All Souls' Night - Renee Rose Page 0,268

nothing happens to her. I’m a fucking coward. I allowed my fear to keep me from telling her the truth, and it might cost her everything.

I race like the wind through town, praying for humanity’s sake I’ll make it to her in time to save her.

Chapter 9

My heart shatters before blind rage takes over. My beautiful Zoe is lying in the dirt in a dark pool. She sputters, blood splattering her precious face. I blur to her side, skidding across the blacktop on my knees.

“No, mi cielito. Don’t die on me. I can’t live without you.” My tears rain on her face.

“Ar…man…”

“Shhh. Don’t talk. I’m going to get you help. Alex is a doctor. He can help.” My eyes dart around for a solution. No. It’s too far. She won’t make it. My mind whirls as I try to remember the nearest hospital.

She tries to lift her hand, but it falls back down and slides off her stomach. My heart stops completely when I see the ragged, bloody holes in her abdomen. “I should’ve…trust…you.” Her words are barely audible, but I catch every syllable.

“Hold on, baby!”

“I…love….you.”

I am not going to lose the only woman I have ever loved. I need to turn her. A million reasons why I shouldn’t race through my head. She’ll hate me. She won’t survive. Lucius will kill me. But none of them matter. The only thing that does matter is that she lives.

Turning a human is never something to be taken lightly. I’ve been warned by other vampires who love their human that I need to get permission from Lucius first. Caring for her and living by her side until she dies isn’t an option. That’ll be in about ten seconds flat. And I refuse to lose her.

I’m willing to face whatever bullshit I have to with Lucius. There is no way I am taking the time to call him and get permission. I know the process takes three blood exchanges. I’ve drunk from Zoe plenty of times, and given her small samples of my blood to help heal my bite marks. It has to be enough for a base for the process.

She’s close to death, which is the vital step, and will allow the vampire virus to take over her body. I know the blood directly from the heart is the most powerful. I slice through my chest with my nails.

Cradling my Zoe in my arms, I lift her to my chest and let my blood flow into her mouth. I repeatedly claw into my sternum when the wound seals over. Damn vampiric healing!

She has to take in enough blood. I slash at my chest again, feeding her until I’m dizzy. Most humans do not survive the turning process, and it’s hard for me to stop giving her my blood.

“Please, Zoe.” I rock her limp form in my embrace. “No te mueras mi pequeño cielo!”

Sirens wail.

“Help.” The weak voice draws my eyes to the door several yards across the lot. “Help…is…is on…the way.” The wounded man grunts, clutching his shoulder as he struggles to sit up. “I called…nine-one-one.”

Fuck. They will take my Zoe from me. I have to get her to safety.

Lifting her in my arms, I blur from the parking lot and dodge the approaching ambulance and police cars.

I’m running out of night hours. I blur to the club and approach the back door. Tiberius opens it and gapes at the woman in my arms. “Did you kill her?”

“Here, hold her legs for me.” When he slips his arm under her knees, I smack the vampire upside his head and snatch her back. “Asshole. Of course, I didn’t kill her. She’s my everything.”

I carry Zoe to the office upstairs where Slash is at Lucius’s desk, gazing intently at his laptop, his cell phone to his ear.

Lucius enters the room a moment after me. “What is this about?”

I back against the massive desk and flinch under the king’s demand. Drawing Zoe closer to me, I square my shoulders and meet Lucius’s glare. “Zoe was dying, sire. She’s had a stalker for years, and he found her.” I fight past the grief clogging my throat. “He shot her.”

Roxy bursts through the door and halts behind Lucius. “Is she okay? What did that asshole do to her?”

Lucius holds out his arm, stopping Roxy from advancing. “Armando was just explaining why he has turned one of our bartenders without permission.” The growl in the king’s voice resonates through the room. Roxy and Slash tremble.

I stand my ground.