Lovers Awakening

by R. A. Steffan

  “I should’ve brought a headlamp or something,” Trynn muttered as Della and Tré joined her at the top.

  They peered towards the bottom and Trynn wondered if their superior eyesight could see through the darkness.

  “That would’ve made things easier,” Tré agreed. “But on the positive side, I don’t believe there are any of the undead around.”

  “Undead?” Trynn echoed. “Jesus Christ. Do I even want to know?”

  Della sounded distinctly uncomfortable when she replied, “Yeah, you probably don’t. Think zombies with attitude and you’re not far off.”

  Okay, then. Frankly, Trynn’s brain was operating just about at capacity at the moment, so she decided maybe she’d just pretend she hadn’t heard that particular nugget of horror.

  “Can you see the bottom?” she asked instead.

  Tré squinted downward. “Mostly. It’s very dark back here, but I think that the drop will be onto concrete, just like how we climbed up here.”

  She nodded. “Okay, I guess I’ll try to slide down on my feet.”

  Tré made a noise of protest. “Or you could let me go first, so there’s someone to catch you if you fall.”

  “This is really no time to get into a feminist debate with you, but you can go first if you want,” Trynn said between clenched teeth. “As long as someone goes.”

  Tré stepped over the edge and slid down into the darkness with a controlled grace that did nothing for Trynn’s irritation.

  A moment later the scraping noise stopped and Tré called up to them, “It’s not too bad. You should be able to make it down if you’re careful.”

  “Arrogant son of a…” Trynn muttered, hopefully too low to be overheard. She and Della followed him down one at a time. Trynn got a small spot of road-rash on the palm of her hand, but was otherwise unhurt.

  They walked onward, Trynn stumbling repeatedly in the dark despite the weak light of her cell phone’s flashlight app. She really hoped that Tré or Della had some sense of where the hell they were going, because she was hopelessly lost in the twists and turns they took to avoid significant damage and debris in the road.

  Finally, Tré pointed to a dark silhouette in the distance. There was no light visible from within, only a denser darkness that told Trynn they were approaching a large structure. It took them another good half hour to get to it, but finally they reached a relatively undamaged stretch of pavement in front of the place.

  “Looks like it used to be a government building of some kind,” Della murmured, staring through the gloom. Evidently, vampire eyesight was, in fact, strong enough to pierce the darkness.

  “Xander says we’re going to have to reach a second story window to get inside.” Tré said.

  “Great, climbing up a building in the pitch dark,” Trynn grumbled. “What could possibly go wrong? Why can’t we just go in the front door? Or the back door? Or the side door?”

  “Everything is boarded shut,” called a voice from high above them.

  “Duchess!” Della called back. “It’s good to see you!”

  “Snag thought you might need a little help getting into the building, so he had me hunt down some rope,” said the other vampire, the hint of a French accent coloring her words.

  “Brilliant!” Della exclaimed. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to have to make Trynn scale the side of a building or not.”

  “Will you be able to climb up to the second story with a rope?” Tré asked her.

  From the window above, something was tossed and landed on the ground with a dull flump.

  “I guess we’re about to find out,” Trynn said skeptically.

  “We’ll carry your luggage,” Della offered.

  “Any chance you could carry me?” she countered.

  “Unfortunately, Snag is the only one of us strong enough to fly with a human,” Tré said. “And I’m afraid he’s otherwise engaged at the moment, tending to Eris.”

  Trynn felt her way forward and tested the strength of the rope. She could tell that it was tied fast to something solid. Examining the wall of the building, she found that the stone was not smooth, but had uneven edges and recesses where she could place her hands and feet.

  In the end, the task was done—though she hoped never to have to repeat it. Trynn used the rope to pull herself up over parts of the wall that she could not scale without assistance. Della stood below her calling up encouragement, while Tré hovered nearby in case she fell.

  After pulling herself clumsily through the window and toppling onto the floor, Trynn heard a rush of sound and found that Della, Tré, and their luggage were standing next to her as she pulled herself to her feet.

