Dead By Nightfall by Beverly Barton

frightened boy in her arms, she had known how pure and sweet and innocent he was. She had felt the goodness inside him, the gentle spirit that struggled to stay alive, and the kind heart that refused to die despite the torment he endured every day. He had tried to be strong and brave, to show no fear and survive without losing his own humanity.
    In the beginning, he had been unable to hide his thoughts and feelings from her, his very soul an open book, easily read. And from the very beginning, she had not told Malcolm the complete truth about Raphael, knowing the truth would help her husband destroy the boy. In time Malcolm had become obsessed with Raphael and took particular pleasure in torturing him. His physical beauty lured two of Malcolm’s frequent guests on Amara to ask specifically for Raphael whenever they visited, men who preferred boys in their teens to adult males or females of any age.
    Why are you tormenting me, Rafe?
    In her heart, Yvette knew that Raphael no longer existed. Although his body had survived and escaped, his heart and soul had died on Amara. Rafe Byrne existed, out there somewhere, a man on a mission, a heartless, soulless creature.
    Yvette opened her eyes to see a concerned Blythe Renshaw hovering over her. Blythe, sparkling with an effervescent loveliness that went beyond her physical appearance to encompass every aspect of her being, smiled warmly when she saw that Yvette was awake.
    â€œHow do you feel?” Blythe asked.
    â€œTired. But that is quite normal.” She held out her hand. “Please, help me to sit up.”
    Blythe grasped Yvette’s hand and assisted her. “Are you hungry? Ms. Hughes said to let her know when you woke up and she’d bring something for you.”
    Slightly woozy, Yvette gripped the edge of the mattress as she slid her legs around and settled both feet on the floor. “I’m not hungry.”
    â€œDo you need anything? What can I do to—?”
    â€œStop fussing,” Yvette said. “Sit back down. I’m fine. Really.” She looked directly at her protégée, one of six gifted young people who possessed special psychic talents and had come to her for understanding and guidance. “Blythe, did I talk in my sleep? Did I say something, anything you could understand?”
    â€œYou mumbled, but I couldn’t understand most of what you were saying. Only a few words.”
    â€œAnd those words were?”
    â€œA name. You called out a name several times.”
    â€œWhat name?”
    â€œRaphael.”
    â€œWhat else did I say?”
    Blythe flushed. “You said, ‘My sweet boy.’ And you said ...” Blythe cleared her throat. “You said, ‘Let me hold you and kiss you and take away the pain.’ ”
    â€œThank you for telling me.” She could see that Blythe was curious. Everyone who knew Dr. Yvette Meng knew there was no special man in her life, no husband, boyfriend, or lover. And as far as most knew, there never had been anyone special. “Raphael was someone very dear to me many years ago.”
    Yvette forced herself to stand despite feeling desperately weak. She had to rebuild her strength as quickly as possible. Griffin needed her. She intended to use every means available to her, and that included her protégés, in order to help Griffin and the others find Nicole.
    â€œYou need more rest,” Blythe said as she rushed to help Yvette.
    She clutched her student’s arm. “I need you to do something for me, something that under ordinary circumstances I would never ask.”
    â€œYou know that I will do anything for you.”
    Yvette clung to Blythe. “Are you willing to allow me to drain your energy, to take it from you?”
    â€œYou want to ... ?”
    â€œIt will take me days to recover otherwise. At this very moment, I am on the verge of fainting.” Yvette swayed unsteadily on her feet. “Once I lose consciousness again,