Fall of Darkness (The Chronicles of Darkness) (19 page)

            “Ouch!
Hey, it’s just a question,” Guy protested, rubbing his arm with an injured
look.

            “A
question you have no business asking.”

            “I’m
your friend, Kate, I’m worried about you. We all are. If it’s your business,
it’s our business,” Guy reasoned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and
leading her to a bench on the side of the track. “So, are you?”

            Kate
sighed, “I guess it is possible.”

            “Honey,
any time you have sex it’s possible.”

            “Really?
Even for you? I’m sure women the world over would be delighted with that medical
breakthrough. When are you due?”

            “Funny,
real funny.” His arched sandy brows said he was less than amused. Humor wasn’t
about to get him off her back. “Don’t change the subject. Are you pregnant or
not?”

            “I
don’t think so, but it’s too soon to tell,” she admitted.

            “And
if you are, where’s he?” 

“Waiting,” Kate said the word with all
the misery she felt.

            “Waiting?
Waiting for what?”

            Kate
released another exasperated sigh. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

           
“
Kate,”
Guy chided. “Waiting for what?”

            She
swallowed at the lump in her throat. “Waiting for me to come back to him. Waiting
for me to trust him. Waiting for me to realize I can’t live without him.”

            “You
left him? That’s what this is all about?” Guy asked, aghast. Oh come on, was it
really so hard to believe?

            Kate
bit her lip and nodded.

            “Then
what on earth are you waiting for?”

            “The
same thing.”

Chapter
16

Kate tossed and turned in her bed, restless
as she fought the losing battle against her unsettled stomach. Her room felt
unusually warm for the cool sixty eight degrees they kept the apartment. Her
sweat soaked shirt molded to her body as she twisted in the tangle of equally
damp sheets.

She struggled to slow the constant
stream of thoughts racing through her mind. She’d not slept well in weeks, her
mind churning too fast to wind down enough for rest. With apathy, she glanced
at the clock. Two am, only a handful of hours more until daylight. It didn’t
matter what time glowed in bright red numbers, she wasn’t going to get any
sleep tonight.

It was times like these, late at night, when
thoughts of Dominic tormented her most. He’d taken all the light from her life
when he’d left, leaving behind a gaping void of emptiness and pain. Okay, so
maybe he hadn’t left her. She’d left him, but it was a hell of a lot easier to blame
him instead.

Kate could end her self-imposed misery,
if she really wanted to. All she’d have to do was apologize and beg forgiveness
for doubting him. But she still doubted him.

Not her love for him, that was real. She
couldn’t imagine loving anyone with that kind of intensity ever again. Though she
knew her own heart, she couldn’t trust its judgment. And she most definitely
couldn’t trust him.

Shying away from the longing and regret
thoughts of Dominic induced, Kate tried to force Dominic from her mind. The two
weeks following the surreal discussion that had brought their whirlwind romance
to a screeching halt dragged by like an eternity. Crazy or not, she missed him.

After the first week of well deserved
wallowing in self-pity and ice cream, Kate had attempted to pick up the
shattered pieces of her life. She’d tried to live as she had before she met
him, but was a shell of the Kate she’d once been. Existing, but not really
living, she trudged along in disparate complacency. Ordinary life offered
little when compared to the extraordinary she’d experienced in his arms.

A sudden convulsion rocked Kate’s body,
causing her to clench into a tight ball around the gut-wrenching spasm. Nausea
consumed her. Racing for the bathroom, she collapsed at the base of the toilet.
She surrendered to the turmoil in her stomach, releasing its acidic contents
into the porcelain bowl.

The reality of a potential, unplanned
pregnancy came screaming to the forefront of her mind. That was the last thing
she needed right now. Was insanity hereditary? She would bet it was.

Kate climbed up from her crouch at the
base of the toilet, feeling slightly better after the unintentional purging. Probably
nothing more than the stomach flu, it would pass and she’d feel like herself
again tomorrow.

Rinsing her mouth, she set out on a
mission to find something to settle her stomach. She crept quietly through the
dark apartment to the kitchen, trying not to wake Lindsey.

She tugged the refrigerator door open
and scanned the contents in hopes of finding something clear and carbonated.
Lindsey’s stash didn’t disappoint her. God bless her tiny roommate and her
ability to consume all the junk food and soda she wanted.

Eagerly snatching a can of lemon-lime
soda from the fridge, Kate popped the top. She sipped gratefully at the sweet
fluid, enjoying the delicious feel of the fizzing bubbles sliding down her raw
throat.

Kate hadn’t realized how thirsty she
was. Against her better judgment, she chugged the remainder of the can and reached
for another. Her brief satisfaction ended, her stomach revolting, sending Kate
racing back to the bathroom.

