed him on the cheek,then scrambled down the ladder.
She was already barefooted. Clad in shorts and a T-shirt, she waded out into the ocean and began to swim. The water was cool, invigorating. She swam for a while, then turned onto her back and floated. Overhead, the sky was a bright, clear blue, as deep and wide as all eternity.
Refusing to think of anything beyond the pleasure of the moment, she let herself drift in the arms of the sea. But, in spite of her determination, troublesome thoughts crept into her mind.
She would never be able to swim on a summer day if she accepted the Dark Gift.
Dominic had not seen the sun in over two thousand years.
He would never be a father. He would never hold a