Surprise Guest

Caleb never determined the nature of the concern shown by Paige and Katrina at his apartment, but over the next couple of days he felt a change in their behavior. He wasn't able to put his finger on it exactly, but they seemed more attentive to his location in and around the house. Thinking he was being paranoid, he tested the idea one afternoon by waiting until both vampires were in different areas of the house. He went into the basement where the wine and spare blood supplies were kept, shutting the door to the kitchen behind him. There he remained, quietly reading a book while perched on the edge of the workbench tabletop. After approximately twenty minutes, he heard the door at the top of the stairs tentatively open.

"Hey, kiddo?" Paige inquired.

"Yeah?" he replied nonchalantly.

She paused. "Everything okay down there?"

"Uh, sure," he said. "You need me for something?"

Another pause. "Nah, just a whim, that's all."

The door closed, leaving him sitting once more in silence. He considered the brief exchange, knowing he'd been correct. It's not paranoia if people are actually looking for you, he resolved.

He set his book aside and folded his arms before him while thinking about his new revelation. He'd had enough of feeling paranoid about possible threats in his life. Clearly, Katrina and Paige still harbored some concerns for his safety, even following Chimalma's death.

He had hoped that with Chimalma dead they could go back to the life that he and Katrina had been living. Instead, he still peered around corners for potential assailants. A life lived in fear is no way to live at all. He considered perhaps Alton was correct. Until he conquered his fear he wouldn't be able to be a better mate to Katrina. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to appreciate life truly, either.

Leaving his book on the tabletop, he walked purposefully up the stairs to the kitchen. He proceeded resolutely to the front entry area, calmly opened the coat closet, and slipped his leather jacket on. Then he unlocked the front door.

Fortunately, Katrina had ceased programmatically locking the doors, confident both she and Paige could address anyone who might attempt a forced entry. She no longer considered that someone might try to exit the house unannounced. He smiled as he opened the front door to reveal a western sky with the afternoon sunshine streaming in. A double beeping noise from the house alarm indicated the door had been opened.

It's time for me to do what Alton told me before leaving: confront my fears firsthand.

While chatting in the sublevel room, Katrina's and Paige's gazes abruptly met at the sound of the double beep. Katrina's eyes then shot to the security system monitor next to her to see Caleb exiting through the front door.

"Caleb!" she shouted as both vampires ran to the stairs in a blur rivaling the ability of a human eye to track.

Katrina beat Paige to the doorway and into the hallway of the main level, though Paige was close at her heels.

"Caleb!" Katrina shouted again as she ran.

They both raced towards where the sunlight was bathing the entry, heedless of the impending pain. But the front door closed in front of them, protecting them from harm.

Paige's eyes were wide as Katrina sped to the front door, slamming the flat of her hands against the solid wood and yelling, "Get back here, Caleb!"

When Katrina turned around, her eyes were blazing green with anger.

As Caleb casually walked down the steps to the driveway, he heard a slamming sound against the front door and glanced back with a wide-eyed expression.

Katrina shouted, "Get back here, Caleb!"

He shivered, realizing that he had better continue facing the current fear, because there was already another one destined for him.

The late winter afternoon sun blazed towards the western end of the clear blue sky. He realized the sun would be setting soon, and he needed to proceed before then. When darkness fell, he had a whole new problem to confront. And while he might live through the current endeavor, he sardonically considered that he might not survive the next one.

Caleb breathed the cool air in deeply through his nose, appreciating the fresh, crisp scent of winter, and turned his face to the sunlight as he stood in the yard.

His cell phone came to life, and he glanced down to see Katrina calling him. He hesitated and considered answering it, but decided an argument over the phone while standing in the front yard wasn't how he wanted to focus his attentions.

However, he realized he was only postponing the inevitable. After setting his phone's ring option to vibrate, he walked towards the side of the house in the direction of the public park area. He'd confront his fear on a park bench.

"Caleb Taylor! Get back inside the house, right now!" Katrina admonished loudly over the small speaker near the front door.

There was a notably lengthy pause, and a much calmer version of her voice played over the speaker. "I promise I won't be upset, my love. I just want you to come back inside, please."

Paige must have said something about her negotiation skills needing some work, he considered.

It gave him no pleasure to put her through this, but he knew that if he didn't confront his fears he would always be dependent on others for his protection or peace of mind. Not that he didn't appreciate such protection: he merely needed to have confidence that he could stand on his own two feet. Besides, it wasn't as if there would be any danger. It had been nearly a week since Katrina's return, and no alarming events or indicators had presented themselves.

Caleb's cell phone buzzed three more times, each time leaving a voicemail indicator, as he walked through the park to the bench where Katrina had revealed her secret to him months prior. It feels like forever since that night.

