Ever After

by Heather McBride

  I was about to get the shock of my life, when he knelt down in my face and told me he was a vampire, just then some of his coven arrived at the apartment. I was promptly hit in the head, before they began to speak to him.” He looked down sadly.

  “Were you scared, when he said that, or did you think he was nuts?” I squeezed his hand.

  “Nut’s, I mean really did. I had never thought vampires existed, only in books and old wives tales and stuff. I wasn’t out long. I awoke to a voices yelling. He and his guests were in an intense argument in the next room. The walls being so old were paper thin, so I could hear everything they said.

  A woman was telling him he was risking their safety by kidnapping me. They seemed to be angry with him, for being careless and stealing me away just to get revenge on my mother and Doc. I listened closely, I gathered from what they said that Doc Parker was a vampire as well, which was news to me of course.

  I learned my mother, as you already know, was one as well and she was still technically alive and living in New Orleans. I didn’t know then the details of how she came to be a vampire yet. I was in total shock to hear that she was still alive, or whatever you consider a vampire. I had no idea at that time.

  I understood Doc was apparently the leader of the rival coven of vampires, known as the Followers, and Vincent was once a member. They did not say then what happened to make him get banished from the coven. I could put two and two together though. Vincent was evil, and the Followers were apparently not. I could see Doc sending him away. Doc was kind and I couldn’t see him being evil, even if he really was a vampire.

  They all came back in my room, so I pretended to be still knocked out. They seemed to be trying to figure out what to do with me now. I felt one of the female vamp’s put her finger under my chin, and tilt my head up where she could see my face. I can still feel her cold fingers on me; it was not like a human touch.

  “We should keep him, he’s very adorable.” She said. I pretended to be just waking up from the hard hit that Vincent had given me. He did not acknowledge my conciseness as he spoke to the others in the room. It seemed they had decided not to kill me after all. They wanted to groom me to be one of them; they referred to themselves as the Dark coven.

  Vincent apparently was one of the elders or some kind of leader vampire as the others treated him as an authority figure. They spoke of one vampire frequently. I could hear the fear in their voices when they did. He apparently was the actual head elder, he was called Leo.

  It seemed to me Leo called the shot’s for the Dark Coven, and Vincent was his right hand. He spoke of going to Europe for a few years to organize a Dark coven there. He wanted someone to take his place here that was new and would do exactly as he ordered. Unfortunately, that “someone” was me. My head was killing me, and I drifted off to sleep, hoping this was all a really bad night mare.”

  Will’s face grew tense now. I could see it as he ran a hand through his thick black hair. The next part of the story had to be the one hardest to speak about. I couldn’t imagine how scared he had to have been. The Dark Coven was ruthless and evil, and he was in the middle of it.

  Will looked at me and smiled, I knew he was not really, wanting to go on as he turned away and watched the snow falling. I knew from Lydia, that he tried hard to forget all of this. Doc said the same thing; he told me it would haunt William forever. He said the pain Will went through, was un forgettable.

  “You don’t have to go on. I can see it’s too much Will.” I kissed his cheek and laid my head against his shoulder.

  “No, you should know I was just thinking of exactly how it all happened. I haven’t thought about in a very long time. “Vincent woke me later; I couldn’t tell you how long I was there. It seemed like days, but really, it was probably just hours. He got in my face and told me he was going to change me and I would belong to him and the Dark coven forever. I would live as they did and keep the secret of their identity, never would I be allowed to leave. He would guide me into being one of them, a vampire of the Dark coven.

  The bite was excruciatingly painful; it instantly sent a searing pain into my neck.” I could see him rub his neck as a reflex action, he wasn’t even aware he was doing it. “The pain was horrific. I suffered in agony for around two weeks or so. I was sure I was dying.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Well I guess I was really, but I had no idea what was happening to me then, Vincent wouldn’t tell me anything at all.

  I remember the Dark coven members that were their when Vincent kidnapped me. They returned and told him I was a failed change. I was in fact dying, and he should just drain my body and leave me for dead somewhere. They all agreed the transformation was bad and my death was merely hours away. Vincent seemed disturbed by their words.

  They were wrong though. I slowly woke up and the pain lessened. Somehow, I survived the transformation process. I learned later, that I was not a full-blooded vampire, but a half blood. Vincent was quick to make me promise never to tell anyone I did not change completely.

  He told me for some reason my body rejected the venom. The truth really was that his venom was weak and that caused my half blood status. This was a critical fact that he had to hide from his coven, or they would banish him. He would be removed from power if he was considered weak in any way shape or form by the other coven members.”

  “Did the others, sense you were a half blood?” I asked in a soft voice.

  “Some speculated the elders of his coven mostly. They had all been around long enough to have seen most things. I think they just chose to over look me, because Vincent was unpredictable and dangerous. They let him have his pet, “me” and ignored doing anything about it. I know he could be very volatile so I think they wanted to avoid setting him off.” He sighed.

