Part 14
I'm so fucking stupid! What am I going to do? I thought I could handle this, I was on top of everything, and I knew what I was doing.
Now I have her, I don't know if I want to actually do it or not. I didn't expect Dallas to show up, nor Helen to be on her way to kill Cathy. (Who's absurd plan was that, anyway?)
I just knocked her put, grabbed her and took off. I stole a car and she's in the trunk. I don't know if she's conscious or not yet. Maybe I should have taken Jacina's Circle Daybreak suggestion. Typical Redfern pride getting in the way.
I can't kill her. I just can't do that. I just have to get her as far away from home as possible. I wonder if I can convince her to leave the country with me?
Night World rules might be different in other parts of the world...
God, I'm delusional. Hell, I have been all along. I've really fucked up now.
* * *
Cassanova pulled the stolen car to a stop on the hard shoulder of the deserted highway. He switched off the engine and took Cathy out the trunk, placing her gently on the backseat. She was, thankfully, still unconscious. He looked around, trying to get his bearings.
He'd been lost in his own mind, he hadn't known where he was going, just knowing he had to get away before he got caught. He sighed, and worse, he was getting hungry. He continued to drive until he saw a cheap motel sign. The bored clerk gave him a room, without even questioning Cathy.
Casanova closed the blinds and locked the door. He could start the change now. She didn't *have* to be awake. He didn't know how she would handle waking up dead and a vampire.
He knew of people who had tried that. The human either wound up dead, the human once turned hated the maker and ran away from them, or they usually both ended up as Daybreakers.
Cathy sat up with a start, "What's going on? Where are we?"
Cassanova smiled sourly. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but I have no idea."
Cathy looked at him as if he had two heads. "Oh, Christ, I can't *believe* this. You've *kidnapped* me!" She buried her face in her hands. "Why? I'm no one special."
"You are to me," he said before he could stop himself.
She looked up, eyeing him. "Why? I've lived in the same town as you since the start of high school and you've never so much as glanced at me."
"I did, all the time," he confessed. He was going to tell her, against everything he'd ever been taught, and break Night World law. ~For the second time,~ his mental voice sneered at him. ~Boy, you're gonna get your ass kicked.~
Cathy folded her arms. "So how come you never talked to me?" She was taking this better than he had expected. She wasn't screaming or begging him to take her home. He guessed if he'd been interested in a more popular girl she might have been more hysterical. Well, he hadn't mentioned the vampire thing, yet.
"Well, um, because Night World law says I can't. It would mean a death sentence for both of us."
Cathy's eyebrow raised. "Huh? What's Night World?" She shook her head, running her hands through her brown hair. "Something supernatural? Let me guess, you're a vampire and vampires aren't supposed to love human girls?"
Cassanova smiled without humour. "Yes, actually."
Cathy snorted. "What'd you do? Bring me out here to change me."
"Again, yes."
She glanced at him. He kept his expression calm and neutral. She thought he was kidding. She stared at him for several minutes, her amused sarcasm starting to fade.
"Your...dear *Lord* you're really *serious*?" she whispered.
He nodded, and without thinking of any other way to prove it, he showed her his fangs, canine teeth sharpening to deadly points. Now he expected her to start screaming.
But she didn't. She stared at him in awe. "You're...real," she breathed. She shook her head in fascination. "Don't tell me, Tyche's your sire and can't go?"
He chuckled, but didn't retract his fangs. "Actually, no Tyche's a shapeshifter. Your friend Helen is a vampire."
Cathy's eyebrow raised. "Helen? No wonder she goes through so many guys." She folded her arms and crossed her legs. "So tell me about Night World, then."
Cassanova had to stop himself from melting. All his worries that she wouldn't be able to accept him for what he really was had been totally in vain. She was utterly fascinated. He supposed a human society that had grown up with Buffy, X-Files and Anne Rice, all about supernatural this that and the other, maybe they wouldn't be all that surprised to discover a secret hidden society of vampires, witches and shapeshifters.
"Unfortunately, some of the officials and heads of the Night World still live in the 1500s and earlier. The laws are as strict today as they were back then. Don't tell humans, and don't fall in love with them." He sighed. "I've broken both. I guess I never told you because I never knew how you'd react."
~And what happened the first time you tried this and blew it~ his mind prodded. He didn't want to think about that right now. Mistakes had been made, it was all in the past.
Cathy was silent for a few minutes, seeming lost in thought. The hunger that had been growing inside Cassanova was slowly starting to get worse. He would *have* to feed soon.
"You said you brought me here to change me so why aren't you doing it?"
"What?" He glanced at her.
She walked over to him and tilted her head to one side. "Go on," she told him. "Do it. Make me a vampire."
