“Let me go,” Cristian yelled, jerking away from Pedro who stood horrified. Cristian ran over to the taxi, but Anna shoved him back.
“Stay away from her,” she said angrily. “It’s your fault she was hurt because you brought Pearson here.”
Cristian shook his head profusely. “No, I didn’t,” he said vehemently. “I didn’t have anything to do with him coming here I swear,” he said, pleading.
Anna wanted to believe him as she stared into his eyes and saw the fear and the pain. “We need to get her out of here quick,” she said. Cristian took her arm. “You can bring her to my loft—no one knows where it is,” he said.
“Alright,” Anna said begrudgingly. She looked over at the coven, as they stood stricken. “Queen V would want you all to go underground and lie low for awhile. I’ll let you know something as soon as I can,” she said as she got into the taxi, while Cristian took the driver’s seat and sped off.
“She can’t die,” Lisa said.
They looked over at Rafael who lay unconscious on the pavement. “Let’s finish him off,” Billy said. “I think Queen V did just that when she flung him like a rag doll,” Pedro said still looking in the direction that the taxi drove off.
They heard sirens approaching. “Let’s get out of here,” Daniel said as they got into the taxis and took off before the police arrived.
“If you can muster up some of your power to help us get inside unnoticed, please do it,” Anna pleaded, cradling Sage in her arms. She opened her eyes weakly as Cristian helped to get her out of the taxi and carried her in his arms. She used her power of illusion to help them get into the elevator.
Once inside his loft, she cried out as her strength waned, nearly collapsing as he laid her on the floor. Anna braced herself for the difficult task of removing the embedded stake from Sage’s chest.
Fighting back the tears, she pulled out the stake, and blood oozed from the wound that was festering with pus. Her skin was clammy and her face pale. “She’s dying, Cristian,” she said as tears of blood trickled down her eyes. “No,” Cristian said, stricken. “I won’t let her die.”
He looked at Sage who seemed to age into a silver–haired, wrinkled, old frail woman right before his eyes. “She needs blood,” Anna said. “I need to go back and get the supply from the loft.”
“What about human blood?” he asked. Anna shook her head. “She won’t drink human blood, Cristian. She detests it.” She looked at Sage who was fading away.
“I need to go and try to get the blood for her.” She bent down and looked into Sage’s eyes as she was wheezing.
“Please hang on until I get back,” she said. She looked at Cristian. “Don’t let her die,” she said, her lips trembling.
Cristian watched as she got on the elevator and left.
“Let me die, Cristian,” Sage said hoarsely. “I never wanted to be a vampire.” Tears flowed down Cristian’s cheek. “No,” he said defiantly. “I won’t let you die.” “I love you.”
Sage focused her eyes in the room and could see her parents’ apparitions standing behind Cristian. They were silent. She could also see other members of her family that were fallen from vampire hunters, standing next to them.
Between them was a deep abyss of blackness. They were standing on the edge, all dressed in royal garments of gold and black. It was as though they were waiting for her to join them. Her parents wore a gold crown adorned with sapphire stones.
Sage felt cold as she could feel the life ebb from her body. “Sage,” Cristian said, wondering what she was staring at so intently behind him.
He placed his hand on her chest and felt something crinkly underneath her blouse. He took it out and it was the old, yellow, laminated newspaper clipping.
Curious, he opened it and saw the article about Thomas Furniture. He looked down further and saw the drawing of Cristian Thomas. “Oh, my God” he said, astonished. He couldn’t believe the striking resemblance he shared with the person in the drawing.
He looked at Sage who was staring at him.
Her eyes dilated.
Suddenly, he saw a fleeting image of her in his mind. It was like
a flicker of a moment in time, but it wasn’t the present. It was a different time. She was wearing a day gown that was full of ruffles. It was sunrise, he was staring into her eyes, and they kissed.
He then saw a memory flash of her in a different setting. She was distressed as she looked at him lying on the floor. He felt a pain in his chest as the life was leaving his body. The last thing he saw was her eyes. Dazed, he realized now why he couldn’t forget her face, because it was the last thing he saw in another lifetime.
The past and the present had collided, bringing him and Sage back into each other’s spheres to right the wrong of the past. However, in a cruel twist of fate, she is now the one lying dying on the floor—something he would not allow to happen.
