I spotted someone far below, looking up, and for a moment I thought it was Melinda. Though it was hard to see clearly, she seemed to be waving at me. Just then another cloud moved in, blocking out my only light - turning the individual into nothing more than a shadow. I waved into the darkness wondering if she could see me up this high, guessing we had to be on the fifth floor. But the shadow just stood there not moving, gazing up - at this point I couldn’t tell where. Perhaps it was the night sky that caught their fancy and not me at all. As I continued to peer down trying to see if it was indeed, my sister, all of a sudden the shadow literally vanished into thin air. It reminded me of watching boiling water turn to vapor. I shivered as an icy chill spread all through me - whether from the newfound sensation of being watched - or the fact that someone or something had just disappeared before my eyes. Was that only an illusion brought on by the night, or was I losing it? I wasn’t sure which thought unsettled me more. I wrapped my arms around myself and then decided I’d much rather be inside, closer to my long haired vampire as he prepared to take my life, than out here with who knows what.
I pulled the door shut with a slight bang, and grabbed my purse off the table. As I came down the stairs I could see Emrys; busy at work - his back to me. Just the sight of him calmed me, and I stood for a few minutes in the middle of the stairway; watching him. Still wearing his black cape, it was so dark that from this angle, his black hair seemed to blend right into it making it look as though he wore a hood. He stooped down and reached into a drawer, pulled something out and set it on the tabletop. In the dim light I saw him adding to a collection of various other articles. At one point he lifted his hair from underneath and pushed it back over his shoulder, and I wondered why he had not changed into regular clothes just yet.
As I continued down the stairs I noticed a new odor, though not anywhere as pleasant as all the floral and candle scents that permeated the room just a while ago. And that was when it hit me. This new odor reminded me of the doctor’s office. It smelled of rubbing alcohol or disinfectant, or a combination of the two.
Coming closer I realized Emrys was so deep in thought he didn’t hear me. He finished putting things in order on the table, and then I could see clearly what they were: a syringe and needles, plasma bags, cotton balls, bandages, and yes - there it was: rubbing alcohol. What? Since when are vampires concerned about infection? Behind all this medical equipment stood a large glass decanter and a beautiful, ancient-looking goblet, the only thing there to remind me of our actual plans.
This particular goblet was thick and heavy, made of dark clay on the outside. The base was carved to look like roots, and the stem formed a tree trunk all intertwined with limbs of brown and tiny intricate leaves of green. The cupped portion was crafted with a sculpted three-dimensional relief of a huge twisted oak tree, and just below the silver rim, a row of inlaid blue sapphires alternated with engraved stars and moons.
At this moment in time, I could not fathom drinking actual blood. Yet as disgusting as it sounded in my own head, overcoming this one tiny problem would be essential; my existence depended on it. Good intentions aside, my throat closed up – bone dry. Swallowing down the sudden lump, I hoped that Emrys had turned to the sound of my footsteps and not the loud gulp. He probably heard every thought going through my anxious mind as I glanced around, taking stock of everything in view.
“Elizabeth, my beautiful one - come and sit,” he said turning toward me. You have only been gone but a few minutes and yet I am glad of your return.”
He came closer and scooped me up in his electrified arms, lifting me right off my feet.
How is it that I could be so lucky to deserve all this praise?
“You deserve so much more than you realize. I have been blessed to spend eternity looking at the most lovely creature ever put in front of me. I am the fortunate one, my dear.”
He was so completely gorgeous in every way possible. I absolutely adored everything about him. I loved his long, black hair and ran my fingers through it. His face was like a Greek god with perfect features. I touched his cheek and kissed his nose. His eyes were so penetratingly perfect, and the way they held me took my breath away. I simply could not imagine why he had never found anyone else decades ago. He was so warm and kind, so wonderful in every way, not to mention his extraordinary handsomeness.
“Thank you for the compliments,” he said grinning. “Obviously, I had to wait for you, my love!”
