Page 109 of Burn Falls

“What happened? I don’t remember.”

Draven touched my knee that was under the covers and squeezed it. “You swerved to miss a family of deer, and you hit the guardrail. Instead of it keeping your car on the road, it caused your car to fly up into the air and then you rolled down the hill. You stopped when the car hit a tree.”

It was all coming back to me. As he spoke, I assessed my body, mentally. I felt fine. Better than fine. “Did you drug me?”

Draven closed his eyes for a brief second. “No.”

“Then why don’t I feel like I was in a car accident?” My head didn’t even hurt. I looked down and saw that I was wearing one of Draven’s T-shirts. It smelled like him, and I smiled at the thought that he didn’t go back to Chicago.

He stood and started to pace. “Promise you won’t hate me.”

I blinked. “Why would I hate you?”

Draven looked up at the ceiling, ran his hands down his face, and then looked back at me. “You were dying.”

“I was?” My eyebrows scrunched, and I tilted my head to the side and thought about what he was telling me. I was dying, so he what? Saved me? But I felt fine. Better than fine. As though I could run ten miles without running out of breath fine.

“When I got there, you were bleeding out. You weren’t breathing and—”

My eyes widened as everything came together in my head. “You turned me?” I took my hand out from under the covers and looked at it. It still looked the same.

Draven didn’t confirm nor deny it.

“I’m a … vampire?” I choked on the word.

He walked a few feet toward me and grabbed a glass next to the bed on the nightstand. Next to the glass was a gallon of what I assumed was blood because it was dark crimson and looked thick. “Once you drink this, you will be.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “And if I don’t?” There was always a hope in the back of my mind that one day I’d have the courage to ask him to turn me so we could be together forever, but that thought died when we found out we weren’t true loves.

“You’ll die before the sun rises.”

I didn’t know how long I had because I had no clue what time it was. His curtains were drawn, and he had no clock in the room. “Draven,” I whispered.

He set the glass back on the table. “I couldn’t let you die.”

“Why?” I asked, wanting to hear him say the three words I knew were the reason behind everything. He’d told me he’d never turned anyone before. Why would he turn me if he didn’t love me?

Draven sat back beside me and grabbed my hand after pulling my arm free from being crossed over my chest. We were finally the same temperature. “Because, sweets. I love you.”

A slow smile spread across my lips. “You love me?”

He grinned. “I do.”

“Did you fall in love with me when I was a human, or just now because—”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, silencing me. “I’ve loved you since my lips met yours under the Northern Lights, and I fell more in love with you when you accepted me for me despite me being a monster.”

“And you’re still going to leave me?”

“No.” He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “I’ll never be that stupid again.”

“If you aren’t leaving, what do we do now?”

“Now …” He hesitated for a few seconds. “Now, I don’t know.”

“So, I just need to drink that blood, and then I’ll become a vampire?” I pointed to the jug.

“Yes, you’ll complete your turning then.” He reached over and grabbed the glass once again.