She clamped her mouth shut, nodding her head in acknowledgement. Her legs shifted beneath the blanket, her face drawing into a grimace of pain. Lucien felt his face mimic hers, empathetically experiencing the phantom pain in his spine as well.
Taking her hand, he entwined her fingers with his. “Finally, I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart, but eternity is long. As your Maker we will always be connected, but there will come a time when we part, if only to come together again for a while.”
“I would never leave you,” she said gripping his hand tightly.
“Well,” he said, “vampires do not make the best company. Certain things become part of the DNA, it seems. We become vain, selfish and narcissistic.”
“I already am all of those things,” she joked, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
“Perhaps,” he nodded. “Perhaps you are.”
He hadn’t nearly covered it all, when the clock on the mantle reminded him of the quickening of time.
“So, there you have it.” he concluded. “If you can manage these things, as well as the knowledge that you will live to see every mortal you hold dear put into the ground, and still you truly want this, you are free to make your final argument to me, and I will have to decide if I can oblige.”
She lowered her gaze, remaining as still and quiet as the moon in the sky. Lucien clenched and unclenched his fists, not certain what he should do if she hadn’t changed her mind.
The transformation had been a curse to him, to others it was a gift. He had no way of predicting how it would be for her - it was different for each. If God existed, he thought, then He surely possessed a heart blacker than his own, for how else could He so cavalierly churn out legions of mortals into the fickle hand of fate, when the decision to make only one of his kind was an agony of conscience.
His sense of obligation urged him to grant her request. It was because of him that she found herself in this condition, and it was because of her he had learned to love unselfishly, and finally come to peace with his fate. But was it enough to steady his wrist at her mouth and urge her to drink?
Finally, raising her eyes she spoke.
“Lucien, you once beseeched a man for death, and he denied you. I am asking you to give me life! I beg you; if you truly love me, show me the mercy which was not shown to you!”
Epilogue
“Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again. You’re listening to KJZM late night talk radio, and I’m your host, Summer Solstice, and this is: Only the Lonely. I want to thank all of my listeners for their warm and generous support over the past months. I also want all of the lost souls out there to know that you are not alone. Take heart and cling to hope. The hour is always darkest just before the dawn. When you least expect it, your life can change forever. I am so pleased to be back on the air at KJZM in St. Louis. I am completely healed and walking faster and farther than ever before. In fact, sometimes it feels more like flying.”
Summer flashed a wink at Melody. “Starting tonight, Only the Lonely will air at a new time. You can tune into the show between the hours of midnight and four-twenty a.m., when we close the lid on another day.
“I would like to dedicate my first show to the man who was instrumental in the salvation of my body and my heart. Lucien, if you’re listening, I love you, babe. Keep dinner warm for me. I’ll be home before you know it.
“I see that all of the phone lines are lit, and we’ll be taking your calls, but first a word from our sponsor: Rusty Trombone’s Jazz Lounge; this weekend featuring the live music of Buster Hymen and the Penetrators.”
The end
About the author
Susan Gabriel is a writer of paranormal romance novels. She is a proud alumnus of Wilson College for Women.
Susan is inspired to write stories that will spark the imagination of the reader and deliver the message that love knows no limitations, only possibilities.
Susan lives with her husband, her youngest daughter and things that go bump in the night in magnificent Denver, Colorado. She sleeps with a light on.
Also by Susan Gabriel
The Stir of Echo
A gifted, but untrained clairaudient with a secret desire to be dominated is about to find out the truth behind the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it." Echo Sullivan has all but given up on herself, her gift, and on men, until she meets her charming new neighbor, Flynn. An invitation to his Halloween Fantasy Ball sends her on a course of discovery, and sexual awakening with life-altering choices. Flynn's rakish good looks, sharp wit, and smooth Irish brogue appear to be just what the doctor ordered. He possesses an unsettling ability to recognize, and illuminate Echo's deepest desires; to stir them up and bring them bubbling to the surface. But Flynn harbors a strange and extraordinary secret. What would you say if someone offered you the world...but asked for your soul?
Black Velvet Seductions
Only the Lonely Page 17