His phone buzzed in a manner indicating he had received two new text messages, and he glanced at each message. The first one was from Paige. "She's mad. She's really mad. Come back now, kiddo."

He winced, realizing that when Paige was concerned it was a bad sign. The second text was from Katrina. "Getting dark soon. I'm coming for you." He felt a shiver from the top of his neck all the way down to his lower back.

"Oh crap," he muttered and sent a reply to Katrina's message. He typed, "Kat, love you always. C." Then he slipped his phone into his jacket pocket.

Sitting on the park bench, he stretched both his arms along the back of the bench while leaning back to appreciate the western sky as the sun began its descent. Perhaps it'll be my last sunset, after all. It's hard to take anything for granted these days.

New feelings replaced the anxious ones of a few minutes ago: freedom and satisfaction. He had done it: faced the fear of leaving the house unprotected and confronted the unknown. Such a small victory, though he almost wished someone would jump out of the bushes to attack him just to prove him wrong. Perhaps then, if he survived, Katrina wouldn't kill him later. Ha! That'd be hilarious, he mused, kill me for leaving her protection! The irony of the unlikely event almost made him laugh out loud.

The sun continued its descent, and he patiently awaited his fate. He was perplexed in a strange way as the late sun washed across his face in the cool breeze. I wonder why I haven't done this sooner. It was all very liberating to him. Best of all, I was right. No danger is waiting to snatch my life and snuff it out. Well, at least not today, anyway.

He chuckled and leaned back into the bench as he appreciated the remaining quiet moments and daylight.

When the sun was nearly ready to drop beyond the western horizon, he felt the chill increase with the winter breeze. He zipped up his coat up and rubbed his hands together.

He turned his head in the direction of the estate and saw a large area shielded by dense trees from the nearly completed sunset. Katrina stood like a statue in her blue jeans, black boots, and black leather jacket. Her eyes glowed bright green with what he anticipated was likely anger. Her red hair was down, and it moved fluidly around her head in the breeze like a living creature all its own. His eyes continued to take in her visage, both terrible and beautiful at the same time. She appeared both lovely and lethal, the perfect vision of a vampire: an angry vampire.

She silently regarded him, her brilliant green eyes piercing through him like lasers. He smiled, appreciating her feral beauty, and turned back towards the pink glow on the western horizon with his arms once again stretched across the back of the park bench. He lifted his face up slightly, as if presenting himself for sacrifice.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced over to see Paige in jeans and a red leather jacket standing in the distance just inside the forest's tree line. She regarded him curiously, and though her blue eyes weren't illuminated, her expression was one of both concern and mild disapproval.

He returned his gaze to the western sky as darkness fell on the surrounding area. His sunset was over. No sunlight remained to stave off the inevitable disagreement. But calmness fell over him, and he muttered, "Alton was right, after all. I've looked fear in the face once, and now I'm ready to face it again."

Hearing a sharp intake of breath to his left, his eyes darted to see Katrina standing not ten feet from him. He blinked only once, and she suddenly towered directly before him. He noted Paige's abrupt appearance to his right, as well. He gazed up into Katrina's eyes calmly and noted an astonished look on her face.

"Facing what fear?" she asked in a cold, level tone.

He deliberately paused and then calmly replied, "Right now, you."

She silently glared at him while Paige frowned in the background. "What?" she prompted in a steely voice. Afraid of me?

He smiled, looked directly into her eyes, and explained, "I'm staring fear and death in the face. Now I can truly begin to love you without fear."

Katrina was dumbfounded, while Paige's mouth gaped open slightly.

"I'm ready to die now, but I want you to know I love you and always will, no matter what," he said softly with his arms stretched across the back of the bench.

"Alton," Katrina seethed between clenched teeth. What crap is he filling Caleb's head with now? A chat is in order, she vowed.

The glow in her eyes dissipated slowly in the passing silent moments, and she sat down on the bench to his left. Paige closed her mouth and sat down at Caleb's right with a relieved expression. Both vampires stared at him, although Paige leaned away further in order to observe Katrina's expression.

"I love you, too," Katrina whispered with resignation. Paige casually leaned back against the bench.

Caleb used each arm to encircle Katrina and Paige around the shoulders and pulled them towards him. Both vampires conceded and shifted slightly to press against him.

"The two most important women in my world," he muttered. He turned his head to the right to kiss Paige lightly on the cheek, and then turned to Katrina to place a warm, soft kiss upon her cool lips.

She stared back with a penetrating gaze and initiated a longer kiss of her own. "Nobody's suffering retribution tonight, I suppose," she stated with a resigned sigh.

