Tracywoke early after a restless night. Staring out the window, she tried to convince herself it had all been a bad dream. The sun was shining brightly. Birds were singing outside her bedroom window. On such a morning, it was almost impossible to believe there were vampires sleeping the day away, waiting only for the night to emerge from their lairs to prey upon the innocent.
Dominic. Was he resting in the house below? She went over their conversation of the night before. What had he been holding back? Try as she might, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he meant to destroy himself because of her, because she wasn't brave enough to accept him for what he was, because she wasn't strong enough to share her life with him.
Sitting up, she dialedBryan 's number. It was a little early to be making phone calls, but she needed to hear his voice, needed to know he was all right.
He answered on the third ring. "Hello."
"Hi, Bry .It'sTracy . Did I wake you?"
"No. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Are you?"
"I don't know." He was silent for a long moment. "I feel sort of... strange."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know how to explain it. I don't have any appetite, and the sun hurts my eyes."
Tracyfelt suddenly sick to her stomach. Was he turning? She refused to consider such a thing. Dominic had saidBryan would be all right. Had he only said that to calm her the night before?
"Trace?"
"I'm here."
"He's one of them,"Bryan said."A vampire."
"Who?"
"Dominic."
"Oh. Yes, I know."
"You know? You know, and you went out with him? Are you crazy?"
"Bryan..."
"Vampires in Sea Cliff."He laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Who would believe it?"
"What did Dominic tell you?"
"He told me he was going to try and destroy that creature and that I shouldn't go out after dark until she was dead.Dead. Hah. She's already dead."
Tracy's fingers tightened on the telephone. Dominic was going to destroy Petrina . Could he? He was older and stronger. Surely it would be easy for him to destroy a younger vampire. But what if the impossible happened? What if she destroyed him instead? Feeling suddenly restless, she toldBryan goodbye and hung up the phone.
Rising, she showered and dressed and then went downstairs. She put on a fresh pot of coffee and then, feeling suddenly famished, she fixed breakfast.Bacon and scrambled eggs and fried potatoes, orange juice and coffee and toast, and a slice of melon.
Sitting at the table, she stared at the food on her plate. She never ate this much. What on earth had possessed her to prepare such an enormous meal? Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. She was eating it because she could and, as foolish as it sounded, she was eating it for Dominic because he couldn't.
She savored every bite as if it were the last morsel she would ever consume.
After clearing the table, she washed and dried the dishes and then went outside. She'd forgotten how big the yard was. It was enclosed by a high brick wall that insured her privacy. There were a couple of peach trees near the back wall, a gazebo in the middle of the yard, a small, man-made pond in one corner.
Hands on her hips, she tried to decide where to start. There was, after all, much to be done. The gazebo needed painting, the flower beds needed weeding, the lawn needed to be mowed,the pond needed to be drained and filled with fresh water.
She grunted softly. She had no paint and no lawn mower. She didn't know how to drain the pond, so she spent the next hour and a half pulling weeds, her gaze constantly straying to the path that led to Dominic's lair.
Gaining her feet, she dusted off her jeans, then walked down the path, finally admitting to herself that this was the reason she had come outside in the first place.
When she reached the door, she placed her hand on it. The iron was cold beneath her palm.
"Dominic, are you down there?"
There was no answer, but she hadn't really expected one. With the sun up, he would be sleeping the sleep of the undead.
With a sigh, she laid her cheek against the door. "Oh, Dominic, what are we going to do?"
Tracy...
Startled, she backed away from the door, only to realize that the voice, his voice, had been in her mind.
Pressing her cheek against the door again, she whispered, "I'm here."
Come to me.
Her heart seemed to turn over in her chest as the door swung open.
She took a step forward, and several candles sprang to life to light her way.
She hesitated a moment, then crossed the threshold.
The door closed behind her. There was no turning back now.
Filled with apprehension, she slowly descended the passageway. The door at the bottom opened as she approached.
She moved into the room with great trepidation, not certain what she would find. Would he be in his coffin? She was afraid she would run screaming from the room if he were.
Her relief was almost palpable when she saw him sitting in the easy chair in front of the fireplace.
He looked up at her, a faint smile playing over his lips. "You came. I did not think you would."
She sat down on the ottoman. "Why did you call me?"
"To warn you to be careful."
"Bryansaid you're going to destroy Petrina . Can you?"
"Yes, but there is a new complication."
"Won't it cause trouble with the other vampires if you kill one of them?"
"Perhaps.But Petrina is not the only problem now."
"What do you mean?"
"It was not Petrina who tookBryan 's blood. It was Kitana ."
"Who's that?"
"She is the vampire who made me."
"I don't understand. What does she have to do with Bryan and Petrina ?"
"This is my chosen territory. Petrina has long desired to have it as her own. I think she has brought Kitana here to fight her battle for her."
"Why have you let Petrina stay?"
"She was turned by the same vampire who brought me across. I suppose I have been lenient with her because of my affection for Kitana ."
"And now?"
"The next move is Kitana's . I do not want to fight her, but I will if I must."
"What aboutBryan ? Is he turning?"
"No. Becoming a vampire is not a gradual thing."
"Then why has he lost his appetite? And he says the sun hurts his eyes."
"She must have given him a good deal of her blood. He is feeling what she feels."
"Will he be all right?"
"If she does not drink from him again, he will be as he was before, in time."
"Dominic, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"Something's wrong. I can feel it. Tell me."
"There is nothing wrong, my best beloved one. I only wanted to see you one last time."
"Don't talk like that!"
"Is that not what you wish, to be free of me?"
