Trueblood 01-The-Consolation-Prize (23 page)

“To buy food. Come and see what I’ve bought.”

Chloe tried to push herself upright, struggled, and Luka had to help. He hoped he kept the worry from his face. Luka grabbed one of his shirts from his closet and Chloe held out her arms for him to help her. He rolled the overlong sleeves to the elbow and fastened the buttons from the bottom as Chloe started from the top. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and looked her straight in the eyes.

Now, say it now
.

“I love you,” he whispered and every cell in his body jumped for joy.

Chloe’s beautiful face opened in a smile. “I love you too.”

Luka pressed his vine-covered arm against Chloe’s.

“You are the love of my life.”

The same words came from their lips and their eyes opened wide. The room seemed to shimmer and a blast of energy sent a bolt of molten heat flashing through their bodies. Luka gasped in astonishment and as Chloe rocked, he caught hold of her and pulled her close.

“What the…?” he blurted.

“Luka -- look.”

What had been ugly black lines on their arms were now beautiful, delicate tattoos that circled and twisted in spirals. Luka’s was a rich, dark purple while Chloe’s was much paler. He had a feeling that wasn’t a good thing.

“Guess we’re meant to be together,” she said and her eyes shone.

Tell her
.

Luka smiled and ignored his heart. He wrapped his hand around hers.

“Food,” he said. “You need something to eat.”

He sat her at the table in his kitchen and showed her everything he’d bought -- bread, butter, eggs, milk, coffee, tea, cheese, steak, potatoes, strawberry jam, chocolate, and mint sauce.

“Mint sauce?” she asked.

“Can’t you spread it on the bread?”

“I’ll let you try it first. Can you eat?”

He nodded. “I just don’t need to, so I don’t bother.”

“Have you ever cooked in here?” Chloe asked.

Luka looked around his pristine kitchen. “No.”

“Do you know how to cook?”

“Well, yes, it’s not rocket science.”

“In that case, I’d like a cheese soufflé with dauphinoise potatoes.”

He chewed his lip. He could go and look it up on the Internet. Then he caught her smirk. That made him determined to do it.

Luka tipped the burnt steak into the waste bin. Who knew something could shrink that much and get so hard? The potatoes floated for much of the time they were cooking but when he came to take them out, they’d congealed into something that resembled the contents of a cow’s stomach.

It reminded him of an unpleasant trick his brother Aleksei had played.

He turned to Chloe. “Sorry. Shall I go and buy more?”

“I don’t feel very hungry, Luka. Maybe I could eat a sandwich. Er…cheese, not mint sauce.”

The first slice of bread he cut was paper thin at one end and the thickness of a book at the other.

Three attempts later, Luka had two decent looking slices. He wiped his knife over the butter and barely marked the surface. Chloe laughed. Luka loved seeing her laugh, loved making her laugh.

He hacked at the butter and left one slice of bread covered with holes when he tried to spread the rock hard chunks. He had less problem with the cheese, and cutting the whole sandwich in half he put it in front of Chloe with a flourish.

“Thank you.”

The moment Chloe took a bite, he knew she wouldn’t be able to eat it. He watched her struggling, guessed she was persevering to please him, and then she pushed herself upright.

“Bathroom,” she gasped.

Luka pulled her across the room and through a door. Chloe dropped down at the side of the toilet. The mouthful she’d eaten came back up.

Tell her
.

Luka handed her a wet cloth.

“Was it that bad?” he asked.

“I don’t seem to be able to keep anything down,” she murmured and sat with her back against the tiled wall.

Luka ran his hand along her leg. “I think we need to talk.”

Chloe shook her head. “It’s okay, Luka. I already know.”

Watching Chloe fade was destroying him. Luka fought sleep, fearing she’d no longer be alive when he woke. His little angel tried to eat, but never managed to keep anything in her stomach.

He forgot to eat himself until she reminded him he needed blood; then he quaffed the bags so fast it made him queasy. At least Constantine no longer posed a threat. Dan had called to say Jason had been to Chloe’s apartment and found a pile of ashes in front of the window.

