A Whisper of Eternity - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,82

crossed her mind, she realized that made no sense at all. If he could feel pleasure, it stood to reason he could also feel pain.

Closing her eyes, she focused all her energy and concentration on Dominic. She pictured him lying in his satin-lined casket, his eyes closed. Did he find relief from his pain while he slept the Dark Sleep?

Dominic, I'm here. Ready to do whatever I can, whatever you need.

There was no answer. She tried again, and again, and each passing second of silence only served to increase her sense of helplessness, her growing fear that he could no longer respond. That he was... She couldn't say the word.

And then, when she had given up hope, his voice whispered in her mind.

Come to me at dusk.

I will.

Filled with excitement and anticipation, she put the finishing touches to her second painting, cleaned her brushes, and tidied up the studio.

Removing her smock, she hung it up,then left the room. She had just enough time to take a quick shower and grab a bite to eat before sunset.
Chapter 25
Bryansat on the bench of Tower Ten, his gaze sweeping the ocean, the beach. The water, a deep blue-green, was calm, so calm even the diehard surfers had abandoned their boards in favor of a rousing game of volleyball. The rest of the beach was nearly deserted since most of the summer people had closed up their houses and gone back to the city. Only a dozen or so people lived here year-round.

Soon this job would be over until next summer and he'd be back at the Y, teaching kids how to swim in the big indoor pool on weekends and giving classes in self-defense to rich young women during the week. He hoped there would be some interest in his tai chi class.

Turning his head, he glanced up at the bluff, his thoughts naturally turning towardTracy . He wondered what she was doing and what the devil she saw in that vampire creep. Sure, the guy was good-looking and he drove a great car and seemed to have a lot of money, but he was dead, for crying out loud!

Frowning,Bryan recalled that Petrina had put some sort of spell on him there in the vampire bar. Had Dominic put some sort of hex onTracy ? Was that why she was so crazy about the guy, because he'd hypnotized her or something like that? The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. No woman in her right mind would be so enamored of a ghoul if he hadn't worked some kind of witchcraft on her.

How to break the devil'senchantment, that was the question. And he was afraid the only answer was to destroy the vampire. He grunted softly. How best to accomplish the deed? A wooden stake through the heart seemed to be the method preferred byHollywood . He grunted softly. Well, he had a stake. All he needed now was a good, strong hammer. And, just to be on the safe side, maybe he'd better take along an axe to cut off the head.

But first, he had to find out where the bloodsucker slept during the day.
Chapter 26
Tracy's excitement slowly turned to trepidation as she dressed to go to Dominic's side. She loved him. She wanted to be with him, to comfort him. But she wasn't sure she wanted to be dinner.

Will you walk into my parlour , said the spider to the fly...

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, she opened her dresser drawer. She glanced over the contents and grabbed a dark green turtleneck sweater she rarely wore. After pulling it over her head, she ran a brush through her hair, and slipped into a pair of sandals. A quick look in the mirror showed that her eyes were fever-bright.

She was about to leave the house when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hey,Tracy ."

"Hi, Bry , I was just on my way out."

"Oh? Want some company?"

"Not tonight."

"You're going to see him, aren't you?"

She wound the cord around her finger. "He needs me."

"Uh-huh. Where does he stay, anyway?"

"I... he... I don't know."

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

Before she could form an answer, he'd hung up on her.

She stared at the phone in her hand, then gently put it back on the kitchen counter and went out the back door.

Outside, she walked slowly down the path that led to the house below. "Dominic?"

She took a deep breath as the door swung open. There was no turning back