Chapter 63

ELEANOR

Aric moved toward me, his lips coated with blood, his eyes bright blue.

He sat down on the bed, watching my expression. He reached out for me, and I melted into his arms. He held me tight against his chest.

“Eleanor, my beautiful girl, I know you made a decision. But it doesn’t have to be final yet,” he murmured. I tensed in his arms.

“Aric, why are you saying that?”

“I love you, babe,” he breathed, pulling back and cupping my face in his. His expression was soft. “But I don’t want you to make a decision that will affect the rest of your life without the facts.”

“Aric, I told you in the car. I made up my mind. I have had a human life, a human family, a human boyfriend. But I cannot put them in danger, and I don’t want to live with Logan.

“I don’t want the white picket fence. I want you. I want this life, the one I was raised for.”

“How much did you overhear of my conversation with Grace?” he asked softly. I gazed up at him, the red blood glinting on his lips.

“Most of it,” I admitted.

He nodded slowly. “I have told you before how we turn a human. You will have to drink my blood, like when we created the Infinity, and then you will have to be emptied of your human blood.

“You will die, Eleanor. There are no two ways about it. You will die. It’s the vampire blood in your veins that will bring you back.

“If it works, when you are turned, you will have a fierce bloodlust. Like a drug addict, you would and most likely will do anything for some blood. Human blood especially.

“It will take you years, decades to control your thirst. Like it did for me growing up. We will have to keep you away from humans for at least forty years before you can learn to control yourself.

“If you don’t, if you expose yourself to humans, you will be executed. The most important law that we live by is not to expose ourselves to humans.” Aric pursed his lips. “Are you following?”

“Yes, of course. I understand that, Aric.”

“Good, as a turned vampire, you will be weaker than purebloods, you will not be able to have children as we can, you will be sired to the person who made you, it’s like a controlling bond.

“The pureblood who made you will be able to control you, feel all your emotions. You will lose your free will. That’s why turned vampires are our servants, Eleanor.”

“But, if you sire me, I won’t be your servant. Right?”

“Of course not! You won’t be, but others will see you as such and treat you as such. And I will have controlling power over you. You will bend to my will.”

“Seems the vampire world is in dire need of a vampire rights revolution,” I muttered.

Aric gave me a small smile. “Obviously, things will be different for you, Eleanor, but I want you to have the complete image.”

“Thank you for telling me. Aric, after I die, will I only have a twenty percent chance to wake up?”

“Not quite. The turn is extremely painful. You will be shifting to a different species entirely. Your body won’t function as it has as a human.

“It’s a great shock to the system, so most people perish during the transition. Only twenty percent, approximately, survive.”

“But you can help me through the transition? Give me more blood?” I pushed.

Aric nodded his head. “I will, Eleanor. But you must understand, there is only so much that I can do. There is no guarantee that you will wake up.

“And if you do, your life will be darkness, forget daylight, sunrises, and sunsets, tanning on the beach, forget brunches and spending time with humans.”

“But I’ll have you, won’t I? And Mother and Father and the twins and James,” I insisted.

He nodded with a small smile. “Yes, you will have us. And we will never leave you.”

I leaned up and pressed my lips against his lightly. His arms wrapped more tightly around me.

“I will be happy if I can have you for the rest of my life,” I breathed.

Aric’s eyes were wide, red seeping into his sapphire blues.

“And I will love you forever, Eleanor,” he whispered. “Take your time to make a decision. You can still get on a plane tomorrow and text me your destination. I will always be there to watch over you.”

“Thank you, Aric, but I’m not going anywhere. You’re not getting rid of me so easily this time.”

***

Aric drifted off into a restless sleep, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me against him. I stared at my phone. It was almost noon, and I was starving.

I slowly pushed his arm off me and slipped out of bed. I clicked my suitcase open and dressed quickly in a pair of jean shorts and a simple white shirt.

I pulled out the opal and slid it on, feeling the heaviness of the gemstone against my breastbone.

Slipping on a pair of white tennis shoes, I pushed Aric’s bedroom door open and closed it behind me. I glanced around. I was in a long dark tunnel. Along the walls were metal bars.

Memories of my childhood came flashing back, wandering down the dark hallways, following Mother to her room.

I walked swiftly to the staircase and pulled myself up into the castle. The main living room was brightly illuminated with dazzling summer sunlight.

The red velvet settees, the tattered Persian rug, the little mahogany coffee table, and the giant marble fireplace, nothing had changed.

I noticed a boar hanging from the ceiling, its tongue hanging out of its mouth, blood dripping down into a wine decanter.

That’s when I noticed the smell. The whole room smelled like blood and death. The floor was stained with centuries of human and animal blood. I suddenly began to feel queasy.

I moved quickly into the next room, rushing to the back of the castle, remembering as I went, the different paintings on the walls, the tapestries.