  “That’s a handy parlor trick,” she grumbled, trying to dust herself off.

  “Come on, this way,” Duchess insisted, sounding impatient with her griping. She led them swiftly down a dim passage. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, a faint glow reflecting through the smashed windows on the west-facing side of the building. According to her phone, it was nearly dawn, and Trynn knew they needed to remain under shelter for the vampires’ sakes.

  Duchess stopped before a closed door. Flickering light crept out from the gap underneath. Glancing back towards Trynn curiously, she pushed it open and led the way inside, closely followed by the other three.

  Trynn pushed her way forward, and her eyes fell on a horrible scene. On a pallet of soft blankets and cushions, Trynn could see Eris. His face was bruised, swollen, and bloody. He seemed to barely be conscious, stirring fretfully under the threadbare blanket covering him. He moaned unhappily as Snag pressed a bony wrist to his mouth, and tried to turn his head away.

  The dark-skinned woman was crouched on his other side, running a soothing hand through his hair. “Come on, Eris, you need to feed again. Please.”

  “Oh, Eris…” Della said, her voice fading away.

  Trynn walked forward on numb legs, anger and shock welling up inside her.

  Why would anyone do this to him? Surely, not because of me?

  She couldn’t voice the thoughts aloud, but Snag, who seemed to have been listening, turned towards her with rheumy, sunken eyes. He looked exhausted and even paler than usual. Blisters and angry red marks peppered his exposed skin.

  “Snag,” Tré said. “When was the last time you fed?”

  The ancient vampire didn’t answer. He merely turned his gaze back towards Eris.

  “You can’t feed him alone,” Tré insisted. “Not when you’re this weak. Let one of us take over for a while.”

  His voice seemed to startle Eris, who jerked and turned his head towards the door. Through the slit in his swollen eyes, Trynn could see the glitter of his dark gaze, staring straight at her.

  “Trynn,” he whispered, his voice cracking.

  Her name was all it took. Restraint breaking, Trynn ran forward and threw herself at Eris, who didn’t even raise his arms. She collapsed against his chest, crying silently, her fingers hovering over his injured face, afraid to even stroke him. His breath rasped beneath her cheek after the strain of speaking. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

  After a long moment, Trynn sat up and looked around, though she still leaned over Eris protectively. “What’s going on? What did you mean, Tré? Shouldn’t we try to get him to a hospital?”

  “A hospital can’t help him. That’s the last place an injured vampire should go,” Tré said. “Eris needs to feed from another vampire. By sharing their blood and life force, he’ll be able to heal himself. There’s only one problem.”

  “Which is what?” Trynn demanded, looking around the room at the others. If that was what he needed, why were they all standing around? Why had it looked like Eris was trying to refuse Snag’s blood when they first entered?

  “Snag is insisting that he has the strongest life force and therefore he should be the one to feed Eris—” Tré explained.

  “Okay,” Trynn interrupted.

  “—but Snag is severely weakened. He
’s just battled one of the most powerful beings we’ve ever come across, and hasn’t given himself time to feed and recuperate.”

  “Not only that,” the pretty black vampire added, “but he won’t even feed from one of us to replenish his strength.”

  “It’s fine,” Eris choked out, his voice slurring. “I’m fine.”

  Some of the anger that Trynn had been holding inside for days snapped and started pouring out of her. “No, you’re not fine! Have you looked in a mirror recently, Eris? Because it’s not a pretty sight! Goddamnit, how could you possibly think of running off like that? Tré told you to wait. Snag told you to wait, but you just had to go and take matters into your own hands!”

  “I had…to keep you…safe,” Eris whispered. It sounded as if every word cost him a great effort.

  “How did this keep me safe? Besides, I didn’t need to be safe,” Trynn shot back, tears springing to her eyes again. “I needed you, to help me figure out this craziness! Just you!”

  Before she could stop them, sobs choked their way from her throat, despite her efforts to hold them back. “How c-could you even th-think of l-leaving me?”