Paige grinned, turned her head to Caleb to kiss him with a peck on the cheek, and whispered, "Dodged a bullet, kiddo."

"What he dodged was an angry, deliberate fang bite," Katrina whispered.

Caleb smiled in silent satisfaction at he sat with his arms around his two favorite vampires while a nearby park lamp suddenly snapped to life, casting a glow upon them.

* * *

On the walk back to the estate, Caleb held Katrina's hand and appreciated how forgiving she had been regarding his need for a leap of faith. He gazed up at her with a cheerful smile, but she merely glared back at him and maintained a stern expression. However, as she held his hand, she lifted it to her lips and firmly kissed his skin. He gratefully accepted that, not wanting to press his luck.

At the house, Paige announced that she needed to get out for a while. Since she was a social creature, Caleb imagined that her recent sequestering at the estate was as difficult for her as it had been on him. She changed into a trendy red dress and her new strappy, red high-heeled shoes, warning everyone not to stay up for her, and departed in Alton's rental car.

"Clubbing," he ventured absently, watching out the sitting room window as the car drove away.

"You had to guess?" Katrina asked with surprise. "I'll be in the sublevel room chatting with Alton," she added darkly.

"Your lair," he amended with a smirk.

Katrina stopped, glanced over her shoulder at him with a rather unhappy expression, and grumbled, "I sometimes wish that term hadn't caught on with you."

He tried to erase a smirk as she stalked out of the room. He almost felt sorry for Alton as he considered her dark mood - almost, that is. While the stately vampire's advice had been helpful, it had annoyed Katrina considerably in the end. His mind pondered other advice that Alton had offered and realized he would need to start a workout regimen to prepare his body for phase two. However, it was apparent he still had a lot of work left to do in phase one. He shrugged and went to the kitchen for something to eat. He had scarcely opened the refrigerator when the doorbell rang, and he went to answer it.

* * *

Katrina absently surfed the Internet while holding the cordless phone in her other hand talking to Alton. She quickly recounted Caleb's unplanned adventure that evening in a very displeased tone of voice.

"So, just what other advice have you been giving to my mate?" she demanded.

There was a pause at the other end before Alton calmly answered, "I merely provided him with some supportive advice that might aid him in his continued understanding of the vampire culture. Frankly, I feel the guidance was integral to his development as a successful mate for you."

"He's already a successful mate, Alton," she muttered irritably. "And did you tell him he needs to confront his fears more assertively?"

"Well, yes," he replied. "It's a liberating journey that will only help him develop into a well-rounded, independent person," he reassured her.

She stopped clicking her mouse in the Internet browser. "You're implying he's codependent?" she snapped.

"Well, I know that's probably somewhat appealing to you as an alpha female, but -"

"Bullshit, Alton," she interrupted. "So, you're a lay-psychologist now?"

She heard the doorbell ring and frowned at the security system screen to her left. Kind of late for a visitor, she mused.

Her eyes widened with horror, and she screamed, "Caleb!" The phone hadn't even hit the floor before she sped like a blur to the top of the stairs.

"Katrina? What's wrong?" Alton demanded after the handset dropped to the floor.

* * *

Curious, Caleb opened the front door and thought he heard Katrina yell his name. However, his attention was captured by the terrifying visage before him. A distorted vision of what used to be Alondra Vargas/Chimalma stood before him wearing all-black clothing. Her right ear was missing, and there were deep scars lining the right side of her face. The hair on the entire right side of her head was missing, save for some strands here and there, and her blistered scalp was a gaunt shade of white. Her hazel eyes blazed brightly, and she wore an evil grimace, accentuated by pronounced fangs.

"Hello, Caleb," the harsh sounding voice rasped. "Miss me?"

His eyes noted a small crossbow in her mangled-looking right hand, and it was leveled at his chest. He started to yell out, but felt his body being pushed aside as if hit by a truck. His body landed onto the carpeted floor of the adjacent sitting room, nearly a full fifteen feet from where he had just been standing.

The crossbow in Chimalma's hand fired, and the bolt caught Katrina directly in the chest with a dull thud. She gasped, but managed to remain standing as Chimalma forced her way into the entryway. The angry, disfigured vampire punched Katrina in the jaw with her free hand while firing the crossbow again, the arrow bolt catching her a few inches above the first impact point.

Pain surged through Katrina's body as she yelled, "Run, Caleb!" She grabbed Chimalma by the neck with one hand and threw her further into the house towards the kitchen.

Their two bodies became immediately entangled in a flurry of blows and clawing exchanges. Both combatants howled in bitter hatred as they smashed against furniture, fixtures, and walls.

