of the reasons he wanted me to keep an eye on you.”
“So now what happens? Am I…going to die?”
“Like I said…it’s only happened once that a vampire evolved without being killed first. It had to have been just the right balance. Frankly, I don’t think I’d take the chance, Amber. The suffering isn’t pretty.”
“But Dorian isn’t here. I can’t share with him not being here.” It suddenly hit her. “You’re not suggesting I share with you, are you?”
“Would that be so repulsive?” he asked, almost seeming amused.
He was good-looking, as she was quickly learning all vampires were. But the thought of sharing with any vampire other than Dorian just wasn’t what she wanted to do. “Maybe not repulsive…but…”
He laughed, this time obviously amused.
“What’s so funny?”
He reached in his pocket and took out a clear pouch of red liquid – blood. “Dorian doesn’t want you sharing with anyone but him…silly girl. “He left this with me…just in case.” He handed the blood to her. “I suggest you drink this right down.”
She reached out with both hands because she was shaking so badly.
“My…you are in bad shape.” He helped her hold the bag and open the thin tube. “Now drink!”
She took a small sip at first. The taste was astounding, bringing back the memory of her and Dorian sharing. She took a few more sips and then sucked it down as fast as she could.
“Good girl!” He said, taking the empty bag and tucking it back in his pocket. “Now…a question – Do you want me to kill you now? Get the transition over with quickly?”
“What?”
“Or do you just want to suffer for a day or two until it happens naturally…His blood is slowly destroying your human blood. And statistics dictate that you’re going to eventually die, anyway. Only now you will come back a vampire! No question about it. You’ve had enough of Dorian’s blood to make the complete change.”
She stood there. “I don’t know? I’m scared…”
“And rightfully so…it’s scary to die. I went through it…though it’s been a few hundred years.”
“How old are you?”
“Over four hundred.”
“You’re older than Dorian?”
“Yes…a few years.” He sighed, eyebrows raised. “Now…What do you want to do? I guarantee it’s not gonna get any easier until it’s all over with.”
“There’s no chance of my staying human?”
He looked at her like a parent trying to explain to a child. “Honey…when you shared with Dorian…when you willingly slept with him…From what I understand, he wanted you to make the decision without him coercing you…You sort of gave up the life of being a normal human.”
She thought about it. She knew she had been more than aware that he was a vampire and yet she’d willingly slept with him. He hadn’t forced her. She had been mesmerized by his beauty and more than attracted to him from the very beginning, but he had not forced her…hadn’t hypnotized her. She had done it willingly.
“You’re right,’ she admitted. “I knew…sort of …what I was doing. I knew there were consequences…I just wasn’t sure what they were.”
“Amber…put Star in the house.”
“Huh?” She looked up at him.
“Put your dog in the house. He’s not going to like what I’m going to do.”
“Klaus, no! Please!”
“Amber, I’m trying to help you. Believe me. You don’t want to die the hard way. It will all be over with quickly…and you will awaken to your new life, which can be eternal, if you’re not killed by another vampire.”
“Or a very lucky human,” she said, remembering Dorian’s words.
He chuckled. “All right? You want to get a drink first? A beer?”
“No. Let’s just get it over with. She opened the door and the dog ran in, thinking she was going in. She quickly closed it and faced Klaus.
He was genuinely sympathetic. “I know you’d rather Dorian be the one to do this. But just remember it’s his blood in you…He’s with you.”
She bobbed her head, acknowledging his words. She thought briefly of Paul and then forced him from her thoughts. Dorian was who she’d chosen, and who she wanted to spend eternity with. “Okay…I’m ready.” She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Good girl.” He kissed her forehead in a fatherly fashion and gently took her head in his big hands. “Now close your eyes, sweetheart.”
She did. There was a fleeting second of pain as he snapped her neck and then blackness.
Dorian knew the second she died, felt it in his soul. He’d been standing in Knapa’s kitchen, talking to her about the herb when he felt Amber’s soul cry out to his.
Seeing the look on his face, Knapa asked, “What’s wrong, Dorian?”
“Amber…My mate. She just died.”
