My Beloved (20 page)

Wendy

She tensed on his lap as her brain possessed what he just said. That one sentence brought her back from cloud nine and made her want to groan in frustration. She rested her forehead against his and nodded mutely while she closed her eyes. She felt his hands come up and rub her arms in comfort.

“It’s not a pretty process, but it won’t take more than a couple of days,” he started before removing her from his lap, only to maneuver her so her head lay on his lap and she was looking up at him with imploring eyes. He stroked her hair which made her feel content.

“Then what?” she asked hesitantly. She wouldn’t admit this but a small part of her was looking forward to spending the next eternity with Vincent. Although it was easier to admit it to herself since she spilled how she loves Vincent no matter how absurd that sounded.

He sighed, making his cool breath fan her face gently. “I have to ready myself for giving you the changing bite. I haven’t told you that you are not the only one affected by all this. While you crave for me to bite you, I am addicted to your blood. It gets increasingly stronger with each passing moment. What that means is that the last couple of days, I can’t bite you.”

Wendy gasped before she sat up.

She already knows it’s going to hurt. Her body is going to be screaming for him to sink his fangs into her, but he won’t be able to. “Why?” she asked with a slight tremble to her voice. She was never a big fan of any kind of pain.

He kissed her forehead and leaned back. “You have been getting small doses of this chemical, if you will, within my fangs. Letting it build up will give you just the amount you need to change. It’s different if a vampire isn’t bonded with the human as I am to you. Like Darcy, for example. For me to change him, I had to drain him of his own blood and replace it with a lot of my own.”

She thought it over for a few moments. “Will it hurt? The change I mean,” she clarified as she already knew it would be excruciating just waiting for him to bite her.

“No, you will be comatose, so to speak. From what I remember, it’s like you haven’t slept in days and all you want to do is sleep. It’s because your blood is slowing, much like how you feel from blood loss. I have to time it right though. I can’t bite you too late or too early. Either way will kill you. If I bite you too early, your body wouldn’t get what it needs or wants, I should say, and shut down. If I bite too late, I will give you too much.”

Wendy felt anxiety grip her but Vincent soothed her by caressing her face. “I. Will. Not. Let. That. Happen. Alright?”

Her heart told her to trust him, so she did and nodded to let him know she was okay, he sighed.

“What’s it like? To be a vampire, I mean. I’ve read stories and they talk about how hard it is in the beginning…” She trailed off, half wanting to know, the other half cringing at the prospect. He let a fond smile slip onto his face. “It’s like you’re born again, for lack of better words. Everything is so much sharper than before. Almost as if you spent your human life with plugged ears and looking through glasses that were permanently fogged. Everything smells richer than before. The earth no longer smells like dirt but rich spices that are without descriptive words. Your touch…” He trails off and gently glides a finger down the side of Wendy’s arm, making her shiver. “…is also beyond thinking clearly. Of course, your emotions are heightened as well. That does take practice to rein in. For the first few months, it will be like you’re permanently on your monthly.”

She blushed at that and tried to picture what it would be like. “W-What about bloodlust?” she asked hesitantly. A cold shiver ran its way down her spine at the thought of hurting anyone.

“That is a myth. You’ll feel thirsty as if it were a hot day and nothing but blood will satisfy, but do not worry. It will be like you are a newborn in a sense. Yes, a new baby must eat quite a bit at first but they never eat a lot. You’ll only need small amounts of blood in the beginning, maybe a few ounces about six to ten times a day. And just like a growing baby, your appetite will grow but the need to feed as often will get smaller. In the beginning your body is getting used to everything.”

It made sense to her now as she nodded to herself. “When are you going to stop this whole not biting thing?” she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Vincent sighed apologetically and looked into her eyes. “Now. From now on, I cannot relieve you.”

Just hearing him say those words had her body flare up with soreness. “Two days?” she squeaked out, trying to calm herself down. The thought of it escalating to the point to where she was in school, it terrified her. That pain had been so dominant over her that she shuddered just reliving the ghost of it within her memories. If she wanted to live, then she had to do it.

