by Julia Laque
Nodding, he read her reaction carefully. After assessing her expression he went on. “It’s completely up to you, but you need to make a decision fast, babe. I hate pressuring you like this, but it’s the only solution we have.” He paused. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to do it.”
He misread her hesitation. She was thinking why hadn’t she thought of this herself? There was no decision to make. God had heard her fit of anger and He was giving her another chance at life, not the life she knew, but an altogether new one where she was part of the living dead, but who the hell cared. Evangeline would be alive with Adam and the boys. That was all that mattered.
Sure, they would have issues to contend with, but what family didn’t? Evangeline could only see the bright side of the situation. She would live longer now with her werewolf family. They wouldn’t have to worry about her because she would be nearly invincible. It was a perfect plan, but…
Evangeline’s excitement wavered as she stared at Adam. She whispered the agonizing question, barely moving her lips, but she knew he would hear her. “Could you still…love me…after?”
Adam’s face contorted and he held her tightly to him. “God, baby, of course I’ll still love you. I don’t care if you come back a hyena. We’d make it work. If this is something you’re willing to do then you have my total support.”
She saw the sincerity in his gaze and breathed in shakily. There was so much to consider about this entire situation, but she knew she was out of time.
He noticed something in her expression. “Will you… I mean…” He looked haggard.
Staring deep into his eyes, she whispered as strongly as she could. “Yes.”
Letting out a profound sigh, he hugged her, resting his head in the crook of her neck as he whispered, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
They had to work fast. She felt herself slipping away and she fought to hold on. There was something she needed to do first, though.
Evangeline tapped Adam’s hip to get his attention. He looked up. “What is it?”
She let out another shaky breath, trying to control her nerves. “Take me…outside.” Her eyes gestured to the waning sunlight in the window. He knew instantly what she wanted.
Adam nodded slowly with a far off look in his eyes. He came off the bed, pulling the covers down and lifted her gently into his arms, positioning her so she was nestled comfortably with her head on his chest.
The men outside their door looked eagerly at them as they appeared in the hallway. Adam met Cyrus’ solemn eyes. “She wants to see the sun. We’ll be back soon.”
Cyrus nodded. His face, usually disciplined, now softened as he stared at Evangeline.
She met his gaze briefly before her lids gave way from the effort of keeping them open for so long. She let them fall, saving their strength till they were outside. It would be the very last time she would see the sun and what better way to do so than in Adam’s arms.
When she opened her eyes again, she was seated on Adam’s lap on the back porch steps overlooking the wide, grassy backyard. The sun was low as it descended in the western sky. Adam stared off thoughtfully, as if he too would never look upon the bright orb ever again.
There was a vague sense she should be more saddened at the reality of never seeing the sun or daylight again. She’d never lie out under the sun on a beach, or take her kids to the park on a Saturday afternoon, but it all seemed so trivial now. Evangeline would trade a million days in the sun for one evening at home at the dinner table with Adam and the boys.
He was still trembling as he held her and it filled her with immense joy to know he would not have to worry about her for long.
Adam looked down at her in surprise. “Baby, you’re missing the sunset.”
Evangeline realized she had barely glanced at the sun and was staring avidly at him instead. She shook her head once. “You’re my sun now.”
Adam’s jaws flexed hard and a tear spilled rapidly down his cheek. He pressed his lips firmly on hers, barely containing the tremors going through his body. Coming up, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you so much.” Whispering in her ear, he promised, “I’m going to make you the happiest vampire in the world.”
If she had the strength, she would have laughed. She couldn’t wait to laugh with him again.
It was time.
Uttering her last words to him as a human, she said, “Let’s do this.”
****
Cyrus wondered if he would have to fight the three werewolves blocking him out of his way. Adam’s beta and his punk cousin stood slightly behind their alpha as Adam stared him down.
“You know,” Cyrus said, casually, “if you phase right now and attack me, I can’t help her.”