“Oh…I’m so sorry!” she said with great sympathy.
“It’s okay…She’ll be one of us soon.”
“Still…It’s sad when one dies. But I hope the two of you will have eternity together.”
“So do I…But I must get back to her now. I know Klaus deemed it necessary to kill her…Or she wouldn’t have died this quickly.”
“I have a few herbs ready for you to take back. You came here for them; you might as well leave with them.”
Tears welled in his eyes. He was filled with deep sadness. He hoped that that sadness would soon turn to joy. “I just need to go. I want to be there when she comes back. She’ll be hungry!”
“Here…” She handed a small bag over to him. I wish you and your mate all the happiness in the world. And luck with the herbs.”
She kissed him on each cheek then, as it was her custom.
“Thank you, Knapa. I appreciate all you’ve done.”
With the small bag in his pocket, Dorian wasted no time in heading for home.
Twelve:
Klaus placed Amber’s body in Dorian’s house, not wanting anyone to find her, and then let Star out so he could go potty when he needed to, also leaving plenty of food and water on the back porch. Dorian would sense Amber’s death and be on his way back. He gently laid her on Dorian’s bed, folded her arms across her chest and covered her up to her neck with a blanket that had been on the end of the bed. He kissed her forehead in fatherly fashion, as he had right before he killed her. “Goodnight, sweet princess,” he said. “May you arise soon to your new life!” Making sure all the doors were secure, he left quietly.
It was time for Sally to get off work, he would run pick her up and then they’d head out hunting again. He wanted to make sure she fed well, especially for the next few days, until she became more adjusted and accustomed to her life as a vampire.
First thing out of Sally’s mouth when she jumped in the car was, “Did you do it?”
“Had to! She was really bad off.”
“She’ll feel so much better when she… awakes…” she said, observing him closely. “You really didn’t want to do it, did you?”
“Not that I didn’t want to exactly. But I would have rathered it had been Dorian…She really wasn’t all that knowledgeable on what was happening to her. Wasn’t prepared. Which made it kind of sad. She was really scared.”
“Poor thing. But she’ll be okay.”
“I tried to assure her the best I could. Obviously, she didn’t read the entire book. Dorian didn’t mean for her to go through all that suffering. And she was suffering! Looked terrible! When they shared, he hadn’t intended to leave her. Thought he’d be slowly taking her through the process.
“But shortly after they…shared… he realized she still had strong feelings for Paul…And he thought it best to leave her for awhile, so she could think with a clear head. It would have been better though if Dorian could have been the one to help her…since he’s the one who’s turning her.”
“You did her a favor, Klaus. You did what needed to be done…Besides,” she said with a b
right smile. “It’s not like she’s dead…dead! She will awake soon! And she’ll be really, really hungry! Like I am right now!”
“You’re right,” he said with his solemn frown suddenly turning to a mischievous grin. “Guess we’d better go do something about it.”
“Damn right! By the way…”
“What?
“Since when did you have such a sensitive side?”
“Oh…I can be sensitive. I fell in love with you, didn’t I? I even compelled your cat so I wouldn’t have to kill her…Just because I kill some people for food, doesn’t mean I can’t be sensitive.”
“Then why did you kill Shelia?”
“She dropped by my house unannounced. Guess she thought I wasn’t home. She still had a key and let herself inside…I was really hungry, hadn’t fed for days…Not good to let yourself get that hungry…Anyway, my need to feed overrode my reason. I killed her and then thought about it. By then, it was too late.”
“Oh…”
“So, I took her away from my place and fed on her where I thought no one would see me…That’s when I met Dorian. He caught me feeding on her…anyway…That’s the story. So, take it from me. Again, don’t let yourself get too hungry…Makes you do really bad things.”
“Right! Don’t let myself get too hungry.”
“That’s my girl!” He gave her leg a gentle slap and turned the radio on to a jazz station. is eeHiHi
It was breaking dawn when Dorian arrived home. He’d taken the shortest route possible and traveled as mist the entire way.
He knew Amber would be in his cabin, for Klaus knew that was where he wanted her. He let himself in and went to his bedroom. There she lay in the soft light of morning, arms