Forever (Fallen 3)

“She needs blood,” said Patrick.

At the word ‘blood’ my mouth ached and watered. I felt a sharp stinging pain as my incisors began to elongate.

“Got it right here.” Jonathon pulled out a bag of blood. In the aftermath of waking up, and being desperate to know what my power was, I hadn’t smelled the blood. But now its scent threatened to consume me.

Before another word could be spoken I ripped the bag from Jonathon’s hand and sucked it down in one gulp, moaning in ecstasy.

Patrick was gone.

Jonathon chuckled. “Want another?”

“Yes,” I reached my fingers out, opening and closing them in a grabby motion.

I drained four more bags before my stomach finally felt full. But full wasn’t the right word. I was… satisfied, but the ache was still there. I rubbed my throat.

“It gets better,” Jonathon nodded in sympathy.

I smiled weakly.

“Why don’t you clean yourself up and then you can meet our children.”

I smiled. “I get to see them?”

“Yes,” he breathed. “They’re spectacular. You won’t hurt them, since they’re dhampir. They do have a heartbeat and blood runs through their veins but they don’t smell human.”

I smiled. “I can’t wait to see them.” Even if they had smelled human, I don’t see how I could have ever hurt them. They were my babies. Vampire or not, some emotions were impossible to ignore, and I could never look at my children as food. It was a relief though, to know that wasn’t an issue I needed to worry about.

“I’ll be here while you clean up,” he plopped on the bed, “and it’s going to be quite a shock when you look in the mirror so just be aware.”

I didn’t believe him so I just rolled my eyes and sauntered into the bathroom.

The woman in the mirror was a stranger. I screamed and staggered back. A hand snaked out to steady me.

“I told you,” he chuckled.

“Is that really me?” I gasped, poking her—my—cheek. There was no way the beautiful creature in the mirror was me. She was a goddess.

“It is principessa. It’s really you,” he kissed my cheek.

My hair was longer, more than halfway down my back, and thicker if that was possible. I ran my fingers through it and reveled at the lush silky softness of it. The waves in my hair were still there but they only made me more beautiful. My olive toned skin was pale white now but I could still see some of the darker tones underneath giving me and ethereal beauty. My eyes were the most startling. The familiar green was gone and replaced by a brilliant silver.

“Whoa,” I breathed, looking at my eyes and prodding at my face.

“The eyes are the strangest things to get used to. Everything else is still you, just enhanced. But the eyes… The eyes are completely different.”

“It’s startling,” I said. Then lifted my hair up to look at the mark on the back of my neck. Instead of black, like Jonathon’s mark, it was silver and in the shape of an eye. I rubbed it like I could erase it.

Jonathon pulled my hand away from it and kissed my cheek. “You’re beautiful.”

I smiled. “And you’re biased.”

“I’m so happy,” he said and kissed me, “that you are still you.”

“Worried were you?”

He looked ashamed. “I was. I know you didn’t really want immortality.”

“I want you,” I tugged at his shirt.