Chapter 6
"Are you sure about this?"
As Elissa asked that question, Peter thought of Charley's reaction, and of the way he had got up and walked away, wanting to get as far away from him as quickly as he could, because he could not believe what he had decided to do, nor could he accept it...
"I am sure," he told her as they stood together in her bedroom, "But it does hurt that Charley Brewster walked away like he did. I thought he would understand, but I was wrong."
"Maybe its for the best," Elissa told him, "I mean, you were close friends at a time when vampires had to be killed. Now you are becoming a vampire, perhaps that is something he could never, ever have understood – it is best if he walks away now, if he can't understand your reasons."
"I never thought he would have done that," he added, "And it does hurt. I was hoping he would be there for me -"
"You have me now, you have a family," she reminded him, "And we will always be here for you. Don't be afraid of the transition from mortal to vampire."
Doubt reflected in his eyes.
"I must confess I am dreading the pain of the bite."
"Think of it as the moment you sever ties with the human realm and embrace eternal life," she told him, "It will make it easier. And Jet is right, you must welcome and accept this or it could go wrong, you used to kill vampires, that makes you high risk for crossing over to become one of us. I'm afraid you might fight the process."
And she reached up and touched his cheek.
"I love you so very much, if something went wrong and I lost you now, I would have eternity to miss you."
"That won't happen," he promised her, "I want to be with you forever."
"And you really want to do this tonight?" she asked him.
He nodded.
"I want to get it over with, I just want to join you and then I've got no more time to think about being afraid."
She smiled as desire darkened her eyes.
"There's no need for fear," she said softly, "I will only bite to join you to us, and I will only drink blood that is warm with desire. It will be enjoyable for both of us."
Those words made his eyes sparkle.
"Oh I see, its going to be that kind of bite?"
"Yes it is," she promised him, and then she kissed him gently.
As night had fallen, Charley Brewster had grown increasingly anxious as he thought of Peter and his decision to become a vampire:
What was he thinking?
This man had fought alongside him to kill vampires, and now he wanted to become one of them, just because he had fallen in love?
He thought of Peter as he knew him, and wondered what had changed in him so much to make him come to such a decision.
True, he was getting older, and he wanted to be with Elissa and the baby...
But he wanted to give up his mortality?
Peter Vincent was prepared to spend eternity drinking blood?
Was he really prepared to do that?
And that was when the answer hit him:
No he wasn't.
He hadn't really thought this through at all...
Charley grabbed his coat and ran out of the house with one thought going through his mind as he raced down the moonlit street:
Peter was making a terrible mistake, and he had to stop him...
As Peter lay back on the bed and untied his bathrobe, he closed his eyes and drew in a tight breath as Elissa ran her hands over his body. She had done all she could to relax him, she had run him a hot bath, then she had massaged him with scented oils and her touch had aroused him in such a way that he was still hard and didn't want to think about that massage too much, because he wanted to last when they made love...
But now he was on the bed and she was sitting beside him, thoughts of passion were slowly fading as fear crept back in.
He snapped his eyes open as his body tensed.
"Are you sure we won't be disturbed?"
She gave a sigh as she ran her hand down his naked body, stopping just above his erection.
"We are quite alone, Opal is staying at a friend's house. No one will disturb us."
"Are you ready yet?"
He looked in alarm towards the open doorway, to see April standing there, and then he grabbed the sheet and covered himself up to his waist.
"What is she doing here?" he demanded.
"Peter, I'm biting you. This is something my kind rarely do and for your safety and mine I must have another of my kind present while I make the bite in case I harm you or drink too much blood – I've already got mortal blood in my baby's veins, I can't afford to allow that child to be exposed to much more of it and the bite will transfer nutrients - too much will transfer the wrong kind. And the primal desire to feed will be hard for me to control once my teeth are in your throat."
His face paled at the thought of her sharp fangs deep in his neck, and then he wondered who he was more afraid for, himself or the half mortal child that she carried...
"It's going to be okay," she promised him, and as she ran her hand across his chest he caught his breath, feeling strangely aroused as she slid the sheet off his body and continued to caress him as April stood there watching.