Convinced she would never drink lemon-lime
soda again, Kate stumbled back to bed. More waves of earth shattering pain
assaulted her gut as she lay writhing in bed. Ah, hell. Grabbing her pillow and
blanket, she dragged them into the bathroom in exhausted capitulation. Curling
up on the cold tile floor, she settled in and prepared for the worst.

Hours later, Lindsey patted her sweat
soaked head and told her not to die before she returned home from work.
Friendship only went so far. Vomit was where Lindsey drew the line. Kate knew
this. She grumbled her farewell, but made no promises about not dying.

Kate trembled on the bathroom floor,
with her knees curled up tight against her chest and her clammy back pressed
against the cool, smooth surface of the tub. She couldn’t move from that spot.
Every inch of her body hurt. Though her whole body burned as liquid heat coursed
through her veins, her skin felt unnaturally cool and clammy to the touch.
Every nerve ending prickled with the sharp, stabbing pain of a thousand tiny
needles. Her muscles and joints ached with fatigue, as though she’d finished a
marathon she hadn’t trained for.

Her stomach seized in agonizing spasms,
fighting to turn itself inside out. Though her mouth tasted of less desirable
things, a generous layer of dry cotton coated her tongue. Her throat and chest
burned with each breath.

Though parched with thirst, she still
couldn’t find the control to keep even liquids down. Not even sips. Her queasy
stomach had revolted all morning against anything she tried to give it. Kate
moaned as her gut pitched and turned in tumultuous protest. Twisting around to
the toilet, she dry retched, her body fighting to purge itself of an unknown
vesicant.

After the flood of nausea temporarily
abated, Kate rose to stand on shaky legs. She needed to rinse the awful taste
from her mouth, brush her teeth, and maybe feel human again.

Waves of pain racked her body in
merciless convulsions. They left her gasping for air, for reprieve, for
anything. Doubling over from the agonizing convulsions, she bit her lip and
tasted blood. Her head throbbed in thunderous assault, threatening to explode
as she clutched it between shaking hands.

With bitter humor, she recalled the
fleeting moment when unplanned pregnancy was the worst of her worries. If this
was morning sickness, then women the world over should seriously reconsider
reproducing. Planned or not, the woes of pregnancy would be a welcome reprieve
from whatever ailed her.

Quivering with weakness, Kate struggled
to remain standing in front of the sink. A splash of cool water did little for
the clammy skin of her colorless face. Fumbling with her toothbrush, she tried
to brush her teeth, but the haze of exhaustion made it impossible to focus.

The room spun in dizzy circles around
her. Kate fell, plummeting into darkness. Merciful respite enveloped her in the
hospitable arms of oblivion.

Chapter
17

Kate drifted dreamily between
consciousness and sleep, swimming in a dark sea of blissful nothingness. Coasting
without aim, her mind floated toward the surface. Vivid memories of
excruciating pain blended with hazy ones of muted voices and rhythmic pulses. Mmm
,
delicious aromas had tantalized her senses and made her wild with an unfamiliar,
overwhelming need. Then, at long last, gratifying satiation had filled her.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

            She
lay in a hospital bed, an IV taped in her left hand. Clear fluid infused with
the familiar whir of an infusion pump. The typical cardiac and respiratory
cables tied her to the monitor on her left. Thick bunches of fragrant red roses
crowded the counter tops and ledges.

Her heart clenched. Dominic. Never again
would she see roses without him stealing into her thoughts. Kate glanced around
her room. Roses aplenty, but no Dominic in sight.

Slivers of light from the afternoon sun
peeked through the tiny seams between the shades and the window frames. The slightest
glance stung Kate’s eyes like corrosive acid. Averting her gaze, she rubbed at
the white hot fire burning her eyes. The monitor beside her beeped in protest at
her fidgeting.

An unfamiliar man sat in silence at her
bedside, holding his golden head in his hands. Tall and lean, the stranger had
the long sinewy muscles of a jungle cat. He appeared to be about her age, if
not slightly older. His fair skin shimmered like luminescent gold and his hair
was the color of wild honey. He was the embodiment of golden masculine beauty,
a Greek god sent to watch over her as she slept. Instantly wary, Kate watched
him through narrowed eyes. Unnaturally beautiful men made a habit of wreaking
havoc on her life.

            When
he looked at her, he lit up like a fireworks display, his bright eyes filled
with joyous astonishment. “Katerina, you’re awake,” he exclaimed, the melodious
sound of his baritone voice conspired with a sinful accent to make the
commonplace words sound exotic. Great, another one of those.

            “W-w-who
are you?” Kate stuttered, eyeing the stranger in confusion. He’d called her
Katerina. Weird.

