The King's War

34. Rebirth

NATHANIEL

I was warm. It was a comforting feeling, like being bathed in the yellow glow of the sun. It had been so long since I felt it, I'd almost forgotten how good it was.

My eyes fluttered open groggily to see the sun gleaming outside, casting its light upon me. Panic took hold of me and I scrambled backward and out of the sun's reach. My body seemed unusually sluggish and my head swam from the sudden movement. I breathed in hard and a jolt of realization coursed through me.

I was breathing. I'd never needed to breathe before. My lungs took in air only to facilitate speech. I'd forgotten what it was supposed to feel like. That was when it all came back to me. My final night with Avery, the split-second decision to take the cure.

It had worked.

"Good morning," I heard Avery say. I spun around to see her dressed and sitting casually on the other side of the bed. "Or evening, I should say. You kind of slept through the sunrise."

I just stared at her, unable to think of anything to say. My mind was still reeling with the fact that I was human now. As soon as the thought registered, I became aware of how alien my body felt. It was as if my consciousness was transferred to someone who didn't have the same vampiric strength, the same heightened senses, the same thirst for blood.

I glanced again at Avery, who regarded me with the curiosity of a scientist observing their latest specimen. The fact that I could no longer sense her presence, couldn't smell the tantalizing aroma of her blood, made my head spin.

Even blood, which I'd craved endlessly for nearly two centuries, held no meaning for me anymore.

I let out a breathless laugh. "It worked."

Avery grinned and scooted towards me, laying her hand over my bare chest to feel my heartbeat. The tips of her fingers were cold and I couldn't help but flinch a little. Just last night that sort of thing wouldn't have bothered me.

"I can't believe this is real," she whispered, her eyes brimming with happy tears.

I took in her smiling face as if seeing it for the first time. She looked even lovelier during the day, with her pale gold hair haloed by sunlight. Her eyes shone bluer than I'd ever seen them. The urge to kiss her overwhelmed me and I leaned over to press my lips against hers. She let out a soft, lilting moan of pleasure that caused my heart to race frantically inside my chest. When I drew away, I was breathless.

"Get dressed. I don't want you to miss your first sunset too," she said sweetly.

I obeyed without protest, though my limbs had a different story to tell. Who knew becoming human would leave one so exhausted? Once I'd put on my only set of now rumpled clothes, I followed Avery out of the guest house and into the yard, where we stood underneath the shade of the gazebo and watched the sun descend below the trees.

The sky was awash in soft hues of orange and purple, a sight I'd only seen in pictures. For so long, this experience had been out of my reach. Now the sun could no longer hurt me.

Avery twined her fingers through mine and smiled reassuringly up at me. We stood in reverent silence until the sun's rays no longer beamed through the trees.

***

"I've brought you chicken noodle soup," Avery said as she entered the guest house holding a tray with two steaming ceramic mugs.

As soon as the smell hit my nostrils, my stomach made its famished presence known by letting out a terrifying whale-like noise. I cringed at the indignity of it, but Avery merely giggled. She put the tray down on the small table by the window.