Once recovered, I straightened and smoothed my clothes. “I was about to leave anyway. This city is boring. No one knows how to have fun anymore.”
He looked back toward the city whose lights could be seen above the tops of the trees.
“But before I go, could you answer one question?” I asked. He said nothing so I continued. “Why do you care about them?” I nodded my head toward the people in the city.
“They’re innocent.”
“But you’re a vampire.”
“What’s your point?”
“You have incredible power. You’re greater than they are.”
“Power is a dangerous thing,” he said. He turned and walked away.
Something stirred in my memory, as if I’d once thought the same thing.
“How is it dangerous?” I called after him.
“Be gone within the hour.” He picked up speed.
“Wait!” I tried to catch up, but he had already disappeared.
I stared after him, at the empty space that felt so big. Tears stung my eyes, and I gulped in air. What was wrong with me? The faint imprint of the girl I used to be lurked near the edges of my mind, a ghost risen from the grave.
The thought repulsed me. I hated to think how weak I used to be before I met Boaz.
Boaz.
I returned home right away, hoping I would find Boaz there, but he was still gone. I curled up in bed, but I couldn’t get my mind off the vampire I’d met. Over and over, his sorrow-filled gaze tortured me, and an unexplainable gnawing pinged in my gut. I felt pity for him, but it was more than that. It was as if the light from his touch still lingered inside me, and it made me question everything.
That night, when I finally fell asleep, I dreamed I was sitting with the vampire in a field of tall grass, the sun shining brightly. I thought it strange to see a vampire in full light, but he didn’t seem bothered by it in the least. He was curled up on his side, head resting in my lap.
Looking down on him, compassion followed by peace overwhelmed me. The moment seemed to last forever, but the dream didn’t. I woke to the howl of wind blowing outside. A winter storm was approaching. I rolled onto my back and stared at the high ceiling.
What had happened to me?
A flash of light filled my window, and I sat up. Boaz was home. I didn’t have to look. I felt it.
Replacing my recent regrets, excitement and longing took over, and I rushed to greet him. Before I reached the bedroom door, he was already there, grinning mischievously. His arms came around me, hugging me tightly.
“What took you so long?” I asked.
“I finished your present.” He pushed me away to look into my eyes, still the silly grin. Behind him, standing in the doorway, Hunwald, too, seemed to be grinning.
I laughed. “What have you done, Boaz?”
“I did it. I finally did it. I can’t wait to try it on you.”
“Try what?”
“Do you still want to be with me forever?”
I hesitated, but quickly shook it off. This was my life now. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Then that is what you shall have. I think I’ll like you better now.”
Before I could react, he kissed me hard. I barely had the chance to catch my breath, before I saw a flash of the snake on his upper arm followed by a syringe in his hand. Boaz plunged it into my back. The pain was immediate and dropped me to my knees.
“Boaz?” I reached behind me to try and get at the needle. A fire-hot sensation was spreading quickly throughout my body. “What did you do?”
“It will only hurt for a minute, love.” He sat down in his usual red chair, petted Hunwald, and watched me expectantly.
I tried to speak again, but the pain became too great. It washed over me in great waves, rocking my entire frame. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as my body unwilling twisted into a tight ball. I tried to stop it with magic, but the pain was too excruciating, preventing me from thinking about anything else.
A horrific sound exploded in my ears as if I were suddenly stuck beneath the belly of a great roaring beast. The screaming filled my head, creating an unbearable pressure inside my skull. Pressure built in my eyeballs, and I was afraid at any moment my eyes might burst from their sockets, but instead, the blood found other outlets. It poured from my nose, ears, and out my mouth.
Finally the pressure proved too great, and I lost consciousness.
Chapter 20
When I came to, I was lying in bed with a fresh nightgown and the covers tucked to my chin. The lights were off and the curtains drawn. I moved my limbs, expecting them to feel stiff, but they felt remarkably good, considering what I’d just been through. I only wished the inside of me felt as good as the outside. Something had gone horribly wrong.
I threw the covers back and jumped out of bed to turn on the lights. I had to find Boaz. I had to know what he’d done to me. I left the room and hurried down the stairs.
“Boaz?”