Page 29 - Contrast1992Fall

coul.d hardly translate in her fear, Eric switched to English. "I do not want
~Olkillyou. 1 would just like to share this lonely eternity with someone as
u Iof passions as I."

Angelique shifted her gaze between Eric's now-terrifying visage and the
blood on her hand. "I... just don't know," she sobbed. Tears started to run
as she realized the choice before her. Eternal life as a vampire?, she
~houg~t, or a mortal existence forever knowing what I refusedl She looked
into hIS eyes, her blue ones locking with his green ones. She imagined she
could see countless years of isolation, looking for the one. She took his
hand into hers. "I just have to know, why me?" she asked in a small voice.

. He clasped her hand between his slender fingers and lifted it to his lips,
hIS tongue licking at the blood. "When 1 saw you, 1 knew your inner
strength and your fiery passions. They can only be enhanced by the

transition.
She grinned weakly. "I guess it was this 'inner strength' that kept me

from screaming too, eh?" She moved closer, ignoring the throbbing in her
neck. "When 1 saw you, 1 thought you were the most gorgeous guy 1 have
ever seen, and your kiss brought out feelings that 1 haven't felt in so long, if
ever. I'm not trying to be trite or anything, but if 1 didn't know better, I'd
sa.y it was love at first sight." She took a deep breath and said, "Yes, Eric. 1

Will join you."
Elation shone in his eyes as he whispered, "Merci, Merci, beaucoup," in

her ear, and his teeth again pierced her neck. The pain was terrible as she
f~lt his mouth sucking her blood as an infant would milk. Feeling
hghtheaded from the loss of blood, she fought to remain conscious, when he
suddenly pulled away from her neck long enough to open a gash in his own
wrist. Angelique saw his blood and knew once she had tasted it, the pact
was sealed. With fading eyesight, she reached for the wrist and held the
wound to her mouth. The droplets of dark red trickled down her throat.
Even after she had only swallowed one, the pain in her neck seemed to fade
beneath the burning sensation in her mouth and gut that the vampire's
blood caused. Eric resumed his drinking, even as Angelique drank from

him, forming a continuous cycle of blood between them.
Finally though, Eric pulled his wrist away. Angelique protested; weak

from the transition, she could only whimper as he smeared the blood around
the wound, which promptly closed. He did the same to her neck, which also
healed, though more slowly. Settling into his seat, he gestured toward the
movie screen. Angelique was surprised to see the movie still running.

Before she had a chance to start watching again though, she found
herself falling into a deep sleep even though she fought the exhaustion. Eric
gathered Angelique's inert body in his arms, and smiling warmly to the girl
in the ticket booth, walked out into the sparkling night of Toronto.

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