Cain tilted his head slightly so that the light showed more of the contours of his face. “I said”—though he now spoke English, he still held the Serbian accent—“just because something is different doesn’t make it any less lovely.”
Heat filled her cheeks when his dark eyes met hers. She cleared her throat. “So what happened? I mean, to Alice, and you?”
He shifted his position and brought his hands together in front of him, gazing intently at her. A wave of unease washed over her as his eyes roamed her face.
“At the time, of course, I was unaware of the existence of supernatural beings. So little did I know there was a battle between the Canis lupus in the area. The vampire clans in the vicinity ran away to avoid danger, but they fed off humans and changed some to increase their numbers. Unfortunately, my village lay in the path of their escape, as did my Alice’s. Some wolves followed the fleeing vampires.” He paused, and Alice’s stomach twisted as she watched pain roll across his face.
Cain’s eyes dropped. “The vampires struck before we even knew what hit us. They moved fast, like locusts across a field. Most of the villagers upon which they fed died. Some, like me, were given blood and changed. But after I was bitten, I fell and feigned death. My sire left me, assuming he had fed too much and killed me. When they were gone, I rose. I could already tell something was different, but I didn’t stop to think what. I took the first horse I could find and rode as fast as the beast would carry me to Alice’s village. When I crested the hill above her town, I knew the vampires had already been there.
Then I heard the howl of wolves. I didn’t know what it meant. I kicked my horse and raced down the hill. As I entered the village, I found the source of those howls. A pack of massive beasts were fleeing the town, following the path of the vampires. They were snarling and growling, sprinting away from me. None bothered to look back in my direction. They were consumed by bloodlust, hot on the trail of the vampires. By the time I reached the village, there was no one alive. I could tell the people had been killed by something other than vampires. It was…”
For a moment, Alice thought Cain might not continue.
After a few seconds, he whispered, “…horrifying. I almost couldn’t tell where one body stopped, and another began.”
Alice frowned. “Why would the wolves kill humans? I thought they were team good guy.”
His eyes shut briefly, and he ran a hand down his face. “They didn’t kill humans. They killed any person left alive that had been bitten.”
“Those who would turn into a vampire,” she said softly.
He nodded solemnly. “I found Alice behind her house as if she’d been trying to flee. She was lying still on the ground, and I noticed the blood around her lips, along with a bite mark on her neck. It was not a vampire that had killed her, though. There was a hole in her chest where her heart should have been.”
Alice gasped, her hand flying to her mouth and tears filling her eyes. The sadness remained in Cain’s voice and in his gaze, clinging to him like cobwebs, even after all these years.
“I didn’t know that in six days I would become the very creature that had brought death to Alice’s door. I might have followed the wolves, so they could have killed me, as well.” He shook his head. “Instead, I stayed in Alice’s village and buried her and her family. Then I burned the village to the ground. Afterward, I went back to my home, knowing there was no way my own family had survived. I buried them, too. The entire time, I was consumed by thoughts of hunting the wolves that had killed her. By the time I finished sending all those souls off to their rest, my transformation was complete, and my thoughts were of one thing: blood.” He stared deep into Alice’s eyes and leaned closer. “Only blood.”
She swallowed and shifted in her seat. “Is that how it is for all newly turned vampires? Raging bloodlust like on the television shows?”
“Surprisingly, no.” He leaned back in his chair. “Some can control it better. I think it might have something to do with the state of mind the person is in when they’re turned and the type of person they are.” He shrugged. “I was scared and livid. Over time, the bloodlust lessened, though I still craved it. My attention turned to other endeavors, one of which included making the wolves pay for what they did to Alice. Turns out when you’re mostly immortal, you have lots of time to plan revenge, but you also get sidetracked along the way.”
Alice stared at the floor. Learning Cain’s backstory had softened her heart toward him, as his transformation had not been voluntary. However, he had chosen to continue living as a vampire, feasting on blood and transforming others against their will. Her hands clasped in her lap as she struggled with the new information, as well as her own conscience. What did it say about her that she even considered looking past his transgressions? And these transgressions weren’t small things like stealing a pack of gum or telling your best friend her butt looked great in a pair of jeans that actually made her ass look like the size of Texas and just as weirdly shaped. These were mega, serious sins that caused pain and suffering for hundreds of people, if not more.
“Don’t look at me that way,” he said quietly. “I’m not trying to change your mind about me, Alice. This is who I am. But perhaps you understand now why I have become this way.”
She pressed her lips together, and her gaze became more intense. “Do you wish you were different?”
He chuckled, though it lacked any humor. “You mean, do I want to be better? Do I want to be a vampire that doesn’t bring destruction to people’s lives?”
“Yes,” she challenged. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
He pushed to his feet and looked down at her, his gaze penetrating. “I’ve never had a reason to want to change.” He turned from her and walked back toward the door. “But who knows? Perhaps, I do now.” His words were so soft that she almost didn’t believe she’d heard him correctly.
Her mouth dropped open as she watched him walk out of the door and close it quietly behind him. The breath whooshed from her lungs. “Well, shit.” Alice pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to process what had just happened. “I can’t even,” she muttered and shook her head. She jumped when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She knew who it would be. Bile rose in her throat at the prospect of speaking to her father. But she had to answer it. He would just keep calling until she did.
She pulled it out and pressed the screen. “Hello.” Alice tried to ensure her tone didn’t betray her emotions.
“I haven’t heard from you,” her father snapped. “Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’ve been a little busy trying to deal with a damn vampire, Dad.” She practically spat out the last word. “You forgot to mention that I would be trying to figure out mixing DNA of said vampire with werewolves. Something I am obviously not trained to do because they don’t teach us vampire and werewolf physiology.”
“You’re on a need-to-know basis, Alice. Now what have you learned?” He ignored her comment. “Has he made progress?”
She didn’t know what she should tell him. After speaking with Cain, Alice couldn’t help but wonder if the man he once was could still be buried underneath the man he now was. Was there a chance that she could stop him from continuing with this plan?
“Alice,” her dad barked.
She pulled herself from her mind and launched into her professional tone. “He has attempted his first prototype of the hybrid, but we’re waiting to see how she responds. It will take a week until we see if it’s successful.”