"I'm not sure -" he began, but then as Elissa sat astride his hips and he felt her naked beneath her robe and teasing him with a gentle pressure against his erection, he gave a gasp and could do nothing but sigh as she shifted closer to him, sliding her hands to his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.
"Of course you're sure," she said softly, and as she smiled and he saw the sharp points of her fangs his eyes widened in fear.
"No...I'm really not sure..I'm afraid, Elissa..."
Someone else was touching him.
He turned his head slightly and saw April looking down at him as she stood beside the bed.
"I'm sure you would rather Elissa bit you – after all, you did choose to be with her forever. If you don't want her to do it, I could always call Jet Marlowe."
And they both laughed softly.
"Jet would love to take my place and do this," Elissa told him in a seductive tone, leaning closer and whispering in his ear, "Just close your eyes and enjoy the two of us touching you...or imagine Jet here too...Oh Peter, did you just get even harder?"
He met her gaze with confusion in his eyes.
"This is all very erotic - but I'm not sure if I can go through with it..."
April ran her fingers through his hair.
"Just relax," she said gently, "It's not happening yet..."
And then she continued to stroke his hair as her own fangs began to grow sharp and pointed, and she took in a slow breath, reminding herself that she had already fed, and was here to protect and not to feed...
As Elissa shifted position and he felt her draw him into her body, he thrust his hips gently and gave a low moan of pleasure, keeping his eyes shut as April toyed with his hair as Elissa slowly made love with him.
He did not see Elissa's eyes take on a glow as she looked to April.
"Hold him still," she whispered, and as she sank down and caught her breath as their bodies locked together, and as April gently turned Peter's head and held him still, the side of his throat exposed, he opened his eyes and gave a gasp.
"NO!" he said in breathless panic "No Elissa, don't..."
"It's okay," she said softly, "I love you."
And as she spoke he felt her breath against his throat as her grip tightened on his shaking hand.
Tears filled his eyes and he dragged in another breath.
"I'm not ready to do this...I'm not ready!"
"Shh," she whispered, and then her lips brushed his flesh and her mouth opened, and pointed fangs shone sharp in the softly lit room as he gave a sob and a tear ran down his face.
Charley was breathless as he ran up the path to the porch, and then he grabbed the door knocker and hammered on it loudly.
"Open the door!" he called out, "Let me in, I need to see Peter!"
He waited no more than a few seconds, and then he stepped back from the porch and looked up at the house.
"Peter?" he shouted, "Are you in there?"
And then the door opened, but the tall blonde woman who stood there in a short white dress was definitely not Elissa.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm April, I live here, I'm friends with Elissa," she replied, "Who are you and what do you want?"
He went up to the open front door and looked at her pleadingly.
"Please, tell me the truth – is Peter Vincent here? I need to see him, he's making a terrible mistake -"
"Come in," she said calmly, and she stepped back and he hurried inside.
April barely had the chance to shut the door as he raced past her and turned around, looking about the wide hallway.
"Peter?" he called out.
April hurried over to him.
"He's upstairs and resting, please keep your voice down!"
"Thanks," Charley said, and then he took to the stairs, running up quickly in search of his friend.
As he dashed down the upper hallway, he saw the door to the master bedroom was open and he went inside, but as he went in he stopped sharply, looking in horror at the sight that met his gaze:
Peter was in bed, his face was pale and his eyes were closed. His head was turned slightly and on his neck were two deep, fresh puncture wounds that shone bloody in the lamp light.
"Peter?" he whispered, and as he remained still with his eyes closed, Elissa, who sat on the edge of the bed holding his hand, turned her head and looked to Charley and then spoke in a low voice:
"He wanted this. He was frightened, but he wanted to join us."
Charley glared at her.
"I don't believe he wanted this at all!" he said angrily, "He didn't have enough time to think about it, you pushed him into it!"
"No she did not!" April said defensively as she entered the room and joined them, "He wanted it over with as quickly as possible! He told the vampire king how much he wanted it, Jet Marlowe gave his blessing!"
Charley stood there looking at the two women – he felt sure Peter had not been entirely certain, how could anyone have been certain about something as serious as this, after giving the matter such little time and consideration?
"Are you telling me he just laid back in that bed and told you to go ahead and bite him?"
