A Chase of Prey (A Shade of Vampire #11)(36)

Derek and I exchanged glances.

“I suppose I’d grown used to the idea of turning at eighteen,” Ben said slowly. “Having these last few months as a human… But I agree. I should turn. Rose should have turned too.” He looked down at the table, his face ashen.

“Rose can turn as soon as she returns,” I said, trying to put confidence into my voice I didn’t possess. “We were thinking you could turn at the end of the week. That way, if Rose returns in the meantime, you can both turn together.”

He nodded, still staring at the table. “Okay.”

I reached out and squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to go to school for the rest of this week if you don’t want to. You can do whatever you want this week, while you’re still human. Spend more time on the beach in the sun… anything that doesn’t involve leaving the island.”

He heaved a sigh. “I’d rather just go to school. At least it helps keep my mind off things.”

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “Okay, honey. If that’s what you want.”

“Then we’ll have to decide who will turn you,” Derek said.

Ben looked from me to his father. “Do I have a choice?”

“Why? Who would you choose?”

“Well, it’s not so much me choosing as someone already volunteering. I was talking with Abby the other day and she said she’d like to turn me when it comes time. Of course, she was thinking about when I turn eighteen.”

Abby. While it thrilled me that the two of them were striking up a friendship, I wasn’t comfortable about letting her turn Ben. She’d never turned anyone before and I wanted someone experienced to turn my son. When I looked at Derek, I could see by his expression that he felt the same.

“Actually, Ben, I’d rather turn you myself,” he said. “I’ve turned my fair share of vampires before. I turned your mother. I don’t feel comfortable letting Abby turn you. I don’t want to risk anything going wrong.”

Ben didn’t seem too concerned either way. “All right,” he said. “I guess that’s best.”

I squeezed his hand. “You’ll be in safe hands with Dad.”

Ben gulped, nodding. He motioned to stand up. “Well, if that’s all, I need to go or I’ll be late for first period.”

He stood up, reached over the kitchen table and slung his bag back over his shoulder. I watched as he exited the penthouse. Derek and I remained silent as we listened to his footsteps fade outside on the balcony, the creaking of the elevator as it carried him downward.

“I told you it wouldn’t be a big deal. He’s already prepared himself for it,” Derek said.

I nodded. Ben would make it through. He was a fighter, a survivor, just like his father. “And I guess, when he finds a girl and wants to start a family, he’ll just have to turn back, like we did. Hopefully, things won’t be as dire as they are now… We ought to visit Kyle and Anna now.”

We left immediately, jogging through the forest toward their home in The Vale’s town center. Kyle answered after three knocks. He looked like he hadn’t slept for days, dark circles beneath his eyes, but he didn’t look surprised to see us.

“Come in,” he said, ushering us through to the living room. Anna sat on the couch, cradling her sleeping baby.

We took a seat opposite them. Once Kyle had sat down next to his wife, I began, “We just spoke to Ben. He’s agreed to turn at the end of the week.”

Kyle and Anna exchanged glances. “We talked too,” Anna said. She looked just as run down as her husband. “We were up all night with Jason and Ariana, trying to make them understand what vampirism involves. How they will change. What they will gain. What they will be giving up. Both agreed to turn… We’d like to turn them as soon as possible, rather than give them time to worry. So we agreed to do it in two days’ time.”

Kyle cleared his throat, wrapping an arm around Anna and looking down at his baby. “As for our little one, we’ll have to do the best we can to protect him as he is.”

I nodded. “There’s no other choice,” I said. “Who would you like to turn Jason and Ariana tomorrow? Derek is going to turn Ben at the end of the week.”

Anna looked at me. “I was hoping you would turn Ariana, and if Derek wouldn’t mind turning Jason…”

I felt uncomfortable about turning their daughter. I looked at Derek, and he understood. “I can turn Jason,” he said, “but I think Vivienne should turn Ariana. Sofia doesn’t have as much experience.”

Kyle and Anna looked happy with Vivienne as an alternative. We exchanged a few more words, then got up to leave. I cast one more glance at Kiev before heading out completely. My heart broke to see him sleeping there in Anna’s arms, so calm, so serene, oblivious to the danger surrounding him.

I just prayed that nothing bad would happen to that baby.

Chapter 23: Vivienne

I walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down on our island. The thick forests of sequoia. The sprawling beaches. The dark ocean, sparkling in the light of the moon.

I still came up here every so often, when I couldn’t stand anyone’s company but my own. It was the same cliff where I’d first told Xavier I loved him. The same cliff we’d gotten married on all those years ago.