“You’re not the only vampire here,” Adam said coldly.
Dr. Moros flinched, then said awkwardly, “Uh, Adam, I’m not sure I could.”
“Why not?” Adam barked at him, but it was Cyrus who answered.
“Because I am his sovereign and if his mouth comes within three feet of Evangeline I’ll cut out his fangs and feed it to him.”
Moros gave Adam an exasperated look and gestured mockingly to the king with a hand as if to say, That’s why.
Cyrus ignored the doctor. His eyes were watching Adam carefully. The man looked like he would explode any second now and sure as shit those dogs behind him would explode with him. “We’re wasting time. Move!” he demanded.
Adam held up a hand. “Let’s get something clear. If she doesn’t live through the transformation, you’re dead. Got it?”
“Fine, now get out of my way.” Cyrus stepped forward, passing the wolves.
“I’m staying too.” Adam started to follow him.
Cyrus spun around fast to face him again. “The hell you are!”
“You actually think I’m gonna leave her alone with you?” Adam asked, incredulous.
Cyrus leaned closer, seriously pissed now. Speaking roughly through his teeth, he uttered back in his face, “You actually want to watch me get into bed with her and sink my teeth in her throat?”
Adam lunged at him and smashed him hard into the wall. In his haste to get to Evangeline, it hadn’t occurred to him to bring reinforcements. It was thoughtless on his part, but he hadn’t come to fight with the wolves. His only concern was for Evangeline. Cyrus would love to go toe to toe with this mutt, but there were more important matters right now. He stared hard at the dog, breathing up in his face. “You done?”
The doctor spoke up again. “Adam, I have to agree with the king. This is definitely something you don’t want to see.” Moros stood a few feet away, not daring to come close to Adam.
Ramo chimed in. “Adam, I’m picturing it and even I want to fuck the guy up. You won’t be able to handle it. Let’s go downstairs.”
Cyrus spoke to all of them, but didn’t take his eyes off Adam. “No. You all need to leave the house. I’ll have to take her underground after I’ve drained her.”
Adam snarled and punched through the drywall an inch from Cyrus’ head. Debris and dust rained down on both of them. Cyrus rolled his eyes. The guy was being unreasonable, but he was within his rights. Still, if he didn’t move…
“What do you mean underground?” Adam was shaking harder now.
He sighed. “We don’t have time for a rundown on vampire transition.”
“The quick version then.”
“Fuck.” Irritated, Cyrus pushed Adam off him. “Look, in order to complete the transition she has to spend an entire day underground with her maker. I don’t want to physically put her in the ground so I think we can find a crevice under the floorboards in the basement. I know who built this odd-fucking house and I know the basement isn’t cemented. Now I’m done talking. Get out!” Cyrus turned and stepped into the bedroom. He closed the door behind him, but not before catching Jason, Ramo, and Dr. Moros restraining a red-faced Adam. As soon as the door clicked shut, a growl wrenched loud in the hallway and he heard several pops.
> Something told him Adam wouldn’t dare open the door. He can have his conniptions, but he knew what was best for Evangeline.
Cyrus surveyed the room and resisted the urge to scoff at their “master bedroom.” The air was warm, almost stifling. No doubt the wolf was emanating heat like a furnace. The poor girl must be boiling. He turned to look at Evangeline and froze. For an instant he thought he was too late. Her face was paler now as she lay on her back, stock still on the bed. The image was horrid. Then he heard the extremely faint thump of her heart and breathed again.
Suddenly afraid, he crossed the room toward her. She looked so terribly fragile. What if he drained her and she didn’t survive the rebirth?
Her eyes opened then as he approached the bed. Heavy lids blinked over those lovely eyes, and she gave him a small, tired smile.
Cyrus nearly crumpled to the floor. She had never looked at him like that and his deadened heart melted. What he wouldn’t give to see her smile every day. If it all worked, he just might decide to order her to his side every evening to give him an alluring smile. She wouldn’t have a choice as his ward. He was looking forward to enlightening the wolf on that particular aspect of maker and ward.
