Chapter 8

KERI'S WORLD NARROWED to a single point of focus: the warm, wet sensation of Joshua's lips on her wrist. She was desperate to save him, and now she felt the pull of his drinking. The initial sharp pain of his fangs piercing her skin had given way to a strange, almost pleasurable sensation that radiated up her arm and throughout her body.

This has to work , she thought fiercely, gritting her teeth against the dizziness that threatened to overtake her.

The room around her began to fade, the opulent furnishings of Anatol's lair blurring into indistinct shapes. Keri's knees buckled, but she forced herself to remain upright, to keep her arm pressed firmly against Joshua's mouth. She could feel the strength leaving her body with each swallow he took.

"Take what you need," she said, unsure if Joshua could even hear her in his weakened state. "I'm not going anywhere."

As the edges of her vision darkened, Keri felt a shift in Joshua's feeding. The desperate, animal-like gulping slowed, and she sensed a struggle within him. Blinking hard to clear her fading sight, she looked down at his face.

Joshua's eyes, which had been tightly shut in his frenzy, slowly opened. They met hers, and Keri's breath caught in her throat. Those eyes, usually so controlled and guarded, now swirled with a tempest of emotions. Hunger, yes – a primal, all-consuming need that made her shiver. But there was anguish there, too, and something else. Something that looked remarkably like love.

Hope flared in Keri's chest, warring with the fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She watched, scarcely daring to breathe, as Joshua's jaw clenched. His whole body tensed, trembling with the effort of restraint, and then, with what seemed like Herculean effort, he wrenched his mouth away from her wrist.

"Joshua," Keri breathed, relief and concern mingling in her voice.

He looked up at her, his face a mask of torment. When he spoke, his voice was strained, each word seeming to cost him dearly. "Keri... I can't stop for long. You have a choice..." He paused, swallowing hard, visibly fighting against the urge to resume feeding. "Either let me turn you into a vampire, or you will die."

The world seemed to stop spinning momentarily as the weight of his words sank in. Becoming a vampire meant eternal life. In its place, she would have... what? An eternity with Joshua? A place among the Nicolaus clan?

Is that what I want? But even as the question formed, she knew the answer. The thought of returning to her old life felt hollow, empty.

He's giving me a choice , Keri realized, her heart swelling with emotion. Even now, even like this. That's how I know this is right.

She looked down at Joshua, seeing the struggle written plainly on his face. He was holding back, fighting against his very nature to give her this moment of agency. In that instant, any lingering doubt vanished.

"I choose you, Joshua," Keri said, her voice steady and sure. "For eternity. I want to be at your side as your mate — forever."

Relief and joy flashed across Joshua's features. "Are you certain?" he asked, his voice rough. "There's no going back from this."

Keri nodded, a sense of peace settling over her despite the gravity of the moment. "I'm sure," she said. "Eternity with you, Joshua. A family with the Nicolau clan. It's everything I want. I love you."

Joshua’s entire body shook in reaction. “Mate. My mate.”

She brought her wrist back to his mouth. "This is my choice. My destiny."

As Joshua's fangs sank back into her flesh, Keri gasped at the renewed intensity. There was no hesitation now, no holding back. She could feel the life draining from her body, but instead of fear, she felt only a strange sense of anticipation.

The room around her faded to darkness, sounds becoming muffled and distant. Keri's last conscious thought was of Joshua, of the future they would share. Then, everything went black.

For a moment – or was it an eternity? – there was nothing. No sensation, no thought, no existence. Keri floated in a void, untethered and unaware.

Then, fire.

It started as a single point of heat in her throat, quickly spreading outward. Liquid flame raced through her veins, setting every nerve ending alight. Keri wanted to scream, but she had no voice, no body to give sound to her agony.

In fragmented flashes of consciousness, Keri became aware of changes happening within her. Her heart, which had slowed to a stop, suddenly lurched back into motion, beating with a frantic, uneven rhythm. Her lungs burned as if she had been holding her breath for hours, desperate for air she no longer truly needed.

Every cell in her body seemed to be tearing itself apart and reforming. Bones shifted, muscles stretched and contracted, and skin tingled with newfound sensitivity. Through it all, Keri clung to a single thought, a mantra that kept her from losing herself entirely to the pain:

Joshua. Eternity. Family .

She had no sense of time passing, no way to measure how long the agony lasted. It could have been minutes or days. But gradually, agonizingly slowly, the pain began to recede. The fire in her veins cooled, replaced by a strange, humming energy that seemed to vibrate through her entire being.

Keri became aware of her body again, piece by piece. She felt the softness of fabric beneath her, the whisper of air against her skin. Scents assaulted her nose – rich earth, old wood, the metallic tang of blood. And beneath it all was a scent that made her entire body tingle with recognition: Joshua.

Her eyes fluttered open, and Keri gasped. The world exploded into vivid, overwhelming detail. She could see every fiber in the thick bedspread beneath her, every mote of dust floating in the air. Colors were richer, more vibrant than she had ever imagined possible. She was in the world’s largest, most comfortable bed. It certainly wasn’t her dingy apartment.

She had the weirdest dream...

"My love, how do you feel?"

Love.

