After Sundown: Redemption

by Eden Robins

  But it didn’t happen. Alyssa felt nothing. Her eyes widened in surprise as she continued to meet Bazhena’s gaze. The spell wasn’t working on her. Why? How could that be?

  Bazhena’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “I said bow down.”

  Alyssa obeyed Bazhena’s command. Only so that she could have a moment more to think. For some reason the spell wasn’t working on her. She didn’t find Bazhena irresistible. And she didn’t feel compelled to do whatever the vamp told her.

  “Ah, that’s better. Obviously you have some spirit. That’s what Cristobal must have seen in you. But now you are nothing compared to me. Just a fly that I’ll squash and forget about.”

  Alyssa kept her head bowed, not moving. Trying to figure out a way to escape Bazhena’s plan for her.

  “Look at me.”

  Alyssa obeyed immediately.

  “I know you’re only mortal, not a vampire, but I’m sure a stake through your heart will kill you just as easily. I’m bored with you already. I want to get to the fun,” she explained, glancing over to where Vlad still kneeled.

  “Pick up that stake,” Bazhena said impatiently, pointing to the splintered piece of wood close to where Christian lay.

  Alyssa did as Bazhena bid. She noticed the large splintered piece of wood had sharply pointed ends on both sides. A plan formed in her mind. She was frightened, but when she glanced at Christian’s still form as she picked up the stake, her heart hardened and her resolve solidified. She had to do this. For Christian. It was too late for anything else.

  “Now stand up. I want to see your face as you die. Otherwise it will be no fun.”

  “Yes, mistress,” Alyssa said copying the male vamp’s toneless response she had heard earlier. Alyssa tried to look dazed and out of it. She must have succeeded because Bazhena smiled with satisfaction.

  “Good. Now take that stake and plunge it through your heart. Kill yourself.”

  Bazhena moved right in front of Alyssa, close enough to reach out and touch her, but far enough to allow Alyssa to place the stake between them. Perfect.

  “Yes, mistress,” Alyssa replied tonelessly.

  But instead of plunging it into her own heart, she pushed it forward straight into Bazhena’s chest, hoping her aim had been true. Bazhena was so shocked by Alyssa’s actions that she fell backwards from the force of the blow. Alyssa fell on top of her and plunged the stake deeper, past the resistance of her ribs. Until she felt it hit the floor beneath the vamp.

  Bazhena looked up at her in shock. Her eyes widened, blood poured out of her mouth and nose and her body started jerking. Alyssa closed her eyes against the terrible sight, but kept all her weight on the stake until the woman stopped moving. She opened her eyes and met the vamp’s blank stare.

  Bazhena was dead. Not undead. But truly dead.

  Alyssa let go of the stake and rolled over onto her back. She closed her eyes and released the breath she had been holding. She felt numb.

  “Thank you, Alyssa.”

  Alyssa’s eyes shot open. Vlad leaned over her, a smile curving his lips up at the corner.

  “What just happened? Why wasn’t I affected by Bazhena’s power spell?”

  He held out his hand to help her up. She took it and stood up.

  “I’m not sure, but I believe you’ve just saved the world.”

  She went immediately to Christian and knelt by his side.

  “I may have saved the world, but I couldn’t save Christian.”

  Tears formed in her eyes and she let them fall without shame. This man who had entered her life so suddenly, was now gone just as suddenly. No longer would she hear his sexy laughter, see his eyes light with passion as they stared at each other. Feel his arms around her. Never again. And never would they have the chance to spend time together, loving each other.

  Alyssa lifted her head up and screamed. All the frustration, sadness and anger came out. She raged at fate until her voice grew hoarse.

  Bending down, she kissed Christian’s cold lips.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, my love.”

  “I think you can.”

  Vlad’s voice was soft and hesitant as he spoke, but his words caught her immediate attention.

  Alyssa’s head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There is a way, but you must be willing. You must trust Christian completely. You must hand your life over to him, just as his life is now in your hands. If you can do this, then he will live again. Truly live, no longer a vampire, but a mortal human like you.”