“Sage,” he whispered. “I won’t let you die. Not after we found each other again.”
He got up and went to the kitchen opening the drawer, taking out a kitchen knife. He kneeled down beside her and took the knife to his wrist.
“You need blood to survive,” he said with determination. “You need my blood.” Sage shook her head frantically “No, Cristian,” she said weakly. “Don’t do this,” she said.
He took the knife and slit his wrist, grimacing as the blood began to flow from the wound steadily like a stream. He held his wrist to her mouth as she tried to turn her head away, refusing to drink. “Drink,” he said as the droplets of blood fell on her lips. “Drink.” “I could take too much,” she pleaded. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take so you can live,” he said.
He held his wrist over her mouth as she continued to thrash her head in protest. The droplets of blood seeping into her mouth, she began to feel her thirst awaken, grabbing hold of his wrist and bringing it to her mouth. “Drink,” he said. She took his wrist to her lips and began to drink hungrily as she felt her body begin to revive.
Cristian flinched in pain as she sucked harder like a baby suckling from its mother’s breast. He felt himself weakening as she continued to drink in gulps, entranced by the sweet hotness of his blood. Mustering his strength, he jerked his arm away, forcefully falling to the floor.
Sage, now restored to her youthfulness, sat up like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. “Did I hurt you?” she asked anxiously. “I told you I may take too much.”
Cristian sat up somewhat lightheaded. “I’m alright,” he said. He looked at Sage and saw that she was now back to her youthful appearance and even more beautiful than she was before. The wound in her chest healed with no scarring.
The EMTs wheeled Rafael into the emergency room as the nurses and doctors frantically worked on him. John, who followed behind, claiming to be his brother, waited worriedly in the waiting room. He listened as the nurses murmured about what could’ve caused his injuries.
Trying to avert suspicion, he told them that the injuries occurred when Rafael tried to fight off a mugger. He heard a call come into the police walkie-talkies that the taxis turned up empty with no fingerprints to garner any suspects. He thought back to the fight with the vampires.
How futile his efforts were against Sage or the coven. Truth is, the only reason he worked for Rafael was because he had nowhere else to go after he ran away from home, and the thought that there were real vampires fascinated him. However, vampire slaying wasn’t his strong suit.
Being a computer geek was more his thing. The doctor approached him, taking him out of his thoughts.
“Your brother was very fortunate,” he said. “He sustained a broken arm, a concussion, and a cut that required stitches, but it could’ve been worse.”
“How long will you keep him in the hospital?” John asked. “We’ll keep him overnight for observation and then release him in the morning,” said the doctor. John jumped up from his seat. “May I see him?” he asked anxiously.
“Sure,” the doctor said. John approached the emergency room and peeked in. Rafael had his eyes closed and his arm bandaged. “Rafael,” John said in a whisper. “Are you asleep?”
Rafael opened his eyes and stared askance at John. “You disappointed me, John,” he said, barely raising his voice. “You let fear stop you from…,” he looked around, “from killing that vampire,” he said.
“I practically did everything. In fact, I did do everything,” he said. John opened his mouth to speak, but Rafael silenced him with his hand, grimacing. “Our association is over,” he said. “Consider yourself fired.”
John’s eyes welled up. “But I don’t have anywhere to go,” he said, his voice catching. “That’s not my problem,” Rafael said coldly. “Tomorrow, when I’m released, I don’t want to see you anywhere near the motel room.”
John silently nodded his head and began to walk out the room with his shoulders slumped in despair. “John!” Rafael yelled.
Sage sat beside Cristian after bandaging his wrist. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked worriedly. He smiled at her slightly. “I’m fine, Sage,” he said. He handed her the newspaper clipping. She looked at it and then at him. “You see now why I said you remind me of someone I loved and lost,” she said. Cristian nodded his head. “His name was Cristian,” he said. She gasped. “How did you know that?” she asked. “That’s what I was going to tell you tonight before Rafael showed up,” he said. “I even tried to call you earlier on your phone to tell you.”
He took a deep breath. “His name was Cristian Thomas.” “I know that,” Sage said, her body beginning to tremble. “Sage,” he paused, “my name is Cristian Thomas Westmore.” She froze by his declaration, unable to utter a sound. “That’s not all,” he said taking her hand. “I saw you in a different time,” he said. “You were wearing a ruffled day gown and we shared a kiss.” Her eyes welled up.
