It would be no small undertaking. There were a lot of hoops to jump through to become a vampire, but Luis had started taking notes.
First there was the government permit to apply for. Then he’d need to find a vampire guardian who’d Change him and be legally responsible for him for the first five years. (He was guessing he’d have two volunteers, but again–too soon in the relationship.) After that, he’d need to pay a witch doctor who’d stabilize his body while it went through the Change, and make it as comfortable as possible.
And that was not to mention thepaperwork.Identity changes were a lot of paperwork.
But Luis would live a lot, lot longer than he currently was destined for. He’d have an equivalent lifespan to Julien and Karim.
Not that that was anywhere near the top of his reasons to consider it. But it was something that had occurred to him.
“Whacha doing?” Karim asked, leaning against the doorway.
“Nothing,” Luis said too quickly. Not at all suspiciously. Karim eyed him.
“Right,” Karim said dubiously. “Well, I was about to start cooking. You asked Cassie about food allergies, right?”
Luis perked up. “Yeah. It’s only sesame seeds.”
“Great. She on her way?” Karim asked.
Luis picked up his phone to check. There were no new messages, so she was still driving. “Be here around eight.”
“‘Kay.” Karim’s attention drifted back to the laptop. “You know, if you have any questions about what it’s like, being a vampire, we’d be happy to answer them for you.”
Ah, so he hadn’t been quick enough.
Luis flushed, looking away. “Oh, um. Yeah, thanks. I’ll um, keep that in mind.”
Karim laughed, striding in to tilt Luis’s face back up and drop a kiss to his lips. “But no pressure, no rush. You know Julien, he loves a well-considered decision.”
Luis snorted. That, surprisingly, made him feel better. “Thanks,” Luis said.
Karim stepped back. “Dinner will be ready in an hour. If Cassie’s delayed, let me know and I can put it in the warmer.”
“Will do,” Luis said, affection settling in his belly as Karim left.
##
“–and that’s when the elevator stopped working,” Cassie said, deadpan.
Luis had already heard this story, but still laughed.
“Is this woman a bad luck magnet?” Karim asked.
Cassie grinned, fork playing with the small number of potatoes left on her plate. Karim had made something simple–steak and potatoes, and it had been sinfully good. “She’s definitely on one end of the Bell Curve,” Cassie said.
“And now you’re together, Luis mentioned?” Julien had taken an immediate shine to Cassie, which might have had something to do with the bioluminescent flowers she’d shown up with for him. Luis hadn’t even known such a thing existed.
“We’re… trying,” Cassie said cautiously. “A lot of miscommunications were cleared up in that elevator, but we’re still… in the testing phase.”
“A pair of scientists, I’m not surprised,” Julien said with a smile. “Well, I hope your trial bears fruit.”
“Me too. I want to bring her home for Christmas,” this Cassie directed at Luis. “Jess’s got no family in country, so I thought it might be nice?”
“You should,” Luis said immediately. He could read the sudden hesitance, like Cassie wasn’t sure if bringing her around would upset him. It probably would’ve a few months ago, just because she’d been his only friend, his only connection. He realized suddenly how tight he’d been holding on to her. “I’d love to meet her,” he said earnestly.
Relief flashed over Cassie’s face, and Luis felt a splash of guilt. He’d been trying to hide how bad he’d gotten over the year she’d been gone, but it seemed she hadn’t missed it.
He was grateful all over again that he’d done so many hard things recently to change his life. Grateful not to be the person who might feel jealous and bitter at Cassie’s burgeoning love life. He could be a better friend now, because he’d been taking better care of himself.