            “I
am Alexander Ambrogio, your
tutore
.” The golden man said with a warm
smile, the foreign word rolling smoothly off his tongue.

            “My
what?”

            “Your
tutore.
I am to be your protector, guardian, and mentor. I am Captain of
an elite sect of the Royal Guard in the service of your family. Your
grandfather sent me to watch over you and see you safely home.” His angel’s
face darkened.

“In that regard I have failed you. I
should’ve been here to help you, to protect you and teach you our ways before
you changed. I’m sorry, Katerina. It never should’ve come to this. I lived in
fear this past week that you would never awaken.”

Genuine concern was evident in his voice
and on his golden face. Kate shook her head in a futile attempt to make sense
of his odd words and her muddled thoughts.

“What?”

“You are one of us, Katerina, a vampire.
Your body just underwent a dramatic biological mutation, caused by the previously
dormant vampire trait in your genetic makeup. Human blood is the sustenance of
our kind. You will need it to survive.

“You nearly starved yourself to death before
the humans found you. They’ve transfused you with dozens of units of blood,
frantically searching for the cause of your rapidly deteriorating anemia.” He
chuckled. “They wouldn’t recognize the truth if it bit them in the neck.”

Skepticism had to be written across
Kate’s face in big, flashing lights. No way had he spoken the truth. Did he
realize how much blood that was? She would have to be grossly hemorrhaging to
need that much.

This was the second gorgeous man in the
past few weeks to tell her she was a vampire. Coincidence? No, there had to be
a correlation between the male sex, good looks, and mental illness.

           
“So, let me get this straight,” Kate
said, lacing her tone with sarcasm and leveling him with her best incredulous glare.
“Just so we’re clear on this. You’re a vampire. I’m a vampire. If I don’t have
blood, I’ll die. Does that pretty much sum it up?”

            Alexander
cocked one golden eyebrow at her, clearly taken aback by her caustic tone.
Still, he was the very model of patience. “Yes.”

            “And
you work for my long-lost grandfather, the same man who cared so little for me he
left me here with strangers.”

            Alexander
pinched the bridge of his nose and sucked in a deep breath, his careful
patience apparently wearing thin.

“Yes.” Kate opened her mouth to resume
her scathing review, but was interrupted by his addition of, “and no, Katerina.

            “Gustavo
Cacciatori would walk through fire for you. He left you here for your own
protection. Had you returned, you would ‘ve been a weak, vulnerable child,
caught up in the very center of a violent war. Gustavo decided you should grow
strong before you returned to reclaim your heritage.

“He is a great leader. I would proudly
die serving him. Don’t be so swift to judge things you don’t understand.”

Kate felt good and chastised, like a
petulant child after a temper tantrum. Man, were this guy’s undies in a bunch.
She waited in guarded silence as the fire blazing in his gold eyes settled and
his ire slowly dissipated.

            “Katerina,
I understand. Really, I do. You feel lost and betrayed. You’re hurt and upset,
terrified of the unseen hand you’ve been dealt.

But I need you to understand something.
Now is not the time for rebellion. Swift acceptance of your new life is imperative
to your survival.” Alexander spoke softly, his words smooth as silk, but Kate
detected a thinly veiled threat in his words.

            “So
convince me,” she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. With a sigh,
Alexander reached for the call button attached to her bed. Kate started to
protest, but he silenced her with an upraised finger, indicating for her to
wait.

            After
a few short minutes, the nurse walked in. Beaming like a human ray of sunshine
in her bright yellow scrubs and white sneakers, the round, middle-aged woman had
a friendly, boisterous disposition. Kate would’ve liked her under most circumstances.
This wasn’t one of them.

            “You’re
awake at last. I’ll have to let Dr. Savage know right away. Is there anything
you need hon’?”

At least that’s what she might have
said. Kate couldn’t hear her. From the moment the woman entered the room, Kate
couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. An unfamiliar stirring rose from deep within
her. A dark and powerful creature awakening, roused to life by the promise of
warm blood.

The tantalizing rhythm of the woman’s heart
pulsed in her ears. The tempting flow of warm blood called to her with each wet
thump. The sound, combined with the delectable aroma of the woman’s essence,
caused Kate’s incisors to sharpen, saliva flooding her mouth. A desperate need
to feed clawed at her stomach as her throat burned with thirst.

Her muscles tensed to pounce on her
unsuspecting prey. But Alexander laid a firm hand of restraint on her arm and
smiled at the nurse.

            “No,
thank you,” he said politely, squeezing Kate’s arm. Hard. “That’s all we
needed.”

            “Alright
then, if you change your mind, let me know. My name’s Lynne and I’ll be your
nurse all day,” the woman said brightly.

