“You two need blood. I bet neither of you have left the house since the two day marker passed.” Jonathon removed his wrist support and held his arm out to Gabriel.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw Katie do the same for Luke.
“Are you really sure about this?” he asked.
“Yes. We do it for JD all the time. Now get on with it.”
Both cousins fed, taking more than they normally would from a human, just in case it was a while before they could feed again, but not enough to cause any harm.
Then the waiting began once more.
“It’s been quite a few hours since she last screamed,” Gabriel said in the middle of the afternoon. “That’s a good sign.”
Luke tried to smile. “I know. I’m hoping it means the worst is over.”
A few hours later, Anna opened her eyes.
“How do you feel?” Luke asked her.
She smiled at him, revealing fangs. “Thirsty.”
I wasn’t in control
“Jesus Christ,” Anna said when she had withdrawn her fangs from Luke’s neck. “Does it always feel that good?”
“Yes,” Luke said. “You never get used to it.”
Anna rolled off him and collapsed on the bed beside him. He pulled her closer to him. “You need to sleep. You have been through a horrendous ordeal. You have been drifting in and out of consciousness for over three days.”
He need not have bothered speaking. She was asleep before he got to the end his sentence. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he closed his eyes and let sleep take him as well. It was over. It was finally over.
Gabriel had left them alone so Anna could have her first feed in private. He hadn’t even gone to the security room to watch on the monitors, though others were watching.
Instead he went to his room and called Jonathon to tell him the news. He asked how Anna was, but Gabriel was unable to answer the question. The conversion was not yet complete. She had turned into a vampire, now they had to wait for Luke’s blood to convert her into a greater one. At least that part would be painless.
He would give them a few hours peace then return to the basement bedroom. As soon as she woke, Anna would want to feed again. She would require a lot of blood for the first few days.
————————————-∞————————————-
Later that evening, all the residents of Sanctuary 14 were sitting down, ready to eat dinner, when Sarah suddenly grabbed Craig’s hand and placed it on her extended belly.
“Do you feel that?” she asked as the baby kicked.
“Wow, he’s an active little thing, isn’t he.”
“Or she,” Natalie said. JD and Sarah had opted not to find out the sex of their child. It made little difference to them. All they really cared about was that it was healthy. They didn’t even give much thought as to whether it would be a vampire or not. They had no idea what they were going to do if it was. They assumed that those at 14 would help to provide the necessary blood, but they hadn’t asked anyone. They would cross that bridge if they needed to.
“Tell me about it,” JD said. “I won’t let Sarah cuddle me at night anymore because I keep getting kicked in the back.”
“I remember how that feels,” Shawn said. “I ended up moving into one of the spare bedrooms as it was the only way I could get any sleep.”
“Have you thought about names yet?” Linda asked.
“No. We’ve decided to wait until after the child is born.”
“Speaking of which,” Katie said, “have you chosen which hospital you are going to go to?”
“I’m planning on having a home birth. Sanctuary 9 has a midwife who said she will drop everything and come here as soon as she gets a call.”
“We need to do this privately,” JD said. “If the baby turns out to be a vampire, we can hardly let members of the public know about it.”
“Is that safe?” Jonathon asked.
“Of course,” Silvia said. “Women give birth at home all the time and they don’t have a fully equipped medical unit at the end of the house.”
Sarah suddenly gasped. Everyone except JD looked concerned.
“Are you alright?” Craig asked.
“Yes. The little imp has just kicked a rib again.”
“Maybe food will settle him down,” Craig said as he passed her a full plate.
“Or her,” Natalie said.
————————————-∞————————————-
Gabriel was dozing in the chair beside the bed when Anna woke up. It was the middle of the night and the entire house was quiet. Everyone had returned home, even Paul and Helen. They had got into the habit of alternating between staying at Paul’s place and vamp central, as he still liked to call it. Though he had been told he could move in permanently, if he wished, he enjoyed the privacy having his own place offered him.
“You should go to bed,” Anna said when she noticed Gabriel had woken up.
“I’m fine. How are you feeling?”
“Thirsty again.”
“Then come here.” He opened his arms and she went over to him, sat down in his lap, put her arms around him and bit his neck. He winced as he felt her teeth enter his vein. It had been a long time since anyone had taken his blood. He had not allowed any vampire to do it, other than Vivien.
Gabriel put his arms around Anna and closed his eyes. Memories of being with Vivien returned, but he pushed them from his mind. That was the past and he could never get it back. He had lost his first love and his second could never be his, but that wouldn’t stop him being there for her whenever she needed him.
Luke woke up, saw that Anna was feeding off Gabriel, rolled over and went back to sleep. The sight didn’t bother him. It was something he would have to get used to. They would continue to feed her their blood for a few weeks while she fully transitioned onto human blood.
As soon as she had taken enough from Gabriel, Anna returned to the bed. She wanted to go to sleep once more. She couldn’t remember ever having been so tired.
