Page 92 of Shadows of Eternity

“Wonderful.” She held out her arms, frowned when he stayed by the door. “Is something wrong?”

“How do you really feel?”

“Fine,” she repeated. “Why?”

Rohan took a deep breath, unsure of how his princess would take the news of her changed state. They had never seriously discussed the possibility of Leia becoming a vampire.

When he didn’t speak, Leia frowned. “You’re scaring me. Has something happened?”

“You could say that. What do you remember of yesterday?”

As if his words had unlocked her memories, she had a clear recollection of Josiah threatening to turn her, of his fangs savaging her throat, of Rohan bursting into the room and spiriting her away.

She bit down on her lower lip, her eyes wide and afraid. “Did he … did he turn me?”

“No.”

She frowned. Someone had given her blood. She could still taste it on her tongue. Rohan’s blood. In a voice thick with accusations, she asked, “Did you?”

“You were dying,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t let you go.”

“You said you wouldneverturn anyone against their will.”

“I tried to ask what you wanted me to do, but you were too far gone to answer.”

Leia sat very still, afraid to move for fear she would go mad and start throwing things. Rohan had made her a vampire. She stared at him, trying to absorb the meaning of his words.

A few days ago, she had been an ordinary woman who loved her parents and her job, who had fallen head-over-heels for a Native dancer. And now she was a vampire and nothing would ever be normal again. And yet, her life hadn’t been anywhere near normal since the night they met. She didn’t want to be a vampire, she thought dully. She just wanted to be Leia.

Vampire. She should have felt something, she thought. Anything. Fear. Terror. Anger.

Vampire.Hadn’t she known all along that this decision lay somewhere in her future when she decided to stay with Rohan? As he’d once said, any changes made would have to be made on her part. Hadn’t she known, deep inside, that sooner or later she would have to become what he was? Still, she had hoped to put it off for ten or twenty years. And yet, maybe it was better this way. She wasn’t sure she would ever have found the courage to ask him to do it, or agreed if he’d asked her.

Troubled by her silence, he said, “Leia, I know this is difficult for you.”

“You wanted to kill the vampire who made you,” she remarked, feeling numb inside.

Rohan nodded. Until last night, he had decided to give up his quest for vengeance against Josiah. What was the point?What was done, was done. And, as he’d told Leia, being a vampire wasn’t so bad once you got used to it.

But last night had changed everything. Josiah had laid his hands on Leia and for that there could be no forgiveness. He wouldn’t rest until Josiah was dead. Or he was. “What are you trying to say?”

“I don’t know.” She toyed absently with a corner of the bedspread. “I don’t want to be a vampire, but I guess life of any kind is better than death.” She glanced up at the ceiling and sighed. “Do my parents know?”

“Yes.”

“They’ll never look at me the same way again, will they?”

“They took it pretty well, all things considered.” It was mostly true.

“Why is Trent here?” She lifted a hand to her throat. “He’ll be hunting me now!”

Rohan laughed in spite of himself. “We have a truce.”

“You and Trent?”

“He agreed to help me protect you, for Janae’s sake, not mine.”

Leia met his gaze. She saw him differently now. Oh, he was still outrageously handsome and sexy. He always would be. But she was aware of more than just his looks or his physique. She saw the preternatural power that hovered around him like an invisible cloud. Was that the dark aura Janae had sensed? She could feel that power brushing against her skin. A portion of his power was now hers. It was a startling thought, but she knew it was true. She could feel it inside her, knew she could pick up her bed and tear it to shreds with no effort at all. It was frightening. And exhilarating.

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