Midnight Embrace

by Amanda Ashley

  She nodded, her voice filled with sudden anxiety as she glanced around. "But I don't know where to go."

  "Go to the Hall. The crypt in the garden is large. You can stay there until you find a resting place of your own."

  She shuddered. "You want me to sleep in a tomb?"

  "You will be safe there."

  "How will I get in?"

  "Lift the lid."

  Her eyes widened. "It's too heavy."

  He laughed softly. "Trust me, you will be able to lift it with ease." He saw the disbelief in her eyes. "Here," he said, pointing at a large boulder along the roadway. "Lift this."

  "I can't."

  "Try."

  With a shake of her head, she took hold of the boulder with both hands. Amazement filled her eyes as she lifted it from the ground.

  "How?" She lifted the rock over her head as if it weighed no more than a tea tray. "How can I do this?"

  "Elisabeth, how have you lived with a vampire so long and not understood? You know what I can do. Those powers are now yours."

  "Am I as strong as you, then?" She dropped the boulder on the ground. "As strong as Rodrigo?"

  "No, but you will be, in time." He glanced at the sky again. "I am going home," he said. "Do not be afraid when you feel the Dark Sleep come upon you. Do not fight it. In time, it will seem natural."

  "I don't want to be alone, not now. Stay with me, please."

  He thought of Analisa, waiting for him.

  "It's the least you can do," she said, her voice sharper than she intended.

  "Go to the Hall. I will meet you at the crypt before dawn."

  "You promise?"

  He nodded. "And there is no need to lift the lid of the crypt," he said with a faint grin. "All you need do is will yourself inside."

  And then, before she could detain him further, he vanished from her sight.

  Analisa awoke to the sound of Alesandro's voice whispering her name. Opening her eyes, she found him lying on the bed beside her.

  "You're here," she murmured sleepily. Suddenly awake, she sat up. "Where is Mrs. Thornfield? Is she all right? Where have you been?"

  Grunting softly, he rolled onto his back and drew her down on top of him. "Elisabeth will be fine. I just left her. She was upset at first, but I think she has accepted the change. In time, she might even be grateful."

  "Grateful." Analisa shuddered at the mere idea. "What will I tell the household staff? How will I explain her absence?"

  "I will take care of it." His gaze moved over her face, his expression thoughtful. " 'Lisa?"

  She frowned at the solemn tone of his voice, the sudden intensity of his gaze. "What? Is something wrong?"

  "So much has happened. Do you…" He turned away, an oath escaping his lips before he looked at her once again. "Have you changed your mind? About us?"

  "No, Alesandro." Her gaze searched his face. "Have you?"

  "No. I missed you."

  "Did you?"

  "You know I did. Will you stay here with me?"

  "I cannot. I promised Elisabeth I would rest beside her."

  Jealousy was not a green-eyed monster. It was a sharp stab of pain in her heart, an ache in her very soul.

  " 'Lisa. It is only one day. She is afraid to be alone when the Dark Sleep claims her the first time." He ran his knuckles lightly over her cheek. "You understand?"

  "I understand she loves you."

  He didn't deny it.

  "And now…" Analisa frowned. "And now she is what you are."

  "It changes nothing between you and me."

  "Doesn't it? The two of you share something now that you and I can never share."

  He stared at her in disbelief. She was jealous. Jealous of Elisabeth.

  "What will she do now?" Analisa asked. "She can't come back here. Does she have any family anywhere… oh, I guess she couldn't stay with them, either."

  "I have a small estate in Milano. I told her to go there."

  "So far away?"

  He grinned inwardly, thinking her response was the same as Elisabeth's had been. "Would you rather she stayed here?"

  "No," she replied quickly.

  "There is no need for you to be jealous, cara."

  "Isn't there?

  "No." In one fluid movement, he rolled over and tucked her slender body beneath his. "No reason at all." His kiss smothered the argument he read in her eyes.

