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  * * * *

  Caroline’s heart raced, threatening to burst in her chest. She slammed against the cottage door - practically ripping it from its hinges to get inside. It was still dark within the confines of the cottage walls. She had not yet drawn back the curtains to let in the morning sun. Her eyes scanned the interior until they came to rest on the cradle where her baby daughter lay screaming in terror.

  At first she could see nothing but the small form of the baby lying on her back, her arms swinging in the air as she screamed. When her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she saw that there was an area of darkness that was denser that the natural darkness. The shadow stood near the cradle - staring down at the frantic child.

  “What are you? What do you want?” Caroline demanded.

  The thick darkness that was the shadow - moved. It was then that Caroline saw red glowing eyes where its head should have been. Yelping, she backed away from the evil presence.

  “I have come to offer you a reprieve.” The rasping - hollow voice was the voice of evil in its purest form. It was a voice that could not be heard with the ears, but only within the mind. “I will spare you your fate, in exchange for the child.”

  Caroline prayed for the strength to face down this being - this bringer of death. “Why would you have an interest in this baby?” she asked, refusing to show fear.

  The silence that followed was like that of the grave. The shadow hovered over the cradle, but its orbs of red light were fixed on Caroline.

  Caroline shook her head. “If you have come for me … then take me, but leave my child be.”

  Its hollow laughter filled her head. “When you embrace death you seek me out. You have made your choice. If you seek immortality, you will be trading the child’s life for your own.”

  Caroline blinked and the shadow was gone. As quickly as the presence left, the child became quiet, falling into a deep slumber. She ran to the baby and reached out to feel the child’s chest. Sighing with relief that the baby was still breathing.

  Swallowing hard, Caroline was confused by the words of the entity. Had she just come face to face with the Angel of Death? Or was it some demon sent to bring death and misfortune to her family? Whatever it was, it wanted her child?

  * * * *

  Sarah jumped upon waking. Her dream of Caroline remained vivid in her mind. It was the curse of the Fabre witches to remain alone throughout life. If they tried to defy the curse, they risked the lives of their children. Most women in her family never married. If they did, the marriage rarely lasted. They feared for their children, and like most mothers, they would ultimately choose their children over their own hearts.

  No one knew the origins of the curse, but at least now Sarah knew that it must have come before Caroline’s time. It was the curse that had brought about her demise, not Darrien.

  Sarah’s thoughts were brought back to the present when she heard a noise at the top of the stairs. She held her breath and listened.

  The door handle rattled and then turned.

  Scrambling to the other side of the basement, Sarah tried to avoid the dim light that made its way into the basement from the open door. Her senses picked up danger, even before she saw the figure on the stairs. It was a man, but at the same time, he wasn’t a man. The instinct that she was born with screamed at her to run. That instinct told her that this was a monster, someone that she should fear. But Jeanie stood behind him, and she didn’t seem the least bit worried.

  Her eyes followed him as he made his way down the stairs. Silently she waited - waited for him to reveal who he was - waited for the death that she sensed was imminent.

  The man stood there staring at her. Not with hatred and hunger as she’d expected. What she saw in his eyes was understanding and compassion.

  “My name is Lex.”

  Sarah didn’t respond. She continued to watch him, wary of any sudden movements.

  “I am not here to hurt you. I have come to help you.”

  “And how do you think you can do that?” Sarah finally broke her silence.

  “I know that you can sense that I am different, but you don’t know why. Am I correct so far?” he asked.

  Sarah nodded.

  Jeanie stood behind the man, saying nothing.

  “I am of the wolf people,” he told her. “Have you ever heard of lycans?”

  Sarah again nodded. This was another mythical creature that she had not considered real. Just like she had believed that vampires were no more than myth.

  “That is what I am. I don’t have time to explain everything right now, but that is what I am.” Lex held out a hand to her.

  Reluctantly, Sarah placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. When her skin made contact with his, she saw into his head and into his heart. The room seemed to fade away and she stepped into someone else’s body - into someone else’s head. The vision was so strong that it blinded her to the world around her.

  * * * *

  Sarah was in the body of the man’s daughter, and she was on the ground, sobbing.

  “I am so sorry for your loss.” A man with dark hair tried to soothe her. She didn’t know who it was, but he seemed to be someone important.

  Then she could hear someone else’s voice. “We tried, but he lost too much blood by the time we got here.” Whoever was talking to her was male, and she felt as if she should know him.

  Her tears fell, heedless of all else. What did she care of what others thought? Her heart was gone, stolen from her once again.

  The man was there, the same man that had entered her aunt’s basement. He stepped forward, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. “I am so sorry. I cannot change what has already happened, but I can make amends by being the father I should have been long ago.”

  Sarah stepped back into her own body and was looking upon a scene that she was not part of. A young woman was crying hysterically.

  The woman shook her head violently. “You have caused me too much grief. It is you that took from me those that I loved,” she told him, crying out in anguish. “My dad is a man of God, you are a creature of darkness.”

