when the knife-wielding brute advanced on me. I did everything in my power to move away from him, but all four of my limbs were useless and it felt like every single bone in my body was smashed to splinters. Steven crushed the windpipe of the fifth man and whirled around, seeing my attacker move ever closer. It was all in slow motion, though I'm sure it happened in less than a few seconds. Steven launched himself at the man with the knife, a blood curdling scream breaking from his lips. The man swung his knife hand down in an arch, the knife making a silver streak through the air. As Steven crushed the man's skull between his two insanely strong hands, the cold blade plunged into my throat.
I gasped for air, but nothing would come. My mouth filled with blood. It felt like I was swallowing thick, metallic water, but I couldn't swallow fast enough. It just kept coming. I was drowning in my own blood.
I looked up toward the heavens, hoping God would be merciful to me. Then I saw Steven. He was over me, holding me, stroking my face. I saw his lips move and heard his voice as if in a dream. "It will be alright. We will always be together."
I felt a sharp sting as the knife left my throat and the blood really started flowing. I knew right then that it was over. There was no way anyone could save me now. I was going to die. At least I was dying in Steven's arms. That was the important thing. I got to die with the only person who truly meant something to me. I felt Steven's lips on my neck and briefly wondered what he was doing. But none of it mattered, really. It's hard to care about anything at all when you know your life will be over in minutes. There was a strange tugging sensation at the wound in my throat, then everything went black.
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FOUR
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I woke up in an unfamiliar bed. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and looked around. It was definitely someplace in Russian, because it was pretty chilly. I grabbed the quilt and pulled it tight around my body, realizing then that I was totally and utterly naked. Alone in some stranger's bed, naked... not a fun thought. Then the events of the night before started swarming through my head and I nearly passed out. I looked at the window. It was dark. Where was Steven? Was he OK? Am I dead? Did he save me? Where was he? I got out of bed and saw some clothes sitting on the chair near the door. Dressing quickly, I made my way downstairs, only briefly acknowledging that I felt pretty good for having been beaten to a pulp.
As I reached the bottom, I noticed the sitting room where Olga taught me to sew. She was at the table in the kitchen, opposite the sitting room, sipping a cup of tea and staring off into space. She didn't see me until I walked in and sat down next to her. She jumped and I thought she was going to bolt, but then she smiled a sad sort of smile and put down her cup. She reached her hand out tentatively and stroked my cheek.
"Oh, my dear Jane. I am so glad you are alive. I have been so worried."
"Olga, what happened? Where's Steven? Is he OK? Where is he?"
Olga's face drooped and tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.
"Oh my dear child. I am so sorry."
She broke into sobs, unable to continue. My heart stopped at that moment. My world shattered and everything I had ever dreamed of or hoped for disappeared in an instant. The man who had shown me how to really, truly live, the man who was my whole life, the man to whom I owed my heart was gone. It was all gone. I had nothing. There was no point in living without Steven. He had made my boring, inconsequential life into something wonderful and magnificent. I could live for eternity if I were with him. Now, I was going to grow old alone, without my soul mate, without my love.
I came out of my dejected reverie when Olga grasped my hand.
"Let me get you a cup of tea, then I will tell you what happened."
She got up and poured me a cup, then sat next to me and explained everything that occurred from the moment I blacked out. This is the version I was able to piece together from her sob-broken story:
Steven knew I was dying and knew he was the only one who could save me. Despite the fact that the streets were filling with villagers, he pressed his lips to my wound and began to drink. He drank me dry and right as my heart was about to stop beating, he slit his own wrist and poured it into the gaping hole in my throat. He bled himself too much and too quickly and was too weak to do anything but stand up to face the advancing crowd, after whispering a few quick words to Olga. They had seen him drinking my blood, and they saw the dead men surrounding me. The villagers realized without a doubt what he was and ignored the fact that he'd never once been violent, cruel, or dangerous before that night.
The young man who used to be our companion was in the front of the crowd and Olga noticed that they all had cups. Apparently, the man had found information in some obscure book or scroll somewhere that vampires were deeply affected by caffeine. Steven was helpless as they threw burning coffee at him, then pinned his arms and poured it down his throat. He fell to the ground, unable to defend himself, and they bound his hands and feet. Olga said they dragged him to the center of town and tied him to a wooden stake in front of the church. While they were distracted, she managed to carry me to her house and get me upstairs, keeping the curtains tightly closed. She realized what Steven had done, and she was not about to let his sacrifice go to waste.
By the time she got me cleaned and tucked into bed, it was almost sunrise. She made her way to the church and saw Steven hanging there. The townspeople had been pouring coffee into him all night, plunging him into a state of utter hopelessness. He was as helpless as a newborn baby and they all stood around and watched as the sun rose in the east. The first rays of death touched his hands, which were bound above his head. The skin immediately turned red and soon began to blister. In less than ten minutes, his whole body looked that way—a raw, festering mass under smoking clothing. His screams echoed throughout the valley, scaring even the most hardened man in the crowd.
By the time his last moans died, only a few people remained in the square—Olga, the priest and a couple of his most loyal followers, and the young man. The young man was on his knees, sobs wracking his body. Olga walked over to him and smacked him upside the head, letting lose a stream of vulgarity. She would not repeat the exact words to me, but I got the idea. The young man began apologizing to Olga profusely, saying he was only trying to help. She turned her back and left him to his misery.
We were both in tears by the time she finished her story. I didn't know what I was going to do or where I was going to go. Steven was my everything, but he had taught me nothing about how to be a vampire myself. I was still alone in the world, just in a different way now. Olga disappeared into the sitting room and brought back a box. She set it on the table in front of me and said, "Steven asked me to get this from the house for you."
I touched the box. It was a beautiful thing, maybe a foot square and half a foot deep. Made from a rich mahogany, it had gorgeous carvings on the lid and all four sides. The carvings appeared to be lined with gold leaf and the box looked quite ancient. I lifted the lid and looked inside. There were three plain white envelopes, all tied together with a red ribbon, laid on top of two books. One book was a newer leather journal, clearly written in Steven’s handwriting. The other was very old, with pages browned by time. It was written in a language I could not read, possibly French, and bound by a worn, gold ribbon.
I put the books aside and picked up the envelopes. The one on top was labeled "Read me first". Well, that made things easy. I opened it and pulled out the single piece of computer paper that was inside. It was from Steven.
My Love,
If you are reading this, something terrible has happened and I am truly sorry. Please believe that it was a last resort and I would never have done so if there was any other way. There are two letters. One is for our lawyer. He will handle everything. The other is for Father Joseph Bellini. Go to Rome and seek him out. He will explain everything and guide you in your new life. I've left you my diary, in which I have written some very important information that will hope
fully make this transition easier on you. The other book is the same book I was given when I was first turned. I've translated the important parts into the diary, but it would behoove you to learn French during your stay in Rome so that you can finish the rest.
My darling Jane, I never meant for you to share my awful fate, and it breaks my heart to know that it is a possibility. Please know that you were my everything and you brought a joy to my tortured existence that I didn't know was possible. Keep me with you always, and I will guide you the best I can. May this new life keep you safe, my love.
Yours forever,
Steven
I held the letter close to my chest and wept.
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