Page 27 of Greer's Change

“What do we do?” I ask, studying the way his jaw clenches. That seems like a very bad sign, but I believe I’m at least partially to blame for her current state.

“It’s notwe,it’sme—if I decide I’m willing to take on that level of commitment, which, frankly, is not looking good.” He sighs heavily.

“What’s wrong with her?” I whisper.

Novak’s eyes meet mine. “Her maker never completed her transformation. I’m sure there was some partially formed bond there before he released her, but…” He curses under his breath. “That won’t matter, not for long. She’s nearly at the stage for the rot to set in. She’ll be a ghoul within days if I don’t drain her dry and repeat the turning process.”

Seiran’s head whips up as my jaw falls.

I’ve never put an ounce of thought into where ghouls come from.

Gods.

What a mess we’ve stumbled into.

Chapter Twelve

Seiran

Being back in the place I called home for so many years makes my skin itch with a strange nostalgia. I can’t help but wonder if my room will be as I left it or if they long ago tossed my belongings like rubbish. It’s a nagging thought in my mind as I help Greer clean up in one of the guest bathrooms in the home I used to share with Reign and Novak.

I’m not sure why, but I believe it will hurt my feelings if they discarded my things. Although, I shouldn’t blame them. I’m the one who walked out one day and never returned.

The beautiful siren looks rougher than she has yet. Her eyes are red with burst blood vessels, and her cheeks are pink. It goes against everything I understand about vampires, but if Novak is correct, she’s at risk of changing yet again.

Only, into a ghoul this time.

The species is a mystery to me, outside of that they feed on human or supernatural flesh and brains to survive.

Greer wouldn’t even eat the chicken Alfredo I prepared for her. I can vividly imagine her starving herself into her final death rather than feeding.

The nagging feeling that this is all my fault weighs heavily on my chest as I tuck her under the sheet. She’s so groggy, shedoesn’t say a word at the feeling of my lips brushing over her forehead.

I need to find Novak, so he can explain exactly how bad this is and what our options are.

Steeling my resolve, I walk toward the door.

Novak owes me this.

I don’t care if he has to repeat her transformation. Nor do I care that it would make her his progeny. I’m not ready to lose the pink-haired beauty. We need the opportunity to argue over Granny Rollins’s house and who is its rightful owner—it’s clearly her, but I enjoy our playful banter—for at least another few hundred years. She brightens my days in a way I haven’t experienced in quite some time.

No, I can’t risk losing her forever.

Using my knowledge of the mansion to my advantage, I stay as silent as possible. It’s instinctual to avoid the floorboards that creak after living here for so many years.

I come around the corner, stopping abruptly when I pick up on Reign’s and Novak’s voices coming from Novak’s home office.

“I feel slightly responsible for her current situation,” Reign says. “If she had fed on an actual human that night, would it have prevented this?”

“Fuck if I know,” Novak growls. I don’t have to see it to know the clinking sound is ice swirling around his now-empty tumbler. “But I doubt it. She should have been fed human blood immediately after her maker gave her enough of his venom to facilitate the change in her cells. This is Basic Turning 101. There’s also no way he was a baby vamp. Not that it would excuse his abysmal behavior even then, but he’s not. There arevery few lines strong enough to override my compulsion. In fact, I can only think of three or four in the world.”

“So, if her maker was turned by someone more ancient than you, then he could be significantly younger than you?” Reign asks.

“I can’t see any of the primordial vampires taking on such a careless progeny.” Novak sighs. “But someone must have. That means even trying to correct her botched transformation could be dangerous.”

“How so?” Reign asks the question I’m thinking. “Her maker released her.”

“He released her from the sham of a bond they shared, but he clearly didn’t wish for her to survive for long,” Novak says with a thoughtfulness to his tone I haven’t heard in many years. “When a fledgling vampire fails to fully transition, they turn once more, but into a ghoul this time. Unlike vampires, who retain the memories of their life before the change, a ghoul loses everything that made them who they were.”

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