Vincent kissed her forehead and stood up. “We should get to bed. The sun is up and I want to get you on a more appropriate sleeping schedule.”

Wendy had to admit she was more than tired, even after sleeping a little bit. From Vincent taking blood to what has happened in the last couple of days, it really drained her. She took his hand as he led them back to the bedroom.

“Hold on one moment,” he murmured in her ear, making her shiver. She turned and saw he was in the closet before coming out with a large t-shirt. “You can sleep in this. I promise to take you shopping once it’s safe to. In the meantime, you’ll have to borrow Anya’s things. She did go out and get you undergarments. However, She wouldn’t let me see them.” He muttered at the end, sending Wendy a cheeky grin with a wink. She blushed before grabbing the shirt and murmuring a small ‘thanks’ as she scurried to the bathroom.

Once behind the shut door, she let out a shaky breath. When she looked into the mirror, she saw her eyes were alight with emotions that were swirling inside of her. It took her by surprise but she rather liked the glint showing off how she felt alive.

Stepping out of her clothes, she quickly placed the large t-shirt over her head and untucked her hair that was spilling out. She happened to look down the counter and spotted contact lenses with a sticky note attached to them. It said: ‘Got these for you… used Darcy’s credit card. They’re the kind you can sleep in. -Anya’

Wendy had to smile slightly. She’s always wanted contacts. Not because she doesn’t like the way she looked in glasses but because her glasses always slipped off her face. They were so expensive though and her parents could never afford them. Not caring how Anya knew her prescription for them, she slipped off her glasses and flipped open the carrying case. She was excited to try them!

“Arg!” she grunted when once again she failed to put them in. The last five minutes have ticked by slowly and she has yet to place them in correctly. “C’mon! It’s not rocket science,” she muttered and tried once more. She finally did it to her left eye before struggling with her right. After another two minutes, she finally had them both in. Blinking fast, she saw herself clearly. And she thought her glasses could make her see! That was nothing! Not compared to how clear everything was now! Shaking her head, she jumped when a knock sounded at the door.

“Are you alright in there?” Vincent asked, making her chuckle as she opened the door.

“Anya gave me contacts. Do you like them?” Wendy asked while biting her lip. It felt funny not having to push up her glasses constantly. Her fingers itched to do it out of habit.

Vincent gave her a curious look. “What are contacts?” he asked, looking her up and down trying to guess what she was asking about.

Wendy had to laugh at that. She sometimes forgot that Vincent was new to all this new stuff. “They help me see, instead of using glasses. They’re clear but if you look closely, you can see them,” she explained but her breathing sped up when he leaned forward and stared into her eyes.

“That is so peculiar. How amazing!” His breath fanned over, making the bite on her neck sting with want. She pushed it down though. At least she was able to do that, for now. Vincent noticed her heart speeding up, making him smile down at her. “Come on, let’s get to bed.”

She nodded and scurried around him as another flash of want rolled through her. She dizzily shook her head and focused on anything but his fangs.

When they climbed into bed, Vincent grabbed her and held her to his side. She did feel more comfortable in his arms. She smiled slightly, snuggling her head into the crook of his arms as she was on her side facing him, while he lay on his back. Closing her eyes, she pressed a small kiss to his skin before falling asleep.

“Hello?” Wendy’s voice echoed in the dark. She felt like she was being watched but she couldn’t see anything. She heard a small laugh before a blinding light shone on her, making her squint into the darkness. Trepidation and fear curled through her as she looked out into the unknown.

“You? You’re his ‘Beloved’?” the voice spoke with amused disgust.

The voice echoed so badly, Wendy couldn’t tell whether it was a man’s or woman’s. Her eyes scanned again and again, but she came up with nothing. “W-Who are you?!” Wendy asked with fear laced in her voice.

