“Drink, baby,” he coaxed as he returned hisarm to her lips.
Aida swallowed the blood sliding down theback of her throat as she hovered in her numb state.I want tofeel!Let me move!
But no matter how much she willed it, theonly motion she made was swallowing. It was something at least, andas his powerful blood filled her empty veins, warmth spread throughher frozen extremities. She remained unmoving, but as her chilleased, her certainty everything would be okay grew.
“Keep drinking,” Julian encouraged as hebrushed the hair away from her face. “Stay with me.”
She tried to reassure him she wasn’t goinganywhere, but her voice remained trapped in her throat. He pulledhis wrist away from her mouth and bit into it again beforereturning it to her lips.
As more of his blood filled her, she felt thesoftness of the mattress beneath her hands again. She jerked andalmost laughed when her fingers skittered across the surface, but aburst of fire searing through her veins burned away her relief.
A scream lodged in her chest. She tried torelease it, but it remained stuck there until she was sure it wouldtear her ribs apart before bursting out of her like some malevolentalien.
She barely moved, but Julian sensed Aida’srising distress as her body became as stiff as a board and her eyesmoved rapidly behind her closed lids. Her breath came out in a waythat sounded like she was forcing it from her lungs. When itrattled back in, he bent to kiss her forehead.
“I’m sorry, love. It will be over soon, andI’m here. I’ll always be here for you,” Julian promised.
He pulled his wrist away again and bit intoit before returning it to her mouth.He’ddone this to her.It didn’t matter she would make it through this; it didn’t matterthis was the only way they could be together forever, heloathedevery second of it.
He’d give anything to take away hersuffering, but all he could do was hold her and give her moreblood. As the seconds stretched into minutes, she still didn’tmove.
Then, she whimpered and rose off the beduntil only her head and toes touched the mattress. She collapsedonto the bed and curled in on herself as animalistic sounds issuedfrom her. Rolling over, she buried her face in the pillow as shescreamed.
Unsure of what to do, Julian gathered her inhis arms and held her the best he could as her tears soaked hisflesh and her muffled screams resonated against his chest.
CHAPTER 48
Aida didn’t know how long she was out before hereyes flew open to discover the sun’s rays seeping around the edgesof her curtains and dancing across the ceiling. Her brow furrowedat the swirls and markings above her. She’d been staring at thissame ceiling for two years, but she’d never noticed how manydifferent details were in it.
Was that a face in the paint? Had it beenwatching her the entire time? Even if it was some trick of thelight and paint, she shuddered at the possibility it was there thewhole time. Then she wondered if the transformation fried her brainbecause it was a stupid thing to fixate on.
Outside her closed windows, the horns of thevehicles were louder than she’d ever heard them before. Childrenscreamed and laughed as they raced down the street, and her earstwitched when something scratched loudly against her screen.
Was there a pterodactyl outside her window?But when a new shadow moved amid those on the ceiling, she realizedit was only some kind of insect.
Turning her head, she discovered Juliansitting in a chair next to her bed. His hands were clasped beforehim, and his eyes were a vivid red. He didn’t wear a T-shirt, butat some point, he’d pulled on a pair of sweatpants.
When Julian saw she was awake, he dropped hishands and leaned toward her. “Are you okay? Please tell me you’reokay, Aida.”
“I am…”
She swallowed so she could wet her parchedmouth and throat.Whatwas she?
Not human.
She could tell by the noise battering herears and the fact everything was so much brighter and sharper.Waking up a vampire was like realizing she’d needed glasses herwhole life and someone finally handed her a pair. The entire worldwas beautiful and amazing before, but with her vampire glasses, itbecame vibrant in a way she’d never dreamed possible.
His eyes were bluer than she’d ever seen themand such a pure shade of lapis she couldn’t detect any other hueswithin them. The black of his hair was absolute, but some shades ofraven black mixed with the coal.
Behind him, the photos on her walls stood outin stark detail, and her fingers twitched as she was struck by theimpulse to get her camera. She couldn’t wait to see the worldthrough its lens as a vampire.
“Aida?”
The concern in his voice pulled her attentionback to him, and she smiled. “I’m okay. Tired and sore, butokay.”
She sounded like she’d been lost in theMojave Desert for the past month, but she was good. Julian rose tosit beside her and clasped her hands in his. He moved as if afraidshe might break, and she did feel a little breakable right now.
“I’m so… I’m so… I don’t know what I am,” shecroaked.
