Dying from an incurable disease, Winter Kennedy wants to become a vampire. After making contact with an ancient vampire of the Pharaoh Clan, she makes the mistake of falling in love with a human. But the vampire, Christopher St. John, won’t accept that she has changed her mind and whisks her away to his Alaskan mountain top home. Will her true love be able to rescue her from her final fate, before it’s too late?
“Nice to see you again, Winter.”
The smooth voice of Christopher St. John sucked up all the air in the vehicle. The contrast to the last few days was too much and she was unable to make a connection to any other thought for a few paralyzing seconds. Her brain had shut down, overridden with apprehension and the beginnings of terror.
Finally she found her voice as the vampire appeared in the passenger seat in a blur of hazy movement, dumping her purse on the floor in the process.
“I…I didn’t expect to see you again.”
“Ah, but I am a man, or should I say, a vampire of my word.” His sardonic comment gave her an overwhelmingly queasy feeling.
“Things have changed. I don’t want to be a vampire. I’m getting married tomorrow.” She hated the pleading tone of her voice. She was too stunned by the sudden arrival of the creature and the words spilled out on their own violation.
“Yes, I am aware of your pathetic dabbling with the human. It’s all beneath you. You’re too fine for their world. A beauty like yours comes only once in a thousand years and needs to be preserved for all eternity. That is my quest; that is my service to the Lore.”
“No, no, I’ve changed my mind. I…”
“What you want is not of importance. You are confused—too human. You were meant to call me. As your new-age humans like to profess, nothing happens without a reason. I will help you see the truth and that is my final elucidation on this subject.”
The vampire’s eyes glittered in the lamplight as he placed his hands on each side of her face. She froze once more, her eyes huge, as he bent down and caressed her throat, the vein containing her life’s blood throbbing under the pressure of his cold fingers.
“I thought…I had a choice. That you would know by now that I had changed my mind.”
“Did you really believe that?” His unholy voice was now colored with patronizing overtones. “I gave you too much credit—I thought you were one of the more intelligent women of your species.”
His condescending words enraged Winter and she pulled away violently, only to be trapped in an instant by his inhuman strength as he pulled her close in the claustrophobic confines of the vehicle.
“The pain will only be momentary. Fighting it will only make it worse. Relax, hush, little one.” His voice was mesmerizing as he gathered her close and sunk his lips into her neck. A brief start of intense pain caused Winter to let out a moan and then she felt nothing, thought nothing, as the vampire stole the life force from within her and she lapsed into unconsciousness.