Page 16 of Wanted 3

"Trust me, I can handle pain."

Then he pierced me and began to suck.

I didn't know what to expect beyond what I'd seen and read in pop culture.

I prepared for pain, but a euphoric pleasure pulsed through me as I became lightheaded from blood loss. I don’t know how long that lasted, but when he finally supported me in his arms and slit his own wrist open with his teeth, I hovered on the brink of consciousness.

"Drink," he said, holding the dripping blood over my mouth.

I felt parched, desperate for what he offered, and I drank deeply, my eyes closed, my body limp in his embrace. But with each mouthful, I began to change. He filled me with his lifeforce. I could feel the magic working, transforming me. Making me stronger.

Then, the pain hit.

Everything turned black as I screamed into the night, my body writhing, my mind splitting into pieces as time stretched before me into eternity. All I knew was pain. There was no other reality, and in that never-ending moment, I prayed for death.

5

Gradually, the pain faded. I felt so drained, I couldn’t even lift my eyelids. Time passed.

Finally, I became aware of the Count’s arms, locked around me, cradling me close to his chest.

I just stayed there, unmoving, keeping my eyes closed.

I noticed a heightened sense of smell, first. A warmth on the wind. Something I could only describe as ‘life.’ Instinctively I knew what it was. Jeremy’s warm blood, coming from inside the house. I could smell Leonard, too, whatever he was.

Startled, I lifted my eyelashes.

The world around me looked so different. Beautiful. Alive. The darkness lending a different dimension of color I never knew existed. I could see life in shades of neon. The energy coursing through the trees, traces of blue and green running through the veins of the leaves.

Above, the moon glistened bright, as if it were its own kind of sun. And the darkness of the sky seemed to almost shine its own black version of light.

I stirred in Vlad’s arms, wrapped so tight about my waist, so gently. The empathy in his eyes nearly undid my soul.

“The pain will not come again,” he whispered, pressing his cheek against mine. “As long as you stay out of the sun.”

I studied his face easily in the dark, seeing every line of concern on his brow. Clearly, he feared I’d regretted my choice. I smiled and traced the line of his jaw with a fingertip. “What need have I for that sun when I have you?”

He peered back at me from hooded eyes. “When you are stronger and have fed, I will show you the true beauty of the night.”

I sighed, wishing he could show me now, but I knew better. We had to defend ourselves from whatever demon now inhabited my father’s body.

It was strange. I guess now that meant he was dead. The thought brought nothing but relief. I couldn’t even force a tear, not with the pain and torture he’d caused, yet, I did feel an odd sense of sorrow. I guess for the loss of what he could have been.

“Come.” Vlad held out his hand.

I followed him to the forge, a stone outbuilding complete with an anvil, fireplace, and bellows.

“What are you doing?” I asked as Vlad began selecting tools from the various hooks on the wall: tongs, clamps, and a hammer.

“Fashioning a weapon that can dispatch a chimera,” he replied as if such a thing were an everyday occurrence. But then, in this new world, maybe it was.

“And what weapon might that be?” I asked.

He answered by moving to a cupboard and opening the doors wide. Inside, a variety of weapons hung on display. With a sort of reverence, Vlad removed a gold inlaid crossbow and held it up.

“This,” he answered. “With silver bolts.”

He set about his task quickly, moving at a vampiric speed that would have been nothing but a blur to me before. But now, I could follow his every move. I watched with interest, absently running my tongue over my newly formed fangs. It was such an odd sensation, a little like a set of fake Halloween teeth.