  Eris’ eyes slipped closed—as if he could not bear to see Trynn’s tears.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I realize now that I played right into Kovac’s hands.”

  “You think?” Trynn fired back angrily, trying in vain to wipe her streaming eyes and nose.

  “Can you forgive me for being so pig-headed?”

  Trynn looked at him and found that his swollen eyes were staring unblinkingly at her. It was unnerving, seeing him like this—his face was so damaged that he was not immediately recognizable as the devilishly handsome man who left the hotel a few days previously.

  She wanted to stay angry with him. She wanted that rather desperately, in fact. But, try as she might, she couldn’t do it. She knew he’d just been doing what he thought would help stop something terrible from happening. He’d been playing the hero, yes—but only to keep her safe. Her, and the untold thousands of other people who might have become Kovac’s victims.

  “I forgive you, you bastard,” she whispered. “Just don’t ever fucking do it again, all right?”

  Eris seemed to slump in relief. “Good,” he breathed.

  She could feel him weakening under her hands. His body sank into the makeshift bed of cushions, and his breathing grew sluggish. There was no time. He needed help, and the one trying to give it was in no condition to help anyone right now.

  Trynn wasn’t quite sure what game the old vampire was playing by refusing to feed from any of the others, but she had an inkling—there was an obvious solution that no one had broached yet. The consequences for her were life changing… but Trynn had already spent half a lifetime leaping before she looked. Why should now be any different?

  “Snag?” Trynn asked, seriousness etched in every word. “Could you feed from me?”

  He didn’t respond, she had not expected him to. Instead, she turned towards Della and Tré, the look on her face stubborn and set. She stood up and folded her arms, ready to take on any challenge.

  “He could,” Tré finally answered. “But, to my knowledge, Snag hasn’t fed from anyone but Eris in centuries. He doesn’t hunt humans.”

  Surprise threaded through her haze of worry. She looked at the old vampire and saw him in a new light. Good god, no wonder he and Eris were so close. She took a deep breath.

  “You wouldn’t be hunting me. I’m offering. Eris and I are bound together somehow. Whatever bond you have with him that makes you willing to drink his blood extends to me, too. You can feed from me to restore your strength, so you can help Eris. I’m asking you to turn me, Snag,” Trynn told him.

  Blank shock followed her words and no one in the room spoke for a moment.

  “Don’t you want to think about that for a minute before—” the man called Xander began.

  Trynn didn’t let him finish his question. “No.”

  “Trynn, this is a really big—” Della started.

  Trynn turned and gazed at her new friend, her expression hard and determined. “No. This is right. I can feel it in my bones. This is what I need to do. I am where I’ve always been meant to be.”

  She looked down at Eris. “By his side.”

  No one spoke or dared argue with her.

  The tense atmosphere in the room had roused Eris back to consciousness, it seemed.

  “Ph-Phaidra? Are you sure?” he asked, his voice wavering. “Are you completely sure?”

  Trynn slid her fingers through his tangled hair. “My name is Trynn. And I’m more sure than I’ve been about anything in my life. Eris…”

  Her voice trailed away, and her eyes moved to the vampires scattered around the dark room. They were all regarding her solemnly as she spoke.

  “The seven of you are fighting the most evil being on this planet. This war… this horrible war will continue to tear people apart and destroy all the good that we’ve been trying to build in the world. Humanity will be consumed unless we do something to stop it.”

  She turned back to Eris. “I may not truly understand it, but I’m connected to you. That makes me part of this battle, whether we like it or not. I didn’t ask for this, but I’m in it now, and I’m not going to hide in the shadows and wait for this evil to snap me up.”

  Eris looked up at her, anguished. It was clear that he was undergoing some painful internal struggle.

  “Eris,” she said, forestalling his words, “I know. I get it. You don’t want to see me turned. It’s all right, though. I love you. I am in love with you and I want to be together for all eternity. I think… maybe… this is fate.”