Caleb gathered his wits long enough to realize the battle had moved further into the house. He jumped to his feet as intense fear and adrenaline surged through his mind and body. Making a run for the front door to flee, he made it as far as stepping onto the front porch before halting like a statue. "No!" he yelled in frustration.

He wasn't running for safety this time. His lover, his mate, needed help, and he wasn't about to abandon her. But his mind raced frantically as he tried to think of something he could use as a weapon. And this time, a crowbar from the basement isn't going to cut it! He gathered his resolve and raced back into the entry area towards the hallway and nearly ran into the wall as he tried to stop. Loud snarling noises and a series of subsequent crashing sounds came from the interior.

His mind flashed with an epiphany, and he raced down the hallway towards the study. He flipped on the light switch, and his eyes fell onto the sword in the glass case that had belonged to Katrina's husband. He lifted the casing off and cast it onto the floor. Snatching the sword from its wooden holders, he nearly dropped the heavier-than-expected weight, which shifted in his novice right hand.

Wasting no time, he raced down the hallway as fast as he could.

The two vampires continued their struggle in the formal dining room. The large table was smashed and the china cabinet reduced to rubble as they fought. Katrina's wounds were bleeding more freely as she wrestled with the centuries-old Aztec vampire. Despite her disfigurement, Chimalma seemed to have the upper hand in the battle, and Katrina felt her strength ebbing.

Katrina managed to knock the crossbow from Chimalma's grip, but the elder vampire's left hand snatched a short-bladed, curvy dagger from her waistband sheath and held it overhead as she readied to strike down at Katrina's chest. Chimalma's right hand choked Katrina's neck in a deathlike grip, while she grappled with the arm holding the dagger.

"If you're going to blow somebody up, do it right!" Chimalma spat venomously.

Caleb appeared out of the hallway holding the sword over his head with both hands, running towards Chimalma's unprotected back, hoping to strike her down. Katrina's eyes widened for only an instant, but it was enough for the disfigured vampire to notice. Chimalma's head glanced back over her shoulder, and she jerked her left hand away from Katrina's grip, throwing the curvy-bladed dagger at Caleb as he charged.

The knife flew through the air and imbedded into his upper left chest quadrant with a force that caused him to fall backwards from the impact. Intense pain cascaded through his chest and shoulder, and the sword was propelled forward across the floor from his hands as he released his grip on the hilt.

The blade skittered across the tiled floor towards Katrina, and she managed to grab the hilt as it started to slide past her. She whipped the blade upwards and plunged the tip of the sword into Alondra's heart, causing the vampire to gasp sharply. Chimalma grabbed at one of the arrow bolts stuck in Katrina's chest with her free right hand and pressed it into her further, causing Katrina to scream in pain.

But Katrina still managed to grab the hilt of the imbedded sword with her right hand and deftly snapped the end of the blade off, leaving the tip stuck in the other vampire's heart.

"Bitch!" Alondra cursed.

With one fluid sweep of Katrina's right arm, the remainder of the blade swooshed upwards and to the left, neatly separating the vampire's head from her shoulders. As Caleb looked up from the floor with horror, Alondra's head rolled across the floor, spraying a mist of blood along its path. The body slumped to the tiled floor with a squishy thud. Chimalma's head came to a stop against the far wall, an expression of shock still evident. A second later, the broken sword clattered to the floor as Katrina collapsed to her knees in exhaustion.

Despite the blade imbedded in Caleb's chest, he managed to crawl to Katrina's side as she rolled into his arms, weakly staring up at him.

"What can I do?" he urged in a panicked voice.

She felt her energy ebbing as the blood continued to seep from her two wounds, though the most critical was the arrow sticking from the area around her heart. She was exhausted from the effort of her last actions, and Katrina realized that death was finally coming for her. But instead of feeling fear, she felt an odd peace fall over her. Glancing into Caleb's shocked face, she felt genuine remorse. "Nothing, my love," she whispered. "You can do nothing."

She felt his body shaking with fear as he held her.

"You're healing?" he inquired shakily, but hopefully.

"Not fast enough," she moaned.

"No!" he demanded. "You can't die! You can't leave me!"

"Everyone dies," she whispered.

Pain surged through Caleb's chest, and he felt like he was going into shock. "Not you," he shook his head as tears welled in his eyes. "Not now!"

"I'm so sorry, my love," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. She could feel the emotional pain emanating from him, which greatly surpassed the pain coursing through her own body.

"Don't do this," he pleaded as an idea dawned on him. He grasped each of the two arrows in his right hand and managed to pull them from her body. The blood flowed freely, but he used each of his hands to cover a wound mark and pressed onto each location to help stem the bleeding. Then, despite the blade still sticking from his upper chest, he forced his neck onto Katrina's mouth, demanding, "Take my blood. It'll help you heal."