  Alyssa gasped and her eyes widened in shock.

  “What? How?” She didn’t know what questions to ask first.

  “I am an ancient, Alyssa. One of the earliest vampires to walk this earth. I know how we began, our origins. There is a way to bring Christian back. He is almost completely drained of blood, but there is still enough in him that he has a chance. What I’m about to tell you can go no further than this room. No one must ever know about this, do you understand?”

  “Yes.” Alyssa nodded and waited.

  “Human blood has always been stronger than vampire blood. It is a little known fact, but true nonetheless. That is why vampires crave it. We need the blood to exist because our blood is different. It needs host cells. In other words, it can’t exist on its own. It must constantly have human blood cells to convert and make into vampire blood cells. And the process works without fail most of the time. Thus we exist and create other vampires,” Vlad explained. “Are you following me so far?”

  “Yes. Please continue.” Alyssa hadn’t done well at biology in school, but she found Vlad’s words fascinating.

  “As you may or may not know, when we turn a human into a vampire, we must almost completely drain them of blood before we let them drink from us. That is the only way the conversion can take place. The human blood must be so minimal as to barely be there or it won’t work. Human blood is full of defenses and with enough of it in the body of a vampire, it can easily break up and dissipate the vampire blood to the point that it is negligible. The vampire cells are weak without a host and the human body instantly recognizes them as alien. They are seen as an enemy and are easily destroyed by the defense system present in human blood.”

  “Like an infection?”

  Vlad nodded.

  “Something like that.”

  “So you’re saying that I have to let Christian take almost all the blood from my body? Then he’ll come back to life as a human.”

  “Yes, the conversion is painful, but he will become human again.”

  “But why can’t we just go get some human blood at the blood bank and give him that?”

  “No. There is more to this than physiology. There is also the magic and mystical part of being a vampire. For those who know of it, this ceremony has always been described as the “Redemption”. The human participant must be bonded to the vampire. He or she must accept the vampire for everything he or she was and is, without judgment, without resentment and with complete forgiveness. For it to work, the two people must be in love. Their mind and bodies must recognize each other. They must have exchanged thoughts, been in each other’s minds. And they must have already made an exchange of blood.”

  “What happens if they aren’t connected in this way?”

  “Then the process becomes deadly. The human blood overwhelms the vampire blood too quickly. The body becomes human before it has a chance to recover all the necessary blood to function. The heart starts beating before there is enough blood to run through it. In other words, the vampire becomes human, then dies moments later.”

  Alyssa shuddered at the horrible image his words brought to mind.

  “It’s a terrible thing to witness,” Vlad explained. “I know other vampires who have tried this with humans they haven’t bonded with. It has failed every time. The only way this works is between two people who are connected through love in mind, body and soul.”
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  “So how does this bond between the two make the conversion a success?”

  Vlad shrugged.

  “It’s hard to say. Perhaps the blood recognizes each other and works together to ease the process somehow. Maybe it is something else completely. Remember, being a vampire is more than just physiology, just as being human is so much more. There is magic and the unknown in both cases.”

  Alyssa took less than a second to think about it. She would do it. She loved Christian without any doubts or fears. She wanted him back.

  “Fine. Let’s do it.”

  “Wait. There’s one more thing.”

  Alyssa let out an exasperated sigh.

  “I don’t like the sound of that. The ‘one more thing’ I’ve heard in all the movies never bodes well for the hero or heroine. What is it?”

  “What is your blood type?” Vlad asked.

  “My blood type?”

  “Yes your blood type.”

  “A positive, why?”

  The serious look on Vlad’s face made her wish she had never asked.

  “Once you are almost drained of blood, Christian won’t be able to replenish it with his. He’ll be undergoing the transformation and will need all the human blood he has inside of him. So, we may be going to the blood bank after all, Alyssa. For you. I want to make sure you receive the right blood type. You’ll need a transfusion quickly. I’ll make sure you get it,” Vlad explained. “Eric is parked outside. I’ll leave him here to remove the evidence and clean up this mess while I take you and Christian to someone who will help us.”