Seeming to sense Kate’s tension, Lynne
turned to her. “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure your young man here will take good
care of you. He hasn’t left your side since you got here,” she said. With a
conspiratorial wink and a stage whisper, the nurse added, “He’s a keeper.”

Kate stared back at her in glassy eyed
silence, calculating the odds of escaping Alexander’s vise-like grip and making
it across the room in time to catch the nurse before she could make her escape.
Or scream for help. Not great odds, but definitely worth the risk.

As though sensing her train of thought,
Alexander rose from his chair to sit on the edge of the bed, his agile frame
tensed in readiness should he need to truly restrain her. The creature within
her snarled in protest as the woman bounced out of the room. Kate’s head slowly
cleared of the thick red haze of thirst clouding her mind.

Whipping around to face Alexander, Kate
gaped at him in horror. “What was that?” she choked out, trembling with fear
and the remnants of adrenaline within a predator on the hunt.

Her fragile sense of reality had
shattered beyond repair. She couldn’t deny the truth. Thirst for human blood had
consumed her, would’ve driven her to kill, had Alex not restrained her. Kate
shuddered in revulsion.

            “Your
proof,” Alexander said with a smug grin. “You’re not even thirsty and you were
ready to tear her throat out.” He chuckled. “You’re feistier than I thought.”

            Kate
opened her mouth to deny his appalling accusation, but couldn’t form the words
to defend herself. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Where that
left her, she wasn’t quite sure. She had so many questions, but wasn’t sure she
wanted to hear the answers to any of them.

“That wasn’t the worst of it?”Kate gasped,
her voice tight with panic. “How do I make it stop?”

She couldn’t exactly go around thirsting
for people’s blood. Someone could get hurt. What about her family? Her friends?
Her patients?

            “No,”
Alexander said with a shake of his head. “Had you been thirsty, there would’ve
been nothing I could’ve done to stop you. When the thirst takes over, nothing
matters but the voracious need for blood. There is no way to stop it. However,
if you keep yourself well fed, you may learn restraint over time.”

Kate blinked at him in stunned silence. He
spoke in such a blasé tone. He could’ve been talking about the weather forecast
instead of killing people for food.

“Do you need more proof or are you going
to be a good girl now?” Alexander asked her with a wicked grin.

Kate shook her head. “No. I’ll be good,”
she rushed to assure him, fighting back the unshed tears that stung her eyes.
She would say anything to keep him from calling that nurse back in.

            “Good.
Now, Vampires 101 is all about survival. First, feed as often as you can, but
try to be discreet. Catch, feed, erase. I’ll teach you how.”

            “Feed?
Uh, uh, there will be no feeding—” Kate interjected, her words stumbling to halt
as he cut them off with a look that dared her to argue.

Erring on the side of caution, Kate snapped
her mouth shut and listened. Her heart sank lower in her chest with each word
from his lips. Alexander continued as if she’d never interrupted him.

“---As you grow stronger, so will your
self control and the time between feeding can be extended. Second, direct
sunlight will kill you. You can withstand very brief exposure to UV rays while
covered in clothing and strong sun block, but it’ll still burn like a bitch. I
highly recommend avoiding the sun all together.”

Alexander paused his rigid litany of
vampire do’s and don’ts when the tears began to fall. Kate tried to fight them
back, but they kept coming. His features softening, he laid a comforting hand
on Kate’s shoulder.

“Please don’t cry. It’s not as bad as it
sounds,” he reassured her, catching the tear streaming down her cheek with his
thumb and brushing it away with surprising tenderness. “You may even find you
like being a vampire. It definitely has its perks.”

            Kate
couldn’t imagine finding anything involving vampirism to be enjoyable. She was
a monster, one who must feed on her fellow men to survive. Family, friends, her
life, all would have to be left behind. A normal relationship would be
impossible. She might hurt somebody. The devastating implications of her new
life were overwhelming in magnitude.

Never again would she bask in the sun,
letting the warm, intoxicating rays sap up her troubles. Her whole world had
burned to ashes in the blink of an eye. She was no longer Kate Murdock, human,
but Katerina Cacciatori, vampire. Bowing her head, she mourned the sudden death
of her humanity.

            Boring
a hole in the ground, Kate muttered, “Got any more good news?”

“You are to stay by my side at all times
and must obey my every instruction. This is for your own protection. There are
those out there who would stop at nothing to kill you.”

Great. Now she was a monster and a
prisoner with a price on her head. The pity in Alexander’s leonine eyes only
made her feel worse.

“Any questions?” He asked.

“Yeah. What’s the deal with all the
roses?”

Alexander’s golden brows arched in
question. “I was hoping you could tell me the same thing. It would seem, based
on this embarrassing display of roses, that you have an ardent admirer.”