  She glared up at him, mutinous, but only for a moment. And then her eyelids fluttered down and she surrendered to the incredible need that his kisses aroused in her. She had never made love to anyone else, had nothing with which to compare the heat of his kisses, the way her whole body came alive at the merest touch of his hand, the sound of his voice.

  Was it only her love for him that caused her to respond this way, or was it something more? Could any man's kiss drive her to such distraction?

  "No, 'Lisa," he murmured, answering her unspoken question. "You were made for me. Can you not feel it?"

  She had forgotten he could read her mind, sense her thoughts. And surely that was part of the wonder of their lovemaking, the joining not only of their bodies, but their minds as well. There were times when he knew what she wanted, what she needed, before she did.

  His hand skimmed over her breast, teasingly delicious, making her ache for more. She put her hand over his, holding it in place, her hips writhing beneath him, seeking to be closer.

  She heard the sudden intake of his breath as he was caught up in the tumult, heard him gasp her name as she began to caress him, her touches growing more and more intimate.

  He tore off his shirt and sent it flying across the room. His hand fisted in the bodice of her gown. One yank, and it was gone. Her undergarments as well. She tugged at his trousers as they rolled back and forth on the mattress. Clothing flew through the air. He sat up to remove her slippers and his boots, and then he lowered himself over her once again, the thought that the sun's rising was less than an hour away adding to the tension between them.

  She gasped his name, her nails raking his back as she urged him on, everything else forgotten but her need for this man, this incredible man…

  Elisabeth circled the crypt. She had seen it countless times, had known what it was, why it was here, but she had never considered the possibility that one day she would occupy it. She didn't know where Alesandro passed the daylight hours, but she knew it wasn't here. Did Analisa know?

  She glanced up at the sky, her preternatural flesh sensing the coming of a new day. Where was he? She couldn't enter the crypt alone. Even if it meant she'd burn up with the rising of the sun, she couldn't do it. She had always feared small, closed-in places, feared being buried alive. How could she endure this?

  She ran her hand over the cold white marble, her thoughts chasing themselves like a puppy chasing its tail. So much had happened in such a short time. She still couldn't quite grasp all the changes she'd undergone. She'd had no time to prepare herself, no time to think about it, no say at all in the decision. Would she have agreed to accept the Dark Gift if she had been given a choice?

  She stared at the crypt. She was sixty-four years old. How many more years would she have had if Alesandro hadn't changed her? Though she had been in good health for a woman her age, it wouldn't have lasted forever. All too soon, she would have been laid in a crypt such as this from which she would never return.

  She shuddered at the thought. This was better. Much better. Though she had been thoroughly repulsed by what she had to do to survive, once she got past it, it wasn't so bad. Almost pleasurable, in fact.

  A life against nature, Alesandro had said. But it was life. And she very much wanted to live.

  Her skin felt suddenly tight, and she glanced up at the sky. It would soon be dawn. Where was Alesandro?

  Analisa blinked back a tear as she watched Alesandro pull on his shirt. She wanted to beg him to stay. It wasn't fair that he should have to leave her, not now, when they had made love so tenderly. She wanted to rest in his a
rms, to fall asleep in his embrace.

  As though sensing her thoughts, he sat down on the bed and drew her into his arms. "I do not want to leave you, 'Lisa, you know that."

  "I know."

  "I will come to you tonight as soon as I can."

  "Promise?"

  He nodded. "I love you, my sweet Analisa. Dream of me."

  "I will." She lifted her face for his kiss, closed her eyes as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

  When she opened her eyes again, he was gone.

  Elisabeth whirled around at the sudden knowledge that she was no longer alone. She breathed an audible sigh of relief when she saw it was Alesandro.

  "Were you expecting someone else?" he asked with a wry smile.

  "I can't stop thinking about Rodrigo."

  Alesandro grunted softly. Sooner or later, he was going to have to do something about Rodrigo. He had let his old friend terrorize his life for far too long, partly because of the love he had once had for the man, partly because of the guilt he still carried for Serafina's death. But he had Analisa to think of. And now he had Elisabeth to consider. Like it or not, he was responsible for her, too.

