Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1 (35 page)

“Sounds familiar,” I replied, laughing, as I looked at Annie and she smiled. Then I turned my attention back to Rick. “I hate to break this up, but let’s find Zac before Drake finds us,” I said, smiling, happy that after all these years, Rick and Annie had finally found each other.

“Right,” Annie replied, smiling, then at vamp speed, she was at the wall covered with metal doors. She opened one and it was a refrigerator. “Here, let’s power up,” she said, throwing each of us a blood bag. We quickly drained them, then she threw another to Rick.

Then my attention turned to the blonde youth still writhing in pain strapped to the table.  “What are we going to do with him?” I asked Rick, nodding toward the youth.

“Let’s take him with us,” Rick said.

I nodded, then we both turned to face him as he screamed in pain.

“You’re turning into a vampire,” Rick began, stepping closer to the youth as I broke the cuffs around his wrists, ankles, and waist.  “You’ll be super strong, but your throat will always burn with thirst …” Rick continued, trying to explain to the blonde teenager writhing in pain on the table, as Annie gathered the bodies and threw them into a pile in a corner of the room, then struck a match, ready to throw it on the pyre.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a voice said from across the room. I feared the worst as my heart suddenly sank. For standing in the door was Drake, holding Zac in front of him as a shield with a machete at his throat.

“My God, don’t!” I said, when Rick suddenly grabbed my arm, holding me back.

“Don’t do what, love? Kill your boyfriend?” Drake replied with a sneer, his eyes flaring a bright green. Suddenly, he pulled Zac’s head back, shoving the knife closer to his throat.

Zac was still human.

“Don’t listen to him, Abbey!” Zac yelled across the room, trying to pull free. He had purple bruises on his face and arms and he looked weak as my blood boiled. “Kill this son of a bitch!” Zac was facing death, but was still as brave as ever. His powerful muscles tightened from anger as he prepared himself for death. Instantly, I regretted not making him a vamp when I had the chance.

“Shut up, kid!” Drake yelled into his ear, pulling his head back further.

“Let him go!” I said, my green eyes flaring as I took a step closer to this mad man. “Or I swear I’ll shoot you where you stand.”

“Not on your life,” Drake said in a low, menacing voice, trying to keep Zac still, who was struggling within his arms. “I have other plans.” Then suddenly, Drake took the machete and stabbed Zac in the side as blood poured from his body. “Choose, Star! And you don’t have much time.” Then he let Zac fall to the ground and slammed the heavy metal door tightly behind him, locking us in.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

“My God, Zac!” I yelled, rushing to his side, pulling him into my arms. “I’m so sorry.”

“I love you, Abbey,” Zac said, starting to fade from consciousness. “I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you, and I don’t regret a thing.”

“Zac, I have to ask you something,” I said as tears ran swiftly down my cheeks, rocking him within my arms. “Do you want to become a vampire? It’s the only way to save you.” And at that moment, I knew I would respect his decision, whatever it would be. Suddenly, pictures of all the men I’d asked that question to during the war flashed before my eyes. Some of them chose not to become what I am, and I had to let them die. And as I watched Zac dying within my arms, I knew it wasn’t my decision to make, but his.

“Will I be with you?” Zac asked weakly, quickly fading.

I nodded through my tears. “Yes, Hun. I’ll be with you for as long as you want me. I love you, Zac. I always have and I always will.”

“Then, yes. I want to be a vampire … with you … forever.” Then a weak smile appeared on his lips as he quickly faded from consciousness.

Within a second, I scooped him into my arms and laid him on the metal surgical table where Rick had been strapped. Then I gently gave him one last kiss, one last human kiss. Then I smoothed a lock of blonde hair gently away from his face as I looked one last time at his beautiful human face. Then with tears streaming down my cheeks, I bit his neck, his arms, his ankles, his wrists, and his chest to try and get as much venom into his body as I possibly could.

Zac didn’t respond.

Then I turned to face Rick, who was watching it all along with Annie, standing by the other burning teen. “Rick, please tell me I’m not too late.”

Rick shook his head. “I don’t know, Abbey,” Rick replied in a low voice, taking a step closer to me. “Time will tell, Hun. The venom will heal him.”

“Why?” I asked through my tears as they fell onto the planes of Zac’s muscular chest. “Why did Drake do this to Zac?”

But I already knew the answer. “Star, Zac’s filled with your blood.”

I nodded, understanding. Drake knew I would change him, and he knew Zac was filled with my blood. Drake wants to see if he will change into a shape shifter. “That son of a bitch!”

“I know, Abbey,” Rick cooed, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, then he pulled me into the safety of his arms and held me while I cried for Zac. “I’m sure Zac will be fine. We’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right,” I replied through my tears, knowing Zac might recover, but he wouldn’t be human. He’d never be human again. “What have I done? I shouldn’t have left him!”

