"Karinna?"
"I don't know. There's no way to know if it will work. If it doesn't, I can't ask you to spend the rest of your life in this hell that's no life at all."
"My blood is powerful. Even if we remain trapped here, there is a good chance that my blood will enable you to move and speak, if not immediately, then in the near future. There is a cottage in the woods, the surroundings are pleasant. It will be better than what you have now."
"Except that I'll be a vampire trapped inside a painting."
"It is not such a bad thing, being a vampire."
"Ana Luisa didn't seem to think so, either, but...if you make me a vampire, is there any way to undo it later?"
"No."
"So, I have two choices. I can either stay here, as I am, for who knows how long, or you can make me a vampire, which might break the enchantment. But whether it does or doesn't, I'll be a vampire for the rest of my life. Isn't there a third choice?"
"I am afraid not, sweeting. You need not decide now. Relax. Go to sleep."
"Will you make love to me in my dreams again?"
"If you wish."
"Don't you find it odd that I can sleep sitting up with my eyes open?"
"In this world, nothing is odd."
Which was true, Rourke thought wryly, even though he didn't fully understand why. He knew that if he left Karinna's side, he would be able to walk through her painted world. Even now, he could smell the water, the grass, the trees. He could hear the birds singing, the squirrels chattering at each other, the gentle lap of the water against the hull of the boat. He looked up at the painted sun, grateful that it had no power over him, yet it pleased him to look at it. He had thought when he was trapped in his own hellish existence that Vilnius had created a nighttime world because a painted sun would have destroyed him. He realized now that it had been nighttime in the painting simply because Vilnius wished to deprive Rourke of seeing the sun's light, even if it was only a pale imitation of the real thing.
He knew the moment Karinna fell asleep.
With a sigh, he kissed her cheek, then mentally carried her away from the boat and into the cottage nestled in the trees. He could have mesmerized her while she was awake, but it was easier this way.
Inside the stone hut, he took a moment to look around. It was a rather cozy place. It held a comfortable sofa and chair, a low table, a stone hearth, a box filled with firewood. A doorway to his left led to a bedroom and a bathroom; a doorway on his right led to a small kitchen.
He carried Karinna into the whitewashed bedroom, which was small and square, furnished with a wrought-iron bedstead and a wooden rocking chair. Dark green curtains hung at the single window, a colorful rag rug covered the raw plank floor beside the bed.
Rourke spared hardly a glance for the furnishings, though, in passing, it occurred to him that Vilnius must have expected Karinna to regain her mobility and come here at some point in time, else why bother to furnish the place? Rourke would have said that there was no kindness in the wizard's heart, yet the fact that Vilnius had furnished the cabin proved otherwise.
Grunting softly, Rourke laid Karinna gently on the mattress, then stretched out beside her, his mind melding with hers until they were no longer two, but one.
He kissed her and caressed her, his own desire rising with hers, not only the desire for her sweet flesh, but for the taste of her life's blood, her very essence.
She was fire and honey in his arms, a lover like none he had known before or would again. Her skin was warm and soft to his touch, her hair like silk in his hands, her mouth hungry for his kisses. A thought removed her clothing, leaving the beauty of her slender body open to his gaze as he caressed her from head to toe.
When she murmured, "That's not fair," he cast his trousers aside, then drew her into his arms once again, a sigh of pleasure emerging from his throat as her body pressed against his. He had heard people say they were made for each other and thought it wishful thinking, but no more, else how to explain the way Karinna fit into his embrace, the way her body molded so perfectly to his. If bestowing the Dark Trick upon her broke the wizard's accursed enchantment, he would take her for his wife and spend the rest of his existence trying to please her. If the curse remained unbroken, so be it. He had brought her to this end, and he would not abandon her.
He made slow, sweet love to her, reveling in the way she responded to his touch, in the throaty sounds of pleasure that whispered past her lips as his hands aroused her. He explored every inch of her body, a low groan of pleasure rising in his throat as her hands moved over him, each stroke firing his desire until he sheathed himself in her warmth. Afterward, he held her close in his arms while the sweat cooled on their flesh, and their breathing returned to normal.
They kissed and cuddled until he felt the night turning to day. Reluctantly, he broke his link with her mind, and then, as he had before, he left her world to seek shelter from the rising sun.
The next night, Rourke went to visit Vega and Ana Luisa. If Karinna agreed to accept the Dark Gift and it didn't break the wizard's enchantment, he would need someone to look after the painting and make sure that it wasn't destroyed.
Vega and Ana Luisa listened in silence as Rourke outlined his plan. When he finished, Ana Luisa shook her head.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked dubiously. "If it doesn't work...what kind of life will that be, living inside a painting, leaving only to feed?"
"Not one I would have preferred," Rourke admitted, "but what other choice do I have? If not for me, none of this would have happened. I cannot leave her in that hellish prison alone. I cannot. I will not!"
"Don't worry," Vega said. "If the worst happens, we'll bring the painting here and lock it up in the back room. I'll paint the window black and board it up so you won't have to worry about the sun."
"And I'll put a spell around it," Ana Luisa said, "so no one will be able to break in."
Even as Rourke nodded his thanks, he hoped such measures would not be necessary.
"You must love Karinna very much," Ana Luisa mused. Head cocked to one side, she looked up at Ramon. "Would you make such a sacrifice for me?"
Vega slipped his arm around Ana's waist and gave her a squeeze. "Don't you doubt it for a minute, chica."
Rourke's hands curled into fists as Vega and Ana exchanged heated glances. It wasn't fair! He had freed the wizard's daughter, and because of it, Karinna now shared Ana's fate. He had to convince Karinna to accept the Dark Gift. Deep in his heart, he knew it was the only way to free her.