  Lex bowed his head and backed away from her. “If you should need me Kayla, I will do my best,” he told her before leaving through the open door of the death chamber where her lover’s body lay on a cold slab of marble - covered with a red velvet cloth.

  Pulling away from a large man with blond hair, the woman made her way to where the body of her lover lay. She then dropped to her knees beside him.

  Sarah could feel her grief, and it was so great that it shook her to the core. The woman could only lay her head on the body of her lover and cry. She was not aware of when the others left the room so that she could be alone with her love for the last time.

  Sarah was still Sarah, but she was also the young woman at the same time. She could feel what the woman felt - knew what she knew.

  The minutes ticked by but she was unaware of it. She lost herself in the memory of her lover. She remembered the last words he’d spoken to her.

  I do love you angel.

  While Sarah was in the other girl’s body, she felt as if she was just as responsible for his death as Lex was.

  Lex’s voice tore her from her thoughts of embracing death. “Kayla … let me help.”

  “You have done enough dear father!”

  “Even during his darkest hour … he would not denounce his love for you,’ Lex told her, his voice soft with regret.

  The girl then turned to face him, furious blue sparks flying from her eyes. “So you killed him!”

  “The one who did this … was someone else. He was corrupt with hate and envy of another man,” Lex stepped closer to her. “I see that monster entering your soul daughter. Do not let hate twist its way into your heart.”

  Kayla was silent, staring straight ahead. She could no longer see Lex, but only the bleakness of a future without love.

  “Daughter … I think there is a way I can help.”

  H
er eyes strayed to his face, but they were unyielding.

  * * * *

  Unexpectedly, Sarah found herself back in the moment and the scene in her head was gone. The man had released her hand, but not before she had seen his dark secrets. Now she knew why he was here. He wanted redemption.

  She felt something else. She had been shown the girl’s sorrow and loss for a reason. It was a warning - an omen.

  “You killed your daughter’s lover,” she accused. “And now you seek forgiveness by saving me.”

  A mixture of shock and sorrow clouded the man’s features. “You are a very talented young woman, but you do not know the whole story” he told her. “It makes no difference. With the power of both the immortal and the witch, I can see how you would be such an asset.”

  “To this battle between the sisters and the vampires’?” Sarah asked, turning away from him. She did not believe that she was strong enough to do battle with the evil that pursued her.

  “I can see someone has been talking to you,” he told her.

  “If you had hoped to save me, you are too late,” she stated.

  “You have taken a vampire for a lover, and you believe he’s turned you?”

  Sarah looked to Jeanie, realizing that her aunt had already confessed her secrets to this stranger.

  “What is it that you want?” Sarah asked him.

  “To keep you safe until you can unite with your sisters.”

  Sarah laughed. “As I said, you are too late. I have already been brought into darkness.”

  “And you are sure of this?” he said, arching one brow.

  “Yes! I hunger for blood.”

  “That could be because you are a born vampire. This doesn’t necessarily make you a full fledged bloodsucker.”

  “And how would you know?” Sarah asked sarcastically. She wasn’t sure if she was angry for the intrusion, or she was beginning to accept her fate and did not appreciate the lycan’s efforts to save her from the inevitable. At least if she had turned, she could go to Darrien and he would have no reason to turn her away. Of course this would do nothing to cure him of his delusion that she was Caroline.

  Lex held out his hand. “Come with me into the light. If my suspicions are correct, you will be fine.”

  Sarah shook her head. Why should she trust this stranger, this lycan? He was a natural born enemy of the vampire.

  “I believe that you were born with a natural resistance to the poison of the vampire,” Lex voiced his thoughts. “If this is true, it makes you an even more valuable asset to the cause.”

  “What does it matter? They will only find another way to be rid of me?” Sarah looked away.

  “I can take you somewhere where you will have some protection from Omar’s followers,” he told her. “I can take you to your sisters when the time is right, but first you must take my hand.”

  She still hesitated. Finally Sarah allowed him to lead her into the light that was coming through the open basement door. She braced herself for the blistering heat and the scorching of her skin, but nothing happened.

  “Now let’s go upstairs,” he urged.

  Sarah followed him up the stairs and into the kitchen. Again she felt nothing. She was no different than she had been the day before.

  “Why would I crave blood?” she asked.

  “I will explain everything, but you may want to cleanup and dress first,” he advised.

  * * * *

  From St. Peter’s Square the view of the Vatican was ethereal, almost eerie in a way. He stood next to a large fountain. Water gushed from the top of the fountain and spilled over the sides of the marble. Illuminated by pale yellow light, the water resembled liquid gold.

  At this late hour, few visitors remained in St. Peter’s Square. Alec’s eyes scanned the faces of the people that were still milling about, wondering which of them might be his contact.

  Father Rovati had reluctantly promised to meet Alec in the square, but that was only because the good father had no idea that he was meeting with a vampire - one of the foulest creatures to ever roam the earth, at least according to the church.

