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die. I’ve made my decision. Now I’ve just got to
stick with it.”
    “Is there no way to…get back your life? You
were such a young man when they turned you.”
    He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. “I asked
Kurt Severin about it, the man I first talked to when I woke. He
became a pretty good friend. He said he’d heard rumors there was a
way, but he didn’t know anything more about how it was done. He’d
never heard of anyone managing it, so he’d pretty much decided it
was just a rumor or myth. I’ve done a bunch of research since and
I’ve found a couple of hints, but they sound so arcane I can’t
imagine them working. They all involve someone else’s help, in any
case. Someone human.”
    “Tell me.”
    “No.”
    She stared at him.
    “It’s not something I’d want anyone to try.
It’s…tricky at best, and definitely dangerous.”
    “I’d like to include it in your record. Maybe
it will benefit someone else someday.”
    He stopped to consider that for a moment
before he nodded. “All right. It’s kind of messy too. And it has to
be done outside, during the day, with an undead who hasn’t yet
drunk human blood. He goes out in the sun to die, lies on the
ground and opens a vein so that some of his blood runs into the
ground. When he’s close to death, but not quite there yet, a human
has to offer some of his or her blood. It has to be when the
vampire is too weak to be able to draw the life essence on his own
because it can’t be taken or it won’t work. It has to be freely
offered with the human in control of how much is given.”
    He shook his head at her. “It’s very
dangerous, because the timing has to be perfect. If the vampire has
any strength left at all, he’ll drain the human and become a vamp.
And immediately die too, since he’ll be out in the daylight. I’d
prefer not to risk anyone else. I’m reconciled with dying. I’d
prefer it to life as a vampire. The only thing I truly fear is that
I won’t be able to control myself in the final spasm of blood
lust.”
    “I see.” Carol scribbled notes on her pad.
“All right, I’m including it in my notes.” She stopped and waited
for him, but he just stared into the fire. Finally she prompted,
“How did you end up here?”
    He dragged himself out of the introspection
with an effort. “I mentioned my family lived not far away? After I
ran away from Antoine, I spent some time with Kurt, then I
retreated to here. I wanted to be somewhere away from both the
vampires and their horrible company and the humans who would become
a near unbearable temptation. When this place came on the market, I
bought it. Back in those days, you could still buy a house with
cash and not much paperwork. In fact, it was about the only way you
could buy it. I—”
    He stared at her. She saw it rising this
time, the tension starting in his body, the first flash of red in
his eyes.
    Remembering his advice, she looked down,
focusing on his mouth rather than his eyes. Without taking her gaze
off him, she set down the pen and shifted the stake into her right
hand, holding it ready should he move toward her. His lips parted
as fangs elongated. Deep grooves showed in his cheek and his jaw
tightened with either pain or effort. Muscles tightened all up and
down his lean frame. Chest tilted forward and knees clenched.
    His fingers curled again and dug into the
leather of the chair, holding onto it with all the strength of his
will.
    It was worse this time.
    His breath heaved in great, gulping gasps,
interrupted by sighing moans that came close to sobs. He tried to
suppress them. She could see the effort he made to hold it back,
but some leaked past his control. Those lengthened into a
continual, low keening growl that went on for several, long
minutes. She knew because she could just hear the ticking of the
clock in the hall over the noise he made.
    She almost cried just listening to him
struggle against what must have been considerable pain. How did he
manage to