I smiled. “Well, I’m so happy you waited!” I had to admit to myself too: I was glad he’d chosen me and not Melinda.
Still smiling, he shook his head and as the long strands of his hair moved back and forth, they picked up highlights of light from the candle behind him.
“Truly, Elizabeth, you and your sister are not as alike as you seem to believe. I see you two as complete individuals, different in so many ways. I know you, I hear you, and I love every single thing about you; every thought, every nuance, and every blink of your dazzling blue eyes, your perfect lips, and this smile that warms my heart.” He bent his head and kissed me, holding my face in his electrically charged hands.
I looked up at him, and using two fingers and a gentle touch, pried open his beautiful mouth. I wanted to get a look at the teeth that would soon be sinking into my flesh. Were there real fangs involved?
Emrys grinned, raising his chin upwards, and opened a little wider so I could see. He tilted his head down sideways with a jerking movement, like a tick or a quick nod, and I heard a clicking sound. Two perfectly pointed and razor sharp teeth popped down through the roof of his mouth, just behind his eyeteeth. Looking at him straight on, they blended into the front row of teeth so well that the eyeteeth just looked to be longer and sharper. Retractable fangs, how cool! I suppose sharper was better than dull; it would hurt less!
“Okay,” I said trying not to sound too anxious. “How much longer until you’re ready to get on with it?” My palms were sweating, my stomach fluttered.
“I need a few more minutes, and then it shall be your turn.”
He went to the table with the medical equipment, sat down at a nearby chair, rolled up his sleeves, and tied an elastic band around his upper arm. After swiping the inside of his elbow with an alcohol soaked cotton swab, he checked the tubing, fitting it firmly to the plasma bag, and then he inserted the needle into his vein. The blood began to flow out down the plastic tube, and into the clear bag. He leaned back and put his feet up on a stool, smiling at me all the while. As the warm, red liquid drained out, his eyes remained fixed on me.
I sat down across from him on another chair, watching wide-eyed as the blood flowed out much faster than I thought possible. He started to look a little pale and tired. He had said he would become weakened, and no wonder, those bags looked like they held a lot; much more than I could imagine drinking, anyway. I hoped this scene wouldn’t start to turn my stomach. So far, I had no queasiness, though my head buzzed a bit with the thought of it, and already, my heartbeat accelerated. Fear or excitement - it didn’t matter now. It was too late.
“This is for you, my sweet, beautiful, Elizabeth. All for you, my soon-to-be-immortal one.” And then he added, “You question why we drain the blood this way, do you not?”
I nodded as I stared at the nearly full bag.
“We have tried to become more civilized in the past fifty years or so. Using the medical equipment is much easier than in the former days when all we had were sharp knives or our own teeth. It is faster too, and not anywhere near as messy. We have better control of the flow and the amount of blood let out as well.”
I wasn’t sure if my quick shudder came more from imagining a vampire biting a human or themselves. And then I tried to imagine the transformation and what it would feel like.
“In the beginning, you will be weak and extremely tired. Your eyes will be sensitive to light and your skin - overly sensitive to touch. Sounds can seem too loud. Basically, all of your senses will be heightened. It takes several hours - so
mewhere between three to five hours - for the transition process. New vampires tend to be completely dependent on their makers during this time, and we have been taught to take special care of Newlings, feeding them every hour or so, until they are able to take care of themselves. It is much like a new human baby - perfectly formed in every way, just lacking the ability to fend for itself.
“Fiona has already told you about the dreams during resting periods. These dreams open a link to all that came before. Everything you desire to know about your maker can be yours.” He paused for a moment to check the fullness of the clear bag.
“I remember enjoying Tansy’s memories. They went back to the days of my own father and his childhood home, long before he was turned. Tansy had been hired first as his nursemaid, and then later as mine. It was quite strange indeed to see myself from another’s eyes. It can be a very humbling experience.” He looked deeper into my eyes then, and added, “I look forward to letting you in on all my memories, Elizabeth. I have nothing to hide from you, and I want you to understand and know everything about me. It is only fair, since you cannot hide anything from me, even now before I partake of your life-force.”
