by Kristen Reed
“You too.”
Before either of us could say another word, Augustus took off. The waffle I’d wolfed down threatened to make a reappearance as a dizzying blur of leaves, branches, and grass filled my swimming vision. Luckily, we stopped moving as soon as I had the sense to close my eyes.
Augustus immediately set me down and I watched him lift up the rock that would hide us from the sun’s deadly rays. As I gazed down at the shadowy pit and realized that my time as a human was up, I hugged myself and shivered despite the tropical temperature. In several hours, I would be putting on my new vampire self and navigating a world I had only recently come to know … and to despise.
The vampire joined me again and gently touched my arm, drawing my attention away from the sandy, leaf-lined pit.
“Are you ready?”
“Is anyone ever truly ready for something like this?”
He smiled and brushed a lock of hair that the wind had blown loose out of my face.
“No, but you’re more prepared that most.”
His green gaze shifted to my neck for a heartbeat.
“May I?”
I swallowed the stubborn lump in my throat, nodded, and closed my eyes as I tilted my head to the side. Much as he had the day before, Augustus enfolded me in his arms and I felt the sharp sting of his bite. Next, his lips gently caressed my skin and a strange, paralyzing mental fog settled over me as he drank. Time seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. I didn’t know whether a heartbeat or a minute had passed, but I still noticed when he finished drinking despite my dreamy haze.
When I opened my eyes a crack, I saw him pull the same knife he’d used to prick his finger days before from his sleeve. In a flurry of movement that my half-closed eyes could barely track, he removed his bowtie and unfastened the first few buttons of his crisp white shirt.
Augustus drew the blade across the base of his neck and the fog that clouded my mind immediately disappeared. The thirst that came roaring forth chased away the underlying fear that his feeding had only temporarily abated and gave way to electrifying, single-minded focus. I glanced up at Augustus for a moment and met his black eyes, knowing that mine no doubt looked equally unnerving and inhuman, but I was too transfixed to care. When the vampire gave me a nod of approval and bared his neck to me, I placed my mouth over the small cut.
My taste buds sang the instant his blood touched my tongue. The warm, bittersweet liquid was infinitely more gratifying than any meal or drink I’d ever consumed and that singular experience overrode all of my other senses. The sweet, tart scent of Augustus’ blood was so pungent that it cast out the sea’s salty aroma. The sensation of the warm, thick liquid pouring down my throat and his neck’s silky skin against my lips revitalized me from head to toe and diminished the coastal wind’s cool caress. My frenzied, irregular heartbeat drowned out the natural soundtrack of crashing waves and rustling leaves as it calmed to match his equally loud, more leisurely pulse.
Our hearts drummed in perfect harmony for a few precious beats, but mine continued to slow. I removed my lips from Augustus’ neck and rested my head on his shoulder, too pleasantly delirious and overwhelmed by what I’d just experienced to care about staining his perfectly white shirt with my makeup. Much as he had minutes before, the vampire picked me up and I could feel his concerned green gaze on me as he carried me over to our hiding place. My pulse and breathing dwindled considerably with every step he took and I found myself wondering if I would dream while my transformation took place or if impenetrable darkness would swallow my mind.
After Augustus placed me on the dugout’s leaf-covered floor, I heard him move the stone back in place above us, and the boulder shut out the faint odor of smoke and chorus of shrieks in the distance as well as the blinding light of the eclipse. Had I been fully alert, some level of claustrophobia probably would have kicked in, but serenity permeated every inch of my body and made panicking impossible. So, I simply enjoyed the feeling of Augustus’ arms around me.
I opened my eyes one last time, not even remembering when I’d closed them, to look at Augustus. The sun had scalded his face, but I was happy to see that the burns and blisters had already begun to heal. As I drifted into oblivion, I sent a prayer of half-formed thoughts to God, praying that I had done the right thing and that every human on the island would be safe and free when I awakened at dusk.
