Authors: Heather C. Hudak
Mina sat in the backseat, absorbed by her thoughts. We had burned Alexei’s remains and divided them among four plastic containers. When we got to the airport, we would ship each one to vampire contacts in four corners of the world. That way, Alexei could never be reborn. Balthazar’s body had been stowed in one of Alexei’s coffins, and we would bring him back to the United States with us.
“What about Eli and Addie?” I asked. “Are they okay? Where does Addie think I am?”
“They’re fine,” Chaseyn said, releasing his grasp on the stick shift so that he could hold my hand. “They’re waiting for us at a bed and breakfast just outside the city.”
“They’re here? In Bucharest?”
“Yes, but there’s something you should know before we get there.”
“What?” I asked, anxiety creeping into my voice. “Tell me.”
“Addie knows the truth.”
“Oh, no. Why?”
“Eli had to tell her. He hated keeping this secret from her, and no matter what lie he came up with to tell her about where you and Chip had gone, she could see through it. He had no choice.”
I nodded. It was the right thing for Eli to do. Looks like the football star was ready to trade his cleats for a chance at true love.
***
It was a short drive to the city from Alexei’s home. We dropped Mina, along with Alexei’s remains and Balthazar’s body, at the airport. She was leaving immediately for Colorado. We would follow the next day--giving us the night to catch up with Addie and Eli, as well as to spend some much needed alone time together.
“Will you be okay, mom?” Chaseyn asked, giving Mina a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “It’s not too late to change your mind. If you wait until tomorrow, we could fly home together.”
“You’re being silly, Chaseyn. You and Lia need this time together. I’ll be fine,” she insisted.
I smiled and petted her on the arm, relieved by her response. Just hours before, I had been through an ordeal that had me believing Chaseyn and I would never be together again in this lifetime. Now, I wanted to savor every possible moment we did have. He and I had lots to talk about--our future, in particular.
“Besides, Etta promised she would meet me at the airport when I touch down.”
“Grandma’s going to be in Colorado?” I asked cheerily.
“When I told her what had happened to you, she was inconsolable. She’s was just so glad to hear that you’re okay, Lia, she hopped in her car and started driving the minute I called with the good news. Of course, your mother still knows nothing about what has happened here.”
I wrapped my arms around Mina to show my gratitude. My grandmother was one of my best friends, and I was so excited that I was going to see her when I landed back home.
“Thanks, mom,” Chaseyn said before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and steering me toward the exit.
***
About fifteen minutes later, we pulled up at a bed and breakfast on the edge of town. It was a quaint, white cottage-like building nestled amidst a grove of evergreen trees. And, as we wound our way up the gravel drive, a beautiful blond dashed through the front door and ran, barefoot, down the path to greet us. Hot on her heels was a second stunning blond. Eli was grinning from ear to ear.
“Ohmigod, Lia, I missed you so much,” Addie squealed as she threw her arms around me and squeezed with all her might.
“Sheesh. I was only gone three days,” I laughed.
“Three terrifying days,” Addie emphasized. “You must have been so scared. I know I was.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted.
“But, you were being held captive by vampires,” she said in a whisper so low it was barely audible. Her eyes were scanning the area as though she thought one might appear at any moment.
“Boo,” Chaseyn shouted as he squeezed her shoulders from behind. Addie jumped three feet off the ground and shot daggers at him with her eyes. I laughed heartily.
“It’s not funny,” she said, her mouth forming an enormous pout as she snuggled into Eli’s waiting embrace. I didn’t envy that boy. Addie was a handful at the best of times, but I was glad to have someone to share the weight of catering to her moodiness and whims.
“Are you hungry?” Eli asked, wrapping his free arm around my shoulder. Addie was tucked under the other one. Chaseyn grabbed his bag from the Charger and followed the three of us inside. “Addie and I ordered a few of your favorites.”
