someone into a vampire to both me and my parents, refusing to let us make a commitment until we had the full details.
“To turn a human into a vampire, the human cannot truly die. There had to be complete blood loss, usually at the hands of the vampire himself, but the heart can never completely stop or all is lost. It was quicker and safer if the vampire stepped in and aided in draining the blood because if it was left to chance, some bad blood might be left behind, causing problems when the time came to turn. Once the human’s blood is drained and the human is on the verge of death, the vampire must open a large wound on the human’s throat. Over that wound, the vampire then slits his own wrist, causing blood to spill into the body. The heart continues to pump, causing the vampire’s blood to course through the now empty veins of the human. It requires a lot of the vampire’s blood to turn the human, which is another reason they typically drink from the human before turning them. A well-hydrated vampire is a strong vampire, and they need all their strength to survive that much blood loss.
“Once the human has enough blood, the wound will begin to close and the vampire can stop draining their own blood. The human must be stored someplace cool and dark until the next sun sets. As turnings happen at night, the main reason for this is to keep the human from burning to a crisp during the day while their body sleeps and rejuvenates. Once the sun disappears below the horizon, they will wake up and go about their new vampire routine.
“When Josef finished explaining the process, my mother was nearly in fits. We all knew what had to be done for me to have any chance of living, but it was still extremely hard for her. I would have to leave them forever. Even if the world wasn’t terrified of vampires, if I changed into one myself, there would be no way for me to carry on the duties I had as a human. First, I was expected to get married in less than a week. The family of my bride to be would most likely not be accepting of such an arrangement once they knew the truth. Everything was set to go forward during the day. We couldn’t suddenly change everything around to happen at night just to accommodate my new allergy to the big golden orb in the sky. Second, the king simply would refuse to have a known vampire in his court. It would undermine everything he said or did. The world would be laughing at him behind his back and plotting his downfall. Third, my family’s reputation would be ruined. With a vampire as a son, no one would respect them, they would lose any position of power they ever had, and they would be cast out from society.
“Still, my mother could not bear the thought of losing me forever, so she agreed. Both she and my father stayed in my bed chambers during the procedure, after which Josef was almost too weak to stand. From what he told me afterward, once it was all done, he retreated to his quarters, and then my father called the servants. They all saw me and thought I was dead, which was the plan. With witnesses, especially those that had been sent along with my bride-to-be from her home and were loyal to her, there would be no inquiry and no accusations of fakery. The wedding would be called off and my family would be free from their obligation to the bride’s family.
“My father ordered my body carried to the family crypt before sunrise, stating my mother’s fragile mental state as the reason for such haste in burying the body. Once my body was safely inside the crypt, hidden from any stray ray of sunlight, my mother and father began to prepare a funeral. They would not include my body in their preparations, again as a precaution against pushing my mother further over the edge. She played the part of totally distraught grieving mother very well, according to Josef. I don’t think she was playing at all.
“After sunset, Josef came into the crypt just as I was waking up. When I first looked around, I was completely and utterly baffled. I was lying inside a tomb with my grandfathers and great grandfathers. How on earth had I gotten there? Then it started coming back to me. I was quite thirsty, but we couldn’t drink here, not where everyone could see that I was not really dead. Josef had brought me some of my more important things, such as my journal, a good amount of money, and several changes of clothes. I changed quickly out of the burial shroud and we made our way out into the night.
“Josef had had the foresight to bring horses and we rode as far as we could before dawn. As the first hints of sun peeked over the horizon, we stopped at a rundown tavern and rented a room with two beds. The maid brought up breakfast, and Josef sweet talked her into staying. After some fooling around, he managed to hypnotize her—I realized this was how he was able to drink when people were still awake and not be caught. It comes in quite handy—then he let me drink. I was full before long and lay the maid on the bed. She woke up confused about fifteen minutes later, after we had polished off the breakfast, and we sent her on her way.
“We jumped from town to town, spending more time in each as we got further away from the places where I would be recognized. I changed my name several times. Eventually I left Josef’s side and went on my own way, traveling the world, as I had so longed to do the entire time I was growing up. I have a lot of fun doing just that, but it does get lonely. You see, after four hundred years, I have never found anyone I wanted to share my entire life with, until now.”
With that, Steven leaned over and kissed me. Then he got up and went to the bedroom with out saying anything else. When he returned, he got down on one knee, holding out an ancient ring as he gazed up into my eyes.
“Let’s make this official. Jane, will you marry me?”
I grinned and said, “Of course I will, you douf.” Then I threw my arms around him and kissed him until our lips grew numb.
††††††
THREE
††††††
It took quite a few late night/early morning sessions for him to summarize the last four hundred years of his life, but eventually he finished up with the day he met me. By this time, we had already decided that we would head to Las Vegas at the first possible chance. Neither of us wanted a wedding. We didn't have anyone we really wanted to invite, and I so did not want to be stuck wearing some stupid wedding dress for hours on end. It just wasn't worth the hassle of pleasing others when neither of us would be pleased with the whole shebang.
So during the next week we had off, we drove through the night to Las Vegas. Flying for a vampire tends to be an unnecessary danger. It's hard to find flights that don't involve daylight either at the beginning or the end, and good luck convincing every single passenger on the plane to close their window screen simply because you'd burn to a crisp if they didn't. Most people wouldn’t buy that story until you've roasted like a marshmallow in front of them. And at that point, well, it would be too late. So we drove.
We arrived at the hotel just in time and went to the room. He had booked a villa at the Bellagio—it pays to marry a man with money, I’m telling you. Those things are gorgeous, and there was more than enough space for just the two of us. I've never stayed in a nicer hotel before or since. That one villa was more luxurious than most of the world’s housing. It was completely private and we didn't have to worry that someone would come in unexpectedly when we didn't want them to. We had a butler at our command, day or night, and we could wander the private courtyard without fear of being seen by the outside world. Top that all off with automatic, extremely effective black-out curtains, and you have yourself the perfect vampire holiday spot. We definitely took full advantage of the amenities that place had to offer, when we weren’t out enjoying the Vegas night life.
On the second night we were in Las Vegas, we made our way downtown to find some quick and easy, all-night chapel. We found a really frou-frouy lover’s lane drive-through and got hitched quick as quick can be. Then we headed back to the strip to spend more of Steven’s money. While most of our time was wasted gambling and exploring the many wonders of the Las Vegas Strip (after 400 years, Steven was an excellent card player and tour guide) we did manage to catch several absolutely fabulous shows, including David Copperfield (the best magic that man has ever performed is hiding his age).
Sadly, our honeymoon wee
kend came to a close and we headed back to Los Angeles to finish filming. Once the final scene wrapped, we decided it was time to move on. Even though Steven had been all over the world, I had not, so we packed up and stored most of our collective junk and he chartered a private jet for the next year. We went everywhere I had ever dreamed of going, and we went many places I had never even heard of. At one point, we stowed the jet for a couple weeks and hiked through the Andes. It was incredible. Steven bought a tent that was practically perfect for vampires. It was solidly built and did not let a smidge of daylight in when it was fully zipped up.
That may have been the best couple weeks of my life. For the most part, it was just us. We would stop at small villages along our planned route to purchase food, water, other essentials, and small local treasures. Steven always tipped way more than was the norm for the area when we ate at family-owned restaurants, and the locals began to love us both. When we returned to most of those towns on the way back to our jet, we were greeted as friends and invited into homes for supper. I still go back to those places on occasion and I send money to its inhabitants that