Gabriel told her to sleep well and went to his own room for the rest of the night.
Anna looked more or less her usual self when she made it to breakfast in the morning. Her favourite cereal was sitting on the table, but the thought of food made her feel nauseous.
Gavin assured her that was normal and she would be able to eat human food again in a few days. It felt strange hearing what she used to eat being referred to as human food. It would take her a while to get used to the fact that she was no longer human.
“Welcome to the family,” Helen said when she and Paul entered the room. Luke was holding Anna’s hand and felt her tense.
He gave her a quizzical look, wondering what was wrong, but she wasn’t looking in his direction. Instead her eyes were fixed on her brother.
She watched him pour cereal then milk into a bowl and begin to eat. Luke felt her twitching and squeezed her hand tight.
“Anna,” he said softly, but she didn’t hear him. She was so focused on Paul that she was not aware of anyone else around her.
When her lips curled back and she growled softly, Luke let go of her hand. He had to be free to react if he needed to.
Anna was fast, but Luke was faster. As she launched herself at Paul, he grabbed her.
“Why didn’t you put your claim back on him?” Luke yelled at Helen as he held Anna in place. She was snarling and struggling to get away from him.
“I did,” she said. She stood up and moved in front of Paul. If Anna managed to get away from Luke, she would have to go through her to hurt Paul.
Luke could sense that she was telling the truth. He had grown so used to feeling Helen’s claim on Paul that he no longer noticed it.
“Maybe she can’t sense the claim because she has only just turned,” Gabriel said.
“Or maybe it’s because they’re blood relatives,” Martin added.
“Whatever the reason,” Luke sai
d, “you need to get him out of here. Now.”
Paul didn’t need telling twice. Anna was his sister and he loved her, but at that moment he was nothing to her other than a source of blood.
Anna didn’t take her eyes off him as he walked around the table, keeping it between him and her. Her eyes were full of hunger.
Helen went with him, acting as a body guard. They went to the kitchen where Paul could eat in peace.
“Can I let you go now?” Luke asked Anna.
“Not yet,” she said. “I still have this urge to hunt him down.”
“It will pass,” Gavin said. “And you will get used to it. You are new to being a vampire. There’s a lot to learn. Luke and Gabriel will take you out tonight so you can get your first taste of human blood. You will need a lot to begin with, but that will soon change.”
Anna was breathing deeply, trying to get herself under control. After a few minutes, she nodded her head at Luke and he released his hold on her.
She was shaking as she went back to her seat. “That was scary,” she said. “I wasn’t in control.”
“It takes time,” Luke said. “We won’t let you near any humans without our supervision until you learn to control your cravings.”
“I wasn’t thirsty until I saw Paul. The vein in his neck was pulsing, calling out to me. The urge to have his blood was almost unbearable.”
“It will get easier,” Gabriel said.
“Can you go and see how Paul is please and tell him I’m sorry for wanting to attack him.”
“I’m sure he will understand,” Gabriel said and went in search of Paul and Helen.
Anna needed distracting, so Luke spoke to her. “Look around you. What can you see?”
Anna frowned. She had no idea what Luke wanted her to say. “What I normally see when I’m here. Nothing is different.”
“No, but you are. Look more closely. There’s a book on the cabinet at the far end of the room. Can you read the title?”
“Of course not it’s too far...” Anna’s mouth dropped open. She could read it. Easily.
She turned to look at Luke and it was like seeing him for the very first time. She could see flecks of green in his brown eyes and she noticed that the individual hairs on his head were of slightly differing shades of brown.
She reached out and ran her fingers down his face, noticing for the first time how much more sensitive her sense of touch was.
He picked up her cup and handed it to her. “Try the coffee.”
The taste was like an explosion in her mouth. She could make out a number of different flavours, all mingling together.
She breathed in deeply, taking in the smell of the coffee, and of Luke. She could detect the fragrance of the roses that had been placed in a vase, even though they were on the other side of the room.
“This is amazing,” she said.
“I know.” Then a gleam came into his eye. “Imagine how good the sex is going to be now that you will feel so much more.”
Anna went red and Martin burst out laughing.
————————————-∞————————————-
Anna didn’t want to leave the house when Luke suggested it; she was too afraid that she would see a human and end up attacking them. Only by promising that they would stay in the grounds did he manage to get her outside.
She marvelled at how different everything looked, felt and smelled. Simply breathing in the fresh air felt like a new sensation as she grew accustomed to her enhanced senses.
“I can hear a bird,” she said and spun around looking for it, but failed to see it.
“Try looking further away,” Luke said.
Anna did so and was amazed when she finally saw it. Her eyes should not have been able to make it out at that distance.
“I can understand why you said you wouldn’t change being a vampire for anything.”
“Come on,” Luke said, taking her hand and pulling her forward. “Let’s see how far you can jump.”
He took her to the empty swimming pool and demonstrated how to jump across it.
“What if I fall in?” she asked.
