Page 24 of Watch Me Turn
I pause, watching his reaction. "It won't work forever. Given enough exposure, a human becomes immune. Their body learns to recognize it and fight it off—same principle as a vaccine. Nature's way of maintaining the balance, I guess."
"Is that why I like it so much?"
I shrug. "Maybe? Or maybe you're just a little masochistic. Speaking of which, the sex is another thing you can look forward to." I lean in conspiratorially. "You think what we just did was good? Ha! Wait until you're fully turned. When two vamps do the nasty, it's fucking transcendent."
A slow smile spreads across his face. "Looking forward to it. Anything else?"
"Yeah, and this is a big one. It's going to sound really corny, so don't look at me when I say this, but it's the family you get that really makes the whole thing worth it. When you're vampire, you just have this feeling like you're part of something ancient. Something bigger than yourself. The clans, the rival bloodlines, the politics—it's messy and complicated, but it's also...belonging. Real belonging."
"Family," he repeats in a whisper. "Like your Malditas?"
"Exactly like that. They're my family in ways my actual family never was. We'd die for each other. We'd kill for each other. That's what blood bonds create—absolute loyalty."
His eyes narrow. "To whoever turned me."
"Yes."
"Do you know who it was?"
"I do."
"Will you tell me?"
I hold his gaze, knowing I can't give him all the answers but wanting to offer something. "His name is Lazaro. He's powerful, dangerous, and runs a dangerous criminal enterprise."
Angel's jaw tightens. "Meet the new boss..."
"Same as the old boss." I finish. When I reach for him, he stiffens, so I let my hand drop. "He turned you for a reason, Angel. He must have seen something in you. In just a few days, you'll meet him, and you'll have an opportunity to ask him why."
He doesn't respond, just stares at his hands for a long moment. The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken fears.
"Come on," I say softly, pulling the bedsheet back. "You need to rest. Your body is still going through a lot."
"I'm not tired."
"You're exhausted. I can see it." I grab hold of one of the only pillows he hasn't destroyed and fluff it up. "Lie down. Just for a bit."
He hesitates, that obstinate set to his jaw that I'm starting to recognize. But then his shoulders slump, the fight draining out of him. "Will you lie with me?"
"Of course."
He settles down next to me as I assume the little spoon position. He curls up behind me and shudders as he drapes himself over my icy body. A half-naked dead girl like me is way more effective than a cold compress, and I can almost convince myself that this is purely practical.
But I know myself better than that.
"Sophia, when this is over...when I'm turned..." He swallows hard against my shoulder. "Will I be able to see you?"
"I don't see why not. You'll most likely live with your new clan in a nest and learn how to be a vampire. It'll be wonderful."
"Good." His arm tightens around me. "I don't care where I end up. Or who I end up with. But I can't leave this place and never see you again."
“I know. Me too.” I whisper as I flick the switch on the brass bedside lamp and plunge the windowless room into pitch darkness. "Get some sleep. You need to rest."
His breathing evens out gradually, exhaustion yanking him under despite his protests. He jerks and twitches occasionally, but I lie completely still, listening to his heartbeat, studying that strange off-beat rhythm I can't quite seem to follow.
Something about it bothers me. The pattern is off. Not the good-kind-of-jazz off, but weird and wrong on a primal level. It's too irregular, too unpredictable, too labored. I squeeze my eyes shut and count the beats, willing it to steady, but it only gets more erratic.
But he's sleeping peacefully, and I'm probably just being paranoid.
