"I'm not sure of the mechanics of it myself. I only know it is possible when two people are ... compatible."
What had he meant to say? She shook her head, not sure if it even really mattered. “Is this the first time you've attempted something like this?"
"Yes.” And the last, if the acidity in his voice was anything to go by. “Do you think it was easy, Nikki, to tear part of what I am away to give you life?"
She winced at his anger. She wasn't a complete fool. Life was a miracle she surely didn't deserve. She was just trying to understand the ramifications.
"Do all vampires do this?"
He hesitated, and doubt ran through the color of his emotions.
"Very few. There are problems. I know of only one other, and he found himself in need of an ... assistant."
"A servant,” she corrected tightly.
He sighed. “There were reasons, Nikki, and his friend was very willing."
"Well, at least the friend was given a damn choice!" A short, sharp movement stirred the air. Light filled the room with brightness, then she was spun around. His eyes glittered with fury and some deeper, darker emotion she couldn't define.
"What is your problem, Nikki? Why do you refuse to trust me? Why can't you just accept the gift I gave you?"
I can't trust you because I might find I love you. And I don't want you to die. “I don't want eternity, Michael. I don't want to live with the fear that one day you will turn on me." His breath hissed through clenched teeth. “If you think me such a monster, then kill me. Take the knife from your boot and stab it through my heart. It will end my life and revert yours back to normal." She stared at him, appalled he could think her capable of such a brutal act.
"Why not? You're doing a damn fine job of it as it is. Why not finish it?” His grip on her arms tightened, bruising her. “But maybe you're happier wrapped in a cocoon of ice. Maybe I was a fool to think otherwise."
"Maybe you are,” she muttered.
He let her go suddenly and thrust a hand through his hair. “Christ, I don't even know why I'm bothering." He turned and walked to the other side of the room. It was a distancing that was mental as much as it was physical. And though this was what she had wanted, it still tore at her.