♦ ♦ ♦
Before I opened my eyes that evening, I knew that I wasn’t the same woman who had shut her eyes hours before … and the island wasn’t the same either. An acrimonious stench cut through the earthy scent of the soil and leaves around me. I almost turned up my nose at the odor, but my disgust turned to curiosity then hunger when I recognized blood’s bittersweet fragrance blended with the foul odor of burnt flesh. My body buzzed with anticipation and my eyes flew open in search the source of the delicious scent, and that mouthwatering craving intensified when I remembered that I wasn’t alone in the unexpectedly bright earthen coffin.
I lifted my head from Augustus’ chest and saw that he also was awake … and watching me with great curiosity. As I stared into his emerald eyes, I searched my heart and mind to discern what I felt for the man who had been the catalyst for my transformation. The physical attraction that I detected was no surprise to me nor was the warm affection I had for him. Fortunately, there was no burning desire for anything other than the warm liquid that flowed through his immortal veins. As I gazed at Augustus and took in the protectiveness, concern, and adoration that he felt for me, my thirst subsided and my mind cleared. After all, he was more than a blood source. He was my friend.
“How do you feel,” he asked.
“Like I could run a marathon.”
“Do you feel like yourself?”
Even without Augustus spelling it out, I knew that he was asking about the sire bond and my spiritual state. While I didn’t think the bond had affected me, I was unsure about the other matter. As a human, I hadn’t exactly felt the Holy Spirit swimming around inside me like a restless unborn child or heard a voice like the roar of many waters instructing me on a daily basis. I’d just experienced convictions and developed qualities that I knew didn’t come from my own heart or mind.
The fact that I don’t feel the sire bond is probably a sign that I still have it.
“Clara?”
“Sorry. I was just thinking. I feel pretty normal so far.”
“You don’t need to apologize. Few vampires awaken with the level of clarity you have right now. They’re usually too inundated by their desires for their maker and their thirst for blood to be coherent before they find satisfaction.”
“For humans or dhampirs?”
“Both, but we can discuss that later.”
Augustus briefly glanced at his cell phone.
“The helicopter will be here shortly. What do you say we enjoy the fresh air for a few minutes?”
“That sounds good to me.”
Augustus rolled the stone out of the way and I gasped when I saw the sky for the first time. Instead of being the same inky color I’d grown accustomed to, the night sky was a deep blueberry hue and vibrant pinpricks of light from countless stars broke up that gorgeous color. If I focused on a single star, I could see wisps of gold, pink, blue, white, or red surrounding them as well as smaller shimmering specks of light farther in the distance.
I’d always enjoyed looking up at the stars because seeing them reminded me of how fortunate I was. God was powerful enough to have created the heavens and the heavens of the heavens. Yet, he also took the time to form me in my mother’s womb and loved me even though my life was nothing but vapor compared to the existence of the universe. That humbling, reverent awe was magnified tenfold as I gawked at the stars with my newly sharpened, tearful eyes. When I realized that my first reaction upon seeing the world as a vampire was to think of God and his love for me, that awe turned into gratitude. I had been right about keeping my salvation … something I never should have questioned to begin
with.
Thank you, God.
“I wanted to stare at the sky for hours after I became a vampire,” Augustus divulged. “Being able to truly see the beauty of this world is one of vampirism’s greatest gifts.”
“And yet some people aren’t content with that,” I breathed as the stench of death I’d awakened to became more potent thanks to a shift in the cool nighttime breeze. “Do you know if any coven members are still alive?”
“I’m not sure if any vampires survived, but I do know that the humans reached civilization.”
I whipped around to face Augustus, the sky immediately losing its hold on me.
“Do you know if Connor made it?”
“Yes, he is alive and well.”
I beamed and threw my arms around Augustus, not fighting the tears of joy that rolled down my cheeks. However, being that close to Augustus again and hearing his heart pounding reminded me of the craving I’d experienced when I first awakened. My gums ached slightly and I felt my canines begin to elongate into fangs, but I pulled away. Once I placed some distance between us, my thirst waned into nothingness and my teeth returned to their normal state just as the pulsating, oscillating sound of a helicopter reached my ears and provided a blessed distraction from Augustus’ heartbeat.