The ground beneath her shook as the person laughed with a maniacal edge to it. “In due time you will know, but until that time, let’s have some fun.”

Wendy’s heart began to sprint within her chest. The place she was in suddenly lit up, making her scream. Flames engulfed everything around her. She could feel the heat surrounding her and it was getting so hot that it began to hurt. “Help! Someone help!” she screamed and tried to run but everywhere around her was scorched with the red flames that licked at her skin. Tears tracked down her face but soon sizzled dry from the heat before it could make it past her cheeks. Feeling exhausted from lack of oxygen, she collapsed onto the only spot that wasn’t eaten up with the fire. “Please, Vincent,” she whimpered.

“Wendy?! Wake up!”

She was jolted awake and when she saw Vincent there along with Anya and Darcy, she cried with relief and hugged herself to Vincent. He held her close but she had to hiss, making him pull her back to look at her with worry. Her eyes followed where the pain was coming from and saw that her forearm has a burn.

“Oh my God!” she cried and jumped back while shaking. ‘That’s not possible! It was only a dream!’ she thought with tears tracking down her face.

“Whoa, this is some Freddie Kruger shit,” Anya muttered. “I’ll go get something for the burn,” she said, about to leave the room but Vincent stopped her.

“No need.” He bit into his palm and as the blood pooled into his hand, he placed it quickly on the burn.

“Ah!” Wendy screamed in pain and tried to get away from him. Vincent’s face was filled with so many emotions as he held Wendy fast to him. Sorrow, regret, determination, and most of all, anger. The pain was a lot to deal with. Wendy felt like someone was cutting into her skin with a hot knife. “What are you doing?!” she yelled, trying to wrangle herself free.

“I’m so sorry, but I promise it’s almost done,” he said to reassure her and he was right. After another minute, the pain began to fade and he took his hand away. Taking the blanket, he wiped away his blood and Wendy wiped away the tears as she saw her burn was gone. She was still reeling from what happened. “Wendy? What happened?” Vincent asked slowly.

“F-Fire, everywhere. A voice. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female. It said, ‘You? You’re his Beloved?’ like it found it humorous or something,” she said shakily as she shook her head with fresh tears. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about it,” she stuttered. Saying it was like reliving it. Wendy was terrified of fire. When she was little, her old house went up in flames. Her family and herself had nearly died.

Vincent nodded. “That’s okay. But we still need to know what else. If it’s okay, can I see in your mind? It’s painless, only a little uncomfortable.”

Wendy thought it over and nodded slowly. She just didn’t want to talk about it. Vincent sighed and closed his eyes as he still held her in his arms. She now understood how it would feel uncomfortable. It felt as though there was pressure. Like someone else was in her head but there wasn’t a lot of room. It only took a few seconds before Vincent pulled back slightly and cursed.

“What did you see?” Darcy asked and actually looked worried for Wendy, along with Anya. It was then that Wendy realized these people have grown to care for her and vice versa.

Vincent shook his head. “I don’t know who it was, but it has to be a vampire. Only another one of us can have a gift like that,” Vincent spoke through gritted teeth. He looked down at Wendy, and his eyes softened. “I will make sure to catch whoever has done this to you,” he spoke as he bent over and kissed her forehead. She relished in the comforting feeling, his lips on her skin making her nightmare disappear.

“Do you have any clues as to who would do this?” Darcy inquired as he asked Anya to get a cool washcloth to help Wendy clean up the sweat on her face.

Vincent shook his head with a grimace. “Not too many people know about Wendy, at least not of our kind. It’s funny though, how we got a visit today by three commission members and Wendy just so happened to be attacked in her sleep,” he muttered with a glare against the opposite wall.

Darcy shook his head, perplexed. “You think someone in the commission is behind this?! They all may be stuck-up assholes, but they don’t torture someone who hasn’t done anything to them! Especially a Beloved of an old one such as yourself! Do you realize what you’re implying?” Darcy said with a crazy look in his eyes.