  He looked up, askance, as she tugged on his arm. "Alesandro, the dawn…"

  With a nod, he took her by the hand. "Just relax," he murmured, and dissolved into the crypt, drawing her with him.

  "It's so dark!" Elisabeth exclaimed.

  "There is nothing to fear." He settled down on the feather mattress and drew her down beside him. "Do not try to fight it. Just close your eyes and let the darkness surround you."

  "Will I dream?"

  "No."

  "Will I wake up?"

  He laughed softly. "Of course."

  He knew when the sun cleared the horizon, knew when the Dark Sleep took hold of her. Her hand tightened around his as it drew her toward oblivion, and then, abruptly, her grip loosened.

  He could see her clearly in the dark. Enhanced by the glamour of the Dark Gift and her recent feeding, her skin was unblemished and had the bloom of youth. The lines around her eyes and mouth were less noticeable, her hair was thick and lustrous.

  With a sigh, he closed his eyes and followed her into the dark maw of oblivion. His last conscious thought, as always, was of Analisa.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Rodrigo paused, his head bowed over his latest victim. Eyes widening in disbelief, he buried his fangs in the tender skin of the woman's throat. He had done it! After four hundred years, Alesandro had bequeathed the Dark Gift to another, something Rodrigo had never done. Rodrigo licked a drop of blood from beneath the woman's ear. What had it been like, to bring another across, to watch the hellish transformation, to know that you had robbed a woman of life and yet given her another life in exchange?

  He glanced down at the woman in his arms. Her vivid green eyes stared back at him, empty of expression. Her skin was pale, almost translucent. His mind probed hers. She was twenty-five years old. Her husband had mistreated her and she had run away. She had no children. Both of her parents were dead. She had a younger brother who was in prison, and a sister who was a nun.

  He laughed softly. A diverse family, to be sure.

  And what did she have to live for? He probed her mind again. She lived in a small room above the bakery where she worked for room and board and a mere pittance. She had considered taking her own life on several occasions, but lacked the courage to do so.

  He grinned as he stared down at her, curious to know how she would react if he bestowed the Dark Gift upon her, and even more curious to know what it would feel like to drain her dry and then fill her with new life.

  He probed her mind one more time, searching for her name.

  "Kathleen Fowler." He spoke it aloud, savoring it on his tongue as he bent his head to her throat once more.

  She shuddered in his arms, her skin growing more pale, her lips turning blue as he drained her life's force, and then, when her heartbeat had grown so faint even he could scarcely hear it, he tore a gash in his wrist and pressed it to her mouth.

  "Drink, Kathleen," he purred. "Drink your fill and then come and walk eternity with me."

  He closed his eyes as her mouth fastened on his wrist, her throat working frantically.

  Rodrigo smiled faintly. What would Alesandro think when he discovered that another vampire walked among them?

  * * *

  Chapter Thirty

  Analisa woke slowly, stretched, and then sat up with a jerk. Rising, she went to the window, drew back the heavy draperies, and raised the sash. Sunlight poured into the room, over her skin. For a moment, she closed her eyes and let the warmth wash over her. How good it felt on her face and arms.

  Opening her eyes, she gazed at the scene below: the greening grass, the multitude of flowers blooming, the way the late afternoon sunlight shimmered on the small pool in the center of the gardens. How beautiful it looked! Poor Mrs. Thornfield. She would never see the beauty of this place again. Poor Alesandro, to have dwelled in darkness for four hundred years.

  Feeling hungry, she rang for Frannie and asked the maid to have Cook prepare her something to eat.

  "Dewhurst wants to know if you'll be wantin' the carriage brought round."

  "The carriage?"

  "He thought you might be wantin' to go visit Mrs. Thornfield."

  "Oh. I… that is, I think I'd better wait and talk to Lord Alesandro."

  Frannie eyed her strangely. "Yes, miss, as you wish. Will that be all?"

  "Yes, for now."

  With a curtsey, Frannie left the room.