“Your self-control is remarkable,” he marveled, “but you do need to drink soon.”
“I know. I just don’t want to do it here.”
“Then let’s plan on you having your first drink when we board the plane in Haiti. Is that alright?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
I turned my eyes to the sea and watched The Vampire League’s helicopter approach … also keeping my eyes and ears open for any approaching survivors. While I wasn’t sure how much damage the house had sustained or how many vampires remained on the island, I seriously doubted that anyone would want to stay on Emmanuel’s island without a roof over his head or a warm human body in his bed. Thankfully, no snarling, unrecognizably burnt coven members broke through the tree line to board the helicopter when it finally landed.
Augustus grabbed my hand and we ducked down slightly as we ran beneath the rotating blades to the open door and climbed inside to join the two men who already sat in the cabin. An older black man was piloting the helicopter and the twenty-something white man with him immediately handed us what looked like heavy duty versions of the noise cancelling headphones I had back home. Even though my ears had adjusted to the roar of the rotating blades, I was still happy to have my newly sensitive albeit self-regulating ears further protected.
“Is this everyone, my lord,” the pilot asked.
“Yes, no one else will be joining us,” Augustus answered while the two of us strapped ourselves in.
The pilot took us up and I peered out my window, watching as Emmanuel’s devastated island and the smoldering remains of his home shrank with every foot we ascended into the fall sky.
“Clara, this is our pilot, Frantz Vidal, and Kieran Johnson. Both are vampires from my line,” Augustus said. “Gentleman, this is Clara Robinson.”
Frantz was preoccupied with his duties, so I shook hands with his younger counterpart, whose dark waves were just long enough in the front to fall into his brown eyes and add to his boyish appearance. He gave me a quick once over and smiled warmly as he leaned back and relaxed in his seat.
“This is your first night as a vampire, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, welcome to the family. It’ll be nice to have a younger sister of sorts.”
“If she’s your sister, that makes me her father. That’s not a title I’m comfortable with,” Augustus chuckled.
“I bet,” Kieran said. “So how was your first feeding?”
“I haven’t done it yet.”
“What?”
“Clara’s self-control is quite unprecedented,” Augustus explained. “She also doesn’t seem to be affected by the sire bond.”
“Well, unless she has another master that she answers to, she’s bound to you. Some vampires just need a little prodding to awaken it. Maybe she’s one of them.”
“Maybe.”
The two vampires began to discuss the sequence of events for the night, so I tuned them out as I mulled over what Kieran had said. While he’d made the statement about me having another master in jest, there was someone I had given my loyalty to and made the Lord over my heart and life. I couldn’t remember the exact wording or location, but a verse that talked about how no one could serve two masters was nestled somewhere in the New Testament. If you tried to serve and give yourself to two people, then you would hate one and love the other. Even though Jesus had said those words regarding serving God and money not God and a vampire, the sentiment was still relevant. Answering to only one authority figure meant that I wouldn’t have opposing loyalties dueling within me and tearing me apart.
Though Augustus was my maker, he wasn’t my master. God was. My unusual level of restraint was also a testament to that since self-control was one of the fruits of the Spirit I’d developed during my time as a believer. A grin graced my lips as I looked down at the water below. While I couldn’t wait to tell Augustus what I’d realized, part of me worried that he wouldn’t be as excited as I was. Yes, he said that he would be interested in learning more about my faith if my hypothesis about keeping my salvation and being myself was true, but what if he’d been secretly hoping for the sire bond to take effect? Would Augustus feel threatened by the fact that it wasn’t present?
For that reason, I kept my mouth shut about the topic and silently enjoyed the view of the moonlit Caribbean Sea as we headed back to civilization. That was one bridge I was perfectly content with crossing later.
