Revelations (Belle Morte Book 2)

Chapter Two

Renie

The next time I woke up, Edmond had gone. Ludovic and Isabeau stood close to the door, speaking in low voices. I was a vampire now, and I could hear every word they were saying. Too bad I didn't speak French.

They both looked my way as I sat up, and Ludovic approached me. "How do you feel?"

"I . . . okay." I was surprised at the truth in my own words. I did feel okay; the crippling hunger pangs had faded to a dull ache in the pit of my stomach.

Swinging my legs to the side, I climbed out of bed, my feet sinking into the thick carpet. I expected my legs to feel shaky, but they were strong. My whole body felt strong.

This was it then. I really was a vampire.

The first time I had realised this, I hadn't had time to process it. I had literally just died, after all. The second time, I had seen only the worst aspects of it. Now I was calmer, more able to really think about the decision I had made.

Yes, I was a vampire, but I was still alive. Okay, not technically alive, but I would still live. The knife June had driven into my chest had not ended everything for me. This was the hugest change I could never have imagined, and it would take some serious getting used to, but I had to try and think positive.

Then I remembered what I'd said to Edmond the last time I woke up, and shame scalded my cheeks. I had called myself a monster – and him, by extension. It had been a while since I truly thought of vampires as monsters, but when I had felt the prick of my fangs and realised that I would spend the rest of my life sucking blood to survive, all my old fears and prejudices had resurfaced, spilling hatefully from my mouth.

I closed my eyes when I remembered the look on Edmond's face. How could I have been so cruel? It was no wonder he wasn't still sitting by my bedside. I'd be lucky if he ever spoke to me again.

I shoved my fingers through my hair, then let my hands drop to my sides. I was wearing a pair of dark pyjamas, and I wondered who had put them on me. A sweet, vaguely familiar smell floated up from the fabric – a smell that made my mouth tingle. It was blood, I realised with horror. Somewhere on the pyjamas were little spots of blood, too small for me to see, but not too small to smell.

Fear slithered through me again, and I firmly reminded myself that I was supposed to be thinking positive.

The first thing I needed to do was apologise to Edmond. Maybe it wouldn't fix the chasm that had crumbled between us, but I had to try. It was the least he deserved.

"Where's Edmond?" I asked.

Isabeau and Ludovic exchanged grave looks, and my stomach turned to ice. Something was wrong.

"Renie, you must understand that Edmond did something very serious by turning you," Isabeau said. Her voice was gentle, the kind of voice people used to break bad news.

I wanted to grab onto something, but the closest thing was the bed. I didn't want to go back into that bed, where I had tossed and turned through my transition from human to vampire, where I had drunk blood that I couldn't even remember.

"Where is he?" I said.

"He has been imprisoned for turning you without permission," Ludovic said, cutting straight to the chase.

His eyes were hard as he looked at me, and I wondered if he blamed me for what had happened. Edmond was his best friend, someone that he had been through hell with, and now Edmond was facing an uncertain future because of me. Arguably, it wasn't really because of me – all of this had happened because someone in this House had killed June and turned her into a rabid. But Edmond had chosen to turn me rather than see me die, and now he was locked up because of it. I wouldn't blame Ludovic if he hated me for the part I had played.