  The staff would most likely think her a heartless creature for not going to the hospital, Analisa thought with a sigh. Would it be better to make the trip and pretend to visit the housekeeper?

  Sitting at her dressing table, she picked up her brush and ran it through her hair. She hated lying, but she could hardly tell Frannie and the others the truth.

  She stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying not to think of Alesandro spending the night with Mrs. Thornfield. She told herself she was being foolish, that there was nothing to worry about. But she couldn't help being jealous.

  Frannie returned a few moments later and filled the ewer with hot water. Analisa washed quickly. Frannie helped her dress, and she went downstairs to breakfast. Everything seemed to remind her of Mrs. Thornfield and Alesandro. She looked at the food on her plate. Never again would Mrs. Thornfield be able to enjoy one of Cook's sumptuous meals; Alesandro had not eaten solid food in four hundred years.

  With a shake of her head, she finished her breakfast and left the table. She sent Dewhurst into town to pick up the mail and then spent a leisurely hour reading the morning paper. She was about to put it aside when she noticed a small article on the last page.

  Body of unidentified young woman found on the roadside. Police say possible cause of death may be an animal attack, due to wounds in the victim's neck and amount of blood lost.

  Fear congealed in the pit of Analisa's stomach. The woman had been killed by a vampire. She knew it as surely as she knew the sun would rise in the east. But which vampire?

  She laughed mirthlessly. Only a few months ago, she had not believed such creatures existed, and now she knew three of them, one of them intimately!

  Frannie brought her a pot of tea a short time later. Feeling strangely numb, Analisa sipped it slowly. So much had happened since she'd met Alesandro. Her life had changed in ways she had never imagined. She had a closet filled with dresses and gowns, shoes and silk stockings and delicately made undergarments. She had learned to read and write, she knew how to do fancy needlework, how to behave at a large dinner party. She had fallen in love, experienced its joy, and its pain, basked in the pleasure of her lover's touch.

  Her lover. Where was he now?

  Putting the half-empty cup aside, she went outside to wander aimlessly through the gardens, trying not to imagine Alesandro and Mrs. Thornfield hunting for prey the night befor
e, or lying side by side now, trapped in the Dark Sleep.

  Finding herself standing outside the barn, she opened one of the big double doors and went inside. Alesandro's big black devil horse whinnied softly when she approached the stall.

  "Hello, Deuce," she murmured.

  The stallion's ears twitched at the sound of her voice.

  "Do you miss him?" She took a step forward, warily reaching out with one hand to stroke the horse's neck. His coat was as smooth as silk. She stroked the stallion's neck for several minutes and then, growing braver, she took another step forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "I miss him, too," she murmured. "He asked me to marry him, you know, and I said I would, but now—"

  "Now?"

  She whirled around, her hand going to her heart. "Alesandro! You frightened me." She looked past him to the doorway, surprised to see that the sun was already setting. "I didn't know it was so late… where is Mrs. Thornfield?"

  "She is up at the house, getting her things."

  "Oh. What reason will she give for leaving your service?"

  "She is going to tell them she has decided to retire." His gaze focused on her face, the blue of his eyes looking almost black.

  "What's wrong?" she asked, disconcerted by the intensity of his look.

  "Have you changed your mind, 'Lisa?"

  She bit down on her lip. He must have heard her talking to his horse, she thought.

  " 'Lisa?" He stood there, vampire still, waiting for her answer. He was wearing black again, and she wondered absently if there was some sort of vampire code that decreed they must always be attired in black.

  "I haven't changed my mind." Seeing him, hearing his voice, chased all her doubts away.

  "This is not the first time you have had second thoughts about us," he said quietly. "Not that I can fault you for that, considering all that has happened."

  "I have no doubts when we are together," she said, "so perhaps you should never leave my side."

  He closed the distance between them and drew her into her arms. "I never should have let it come to this," he remarked, shaking his head ruefully. "I did not intend for this to happen. In four hundred years, I have allowed no mortal to get close to me, to matter to me."