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Marisa stood at the , staring out into the dark, waiting It ether They had never liked each other, though they were indebted to each other A life for a life She tapped her fingers on the pane What were they doing out there?

She did not like to think of the answer that quickly ca for human prey

She could picture it so clearly: the old va one how to find and stalk his prey, how to drink the war blood that was necessary to ensure his i rituals of the Dark Gift Would the gravity of this transfer of knowledge - of power - overcoori and Edward held for each other? Or would the uneasy truce between the two theainst theas a new thought pushed its way into her ori she would accept the Dark Gift so that they could be together forever Grigori was in no hurry to bring her across, willing to let her have as much time as she needed to bid farewell to life as she knew it, but one day Grigori would bring her across Then it would be her turn as pupil, stalking the unwary

She shuddered at the thought Did she truly want to be a vaori forever, what other choice did she have? For a vampire, "forever" was not a hollow promise made in the throes of infatuation She kneould never force her, would not try to sway her decision But if she didn&039;t accept the Dark Gift, she would have to watch herself grow old while he stayed forever young Would he stay by her side while she aged? Or would he find another, still-young woht prowls? Some woman ould not hesitate to accept the Gift? She couldn&039;t iine - such a betrayal

She sighed as yet another thought crossed her mind Sooner or later they would have to leave this place, this house If things stayed as they were between theed while Grigori did not And if she accepted the Dark Gift, they would still have to move on within a few years, but at least no one would look at her and think she was his randmother!

What was it really like to be a vaht? To drink warori enough to eht aside She was still young She had plenty of tiori&039;s mother

She went to the door and opened it when she heard his car pull into the drive And then he was striding toward her, tall and dark, graceful as a cat

"How did Edward seeori shook his head "I don&039;t know"

He followed her into the living room Marisa had done wonders with the old house What had once been little more than a drafty old mansion had become a home, filled with soft colors and antique oak and a warmth that came from the woori to join her, but he began to pace in front of the fireplace, and she knew so at hi him His thick black hair fell to his shoulders; his broere straight above ebony eyes His skin was pale, though not sickly looking He was tall, with the firm, triht It described her husband perfectly HusbandHow she loved the word and all that it meant He was the ht made her smile He would have said he wasn&039;t a man at all

She had first one to the Roskovitch Carnival because they claimed to have the body of " Count Alexi Kristov, the oldest vas, of course, had never believed in ghosts and goblins or the like Even now, she wasn&039;t sure what had drawn her to the carnival that night Surely she had never drea

She hadAlexi Kristov - Grigori during the night, Edward during the day Looking back, it all seeone to the carnival, curious to see the vaet: the casket on a dais in the center of the floor; the "vampire" clad in a shiny black suit, his skin as white as the satin that lined the casket His hair had been long and limp, the color a dull reddish-brown He had looked dead Or rather, not alive A wax figure of a ullible So certain had she been that it was a hoax, that when she found herself alone with the figure, she had climbed the dais and touched its hand It hadn&039;t been made of wax, but flesh The skin had been cool Sasped when the skin grearers moved She had stumbled away fro

It had been the scent of her blood that had roused Kristov fro over a dozen people before Edward and Grigori joined forces and destroyed hiori&039;s first wife, Antoinette, whoht dead for two hundred years, had not been dead at all Transformed by Kristov, she had existed for two centuries as a revenant, a creature with no mind or will of her own In the end, it had been Edho had freed her soul and laid her body to rest Even now, it was all so hard to accept So s she would never have believed had played out before her eyes

She shook off the griori pace the floor "So you," she re?"

He turned to face her "He&039;s very powerful More powerful than I would have expected"