  “Oh I haven’t forgotten that!” I groaned as I snuggled up closer to Will. “How long did you stay with Vincent and the Dark coven?”

  “Less than a year, the brutality and sense less talking of human lives made my sick, it was just too much for me. He and all the coven tortured their victims, when they could have just taken enough blood from them to survive and let them live. It was and still is possible, as you know for a human to survive a vampire attack. That is if the bite is not deep, the venom will not go into the humans system, but provide the vamp with the needed blood to survive. The Dark coven made the taking of blood a sport and the taking of human lives the big reward.”

  He looked down at his hands sadly. I got a cold chill, just thinking how evil that coven was. “I was expected to do the same, and since Vincent was considered my “father” or mentor vampire. I had no choice. I don’t want to go into detail’s Corrine, but he made me kill and he watched as I did it.” He took a staggered breath clearly upset now.

  “But why did he watch you?” I gasped in shock.

  “He found out from his little spy’s that I was not killing my victims, not long after he changed me. I was letting them live, and Vincent was in a rage over it. He told me I was a disgrace to the Dark coven, and I would behave as the others or he would kill me with his own hands. I would not disgrace him. He denounced the Follower coven, and he told me of his time with them. I could tell he had only hate for them all, and thought them weak for not killing humans.”

  “Was he angry when you left?” I knew it was a stupid question as soon as I said it. I already knew the answer.

  “Yes, to say the least. He cooled off later and told me he would allow me time to find myself and meet my mother. He said after that I must return to the dark coven, or he would destroy me and all who were important to me.

  “That’s why Doc sent you and your mom away a lot?”

  “Yes.” He frowned. “When Vincent got to curious or threatened to come and take me back to the Dark coven, Doc sent us to Europe or Asia so we could not be located. We would stay away until he cooled off and got preoccupied with something else. My mother and I had been gone nearly seven years this last time, we had only been in Cambridge a month before you, an
d I met.”

  I understood it all now, recalling Beth and Kara gushing about the new guy in town, begging me to go over and meet my new neighbor. Will and his mom could never have real peace with Vincent looming around.

  “Did you like Europe very much?”

  “It’s ok. I picked up this accent, from living there on and off for so long.” He grinned. “I missed the states though and Doc and the entire coven, we are a family it’s hard to be away. I was ready to come home this time, we were away so long. I’m so glad we got back when we did, or I wouldn’t have met you.” He winked playfully at me, his blue eyes sparkling.

  “I’m glad too!” He leaned in and kissed me softly, he always made my mind go blank when his soft lips touched mine. I was Glad Will felt secure enough to tell me his very dramatic and painful story. We both drifted off to sleep, in the morning we would leave for Cambridge.

  Chapter 10

  Home Again

  It was the morning of our day to head back to Cambridge. I felt remarkably good, better than I had in months. I had even been up walking around the huge house, looking around at all the antiques the vamp’s had from their past human lives. I got to meet the coven members that had come up to see Doc and Lydia also, on my house tour. I was really beginning to feel all was going to be well. Libby helped me pack the night before, and all I had to do was, get dressed and head down stairs.

  Will was busy; Lydia and Roth had called him down earlier when he stopped by my room to say good morning. I put on jeans and a green Old Navy zip up sweatshirt and my converse tennis shoes. I quickly brushed my hair and pulled it in to a ponytail. I noticed my jeans were loose; the miracle serum Doc was giving me must also be a diet aid. I laughed to myself.

  I looked in the mirror and was caught off guard by how pale I was. I had forgotten Dr.Pratt had told me yesterday I was no longer fully human. The color of my skin was reflecting the changes in me. I was in fact according to the mirror at least, becoming a vampire. I decided to add some blush and bronzer. I had to try to look sort of normal, for dad and Sara. I could not risk them thinking anything was strange about me.

  I headed down stairs, Doc and Pratt and a few of the other elders were having coffee by the huge blazing fireplace. I saw Lydia, Emma, and a few of the other female coven members reading the newspaper in the corner having breakfast. I had not seen Emma before now, and she was just as I expected gorgeous. Her hair was long past her shoulders, and wavy, it had a reddish hue to it. I felt inferior to these women; all were perfect and dressed in the most classic stylish clothes. I felt like a hobo, in my faded baggy Levi’s.

  I hoped that when I completed my transformation I would be just like them. I smiled at them and they all gave warm welcoming smiles back, as I made my way to the breakfast buffet. I grabbed a muffin off the tray. I found it still so odd the eating habits of the coven.

  Despite the fact they were all full-blooded vamps except Will, many of them still ate human foods. They did not need it to survive, but they enjoyed the taste and texture of the foods from their human lives. I took a few bites and suddenly I felt ravenous. I had forgotten when I last ate “normal” food. Doc had been giving me the traditional donated blood units.

  They came in juice box like containers. If a human were to see one of them, they would never suspect human blood was inside. I had to admit I still did not want to see the blood myself just yet, but I needed it. I figured as time went on, I would get used to the whole “blood” thing...maybe.

