“What’s it like?” Danielle asked. “I probably should have asked before, huh?”
He crossed his legs neatly, regarding her calmly. On another occasion, he might have taken the piss, but he could see the fear in her warm eyes. “I’m going to drink from you. Quite a lot, but I’ll be gentle, and it shouldn’t hurt much.” She nodded. “Then I’ll open my vein and let you drink to replenish yourself. You’ve had vampire blood before, yes?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Given that you’re not going to suffer a mortal wound in the process like poor Rachel, it won’t be too horrific,” he said, taking her hand. “You’ll experience euphoria, what we sometimes call the last dance. I’d recommend enjoying the sunrise one last time. It’s a nice memory as your senses change. All the colors are incredible. Within about twelve hours, you’ll come down from the high, and you’ll come down hard. Your body will hurt very badly.”
“Paris,” Olivia murmured, shaking her head.
Ignoring her, he squeezed Danielle’s hand. “I will be your Maker, and I will be there with you. If you can be less prickly than your usual ways, I’ll let you cuddle with me and make you feel better,” he teased.
A faint smile tugged at her lips. “You’re taken.”
“I didn’t say you could have a sample of the sausage,” he teased. She let out a clipped laugh, a hint of her personality that made him feel better. “The connection between Maker and Vessel is extremely strong. I’ll be with you until you fall asleep. You’ll wake up a few times, and you’ll probably have some incredibly vivid dreams that will mess with your head. All normal. And then you’ll have the big sleep. Most people sleep for nearly twenty-four hours. And then you’ll wake up a vampire with a raging appetite.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it. Other than the feeling of your lungs failing and every cell in your body changing, that’s it,” he said. Her eyes widened a little. “Are you absolutely certain? It goes without saying that this is a one-way ticket.”
She nodded and said, “I’m ready. Just…don’t tell me if I taste bad.”
“You won’t,” he said, beckoning for her to sit with him. Lightly grasping her waist, he guided her to sit on the edge of the bed. Olivia lingered at the door, looking distressed. He gently stroked Danielle’s cheek, sliding her short hair away from her neck.
Before he could bite, Olivia yelped, “Wait!”
He glanced up at her. “What is it?”
“I feel like I should do something or say something. This is a huge change,” she fretted.
He laughed a little and said, “Olivia, she’s not going to die. She’ll be right here the whole time.”
She stared at Danielle, who finally said, “Ollie, we talked about this. I promise that I want this. Can you trust me to decide for myself?”
Olivia sighed, kissed the top of her head, and backed away. Trying to ignore the sense of voyeurism, he brushed a chaste kiss on Danielle’s neck. She sighed, relaxing into his tight embrace. He felt her pulse beneath his lips, felt the way her heart pounded through her chest and echoed in his body. He waited until he felt relaxed, ready to pay close attention and connect with her. His fangs descended with a lovely, familiar ache, and the sweet cold of his venom was ready for her.
He sank his teeth into her soft skin, holding her tight as she let out the tiniest gasp, which turned into a low moan of satisfaction. Her blood spilled over his tongue, warm and effervescent, and he knew her. Full of fire and steel, still bearing the tiniest tinge of the blood she’d consumed from Lilah and Kieran long ago, of the concoctions they’d forced on her. Her blood was rich and hot, and he memorized the taste of it, drawing her into his body to bind them together.Now she would be his family, his to watch over and protect.
“Paris,” Olivia said quietly. He looked up and saw her staring down at them, but he ignored her. This was not like when her sweet lover fed upon her, like sipping a martini before lying down together. He would drink until his body ached, until he was practically bursting out of his skin from the pure, fiery essence caged in every blood cell.
Danielle’s pulse weakened, and that subtle pressure of her leaning into him faded, and she began to go limp. There was a hungry, primal thing deep inside him that wanted to keep drinking, to let that rich red run over his chops and spatter to the ground, to drink the last drop as she drew her last breath. That creature lived in all vampires, and he did not fear it like Nikko did. He acknowledged that snarling shadow, giving it a metaphorical tip of the hat before slowly withdrawing his teeth from her throat.He scraped his tongue across one fang and let the blood drip on her neck, leaving two clean punctures and not a single stray drop.
Danielle murmured something unintelligible. Her bluish lips were curved in a dreamy smile against her pallid skin, her head lolling against his shoulder.
“Now it’s the fun part for you,” he said, lightly kissing her temple. He bit into his right forearm, careful to avoid the tendons that would leave his sword arm crippled for days if he wasn’t careful. Using one finger, he gently brushed a smear of blood across her lips. Her whole body jolted against him, and she groaned quietly. He pressed his arm to her lips, and she grabbed on tight, holding his arm to her face. “That’s it, mon chou. Drink up. I’ve got you.”
Looking up, he caught Olivia staring at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. He frowned at her, then raised his eyebrows. She shook her head, swiped at her eyes, and stepped out of the room.
It had been quite a long time since he’d turned anyone, and he’d forgotten how disorienting it was for a Maker. His entire body felt off-kilter after drinking so much of Danielle’s blood and now losing a great deal of his own.
Finally, Danielle pulled away, breathing raggedly as she wiped at her mouth. She looked up at him, pupils dilated so wide he couldn’t even see her warm brown irises. Their scents were mingled, a strange mix of vampire and human. He gently wiped at her lips with his thumb, prompting a drunken smile.
“Thank you for being so kind to me,” she said, her voice slightly slurred.
“It’s my pleasure,” he said. He glanced at his watch. “We’re getting close to sunrise. Do you want to go watch it with Olivia?”
She nodded eagerly. “I want to wash my face first. I feel sticky,” she said. He nodded, holding back a burst of laughter. She was thoroughly blood drunk, and would be knocked out cold within a few hours judging by her scent. Olivia took her hand and led her out of the room. A few minutes later, he received a message with two pictures from Olivia. In the first, Dani was lying on the grass, staring up at the sky with a broad smile on her face. In the second, she had caught the watercolor streaks of pink and orange over the treeline.
Olivia