“Do all of the vampires do things this way?” I asked.
“No, I am sorry to say, they do not. There are those who choose to remain closed within themselves, not sharing the intimate details of their lives. They enjoy their selfish moment of satisfaction, learning everything about the one they turn, but instead of feeding the Newling their own blood, they hire an anonymous vampire.
“Societies like ours seem to be increasing. Many have now chosen to become more civilized, more careful who they turn, and have ended the use of humans without their consent. We never kill without good reason, especially just for a blood feast - only to leave the helpless victim with no hope of life. But, just as there are those who choose not to share themselves with others, there are still those who choose a very different lifestyle. In just the same way you can compare your human societies; most humans tend to be rational, generous, loving and humane to others, but still, there is the darker side of humanity; senseless murder, thievery, drug abuse, apathy. There is good and evil everywhere, Elizabeth. We are no different.”
This was a lot to think about. Maybe some of those horror stories weren’t so far from the truth after all. They say there’s a little bit of truth in every fable. I was glad I hadn’t run into one of the bad guys, and appreciative that Emrys was one of the good ones. I whispered a thank you to him and he gave me his brilliant smile, and without a word exchanged, we were on the exact same wavelength.
We sat in silence for a while then; Emrys draining his blood into the three bags, while I sat across from him watching, looking for changes. He looked tired, and his perfect face paled a little more as time moved on, yet he never took his eyes off of mine except when he needed to change the bags. He was so adept at this, never fumbling with the equipment; always flawlessly switching the bags over - one could almost believe he did this far more often than he’d said.
I knew he caught that fleeting thought when he smiled and said, “I have helped others during this particular portion of the process, but I make a habit of leaving the room before my fellow Raven partakes of his feast.” With that, he raised an eyebrow and a look came over his face that I had never seen before: he licked his lips as though he was thirsty.
Something inside of me shifted, and not as I would have expected. The Sign on my neck, just under my hairline began to heat up and radiated down into my entire being. I had all I could do to keep myself from jumping up and across the four feet or so to land on his lap and ravish him. The only thing holding me back was the needle in his arm. I didn’t want to upset the flow that was soon to be mine, and I started to feel like the amount he removed would quite possibly not be enough. It was plain to see why the new vampires were locked away as they transformed, for more reasons than one. All the while these thoughts flew through my mind, and all the while I felt my body beginning to crave this new force, Emrys sat silent and motionless, watching me, feeling me with his mind, tasting my new appetite. I heard a clicking sound and saw now that his fangs were visible through his smile. It had to be soon, I didn’t think I’d last much longer in this state. He was just about finished and I felt waves of excitement, and surges of fear all rolled into one.
“Elizabeth, my sweet, won’t you make sure all the lights and the stereo are turned off while I finish in here?” he asked as he pulled the needle from his arm.
I went all around the room snapping off switches and blowing out candles, leaving the room dim and filled with a lingering scent of smoky-vanilla. When I came back to Emrys, the only light left was on the nightstand next to the bed, and one lonely candle burned on another table near the foot of the bed. He had already successfully poured all his blood into the glass decanter, which now sat on the table with the empty antique goblet, and he had disposed of all the equipment leaving the room completely free of disorder. I looked at his eyes with one more question.
“You may lie on the bed now. It is time.”
