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sustain you.”
    He arched
his right eyebrow, and gave me that million dollar smile of his. I
was such a sucker for that smile.
    “ Life forces?” I prodded, puzzled.
    “ You will need the life force of humans to survive. You will
drink their souls.”
    “ Oh, my God !” I
cried.
    “ Giselle . . .” he started, only to have me cut him
off.
    “ Will I ever see my family again?” I felt heartbroken,
thinking about my erratic, but loveable, mother.
    “ You can see them, but from a distance. It would be too
dangerous for them.”
    “ But if I’m not like you, then how can I be a danger to
them?”
    “ It is not you who would be any threat to them, but rather
the rogue vampires hunting you, amongst other things.”
    “ What?” I sputtered with disbelief.
    “ You are going to be hot property, Giselle. In order for us
to keep you safe, I’m afraid all contact with the outside world
will have to cease until after you have been
consecrated.”
    “ But they’ll be worried! You know what Mom is like. She’ll
probably have the FBI searching for me right now. God, what if
they’re freaking out?” I cried before his words sunk in.
“Consecrated?”
    Alex held my
hand. “Look at me. All has been taken care of. You left town to
pull yourself together after being deceived by Marc. You’ll keep in
contact via the phone, and you’ll call in every week or so. You’ve
reassured them you won’t do anything crazy, and the
consecration thing is a simple blessing done by the
elders.”
    “ It seems like every angle has been covered, except I feel
kinda left out. I’m the one who’s expected to just take all of this
on the chin, and accept it for what it is. It’s so unfair, Alex.
You should have been honest with me from the beginning. Marc’s
deception hasn’t got a thing on yours!”
    Pushing him
away, I walked back towards the path, feeling completely destroyed.
I wished I would wake up from this nightmare that was now my so
called ‘life.’ I wanted to look back, but my stubbornness refused
to let me give in to my newly forged bond.
     
    * * *
     
    The moon was
partially covered by lingering clouds that seemed to follow me. I
walked the length of the path to a clearing, and entered a small
courtyard. Up until then, I had not taken notice of my
surroundings, and realised I was no longer in Minnesota. The sweet
scent of the blossoms hit my nose. For the first time ever, I
inhaled the delicious fragrance, and absorbed its beauty. My senses
were now much more acute.
    Opening my
eyes, I saw a beautiful woman approaching me. Her long red hair
blew effortlessly in the still of the night. Her eyes were deep
red, her lips full, and her complexion whiter than snow.
    “ Giselle Bergman, it is an honour and a privilege to meet
you,” she said as she held out her arms to me.
    I had no clue who she was, but
I felt obligated to allow her to embrace me.
    “ The night is our time, the time for understanding, chimera,
and meditation. The darkness we see now covers the earth. Our
hearts are whole. Now, the night is ours,” she sang in my
ear.
    Whatever she
said was way above my head, and I just smiled in confused
appreciation.
    She laughed
as she let go of me, raising her hands up in the air. “Giselle,
there is no need to be afraid. I am Alexander’s nevlastná
matka , or step-mother, Atarah.” She laughed as
she watched my every move.
    “ Oh, hi,” I muttered awkwardly.
    Alex had not
once mentioned her, only his father, Leo. How stupid I
felt.
    “ Walk with
me, child.”
    “ I’m sorry if
I seem rude, but tonight has been kind of surreal.”
    “ But, of course. You have undergone some magnificent, but
all the same, terrifying changes. I would not expect you to feel
anything other than scared. It’s natural, but rest assured you are
with those who have your best interests at heart.” She spoke
softly, calming the nerves that had knotted in the pits of my
stomach.
    The
noticeable burning began in the back of my