The Eternal Kiss: Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire

will have to feed him. As in ‘be his food.’ He needs life restored to him and the only life strong enough for that in his condition is yours. Get it?”

Becky blanched.

“Hey, I hardly even know him,” she said, taking a step back and holding up her hands. “And Nana just said a bunch of Healer people were killed by what they tried to save, so thanks but—”

Sydney swore under his breath. Nana chastised him.

“Listen, young Healer,” Sydney began calmly and with exaggerated patience. “He can’t kill you here. He can’t take too much from you either. That’s why you’re a rare and valuable commodity among Ethereals. You have mortal years of use, of life in you. You more than others. He can’t drain you. Of blood … possibly, but that’s rare when a Healer is in her own enclave. That’s right—Healers are always and only female. Healing comes from the life force created by a living soul, and it is the female who creates and bears life. Now, Ryan needs life restored to him. Will you, young, untutored Healer, restore my young fledgling?”

“Promise me I will not regret it.” Becky didn’t know where the words came from but she spoke them as though she’d known exactly what to say when asked such a question.

Sydney smiled and looked to Nana.

“Untrained she might be, but a Healer nonetheless,” he said in approval. “She’ll learn quickly, if such knowledge is that easy to tap.”

He looked to Becky.

“Upon my honor, my lady,” he went on formally, and offered her a slight bow. “I promise that you will not regret your actions.”

Becky nodded unsurely but knew something had been done correctly. Then, without thinking about what she was doing, she rolled up her right sleeve and went to the bed.

Ryan’s eyes opened and fluttered. He mumbled incoherently.

“Hey, Stereotype,” Becky called with a smile. “I hear you didn’t eat lunch. Did you get banned from the cafeteria, so that now I have to feed your sorry butt?”

Ryan didn’t reply, but his eyes seemed to recognize something.

Becky closed her own eyes and pressed her wrist against Ryan’s mouth. She looked away, over her shoulder and waited.

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

Believe it, she heard Syd’s voice in her mind.

Becky opened her eyes to stare at him. Syd couldn’t help but grin back at her.

“You have much to learn, little Healer,” said the blond vampire.

“Ouch!” Becky gasped as Ryan’s fangs pierced her wrist.

Then the pain faded, and she felt nothing. She really expected to feel something … but there wasn’t anything at all. She didn’t feel weak or dizzy, or like something was being taken away from her. On the contrary, she felt really, really good. Helpful and … and …

“Nurturing?” Sydney said out loud.

Becky blushed and nodded. “I guess that’s as good a word for it as any.”

Nana came to rest her hands on Becky’s shoulders.

“You’re strong,” Nana said softly. “Stronger even than I was, I think. He won’t take much, this first time, but he’ll need more over the next couple of days.”

“Days?” Becky echoed. “Doesn’t this take—I don’t know—just a few minutes?”

“This isn’t Hollywood, little Healer,” Sydney said with a roll of his dark blue eyes. “You don’t get bitten by a vampire then change in moments to bite your friends.”

“Well … no offense, but isn’t that kind of what just happened?” Becky countered. She pointed to the wrist Ryan had pressed to his mouth.

“Point taken,” Sydney replied. “However, he won’t remember himself for a couple of days.”

Sydney glanced up at Nana.

“Though something tells me you’re accustomed to people not remembering themselves.”

Becky felt Nana’s hands on her shoulders tighten slightly before Ryan dropped her wrist and began to tremble.

“That’s enough,” she heard Nana say. “Move away now.”

Becky did as she was told, and Sydney reached for the damp cloth again as Ryan’s trembling escalated into convulsions.

“Is it going to be like this … until he’s … um … converted, or whatever?” Becky asked.

Nana nodded. “Mmmhmm. But don’t worry. He’s with us now, and safe. Comfortable. But it’s also very late, and you have school tomorrow.”

Becky looked horrified.

“Nana,” she reasoned. “You can’t possibly—”

Nana held up a hand, a familiar gesture that said she was through talking about a subject.

“I can,” Nana said firmly. “Syd will stay and help me, won’t you, Syd? That’s a good boy. Becky, you can help in the evenings, after your chores and schoolwork are done, not before. It will be a lot of hard work, but you’ll likely be trained enough in a year or so of hard study that we can let Syd go about his business as usual. That’s not too long, is it, Syd?”

“A year?” Becky squeaked.

Syd voiced the same protest.

Nana looked stern.

“Sydney Alexander, you came seeking a Healer, and you’ve found one untrained. Rebecca Charlotte, you have a great deal to learn and a vast amount of power to harness. You’ll be lucky if a year is all it takes. And that’s just the bare minimum! Remember, you should have been studying intently these last ten years. Most Healers begin at age five. I’m sorry this is late, but if it’s what you both want, it’s all or nothing.”

Syd looked mutinous.

Becky was just as unhappy, but asked, “Will you be more like your old self with him around?”

She jerked her head in Syd’s direction.

Nana nodded. Syd rolled his eyes.

“Then that’s worth a year of Blondie and hard work to me.” Becky smiled a little.

The vampire groaned. “And I suppose, since I owe you my own existence more than once over, a year isn’t so long a time, especially if it is given to train the granddaughter of Martha Althea in the art of Healing. Provided, that is, she works hard and doesn’t waste my valuable time.”

“Provided Blondie here doesn’t go around provoking hellhounds into biting any more of my classmates!” Becky stuck out her tongue at Syd.

If vampires could blush, Sydney would have been crimson. Martha glared at him.

“Provoking hellhounds?” Nana said crisply.

“You didn’t tell me she was a Seer as well,” Sydney mumbled, embarrassed.

Martha looked at Becky, a bit surprised at her granddaughter’s new talent. It was an uncommon gift among Healers, but not unheard of. It had been three generations since there had been a Seer in her own line. Becky’s great-great grandmother, Agnes, had been one.

“You show up here, with a wounded boy—” Nana began sharply. It always made Becky cringe when Nana took that tone.

Sydney held up a hand.

“Can we please not talk about it?” he asked contritely. “I know this is my fault. The truce hasn’t been broken. Some of us still … you know … get up to mischief … for old times’ sake. Usually no one gets hurt. But still—what if the truce had been broken? What then? We’d have no Healer in this part of the world, and shifting through the planes is dangerous with those who are wounded …”

Sydney caught Nana’s look of disgust and trailed off, looking completely ashamed.

“Two years. For your serious lack of judgment,” Nana said imperiously.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Syd hung his head. “Two years indebted to your service. To train your replacement.”

“Good,” Nana said with a frustrated sigh. “At least one of us will have their wits about them for a while. Rebecca? Bedtime. It’s well past midnight, and a school night.”