When he next opened his eyes, von Krolock had an overwhelming sensation of physical well-being. He stretched and reached to cover himself. The bedchamber was cold, the fire had died hours ago...
Cold?!
Von Krolock sat up. Sarah didn't stir. He threw off the bedclothes and rose nude from the bed. He stood there, analyzing what he was feeling... He was cold, there was no mistaking it. Shivering, he lit a candle and threw on fresh clothes. He needed to relight the fire for Sarah. He wanted to see if he could feel its heat.
Once lit, the flames danced across Von Krolock's darkly handsome face. He cautiously approached the fireplace. The warmth was like a woman's embrace. How he had missed it. This wasn't possible.
He ran his tongue over his eye teeth. The soreness was gone. He attempted to bare his fangs.
Nothing happened. He jammed his fingers in his mouth. They were gone. The chamber swayed around him. He was dreaming. He was dreaming because he had to give Sarah up and he was going mad with grief and his mind was playing tricks on him.
Perhaps his fangs were blocked, stuck somehow. The proximity of blood would make them reappear. He opened the cabinet and took out a bottle. He attempted a long swig and swallowed.
It was revolting. Stomach-churning. He staggered to the fireplace and spit it back up. His stomach contracted and expelled the rest. He rinsed his mouth with water. Still no fangs. They had simply vanished into thin air.
He sank to the floor, elation and fear mingling as his heart hammered in his chest. His heart... He knelt there, concentrating. The only sound was the crackling of the fire and Sarah's even breathing. But yes...he could hear the blood pumping in his ears.
He tried to quell the rising feeling of panic and joy. He couldn't be sure yet. He had to put himself through the ultimate, most dangerous test for a vampire.
With a last backward glance at Sarah, he opened the door to the balcony little by little, trying to fight the rising fear. The slit of sunlight grew larger as he pushed the door open further. It was so beautiful, that pure sunlight. He shielded his face with his cape and cautiously exposed one hand to the light, shutting his eyes to the burning sensation that never came.
He opened his eyes and extended his arm further. Then he knew. He threw open the door and stepped into the light. It was blinding, it hurt his eyes after having endured so long in the dark, but that was all.
He didn't burn. The glorious sun was melting the snow. He lifted his face to the sky and wept, thanking God or whatever had removed this horrible curse he had lived with for four hundred years. Long moments passed as von Krolock reaccustomed himself to the daylight. He kept looking up at the blue sky over and over. He could not get over the sight of its vivid color, the fluffy clouds, and the flaming ball of the sun, its warm rays easily reaching him in spite of the cold. They felt like the loving touch of God on his face.
"My lord?Oh, my love!" Sarah screamed as she stood in the doorway. She ran to him, throwing her cloak over his head.
Von Krolock laughed, his voice muffled, and pulled it off. "There is no longer any need for that, Sarah," and his voice was warm and full of good humor as he wrapped her cloak around her, a voice that had lost all its former cyncism and bitterness.
He smiled at her, his face reflecting a joy she had never seen before and its effect was dazzling in the sun. The sinister grin complete with bared fangs to which she had grown accustomed was gone for good. She backed away from him, her hands covering her mouth. "You are..."
"I am mortal once more. Feel my chest. My heart. My heart beating with love for you." She approached him with an outstretched, shaking arm, her hand sliding up under his clothing to access his bare chest. Her palm flattened against his heart. Her face crumpled when she detected it beating.
She sobbed against his chest and then looked up searchingly at him. "Your face..."
"Is it much altered?"
"The scowl is gone, your complexion is..." She ran inside and returned with her hand mirror. Von Krolock grabbed it frantically and stared at his face for the first time in centuries. He had never seen the terrifying changes his transformation had wrought so he would never know how dramatically different he looked now. That was likely for the best. But to see his face again after centuries was wondrous. It brought back so much. He could see both his long-dead parents in his face. He could see his little boy. But that wasn't all. The grey streaks in his black hair were gone. Was he younger now, than when he had been transformed at forty-six? It seemed so. What was his effective age then? Thirty? Thirty-five? Did it matter?
Von Krolock lifted Sarah in a fierce embrace, with a cry of joy. Then they were laughing, weeping, they were incoherent in each other's arms. He heard her utter a grateful prayer to God.
He echoed her Amen. He had no doubt now that he had found pity in Heaven's sight. Had his wife prayed for him? He would never know.
He carried her inside, out of the cold.
"And now, my dearest, dearest lord?" Sarah whispered and he heard the desire in her voice.
"Now, my beloved, I will make love to you this morning as a man and marry you this afternoon."
And von Krolock lowered her onto the bed, feeling his heart beating strongly in his chest.
THE END