Gabrielle had never been so cold in her life.

Even her teeth chattered.

Not only did she feel cold, but every muscle in her body ached. What in the world had caused such pain?

She opened her eyes slowly, recognizing the canopy above Darius’s bed immediately. Scotland. At least she was still in Scotland.

Had she fallen ill?

She turned, expecting to see Darius, but it looked like the bed had not been slept in at all. She pulled the bed curtain aside and saw the shutters on the windows.

Something was different.

The room itself had not changed, but she saw so much more. The fine stitching in the tapestry on the wall, the textures. Sounds were more pronounced and even the sheets beneath her were softer.

She sniffed at the air. Heather. So rich and fragrant.

She glanced at the mirror for a moment, at the side table beside it, and then her gaze backtracked to the mirror.

Her heart missed a beat as she slid from the bed and approached the mirror.

She began trembling from deep within. A black mark ran across her chest.

Suddenly, it all came back to her.

Sutherland finding her alone, his threats, then a blade at her throat, and her running for the manor, screaming Darius’s name.

And Darius fighting Sutherland.

And Sutherland had lost, but he had shot Gabrielle.

She had lay dying, thinking of all the years she would never have with the man she loved. A man she adored more than life itself.

A bright light had beckoned, and the sensation of rising higher and higher.

Until something sharp penetrated the soft skin of her neck.

Her heart missed a beat.

Darius had made her a vampire.

A creature of the night.

And that was why she was able to hear everything, see everything so differently, smell everything. Indeed, every sense had become amplified.

Feeling light-headed, she sat down in the nearest chair. Where was Darius?

“You are finally awake.”

She opened her eyes, and Darius stood looking down at her with those lovely ice-blue eyes of his. Tall, dark, and so handsome, it made her heart ache.

“Yes.”

“I could not bring myself to watch you die, Gabrielle. I suppose I am too selfish. Having lost you once, I had no desire to do so again. I hope you can come to forgive me.”

“I would have died had it not been for you.”

“Yes, but what if you do not want this life?”

“I wish to be with you.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. “Thank you.”

“I would have done the same if the tables had been turned. I could not have allowed you to die if I could prevent it.”

“Even if it meant living in darkness for all eternity?”

“Yes, even if it meant living in darkness for all eternity.”

Relief shone in his fierce blue eyes.

“I love you, Darius. So very much.”

Tears shone in his eyes. “I love you, too, Gabrielle.”

He pulled her up into his arms, and she could hear the fierce pounding of his heart.

She lifted her face to his, and he kissed her with an intensity that left her breathless.

Along with the longing came a deeper ache. An ache she did not understand.

He put her at arm’s length for a moment and looked into her eyes. “You must drink, Gabrielle. You are weak.” He took off his shirt and tossed it aside.

Cutting his chest with a small dagger, he pulled her closer. “Drink.”

The scent of his blood filled her nostrils, and she licked her lips as she leaned in and tasted him. Instantly the blood rushed through her veins. Her fingernails dug into the skin of his back as she continued to drink, and he moaned, his cock hard against her stomach.

She was shocked by the thrill that raced through her, the energy and exhilaration. And not just from the sustenance of his blood, but from the act itself.

He whispered to her, words she did not understand, in a language she could not quite grasp.

But perhaps one day she would.

“That is enough, Gabrielle,” he said, cupping her face.

She noticed he looked paler than moments before, but he also looked pleased. He dipped his head and kissed her again.

How strange it was to taste his own blood on her lips. She had taken to drinking easily enough, and Darius hoped she meant what she had said and that she did not blame him in the future.

Her hand brushed over his buttocks. The other splayed against his chest, and the cut there that she had kissed.

“I am so excited to spend the rest of eternity with you,” she said, putting all his fears to rest. She lifted her hips. “I want you inside me.”

The sides of his mouth lifted in a wicked grin. A second later he slid inside her and she gasped against his mouth. His thrusts were slow and deep.

She sighed with pleasure. Forever. She would have these moments for eternity. Making love to him every day of their lives.

He bent his head and took a nipple into his mouth, teasing the sensitive bud with his teeth.

Darius rolled to where she was on top. He cupped her breasts, playing with her nipples, lightly tugging them.

Her head fell back on her shoulders as she rode him hard, grinding against him as she climaxed hard. He immediately followed, his deep-throated moan making her smile.

She lay fully on him, savoring the feel of every inch of their bodies touching.

Darius’s hands moved down her back, cupping her bottom.

Once again, desire rushed through her.

“Marry me, Gabrielle,” he said in a husky voice. “Say that you will be my wife.”

Her pulse skittered. She looked down at him. “Be your wife … again?”

His eyes lit up. “Aye, lass—be my wife again.”

Never in her life had she been so happy, so content, so desperately in love.

He lifted a dark brow, waiting for her response.

“Aye, my love. I will be your wife … again.”

With a pleased smile, he rolled to where she was beneath him, and slid inside her. “I love you always and forever,” he whispered against her lips.

She kissed him softly. “Aye, and I love you, Darius MacLeod. Always and forever.”