As Chloe grew weaker, she spent longer lying in bed than she did out of it. Her periods of consciousness grew shorter. Whenever he tried to talk to her about what was wrong, she wouldn’t listen and tried to distract him with sex. In the end, she grew so pale he could see the veins under her skin. In desperation, Luka tried to feed her his blood. She wouldn’t swallow.

He knew he had to make her listen. Maybe he’d waited too long, but he hadn’t wanted to force this on her. She lay in bed, in his arms, her thin fingers wrapped around his arm, stroking the twisted vine. It brought her some measure of comfort, and as hers faded his lost color too. Luka understood the end was close and knew he couldn’t carry on without her.

“Chloe? Angel? It’s time for you to listen to me.”

“I don’t hear them now,” she muttered.

“Don’t hear what?”

“I have these voices inside my head sometimes. They make me do things.”

“Make?”

“They keep on and on until I do what they say. That night my family died, they told me to get out of the house. I couldn’t make anyone else leave, but I knew I had to.”

Luka pressed his face into her hair.

“The voices told me to open the envelope with the consolation prize. I wanted to throw it away and they wouldn’t let me. I packed and unpacked because I didn’t want to go but, I was drawn to the Sunset Spa for a reason. And that reason was you. The voices wanted me to help you. I don’t think they were always right. They told me to come to your club and you --”

“If you hadn’t come, I might not have discovered the truth about Selena. Your voices were right.

Maybe I’ve heard them too.”

Luka looked at the dragon sitting on the chest at the end of the bed. He was sure Chloe’s toys had something to do with this.

She tilted her face to his. “I love you.”

“And I love you, my little mortal.”
I want to make you immortal. Can your voices hear me? Can
they make you accept that?

“I know I’m dying.”

“I won’t let you.”

“Are you God, then?” She gave him a little smile.

Luka had no idea whether he could turn her, but he felt incapable of letting her die. At the same time, he needed her to want to live. If she didn’t make the decision, he’d lost her anyway.

“Chloe.” How could he tell her? What could he say?

“The truth.”

“The truth.”

“The truth.”

Luka sighed. “Sweetheart, you’re right. You’re dying and I want to try and save you.”

“You want to make me like you.”

“I want to try.”

Chloe nibbled her bottom lip. “You’re not sure you can?”

Luka put his finger on her mouth, stopped her chewing. “No, I’m not sure. I’ve never done it. I know the theory. I’ve just never --”

“Is this like your cooking? You’ve read about it, seen it done, but never tried it yourself?”

Luka realized the charcoaled steak might not have filled her with confidence. He had to be the one who was strong. If he didn’t believe he could do it, then he would fail.

“I’ll die if you don’t, and I might die if you do?”

Luka wouldn’t lie. “Yes. Not everyone can accept the change, but I won’t let you die.”
Without
me
, he added silently.

Her eyelashes flickered. Luka kissed her cheek. It wasn’t just the blood loss; her organs had been damaged by the continual assault, her defenses worn down. She would have survived what Luka had done but not the attacks by the others and the feeding by Constantine. Luka had no idea what effect the blood of an Ancient had on top of his own. Her death would be Luka’s fault. He’d started this and then deserted her. It was his fault the others had damaged her body. Remorse twisted through his body.

“Chloe, are you listening to me? You don’t have to die. You can be like me. I believe I can do it.

I won’t fail.”

She shook her head.

“Please, Chloe. I need you.” He clutched her to his chest. “I want you with me. We can be together forever if you’ll let me turn you, but we’re running out of time.”

It wasn’t the moment to tell her that he didn’t know exactly how to do it. She sagged in his arms.

“Chloe!”

Luka was as much part of her as she was part of him. Without her, he had no future. She was his love for all eternity. He’d failed her before. He must not fail her now.

“Please, Chloe, trust me.”

He knew the penalty for turning mortals without the permission of the Council, though in the scheme of things, being put to death for that seemed irrelevant. Without Chloe by his side, he’d die anyway. Luka hoped once the Council heard the whole story, this transgression would be forgiven. If not, he’d take her away, find a place to hide.

“Chloe, I love you. Let me help you live.”