  The priest approached him from behind, but Alec was not taken by surprise. His keen sense of hearing had detected the man’s footsteps from quite a distance away.

  “Mr. Norwood?” the man asked, his voice firm and confident.

  He turned around to face the priest. Alec was a sight with his long hair blowing in the soft night breeze, and the way the light reflected in his icy blue eyes – eyes that were distinctively those of a vampire. The average person would have thought Alec was different, maybe even attractively so, but the good father was not the average person. No, this priest was the advisor to His Holiness the Pope, in all things paranormal.

  The priest stood at least a good foot shorter than Alec. The black coat the man was wearing seemed almost too warm for the season. His short-cropped silver hair and the deep crows feet around his eyes told Alec that Father Rovati was well beyond his prime, but the man’s dark eyes were sharp, and he knew what Alec was.

  “How dare you come to this holy place?” Fury oozed from the man’s words.

  “I come seeking your help,” Alec told him with a smile.

  “What help could I possibly be to a creature of evil?” Father Rovati’s eyes followed Alec’s every move, but he did not back away, nor did he show any sign that he was ready to flee.

  “Is it not your job … your mission in life to be a savior of souls?” Alec asked him.

  “I fear your soul was lost long ago,” the priest told him.

  “Among those in Vatican City, I am told that you are the most knowledgeable about the paranormal, and creatures such as myself.”

  Father Rovati said nothing, but continued to glare at Alec.

  “The Book of Anu … what do you know about it?” Alec asked.

  “What interest would it be to you? It cannot change what you have become.”

  “I seek to end my curse, to live in the light,” Alec confessed.

  “As admirable as that goal is, it is also unrealistic.” The priest’s voice seemed to lose some of its sharp edge.

  “I just want to find out what you know about it and where it can be found.”

  Father Rovati took a deep breath. “If it still exists, it is buried in the catacombs beneath Rome.”

  “But it did exist?” Alec felt his excitement grow.

  The priest nodded. “It did … yes.”

  “What is in the book?”

  “Blasphemy! That is what is in the book. It will not help you achieve your goal.”

  “It reveals the truth of the vampire. I know that much. Tell me, what is in the book about my kind?” Alec pressed.

  Father Rovati shook his head. “That you are not human. That the vampire is an abomination.”

  Alec’s features were impassive. “I already know that much.”

  “Then you know all there is to know.” The priest turned to walk away.

  Alec would have stopped the man, but something told him he would get no more information. He was once again on his own, but this time he at least had some idea of where to look.

  Leaving St. Peter’s Square, Alec headed toward the underground cities of the dead. Now he would search in the catacombs.

  His thoughts strayed to Nicole and he pulled his mobile phone from his pocket. He’d not phoned her since leaving New Orleans, and at that moment, every fiber of his being longed to hear her voice.

  His main purpose for leaving had been to search for the Book of Anu, but it had also been to give her some space. He wanted her to have time to decide if loving an immortal was something that she really wanted.

  Alec put the phone back in his pocket. He would call her soon, but now was not the right time.

  Losing himself in thought dulled his senses. Alec did not notice the shadowy figure that followed him from the square, or how the figure was gaining on him.

  Chapter Eleven

  The constant tap - tap of wate
r did little to improve Darrien’s mood. The dripping water annoyed him, but it was not the only thing keeping him from sleep. His accommodations were not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but the sea cave kept him from the sun, and the natural pools of water were ideal for bathing. He could hunt at night, and easily return to the cave before sunrise. Best of all, it was close to Sarah.

  But now something was different. There had been a change in the vibes he was picking up from her thoughts. Throughout the day he had felt her despair - her pain, but now he felt a buzz of excitement coming from her. If it were not for the sun that still hung in the western horizon, Darrien would have left his dark haven. He would assure himself that she was okay. But that was not possible - he was a prisoner of the night. Only in the dark could he move about - only then could he offer her the protection that she needed.

  Darrien closed his eyes so that he could retreat into himself. The shame that was working its way into his brain was as tormenting as knowing what he’d done to her when she was Caroline. Last time he’d let her die, this time he had taken her soul from the light.

  How had it happened?

  He’d been so careful to keep from infecting her, but still she had been overtaken by the hunger.

  Darrien trembled at the memory of her soft skin and the moist heat of her womanhood. Oh how he’d wanted to take her - sate his hunger with her willing body and quench his thirst with her warm blood. He’d wanted Sarah more than he’d ever wanted anything, but his need to protect her overcame his need to possess her.

  He’d mistakenly called her by her former name. Why had he called her Caroline when he knew she didn’t believe? Even now he could feel her pain and knew how he had gashed at her heart when he’d uttered Caroline’s name.

  The urge to go to her was unbelievable, but he kept reminding himself that even if he could leave the cave, he could not let himself approach her again. If he was mistaken and she had not yet turned, then being near her was too risky.