“I also saw you leaning over me, anguished. I was in pain from what felt like a gunshot wound, and I was fading away.” He stared at her pensively. “Your face was the last thing I saw.”
“It can’t be,” she said, astonished and covering her mouth. “You’ve come back to me,” she said. “I can’t explain it, Sage,” he said. “All I know is that I’ve felt like I’ve known you from the moment I kept seeing your face in my mind.” He took his hand to her cheek. “I love you, Sage.”
They embraced holding each other tightly as tears flowed down both their eyes. “I felt like you were calling me back to New York,” Sage said tearfully. “I felt this urgency to come back now.”
“Just like I felt the urgency to paint your portrait,” Cristian said.
They stared into each other’s eyes and kissed as though they were rediscovering each other. Refraining from the embrace, Sage gasped for air, as he possessed her lips again in a clash of teeth and tongues.
Feeling her fangs growing in her mouth, she pulled away from him.
“Sage, please” Cristian said. “We need each other.” “Cristian,” she started, but he placed his fingers to her lips. “I almost lost you tonight, Sage,” Cristian said. “Let’s not let fear stop us from being together,” he said.
“I have a legitimate fear, Cristian,” she reasoned. “I could kill you.”
“Sage, you’ve already tasted my blood,” he said, amused. “I don’t believe you’ll kill me.”
He kissed her again. “I’ve already hurt you enough by nearly draining you of your blood,” she said, staring down in dismay. He lifted up her chin. “You didn’t hurt me,” he whispered. She sighed. “My love could destroy you,” she said.
“I’m a big boy, Sage,” he said. “It’s my decision.”
He began to kiss the nape of her neck. She shuddered as the desire inside of her grew like a flower bud blossoming in the spring. She closed her eyes as he continued to kiss her neck, tugging on his shirt ripping it with her razor-sharp claws.
He picked her up and carried her into his bedroom, laying her gently on the bed as her chest heaved. She drew in a harsh deep breath as he continued to kiss her neck, working down to her chest taking off her blouse
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, staring at her breasts and kissing them gently. He could hear her panting softly, her eyes still closed. He took off his shirt and threw it to the floor. “Let me see your eyes,” he whispered, kissing her ears. He knew that she was not only aroused, but also her vampire instincts were heightened.
She opened her eyes, and they were a smoldering orange-yellow. He smiled as he continued to kiss her, taking off her pants. She could still taste the sweetness of his blood on her lips. She leaned in and kissed his neck, licking it when she felt the urge to bite him. She felt him tense up as she dug her claws into his back.
She looked at him, worried. “Don’t stop,” he said, taking deep breaths. Their passion enveloping them like an inferno, he ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair that smelled of jasmine.
They leaned back on the bed as he positioned himself on top of her. He could feel her breath, hot like flames on his neck. She impatiently tugged on his pants as they ripped from her claws. “Too many clothing,” she complained much to Cristian’s delight. He looked at her as she lay back on the bed biting her lower lip in anticipation of what was to come.
“Please, Cristian,” she pleaded, lurching herself forward. “Please.” Understanding the need for union, he granted her request joining their bodies as he shook from the pleasure of it. Being an experienced lover, he had been with other women before, but it was never like this.
This was uncharted territory for him. They moved together, their panting mingled as Sage dug her claws into the sheets to keep from shredding his back raw.
She could hear his heart beating fast in her ears like a cymbal as he moaned and groaned, calling her name. She leaned in as the desire to bite him intensified, opening her mouth to sink her fangs into his neck, but resisted with all her strength, afraid of what would happen if she gave in to her vampire desires.
Sensing her struggle to keep from biting him, Cristian lifted himself up to look at her as they moved rhythmically together. “I love you so much,” he thought. “I love you, Cristian,” she said between breaths.
He smiled as the passion overtook him and he picked up the pace; she matching his movements. The only sounds between them were a symphony of moans, groans, and sighs with only the walls of his bedroom as an audience to their love song. Reaching the crescendo of their passion, they exploded together like a volcanic eruption in a wave of pleasure that swept over them both. Their bodies glistening like dew on the morning grass, he held her close as they both experienced the aftershocks of their rapturous ecstasy.