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things in a narrow hallway of time. That doesn t mean that you can draw truths from
those things. You need more than bits and pieces to draw the conclusion you have
drawn.
She killed my brother. There is no other possible conclusion.
I believe that you are wrong, and at any rate, as I said, we have other problems to
deal with whether you want to or not, because those problems are coming for you,
slayer
Why won t you just tell me where she is? Nikki cut him off. She didn t know what
other problems he was speaking of, and at that moment, she didn t care. Her mind was
zeroed in on one objective: the need to confront and destroy her brother s murderer.
I can t won t betray her, he said softly and frowned as he looked away from her.
Then, please leave. Her voice was scarcely audible. What was that grumbling in her
heart? What was that tearing sensation in her chest? Why was there a constriction in her
throat & what was that she was feeling & ?
Damon Drummond inclined his head, and his voice grazed the air and lingered in her
ears just before he moved into overdrive and vanished. One day, I will tire of hearing
you tell me that.
Nikki sank down at the edge of her bed. Life was so complicated, and she was getting
so confused and getting nowhere fast. Why wouldn t he help her? Was he in love with
Deadly Moon was that it? An unconscious frown descended on her face, and she sighed
in the quiet of her room.
They were at odds on this, and why should she care about that? He was a vampire. It
was a fact she had to keep repeating to herself. Damon, vamp. Nikki, slayer. No meshing
there. No common ground.
However, she had learned something today as she pored through the ancient texts and
manuscripts. She had come across a tale passed down through the ages that gave her a
clue about the kind of world that thrived when Deadly Moon had been turned by Dracula!
* * *
A thumping pulse made its bumpy way through Nikki s body. She was staring into his
black eyes, and what she saw there made her close her eyes again. A small groan escaped
her as she felt his hands on her naked breasts. Naked & how had she gotten that way?
She couldn t remember & and where was she & in her bed or his?
She heard him make a feral sound, and instead of being frightened, she arched her
back in offering. His hands & oh, his hands & made her blood heat up as they worked
over her receptive body.
Her mind had lost the battle, and her body had given in to the craving. She wanted
him. She could see his handsome face, and passion was etched into the set of his jaw, the
curve of his mouth &
She reached up to touch his cheek, and he took her hand and kissed it feverishly before
he got into position and straddled her.
He was naked. His chest was rippled and hard. His biceps were muscled, and both of
them were ornamented with a strange-looking tattoo design something he must have
had from his human years. His steely manhood was at full mast and throbbing, and the
sight of it made her arch closer to him. She wanted him to know what she wanted, and he
did as he bent slowly and gently covered her mouth with his. He worked her lips with his
own, and his tongue teased for entry.
She parted her lips and allowed his velvety tongue full reign as it eased hers into
submission. His kiss took her to another world as he entwined her into his arms and
taught her an age-old dance. He kissed her until she thought she would lose herself in his
kisses, and then he was pulling away &
She whispered his name as doubt assailed her. Damon &
Clearly she heard him answer in return, and the hurt swept through her with the words.
Moon & my darling &
Cold-water splash. Nikki woke up.
She looked around the room, which was enshrouded in darkness, but she was alone. It
had been so real the dream felt so completely real!
She looked down at herself and discovered she was, indeed, quite naked. She took a
moment and concentrated on steadying herself. It was only a dream & that was all that it
was just a dream. She touched her lips, and they felt slightly bruised &
* * *
The day had been long and tedious. She had pored over manuscript after manuscript
but had not found anything further on Deadly Moon until it was nearly four o clock, and
then it shot out at her from the pages and she almost read the words out loud.
Dracula s frenzy was at its height when suddenly he retreated to his castle. No
one knew why, and the villagers crossed themselves and prayed that there he would
stay.
It came to pass that a beautiful woman had escaped one night from his castle. A
stranger of great height and extraordinary good looks had passed through the
village, and a few curious locals followed him.
They watched when he discovered her lying nearly dead in the road. Her clothes
were torn, her body ravaged, and surely she was on the verge of death. Surely, they
thought, she could not be saved.
Overhead, the moon had already begun to glow.
They heard him whisper softly to her but could not hear what he said as he took
her into his arms and walked out of their view.
They never saw either one again and so the rumors began. Some said she had
been turned by Dracula into one of his bloodthirsty vampires. Some said she must
have killed the huge and handsome man who tried to help her. Some only shook
their heads and said it would remain a mystery.
What could this story mean? Was it about Deadly Moon? How would it help her?
There was something in the story that would help her understand, but that something
eluded her now.
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