Slipping his hand around hers he said, “Come. I’ll awaken the curse in you. It will make you want it.”
Danielle resisted as Ethan pulled her toward the dead creature.
He dropped to his knee again and drew a small blade from his boot.
“What are you doing?” she asked, horrified at the thought of seeing gore.
“You need only the scent. Trust me, and close your eyes.”
“I—I—”
“Do it,” he commanded.
Her eyes pinched shut and she felt her other hand tighten into a fist at her side. She listened as he sliced open the fur and flesh to expose the still warm, wet and fragrant insides. Yes, it did smell appetizing. How disturbing!
The craving was an evil feeling, he was right about that. And Danielle gasped when something shifted inside her mouth and she realized her fangs had sprung from their sockets as they stabbed at the inside of her bottom lip.
“Find the other one, darling, then go to it.”
Without direction from her, her head twisted toward the left, but she was mentally unwilling to move. Ethan forced her to and she wanted to cry when she knew she stood in front of the second deer without opening her eyes.
“I’ve stilled it for you, but you must look at it, Danielle and give it your breath.”
He was behind her now, his chin resting on her shoulder, his hands on her hips keeping her from running the other direction. This man of hers knew her way too well.
Opening her eyes, she peered into the deer’s hypnotized orbs as they shifted from Ethan’s to hers and she knew it would not fight as she killed it. This helpless, innocent, creature would easily give her its life. So she could live.
No, she couldn’t do it, and looked away. Probably because she wouldn’t, Ethan bent around her and she listened as he exhaled into the animal’s face for her. Ethan’s hands pressed on her hips to make her follow as the deer’s knees gave under its weight. He caught its neck and held it for her. He’d remained at her back as she knelt between his knees. “Touch it, feel the pulse.”
She stretched four fingers to its throat, not only could she feel it, she could hear it pounding in her eardrums. Looking into its eye again, Danielle lowered her mouth to the neck. This close, however, she could now see fear within its glassy gaze. It knew it was going to die. So that’s why he’d apologized and she couldn’t prevent herself from doing the same. Then she brought her lips lower and parted them, but when the course coat prickled at her flesh she jerked backward, slamming into Ethan’s chest.
“I can’t! I can’t do that! The fur! I just can’t get past that!” She stood and ran.
Hearing Ethan moving along behind her as he took pursuit, Danielle kept going. She wasn’t willing to stop, even knowing she would never be able to escape him. Getting away from Ethan wasn’t her goal. In truth, she didn’t know what she was trying to get away from.
He let her go for several minutes as she flew past trees, and boulders and creatures of the night as fast as he had run with her in the fog. She should have been unnerved by it, but she wasn’t. She knew she was doing things she couldn’t do before, but she didn’t feel different, she still felt mortal. So to expect her to think differently, to act differently ... it just wasn’t going to happen.
What she was more distressed about was the fact that the guards were obviously still there, still attempting to protect her. She could hear them crashing through the underbrush just as Ethan was. Apparently stealth was not a concern for them at the moment. What did she need to be protected from? she wondered, but then she remembered the pixies. Could they still kidnap her while she was cursed? She stopped. The abrupt action sent leaves and dirt and other debris dancing into the air. As it settled in front of her, she examined the life around her again searching for anything magical besides the vampires and herself.
Danielle realized she was able to identify the other men besides Ethan. Richard was to the left. Merrick was also left but ahead of her location, and Cedric was to the right, pacing like a caged panther. The French guard, whose name she really needed to know, was behind Ethan, and then besides those, seven others littered the forest.
“Do I need to worry about pixies?” she asked.
Ethan surrounded her with his arms and kissed her temple. “We haven’t seen any—yet.”
“Do I need to worry about them?” she repeated because his answer wasn’t satisfactory.
“Probably.”
Another unsatisfactory answer. The silence lengthened, until she broke it. “Ethan, I’m sorry. Are you disappointed in me? I’m turning out to be a horrible excuse for a vampire.” Here she’d been cursed for merely hours and she was still frightened of insects, terrified of touching fur with her teeth, getting it on her lips, gagging on it. She shuddered at the thought. What was she going to do? “Please, let me starve. I want to go back.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Instead of answering, he turned in Richard’s direction. “Stand-down. I’ll call if we need you.”
Danielle listened as the guards retreated.
“Come this way.” Ethan led her to the base of a cliff and directed her to start climbing. She’d never been rock climbing before but figured with this curse she probably could and reached to slip her fingers into a hold, then hesitated as she imagined what could be lurking inside that crack. “Danielle, you can sense the insects. Use that, and you will be able to avoid them.”
This must be so frustrating for him. While she was most definitely stronger, she was still fearful. “Why do you even love me?”
“Because you’re mine, and I knew what I was getting into. In fact, that girly side of you is part of why I fell for you, and it is one of my favorite traits about you. Forget that we knew each other before, I adore who you are now, and I suspect you were like this even then. Now let’s get up there and enjoy the night sky.”
