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Her fingers clenched in his hair even as hisfire over her cheek and down the curve of her neck

He felt as if he were drowning as he nuzzled the frantic pulse at the base of her throat and moved his hands down to brush over her slender curves Abby shuddered in response before her fingers were suddenly cupping his face and her body arching upward

"Dante?" she demanded in soft confusion

Lost in his heated passions, Dante wanted to ignore her whisper It would be so easy Beneath his hands he could feel her shiver with a longing that matched his own Why shouldn’t he provide the sweet release that lurked so tantalizingly close?

It was the unwanted memory of his oords that made his head slowly lift

Trust me, he had comed her to put aside her natural caution and place herself in his hands Perhaps thefor a woman such as Abby to do Whatever his desire for her, he could not risk any belated sense of betrayal Both their lives depended upon her faith in hiathered Abby carefully in his arms and wrapped her in a warm towel "Come, it’s time you were safely tucked into bed"

For a moment she stiffened, as if embarrassed by her blatant reaction to his touch Then with a rueful sigh she allowed her head to drop onto his shoulder

"I’m so tired," she muttered

"I know, my sweet We will rest here today"

He dropped an absent kiss on the top of her head as he h the door that connected directly with the o arrived, not even a stray hint of light marred the perfect darkness Still he had no difficulty in finding his way across the lush carpeting to the bed Sweeping aside the blankets, he laid Abby onto the satin sheets and pulled the duvet over her

About to pull away, he was caught off guard when she abruptly reached out to grasp his hand

"Dante?"

"Yes?"

"We will be safe here?"

"Nothing will harm you here"

"And"--there was a pause as if she battled so within herself--"you will be near?"

A small smile touched his lips He knew this woman would rather have a root canal, a bad perm, and cellulite rather than confess her vulnerability

"I’ll be right at your side, lover," he proracefullythem both with the duvet, he allowed her warmth to cloak about him "For all eternity"

The once-proud Victorian church with its stained-glass s and walnut pews had long since fallen into ruin With the closing of the paper mill, the small town that had been called to worship had abandoned hope and faith and at last raveyard was now only a shell of tumbled crypts and tenacious weeds

Beneath the reotten corpses, however, the vast catacombs were kept with meticulous care

Not a rat would dare enter the maze of tunnels or stone chaes No spiderould disturb the stark siht expect from a demon’s dark temple But then Rafael, the master of the cult, was not a usual demon

In truth, he wasn’t a deaunt features, he had once been as drearily iven his humanity and soul to the Dark Prince centuries before

In reward for his cold cruelty, and perchance for evil, he had quickly risen through the ranks into a position of power A power that had become all but impotent since the arrival of the witches and their dah his shadowed chaers over the heavy silver pendant that hung about his neck

So ht

He could not fail

Hearing the sound of the approaching footsteps that he had been awaiting, Rafael smoothed his features to a cold mask of invincibility Now, more than ever, he needed to use the lethal reputation he had earned over the long years

There was a tentative knock Calling the visitor to enter, Rafael carefully surveyed the young apprentice

He was standing as still and forbidding as granite as he watched the apprentice close the door and er man did not yet have the shaved head of a convert Such an honor would not be allowed unless he survived the trials Many caaze easily pierced thethe sharpness to the countenance and the cunning in the pale eyes

Oh yes, he would do quite well, he decided with an inward saze, the apprentice nervously shifted "You summoned me, Master Rafael?"

’Yes, Apprentice Amil Please, have a seat" Rafael waited until the student had moved to perch upon the uncomfortable wooden chair, then he slowly uest ’Tfou are comfortable?"