♦ ♦ ♦
After we landed in Haiti, Augustus, Kieran, Frantz, and I piled into a private jet and began our flight to Dallas. Once we were in the air, I unbuckled my seatbelt and went into one of the bathrooms to change out of my dress. Kieran had brought a change of clothes for both of us with him, and I was happy to pull on the nondescript sweats even though my outfit of choice was far from fashionable. I also took a few minutes to wash my face, wipe off the sand that clung to my limbs, and wet my hair. If I arrived in Dallas with perfectly coiffed, straight hair and expertly applied makeup, people would definitely be suspicious.
Once I finished shedding my glamorous paint job, I noticed that every blemish and imperfection on my skin had disappeared, giving me a flawless complexion and radiance that most women had to spend a fortune on products and procedures to achieve. My skin was also softer, smoother, and a bit lighter than it had been before my transformation. As an added bonus, the few fine lines I’d had on my forehead and flanking my mouth were completely gone and my pores had shrunk into near nonexistence. The unsightly tan lines I’d gained during village time in Haiti also had disappeared.
Hopefully no one back home will notice that I look like I’ve gotten the facial to end all facials, I mused.
While my newly perfect skin probably wouldn’t set off any alarm bells, the fact that I was returning at all and pleading the fifth about what had happened by claiming amnesia definitely could. I wasn’t a great liar, but I knew that Augustus would help me exert my supernatural influence over the police and anyone else who questioned my disappearance. Even though having to manipulate men and women who were just trying to do their jobs didn’t appeal to me, I had to remind myself that the monsters who had taken me and enslaved countless humans were dead.
As I reflected on my impending encounters with the authorities, I also thought about the lies I would have to tell my friends and family. The girls in my community group were always pushing one another to be open and honest about their struggles, and my mysterious disappearance and drastic life change would be an elephant in the room for quite some time. Realizing that my dishonesty could potentially drive a huge wedge between us, I prayed that it wouldn’t be a permanent, insurmountable one. Considering what I’d just gone through, I needed them more than ever.
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Once I finished praying and cleaning up, I joined Augustus in the cabin only to see that he had freshened up and opted for a more casual ensemble. Seeing him in cuffed skinny jeans and a plaid button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up was jarring both because I’d grown accustomed to seeing him in the formal attire he’d worn at the coven house and because he was dressed in the borderline hipster style that I found most attractive for men.
Thank goodness I’m immune to the sire bond, I thought as I pushed my feelings aside and took my seat across from him.
“I asked Kieran to step into the front cabin so we could be alone for your first feeding,” Augustus explained. “There are also a few matters we need to discuss in private before we reach our destination.”
“Okay. Should we talk before or after I feed?”
“After. I want to see how you react before we have this conversation.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Augustus stood up and I did the same. His shirt was already partially undone, but my thirst didn’t reemerge until he moved his hair and exposed his neck. When I came closer and my fangs extended yet again, I didn’t fight my new instincts like I had on the island. Though I leaned in as if to whisper something in his ear or kiss his cheek, my touch wasn’t going to be that tender. The instant I pierced his flesh and finally tasted his blood, every muscle in my body relaxed and warmed. I let out a soft sigh as I pulled Augustus into my arms and crushed him against me with my newfound strength, listening to his heartbeat and savoring the way his cologne mingled with the decadent scent of his sweet yet pleasantly tart blood.
If I had my way, that moment never would have ended, but I didn’t want to hurt Augustus with my unchecked gluttony. Once I had my fill, I pulled away and licked the last traces of blood from my lips as I watched his neck return to its unblemished alabaster glory. My fangs retracted and I was able to focus my attention on the man in front of me instead of the delectable liquid flowing in his veins. When I made eye contact with Augustus, he studied my disposition for a few wordless moments and I searched my heart as well. While I still felt the tranquility and refreshment that I’d experienced during my change, neither desire nor devotion accompanied that serenity.