"It wasn't like that," Elissa said, "He was very frightened. He was crying. But until the second before I bit him, I was sure that he wanted me to do it, as afraid as he was at the last minute -"
"He told you to stop!" Charley said, "He did, I'm right, I know I am because I know Peter! He changed his mind and you bit him regardless of his decision!"
She looked down at Peter as she replied.
"I knew he would be afraid, but he just wanted it over with. He was panicking, that was all. He will be glad he went through with it when he wakes."
And then she continued to look down at him as she stroked his hair.
As Elissa stayed beside Peter, April spoke up again.
"Come with me," she said to Charley, and as he blinked away tears as he kept on looking at the sight of his friend with a bite mark in his neck, she put her arm around him and led him out of the room and then closed the door behind them.
Charley was weeping as he followed April into the front room. She sat him down and handed him a drink that looked and smelled like brandy, and he placed it on the table and wiped his tearful eyes.
"I'm too late."
April sat beside him and looked at him kindly.
"What has happened tonight is a good thing, Charley. Your friend will live forever."
Charley blinked away more tears as he thought about the impossible situation he was faced with.
"I won't believe he wanted this until he looks me in the eye and tells me so! He said he wanted to join Elissa, he told me about the baby too – but I just walked away, that was down to me, not staying around to talk him out of it. But I didn't think he would go through with it! I thought if I got here in time -"
"You would have saved him from what?" April asked, "The chance to be with the one he loves forever? To never age, to never die? You would deny him that, you would want to talk him out of a chance of immortality?"
Charley pulled back a sob as his heart ached deeply, blinking away more tears.
"I feel as if I've just lost one of the best friends I ever had."
"No, he's not lost – he's gained so much!"
Charley shook his head.
"I want to stop this but I can't go putting a stake through the heart of his girlfriend, his pregnant girlfriend who he's in love with. I have to sit back and watch him turn into a vampire."
"Yes, you do have to watch that happen," she agreed, but she spoke kindly, "He wanted this, remember that. In time, you will accept it. I can see that you're very close – there is no reason for his choice to destroy your friendship."
Charley still felt shocked by the sight of Peter in that bed, with the bite mark in his neck. He picked up the glass and drank from it, and the brandy burned his throat as it went down, but it took the edge off the chill that ran through his body.
"It's real," he said in surprise.
April smiled.
"We do enjoy some food and drink – mainly the finer things - not all vampires exclusively feed on blood, we still retain a few human likes, you know."
"I didn't know that," he replied honestly, and he wiped his eyes again, "But I won't believe he wanted this to happen until he tells me that. I need to hear it from him, not from anyone else."
She nodded.
"Fine," she replied, "And you can see him, of course you can – when he wakes, he will explain everything to you."
And Charley drank some more of the brandy and sat there in silence, wondering how much he had heard was truth and how much was a lie – and how much of this situation he could handle, because he still could not accept that Peter Vincent the vampire killer had decided to embrace an eternity of drinking blood...
Peter woke slowly from a sleep that had been deep, and his neck throbbed painfully and he felt weak and as he dragged himself out from that slumber, he recalled brief snatches of vision that had played before his eyes just before sleep had claimed him:
He recalled burning pain in his neck and heavy pressure as Elissa had struggled to hold back from losing control, and then she had been dragged away sharply, her mouth open and fangs covered with blood, as April had told her, Enough...
And he had caught a look in Elissa's eyes and in that moment she had not been the woman he loved – her eyes glowed, blood stained her mouth and she reached for him again as the hunger for blood overtook her.
April pulled her back again, yelling that she would rip out his throat if she didn't stop right now...
He drew in a slow breath and blinked to clear blurred vision.
"Peter?"
He looked up and saw Elissa beside his bed, and then he realised she was holding his hand, and he saw a frightened look in her eyes and the blood was gone from her mouth and she no longer looked like the terrifying blood stained vision he recalled.
"You bit me," he whispered, wondering why he felt so weak, "I feel so weak...I want this to stop!"
"No!" she said firmly as she leaned over him and looked into his eyes, "No, you can't fight this! You will die if you fight this, Peter! Accept it, let the feeling run through your veins, accept what you will become, it is the only way."
And then she ran her hand over his hair and smiled as she looked down at him.
"Soon you will feel much better. You need to feed, you need to drink some blood."