  Alyssa frowned.

  She didn’t like the fact that she had to put her life in the hands of others. She had always had a hard time with that. She glanced over to Christian’s still form. In that moment she knew that the decision was out of her hands. If it saved the man she loved, then so be it.

  Alyssa raised her head proudly and met Vlad’s intense stare.

  “I’m ready.”

  Vlad took his shirt off, rolled it up and laid it on the floor next to Christian’s head. Alyssa couldn’t help but notice the scars marking his back. She started to ask him about it, but the forbidding look on his face stopped her.

  “We must move quickly. Christian is fading fast. Lay down here, next to him.”

  Alyssa obeyed without a word.

  “This may hurt a little. I’m sorry, but I will try to make it as comfortable as possible.”

  One minute Vlad was talking, the next, he was slitting her wrist with his nail. The cut was deep and her blood swelled up immediately.

  “Hold your wrist over Christian’s mouth.”

  Alyssa lifted her hand and placed it in the air over Christian’s face. Vlad held it there with his free hand. Blood dripped rapidly into his mouth. At first Christian did nothing. Vlad began massaging his throat, trying to get him to swallow. He continued to do that for a few minutes, until Christian’s eyes flew open. Alyssa saw they were glowing red.

  There was no life in those eyes, only death and hunger.

  Vlad moved Alyssa’s hand to the floor by her head. Christian snarled, rolled over and covered Alyssa’s body with his. Then he grabbed Alyssa’s arm. As he brought her wrist to his mouth, his teeth elongated and sharpened. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, but it never came.

  You will be fine. Be at peace. There is no pain.

  Vlad’s voice filled her head with soothing thoughts. She didn’t hear the hungry gulping noises Christian made as he devoured her blood. Soon everything became fuzzy and soft around the edges. She knew she was losing too much blood, but she didn’t try to pull away. She trusted Christian, as she had trusted no one for a very long time.

  Thank you, palomita. Thank you for your trust.

  The voice drifted into her head like a soft breeze, caressing her with its tenderness. Alyssa reveled in the sound of it. Christian. He would be okay. Relief filled her even as everything grew dim around her. She pushed one last thought back to him.

  I love you.

  Then the darkness came. She fell headlong into it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Christian opened his eyes. He was lying in his bed at home. Everything looked familiar, yet something was different. He rolled to his side and froze. Alyssa lay sleeping next to him. She looked so pale. He touched her pulse point to make sure that she was still alive. It beat slow and steady against his fingers. His heart slowed from its frantic beat. It had sped up when he thought something was wrong with Alyssa.

  Wait a minute. His heart? It had never beaten before, unless he willed it to. If he didn’t know better, he would swear he was— No!

  Memories came rushing back to him. Last night. Bazhena. He thought he had died. Alyssa had given him her blood. She had saved him. She had sacrificed herself for him. Put her trust completely in him. He knew that must have been difficult for her. He ran his finger down her soft cheek. She stirred slightly, then stilled again.

  He was tempted to touch her again. Then touch her some more. But she needed to sleep. He wouldn’t wake her. Getting out of bed, he pulled some pants on and walked to the window. Staring out into the night, he tried to piece together last night’s events.

  I love you.

  Christian remembered Alyssa’s last thought before he felt darkness surround her. She had said that she loved him. His apples and sunshine loved him. He had reveled in those words. Played them over and over in his head until the darkness had also taken him.

  What had happened last night? What about Bazhena?

  “Feeling better, my friend?”

  Christian swung around. Vlad leaned negligently in the doorway. An amused smile curved the corners of his mouth.”

  “Yes. Thanks to you.” Christian grinned right back at his friend.

  “Your lady deserves the credit. She has a lot of spirit and courage.”