“Thanks so much, guys. I’m starving, and this all looks so good,” I said with a smile. It was the truth, I was hungry, but more than anything, I just wanted to draw a warm bath to soothe away the aches and pains of being tied to a post for hours. And, then, I wanted to crawl into bed with the love of my life and sleep. That’s right. Sleep. Now was not the time to take it to the next level. Not while I was too tired to even remember my own name.
It was only 11 a.m. by the time I had managed to relive every moment of the past 72 hours, but it felt like midnight to me. I could barely keep my eyes open. Addie was extremely upset that Eli and I had been keeping this secret from her, and she had so many questions for Chaseyn about his “heritage” that I felt a little embarrassed I hadn’t thought to ask some of them before now. The best part was that we didn’t have to keep our voices down or talk in code--the bed and breakfast catered to undead guests, so we were free to speak openly about everything. Ah, Romania, home of vampire lore. I learned that this was just one of many establishments of the sort in this country.
Finally, the time had come for us to go our separate ways for the day. We made plans to meet in the morning so that Chaseyn could drive us all to the airport together. Any unanswered questions or additional thoughts could wait until then. We had more than 14 hours of flight time, after all.
Chaseyn and I made our way up the stairs to the suite at the end of the hall. Just as I had imagined, he drew me a warm bath and filled it to overflowing with bubbles. He left the room while I disrobed and slipped into the fragrant waters, returning only after I was completely covered by a frothy foam. He massaged my feet and shoulders, while I closed my eyes and daydreamed of all the wonderful experiences we could have now that we didn’t have to worry about Alexei coming for me.
“Have you satisfied your wanderlust for a while?” he asked quietly.
I nodded and smiled. “Definitely.”
“Good,” he said, kissing each of the knuckles on my left hand.
After nearly an hour, Chaseyn left the room again so that I could dry off. I slipped into one of his t-shirts and strode out of the room.
I found Chaseyn lying shirtless on one side of the bed. As usual, the sight of him left me breathless. Literally. My breath caught in my throat as I took in every sculpted and toned crest of muscle on his chest and arms. I snuggled into him, and while he stroked my damp hair, I fell into a deep slumber. When I came to, nearly five hours had passed, and Chaseyn hadn’t moved an inch.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Do what?”
“Remain motionless for so long. I could never do that.”
“When you have all the time in the world, you learn to have a lot of patience,” he said, shifting on to his side so that we were nose-to-nose. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I just want to stay right here with you--nothing else--until we
have
to leave.”
“Okay,” he agreed, gently kissing the tip of my nose.
It had felt so good to be back in Chaseyn’s arms that I knew for certain it was where I was meant to be, but that didn’t take away from the fact that we had some major obstacles standing in our way. While the threat of Alexei had been our biggest hurdle, there were others--like the fact that I was human, and he was not. Not completely, anyway.
We lay in silence for a while longer before Chaseyn finally spoke.
“We need to talk, Cordelia,” he said as he pressed a kiss against the top of my head, a hint of sadness underlying his whisper.
“I know,” I nodded.
Chaseyn held me tight in his arms for a moment, before pushing up out of the bed and walking away. There was an uneasiness about his pace that worried me.
“There is nothing on this planet I want more than I want you,” he said, a sense of urgency in his tone. “But I don’t want to pressure you.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” I said, shaking my head questioningly. “Pressure me to do what?”
“We can’t go on like this forever, Cordelia. You’re getting older every day.”
“I’m only 18, Chaseyn. What are you talking about?”
“I’m never going to look any different than I do right this minute. Sure, my clothes will change, but I will always be this,” he said, smoothing his hands over his bare chest and dark wash jeans. “So, you need to make a decision, and you need to make it soon.”
“Why are you doing this, Chaseyn? I only just got you back. I don’t want to think about these things right now. Can‘t this at least wait until we get back home to Colorado?”
Tears streamed down my face as I shouted the words at Chaseyn. I loved him so much, but I wasn’t certain I could do what he was asking me to do--become a vampire or walk away. Neither seemed like a viable option to me.
