In the Forests of the Night

'You should be grateful 'that witch' helped me stop you. If you had killed Lynette—'

'Which sister matters more to you, Alexander—your twin, or Lynette? You drew blood; you should have remembered Rachel before you did.'

'I will not let you change her,' Alexander growled.

'Why, Alexander,' Ather said, advancing on him again. 'What gave you the idea I wanted to change her?' She smiled; I saw her teeth as the moonlight fell on them. Then she laughed. 'Just because she accepted my gift?' Ather took another step toward Alexander, and he stepped back. She laughed again. 'Coward.'

'You are a monster,' Alexander answered. 'I will not allow you to make Rachel one too.'

'Aubrey,' Ather said. Nothing more. Aubrey had been standing quietly in the shadows. He laughed and moved behind Alexander, but my brother did not react. He seemed unafraid to have Aubrey at his back.

'Rachel, do come join us,' Ather called to me. I froze; I had not realized she had seen me. Ather nodded to Aubrey, who took a step in my direction, as if he might escort me into the yard. I did not step back from him but became angry instead.

'Get away from me,' I spat. I had always been outspoken for my time, and Aubrey blinked in surprise. He stepped to the side and allowed me to walk past him toward Ather.

Alexander had said he had made a mistake. Now he was trying to protect me from the two who had come to avenge that mistake. I stalked past Aubrey to where Ather was standing.

'Who are you?' I demanded. 'What are you doing here?'

'Rachel,' she purred in greeting, ignoring my questions. She showed fangs when she smiled, and I was reminded of the serpent on her bracelet.

'Rachel, do not get angry,' Alexander warned me.

'Too late.' I spat the words into Ather s face. 'Why were you threatening him?'

'Do not demand answers from me, child,' Ather snapped.

'Do not call me child. Leave my property, now, and leave my brother alone.'

Ather laughed. 'Does this creature truly mean so much to you?' she asked me.

'Yes.' I did not hesitate to answer. Alexander was my twin brother. He was part of my family, and I loved him. He had been cursed with a mixture of too much faith and damnable powers. He did not deserve the taunting he was receiving.

'That's unfortunate,' Ather said dryly, and then, 'Aubrey, will you deal with that distraction?' I started to turn toward Aubrey, who had drawn a knife from his belt, and barely saw him grab my brother before Ather took my head in both her powerful hands and forced me to look into her eyes. 'Now he means nothing.'

I heard Aubrey laugh, and then stop. I thought I heard a whisper, but it was so soft, so quick, that it could have been the wind. Aubrey reentered my line of vision, sheathing his blade. Then he disappeared, and I was left watching the place where he had stood. I stared after him, in shock perhaps. I heard nothing anymore, felt nothing.

Then what had just happened seemed to hit me, and I tried to turn to my brother, who was so silent—too silent…

Ather grabbed my arm.

'Leave him there, Rachel,' she told me.

But Alexander was hurt, maybe dying. I had no doubt Aubrey had drawn the knife to kill him. How could she tell me to leave him? He needed help.

'I said, leave him,' Ather whispered, once again turning me toward her. I stepped back, meeting her black eyes.

Cold shock was beginning to fill my mind, blocking the way of terror and pain. My brother could not be dead—not this suddenly.

'Do you know what I am, Rachel?' Ather asked me, and the question jolted me from my silent world. This was reality—not Alexander's death, not black roses. I could deal with this moment, so long as I did not think of the one before.

'You appear to be a creature from legend,' I said carefully, worried about the consequences my words might have.

'You are right.' Ather smiled again, and I wanted to slap that smile from her face. I remembered Alexander's words—I am the one who attacked you—and my surprise at hearing them. I could not believe my brother would ever harm anyone. The idea that such violence was in me was shocking…yet also strangely exciting.

Ather continued before I could say anything.

' I want to make you one of my kind.'

'No,' I told her. 'Leave. Now. I do not want to be what you are.'

'Did I say you had a choice?'

I pushed her away with all my strength, but she barely stumbled. She grabbed my shoulders. Long-nailed fingers twining in my hair, she tilted my head back and then leaned forward so that her lips touched my throat. The wicked fangs I had glimpsed before pierced my skin.

I fought; I fought for the immortal soul the preachers had taught me to believe in. I do not know whether I ever believed in it—I had never seen God, and He had never spoken to me—but I fought for it anyway, and I fought for Alexander.

Nothing I did mattered.

The feeling of having your blood drawn out is both seductive and soothing, like a caress and a gentle voice that is in your mind, whispering Relax. It makes you want to stop struggling and cooperate. I would not cooperate. But if you struggle, it hurts.

Ather's right hand pinned both of mine together behind me, and her left hand held me by the hair. Her teeth were in the vein that ran down my throat, but the pain hit me in the chest. It felt as if liquid fire was being forced through my veins instead of blood. My heart beat faster, from fear and pain and lack of blood. Eventually I lost consciousness.

A minute or an hour later, I woke for a moment in a dark place. There was no light and no sound, only pain and the thick, warm liquid that was being forced past my lips.

I swallowed again and again before my head cleared. The liquid was bittersweet, and as I drank I had an impression of power and…not life or death, but time. And strength and eternity…

Finally I realized what I had been drinking. I pushed away the wrist that someone was holding to my lips, but I was weak, and it was so tempting.

'Temptation.' The voice was in my ears and my head, and I recognized it as Ather's.

Once again I pushed away the wrist, though my body screamed at me for doing so. Ather was insistent, but so was I. I somehow managed to turn my head away, despite the pain that shot through me with each beat of my heart. I could hear my own pulse in my ears, and it quickened until I could hardly breathe past it, but still I pushed away the blood. I believed, for that second, in my immortal soul, and would not abandon it—not willingly.

Suddenly Ather was gone. I was alone.

I could feel the blood in my veins, entering my body, soul, and mind. I could not get my breath; my head pounded and my heart raced. Then they both slowed.

I heard my own heart stop.

I felt my breath still.

My vision faded, and the blackness filled my mind.

CHAPTER 7 NOW

Never before and never after have I felt the soul-tearing, mind-breaking pain I experienced that night. I have looked into the minds of willing fledglings; never have I seen my own pain reflected. My line's strength comes at a price, and the price is that pain. It has changed us all. One cannot be conscious throughout one's own death and not be changed.