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His skin stopped burning, but now he smelled a lot worse.

He was already starting to rot.

“You crazy fuck,” Nick told him, still holding the umbrella over his friend. “Are you really going to keep chewing on that foul thing?”

Jordan froze.

Tensing all over, neck muscles bulging, he craned his head, looking up at Nick.

Nick flinched, realizing he’d forgotten about the change.

He stared into the scarlet cloud swirling in those glass-like eyes, fascinated.

He didn’t look away.

He simply stared at Jordan’s new eyes, letting himself get used to them.

“Well, fuck,” Nick said finally. “I’m glad you were never that mad at me.”

Damon Jordan blinked.

Abruptly, some of the scarlet leached from his clear irises, leaving them looking confused. He stared up at Nick for a few seconds longer.

Then Nick saw it.

Recognition.

Jordan blinked, and that recognition strengthened.

Then Damon Jordan, newborn vampire, shocked the hell out of Nick.

He laughed.

The deep, melodious, vampire laugh was something Nick felt all the way down to his bones.

“Jesus,” Nick muttered, staring at that still-reconstituting face. Damon had always been handsome, but his face was altering fast. Nick knew it would change more, once Dmaon fed for real, but it was changing before his very eyes already.

Cheekbones, eyes, jaw, chin, the muscle definition in his arms and chest––it all seemed to be transforming visibly as the seconds ticked by.

“I don’t think that’s Jesus,” another, gentler voice joked.

Nick turned, smiling at his mate.

Wynter walked up to Nick, coiling her body into and around his side, wrapping her arm around his waist and squeezing with a possessiveness Nick couldn’t help but feel.

“Wow,” Wynter said, still looking at Jordan.

Amazement filled her voice as she seemed to be noticing all the same things as Nick. It struck Nick that this was likely the first time Wynter had ever seen such a thing.

“It is,” she breathed, still staring at Damon. “And wow, wow, wow. He really is a vampire. That’s going to take some getting used to.” She looked at Jordan then apologetically. “Especially for you, Damon. I’m so sorry. I hope you end up being okay with it…”

For a few seconds, Nick and Damon only stared at Wynter.

Somehow, Wynter saying it out loud that made it all real.

Damon really was a vampire now.

That was a thing now, as Wynter had said.