“I want a life, Chaseyn. I want to go to college with my friends, and I want to have a real job. Someday, I want to have a wedding, and maybe buy a big house and have kids… and grandki--”
I stopped then. Before I could finish the word. I was so sure that I hadn’t been ready to make a decision, but I already had. Before he could acknowledge my words, I knew how deep they had cut. I ran to Chaseyn and threw my arms around his neck. I could taste my salty tears as I kissed him feverishly. But, he didn’t kiss me back, and I knew it was too late to take any of it back.
“I can’t give you that, Cordelia.”
“Don’t,” I pleaded. “Don’t say another word. Just stay with me here. Like this.”
“You know that will never work. You have to find a life with someone else. Someone who can give you those things, and I can’t keep lurking in the shadows. It’s not good for either one of us.”
“Stay with me. Even just for a while. Please.”
“I can’t.”
“But you can for just a little while, Chaseyn. I know it will only sting more when you go, but I need to be with you just a little while longer. Please,” I wrapped my arms tight around his neck, begging through my sobs. I knew it wouldn’t do either one of us any good to prolong the inevitable, but I didn’t realize the severity of it until Chaseyn spoke up.
“No, Cordelia. You don’t understand. I can’t,” he said plucking my hands from their grasp around his neck and angrily tossing them aside. He huffed and turned his back to me. “I can’t stay like this much longer.”
“Like what?”
“I’m in limbo, Cordelia, and I’m well overdue already,” he said, turning to face me. “I have to turn. I have to become a full vampire.”
“What? You’re right. I don’t understand,” I said.
“My kind are rare, and there isn’t a great deal of information about our physiology. According to most of others I have talked to over the years, while I appear not to age on the outside, my internal organs continue to age as a human’s would. At some point, my heart will stop beating, and I will die. I have had to make a choice--live a ‘natural’ life or turn. I’ve decided to turn.”
“Oh, Chaseyn. I had no idea, but I should have known. How? How do you turn?”
Chaseyn looked down, his dark lashes resting on his pale cheek, and I could see his reluctance to say more. He was ashamed to have made such a selfish choice, but I understood why he had made it. I loved him so much, and the thought of such youthful perfection someday lying in a casket broke my heart more than the thought of walking away from him. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Chaseyn finally spoke.
“I have to take a human life, and I had hoped it would be yours.”
My jaw literally dropped. I didn’t know if I should be aghast or honored, and I stood there in stunned silence. My hands trembled, and a chill ran down my spine. For the first time in a long time, I felt fear in Chaseyn’s presence.
“You want to kill me?”
My voice cracked as I said the words. It all seemed so impossible that he would want to take my life, and I was sure Chaseyn would have a perfectly acceptable explanation. Still, when he took a step toward me, I cowered back. That simple action broke Chaseyn’s heart. I could see it in the way his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“It’s not like that. You have to trust me,” Chaseyn said, his voice was oozing with defeat. His eyes wouldn’t meet mine, and he wrung his hands nervously.
Trust. That had been the basis of our entire relationship, and no matter what, it was the one thing I knew for certain. No matter what I had learned about his past, I still knew could trust Chaseyn. Always.
“Then what is it like, Chaseyn? Explain it to me.”
Against my own better judgment, I took a step toward him, and relief washed over his face. Chaseyn motioned slowly, implying he meant to take me in his arms. I nodded my acceptance, and when I felt his arms wrap around my shoulders, all of my anxiety melted away.
“I don’t want to die,” he whispered into my hair. “And the only way for me to remain on the planet in my current form is to take a human life.”
“But, I--”
“Shhh…let me finish,” Chaseyn insisted tenderly. “I had hoped that you would choose to be with me for eternity. As you know, you need to drink my blood and let your human body die. There is a way for me to make your transformation part of my own. And, now…”
Chaseyn slumped into me, and I did my best to support his weight. His shoulders heaved, and he pressed his body tight to mine. At that moment, I understood the full gravity of my decision. He wasn’t only mourning the loss of our relationship, he was mourning the loss of his life. Chaseyn had never intentionally taken an innocent life, and there was no way he would do it to just to save himself.