She was so weak by that point, but she could feel the pulse in his soft neck against her lips. The survival instinct within her immediately wanted to bite into his throat, and her fangs protruded in her mouth. A fresh pain shot through her body, and she gasped.

"Hurry!" he urged as he pressed his neck onto her parted lips.

But she managed to turn her face from him and insisted in ragged breaths, "No. It's not enough. Just live your life. Do it for me...for us."

He sobbed openly and gently settled her body onto the floor. Fate was so cruel to him and seemingly always had been. His loved ones were either abusive or taken from him too soon in life. He finally found the one person who made him complete, who made him feel alive for maybe the first time in his life. And he didn't want to live if she weren't there to live alongside him.

Noticing the bleeding from her body was ebbing, he ran the back of one bloody hand across Katrina's cheek as she closed her eyes. Feeling bewildered, he searched wildly in his mind for solutions. He saw the bloody, broken sword lying on the floor next to them, and an idea was born of desperation.

Ignoring the intense pain from his own nearly unbearable wound, Caleb firmly grasped the sword in both hands and pressed the edged portion of the remaining blade to his neck. Then, before he lost his nerve, he ran the blade across his throat with a painful thrust. Pain seared through his neck, and he dropped the blade with a clatter. Blood readily seeped from the hastily created gash.

"I love you," he muttered before placing his neck over her mouth.

The blood flowed onto her lips. A small spark surged through her body as she felt herself drifting into a dreamlike haze. Her eyes shot open, and something feral awakened. A rich, sweet taste was in her mouth as her lips clamped onto skin, and her arms instinctively wrapped around the figure above her like a vice.

Katrina heard a gasp from the figure, and her mind quickly returned to a conscious state. She realized with horror that Caleb was in her arms as her mouth drank furiously from him. She tried to stop, but the urge in her was too great. Her body was in command, not her rational mind. The red-haired vampire hadn't experienced thirst that strongly before, and it actually terrified her. She felt part-animal, part-higher being all at the same instant. A rush of satisfaction and longing swept through her body, yet her mind was repulsed by it. Time seemed to stop as all that existed was her insatiable thirst and his labored heartbeat and breathing.

At some point she felt stronger as her sense of conscious control also began to return. She forced her tongue onto the skin of Caleb's neck, pressing it there to prevent his continued bleeding. Terror rolled through her as she was uncertain if she had already taken too much blood from him. She sensed only a faint heartbeat from him, and his breathing was shallow.

She gathered saliva in her mouth and held it around his neck wound. Time seemed to stand still again as she impatiently waited for his wound to close. Her lips parted, and she gently licked at his wound area. She wasn't sure if she should remove the dagger from his body, fearing something might tear, and she didn't know if she had the strength to heal him.

More time passed as she lay on the floor, holding his body against hers. His breathing continued to be shallow, and she worried for his survival. She wouldn't forgive herself if somehow her hunger became the death of him. Her mind raced, wondering how he could have been so insane to do what he did. But then she also felt intense love for him, for his sacrifice. However, it would mean nothing if he died from his efforts.

This isn't supposed to be how it ends. She was supposed to have left him safe so he could continue his life. He deserved a normal life, one with a normal wife who could bear him children. A life where he could grow old with his partner and watch their children grow and develop. A life without me.

She wasn't certain what time it was, but she knew that something needed to happen for him soon. She closed her eyes, holding his body close to hers. Some strength in her body was just beginning to return, and she felt her wounds slowly repairing themselves throughout her decimated system.

Once again, Angel Caleb came to my rescue.

The taste of his sweet, life-rejuvenating blood still lingered in her mouth as she whispered to him, "I love you. I'll love you forever."

The rental car screeched to a halt in front of the estate, and Paige barreled through the front door with a cell phone in her hand. She tore her high-heeled shoes from her feet and cast them aside as she looked around frantically. She had driven like a demon possessed once the call from Alton arrived, and she stayed on the phone with him as he described what he'd been able to hear after Katrina dropped the phone.

"Holy crap!" she exclaimed as she made her way into the living room, viewing the carnage before her.

Her eyes took in the horrific scene in the dining room, and she rushed to where Katrina still held Caleb close to her body.

"Red," Paige urged as Katrina's weak, tired eyes looked back at her with anguish.

"He's dying," was all she managed to whisper.

"Paige! What's happening?!" Alton demanded over the cell phone.

"Katrina's injured, but recovering," Paige said hurriedly. "But Caleb's hurt badly. There's a dagger in his upper shoulder area."

"Massive blood loss," Katrina nearly shrieked.