Joshua’s voice washed over her like a physical caress, each syllable rich with nuance and meaning she had never perceived before. Keri opened her mouth to respond and was struck by the strange sensation in her jaw, the new weight of fangs pressing against her lower lip.

It hadn’t been a dream....

"I feel..." she paused, searching for words to describe the indescribable. "Alive. More alive than I've ever been."

Joshua's face broke into a smile, and Keri felt her breath catch in her throat. She had thought him beautiful before, but now, seen through her new vampiric senses, he was breathtaking. Every line of his face, every strand of his hair, seemed to call out to her, begging to be touched, to be memorized.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“You’re in my...our home.”

Without conscious thought, Keri reached out to him. Her hand moved faster than she expected, and she marveled at the grace and precision of the movement. When her fingers made contact with Joshua's cheek, a jolt of desire passed between them.

"Oh," Keri breathed, overwhelmed by the intensity of the sensation.

Joshua leaned into her touch, his eyes never leaving hers. "It's a lot to take in, I know," he said.

“How long has it been?”

“A few days. How are you feeling? Are you thirsty?"

As soon as he mentioned it, Keri became acutely aware of a burning sensation in her throat. It wasn't painful, exactly, but it was impossible to ignore. She swallowed hard, feeling the new configuration of her mouth, the sharp points of her fangs.

“Here,” he said, handing her a large glass of the most delicious-smelling liquid she’d ever experienced.

After she downed it in three large gulps, she realized it had been blood. It didn’t taste like it, though. It was like a fine wine, bursting with berries instead of a coppery tang.

“More?” he asked.

"No,” she said. “I’m fine for now.”

Pride and relief mingled on Joshua's face. "That's good," he said. "Very good. Many newborns are overwhelmed by the thirst at first. Your control is impressive."

Keri preened a little at the compliment, then paused as a thought struck her. "Joshua," she said slowly, "what happens now? With your clan, I mean. Will they accept me?"

"They will. You're my mate. The Nicolaus value family above all else. They'll welcome you with open arms."

The look that passed between them was charged with emotion and unspoken promise. Keri felt as if she could drown in Joshua's eyes and lose herself in the depths of feeling she saw there.

When his lips met hers, Keri thought she might combust from the sheer intensity of the kiss. Every nerve ending lit up, every sense heightened to an almost painful degree. She could taste the sweet liquid on his tongue and could hear the soft catch in his breath as she responded eagerly to the kiss. Her hands found their way into his hair, marveling at the silky texture and how each individual strand felt against her sensitive fingertips.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily despite no longer needing air, Keri felt as if her entire world had shifted on its axis. Everything was new, everything was different, yet at the core of it all was this unshakeable certainty: she belonged here, with Joshua, in this new life.

"I can introduce you to the clan now if you want," Joshua said after a moment, his voice husky with barely restrained desire. Reluctantly, he helped her to her feet.

As she stood, marveling at the fluid grace of her movements, at the strength she could feel coiled in every muscle, Keri caught sight of herself in a nearby mirror. She gasped, taken aback by her own reflection.

The woman staring back at her was both familiar and strange. Her features were the same, yet somehow enhanced, as if an artist had gone over them with a fine brush, perfecting every line and angle. Her skin was pale, almost luminous, and her eyes... Keri leaned in closer, fascinated by the swirling depths of crimson that had replaced her former brown. Keri turned away from the mirror, her mind reeling with the implications of her transformation.

Keri took a deep, fruitless breath. "This is... a lot."

"Having second thoughts?"

"No," Keri said quickly, turning to face him. "God, no. It's just — where do we go from here?"

Joshua's lips quirked into a half-smile. "Well, that depends. What do you want?"

Keri laughed. There was a slightly hysterical edge to it. "What do I want? I want to see Chrissy. I want to know if I can still do my job. I want to know if I have to hunt people in order to feed." She paused, her voice softening. "I want you."

Joshua kissed her neck, grazing her with his fangs. "In that order?"

"Shut up," Keri said, her nipples tightening. "I'm serious, Joshua. What happens now?"

"Now?" Joshua's expression turned thoughtful. "Now, we take it one step at a time. Chrissy's doing well, by the way. You'll see her soon."

"Yeah?" Keri felt a wave of relief. "That's good. She and I can figure out this vampire thing together. It’s not the first time we’ve started over together."

"As for your job, you might be surprised how useful an investigative reporter can be to a vampire clan."

“I’d have to work nights,” she said. “And keep vampires a secret.”

Joshua nodded. "As for hunting, we don't hunt humans for sport or sustenance anymore. What you drank earlier was synthetic blood. We have connections in medical fields that keep us supplied. Some vampires still prefer fresh blood, but it's either obtained ethically, from willing donors, or it’s taken to punish the guilty. The Nicolau clan is very conscious about adapting to the modern world."

Keri felt a wave of relief wash over her. "That's good to know. I was worried about that part. So my life doesn’t have to change at all. With the exception of having you in it.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” he asked gruffly.

“Remember the ‘I want you’ part?” Keri asked.

“I seem to recall you saying something along those lines.”

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him back towards the bed. “Chrissy and your clan can wait a few more hours while we solidify the mate bond again, don’t you think?”

“Darling, I thought you’d never ask.”