She lifted her face upward and realized he was expecting her to make a fifty-foot climb ascending a sheer rock face. Without another complaint, she clutched at his faith in her and began climbing. Once they reached the top, Ethan settled onto the grass growing there, and directed her to lower her head into his lap. “See how much brighter the stars are?”
How could she not notice that? The sky glimmered like a velvet blanket that had been adorned with millions of bright diamonds. Only a handful of thin clouds muted some of it. A breeze tickled across her flesh and she picked up the scent of flowers, and pine, and rotting leaves and moss and bark as Ethan’s fragrance also surrounded her. The musky, citrus scent of him was intensified and even more appetizing and tempting. She tried really hard to ignore the bats and the owls and the mice sharing this setting.
Ethan’s fingers began to travel her flesh and she smiled up at him. “I’m sorry if I rushed you. I know you were frightened…” he said.
“About having a baby?”
“Yes. We might have been able to avoid this whole scenario if we’d waited.”
“Do you really think they would have left me alone if I hadn’t been pregnant?”
“No, certainly not. We would have turned you when Beon suggested it, when things got worse, more dangerous.”
Her insides twisted when he said that. She was one of them now, and wasn’t enjoying it. She would have taken the fears of pregnancy over being cursed any day. “I’d rather face doctors and hospitals.”
“You hate them.”
“But I was willing to do it to have the baby.” Her voice caught on a little sob. “I desperately wanted that child … I still do.” The last three words came out on a whisper, punctuated with a tear and a fit of uncontrolled sobs.
Ethan wrapped himself around her and rocked her gently. “I’m sorry. I’m equally heartbroken by this. My first child. Our first child, lost so tragically, so violently.” She could hear his voice tremble with the emotion of this loss. “I so wished for a son or daughter. It wouldn’t have mattered to me which one. Our child was loved and wanted
, yet now taken from us.”
Quietly they cried again and held each other until dawn began to lighten the horizon to the east. They probably had another thirty minutes before the spell was broken for the day.
“Let me go back. Please, Ethan.”
“I can’t. I couldn’t bear this loss again. We must wait until this war has ended.”
“It could go on for years.”
“I’ll make certain that it doesn’t”
“How can you do that?”
“I’ll go to Benjamin. I believe I can convince him to help our cause.”
That idea still terrified her. “But we don’t know which side he would take. He could be against us.”
“That’s a risk we must take.”
“Too much of a risk!”
Ethan ignored that. He shifted, forcing her to sit upright. “Let’s go.”
“To feed?” she asked with naked fear.
“No. I’ll bring you takeout or nurse you myself.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He tugged her to her feet.
“But—you weren’t happy about doing takeout for Nadia and Sophia because you had to kill more. I remember. And how was that fresh enough?”
He didn’t answer, and then she realized that maybe she didn’t really want to know.
“I hate this,” she muttered softly.
“Shh, everything will be all right. And I understand your reluctance. But we need to keep you alive until we can turn you back.” He moved to the edge of the cliff, towing her behind. “We’re jumping down.”
“What?” she shrieked, peering over the edge.
“We could have jumped up, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you.” He stepped closer, she tugged backward. “Now behave, and trust me.” He gripped her waist. “Or, I’ll toss you.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“No, of course not, silly. You can close your eyes if you like, but I don’t think you should.” Then he lifted her feet from the ground and sprang over the edge. She screamed and he slapped a hand over her mouth.
They landed without so much as a jolt. “I hope you didn’t call the undead with that.”
The guards stepped from the greenish-gray shadows. “All appears to be clear. But I suggest you get home swiftly,” the prince said.
Ethan snatched up Danielle’s hand and took off with her through the trees.
As they entered through the recently repaired back door, she asked, “How can you get takeout when the sun is coming up?”
“We need to get you fed before that happens. I don’t have time to go out again.”
She was dragged to their bedroom and shoved back onto the bed where Ethan straddled her and offered his neck.
“Do you mean for me to bite you?”
“Precisely, now get on with it.”
She moaned. “I’d rather go hungry.”
“Thirsty,” he corrected and dropped closer so she could see the stagnant blood-filled vein just below the surface.
“Right, I’ll pass.” Though she didn’t want to admit it, it was becoming tempting to do as he asked. Fragrant, tasty, inviting….
“I can’t allow that, you’ll become dangerous. Damn it, Danielle, do it! Now!” And he gripped her shoulders, giving her a little shake.
That tone, added to the lure of his blood, was motivation enough and she did what he asked. She settled her fangs over his flesh and pressed down. The moment they broke the surface the blood flowed into her as if her canines could suck it up on their own. And there was again that sense of pleasure, except it came as she took from him instead of him taking from her and she realized that he was experiencing the same desirable feelings. She couldn’t stop herself from clutching at his shirt and drawing from him greedily.