Paige's face flashed with horror as she realized what had happened. "Katrina drank too much from him. He's dying," she muttered desperately.

"Get to the blood supply. Start an intravenous drip immediately!" Alton commanded. "Do it now!"

Paige gathered him into her arms, stripping Katrina's weak hands from around him, and ran with him to the sublevel room where she laid him gently on the king-sized bed. She raced back upstairs to the refrigerator in the kitchen and quickly sorted through the various blood types remaining on the shelves.

"Type A positive," Katrina's strangled voice called from the dining room.

Paige picked two bags of blood and frantically tried to think of where to get the other supplies she needed. "Katrina! I need tubes and needles!" she yelled frantically.

"Basement shelf...medical bag," she rasped.

Paige sped into the basement wine cellar, recalling the last time she had descended these same stairs trying to save Caleb's life. She spotted a black leather medical bag and brought it with her back upstairs. She raced back to the sublevel room where he was lying.

After checking his shallow pulse, Paige prepared the blood for him. She stuck him in the arm with a needle and attached the blood bag to the other apparatus. Grabbing a letter opener from the desk, she stabbed it into the wall above the bed with incredible force, imbedding it into the sheet rock-covered concrete wall. She hung the bag of blood from it above his head.

She glanced at the blade sticking out of his shoulder and was uncertain how to proceed. Racing back upstairs to the dining room, she found Katrina with the cell phone in her hand.

"...have to turn him," Alton finished saying.

"He won't survive it," Paige challenged. "He's too weak. And we have to deal with the dagger now!"

"Bring me to him," Katrina weakly insisted.

Paige carried her tall friend to the sublevel room and laid her alongside her mate. Katrina managed to prop herself up on one arm and absently dropped the cell phone onto the bed beside her. She grasped the dagger in her free hand and looked up to Paige.

"You have to close the wound," she insisted. "Just like I did after I bit him in the shoulder."

Paige's eyes became as big as saucers, and she shook her head. "I don't know if I can-"

Katrina interrupted her, "He's dying! You have to find the strength inside yourself! Now. Do it!"

Paige nodded furiously and motioned for her to pull the dagger out. Katrina held her breath and extracted the blade in one swift movement. As expected, Caleb's blood flowed generously from the wound.

Paige nearly leapt onto him, pressing her tongue into the gaping hole in his chest. She slurped the blood when necessary and began forcing her saliva into the wound area.

"Control, Paige," Katrina urged as she helplessly watched her friend labor at saving her mate's life.

After a time, the open wound began to mend, and Paige licked at Caleb's shoulder area until the skin was fully sealed. Her body was shaking with the effort to control her feeding urge, and she looked sidelong at Katrina with glowing blue eyes.

"Good, Paige," Katrina offered soothingly. "Get a syringe and take blood from me."

"Wait!" Alton shouted over the cell phone speaker. "Katrina's blood is too diluted with Caleb's!"

Paige paused and looked at Katrina, whose eyes showed surprise, not having considered that problem at all.

"Use mine," Paige insisted. "And screw your damned rules! He may have to follow them, but I sure as hell don't!"

Katrina was completely taken aback and simply nodded her assent as Paige grabbed a fresh syringe from the medical bag and proceeded to draw blood from her own arm.

"Saline?" Paige insisted.

"Wait!" Alton insisted. "Undiluted and directly into his wound area!"

"It might start turning him," Katrina urged in a panicked voice. "He won't survive a turning in his condition!"

"No! Unlike you, I've actually turned a human before," shouted Alton. "It won't be enough for a turning, just faster healing!"

Paige nodded and pressed the needle into the skin around the wound. She injected the entire syringe, and both vampires stared down at the sandy-haired young man with concern. "Now what?" she demanded.

"Now, we wait," Alton replied.

Tears fell from Katrina's eyes as she lay against Caleb's unconscious body, which was still breathing all too shallowly.

Paige locked down the house before the sun rose, including activating all the window shutters. Once Paige had both Caleb and Katrina settled, she took Chimalma's body and severed head out to the back yard, placing them in a shallow hole she dug to be left open to the winter sunlight. Fortunately, the winter day promised to host mostly blue skies again. The vampire returned to watch over her friends and help as needed. She also called Alton to check in and make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

For a time, she sat at the edge of the bed with a damp washcloth, dabbing at Caleb's forehead occasionally as his body was racked with shivering that appeared to be from a fever.

Katrina slept against him as her own body continued to heal itself, and Paige looked over at her friend in support.

"I never saw this coming," she muttered darkly.

A couple of hours later, Katrina stirred. She immediately looked at Caleb and saw that his color had improved. She glanced up to the packet of blood hung above his head and noted it was nearly empty.

