Legacy of Blood Read Free Page B

they’ll stay like this forever?”
    “I have no idea, Skye,” he whispered, nuzzling my ear gently with his nose.  “Nothing about your change was ordinary.  To be honest, I’m not sure about a lot of things.”
    “But you said I wasn’t like him…that I wasn’t evil,” I said fearfully, suddenly terrified of the thought of being like Amun.
    “You’re not,” he said patiently as he turned me to face him.  “Dark Ones are very dangerous when they first awaken.  They attack anything they see and must be trained to refrain from violence.  It takes many months for a Dark One to resemble the human they once were.  We, Day Walkers, retain our humanity through the change.  An tAthair Naofa , the Holy Father, blessed our father Aodhfin (pronounced EE-fin) with wisdom and guided him on his righteous path.  He blessed our father and because of that, our blood is blessed.”
    I sighed and looked down at the dried blood on my hands and arms.  “So…I’m really a vampire now?” I asked timidly.  “This isn’t some horrible, fucked up dream?”
    “No,” Archer whispered cautiously as he put a finger under my chin and tilted my head up to meet his eyes, “it’s not a dream and yes, you are a vampire.  But it is a good thing, Skye.  You’ll see.  Being a vampire can be a blessing if you allow it to be.”
    “Having to feed off innocent humans is not a blessing, Archer,” I shook my head.  “It’s a curse and one I will have to live with for eternity.”  The reality of my situation hit me hard after I spoke that sentence.  I was going to live for hundreds, even thousands of years, roaming the Earth and drinking the blood of the living.  The thought disgusted me but also excited me at the same time.  All this thinking about blood had my mouth watering and hunger pains hit me once again, but I ignored them.  I had much more important things to address right now than my hunger.
    “Does Jameson know I’ve been…turned?” I asked quietly.
    Archer frowned and his brow creased deeply.  “Uh…no.  I thought it best not to tell him over the phone.  He’s busy with his tour and needs to concentrate on it right now.  Telling him will do no good; he’ll just come home and want to be with you and that’s the worst thing he could do right now.  They are on the verge of a deal with a major record label and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that for him.”
    “Okay,” I nodded, agreeing with him.  “So, we’ll just have to tell him when he gets back.  Oh God, does everyone else know?”
    “Of course,” Archer answered, reaching out to lightly rub the top of my arm.  “They’ve been very worried about you.  We all have.”
    I sighed and gazed back at the mirror, paying close attention to my colorless eyes.  “How do I deal with this?  I never wanted to be a vampire, Archer.  I never wanted to give up my family and friends.  I understand why you felt the need to change me, but I wish you hadn’t.  I don’t want this life.  What am I going to do now?”
    Archer put his arms around me again, pulled my back up against his chest, and gazed at us through the mirror.  “You deal, Skye.  You just find a way to go on.  I’m sorry I had to do it, but I just couldn’t let you meet the eternal death.  I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again.  I know I was selfish and I hope you will forgive me for doing what I thought was right, even though you believe it wasn’t.”
    I sighed as I acknowledged the sorrow and guilt on his face.  I may have really wanted to, but I couldn’t be mad at Archer.  My being a vampire wasn’t his fault, it was Amun’s.  If Archer hadn’t been there, I would have been turned anyway, but awoke a monster instead. 
    Amun’s name suddenly triggered a strong memory and I closed my eyes to concentrate on it.  I was getting fuzzy flashes of a field of red flowers, the intense feeling of hatred, tan smoke, burning pain, and a