“That’s true. I was nervous about the change, but I knew it was natural for us, so I wasn’t afraid. I’d seen it happen to others from time to time. Of course, with me, it wasn’t that big an adjustment. I could still eat and drink whatever I wanted. And my need for blood, after the first time, wasn’t overpowering.”
“You were lucky. It’s different with my kind. Once you’re turned, your whole life changes. Everything is different. Some people accept it without a problem. Some aren’t so lucky.”
“What do you mean?”
“Take my bartender, Scherry, for instance. She asked me to bring her across.”
“Really? Why?”
“She was dying. I’d never turned anyone before, and I was reluctant to do it, you know? I told her I was afraid I’d kill her.” He laughed at the memory. “She reminded me that she had nothing to lose but a few days.”
“How did she know you were a vampire?”
“I got careless one night. A customer came on to me and I kept her with me in the club after it closed. Scherry had a key and she came in while I was, ah, dining.” He shook his head with the memory. “Any other woman would have freaked out, but not Scherry.” He laughed. “Bold as brass, that girl. She asked me if I’d turn her when I finished eating.”
“Still, it must have taken a lot of nerve for her to ask you. I mean, she had no way of knowing what you’d do. You could have been some horrible monster parading as a nice guy. You could have killed her.”
“I tried to talk her out of it, but, like she said, she had nothing to lose.”
“At least it turned out all right,” Kaitlyn said.
“Yeah. But that first night, I thought I might have to destroy her.”
“Why?”
“She was blood crazy. I brought her three men to drink from and it wasn’t enough. I didn’t think that girl would ever get her fill, and then I realized it was probably because of her disease. She’d had leukemia. I guess it just took a lot to fill her up that first time. She was all right, after that.”
Kaitlyn stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what Zack had said. Would her mother be one of the lucky ones? Or would she be blood crazy, like Scherry?
There was a decided air of tension in the sitting room in Zack’s suite the following night. It danced over Kaitlyn’s skin like ants as she watched her father hover near her mother, his expression wary. Her mother was nervous and obviously on edge. Unable to sit still, she prowled back and forth between the sofa and the window. She paused now and then, shivering as if she were cold, and then she resumed pacing once again.
After watching her for almost an hour, Zack said, “Elena, you need to feed. The compulsion will only grow stronger. And the longer you put it off, the worse it will be for your chosen prey.”
“I can’t do that,” Elena said, her fingers twisting in the hem of her sweater. “I can’t . . .” She shook her head. “I can’t hunt someone like they were an animal.”
“Yes, you can,” Zack said, his voice quiet. “It will come to you naturally. All you have to do is follow your instincts.”
Elena bit down on her lower lip as she glanced at her husband and then back at Zack.
“I will take you,” Drake said.
Elena shook her head. “Drake, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d rather have Zack go with me this time.”
Drake went still. Though he said nothing, Elena knew she had hurt him. “It’s just that . . .” She folded her hands and pressed them against her chest. “I don’t know what I’ll do, or how I’ll react. I don’t want you to see me in case I behave badly.”
Drake frowned. “What are you saying?”
“I’m her sire,” Zack said. “I don’t know how it works in your world. But in mine, it’s natural for fledglings to look to their masters for guidance, just like it’s natural for her to expect me to teach her how to hunt, how to survive her new lifestyle. It has nothing to do with her feelings for you. It’s part of the bond she has with me now.”
A muscle throbbed in Drake’s jaw. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
The tension in the room was palpable as Drake absorbed what Zack had told him. And then, suddenly, it was gone.
Drake took Elena in his arms. “I love you, wife,” he said quietly. “I will be here when you return.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Drake nodded. “This will take some getting used to, for both of us.”
“We won’t be gone long,” Zack said.
Drake nodded, though it was easy for Kaitlyn to see her father was not happy with this unexpected turn of events. Not that she could blame him. Her parents had been devoted to each other for over twenty years. He kissed Elena’s cheek, and then looked at Zack. “Take good care of her.”
“No problem.” Zack sent a reassuring look at Kaitlyn; then, taking Elena by the hand, he transported the two of them to a neighboring city.
“So,” Zack asked. “How do you feel?”
They were walking down a side street, headed toward Restaurant Row.
“The same as always,” Elena said with a shrug. “Maybe a little better.”
He frowned. He hadn’t felt anywhere near the same as always the night after he had been turned. On waking, his whole body, every fiber of his being, had been on fire with the overpowering need for blood. If he’d had someone to guide him, things might have turned out differently for the first mortal he came across. He still felt guilty for the lives he had taken before he learned he didn’t have to kill to survive, but there was no going back. He’d been a new vampire and he’d done what came naturally.
“Since I feel pretty much the same, maybe it didn’t work,” Elena said, a note of hope in her voice. Pausing, she looked up at him. “Is that possible?”
“Only one way to find out,” Zack said.
Before she realized what he meant to do, Zack bit into his own wrist.
Elena’s reaction left no doubt that she was now a vampire. Her eyes went red as she stared at the bright crimson oozing from the wound. The scent of hot, fresh blood filled the air. The coppery scent surrounded her; when she breathed it in, her lips peeled back, revealing a pair of sharp white fangs.
Elena touched the pad of her thumb to the tip of one fang, gasped as the contact, slight as it was, drew blood.