"Yes. No. I don't know." Was it really what she wanted, never to see him again? What would her life have been like if she had let him bring her across centuries ago? How did one know if one would be happy living as a vampire? If she accepted the Dark Gift, would she come to regret it?
He smiled wistfully as he reached for her hand. "You have given me much joy throughout the centuries," he said quietly. "Promise me that you will be happy in this life."
"How can I promise such a thing?"
"Leave this place. Marry your young man. Have children. Grow old together."
Tracystared at him. "You want me to marryBryan ?"
"He loves you."
"I thought you loved me."
"With all my heart.Never doubt it for a minute."
She shook her head. "I know what you're planning." She blinked back the tears that burned her eyes. "You're going to destroy Petrina and Kitana , and then yourself, aren't you? Aren't you?Because of me."
"Tracy..."
"Aren't you? Don't lie to me, Dominic. Tell me the truth."
"I have waited for you for centuries," he said heavily."Waited to make you mine. I grow weary of waiting."
"No!" She threw herself into his arms. "I can't imagine my life without you in it. Please, Dominic, don't leave me."
"Tracy!" He gathered her into his arms and held her tight, cursing as the lethargy of his kind began to steal over him. "I must rest, my best beloved one. I will come to you tonight."
She nodded, then, cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him. "I love you, Dominic."
He kissed her,then set her on her feet. Rising, he drew her into his arms again. "Until tonight," he murmured. "Go now."
She smiled at him,then hurried toward the passageway. Pausing at the door, she turned in time to see him disappear into his bedroom. With a shiver of revulsion at the thought of him climbing into the casket, she ran up the passageway and out into the light of a new day.
Outside, she wandered around the yard for a while. Relishing the feel of the sun on her face, she grabbed a blanket from the house and went down to the beach. Hardly aware of what she was doing, she found herself at Tower Ten. Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked up to see ifBryan was there. She didn't see anyone at first, and then she saw him come out of the glassed-in booth. The first thing she noticed was that he was wearing a pair of dark - very dark - sunglasses.
"Hey, Bry !"
Moving to the edge of the tower, he looked down at her and waved. "Be right down."
With a nod, she spread her blanket on the sand and sat down. He joined her a few minutes later. Handing her a soda, he dropped down on the blanket across from her.
Tracyheld the can up. "Thanks. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know. Strange." He dropped a small sack on the blanket beside him and rolled his shoulders, flexed his hands. "I feel like I'm in somebody else's skin. And..." He leaned toward her and lowered his voice, "I have this awful craving for blood."
Tracy's eyes widened in horror."You're not serious?"
"' Fraidso.I think I'm becoming a... you know."
"No! Dominic told methat's not possible. He said it happened all at once, not a little at a time."
"Then why do I feel like this?"
"He said it's because she gave you so much of her blood. He said you're feeling what she feels."
Bryangroaned low in his throat, his expression tortured. "I can't believe this is happening."
Tracylaid her hand on his forearm. 'Just do whatever he told you. I'm sure everything will be all right."
"Do you really think so?"
"Sure," she said with forced cheerfulness. "What's in the sack?"
"Oh, I almost forgot. I made you something."
"Really?What?"
An odd expression crossed his face as he picked up the drawstring bag and handed it to her.
More than a little curious,Tracy opened the bag and reached inside. "What on earth?" she muttered as she withdrew her hand. "What is this?"
A flush rose inBryan 's cheeks. "It's a wooden stake - what do you think it is?"
It was perhaps three inches thick and about a foot long, with a wicked-looking point on one end.
She looked up at him, a question in her eyes.
Bryangrinned sheepishly. "I went to the library and did some reading this morning. The book I read said that the most common ways to destroy a vampire were staking and beheading. Beheading sounds really messy. Drenching them with holy water is supposed to work, too, but..." He shrugged. "I'm not Catholic so I didn't think I could get hold of that much holy water. Anyway, ash is supposed to make the best stakes.Took me a while to find some. Bet you didn't know that the Norse god, Odin, used ash to make mankind."
"No, I didn't know that. You really did do a lot of reading, didn't you?"
"Well, it was really interesting once I got started.Hawthorne is good for stakes, too. Did you know that every culture in the known world has some kind of vampire legend?Even the American Indians."
"Anything else?"
"Lots of things, but I can't remember them all now.Seems like every country has its own myths. Anyway, keep that stake close by,"Bryan said, tapping the point. "You never know when you might need it."
"Did you make one for yourself?"
He nodded. "Darn right! They won't take me without a fight."
Bryanfinished his soda in two long swallows,then crushed the can in his hand. "I'm thirsty all the time! Nothing satisfies me."
Tracysqueezed his arm sympathetically. " Bry, I'm so sorry. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess."
"It's not your fault."
"Of course it is!" She shook her head in exasperation. "I just don't know what to do."
"About what?"
"About Dominic."
Bryanswore softly. "That should be the easiest decision you have to make. Dump him. He's a monster."
"He is not!"
"You're in love with him, aren't you?"
She blew out a sigh, and then nodded. "Yes."
"I don't understand it."
"Maybe I can explain it," she replied. Plopping down on her stomach, she proceeded to tell him the story Dominic had told her, of how he had followed her through the centuries, hoping to make her his.
Bryanwhistled softly when she finished. "That's some story."
"I don't blame you for not believing it."
"But I do."
"You do?"
He shrugged. "I've always believed in reincarnation. I believe that we come in contact with the same people over and over again until things work out the way they're meant to. I was even hypnotized a couple of times.Did the whole past lives thing."
She stared at him, suddenly afraid of what he was going to say next.
"I think we probably knew each other in a past life.Maybe more than one. In fact, I'm positive I was your son, the one who died in the war."