"How many blood units?" she asked Paige, who looked up from dabbing Caleb's forehead with a fresh washcloth.

"That's number four," Paige replied softly. "How are you?"

Katrina regarded her with sad eyes. "Stronger...and weaker." Her heart was nearly breaking with the thought that Caleb might die.

Paige nodded, understanding her double meaning. As Katrina sat up in bed, the short vampire came around to the other side of the bed and hugged her.

"Thank you, Paige. Once again, I owe you in a big way," Katrina muttered softly. "Caleb would be dead now if not for you."

Paige's voice was hard as her eyes became moist. "I'm pretty fond of the little guy, to tell you the truth."

A pang of jealousy rose in Katrina, but she urged it below the surface. She had brought Paige and Caleb together for his protection and should be happy they had bonded so well. Besides, she was confident that Caleb was her mate and lover and realized that she needed to let go of any unhealthy, possessive urges regarding him. And only a selflessly devoted mate would give his own life for hers.

Katrina smiled, hugging her friend in return. "I know you're fond of him, and I'm happy you feel that way. I think he adores you too."

Paige parted from her embrace with her. "All these years, I've become good at killing and taking blood from others, Red," she confided. "But this is the first time I've ever saved someone else's life with my own blood."

Katrina nodded supportively. "You realize that you have an implicit right to ask for something of me and of him in return," she ventured.

Paige scowled, retorting in an insulted tone, "Do you think I'm really so shallow? I'm just glad you're both still alive."

Katrina recalled the lecture she had given Caleb about vampires. She had warned him that even if they learned to appreciate his company, as a human, it was still likely to be somewhat shallow and cursory. She warned him not to be too trusting of other vampires, given their tendency for self-interest and ulterior agendas. However, even she confessed that Paige and Alton were like family to her, and she didn't necessarily place them in the same category as the other vampires she knew.

She smiled sympathetically and regarded the young vampire. "Honestly, Paige, what can Caleb mean to you after only the short time you've known him?"

Paige considered the question somewhat shyly, not wanting to meet her eyes. "At first I thought you stuck me with a really lame task of babysitting your human mate. But I've gotten to know him the past couple of weeks, and we've gone through more together than I have with any other human. You have to understand, most people go in and out of my life easily. I try not to take anyone too seriously, especially humans. They're perfect to have around for partying or sex and, of course, their blood. But when I think about Caleb, he's what having a little brother might be like, though I never actually had one as a human. It's much the same way you and I are so close, really."

Katrina smiled supportively and nodded her understanding. She realized that Caleb had a way of quickly growing on people. Even vampires, apparently.

Paige continued earnestly, "And hell, I walk away from people all the time. It's easy. But for some reason, I hate the thought of just walking away from him. And then seeing you again after being apart for so many years. Well, despite all the negative reasons behind my purpose for being here, it's just been so satisfying. I'd miss this feeling."

Katrina offered a sympathetic expression and admitted, "I understand. I'd forgotten just how much I missed your eclectic nature, as well as your friendship. Perhaps you should consider staying for a while."

The youthful vampire looked into Katrina's eyes speculatively and paused. "But if I make you feel uncomfortable regarding Caleb..." she began carefully. She was fully aware of how much Katrina coveted him, and she didn't want to be an impediment or interference between them. After all, Caleb was her mate.

"No," Katrina interrupted. "No, Paige. The more friends he has, the better, vampire or not. You're a good friend to him, as well as a..."

"Blood sister?" Paige ventured with a smirk.

Katrina rolled her eyes and countered, "Co-mentor?"

"Kindred?" Paige suggested with a grin.

Katrina's smile faded somewhat, and she whispered in a choked voice, "It won't really matter if he dies."

"Stop that!" Paige snapped, feeling somewhat emotional herself at the moment. "He's going to live, so quit saying that crap."

Katrina's eyes watered slightly, and she sighed. "Fine," she conceded quietly. "He's going to live. He has to."

The silence grew between them, and they looked down at Caleb's unconscious face.

"He looks so peaceful," Katrina commented softly as she gazed onto his gentle features.

Paige nodded silently and placed a supportive hand on Katrina's shoulder as she stood beside the bed. However, she was feeling more concerned than she was willing to admit.

"Listen, I could really go for some warm blood," Katrina prompted gently. "Perhaps you could oblige?"

Paige smiled and departed the room on the welcome errand as Katrina watched her go with a thoughtful expression. She looked back down at Caleb's resting form and smiled warmly. She needed so badly for him to heal and return to her.

