church.”
Sergei’s eyes opened wide. Pol y was surprised at how interested he was. He suddenly sat up, and grabbed her shoulders fiercely.
“What church?”
Pol y was scared by his intensity. She didn’t understand what was going on.
“I don’t understand. Why does it matter? Why’s it so important?”
He shook her, roughly. “Tel me!”
“It was the Notre Dame,” Pol y said, suddenly scared. “She said something about the Notre Dame.”
Sergei suddenly threw her across the bed, and she landed hard on the floor.
He then threw off the covers, dressed, and hurried across the room.
Pol y burst into tears.
“What’s wrong with you?” she cried. “Why are you being so mean? Where are you going?”
Pol y couldn’t understand what was happening. Just a minute ago, her world had been perfect.
Sergei stopped before the door, turned, and smiled at her for the first time. But it wasn’t a smile of love. It was an evil, crooked smile.
“Stupid girl,” he said. “I’ve gotten al I need from you. You are as useless to me now as you were the first moment I met you. And now your friend wil pay the price.”
And with that, Sergei stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Pol y sat up, put her head in her hands, and cried and cried and cried.
Al she could think, as tears poured down her face, was how stupid she had been. How mad at herself she was for believing in Sergei. How, al along, her friend, her only best friend in the world, Caitlin, had been right.
And worse, how she had returned the favor by putting her in danger.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Sam lay there, in Kendra’s huge bed, sprawled naked on top of the most luxurious covers he had ever seen. She lay in his arms, and they both reclined in a huge mound of silk pil ows. He felt like he had died and gone to heaven. He’d never been with anyone remotely like Kendra, and he hoped they could stay together forever.
His mind reeled, as he thought of the implications of what he had just done. He had real y turned her. She lay there, sleeping with her head on his chest, peaceful y enough, and for al the world to see, she was just as she had been before. But he knew that when she woke, she would be different. Changed forever. Turned. One of his race. Just as Samantha had turned him.
He recal ed how difficult it was for him when he first woke, and came to the realization. But then again, it wasn’t something he had asked for. It had been thrust upon him. In her case, she had asked for it, had begged him to turn her.
And she had received her wish.
He wondered what she would be like when she awoke. If she would stil love him as much. Or hopeful y, even more.
But he stil couldn’t escape the gnawing feeling that he had done something wrong. That he had transgressed some sort of sacred vampire rule. That somehow, he would have to answer for this.
Before Sam could finish the thought, Kendra suddenly opened her eyes, and sat bolt upright, immediately awake.
She stared at him, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, like the eyes of a wild animal. Alert. As she stared right through him, he began to wonder if she even recognized him at al .
“Kendra?” he asked, sitting up in bed. “Are you okay?”
She suddenly jumped up from bed in a single leap, landing halfway across the room, surprising him.
She quickly got dressed, her back to him, and she moved so fast, faster than anyone he had ever seen. It was unnatural. Clearly, she already had the speed of his race.
He slowly got out of bed, began to get dressed, and came over to her.
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” he asked again.
But she kept her back to him as she dressed, and he wondered why she was acting so strangely.
“Why don’t you come back to bed?” he asked.
She suddenly turned and faced him, and he saw the wildness in her eyes, and was almost afraid.
“Why would I?” she spat back.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I already have al I need from you.”
Sam felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He could not believe her words. Had she real y said what he’d thought she had just said?
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked with more urgency, and he could hear the fear in his own voice.
She