Never

Chapter 24: Hesitance

Thaddeus's POV:

Christine stood in front of me, her hands together in a plea. Truth was, I was going to help her go out in the sun again. I just liked making people squirm. It made it less likely they'd fuck up again.

"No more turning anyone," I said, drumming my fingers against my crossed arms.

She shook her head. "Of course not. Never again."

I didn't care if vampires turned others, as long as they actually taught them what they were supposed to and didn't turn someone unwilling or too young. Christine turned eight fourteen year-olds then left them to figure it out on their own. It may have been two centuries ago, but she almost revealed us to the human world with that stunt and six of them ended up dying. I wasn't fucking around with this shit and I didn't like she got six kids killed because she was reckless.

Revealing us to the world would put all of us in danger. It wasn't something I took lightly. Especially since she was a vampire turned by my brother, Edmund, before he died. In a twisted way, she was my responsibility now he wasn't here. The wanker.

"If I hear you're one toe out of line, I don't do second chances," I said, tossing her a box.

She opened the box and pulled out the small vial, frowning. "This is temporary."

It was a brew put together by Kristoff, something that would allow protection from the sun for a few days at a time. Only a few drops were necessary for it to work, so if she made it through the entire vial without incident, I'd reconsider a more permanent option.

"So is my trust when it comes to you."

She sighed but nodded. "Okay. How long until I get something more permanent?"

"Depends on how trustworthy you are. Won't be long as long as you stick to the rules we agreed on."

"All right."

She was disappointed. I couldn't find it in me to care. She wasn't my favorite person to begin with, the stunt with the kids just pushed it over the edge.

"Thanks for not killing me, I guess," she said, opening the vial and letting a couple drops fall on her tongue. She inhaled deeply and her skin glowed for a moment before she exhaled. A smile pulled on her lips and she moved to the window, tentatively sticking her fingers in the sunbeam. No burn. Her smile grew and she moved in front of the window, closing her eyes. "I missed the sun."

While I didn't care she suffered for her poor decisions, I understood the sentiment. Cold was a constant state for us except in the sun. A steady supply of warmth.

Thinking of the sun reminded me why my taking away her ability to be in the sun was the punishment I chose. She was a botanist before she turned. Her life was all about plants and the sun. Roses in particular, if I remembered correctly.

"You still doing the gardening thing?" I asked.

"I've been doing it inside with lamps," she nodded. "But now I'll be doing it outside again."

"Do me a favor and I'll consider speeding up your chances of having a more permanent solution to the sun issue."

She turned toward me, nodding vehemently. "Anything."

Winter was avoiding me. She wouldn't admit it, but she was. I'd barely seen her since the kiss on her porch and when I did, she was always going the other direction. If she thought she could run from me forever, she was in for a surprise.

"Black roses, are they difficult to grow?"

"They're rare, but not impossible. You want some?"

I thought back to the black rose on Winter's shoulder.