Page 69 of Taste of Fate

“Yes,” I said. “Her eyes will go black and she’ll gain a vampire’s lifespan. She will become far less tolerant of sunlight and she’ll need blood to live. I need you to think really hard, Tavi. Is that the kind of life Amy would want?”

She looked at Amy’s body stretched out on the cot, then smoothed a hand over her friend’s brow and hair. Seconds of silence stretched into minutes, and then came the soft sounds of crying. I ran my hand up and down Tavi’s back, but said nothing. It wasn’t an easy decision, and I would’t rush her or try to influence her.

Truthfully, I had my doubts it would work. Every instance I’d heard of a brusang’s turning, it had been right before their death as a human or very shortly after. Amy’s skin had become deathly pale to the point where she began to look gray.

But for Tavi I would try, if she wanted me to.

Her crying quieted after a few minutes, and then she straightened. She wiped the tears off her cheeks in a rough, almost defiant way.

“Go ahead,” she said with a firm nod. “Try to turn her.” Her voice was rough, but strong. She was in her right mind and sure about this.

“Okay.” I didn’t waste time moving closer toward Amy’s head. “I have to give her my blood.”

Tavi nodded but then quickly held up a hand. “Wait. Does this…bind her to you in any way?”

“No, it doesn’t work like that,” I assured her. “Human and vampire organs are similar enough that my blood may revitalize and sustain her with some physical changes. She won’t be in my thrall or anything like that. Just…changed.”

“Okay.” She took hold of Amy’s hand and rubbed her friend’s small, pale fingers. “Go ahead, then.”

“Will you hold her mouth open for me?”

Tavi obliged and I bit into my own wrist a moment before pressing it to Amy’s lips. She lifted Amy’s head and massaged her throat to simulate swallowing.

Please don’t be too late. I wasn’t much of a praying man, but it seemed like no better time to ask Temkra for a little divine assistance. Please don’t let me fail someone I love again.

Now that was probably too much of an ask. Failing those most important to me was my number one talent, after all.

“How much do you need to give her?” Tavi asked after we’d been at it for about five minutes.

“Not sure,” I admitted. “Better too much than too little, I think.”

We kept going until no more blood could be physically forced down Amy’s throat. I sealed up my wrist while Tavi fluffed up her pillow and pulled the blanket up higher on her.

“When will we know if it worked?” Her eyes were already bright with hope. It would shatter me if that light were to be snuffed out.

“Let’s give it three days,” I said. “Brusang usually awaken a day or two after being turned. By three, we should definitely have our answer.”

Tavi leaned into me again and I let her, eager and glad to be what she needed even if it were just for right now.

“Thank you, Cyan,” she whispered into my chest.

I stroked her hair and her shoulders, the need to be honest weighing heavily on me. “I need you to understand that it might not work, Tavi. The best odds for a successful change is around fifty-fifty. I’ve never changed anyone before, so I don’t think we’re looking at optimal odds.”

She looked up and actually gave me a small, sad smile. “It’s okay. At least you tried.”

I was lost for words, and could only hold her a little tighter. Even now, after everything I’d done to her and what happened with Amy, she kept her own desires in check to reassure me.

I’d never deserve her in a million years. But if this did work, I wanted to believe that maybe I could deserve her just a tiny bit.

All we had to do was wait.

Chapter 26

Tavia

The cellar had cleared out of people while Cyan and I sat with Amy, which was a relief. I didn’t want any of them looming while I grieved. While we attempted to revive her into what was essentially a human-vampire hybrid.

I didn’t want to leave her side. If she woke up, I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t want her to be confused or scared of what she would become.

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