  “She’ll receive my thanks when she wakes up. I can promise you that,” Christian vowed.

  “Without her we would both be dead. As would much of the male population in the world, if Bazhena had gotten her way.”

  “What happened? I remember Bazhena draining my blood and I remember waking up and finding Alyssa giving me blood to save me. But nothing in between. How did you know what was going on. How did you find me?”

  “I remembered your friend, Amy. Alyssa and I found her at Twice Charmed. She wasn’t very cooperative, so Alyssa threatened to kill her if she didn’t help us.”

  “What?” Christian glanced back at Alyssa doubtfully.

  “You know what they say about dynamite coming in small packages,” Vlad replied with a knowing grin and a shrug.

  “Do I ever.” Christian chuckled and a wolfish grin spread across his face. Alyssa was definitely dynamite. “Alyssa is a strong, independent and spirited lady.”

  “I noticed. You’re a lucky man.”

  “I know,” Christian said quietly as his face grew serious once more. “What happened next?”

  Vlad told him everything up to Alyssa killing Bazhena.

  “Alyssa killed Bazhena?” Christian was stunned and angry. “How could you let her risk her life like that? Do you know how easily Bazhena could have killed her? But wait a minute, why didn’t Bazhena’s powers work on Alyssa?”

  “I’m sorry, my friend. If I had any control over myself, I would never have let Alyssa close to Bazhena. But I didn’t. My body and mind were no longer mine. As far as Bazhena’s power over Alyssa, I read over the legend several times last night. It seems Bazhena missed one very important part of the wording. It says she will be found irresistible to mankind. It says nothing about womankind. Her power only applied to men. It had no affect on women. And since Bazhena assumed she had the legend’s power over Alyssa, she never tried to use vampire compulsion on her.”

  “A lucky misunderstanding for all of us.”

  “True.” Vlad nodded solemnly. Then he stared intently at Christian.

  “What?”

  “Do you feel any different?”
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br />   “Different? Not really. Why?”

  “We need to talk.” Vlad’s face looked grim. Whatever he wanted to say, it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

  Christian glanced back at Alyssa. He walked to the doorway leading into the hall.

  “Fine, but let’s go to my library and talk there. I don’t want to wake Alyssa. She’s been through enough.”

  * * * * *

  Alyssa peered through her lashes after the door slammed to make sure both men had left the room. They were gone. Opening her eyes fully, she sat up in the bed. She had woken up halfway through Vlad and Christian’s conversation and unabashedly eavesdropped. She smiled when she thought about how proud Christian had sounded when he spoke of her. Exasperated by her risk taking, scared for her, but also very proud of her.

  Her smiled drooped, however, when she thought about why Vlad needed to talk further to Christian.

  He didn’t know. Christian wasn’t aware of the fact that he was no longer a vampire. She wondered how he would take it. Would he be glad, or would he be angry? Would he be sad that he was no longer immortal? Would he feel relief that he no longer needed to drink blood to survive? Would he miss the powers he once had?

  All these thoughts ran through her head as she sat in his bed. In his bedroom. In his house. What would happen now? She loved him and she knew he loved her. But would it be enough? Would the loss of the kind of existence he had known for hundreds of years turn him away from her? He had thanked her for helping him last night, but would he come to resent the fact that she had made the conversion with him without his consent?

  Too restless to sleep, Alyssa got out of bed and slipped on the clothes that were lying by the foot of the bed. She wasn’t thrilled that someone had undressed her, but in the overall scheme of things, she dismissed it as unimportant. Her thoughts skimmed over the events of last night again and again as she paced. She had done what she thought best. She didn’t want Christian to die. She couldn’t bear the thought of being without him.

  Did that make her weak, like her mother? No. She didn’t think so. As she lay there letting Christian drain her of blood last night, somehow knowing that everything would be okay, she came to a realization. Real love was based on trust. Without it, there was nothing. Her parents didn’t trust each other with their love. Unfortunately, that had lead to pain for both of them.