This was the only way to do it, forget animals and their fuzzy coverings. Oh, yes, Ethan was right. It wasn’t so much about flavor but this delicious consumption of energy, of a life-force. Moaning, she ran her hands along his arms and just lavished in the way he gave vitality to her, the way he poured it into her. But then he pried her off and collapsed next to her on the bed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I should have fed more before I let you do that,” he said weakly.
She looked at him then. “You’re pale! Why didn’t you tell me? I’m sorry. Go, Ethan, go feed! Or take some back from me!”
“I can’t, the sun is up. Do you not feel your heart?”
Her tongue darted forward to find that her fangs were gone, and then she lifted her palm to her chest. There it was, her heart thumping away, though weaker than it had been.
“Are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
She curled up next to his side with her head propped on his shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“I’m here for you, Danielle, no matter what.”
With one glance down their bodies, she noticed that they’d messed up the bed linens with their forest debris-covered clothing. “We’ve made a mess.”
After sitting up and moving from the bed, Ethan swayed when he tried to stand.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
With a nod, Ethan said, “Let’s get changed and bathed.” He moved to go toward the bathroom and then bent over with his hands on his knees.
Her hands shot to his shoulders as she tried to steady him. “Tell me what I can do to help.” She felt sick with guilt. He did this to himself for her.
Ethan dropped backwards onto the mattress and bounced as he lifted one booted foot. “Mind taking them off?”
Dropping to her knees, Danielle worked on the laces and then tugged at the leather. It slid off, and his sock came with it. She removed the other one as well. Then stood and lifted the hem of his t-shirt and pulled that over his head. Danielle didn’t like how ashen he was looking; even his lips were nearly colorless.
She turned on the water and then began undressing herself as soon as she’d helped Ethan out of his grubby hunting attire, then assisted him to the bath. She didn’t think he could stand any longer, and while she thought she could support him now that she was also cursed, she didn’t want to risk dropping him. Together they slid into the bathwater with her chin against his back and her arms snug around his waist.
“Now what are we going to do?” she asked as she slid the washcloth over his chalky skin.
He rocked his head back onto her shoulder. “Today, I think would be a fine day to spend in bed,” he mumbled weakly.
“And then what?” She wondered if he could hear the guilt tainting her tone.
“Then tonight, I’ll make sure we’re both well-fed and then the next day, we’ll go back to London.”
“But my parents—?”
“Oh, yes. They’re expected for dinner tomorrow.”
“We can’t miss that.”
“I agree.”
“Will they notice?”
“No, but we’ll need them to come earlier so we can get them out of the house before the sun sets. Then we’ll go to London.”
She knew, he meant they’d go back to London so he could plan a visit to Benjamin.
And, apparently he knew what she was thinking without needing to read her features. “This has to end, Danielle. We can’t let it go on. Do you really think they’ll stop hunting you now that you’re one of them?”
Well, she was hoping….
He went on, “It won’t stop them, and even if they can’t kill you as easily now, they’ll just wait until you go back to being mortal. Then where will we be?”
“In the same spot we’re in now.”
A distressing thought occurred to her. “Could we have prevented this had we not gone shopping?”
Ethan exhaled and shook his head. “I doubt it. They probably would have just advanced on the house, and with Dorin working with them, I’m surprised they waited as long as they did.”
Chapter 22
The First Vampire
“Danielle! You look wonderful! Being married agrees with you,” sang her mother as Danielle was tugged into a warm hug.
“Welcome. I hope you both like fish,” Ethan said.
“A boy after my own heart,” replied her father with a slap on his son-in-law’s back.
James entered next, took Danielle by the hand and turned her in a circle, his gaze looking for…. “I see no bruises. Either he’s good at hiding them or he’s taking good care of her.”
“James!”
“Are you happy, big sister? Now be honest.”
She laughed. “Of course I am! Ethan’s like a dream—”
“Whoa, there, Danielle. Too much information.”
Everyone laughed, as James pulled a funny face and strode past them into the living room.
Internally, Danielle was freaking out. She felt naked, as though they may be able to see the fact that she was immortal instead of mortal. Because of this, she hung to the back, trying to avoid their natural perusing.
* * * * *
“Brilliant fish, Ethan,” said Nadia, who’d also joined them for dinner.
“The pudding is quite lovely as well,” added Danielle’s father.
Poor Max was moving a mouthful of pudding around his mouth with an expression that said he didn’t think it was so lovely.
Ethan was eating, putting on a great mortal act, while Danielle was struggling to do the same. She knew he’d made something she would have liked had she not also been cursed. But while it all smelled divine, it tasted bland, like eating flavorless texture.
“Ethan, I didn’t know you were such a good cook. And what a nice English style meal. I know Tom has been missing the food from back home,”
Tom, Danielle’s dad, nodded as he forked up another mouthful of pudding.
Her mom continued, “Danielle said you went to culinary school?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What do you do for a living, Ethan? Do you work as a chef?”
“No, ma’am.”
Danielle eyed her husband wondering how he might answer this. She knew whatever it was would either be a boldfaced lie or a creative twist on the truth.
He swallowed, and said, “I’m a writer.”
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