Love is Cold

Fangs

          I darted over to Aria. She was just lying on the floor, limp. I had to throw Gillian's, still failing, body away from her. He landed in a crumpled heap and bust into ashes. I propped her head up and cradled her in my arms. My eyes welled with tears.

          "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, Aria. It shouldn't be you. It shouldn't be you and our baby," I sobbed.

          "It's ok, Leo. Don't blame yourself," she said trying to ease my pain. She coughed, blood dribbling down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb. Then, she grabbed her sword. "I want you to take this. It will keep me with you forever. Tell Darby I love her." 

          "I love you, Aria," I whispered. We had our last kiss, before her long sleep. I went against her wishes and put her sword in her sheath. I slung her over my right shoulder. I did the same to Guthry. At the base of the mountain, the storm was over. I dug out the cart and detached it from the preserved horse. I dumped out all of the logs and layed the bodies in it. I pulled it back to Sapphiros.

* * *

          I woke up in the Sapphirian Royal Infirmary. Everything was blurry, at first, and I was incredibly sick to my stomach. I was attached to all sorts of magic machines and surrounded by flowers.

          I checked my chest for stitches. All I found was a scar. My skin felt cold and I was thin. I proceeded to unhitch all of the wires. That made all the machines beep, as if to scold me. Then, I realized I wasn't on the bed. I was hovering almost an inch from the covers. That's when I grabbed the side of my neck.

          There, I felt the scabs and dried blood. I had two, relatively new, holes in the left side of my neck. My hand darted to my mouth. I felt the tips of my canines. They had grown dramatically.

          Piecing it all together took no time at all. Quick healing, cold body, floating, holes in my neck, and fangs. I couldn't believe it. Leo saved me, by turning me into a vampire. He might have gone against my wishes, but I'm here.

* * *

          The beeping woke me up around midnight. It only meant one thing for me. Aria hadn't survived the transformation. I had bit her before bringing her home. I guess that she wasn't strong enough.

          I followed the doctors and Guthry into where she was. I was terrified by what I thought I'd see, but I went any way. I didn't want to see her die twice. Once was enough for my eternity.

          I recalled the day she was stabbed vividly. After we kissed, I bit her, in hopes to save her. Then, I rushed both her and Guthry back to the castle. The nurses and doctors swarmed us. They took both of them away. I sat down in the hall, while one of the guards questioned me about our adventure. I told him everything and continued to sit there. One doctor brought me a chair and blood from a recently deceased patient.

          I had a message sent to Darby. The second she saw me, she slapped me across the face. She accused me of killing her baby sister. She broke down in the hall and fell to her knees, sobbing. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and told her about Ulric and that I bit her, to save her.

          "You're a good man, Creed," Darby sniffled. "She has to make it. She's your girl, too." She hugged me back.

          "She's not going to be a mom, Darby. She's dieing with our baby. I'm no good man," I told her.

          "If she chose that with you, she trusts you. You, also, saved her and Guthry. That's what makes you a good man." She strokes my hair. "Thank you." Darby was allowed to see Aria. I couldn't, due to precautions for each our own health.

          The prince came out of treatment, first. He made a full recovery in twelve days. He wears special gloves to cover up the spot where his finger used to be. He proceeded to go back in and help Aria. I told him what to check for. He was surprised when I mentioned to do a pregnancy test on her.

          "You should know that the magic requaired is only sixty-eight percent accurate, and that's on mortals. There's no way to know how it will work, if Aria is in going through a vampiric transformation," argued Guthry.

          I growled, "Do it anyway. I need to know." Guthry disappeared into the infirmary. When he came back out, he shook his head. My baby was gone. That was some time ago.