“Why…smiling?” she asked in a raspy whisper.
“Because you’re going to live, my sweet, and I get to save you.” He sat down at her hip and gazed warmly at her.
Blinking at him, she said, “You look…different.”
“Mmm…” He reached up to caress her cheek. “I’m sure I resemble the cat who got the cream.”
She shook her head. “Look…” Evangeline hesitated. “Good.”
He frowned at that. He had a feeling she was going to say human.
She looked away toward the window, her chest beginning to rise and fall in quick succession, her nerves taking over her.
“Easy, love.”
“Will…will it hurt?” Her voice broke on the last word.
“No, it will not hurt.” He took her chin between his fingers and turned her face toward him. “You have to trust me, remember? All you have to do is relax in my arms and let me do the rest.”
She nodded at him and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m scared.”
A foreign pain ignited inside his chest. He reached down and lifted her off the bed, repositioning them so he lay back against the headboard with Evangeline cradled on his lap. Making her as comfortable as possible, he tried to soothe her. “Don’t be afraid, Evangeline. I won’t let anything happen to you. You may even like it. It will feel like you died and went to heaven.” He winked at her, but she would soon find out how literal those words were.
Smirking at him, she asked, “You’ll stay?”
“Of course. You know how the process goes, don’t you?”
Evangeline nodded again and their eyes held for a long moment.
Evangeline knew a lot about his race and he was sure she was thinking about the rebirth. “Everything is going to be fine.” Her body temperature was beginning to cool down thanks to him and she relaxed more. Cyrus began to rock her gently.
They were not married and she belonged to a werewolf, but somehow he had found a way to make her, his. If he couldn’t have her in name, at least they would be bonded by blood. By many standards this was much better. This had been his long-term plan anyway. Had they been married, he would have changed her eventually. It was what human and vampire couples did. At least this way he didn’t have to convince her to change.
“Close your eyes, my love.”
A wretched howl shot through the night, making Evangeline flinch. “Adam.”
Cyrus cursed in his head. The bloody mutt always had the worst timing. “It’s all right. He’ll be fine. He’s with his pack. Just focus on calming your nerves.”
He continued to sway them side-to-side for a long while, his eyes on her gorgeous face. She stared off toward the window thoughtfully and then closed her eyes. Soon, she began to drift off as he’d hoped. Cyrus reached up to brush strands of hair away from her neck and a tightening built in his chest.
There was no reason to be so attached to her, but he couldn’t help the way he felt. He thought briefly of his wife when he was human. She had been nothing like Evangeline and yet he’d loved her. Could his damned heart have fallen in love again after all these years?
Dimly aware this would be the only time he’d hold her in his arms, he wasn’t letting go until she was reborn as his vampire. The urge to make her his was overwhelming, and he was exhilarated she was his first and only child. He prepared himself, letting his fangs take shape. His eyes were fastened on her throat and his body shivered with excitement. He was going to save her and taste every ounce of her blood. They would be connected for eternity and his eyes took shape, turning silver at the thought.
Cyrus brought her up closer to his face, inhaling her wonderful scent. In a slow caress, he ran his nose and mouth over her brow, down her cheek and along her neck where her pulse beat weakly.
Savoring the moment with great concentration, he sheathed his fangs into her skin.
Evangeline let out a shocked moan, and her hand gripped his arm. Cyrus ran a soothing hand over her back and she relaxed, but she held onto his arm, her weak fingers lightly massaging his bicep. She was not in pain this time. In fact, he knew she was feeling a very delightful sensation now, one she could have felt the first time had he been gentler and she’d been a bit more willing. Pain, tension, stress; all her worries oozed out of her and left her experiencing a profound high.
