Cynthia shook her head. “No, he thought itwould heal me.”
“Heal you of what—are you sick?”
“No place but here.” She pressed a hand toher heart. “I suffer from depression and the drugs humans take—theydon’t work on my kind.”
Hmm, I had never heard of a depressedvampire other than Taylor. She had been plenty depressed while shewas with Celeste, but there was nothing she could do about it.Maybe that was why you didn’t hear about many vamp suicides—theirmakers kept them from doing themselves in.
“What made him think that would cure yourdepression?” I asked, still taking it all in stride.
“Jason was doing research about it—that’show we met. He’s a professor of Vampire Studies at Tampa U. Or…orhe was, I guess.” She started crying again. “He…he said hewanted to study me and then we…we…”
“You fell in love?” I guessed.
She nodded. “It all happened so fast.And before I knew it, he was asking me to go farther and fartherwith him. I knew I shouldn’t but I’ve always had good controlbefore and besides, Jason was so gentle and tender and kind. Hejust…I couldn’t say no to him.”
“So how long have you had a sexualrelationship?” I asked.
“For almost three months.” She wiped at hereyes and her fingers came away bloody. “It was going so well. Iwanted to bond him to me—to make him, you know…”
“A little less fragile?” I asked.
Cynthia nodded. “Exactly. Only I didn’t feellike I could ask him to stay with me forever when I have thissickness…this depression.”
“You might have tried therapy,” I said.“There are several practices in town that specialize in vamps.”
“I know. I wanted to do that, believeme, I did,” she assured me, her eyes wide and haunted. “But Jasonhad been doing his research and he said it would bebetter—faster—for him to pay the Crimson Debt.”
My ears perked up at once. Here it wasagain—that phrase. I had been an Auditor for six years but until Ihad gotten serious with Corbin, I had never heard it.
“What exactly does that mean?” I asked her,interested to hear her definition.
“It’s what the older vampires call makinglove and taking blood at the same time.” Cynthia wiped at her eyesagain, which were still leaking. “My maker did it all the time.He…he claimed it cured all ills—physical, mental, or emotional—aslong as it is done out of love.”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “And you knewabout this? But you didn’t mention it to Jason?”
“Of course I didn’t mention it to him! Ididn’t want him to try it.” She sounded genuinely distraught. “Hefound out about it on his own. I tried to explain to him that itwasn’t something a vampire and human could do. A vampire and awere, yes. Or a vampire and another vampire, though we don’t oftentake blood from each other. Even a witch with supernatural wardswould be safer than just a human.”
“So what did you tell him when he asked ifhe could do this—pay the Crimson Debt—for you?”
“I told him, no, of course!” Cynthiaexclaimed. “I said it was out of the question. That I was alreadyhaving a hard enough time keeping control when we…you know, madelove.”
“And what did he say?” I asked.
“He pestered me about it for a long time butwhen I kept saying no, he finally seemed to agree with me. Hepromised to let the matter drop.” She put a hand to her face. “Thatwas just yesterday. Then tonight…”
“When you go together…” I prompted.
“Right. We were already, uh, in the middleand then he suddenly pulled out a knife.” She began to cry again.“I"ve always been so careful. I wouldn’t even make love with him ifhe had so much as an unhealed shaving cut.”
“Oh, honey…” I squeezed her arm gently asshe started to break down again.
“I begged him not to but he was quick.Before I knew it, he had slashed his arm open. And then…then all Icould see was the…the blood…” She wrapped her arms around herself,the sobs shaking her. “I loved him,” she gasped, bloody tearspouring from her eyes. “Oh God, I loved him so much. And Ikilled him.”
“Cynthia…” I shook my head helplessly.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured at last, her sobstapering off somewhat. “It’s just…I still can’t believe it. Itseems like a bad dream. Like something that happened to someoneelse.”
I nodded. I had heard the same thing frommany bereft loved ones when I had to tell them someone they caredfor was gone. It’s a bad dream…I just want to wake up…
“I’m afraid we’ll have to take you in,” Itold her gently.
Cynthia nodded dully. “That’s okay—I wantyou to. I should be punished for what happened here tonight.”
For once, I wasn’t so sure about that. Ifthings had really gone down the way she described them, it seemedto me she was almost a victim of circumstance. Or maybe just avictim of her lover’s stupidity. I made a mental note to ask thecoroner to see if one of the disembodied hands was holding a knifeand if the opposite arm was slashed with it. If that was the case,I would be willing to testify in court for Cynthia, though it wouldbe the first time I had ever testified for a vamp ratherthan against them.
“You want to know something crazy?” sheasked with a broken little laugh that was more than half sob.
“No, what?” I asked, getting out myvelvet-lined, silver alloy cuffs.
“It worked—I’m not depressed anymore.” Sheshook her head. “I mean, I’m devastated and distraught and I feelincredibly guilty but that low level sadness that always seemed tocloud my mind…it’s gone.”
“Really?” I said neutrally as I fitted thecuffs on her slender wrists.
Cynthia nodded. “I used to feel like I wasat the bottom of a deep, dark well—a well with glass sides so slickI couldn’t crawl out of it no matter how hard I tried. Now, for thefirst time in over fifty years, I’m out of the well. I’m standingon the lip of it, looking down.” She buried her face in her cuffedhands. “And all I want is to go back. To get back in the well andhave Jason be alive again. I’d stay down there forever—for the restof
