Midnight Embrace

Alesandro stood beside his bed in his chamber at Blackbriar Hall. He had brought Elisabeth here as soon as the sun had set. No one save Analisa knew of his lair in the stone cottage. It was knowledge he would not share with anyone else, not even his trusted housekeeper.

Now he waited. Soon, Elisabeth would awake to find herself a changed creature. Would she hate him for what he had done? Embrace her new life? Or ask him to end her existence as a vampire before it had even begun?

She lay on his bed unmoving, still caught in the death-like sleep that held all vampires in its grasp from sunrise to sunset. She had died the night before; would she remember the horror of it, he wondered, or had the memory been mercifully blotted from her mind?

He had lit several candles in hopes the light would somehow make things easier for her. He wondered again if she would recall the night past. Rodrigo's memory of that fateful night so long ago had been hazy upon waking the next night. He recalled little save that he had followed a beautiful woman and awakened forever changed. Alesandro wished he had been so blessed. He recalled it all so clearly even now: his terror at Tzianne's vicious attack, his horror as he endured mortal death, alive yet not alive, not knowing he would rise the next night. His confusion when he realized what had happened to him, his refusal to believe it, the lethargy that had engulfed him, the pain of the sun scorching preternatural flesh while he hastened to find a place to hide...

Elisabeth woke abruptly. Bolting into an upright position, she glanced anxiously around the room.

"It is all right, Elisabeth. There is nothing to fear."

She swung her head around to face him. "Where are we?" She glanced around the room, frowning in recognition. "Blackbriar? How did I get here?"

He moved toward the bed and took her hand in his. "All in good time, Elisabeth. How do you feel?"

She blinked up at him, as if puzzled by his question. "I feel..." She frowned. "I feel very well. But I shouldn't, should I? Why are you looking at me like that?" She glanced around theroom, as if she might find the answer to her question lurking in a corner. "Why does everything look so different? Your cloak... I can see every stitch, every thread. The sun just went down, didn't it? I can smell the night..."

She took hold of his arm, her eyes widening, the pulse in her throat beating rapidly. "Alesandro!"

"Elisabeth." He sat down on the edge of the bed and drew her into his arms. "What do you remember of yesterday and last night?"

She frowned again. "We went into the city. Analisa bought a gown for the wedding..." Her eyes widened. "Our coach was attacked. They killed Farleigh and took us to... Rodrigo! Rodrigo was there. What has he done to Analisa?"

"Analisa is at the townhouse. She is unhurt."

"Thank the Lord."

"Is that all you remember?"

"I think so... No!" Her hand flew to her throat. "Rodrigo! He bit me. Drank from me!" She shuddered, remembering the horror of it, the pain of it. "How did I get here? Where is that fiend now?"

"I found you and Analisa at his house," Alesandro replied. "You were very near death. I would have taken you to the hospital, but there was no time."

Her gaze met his, and in the depths of his eyes she found the answer she was looking for.

Slowly she shook her head, her eyes filled with horror. "No. No, tell me you did not?"

"I could not let you die when I had the power to save you."

"How could you?" Her fingers searched her throat. "You had no right to... to make me what you are." Pushing against his chest, she stood. "I can't be a vampire. I don't want to be a vampire!" She whirled around to face him. "Undo it, now!"

"I cannot, Elisabeth. You know that."

She doubled over, her arms wrapped around her stomach, a low, keening wail of pain issuing from her lips as the hunger made itself known.

"I remember now," she gasped. "I remember it all." She lifted her head, her gaze piercing his. "Help me!"

"You need to feed, Elisabeth."

"No!" She shook her head. "No, I couldn't. I can't."

But he could see the hunger in her eyes, the growing need. He recalled his own revulsion at the thought of needing blood to survive when he had been a new vampire, but it had merely been a holdover from his old life, a taboo that no longer had any meaning. He was a vampire. Taking blood was natural for him. It would be for her, too, once she got past her initial revulsion.

"Come," he said, taking her by the hand. "Let me show you the beauty of the night."

Analisa couldn't sit still. She tried to read, but, for once, books held no appeal. She picked up her embroidery, only to put it down after a few minutes. She nibbled on a bit of pudding, but had no appetite. She picked up her shawl, intending to go for a walk in the gardens, but thoughts of Rodrigo prowling the shadows quickly changed her mind. Dropping her shawl on the back of a chair, she wandered through the house, finally ending up in Alesandro's room. Sitting on the bed, she hugged his pillow to her chest. Where was he? Why didn't he come to her? Surely he knew how anxious she must be for news of how Mrs. Thornfield was adjusting to her new life.

Once again, Analisa tried to imagine Mrs. Thornfield as a vampire... tried to imagine herself as a vampire, forced to spend her days trapped in a deathlike sleep, forced to forever shun the daylight, to dine on blood. Given a choice between death and becoming a vampire, which would she choose? For the first time, it occurred to her that if she were a vampire, she could be young forever, live with Alesandro, forever.

She fell asleep with that intriguing thought.

Alesandro smiled at Elisabeth. "You see? It was not so bad, was it?"

Elisabeth looked up at him, her gray eyes shining. He had taught her to hunt, shown her how to feed, how to erase from the mind of her prey any memory of her feeding.

After she had fed, he had shown her the beauty of the night. With her vampire eyes and ears, she saw details and heard sounds mortals never saw, never heard. When she walked, it was as if her feet never touched the ground.

"Not so bad as I thought it would be, at least," she replied. She twirled around, her arms extended, her head back, the sound of her laughter floating on the wings of the night. "I feel so young! So strong. As if I could fly."

He laughed with her. For all that he lamented his lost mortality and despised the necessity of taking blood to survive, being a vampire had its rewards. Eternal youth. Eternal health. Supernatural powers. And time. The greatest gift of all.

Though he was not certain of Elisabeth's age, he knew she had to be in her sixties, though she looked much younger thanks to the small amounts of blood he had given her in the past. Now, infused with the full preternatural glamour of the Dark Gift, she looked younger still. Her hair glowed with vibrant health, as did her skin.

She put her hand on his arm to steady herself. "I haven't done that in more years than I can remember," she remarked, grinning.

He looked down at her, his smile fading as the expression on her face turned from exuberance to contemplation to desire.

"I have loved you most of my life," she said quietly. "I watched you stay young while I grew old, and still I loved you. I love you now."

"Elisabeth - "

"I knew there was no hope for us before, that you did not love me as I loved you, butnow we're alike, Alesandro. I can share your life in ways that she never can."

"Elisabeth, I am in love with Analisa.

"But I loved you first!"

"I care for you. I always have, and that has not changed. But I am going to marry Analisa, if she will still have me. And you will not harm her in any way, do you understand?"

"And what am I to do?" she asked bitterly. "Where am I to go? Because of what you've done, I can't stay here, or go back to the Manor, or to Blackbriar."

"I have a large house in Milano. It is yours, and the income from the winery that goes with it."

"So far away?"

"We cannot hunt the same territory. It is not wise, or safe. In time you will learn that vampires are very territorial about their hunting grounds."

"What of Rodrigo?"

"He is a danger to all of us. You would be wise to stay out of his way." Alesandro glanced up at the sky. It would be dawn in a few hours. "You must find a secure place to spend the day."

"Where shall I go?"

He shook his head. "That is something you must decide. Never tell anyone where you sleep. Trust no one with that knowledge. Not me, not anyone. Do you understand?"

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 noneed 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 arms, 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 bloomof 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.