Page 14 of Pity the Living, Not the Dead

“So sorry, love, I was lost in the moment,” I said, realizing my blood wasn’t going to be enough to fight the darkness threatening to take Liam’s life.

Elijah stilled as we both finished, which completely unnerved me.

Was I bad? Did it not go well?I thought it was beautiful. I couldn’t imagine having a more perfect first time, and I saw no one in my future but Elijah. I would never want another man. This sexual awakening changed me in ways I couldn’t explain. While I was terrified, and clenched up as he entered me, his soothing words had talked me down, and once the pain subsided, everything fell into place. At least, for me it did.

“Was it bad?” I nervously asked, refusing to make eye contact with him as he lay beside me.

“What? No, my love, quite the opposite.” Elijah took my hand in his, kissing the top of it. “Liam,” he said, turning on his side to face me, “that was the most beautiful encounter I’ve ever had, an eye-opener. You’re mine now, and I’m yours. I hope you understand the depth of what that means?”

“Not really, but I know without a doubt you’re the only one for me. I hope it’s not too soon to say that?” I asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. In my world I have marked you, warning others of my kind that you are off limits. Vampires are possessive creatures. Does that mean you are not a free man or allowed to have a mind of your own? Absolutely not, at least not in my book. What it does mean is that you and I will be together for all…eternity.” Elijah paused on the word as it hung heavily between us, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.

“Why did you pause on the word eternity?” I asked.

“Liam, if something was off, would you want to know?”

“Off?”

“If you were sick?” he asked, his eyes filled with blood-red tears. I’d never seen such a sight, and it was not only off-putting but freaked me the fuck out.

“Elijah, you’re worrying me. And your eyes,” I pointed at them, “are bleeding.”

“Those are vampire tears.” He raked a hand through his hair and sat up. “Come here,” he said, pulling me against him. His fingers toyed with my hair as he gently kissed the top of my head. “When I drank your blood, I felt something. Something more than our bond. Something foreign and…intrusive.”

“Intrusive?” I asked. “How so?”

“You’re not well, Liam. Not in a flu or cold sense of the word. It is something more than that, something serious. I’d like you to see a doctor. Monday morning, if possible.”

“You can sense that from drinking my blood?” I asked. If this were true, why didn’t doctors and vampires work together to cure the world? Probably because humans would stupidly hunt them if they knew they were real and living among us. I struggled a bit with this myself, even as much as I loved Elijah. I could only image how things would quickly spiral out of control if the rest of mankind knew. Funny word,mankind. A hard pill to swallow as of late, with the horror of the atrocities my fellow man and women alike had caused. There was nothing kind about their actions. Drugs, famine, abuse, even killing others. How are we to be proud when so many are failing?

“I can sense many things from drinking blood. Illness, whether or not a person is good or evil. I can see their thoughts, desires, and so much more. What I did not want to find was that the man I’m falling in love with, my mate for life, was gravely ill.”

“You’re falling in love with me?” I asked, turning my head up, seeing the sincerity clearly written across his face.

“That I am, my dear Liam. I only just got you and the thought of losing you is beyond what I care to handle. It took me more than a lifetime to find you, I refuse to have it end now. I need to ask something of you, and I need you to trust that I have your best interests at heart when I do.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“In order for us to spend our lives together, you would need to be changed. To become like me. I had not planned to ask that of you so soon in our relationship, but if things are as dire as I fear they are with your health, it is something we need to discuss now. You need to know that in doing so, you would be giving up a lot, Liam. It’s a decision you need to make and one you can’t take lightly,” Elijah informed me.

My head was spinning. This was too much to take in. Such a wonderful night quickly going to shit took the wind from my sails. Elijah had treated me with nothing but the utmost respect tonight when he made love to me, taking my virginity and claiming me as his. Everything he did was carefully orchestrated with my pleasure at the forefront, something I would never forget. It was magical, perfect. Only now to end on the lowest note possible.

“Liam, promise me you will call your doctor first thing Monday morning?” Elijah again asked.

“Shit, I start working for my family then.” The thought of this already didn’t sit well with me. To start off any new job needing to call out on the first day wasn’t how I planned to begin with any prospective employer, family or not.

“Please, Liam, tell them you’re still not well. I need you to do this, for both of us,” Elijah pleaded. How could I refuse when he was beyond concerned?

“I promise.”

Together, we dressed quietly, and holding hands almost felt like a culmination of solidarity during the ride home. I knew if the doctors delivered fatal news, I’d allow Elijah to change me, which meant bursting free from the closet I’d kept myself in when around my family. With Elijah by my side, I not only had the courage, but a reason to do so—for us. Whether the wordsI love youwere exchanged or not, they were implied. I wouldn’t be able to keep our secret from Olivia, and I’d need to draw from her strength to get through the fight that lay ahead. At least now that I was an adult, the doctor was legally bound to keep the results to himself as opposed to telling my family. That would give me the time I needed to come up with whatever I decided to share or not share with them.

When Elijah parked in front of the sawmill, I kissed him goodnight, promising to text him as soon as I got back from the doctor tomorrow. At least, I now understood why he never replied until after the sun set. There was a calming sense that washed through me in knowing his truth, dark as it was. While it was still a challenge to fully wrap my head around it all, I needed to try. I could tell it wasn’t easy for him to share what he had with me, but that he did helped erase some of the insecurities I struggled with.

Tossing and turning, filled with worry and what-ifs, I finally gave up on any chance I had of falling asleep and texted Olivia at an ungodly hour. She worked the night shift, so I knew her reply would come whenever she got a break. I only shared that I still wasn’t feeling well and was making a doctor’s appointment first thing in the morning. When her reply came, it was exactly as I expected, as she informed me she’d be accompanying me to it.

I called Dr. Monroe at eight a.m. when his office opened and was thankful he was able to work me in at ten. Olivia met me at the house, insistent upon driving me. I was relieved to have her company. Not only her moral support, but her medical knowledge would be key here. There was no way to erase Elijah’s terrifying words from my brain. After doing a full workup, including bloodwork, Dr. Monroe sent me for an ultrasound immediately. I didn’t expect to hear back until the next day, but it was around four p.m. when he personally called me with the results.

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