“Abbey,” Rick cooed, gently stroking my wavy brown hair. “You thought you were leaving him with his mother. You did the right thing. You tried to save him from all this. How could you possibly know that it was Drake?”

“I should have known …”

“Abbey, the only way to tell is with a hand scanner,” Rick replied, reassuring me. “And you didn’t have one.” Then he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest.

“They should be standard issue,” I replied, as Rick chuckled. 

“We’ll have to tell Abbott that when we get back,” Rick said, smiling, then he pulled me back to look at me. “Are you okay, Abbey?”

I nodded weakly, then pulled away to look at Rick, drying my tears. “Rick, you need more blood,” then I added with a smile, “You look terrible.”

Rick laughed, letting his arms fall from my shoulders. “Thanks a lot. Well, you look great. You both are a sight for sore eyes.” Annie looked over and gave him a wink, then went back to stroking the blonde hair of the burning teen.

“I’m fine,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Get some more blood from the fridge. I’ll be fine.” Then I thought for a minute. “We have to figure a way out of here.” I looked around and the walls were solid steel, very thick. There were no windows, and the walls were lined with cabinets and shelves.

Rick nodded. “Well, at least we have plenty of blood …  now,” Rick said, taking another blood bag from the small refrigerator. He poked it with a hard plastic straw and sucked it liberally, as his eyes closed in ecstasy. He quickly drained it, then grabbed another as I returned my attention back to Zac, laying lifeless on the hard metal table.

I waited by Zac’s side for hours, listening to the screaming of the young teen burning on the table across the room. I reached down and held Zac’s hand. “Zac? Zac, honey, do you feel that?” Then I stroked his hand and smoothed a lock of blonde hair away from his beautiful face. “Zac, honey, I love you. I’m here with you. Wake up, Zac.”

Rick crossed the room and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “It’s probably a good thing he’s out for this. He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

I nodded, then continued my vigil, holding is hand, never leaving his side. Then suddenly he opened his eyes wide and yelled, an eerie sound from deep within his chest. He screamed again, then his eyes focused on me, “Abbey, you’re here …”

“Yes, Zac,” I replied, breathing a sigh of relief, knowing he was going to live. “I’m here, honey. I love you. It’s going to be okay.”

Then he squeezed my hand tightly, tighter than a human could. “Abbey, it hurts.”

“I know,” I gently cooed, holding his hand, looking directly into his eyes as a tear slid slowly down my cheek. “I know it does, Zac. You’re becoming a vampire. Hang in there. It’ll be over soon.”

Zac nodded, then screamed again, but quickly tried to stifle it.

“Zac, go ahead and yell,” I told him, realizing he was trying to hold back his screams, not for himself, but for me. “It will make you feel better. I completely understand.”

Zac nodded, unable to speak, then gripped my hand tightly again as a guttural scream erupted from deep within his chest.

“Kill me!” the other youth yelled, beginning to regain consciousness. “Please, kill me now! I want to die!”

“Shush,” Annie said, holding his hand, stroking his hair. “I know it hurts, but it’ll be over soon. You’re becoming a vampire. You’ll be super strong, but you’ll have constant thirst …” Annie continued, telling the blonde teen the ins and outs of becoming a good vampire and what it entails.

Suddenly, Zac yelled out again, screaming from deep within his chest, then he quickly stifled it again.

“Don’t fight it, Zac,” I cooed, gently stroking his hair from his face. “Go ahead and scream.”

Then he shook his head just as a scream erupted from deep within his chest. Over the time he burned, he screamed when he needed to, but then tried to stifle them when he could. He never once asked me to kill him, though. And I sat beside him through it all, holding his hand, beside his burning bed.

“Who are you?” the blonde teen finally asked, no longer screaming.

“My name is Annie, and this is Rick, and that is Star and Zac over there. How do you feel?” Annie asked with concern in her eyes. Rick was at his other side of the metal table. Then she asked, “What’s your name?”

“John,” he answered, obviously trying to control the pain. “Jonathan Ryan.”

Annie smiled. “Nice to meet you, John.”

“How do you feel?” Rick asked, concern lighting his face. “Is the pain gone yet?”

“No, but it’s lessening,” John replied, then added. “I can handle it.”

Rick nodded and smiled. “It’ll be over soon.” Then he thought for a moment and added. “I’m so sorry you had to go through this.”

“What happened to me?” John asked, trying to control the pain.

“You were injected by a mad man with my venom,” Rick replied. “You’re becoming a vampire.”

John laughed without humor. “I remember you and Annie telling me that, but I didn’t believe you. Vampires are just myth, right?”