Page 12 (2/2)

She'd kept walking, long after the graveled road had ended She'd cli her clothes and the skin of her arms and back

The stone wall had been her last hurdle The last obstacle in her path

She could see the house now, its iainst the mountain

Thin streaht seeht, if only she would come inside

For aof the wind quieted, and Savannah stared in silence at what lay before her

She knehat she would find inside the walls of that house

A monster

A man

A demon

A savior

For the past six months, she'd researched him carefully She'd learned every detail that she could about Willia detail

Soht, his name upon her lips

But the nightmares did not matter

She needed William Dark She needed the monster She needed the man And she would have him

She approached the house slowly, alravel It had rained earlier in the day, and the air still smelled of the shower

There was no sound in the courtyard No birds chirping No dogs barking Not even the howl of the wind intruded on this quiet space

She was the only intruder Her stomach clenched, and she sed several tihtness in her throat Her heart pounded furiously She wondered if he could hear the desperate beating

Frolared down at her, warning her away from their e She had not let her friends dissuade her frohtened off by two statues! Even if they did see her every move

Finally, she stood before a tall, wooden door A cross had been crudely etched into its surface She stared at the spiritual sign, wondering at its presence At itsin this place of darkness

It didn't belong there

Neither did she

But she wasn't going to leave Not until she'd gotten what she needed

She took a deep breath

The door opened before she could even lift her hand to knock against its hard surface He opened the door For a moment, she could only stare up at hiht's shadow, she could tell that it was he

He towered over her slender form He was tall, easily over six feet, and his broad shoulders seeht hair was pulled back and clasped at the base of his neck His eyes, a burning coal-black, seely into her own

She'd seen a sketch of him before, of course She'd knohat he looked like But seeing him up close was an entirely different matter

She hadn't realized just how high and strong his cheekbones were, or how sensual his lips would be His nose was perfectly straight, if a little sharp His broas high and elegant He was an attractive man, even with the thin scar that sliced down his left cheek

She kne he had gotten that scar

She knew everything about the man before her

He was dressed in black, the color accentuating his tawny skin andhim look almost … sinister

He stood within the shadoatching her

Finally, he spoke “You are not welcome here” His voice was a purr, a seductive contrast to the harsh words A slight English accent marked his formal words

Savannah was not surprised by his abruptness After all, it was the greeting that she'd expected In a quick rush, she said, “I must speak with you, Mr Dark” Her voice shook with intensity He had to let her inside the house He had to!

His head lifted slightly Did curiosity flicker faintly in the depths of his black eyes? Savannah couldn't tell, not for certain

«Must you?” he queried His voice seemed to wrap around her, to sink into her

She shook her head, clearing the sudden fog fro in vain to stare around his shadowed body and glient»