“I’ll never see the sun again,” she whispered and a tear fell down her cheek.

Luka’s heart clenched. “You might. I can stay out for a while. My blood is strong. You might gain the same sort of power as me.”

She gave a deep sigh.

“Please, angel. It’s not so bad, is it, to spend eternity with me? Because if you don’t want to live with me, then I can’t live without you. I love you. You’re the only one I will ever love. Don’t leave me.”

She stared into his eyes and gave a little nod.

Luka heard a sound come from his throat -- a whimper, a cry of relief? Yet he still needed to hear her say it.

“Tell him, Chloe.”

“Tell him.”

“You can do it.”

Three voices and Luka looked at the three toys watching them, their expressions different somehow.

“Chloe, tell me it’s what you want,” he said.

“Make me a vampire.”

* * * * *

He lifted her in his arms and pressed his mouth to her neck. His cock sprang to life and Luka groaned.
Fucking, stupid dick
. He licked along the vein in her throat, felt it beat under his tongue, and his fangs slid out. His hand instinctively reached out to caress her breast, teasing her nipple between his finger and thumb. Sending a silent prayer to whatever gods or devils might look after vampires, he pressed his lips to her slow pulsing vein and sank his teeth into her skin.

Her blood flooded his mouth, a hot, sweet torrent that sent his cock into a frenzy of desire. Luka groaned and sucked at the same time, feeling her pulse beat inside his own. Their heartbeats fell into sync and he kept drinking. Luka’s balls ached. How could he be thinking of sex at a time like this? God, how did he know how much to take? He stopped. She looked even more translucent.

“She is not close enough.”

Luka’s heart swelled as the words filtered into his head. His father’s voice. He bent his head and drank again, pulling her life force into him. It seemed wrong that he grew stronger at her expense.

“How much shall I take?”

He sent the plea, but he didn’t need the answer. He knew. Luka felt her heart flutter, her pulse struggle. A wispy gasp issued from her mouth and in an instant he sealed his bite, ripped a line in his chest, and pressed her mouth to his wound.

“Drink, Chloe.”

Her lips were clamped so tightly together, they’d almost disappeared. Blood gushed, soaking them both. Luka pressed his fingers between her teeth, rubbed her gums. She gagged, but he wouldn’t release her.

“Please, love. You agreed. You must drink.”

There was blood everywhere, over his chest, over her face and none in her mouth.
Shit
.

“I can’t live without you,” Luka cried.

Finally, Chloe swallowed, then gulped and gulped and he sagged with relief. The sight of her feeding on him was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Luka’s eyes welled with tears. He smoothed the hair from her face, trailed a finger behind her ear, and watched.

When blood started to roll down his chest, he guessed she’d had enough. Luka licked his fingers, sealed the cut, and Chloe sank back unconscious. He continued to hold her for a while, willing this to work, feeling in his undead heart that it had, that he’d made her like him.

Finally, Luka stripped himself, Chloe, and the bed. He wanted nothing to frighten her when she woke. He was fairly certain that if she opened her eyes to find herself lying in an ocean of blood, she’d freak out.

When they were both clean and naked, and fresh sheets were on the bed, Luka held her tight.

Now he had to wait.

* * * * *

Chloe lurched and yet she didn’t move. She felt odd. Something inside wasn’t right -- a shifting sensation, a churning in her gut. She lurched again. Fear hit her like a bullet. She tried to move and couldn’t. Her arms and legs didn’t work but her insides were having a whale of a party. She vaguely heard Luka’s calm voice reassuring her though she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She hoped it wasn’t instructions because Chloe couldn’t hang onto his words. Her muscles went into spasm, her body tried to turn inside out, and she screamed.

Luka’s mouth against her ear. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Chloe tried to answer and nothing came out. What was happening? Her body twisted, her spine arched until she thought it would snap and then she folded the other way, her head curling into her knees. Ice water ran through her veins, sending her into a frenzy of shivering, then fire raged and her blood boiled. And everything hurt.
Oh God, why did it hurt so much?

“Make…it…stop,” she pleaded, her voice distant, as if she called from the bottom of a well.