I burst into the kitchen. Bright sunlight shone through the wide windows, almost blinding me. It didn’t look like the kitchen had been used in years.

Though it wasn’t dirty, the air was heavy, and all the electronics disconnected.

As I moved around, I noticed the fridge was empty, the cupboards empty, the toaster discarded. They hadn’t used it since I left.

I pulled out my phone and quickly ordered from my favorite sushi restaurant. The delivery app on my phone indicated that my food would be at the castle in half an hour.

Growling at the lack of coffee, I moved upstairs. I arrived on the first floor and pushed open the door to Aric’s music room.

It was like stepping through time. The room seemed completely unchanged since the last time I entered as a ten-year-old child.

His compositions were tacked to the walls and ceiling, his piano sitting by the window, his desk covered in sheets of music, fountain pens, and a wine glass.

A couple of guitars, a violin, cello, and saxophone were locked in glass cabinets. I found a gramophone and gently lifted the needle, placing it on the vinyl already in place.

It slowly started turning, the machine sputtered, but a smooth, cool song began to play gently. I listened to the music as I inspected his bookshelf and bass guitar.

Eventually, the vinyl faltered, and I made my way upstairs. I remembered my bedroom on the top floor in the tower with the wonderful balcony.

I pushed the door open gingerly, and it creaked on its hinges. I gasped, taking in the bedroom. It was the same as I remembered, the small bed, the wide windows, the violet walls.

In the corner of the room was my old easel. On it was a painting I had started. It was truly terrible, but they had kept it.

I pushed the balcony door open and let the fresh air enter the room.

Outside, the air was hot, but I had a brilliant view of the river cruising by, the woods, and the city in the distance.

I noticed a scooter coming closer to the castle. My phone binged as the delivery man stopped and gazed up at the massive building.

I dashed downstairs, eager to get my food. He was waiting impatiently as I burst through the front doors, grinning.

“~C’est pour vous?~” He held the bag out. I nodded greedily and took it.

“~Merci!~” I called as he hurried off.

Not too keen on going back into the dry kitchen or through the living room that smelled like death, I sat under the tree by the river and set up my lunch.

I ate quickly and leaned back, enjoying the sunlight on my skin. I kept expecting to feel dread, horror, fear: the emotions I’d felt running around the world for the last decade.

But those emotions never came. I felt at peace. The decision that I had made that I had forced my family to accept finally felt like the right decision. I felt at home. I was home.

I would obviously miss the sunlight, miss the daytime, but I wasn’t afraid. I was eager to start my new life, the life that I had always expected to have as a child.

I hadn’t expected it to be with Aric, but I was also certain that I wanted it to be with him. I did not doubt in my mind that I would survive the turn. I just had to.

As I ate, I called Dean and Constance on Skype. It was early in the morning for them with the time difference, but they were happy to receive my call. We spoke of everything and nothing.

Dean wanted to see more of my art, and I wanted to make sure he was eating well. Constance told me of Anna moving back to Sacramento with her daughters.

They didn’t pry about Logan, though I was aware they knew of our breakup. I promised to call back soon before hanging up.

There was something else I wanted to do before the night came and the other pureblood descended on the castle, excited to celebrate the wedding and perhaps also to attempt to kill me again.

I was sure I wasn’t going to die though. Aric would never let that happen, and I trusted him.

I pushed the stable doors open and made my way down to the back. I recognized Whisper immediately, tall and beautiful. She whinnied and tossed her mane, recognizing me as well.

I spoke to her softly as I gave her a snack and brought her out. I dumped a saddle on her back, fitted her with the reins, and pulled myself up.

I hadn’t ridden in over fifteen years, she was wider than I remembered, and my legs had lost all the specific muscle tone I had as a child from riding.

I let Whisper take charge, trotting out into the afternoon sunlight. I led her to the river, and we took the path following the river, my favorite.

As we moved, I remembered the positions, the feel of her, and I was able to push her to a canter then to a gallop. We flew down the path, the wind whipping my hair back.

I slowed her down again to a walk, and we moved through the trees. I watched the sun setting in the distance, the bright red, orange, and gold light shimmering on the river.

I pulled out my phone and snapped a few photos—my last sunset. I wanted to remember it.

I turned Whisper back around to the castle, and we made our way back along the track. The sky was growing darker behind us.

The last rays of sunshine danced on the water, reflecting Whisper and me in dark shadows. I was almost at the castle when I became acutely aware of a person watching us.

He stood in the middle of the road, shrouded in darkness, just staring. Suddenly he was standing in front of me.

He was tall, his body long and strong. He was incredibly handsome, with a straight Roman nose, full lips, a chiseled jaw, and thick dark hair curled on his head.

Two bright blue eyes shone in the dim light.

I didn’t recognize him, but I didn’t have to to know that he was a pureblood.