Page 81 of Toward Immortal Ruin

It was as ifa switch had flipped. One moment, Eden was lost, dissolving into nothingness. The next, she was completely awake, surrounded by the lush warmth of down comforters and the fragrance of sea salt, and more aware than she’d ever been before.

There was no trace of light coming through the windows. A deep, midnight blue faded across the seascape.

Eden lay perfectly still as she took stock of her body. There was no pain. The dull headache she’d been fighting for months had disappeared, leaving her clear-minded for the first time in what felt like ages.

The mating bond to Nero, unequivocal and bright, remained at the root of her being, becoming a deeper connection.

Deep in her psyche, she could feel the adamantine connection that linked her to another presence: Nina. It was a warm, reassuring aura that Eden immediately took comfort in.

Her sire.

Sitting bolt upright in bed with the memory, Eden cataloged every detail of the room with her new vampiric eyes. Threebeating hearts sounded in her sensitized hearing, and the smell of blood lingered, almost cloying, in the air.

Sucking in a breath to locate the sweet fragrance, Eden’s eyes became riveted to a glass across the room, stained with dried flecks. Distantly, the sound of a pencil dropping and a notebook being shut snapped her out of her morbid fixation.

“Eden?”

Nero’s voice made her whimper with relief. As she spoke, his name was a plea on her lips, “Nero.”

He appeared by her side, gently enfolding her in his arms as if to verify she was flesh and blood. “I’m here.”

Nothing had prepared her for the relief she felt at his proximity. He was solid next to her, like a rock when she’d been thrown into treacherous waters. Curling into his warmth, Eden gripped at the white dress shirt he wore.

For a moment, that was all she could do. Though it hadn’t been traumatic, she simultaneously felt as though she’d just run a marathon and could lift a bus without breaking a sweat. Multiple conflicting emotions popped into her brain, only to be soothed by the man at her side.

“Did it work?”

“Yes, it worked.” Nina’s calm voice came from where she was confidently striding toward the bed. “You’re a vampire now, Eden.”

Relief made her collapse against Nero before she scented the blood running through his veins. She stilled, inhaling deeply as she struggled against the urge to sample it.

“You smell delicious,” she murmured.

“You need to drink, Eden,” Nina stated. “I can help with that.”

Perching on the end of the bed now, Eden’s sire extended her hand. She didn’t need to offer twice.

In half a second, she’d leapt toward the older vampire who welcomed her with open arms and an upturned wrist. Eden’sheart thrummed belligerently as the predator within her pricked its ears and her senses sharpened.

Before Eden could strike, Nina gave her a knowing look. “Do you feel the tingle of your canines? The urge to extend them?”

Eden nodded but frowned at the concept. “How do I make teeth extend? Sorry, I’ve just never had to think much about them as a human.”

“Mind over matter. They are simply an extension of yourself. Think of it as if you were flexing and opening your hands. They will respond to your command.” A gentle smile. “Try.”

Focusing hard on her task, she ran her tongue over the tips of her canines, willing them to extend. The result was instantaneous, the sharp teeth lengthening in her mouth.

“Good. That’s good,” Nina said. “Here, take what I freely offer.”

Without a trace of elegance, Eden’s fangs sunk into her sire’s flesh. She coveted the nourishment below the surface so much it hurt. Hot, rich, and salty, it satisfied the burning need for sustenance in her gut.

In the past four months, she’d subsisted on pill after pill, and an exhausting supplement regimen. Every morning, her first thought had been to locate the twelve tablets that fended off the worst of her illness. Waking up to the taste of Nina’s blood instead of the bitter aftertaste of cancer drugs was bliss.

After what seemed like hours, Nina’s gentle hand settled on her shoulder. “Enough for now, Eden.”

Though her gluttony would’ve seen her snarl and bite deeper, her higher reasoning won out. She retracted her fangs from Nina’s wrist. Then, hesitantly, the world’s newest vampire brushed her tongue over the beading puncture wounds. They disappeared as though they were never there.Magic.

“How are you feeling?”

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