"No!" he said in horror, "No, I told you – I can't do it, I don't want to do this!"
As he looked up at her in fear, she responded by gently kissing his cheek.
"You made it clear you wanted to join us. I know you told me to stop but that was just your fear, there is nothing left to fear now. Have some rest, and when I return, when you drink, you will become stronger. It's going to be okay."
And then she left his bedside and walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
The wound in his neck throbbed and he wanted to get up and get dressed and leave, but he was too weak to move. He thought about how he had rushed into his choice to join Elissa, and then he wondered if it was too late to reverse the process – he wanted to be with her forever, of course he did – but now she had bitten him, the future seemed to be dark and cold as the grave and to think he would have to live as a vampire forever was a thought that filled him with dread.
"What have I done?" he whispered, "I think I've made a terrible mistake..."
As Elissa walked into the front room, she went straight over to April, who was over by a drinks cabinet pouring a glass of brandy.
"I'm scared," she said, "Something is wrong, he's really sick – he shouldn't be as weak as this...I think he's fighting it -"
And April picked up the glass and turned towards the sofa.
"There's your brandy, Charley," she said, setting it on the table, and as he looked to Elissa he stood up and began to speak, demanding answers.
"What did you just say? Did you say he's sick?"
"This is Charley Brewster," April said, "A good friend of Peter's. He really does need to see him."
"I want answers!" Charley demanded again.
"He's fighting the process," Elissa said quietly, "He was afraid when it came to taking the bite and now he's trying to fight the transition. If he keeps fighting it he will die," then she blinked away tears, "The vampire king warned me! He warned both of us – he said Peter could fight it because of his past, because he was a vampire killer. If he keeps on fighting it, he will not survive!"
"Maybe he will survive – and overcome the vampire infection you gave him!" Charley said bitterly.
April stared at him.
"That is such an offensive thing to say!" she exclaimed, "Talking about my breed as if we are a disease! Not all of us are evil bloodsuckers who prey on the living, Charley! What ever you think of us, please leave your prejudice at the door when you enter this house!"
"I don't have time for this," Charley said, "I just want to see Peter."
"Then go and see him, he's not a prisoner!" Elissa told him sharply.
"I'll do that," Charley replied, and he left the room and hurried up the stairs once more, impatient to speak with Peter and find out the truth.
Charley hurried back to Peter's room, and was relieved to find he was awake. He still looked pale and weak, and bruising was starting to come out around the bite to his throat, but at least he was conscious now.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and said his name twice before Peter was able to turn his head and look up and focus on him.
"Charley?" he said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here, I wanted to come back and stop this from happening."
As pain throbbed deep in the bite mark, Peter's eyes filled with tears.
"I changed my mind at the last minute," he said tearfully, "But it was too late. I don't blame Elissa, she thought I was just afraid...it's too late now. I have to live with the consequences of my choice."
"Maybe there's a way we can reverse the process."
"No, there is no way to do that!" Peter said, "And...I'm not so sure I'd want to reverse it, even though I'm not sure I can cope with it. At least I'll' be here for her and the baby no matter what happens."
"What do you mean?"
"My child may not survive," Peter said weakly, "Children conceived half mortal rarely do... but I want to be there for both of them, I want to be there forever."
"I didn't know the baby was sick," Charley told him as he took hold of his hand, "I get it now - I'm not comfortable with it, I'm not sure I ever will be - but I get why you chose to do this. And Elissa says you have to stop fighting the transition, you could die if you don't stop."
Peter was still tearful.
"I'm trying, but I just can't let it take me over!"
As Charley looked down at him he wished that Peter could fight back and win and over come the effect of the bite, but he knew that was impossible. He was growing weaker and weaker, and as much as he hated to admit it, the only way to save him was to encourage him to embrace what he was becoming.
"You have to stop fighting this," he told him, "Please, Peter. If you want to be with Elissa and be there for the baby, you have to go along with what is happening. You have to stop fighting it."
Sadness reflected in Peter's eyes as he looked up at him.
"I can't do it," he replied weakly, "I can't face it, I can't drink blood."
And then he gave into his weakened state and closed his eyes, and his hand slipped from Charley's grip as he fell once more into a deep and exhausted sleep...