Chapter 33
T he night passed quickly, and Quinn had spent much of the night in my arms on the dance floor. Her presence had become irresistible. The limo was parked up near the beach, and my driver slept as I leaned on the bonnet with Quinn, my jacket around her shoulders. Bringing her out here was meant to be romantic, and I had uncovered a deep wound instead. After half an hour of holding her, she’d worked up the courage to face the sea.
She remained silent as she stared into the dark, in the direction of the waves, her head on my chest.
“This is nice,” she murmured. “Thank you for being patient. I should have done this months ago. ”
“Death affects everyone differently. You deal with it in your own way,” I knew loss all too well.
She lifted her head to look at me. “Who did you lose?”
Her question threw me. I hadn’t thought of my family in many lifetimes. “I lost my wife,” I admitted. “And with her, a part of my soul. But I’d already died, and in a way I mourned my own death, too. Everything I lost when I became a vampire.”
“So you died to become a vampire?” she asked.
I nodded. “When a human is given enough vampire blood, it overwhelms and shuts down their system, causing a mortal death as the change takes place. Only, they’re not really dead. They go into a slumber, ready to be awakened by their maker.”
“How did it happen?” There was curiosity in her eyes. We’d not discussed my turning, so for her to ask me was a step forward for her.
“Is this too personal of a question?” she asked when I didn’t answer right away.
“No, it’s not too personal.” I pulled her tighter, letting the memory of my last days as a human wash over me.
I left my villa to make the short walk to my art studio. My daughter was asleep. The night was a warm one, and I enjoyed the walk.
I didn’t know what hit me. One minute I was walking, the next I was on my back staring up at bright red eyes and fangs. I fought to get away, and made it to my feet, but barely got far when a hand wrapped around my throat and once again, I fought to escape. Teeth pierced my throat, and I still fought, until I passed out.
When I awoke, I was in a bed I didn’t know and felt lightheaded. I sat up, and she was there again. A woman with red eyes; and somehow, I knew my life was over.
“I have a wife and child,” I begged her. “Let me live so that I might see them again.”
“You’ll see them again,” she said.
While she fed from me, I never stopped fighting to escape. She laughed at my failed attempts to get free, telling me how weak I was but that she could make me strong. I pleaded with her and tried to bargain, but it was hopeless. I thought the torment would never end. She forced me to drink her blood. I was desperate for more; hunger I’d never known became a new torment. She told me that if I wanted more of her blood, I needed to show her I was worthy of it. I was locked in a room with a woman, bleeding and begging me not to hurt her. I fell on her, not understanding why I needed her blood. The vampire blood, combined with the act of feeding on a human, was enough to trigger a change in me. I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I knew nothing of my life, only her. She locked many in the room with me to feed off of. With my memories restored, I escaped, returning home.
I managed a day before my hunger showed itself. My wife caught me feeding.
“What are you?” She asked. “Monster!”
Her fear was too much. She ran from me, and I gave chase, catching her easily. She didn’t scream, just pleaded with me not to kill her. I couldn’t stop, couldn’t hold back what I’d become. What Bianca had turned me into. I bit into her, and she did scream then, struggling to free herself. But my strength was too great, as was my hunger. I fed deeply to satisfy my hunger. The red haze only cleared when her heart stopped. I looked down at her, at what I’d done, my heart breaking .
“My love,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.” I caressed her face, closed her lifeless eyes. Anguish rose in me, and I let out a roar, unable to contain my grief.
“Father?” My daughter stood over me staring at her dead mother. At me. “Father, what did you do?”
Quinn’s voice pulled me back. “You had a family,” she said. She’d pulled away, her eyes on my face. “I’m so sorry, Matteo.” Her hand pressed against my chest as if to sooth the deep pain that had embedded itself there. “What happened to your daughter?”
The horror in Quinn’s eyes hurt. She was afraid I’d killed my daughter.
“I told her to go to her uncle, and never return. That she would be safe with my brother. He would protect her.” I could barely speak the words. “My brother took her in, and her descendants, my descendants still live there today. Along with those of my brother.”
“Did you ever see Bianca again?” she asked.
“I did. She summoned me through a link that had been created with the exchange of blood. It’s called a blood bond. I had no choice but to return. I was furious at what I had done. What she had done. So I killed her.” I growled at the memory. The very thing that had left me half-feral.
Quinn’s hand slipped around my arm again. “I’m sorry you experienced that,” she said. “But Bianca got what she deserved.”
“Perhaps,” I said, trying to push away the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. It was best that I didn’t think of the past. “It’s very rare for a vampire to kill the one who turned them,” I said, brushing her cheek. “Do you mind if we change the subject? ”
“Of course. I’m sorry if I caused you pain…” she spoke in earnest.
“Only if we continue to talk about it.” I flashed her a smile. “I prefer to think about the beautiful woman with me now. You’re alone with a vampire, and your heartbeat is steady. I’m impressed.”
She stared out at the ocean. “You said people don’t feel pain, when you…” she stopped, unable to finish.
“You really do have a lot of questions, don’t you,” I laughed. She hadn’t asked this question before, had in fact avoided the subject altogether. I was hopeful that this was a sign of her considering letting me drink from her. “It can. It can be excruciating. But we can choose to release a venom when we bite, that will put the humans into a state of pleasure and desire.”
Despite her uncertainty, she was intrigued. I brushed my fingers over her neck again.
Her breath hitched and I smiled. She would ask me to bite her that night, I was sure of it.
“The man that would have hurt me…did he…” once again, she couldn’t finish.
Her question surprised me. Another topic she’d avoided. “He screamed,” I told her. “After what he would have done to you, I wanted him to suffer. Unfortunately, he stabbed me. Repeatedly. So I tore out his throat. I had already made up my mind to kill him, even though that broke the accords. At that moment, I didn’t care.” I stopped. “Is this disturbing you?”
“No…well, yes,” she confessed. “I still don’t like the idea that you killed. But I can’t say that guy didn’t deserve it. You knew what he was going to do. I’d probably be dead if it weren’t for you.”
“I could smell the desire on him,” I told her. “It was of dark urges and intentions.”
“Oh, that’s right: You can see into our minds.” She looked off into the distance. “I’m glad you didn’t make me forget. This is definitely an experience I hope to remember.”
‘And so you shall.’ I still wasn’t certain how I could talk to her as if we were bonded, but I liked it.
She pressed her fingers over my mouth. “How is it that you speak to me without talking?” Her curiosity was making her bold with her questions, less unsure of herself.
‘ It’s something I’ve only been able to do with Carlos. Because we have a blood bond. Never with a human. ’ I told her.
“Can you hear what I’m thinking now?” she asked.
Not only could I hear her thoughts, but I could smell them on her. I lifted her chin and leaned in for a kiss.