As I walked toward the bed I sensed his eyes on my back. When I turned down the soft white covers, I felt his breath on my neck as he stood behind me. When I turned to sit down and remove my shoes, he knelt at my feet removing them for me. And as I laid my head on the white satin pillow he appeared next to me like an apparition. I didn’t know if I imagined his fast movements, or if I just moved in slow motion myself, blinking in and out of consciousness. The whole room seemed to glow with electromagnetic forces, things unseen but felt with intensity. I glanced over at the glass decanter. The flame from the candle flickered next to it reflecting its light into the glass making the blood shimmer. I felt very thirsty - thirstier than I ever remembered feeling in my life. My life was about to end as I knew it. But I had a new appetite now, and I reached up and turned off the one light left on in the room. I laid flat on my back, closing my eyes. Feeling the heat of him at my side, and our mutual fleshly desires, I said, “Emrys,” so low, so sultry; I wasn’t sure if the voice was my own, and then I whispered, “Emrys do it - now. I give you my life, both now and forever.”
CHAPTER 13
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
And then…nothing happened.
“What’s going on?” I asked curiously, looking into Emrys’ eyes. He was inches from my face, leaning his head on one hand, gazing at me with a small grin.
“If you don’t get on with it, I may have to force myself on you!” I said low voiced.
Was that silky-smooth voice mine, and did I really just say those words?
“I want to savor the moment.” His grin grew wider, revealing his sharp teeth. “The only other time I had this privilege was under altogether different circumstances. There were no romantic interests whatsoever, you see; an act of changing a human to Raven, and nothing more.”
“Yes? Go on,” I whispered, touching his soft whiskers.
“This is completely the opposite: so intimate, so beautiful.” He touched my face with the back of his hand sending tiny electrical surges through me. “And, so erotic. I want to take my time.” He kissed my neck softly, then pulled back to study me. “I want to taste you, not just take you in,” he said, licking his lips. “Do you understand?”
“I think so,” I said, feeling breathless.
His rich, dark hair fell into my face as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. I inhaled a deep, slow breath - taking in his delicious scent and then, let out a sigh.
“Yes?” he asked, smiling again.
“I know that scent. It lingered after you left the pub. I noticed it when I first met you earlier this evening, but I didn’t put it together until now. It reminds me of something spicy-sweet, and earthy, – a luxurious smoky scent, like rich, aromatic pipe tobacco. What is it?” I asked, sniffing again.
“I have a perfumer,” he said in a light tone, “that blends my cologne for me using only the finest essential oils. This combination happens to be....” he paus
ed to kiss my cheek, “black raspberry...” and then the other cheek, “black currant....” then he kissed my mouth, and said, “sweet black licorice....” His lips went to my neck, lingered a bit and then added, “And patchouli. Do you enjoy it?” Before I could answer he kissed my lips again.
When we came up for air I grabbed a large handful of his hair and put it under my nose. “Oh, yes. It becomes you.” It permeated his skin and lingered on his hair.
Our kisses were deeper now, exploring. My tongue flicked over his teeth, catching on the razor sharp point. I pulled away, surprised. But he drew me back, kissing heavier, accidentally grazing my lower lip with the needle-like tip. Copper. Tangy. Could I ever really desire this taste? He drew my lip into his mouth, and with a gentle suction he sampled a few drops, and licking the lingering driblets, he moaned. I had no idea if it was me, or the small taste of my blood that caused him such ecstasy.
“Both,” he breathed, whispery, still kissing.
Wrapping his arms around my back, he gave my zipper a tug.
“We don’t want to mess up your beautiful dress now, do we?” he asked, his eyes ablaze.
Tensing up at the new direction he had taken, I wondered if he had changed his mind about the rules. He didn’t answer this question in my mind. Instead he pulled me to my side and finished unzipping the dress. Then he pulled my arms out of the sleeves leaving my top half nearly bare, save for my thin black slip.
He kissed the hollow in my throat and then moved lower between my breasts, using his mouth - soft and tender; teasing me with his tongue. His heavenly smelling hair draped down brushing over me, tickling my freshly exposed skin as he reached farther down, pulling the dress completely off and tossing it to a nearby chair. When he turned back to me, I wasn’t sure if he moved in slow motion on purpose, or if it was just my perception of things, but the whole experience seemed to be taking much longer than I had expected it to take.
The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set Page 18