  He searched her eyes. They stared at one another for a long moment, but Trynn did not break the silence.

  Finally, he said, “I could never refuse you anything. Never.”

  His voice was feeble, as though the decision had taken every last ounce of his strength.

  Despite Trynn’s assurance that she had no second thoughts, sudden nervousness crept over her as she turned her eyes towards Snag.

  How did vampires feed from humans? Della had warned her it would hurt…

  The only point of reference she had to go on were old movies she’d watched as a kid. In each of those films, a tall, dark figure had trapped a helpless, screaming woman in an alley or abandoned house and sunk his fangs deep into her throat.

  Still kneeling on the ground, Trynn turned to face Snag. He was looking at her with keen interest, as if he had never seen anything like her in his long life.

  With careful movements, Trynn dragged her shirt away from her neck. She turned her head so that soft skin was exposed and she shut her eyes. She might have made her decision, but she didn’t really want to watch it happen.

  Somebody in the room made a faint, strangled noise, but she didn’t open her eyes to investigate the source. A soft swish of movement told her that Snag had lowered himself to his knees in front of her. A rush of adrenaline flooded her body, trying to throw her into fight-or-flight mode. She breathed through it, her heart pounding like a drum.

  It was going to happen any second now. She was going to become a vampire.

  An icy hand touched her arm, making her jump. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, despite herself. Snag was indeed kneeling, but well back from her, having to lean forward to touch her arm.

  She watched as he cradled her wrist in his hands and raised her arm towards his mouth. Their eyes remained locked on one another the entire time, as if Snag was testing her resolve. She stared back without blinking. Could he see her fear? Sense the way she was frozen under his gaze like an unlucky mouse before a cobra? He paused, his head tilting to one side.

  Trynn let out a shaky breath and inhaled again, hoping that the pain would be minimal but having nothing with which to compare it. Do it, she urged, knowing that he’d be able to hear her if he was listening.

  She felt Eris’ hand slip into her free one. She could only imagine
the effort it cost him as he tangled their fingers together and squeezed.

  Snag’s lips touched the inside of her wrist, and a shiver ran up her spine. In some ways, it was a shockingly intimate sensation, and a red flush of embarrassment crept up her neck. Suddenly, she was very glad he’d ignored her neck when she offered it. His lips drew back, and Trynn saw his brilliantly white fangs press against the smooth part of her skin.

  She only had an instant to notice that one of them was crooked—snaggle-toothed, oh, I get it now—before a flash of movement and a spurt of red, red blood made her gasp. Snag’s fangs sunk deep into her arm. It was surprisingly painless. He shuddered, his eyes slipping closed, and began to drink.

  Oh. This isn’t so bad, I guess, Trynn thought, as the world around her grew increasingly hazy and distant. She could feel him drawing blood out of the vein in her wrist. She could see the stain of red coloring his lips.

  Warmth crept through her, and sleep played at the edges of her mind, making everything drift. Trynn fought to keep herself from sinking into slumber. Why was it getting so hot in here?

  The prickly sensation of heat increased, and sweat broke out across Trynn’s forehead. She frowned, her eyes wandering aimlessly around the room. The other vampires stood, resolute, watching Snag drain her blood. Trynn’s eyes moved back towards Snag, and she opened her mouth to say something. Was it supposed to feel like this? Had he taken enough blood yet?

  Before she could, the smoldering heat flared, igniting her flesh from the inside out. She was on fire, burning up, consumed by invisible flames. A searing pain wrenched her chest as her soul started to pull apart at the seams.

  “What’s happening?” Trynn cried, consumed by agony. The vampires looked on with expressions of empathy, but no one spoke.

  Her balance deserted her, and she collapsed sideways onto the floor near Eris’ bed, rolling onto her back and shaking like a seizure victim. Dimly, Trynn was aware that Eris rolled onto his side to face her, groaning with the effort of doing so. He reached out and stroked her hair off her sweaty forehead, shaking nearly as badly as she was. He murmured words of comfort that Trynn could not understand.