"At what cost? Why do I feel so different?"
"You were dying, Nikki. I had to save you."
"And in the process you broke your vow never to make me do something against my will." He made no answer, a still, silent presence she could feel but not see.
"What did you do?” she repeated, her voice a harsh whisper.
"What I had to do."
"Answer me, damn it! I have the right to know."
"But have you the courage to look beyond it?” A trace of bitterness haunted his words. She glared at the shadows that hid him so well. He sighed.
"What I have done cannot be undone."
"What can't be undone, Michael? What the hell did you do to me?"
"I gave you part of what I am."
Horror rose anew. Did that mean she was a vampire?
"No, it does not.” He moved, though it was something she felt rather than saw. “All I've ever asked of you is trust. I wonder now if you are even capable of it." His contempt lashed at her. She flinched but made no comment, waiting for him to continue.
"What I did was give you part of my ... psyche, part of my strength, part of my life force, I suppose. It gave you life."
And linked us together forever.
She took a step back. Linked for the rest of her life, never to be separated. The one thing she'd been fighting desperately to avoid.