I was lowered to the couch I sat on only moments before with hands that were much more gentle than before. My head lolled to the side and I saw Xander’s sleeping form. I hoped he’d survive it. I hoped he would wake and destroy them all for what they’ve done to me. For what they attempted to accomplish.
I hoped he knew how much I loved him and how much I would continue loving him from the afterlife. I hoped Ronan would understand and become a better person for having found me. I hadn’t had the chance to love him, but I hoped he knew the possibility was there. I wanted the chance to love him more than anything.
I closed my eyes and looked up at the ceiling.
“It’s almost over, Emelia,” Amos told me and he smoothed the hair from my forehead. “Don’t fight it. Let the virus take over and it’ll all be over soon.”
“She’ll be glorious,” Di commented, sounding proud. She dripped a liquid into my gaping mouth.
“Fuck you,” I whispered when the liquid was taken away and the edges of my vision became blurry. Then everything in front of me became dark and my body felt heavy. Too heavy to move. “What’s, what’s happening?” I asked, my words slurred.
“Rest, child,” Amos told me. “It’ll all be over soon. Then nothing will ever hurt you again. I swear it.”
“Rest…”
I allowed myself to comply with his request, not that I really had a choice.
Chapter Thirteen
Burning. From the tips of my toes to the top of my head, I burned. My body was consumed whole as the vampire virus tore through my veins, scorching every last bit of mortality from within me. I couldn’t scream out in pain, I couldn’t beg for help, I couldn’t even move. I was paralyzed, appearing asleep to all those around me. I knew different.
Time seemed to go on forever as my body burned, but then eventually it began to fade away. Once I was able to focus beyond the sensations of the change, I noticed my senses were sharper. My eyes were closed so I couldn’t use sight, but my other senses were much sharper.
Xander was pacing the floor nearby. He was agitated, and for good reason. I could tell because of the way he moved across the hardwood floor and how he kept growling under his breath.
Camille was there too. I could smell her familiar scent of lavender and sage come and go as I lay there in my bed. I assumed someone had moved me because it smelled like the room I shared with Xander. My caster friend would fuss over me and scold Xander for not doing the same. I wondered why he kept his distance.
I could hear people walking around in the hallway outside the bedroom door, but the only ones who came near were Xan and Camille.
I didn’t know how much time had passed until I finally felt the sensation of wanting to move. I started with the twitch of a finger, then I was able to move the others. My body slowly woke up, one limb at a time until I was able to move every part of me.
My eyes popped open and the first thing I saw were the decorative white tiles on the ceiling. I could see every single detail with such amazing clarity, I almost cried from the beauty.
Camille gasped and rose from a chair by the windows. I rolled my head to the side, reluctantly looking away from the ceiling and saw my friend approach me like she would a dangerous animal.
I carefully propped myself up on my elbows and tilted my head to the side. Why was she afraid?
“Emi?” Xander stopped his pacing and stood in front of the bedroom door. He was half-changed, but as he stood there watching me, his dragon slowly faded away. He took a step forward then stopped suddenly. “Honey, how do you feel?” His eyes studied me. I wondered what he saw. Did I look the same?
I furrowed my eyebrows as I thought about his question. I felt weird. My senses were overwhelming me, making me feel things much stronger than before. Even my hunger was overpowering.
As the thought of food, blood in particular, crossed my mind, that was all I could think about.
“Blood,” I said aloud.
As I began to close my mouth, I felt two long fangs hanging down from my top teeth. I reached up and touched them with my fingers, pricking my index finger on the pad. I instantly stuck the bloodied finger in my mouth and groaned with pleasure. It tasted amazing, even if it was my own blood.
“I’ll go get you something to drink, okay?” Camille told me and walked toward Xander. She turned back around when she got to the door. “Don’t. Go. Anywhere.”
Then she put her hand up to the door, releasing the ward on the room and walked out into the hall. I could hear her scurry down the stairs to the first floor of the house as she went in search of sustenance for me.
My gaze traveled back to where my mate stood. He hadn’t moved a muscle, making no attempt to come to me. I didn’t like it. Not once since we had been reunited had he kept his distance from me. Even before we were fully mated, he would find random reasons to touch me, to be near me.
Was I disgusting? Terrifying? Did I smell differently? I felt like me but… more. My love and need for him were still there too. Did he not love me now that I was a vampire? Were we still mated? Was I still a dragon shifter and a caster? I had so many questions as I sat there staring into Xander’s worried eyes.
I reached inward for my dragon. She was still there. Annoyed, but there. She didn’t seem to mind the
