Kyle pulled her close to kiss her on theforehead. “I will.”
He pulled his pants back on, and beforeleaving the room, he lifted the five-gallon bucket of water andcarried it toward the stairs. He glanced back to discover Melaniedressed and hovering in the doorway as she chewed on herfingernails.
“She’ll be okay,” he promised her beforeascending the stairs.
He strode down the hall to the room whereLucy lay on the bed. She thrashed and whimpered on the mattress ashe set the bucket on the floor. It had taken more time than he’dexpected for her to get to this stage of the transition. She was sobadly injured that it took a while for his blood to heal her enoughto begin the change.
And now that change was in full swing.Sitting beside her, he dipped his hand into the water and drippedsome of it across her brow. He would have preferred a cloth toclean her, but his hand would have to do.
Melanie had stripped the bloody shirt fromLucy and tucked the sheet up and around her. She still wore a bra,but Kyle didn’t pull down the sheet to look at her. She would haveto do most of the cleaning herself when she woke from this. But hecould provide some relief by trickling the cool water on herforehead and washing the blood from her face.
After a couple of hours passed, Lucy’seyelids fluttered open, and her reddened eyes met his. When Kyleoffered her his wrist, she sank her fangs into it and started todrink.
***
The sun was in the sky by the time Lucy andKyle came downstairs. Melanie leapt up from the couch and startedto rush toward them before coming to an abrupt halt in thedoorway.
She clasped her hands together and squeezedas she bounced on her toes. She had no idea how Lucy was going toreact to her. Would her best friend hate her or maybe try to eather?
When Lucy’s eyes met hers, there was a momentwhen Melanie had no idea what was going through her friend’s mind,and then, Lucy smiled.
An unexpected sob broke free of Melanie. Shecovered her mouth with her hand as she stepped toward her friend.She had no idea what to do or if she could get close to Lucy, butit was taking all she had not to run across the room and flingherself into her friend’s arms.
They stood and stared at each other as Kylestepped off the last stair. “It’s okay,” he told Lucy. “You’ll beokay.”
And then Lucy rushed toward her. Melaniestumbled a couple of steps toward her friend and threw her armsaround her as they embraced. Last night Lucy was pale and limp, butnow she was alive, and Melanie sensed the strength running throughher small body.
They clung to each other while Kyle waited bythe doorway to the dining room. At first, she was too scared to askLucy the question weighing heavily on her, but she had to.
“Do you hate me?” she whispered.
“Never,” Lucy said.
“Did I make the wrong choice?”
“I would have made the same one for you. I’mjust glad to be alive.”
“I’msoglad you’re alive.”
Melanie grinned at Lucy, and when her friendsmiled back and her eyes danced, Melanie knew Lucy was telling herthe truth.
“Are the two of you ready?” Kyle asked.
Melanie couldn’t stop beaming as she shiftedher attention to him. And then, her eyes widened as she fullyabsorbed everything about him. The awful, red marks oncecrisscrossing his flesh were gone. There wasn’t a hint of red onhim; even the faded white scar near his heart had vanished.
“You’re healed,” she whispered.
“Your blood is a pretty powerful thing,” hesaid.
Her eyebrows shot into her hairline.“Idid that?”
Holding his hand out to her, Kyle grinnedback as she took it. “You did that. And now it’s time to go.”
***
Feeling stronger, Kyle changed the kid'smemories behind the window of the fast-food restaurant. He stilldidn’t feel strong enough to walk into a store—especially with theway he was dressed—to get a phone and new clothes, but he could getMelanie's food.
The kid’s expression grew blank when Kyletold him he’d already paid. He pulled forward and grabbed the bagsof food from the woman at the next window. Melanie practicallysnatched the bag from his hands and almost immediately startedshoving fries in her mouth. Lucy leaned forward from the backseat.
