Page 27 of Eternally Yours

Clutching the bags of clothes tighter to her chest, she asked, “What are you saying, that I’m not a vampire?”

I swallowed hard. I had no idea if my suspicions were correct or if everything I was thinking was a crock of shit, but I could never forget the feral look in her eyes when she made the wolf back away. Or the rage in which she tore into Budrow. That wasn’t about hunger. That was about revenge.

“The wolf that attacked you, those things are bred for one purpose—to hunt vampires.”

“You’ve told me that.”

“Yeah, well, it didn’t attack you this time. It ran away like a scared dog. That’s never happened. And up until this week, we never questioned their true nature or if they harbored any type of virus or contagion capable of corrupting human DNA. As far as we knew, only vampires had that ability. To turn others into what we are via our blood.”

Her brow wrinkled. “And… you think the wolf passed something onto me? Like a virus?” she asked, her questions slipping past her lips rapidly. “Am I contagious now? Is that why we’re going to Vermont? To quarantine?”

Gripping onto the steering wheel, I tried to piece the puzzle together. “I can’t be certain, but your physical transformation—that was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Loren, as far as I know, there’s never been another like you.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” she muttered, her voice deeper and staid. “Why are you taking me to Vermont?”

“To keep you safe. To help you with your cravings.”

“Safe from what?”

“My family. And now, the Order.”

“Why your family?”

I debated my next words. How much to tell her without overwhelming her. “That’s a long story.”

She didn't seem satisfied with that answer. When was she? “If my life is on the line here, isn’t it fair I know?”

“It’s a lot to unpack in one sitting. How about the short version for now?” I asked, turning toward her briefly and offering her a gentle smile.

She nodded.

“My family, they are very traditional, and they don’t like breaking the rules. Siring you without my father’s consent, let’s just say it’s an offense normally punishable by death. The kind that turns you into ashes.”

She was quiet, perhaps realizing what my actions meant. “You sired me knowing you could be sentenced to death?”

Concentrating on the road, I white-knuckled the wheel as I tried to find the right answer. After five hundred centuries of being part of the Guerra family, I’d become accustomed to humans being collateral damage. Many times, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like Loren.

Except this time, something in me clicked. Perhaps because I’d stopped living by my father’s rules. Perhaps because I’d cut all ties to my family and their archaic ways. Or maybe it was because when I saw her being torn apart by that animal, something I couldn’t explain compelled me to end the carnage. To end the unnecessary deaths.

“I couldn’t stomach the idea of another human dying because of me.”

“Seeing that man’s dead body on the ground. Knowing I’d killed him…” she said, her voice trailing off. “I won’t ever be able to wash his death off me.” She lowered her head and wiped at her eyes. “I can’t imagine how it must feel to carry so many deaths on your shoulders.”

I hadn’t been talking about the countless humans who’d died by my sword or fangs. The death that would always haunt me was Elizabeth’s. But Loren didn't push me for more information. And I didn’t care to open that sealed vault.

When she spoke again, her tone was different. Charged with a hint of jealousy. At least that’s the sensation I got through the bond. “That girl you were with before. Is that... your wife? Girlfriend?”

I choked on my own saliva. “Catherine?” I laughed. “Nah. She’s my coven sister. My best friend. And she’s pulled my ass out of the fire a million times.”

“Is that why she was at your apartment. Helping you with me?”

I was ashamed to admit it to her, that I’d sired her not only without my father’s permission, but that I’d never done it before either. “I wasn’t familiar with the ritual. Only coven leaders are allowed to sire new members.”

Her jaw dropped. “I’m your first?” Her voice bounced with laughter, alluding to the double meaning to her words. She was calling me a virgin.

I smirked, trying to hide my embarrassment. “Don’t get cocky with me. I did just fine. And that’s where the virgin part of me ends.”

“Never thought I’d meet a vampire virgin, that’s all,” she said, chuckling to herself. “Never thought I’d ever meet a vampire for that matter.”

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