He stepped away from the coffin but only for a second. He held a sliced wrist above her and let the liquid drop on her face. He then pressed the living flesh to her lips, and hunger smothered all coherent thought from her brain.
Too soon, he forced her to stop and led the donor away. Then he returned to watch the life seep back into her bones. He smiled warmly. “I've come to a decision."
Kate licked her lips and raised a shaky hand to her throat. She blinked slowly, content for the moment to ride the wave of life pumping through her veins. She felt as if she had taken a weird combination of sinus medication. She knew there was something she had to do, but at the moment, she couldn't remember what it was.
"That's nice,” she mumbled, trying to focus on his face.
He held out his hand to her. “What would life be like if there were no second chances?"
She accepted his offer and let him help her sit up. She looked around the room, and her gaze lingered on the donor. The woman sat on a chair by the wall, completely lost in a trance. Kate narrowed her eyes as a memory pushed through the fog. When she finally recognized the woman as her cousin, it was all she could do to remain calm.
She lifted her chin and forced a cold smile on her face. “Help me out that I may drink some more."
Pleased that she didn't resist, he swiftly lifted her from the casket and set her on her feet. She swayed and grabbed his hand to steady herself. Her nails dug deep into his flesh, but he made no mention of discomfort.
She regained her balance and ever so slyly placed her bloody fingernail over her heart. The liquid seeped into her shirt, and the instant it touched the ruby Beaux's face became slack as he lost control of his free will.
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Forty
"You're positive this is the only way?” Kate asked as tears sprang to her eyes.
"Yes,” Pyre responded, and she actually thought she heard remorse in his voice.
She looked at her surroundings from where she knelt between the two bodies. Though night, the swamp seemed more alive than ever. The moon turned the moss on the cypress trees white. The frogs sang chorus, and every now and then, an owl hooted mournfully.
She sighed and looked at Beaux's original body on her right. Then she looked to her left, and her eyes met Beaux's soul locked in Vincent's form. A mixture of hate, helplessness and love swirled in the green depths.
"You could've just left us alone,” she whispered. “And I wouldn't have had to send you to Hell."
Then she punched him as hard as she could in the mouth, and the body of her true love turned to dust. Her eyes clouded with tears, and grief took control of her. The sudden painful explosion in her chest, however, had nothing to do with sorrow. Astonished, she looked down at the hand stuck in her chest. She then saw the hand belonged to Beaux's real body. His soul had jumped into it the instant it had been released from Vincent's.
She felt his fingers wrap around her beating heart, and instinctively smashed her fist into his mouth at the precise moment his other fist slammed into her fangs. Both vampires collapsed into dust simultaneously.
* * * *
Pyre grabbed the ghostly arms of both Kate and Beaux before they could be sucked up into their respective eternal destinations. He guided them to stand before a cypress tree where Vincent's spirit watched anxiously from inside.
"I beseech thee, Old Man Cypress, to swap this soul for the one locked within."
He then pushed Beaux into the tree, ignoring the outburst of rage. As there was only room for one, Vincent's soul was instantly released. He took a shaky step toward Pyre.
"Your magic put me here,” he growled. “I don't understand why, after going to such lengths, you would set me free."
The vampire frowned. “Let's just say I see things a bit different now."
Kate touched Vincent's arm, and as he looked into her eyes, he forgot his anger. He pulled her close and kissed her, tentatively at first, then with the passion of a sailor too long at sea. The loneliness that had made its home in his soul slipped into the tree to claim Beaux as its next victim.
A light appeared above the lovers, but they were so lost in their reunion, they took no notice of their heavenly ascent.
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Epilogue
Year 2065
It was the first day of school after the Christmas holidays. As usual, Louisiana was just getting the first really cold days of winter. It was common for people to wear shorts on Christmas day. On this January day, however, the sun was doing its best to warm the state. The sky was a brilliant blue with white, fluffy clouds scattered here and there.
Lunchtime at Central High School was always wild, especially on the first day back. Kat was in a strange mood. It was the last half of her senior year, and she was a little melancholy. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and was not in the mood to be around people.
So after lunch, she told her friends that she had to go study in the library. Kat then slipped away and headed for her favorite tree. There was a book she wanted to delve into and forget her troubles.
The wind tore at Kat's long blonde hair, causing it to tickle her face. She shivered and pulled her coat closer. Thankfully, her favorite tree was near a building that she knew would protect her from the icy wind. As she rounded the corner of the building, she came to an abrupt halt.
Underneath Kat's tree sat a young man. His hair was pitch black, and his arms were folded across his muscular chest. He rested his head against the tree, with closed eyes. He was very handsome, and her heart fluttered in her chest.
She must have stared at him for a very long time. She couldn't take her eyes off him. Then, Kat realized he was staring back. His blue eyes met her brown ones, and she felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She quickly looked away.
"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
He jumped to his feet, brushing the leaves off his pants. “That's quite all right.” His voice was deep and sensuous. “I was just resting my eyes.” He held out his hand. “I'm new here."
Placing her hand in his, Kat watched, fascinated, as he brought it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss there. Oh boy. Her heart fell in love with him on the spot. Romance was certainly in the air.
She smiled shyly and looked up into his hypnotic blue eyes. She felt as if she had known him forever. At that moment, she knew the true meaning of soul mate. Sighing, Kat calmly moved past him and sat beneath the tree.
"It's very nice to meet you,” she said, all nice and proper. Her heart flip-flopped as he sat beside her, and they lost themselves in conversation.
* * * *
A mile away, a lone figure stood on the edge of the woods. Furtively, he watched the teenage lovers as they became reacquainted in the schoolyard. He stepped into the sunlight, luxuriating in the feel of the sun on his cold face. It had been a miracle that he could now walk free in the day as well as the night.
A glimmer of evil twinkled in his dark eyes as he considered all the possibilities now available to him. His dark side constantly struggled with his good side. He could go for long periods of time without doing a single human soul harm. Then, the thirst became so strong that animals simply would not do.
Brushing off the evil thoughts, Pyre whistled, and a black wolf ran from the woods to sit calmly at his feet. He knelt and stroked the velvet fur with fondness.
"Cassie,” he whispered, his eyes still on the lovers. “It has finally come to pass. Our duty lies in protecting them."
The wolf merely whimpered and nuzzled his hand.
* * * *
The bell rang sharply. Helping Kat to her feet, her handsome stranger asked, “Will you meet me for lunch here tomorrow?"
"I'd be delighted.” Kat started to walk away, heady with the first signs of love.
"Wait,” he called, and she stopped in her tracks. “I don't even know your name."
Kat looked coyly over her shoulder at him and smiled, “Katherine de Minsky."
"Well, I am
very pleased to meet you, Katherine. My name is Vincent van Huer."
As she turned to go to class, Kat heard him say quietly, “See, I told you I'd be forever yours."
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Meet Josephine Templeton
Josephine wrote her first story at the age of five about a witch that ended up haunting her dreams that very night but not even a mean, old hag could keep her from writing. During high school, she penned short stories, poems and plays as well as writing for the school's newspaper. Writing took a hiatus until her ten year reunion, which pushed her to write again. Her favorite band in high school was Duran Duran, and their video of The Nightboat inspired her to write a short story, which in turn became what is known today as the vampire romance, Forever Yours.
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