“Don’t thank me,” Blackthorn growled, holding me close. “Don’t you dare thank me. You’re going to live, damn you, Mara. I didn’t break every rule just for you to die on me.”
I huffed a laugh, coughing up more blood as the darkness closed in. “Sorry about that.”
Then the pain faded, and all I felt was numb. The factory and even Rumple’s face disappeared into the dark, and the last thing I remembered was Blackthorn yelling for help.
Unfortunately, the darkness didn’t last.
Something pressed against my mouth, and liquid that tasted of copper and death filled my mouth. I tried to spit it out, but I was too weak. Whoever was doing this made me swallow the fluid down.
Then a burning fire started in my chest, spreading through my veins as if my very blood was boiling.
I breathed heavily, sucking in breath after breath until I couldn’t take in anymore. The pulse in my ears slowed, and the fire cooled leaving an unbelievable chill behind. The pain miraculously eased, and an unquenchable thirst rose in its place.
I coughed, shifting where I laid, a soft mattress beneath my body.
“She’s waking up,” a voice I couldn’t place said.
I coughed again, getting out the word, “Water.”
An arm wrapped around my back, lifting me up and pressing a cup to my lips. Cool liquid filled my mouth. I barely swallowed it down before I jerked, falling to the side as my body rejected the water, throwing it up onto the bed.
“Shhh,” a soothing voice said, pulling my hair back from my face. “It’s alright. The transition can take its toll.”
My brows furrowed, and I blinked, my eyes trying to adjust to the light. I was in Blackthorn’s bedroom, in his bed. Fran stood on one side of the bed, cleaning up the water I had thrown up. Blackthorn stood at my other side, his hand brushing across my forehead.
“What?” I gaped at him, then looked down at my chest. “I was dying... dead. How?”
Blackthorn stared at me. “You know how.”
Licking my lips, I gasped, blood filling my mouth at the cut. I opened my mouth, my fingers coming up to touch the sharp points of my canines, much longer and sharper than before. I covered my hand over my mouth and blinked at Blackthorn.
“I’m a... vampire? Like you?”
Nodding, Blackthorn held out a different cup to me. This one smelled sweet, like the sweetest wine I’d ever come across. That burning thirst came over me once more, and I grabbed for the cup, swallowing it down before I realized that it wasn’t wine.
It was too thick. Too red.
I slowly lowered the cup, staring down at its contents. Blood. I wasn’t sure whose blood it was, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Fran watched quietly from the side, gathering up the dirty linen. When she opened the door, there was a clatter, and then children’s laughter came from outside the bedroom door.
My head jerked at the sound. Children? Since when were there children in the castle?
“When Rumpelstiltskin died,” Blackthorn took the cup from my hands, “all your contracts became null and void.”
“But they’re free... Why would they...?”
“Come here?” Blackthorn’s head cocked to the sides. “They were given a choice. They could leave, be free, go home, whatever they wanted, or... they could come back here... with us.” He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the line of my jaw. “Many chose to leave, but more than that chose to stay... for you.”
My eyes widened. “For me?”
Blackthorn grinned. “You don’t know how much you mean to them, do you? They’ve told me some of what you’ve done for them. Many of them owe you their lives, just like me.” He laced my fingers with his. “I owe you twice now. I suppose I’ll have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
I stared down at his hand, my brow crinkling. “You mean the rest of my life. You’ll live forever.”
Lifting my hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss on it. “And so now will you.”
“Oh, right.” I frowned.
