Abigail laughs and shakes her head.
“No way, of course it’s not allowed,” she says. “Siring another vampire’s mate? That’s like asking for a death sentence.”
“Then why would you do that for me?” I ask. “What if it doesn’t work? What if they come after you?”
“They aren’t going to come after me. They aren’t going to know until it’s finished.”
“Are you sure?”
“Come here.”
I scoot closer to Abigail. I don’t have to be told twice. I’m not about to give up this opportunity. Not to live forever. Not to be with the men for always.
Abigail pulls me into her lap so she’s holding me. She cradles me the way a mother would her child. There’s only the slightest bit of fear pulsing through my veins. Mostly, I’m calm.
“It’s going to hurt,” she says.
“Okay.”
“It won’t feel like when the men were feeding from you.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” she laughs, shaking her head. “When it’s with your mates, it’s amazing. This...well, there’s a reason we don’t usually do this. I drink from you until you’re almost dead, and then you drink from me. Then it’s going to hurt more, and more, and more.”
“Okay,” I nod.
I’m ready.
At least, I think I am.
I’m probably never really going to be all the way ready. How could I be? How could anyone be ready for something like this?
I close my eyes and wait. Abigail leans toward my neck. I can feel her breath on my skin, and then she pierces me, and I start to scream. Her hand covers my mouth instantly. She can’t alert her brother or the other men, after all, but she was right.
It fucking hurts.
She sucks, draining my blood, drinking from me. I can tell immediately that this is different: serious. She’s doing something to me and I’m starting to feel dizzy and tired and wondering if this was the right choice, but even if it’s not, it’s too late to say goodbye.
“Drink,” she says, and I feel her wrist in my mouth. She’s cut it somehow. I know because I can taste the sweetness of her blood on my mouth, and I drink greedily, sucking down what she’s offering me. My throat hurts, and it’s dry, but the blood helps.
Then I close my eyes, and my entire body aches. Abigail might be talking to me. I’m not sure. Time is passing, maybe. I can’t quite tell. All I know is that right now, everything feels warm, and weird, and hot, and then suddenly, everything feels very, very cold.
I open my eyes, and she’s still there.
It’s dark outside, and the stars are shining.
“It fucking worked,” she whispers, and she holds her hand to her chest. “I can’t believe it. It worked.”
“What?” I whisper. I start to move away, but Abigail shakes her head.
“Don’t move. You’ll be too weak. You can’t move just yet. Shit. I can’t believe how fast it was, either.”
“How long was I out for?” I ask.
“Not long,” she tells me. “A few hours.”
A few hours?