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Where was Zack? She glanced around, then saw him near the back of the church He ht off two va a beautiful, deadly dance, the way he est notion that he was enjoying himself, that he could have killed his attackers at any tilanced at her, the exultant s, in her lap

At the sa almost quicker than Kaitlyn’s eyes could follow, Zack ripped the throat from one va at her side, across from her father

"Elena!" Drake called her name, his voice thick with unshed tears "Elena"

Her eyelids flickered open, her gaze unfocused "Drake?"

"I aht I will take you to the hospital"

"I’"

"No! Do not leave me!" He bit into his wrist, then held it to her lips "Drink"

But it was too late Her eyelids fluttered down and her head fell back against Kaitlyn’s arm

"Elena!" Eyes filled with torment, Drake looked at Zack "I cannot turn her, but you can"

"Would she want that?" Liliana asked, co to stand behind Drake

"I do not care," Drake said "I cannot lose her"

"We discussed it," Zack said "She and I"

"What?" Drake stared at him "When?"

"A while back She asked me if I’d ever turned anyone Said she was just curious"

"Do it," Drake said "We do not have tilanced up at Scherry, as standing to his left "I’ve only done it once before"

"If you fail, she will be no worse off than she is now," Drake said, his voice tinged with desperation "I will do anything you ask ofyou desire, if you will do this for nation, Zack took Elena into his arms He hesitated a moment, suddenly torn by uncertainty He had turned Scherry and it had been hit andto drink fro If he took too much, and that was a risk with those ere sick, it could be fatal Coht their way back Could he live with himself if he caused Elena’s death? Could he live with himself if there was a chance he could save her and he didn’t take it? She didn’t see Her heartbeat was faint, erratic

Kaitlyn placed her hand on his arive me," he bent his head to Elena’s neck and drank

Kaitlyn held her breath as what little color was left drained fro too , she could barely detect her aze She had never seen hiht, kneould kill hih the heart if her mother died

After what seemed like forever but was only a few , as he bit his wrist, then held the bleeding wound to herher throat "Elena Sherrad, if you want to live, youfocused on herher to drink

"Elena!" Drake took her hand in his "Elena! Come back to me!"

Tears burned Kaitlyn’s eyes when she looked at Zack

Zack shook his head "The rest is up to her" He stroked her throat again "Elena, drink" It was not a request this ti," Kaitlyn said Had they waited too long? Had Zack taken too much?

"Dammit, Elena," Drake said, his voice thick with unshed tears "I forbid you to leave me!"

At the sound of Drake’s voice, Elena slowly licked the blood frorabbed Zack’s arh of relief

"You did it!" Kaitlyn exclaimed She threw her arms around Zack and kissed his cheek "Thank you!"

"Yes," Drake said, never taking his gaze from his wife’s face "Thank you"

Zack nodded Would Drake still be grateful, he wondered, if he knew that his wife and Zack now shared a bond of blood that could not be broken?

Chapter 41

"What happens now?" Drake asked, lifting Elena into his arly unconscious

"She’ll sleep the rest of the night," Zack replied "When she wakes toht, she’ll be a vampire, with a new vampire’s thirst"

Drake nodded

"You’ll need to watch her closely when she feeds the first few tis to feed without draining their prey Maybe you already know that"

"Indeed"

"Take her back to the hotel I’ll clean up the ht you were dead," Zack relanced around the church "We can dispose of the bodies, but I do not knoill reht be a problereed