“Then it will hurt like hell for a while, but you will recover.”
Anna looked down at the concrete floor below her uncertainly.
“If you catch me you can have me,” Luke called across to her.
“That’s hardly incentive. I can have you anyway and you know it.”
Luke shrugged his shoulders. She was right.
Anna took one last look at the drop below her. It wasn’t actually that deep, but it would still break her leg, at least, if she fell.
Then she backed up, took a deep breath, ran three steps forward and jumped.
She cleared the pool easily.
Luke grinned at her. “That was the easy part. Now try it lengthways.”
Anna hoped he was joking, but he wasn’t. This time she only just made it, but she was still proud of herself.
“Now show me how fast you are. Try to catch me.”
Luke ran off, faster than a human, but nowhere near as fast as he could go. He let Anna catch up with him then increased the pace.
They ran together for a while, getting faster and faster. Then Luke ran ahead and disappeared from sight. As Anna went past a particularly thick tree, Luke jumped out, grabbed hold of her and threw her down, making sure his body hit the ground first.
“I am going to have so much fun with you now you are like me,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.
Then he kissed her. It was like she had never been kissed before. She thought she enjoyed him kissing her before, but now it was so much better.
“I think you had better do that again,” she said when he stopped.
Later that evening, everyone was in the dining room, though Paul was the only person eating. Anna no longer felt the urge to attack him and could tolerate being in the same room as him.
“I’m thirsty again,” Anna said.
“Do you want one of us to donate our blood?” Helen asked, but Luke shook his head.
“Thanks for the offer, but no. Gabriel and I will take her out. We should feed anyway.”
Anna didn’t look happy about this. “Are you sure I am ready?”
“We’ll look after you,” Gabriel said. “We won’t let you hurt anyone.”
“Be careful,” Gavin said. “She doesn’t yet have control. I would not recommend letting her use her venom yet.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” Luke said. “I’ll inject the victim then let her drink the blood. The small amount of venom I use will not hurt her.”
Gavin nodded his approval.
They left straight away, choosing to take Luke’s car instead of Gabriel’s; it was less conspicuous. They went to a park where there were usually joggers at that time of the evening and quickly selected a couple.
“Stay back and watch,” Luke said, then he and Gabriel approached. Gabriel got their attention and started a conversation while Luke casually walked behind them.
He bit and injected them both before either of the humans had time to realise something was going on.
“You will let us feed, then you will forget all about us,” he said. They both nodded their heads.
They were both young men, in their early twenties. Regular joggers, Anna assumed, by their well-developed calf muscles. Gabriel bit the neck of one while Luke drank from the other. He didn’t take much blood, then he called Anna over.
“You know what to do,” he said.
The man was taller than Anna, so Luke made him kneel down. Anna didn’t hesitate. She bit his neck and blood began to flow into her mouth.
She swallowed and as soon as the red liquid hit her stomach, sharp spikes of pain began stabbing her.
She pulled away from the human, clutching her stomach. She fell to her knees and retched, bringing up most of the blood.
Her stomach convulsed and she retched again and again until there was nothing left for her to bring up. T
his didn’t stop the pain though.
“What the hell is happening?” Gabriel asked.
“I have no idea. We need to get her home. Gavin may know what’s wrong.”
Gabriel drove while Luke held Anna in the back seat. She was sobbing and crying out in pain.
As soon as they reached home, Luke carried her up to their room while Gabriel went in search of Gavin.
“How is she?” Gavin asked as he walked into the room.
“Suffering,” Luke said. Anna was curled up in a ball on the bed, shaking. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep.
Gavin knelt down beside her. “Look at me,” he said.
She obeyed. The sight of him made her snarl. When she launched herself off the bed at him, he did nothing to defend himself. He let her bite his neck and take his blood. He saw Luke about to intervene and waved him away.
When she had drunk her fill, she pulled away from him. The pain had gone.
She lay back on the bed. Tears were flowing down her face.
“I am so sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Thirst,” Gavin said. “You needed blood. I was available. Don’t worry about it. Try to get some sleep.”
With his head, Gavin indicated that Gabriel should leave Luke and Anna alone.
“What happened?” he asked after shutting the door behind him.
“I have no idea,” Gabriel said. “Luke drank from the human, then let Anna try. She didn’t take much then vomited it all up. She was clutching her stomach in pain so we brought her back here.”
“Maybe it’s just a reaction to becoming a vampire. Take her out again tomorrow.”
“Alright, if you think that is a good idea. I’ll tell Luke in the morning.”
The following evening, the three of them went out again. Anna was nervous.
“Everything will be alright,” Luke said, but it wasn’t. As soon as human blood entered her system, she started vomiting once more.
By the time they got home, Anna was in so much pain Luke had to carry her again. Everyone had been told what had happened the previous evening, so as soon as she saw the state Anna was in, Helen offered her her neck.
“Thank you,” Anna said when she had drunk enough to take the pain away.
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