Darren opened his eyes to see Kuri's face above him, streaked with tears.
He lurched out of the coffin and reached for her. "Kuri! Hey don't cry!"
She looked up, sniffed, and tackled him, knocking him back into the coffin. Darren stumbled. She was so strong!
"Darren you're alive!" Kuri was laughing.
"We tried to tell you but you don't listen." Reiko said.
"No need to stay here. The two of you can take a walk while Reiko and I fill in this hole." Larten said.
Kuri grabbed Darren's hand and they walked through the graveyard.
"So you did all this to save Steve." Kuri said. "That makes sense. I saw his death was coming. Without your help his life would have ended."
Suddenly Steve attacked Darren, putting a stake to his heart.
"You took everything away! My dreams!" Steve said, a stake at Darren's heart.
Kuri was suddenly behind Steve a blade to his throat. "Drop it Steve."
Steve dropped the stake, but then cut his palm. "I promise. I promise on this blood that I'll take you down Darren Shan! And you Kuri! You should have been mine!"
"I made my choice!" Kuri hissed.
"It was wrong!" Steve growled back. "You'll see. You'll all see!"
He ran away and Kuri looked at Darren. "I could have him followed."
He gave her a look. "He was terrified. His body was shaking. He might still grow up normal. He could be ok after all this. I don't want another person to go down this road. It's bad enough that you..."
He traced the mark on her head.
Larten and Reiko walked over and helped them up.
Darren listened as the vampire explained about their visit from Nyx, Goddess of Night, and Kuri showed him her filled in tattoo as proof.
"So that's what she meant…" Kuri mentioned. "As long as I'm around one or both of you, I won't reject the Change!"
Larten was quiet, not telling either of them what his intentions were for Reiko, Kuri and Darren.
"Well, I'm famished.." Larten smirked at the two of them. "Why don't we go find something to dine on, hm?"
xxx
Kiana lay on a marble slab in the lower area of the school. She felt cold. She must be in some kind of morgue. That's right, she was dead.
She couldn't move her limbs. She remembered hearing that conversation between Kurda and Neferet. He got angry. Where was he?
Kurda.
The earth below, her affinity, trembled at her deep longing. The shadows scattered as she used her power of earth to push the door open with a pop! of broken mortar and marble. Then Rei ran, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
She was pale as a ghost. Her eyes red as her hair, reflecting her intense hunger. And on her forehead…a red crescent tattoo!