after life | Page 9

ase o f t e ars .
“D eath c o uld n’t k e ep m e fro m y o u. A nd it c a n’t k e ep y o u fro m m e, n ot if y o u d on’t le t it .”
Lu ca s d id n’t s p eak, b ut s o m e o f t h e t e nsio n le ft h is b ody, re la xin g h is h ands a nd h is s h ould ers . H e s till lo oke d e dgy,
a lm ost c ra ze d, b ut s o m e s e m bla nce o f c o ntro l h ad re tu rn ed t o h im .
What c o uld I d o
? W as t h ere a nyth in g I c o uld s a y t h at w ould g et t h ro ugh t o h im ? S om eiliin g h e w ould re m em ber
..
.
When L u ca s h ad fir s t le arn ed t h at I w as b orn t o t w o v a m pir e s, h e h ad t o o ve rc o m e h is re vu ls io n o f t h e u ndead in
o rd er t o h old t ru e t o h is lo ve fo r m e. I f h e c o uld re m em ber w hat it h ad m eant fo r h im t o a cce pt m e fo r w hat I w as,
m ayb e h e c o uld b egin t o fa ce w hat h e, t o o, h ad b eco m e.
Halt in gly , I s p oke h is w ord s a s t h ey c a m e b ack t o m e: “ E ve n t h ough y o u’r e a v a m pir e — it d oesn ’t m atte r t o m e. I t
d oesn ’t c h ange h ow I fe el a bout y o u.”
Lu ca s b lin ke d, a nd fo r t h e fir s t t im e s in ce h e h ad ris e n fro m t h e d ead, h is e ye s s e em ed t o fu lly fo cu s. I re aliz e d t h at
h is fa ngs h ad re tra cte d, le avin g o nly t h e u neart h ly p allo r a nd b eauty o f t h e v a m pir e . I n e ve ry o th er w ay, h e lo oke d
h um an. H e lo oke d lik e h im se lf .
He w his p ere d, “ B ia nca ?”
“It’s m e. O h, L u ca s, it ’s m e.”
Lu ca s c lu tc h ed m e t o h im in a n im possib ly t ig ht e m bra ce , a nd I w ra pped m y a rm s a ro und h is s h ould ers . I fe lt h ot
t e ars a gain st m y s h ould er; I w is h ed I c o uld c ry , t o o. O ur le gs g ave o ut a t t h e s a m e t im e, a nd w e s a nk t o t h e flo or
t o geth er.
I g la nce d o ve r m y s h ould er t o t e ll B alt h aza r a nd R anulf t o le ave u s, b