Consuming her in slow pulls, he relished the taste of her blood. The sound of her heart slowing unimaginably more made him focus on his task more seriously. She was dying in his arms and he began to panic. He had to finish. If he stopped now, she would die for sure. He had to drain her completely and reseal the vein. His venom coursing through her would bring her back to life. With steady determination, he concentrated on drinking her in.
The instant her hand fell from his arm, her heart beat for the last time.
****
In the cold autumn night, Adam felt the world halt and a vast light go out. He sank to his knees, stunned, as his pack that surrounded him in a protective circle, sang his suffering in earsplitting howls.
Chapter Twenty-One
Evangeline’s body was cold in his arms, colder than his own.
They lay frozen under the house for God knows how long. Cyrus had been in and out of sleep, checking on her every five minutes. He didn’t know what time it was, but thought it might be late afternoon. His watch was on his left wrist, which was stuck under Evangeline’s waist.
He was on his back, with Evangeline in the crook of his arm. They lay on the thick comforter he had taken from their room and faced underneath the floorboards of the basement. It was cold and damp, but as he was always cold it hardly mattered and Evangeline couldn’t feel a thing.
Anxious for her to wake up, he tried to remember the first initial sensation when a newborn vampire wakes from the dead. His maker had been there to supply him with blood from his vein, which completed the process. Cyrus remembered being completely out of it, not knowing or understanding what the hell was happening to him. At least Evangeline knew what was coming.
Although, he should have told her they would be waking up together in the dark. She might know the process, but a reminder would have been nice. A newborn needed to stay as far away from the sun as possible and underground was the perfect place. Cyrus only hoped this spot was good enough.
A tickle on his side made the hairs on his nape stand.
Evangeline was stirring.
He didn’t move or make a sound as he stared down at the top of her head on his shoulder.
She came up slowly, but with lithe precision, her hand exploring from his abdomen to his chest as though she’d never seen a man’s torso before. Evangeline lifted her head, and their eyes met.
Silver irises replaced the olive green in a perfect porcelain face. He laughed nervously, feeling slightly frightened at the
intensity in her expression. It startled him and barely contained a shiver. It was as if she were looking at him for the first time. The hunger in her eyes made his immortal blood boil.
“Welcome back, Evangeline.”
Her mouth opened and Cyrus’ groin tightened as he gazed in pride at her glorious new fangs hanging lower than the others. They were perfectly sharp and the tip of her tongue tested their points in measured strokes.
Moaning deep, he said, “Come here, my sweet.” He moved his collar to the side, having loosened the buttons of his shirt hours ago. “I have exactly what you need.” Lifting her on top of him so she straddled his hips, he groaned at the feel of her. Pressing a finger to his vein, he said, “Right here, my love.”
He bent his head back to expose his throat, grasping her by the back of her head with one hand and squeezing the fabric of her robe at the small of her back with the other. She struck hard and he nearly came in his pants. Fuck, this was better than he imagined. He was rock hard in his pants, poking the skin of her thigh. He watched as her robe fell off her shoulders.
“Oh God, yes, Evangeline!” he cried. The feel of this woman drinking him was like nothing he’d ever experienced. It was the first time he’d let another taste him. Female vampires had tried in the past when they were together, but he’d never let them, refusing to share his blood with some passing fancy.
Now, Evangeline Wolcott lay atop him, her hands gripping his shoulders, her body writhing with every pull she took feeding her hungry body with his essence. The moment was too good to be true. His head swarmed from exuberance.
Let her never stop, he thought. Every inch of his body was aware of her. His skin was on fire and for the first time in all his years as a cold blooded vampire he felt great warmth at his core with their joining lifeblood.
She was his.
Evangeline was finally his. The beautiful truth filled him with unimaginable elation.
He refused to think of the wolf and his pups now. To him, they were far off in another world. He, Cyrus, was experiencing a miracle, bringing this incredible woman back to life. This was the last of the process. She would drink her fill of the vampire who drained her and renew every part of her body with his energy.