I kept it at first because of the scent you left upon it." Carefully he drew out a small, rotted bit of fabric, and handed it to her. "'Tis a piece of my sleeve. I used it that day to wipe the blood from your mouth."

"The blood is too old." She cradled it in her palm. "It cannot work."

"You will not know," he said, "unless you try."

"But you love the woman I am now," Claris said. "If I keep this shape, you can have your Reese forever."

"There is only one woman I have ever loved," he told her, "and her memory is in your hands."

She reached for the bottle of wine on the table, and carefully wet the rag with a few drops before she brought it to her lips.

The shifting of her body happened much slower than before. She felt every inch of her hair as it grew out of her scalp, and every muscle that shrank and tightened. Reese's generous curves became her smaller, more modest form. She lost four inches in height, her spine shortening a fraction at a time.

She walked over to look into the mirror on the library wall. Reese's honey gold hair had turned to her own rich brown, falling over her shoulders to stream down her back. Her face hollowed, the cheekbones sharpening and her oval eyes narrowing and tilting down at the inner corners. Green and gold starbursts swept away the dark chocolate of her irises before a fringe of heavier, dark lashes shadowed them.

She expected it to hurt, but there was no pain. And when it was finished, she felt at ease in her skin for the first time in centuries.

"I forgot how small I was." She turned away from her reflection and held out her thin arms. "And freckles. I had freckles." She looked up at him. "Am I as I was?"

"Claris," he said, taking her into his arms. "We can never be who we were. We can only be who we are." He frowned. "But as I recall, there were nine freckles on your nose, not eight."

She still felt troubled. "What about Reese?"

"Reese was my friend," he said. "You are my love. And that, sweetheart, will never change."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Since 2000, New York Times bestselling author Lynn Viehl has published forty novels in five genres. On the Internet, she hosts Paperback Writer, a popular publishing industry Web log which she updates daily. Lynn's StarDoc science fiction series has been a genre bestseller for seven consecutive years. Lynn's six Novels of the Darkyn have all appeared on the USA Today bestseller list, and her July 2008 release, Twilight Fall, became her first novel to rank in the New York Times ma.s.s market top-twenty bestseller list.

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NOTE TO READERS.

If you've enjoyed this e-book, please let other people know about it, as word of mouth is the best advertising a writer can't buy.

Also, if you're interested in reading other books I've written, here's my public bibliography: Dark Fantasy (writing as Lynn Viehl) If Angels Burn (April 2005, Signet Eclipse, ISBN: 0451214773) Private Demon (October 2005, Signet Eclipse, ISBN: 0451217055) Dark Need (June 2006, Signet Eclipse, ISBN: 0451218663) Night Lost (May 2007, Signet Eclipse, ISBN: 9780451221025) Evermore (January 2008, Signet Eclipse, ISBN: 9780451222848) Twilight Fall (July 2008, Onyx, ISBN: 9780451412591) Stay the Night (to be published in January 2009, Onyx, ISBN: 9780451412669) Science Fiction (writing as S. L. Viehl)

StarDoc SF series StarDoc (January 2000, Roc, ISBN: 0451457730) Beyond Varallan (July 2000, Roc, ISBN: 0451457935) Endurance (January 2001, Roc, ISBN: 0451458141) Shockball (August 2001, Roc, ISBN: 0451458559) Eternity Row (September 2002, Roc, ISBN: 0451458915) Rebel Ice (January 2006, Roc, ISBN: 0451460626) Plague of Memory (January 2007, Roc, ISBN: 9780451461230) Omega Games (August 2008, Roc, ISBN: 9780451462244) Crystal Healer (to be published in mid-2009, Roc)

Other SF Blade Dancer (August 2003, Roc, ISBN: 0451459261) "A Matter of Consultation" from the anthology Ring of Fire (January 2004, Baen, ISBN: 074347175X) Bio Rescue (August 2004, Roc, ISBN: 0451459784) Afterburn (August 2005, Roc, ISBN: 0451460294)

Romance (writing as Gena Hale)Paradise Island (April 2001, Onyx, ISBN: 0451409825) Dream Mountain (August 2001, Onyx, ISBN: 0451410033) Sun Valley (June 2002, Onyx, ISBN: 0451410394)

Romance (writing as Jessica Hall) The Deepest Edge (February 2003, Onyx, ISBN: 0451207963) The Steel Caress (May 2003, Onyx, ISBN: 0451208528) The Kissing Blades (August 2003, Onyx, ISBN: 045120946X) Into the Fire (March 2004, Onyx, ISBN: 0451411307) Heat of the Moment (October 2004, Onyx, ISBN: 0451411587)

Christian Adult Fiction Series (writing as Rebecca Kelly) Grace Chapel Inn Series/Guideposts Going to the Chapel Home for the Holidays Midsummer Melody Promises to Keep Portraits of the Past Life is a Three-Ring Circus

Free e-books All of my free e-books can be read online or downloaded at My Scribd page: http://www.scribd.com/people/view/179767-lynn Deimos The Devil's Publishing Dictionary Do or Die Familiar Have Mercy Illumination John and Marcia-The Novel Crash Test Dummies John and Marcia, Together Again-The Novel Crash Test Dummies II Left Behind and Loving It Virtual Workshops Lunar Marshall Midnight Blues Night of the Chameleon Near Dawn Now or Never Red Branch Roomies Sink or Swim The Novel Notebook Wanted Worthy Willing

Happy reading!

Lynn Viehl Will Scarlet, right-hand man to Darkyn leader Robin of Locksley, has been charged with an impossible task: He must regain control of his lord's stronghold, which has been invaded by vicious Darkyn renegades, without harming any captives or attracting the attention of the Brethren, the Kyn's mortal enemies. Things only get worse when Will learns that Reese Carmichael, the mortal woman he loves, is one of the hostages.

Reese was sent by her father, a former Brethren inquisitor, to infiltrate Rosethorn, retrieve an ancient vial containing the cause of a medieval plague, and prevent Armageddon from being accidentally unleashed upon the mortal world. Seducing and falling in love with Will Scarlet was never part of the plan, but Reese has no choice other than to use him and the siege of Rosethorn to complete her mission. If she does, she knows he will never forgive her-but if she doesn't, millions of innocent lives will be lost.

As Kyn allies Jayr, Byrne, and Lucan arrive to provide Will with reinforcements, Reese's true ident.i.ty and motives are revealed.

Torn between love and loyalty, Will and Reese uncover one last secret from the past that may help them win the final battle...if it doesn't destroy them first.