* * *
I'm so fucking stupid! What am I going to do? I thought I could handle this, I was on top of everything, and I knew what I was doing.
Now I have her, I don't know if I want to actually do it or not. I didn't expect Dallas to show up, nor Helen to be on her way to kill Cathy. (Who's absurd plan was that, anyway?)
I just knocked her put, grabbed her and took off. I stole a car and she's in the trunk. I don't know if she's conscious or not yet. Maybe I should have taken Jacina's Circle Daybreak suggestion. Typical Redfern pride getting in the way.
I can't kill her. I just can't do that. I just have to get her as far away from home as possible. I wonder if I can convince her to leave the country with me?
Night World rules might be different in other parts of the world...
God, I'm delusional. Hell, I have been all along. I've really fucked up now.
* * *
Cassanova pulled the stolen car to a stop on the hard shoulder of the deserted highway. He switched off the engine and took Cathy out the trunk, placing her gently on the backseat. She was, thankfully, still unconscious. He looked around, trying to get his bearings.
He'd been lost in his own mind, he hadn't known where he was going, just knowing he had to get away before he got caught. He sighed, and worse, he was getting hungry. He continued to drive until he saw a cheap motel sign. The bored clerk gave him a room, without even questioning Cathy.
Casanova closed the blinds and locked the door. He could start the change now. She didn't *have* to be awake. He didn't know how she would handle waking up dead and a vampire.
He knew of people who had tried that. The human either wound up dead, the human once turned hated the maker and ran away from them, or they usually both ended up as Daybreakers.
Cathy sat up with a start, "What's going on? Where are we?"
Cassanova smiled sourly. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but I have no idea."
Cathy looked at him as if he had two heads. "Oh, Christ, I can't *believe* this. You've *kidnapped* me!" She buried her face in her hands. "Why? I'm no one special."
"You are to me," he said before he could stop himself.
She looked up, eyeing him. "Why? I've lived in the same town as you since the start of high school and you've never so much as glanced at me."
"I did, all the time," he confessed. He was going to tell her, against everything he'd ever been taught, and break Night World law. ~For the second time,~ his mental voice sneered at him. ~Boy, you're gonna get your ass kicked.~
Cathy folded her arms. "So how come you never talked to me?" She was taking this better than he had expected. She wasn't screaming or begging him to take her home. He guessed if he'd been interested in a more popular girl she might have been more hysterical. Well, he hadn't mentioned the vampire thing, yet.
"Well, um, because Night World law says I can't. It would mean a death sentence for both of us."
Cathy's eyebrow raised. "Huh? What's Night World?" She shook her head, running her hands through her brown hair. "Something supernatural? Let me guess, you're a vampire and vampires aren't supposed to love human girls?"
Cassanova smiled without humour. "Yes, actually."
Cathy snorted. "What'd you do? Bring me out here to change me."
"Again, yes."
She glanced at him. He kept his expression calm and neutral. She thought he was kidding. She stared at him for several minutes, her amused sarcasm starting to fade.
"Your...dear *Lord* you're really *serious*?" she whispered.
He nodded, and without thinking of any other way to prove it, he showed her his fangs, canine teeth sharpening to deadly points. Now he expected her to start screaming.
But she didn't. She stared at him in awe. "You're...real," she breathed. She shook her head in fascination. "Don't tell me, Tyche's your sire and can't go?"
He chuckled, but didn't retract his fangs. "Actually, no Tyche's a shapeshifter. Your friend Helen is a vampire."
Cathy's eyebrow raised. "Helen? No wonder she goes through so many guys." She folded her arms and crossed her legs. "So tell me about Night World, then."
Cassanova had to stop himself from melting. All his worries that she wouldn't be able to accept him for what he really was had been totally in vain. She was utterly fascinated. He supposed a human society that had grown up with Buffy, X-Files and Anne Rice, all about supernatural this that and the other, maybe they wouldn't be all that surprised to discover a secret hidden society of vampires, witches and shapeshifters.
"Unfortunately, some of the officials and heads of the Night World still live in the 1500s and earlier. The laws are as strict today as they were back then. Don't tell humans, and don't fall in love with them." He sighed. "I've broken both. I guess I never told you because I never knew how you'd react."
~And what happened the first time you tried this and blew it~ his mind prodded. He didn't want to think about that right now. Mistakes had been made, it was all in the past.
Cathy was silent for a few minutes, seeming lost in thought. The hunger that had been growing inside Cassanova was slowly starting to get worse. He would *have* to feed soon.
"You said you brought me here to change me so why aren't you doing it?"
"What?" He glanced at her.
She walked over to him and tilted her head to one side. "Go on," she told him. "Do it. Make me a vampire."
* * *