  I walked over to the window and looked out as I ate my muffin. The woods were still encased in a heavy blanket of pristine white snow. Ice following the snowstorm, made the trees look like they were wrapped in glass. I wondered if that ice would cause us any delays flying into Cambridge, I hoped not. I wondered where Will was since Roth, Taylor, and Riley were all watching MT V, oblivious to anyone else in the room.

  I could hear Roth asking Taylor if the new Linkin Park video was coming on soon. I smiled at them. They looked and acted just like regular teenage guys. If I did not know better, I would never think they were vampires in a million years. I was starting to worry slightly. I hated to be apart from Will for too long, it made me feel uneasy, especially after Todd’s last attack.

  Relief washed over me as I turned my head to see him come strolling into the room. He always caught me off guard when I saw him. His hair was sticking up slightly; he wore faded jeans and a black fitted t-shirt. His sunglasses, which he never went anywhere without, were pushed up onto his head. His stunning blue eyes scanned the room and locked on to mine right away.

  A brilliant smile washed over his beautiful face. He came over to me right away un aware of any one else in the room, they did not exist in his mind right now.

  “You are up,” he smiled. “How are you feeling love?”

  “Good, I actually ate today, and was hungry.” I held up my empty crumb filled plate proudly.

  “Great, I was wondering when your human appetite would return. Doc and Pratt said it wouldn’t be long till your hunger came back.” He sat down next to me taking my hand and pressing his lips to the top of it lovingly. “Are you ready to go home?”

  “Sort… of I guess. I am kind of scared what if I start to get sick once I get there. I’m afraid dad or Sara might suspect something and call another doctor.” I bit my lower lip, so frustrated and worried I might blow it. We both knew how no other doctor could ever examine me, under no circumstances what so ever. My vital signs were so far from normal, it would cause a major uproar in the human world. The coven could be exposed, and Doc and Pratt’s careers would be over.

  “They won’t Corrine, Doc and Pratt, are going to make sure that has no chance of happening. Nobody’s going to know you’re changing but us, precautions have been set into place to prevent anything like that happening.”

  “I hope you’re right. I just know how damn nosy Sara is. I don’t like how she noses around and she was acting weird when she was here, as if she knew something was odd. I know if anybody is going to cause trouble or try to figure out stuff, it’s going to be her. I also hate how she looked at me when Doc said I was recovering and was going to be ok.” I looked down feeling suddenly sad. Will frowned, and leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  “That worries me too actually. I need to keep an eye on her; the way she acts is strange. I feel she has a reason for being un happy about your recovery.”

  “You do?” I was a bit shocked to hear him say that.

  “Money… Corrine, we all know she’s a gold digger.” He said in a hushed voice. “You are the sole heir to your father’s millions and she knows that.”

  “They have a pre nuptial agreement, I think or something.” I scanned Will’s face and he seemed suddenly very tense.

  “No… Corrine, they do not and frankly, I was shocked to learn this. Riley, being the computer whiz that he his, hacked your dads files. We found out they had no agreement at all. I couldn’t believe that since, your dad is such a brilliant business man.”

  “Hacked his files?” I was the one uneasy now.

  “I hope you’re not mad, but Doc asked him to do it, he felt Sara was a threat and Pratt heard some of her thoughts. I tried to get him to tell me what he heard from her mind, but he refused. I will tell you this; it must have been dangerous enough to make Doc have us investigate your dad and Sara’s situation.”

  “Oh, well I’m not mad. I’m glad really, that everyone’s watching out for you and me too. I will try to stay away from her while I’m home then. It’s not like we’re going to bond anyway, she’s too weird.”

  “I will be with you as much as I can. Libby will be set up as your home care nurse. That will justify you having a coven member near you, and guarding you at all times.”

  “I really don’t think she will try to hurt me, she’s just a stupid air head.” I smirked shaking my head.

  “That’s probably exactly what she wants you to think, just be on your guard around her ok, for me?” He gave me a heart melting grin a
nd a wink.

  “Ok, ok I will watch it around her. I promise, you worry wart.” I laughed.

  Dr. Pratt came over to us just then. I was glad I hated talking about psycho Sara. The last thing I wanted to think about was how weird she was going to act when I got home. If I had my way, I would send her away on some vacation to a third world country while I was home.

  “You look wonderful this morning!” Pratt said with a smile, as he looked me over. Doc followed him, he too looked very happy.

  “You do look lovely, vampirism agrees with you Corrine.” He smiled warmly at me. Pratt took my wrist and felt my pulse. I was use to that; one of them was always checking my heart rate.

  “Very good, your pulse is very strong and steady and not racing any longer. I believe the serum is doing an exceptional job,” says Pratt. “Very good.”

  “Will my heart become like Williams, then when the change is complete?” It always worried me that he and I might not be alike after this was all done.