* * *

The evening after Chimalma's attack, Caleb stirred from his unconscious state. The injection of Paige's blood had helped to heal the area around the knife wound, and the pints of blood aided in restoring his system to a viable level. Paige was sitting at Katrina's computer in the sublevel room surfing the Internet when he woke. She quickly moved to his bedside and stared down at him.

"Katrina!" Paige called as his eyes fluttered open.

Caleb first thought he saw Katrina's face, but as his eyes regained a degree of focus, the fuzzy face morphed into Paige's, including her perky nose, bright smile, and deep blue eyes all outlined by her bobbed blonde hairstyle from a previous century. While happy to see a friendly face, he was immediately concerned that it wasn't Katrina's. He felt a swell of panic in his chest, coupled with a strong burgeoning soreness in his upper left shoulder and chest.

"Oh, please be alive, Kat," he slurred in a dry, raspy voice.

The red-haired vampire of his dreams suddenly came into view over him, and his arms flailed out and upwards to wrap themselves around her neck in a weak bear hug. But a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder and chest as he did so, and he winced noticeably. "Kat!" he exclaimed with a gasp tinged with a mixture of both sincere relief and physical pain.

Katrina's eyes were glistening with tears despite her smile as she gazed into the face of the young man who had captured her heart and soul. She maintained herself in a statue-like form above him as he struggled to use his arms to pull himself upright. "Careful, my love," she urged as her arms reached behind him to help brace his body into a sitting position.

Caleb swayed slightly, as if he weren't fully equipped to remain upright, but Katrina's arms pulled him against her body as she scooted next to him. They held each other as if the world depended upon their bodies' being pressed together into one.

"Thank God you're alive," he managed to say, despite his dry throat. He felt an elated sense of relief surge through his system as he held her in his arms. His lips found the side of her neck, and he kissed her reverently.

She smiled brightly at the feeling of his soft kiss against her skin, and she ran one hand soothingly across his face while supporting the back of his head with the other. "You saved my life yet again, Caleb," she whispered with awe. "Only this time, you gave of yourself. In the past, many humans have died as I took their blood. But no human has ever willingly sacrificed himself and rendered his blood unto me before. I'm still alive right now because of you, although it was very misguided."

He smiled, though her reference to saving her life twice made no sense. "And I would do it again in a minute for you," he assured her.

She frowned but said nothing for the moment. She didn't want him pulling a stunt like that ever again, whether for her benefit or not. But that was a topic for another time.

Paige smiled at the heartwarming scene playing out before her.

"Besides, you saved me from Chimalma," he added, soberly recalling the images of Katrina's battle with the angry, disfigured vampire.

"But not from your injuries," she whispered darkly.

A frown clouded his face as she pulled away from him so she could look into his face with a serious expression. "What do you mean?" he insisted.

"You saved me with your blood," she explained. "But you lost too much blood yourself, and even after providing you with fresh pints of blood we had in storage, your body was dying from the wound you received."

"But -" he began with confusion. "Your blood would have saved me, just like when I was sick with the 'flu."

She smiled sympathetically. "Your blood was mixed with mine in such a large quantity that you diluted the strength of my vampire blood until my body could metabolize and convert it. There simply wasn't enough time for that to happen. You were dying, and there was nothing I could do to save you."

His eyes widened with comprehension, and he stammered, "But I'm alive. Then how-"

"Paige's blood saved you," Katrina interjected.

He gazed at Paige sitting on the far edge of the bed and noticed an endearing smile on her face. "Your blood? You saved me?" he asked with surprise.

Paige smirked and quipped, "Ah, what's a little blood among friends?"

But his face turned serious, and he crooked his finger at her. "Come over here," he insisted quietly.

Katrina watched intently as Paige scooted down the bed until she was perched next to him. He took the petite vampire's hand in his own and pulled on her arm to draw her closer to him.

Paige's eyes tentatively darted up to Katrina and noted the red-haired vampire's imperceptible nod of approval. She allowed her body to be drawn more closely to him and drew her arm across his waist as she leaned in towards him.

He kissed her on the cheek affectionately and whispered, "Thank you for saving my life again. That's twice in less than a week, and I'm eternally grateful."

Paige started to pull away from him, but suddenly felt Katrina's hand pressing at her back to push her further towards him. She turned her face slightly until her lips met Caleb's and kissed him once very lightly and briefly on the lips. He seemed completely surprised by that, but responded to her kiss in kind.

"You're more than welcome, kiddo," she offered, and then added in a more serious tone: "But you owe me nothing. From now on, your best interests are also my concern."

He swallowed and looked anxiously up to Katrina as she hovered above them from the other side of the bed. But instead of seeing jealousy or concern on his lover's face, he saw only a small smile of approval, and he frowned with confusion.

He felt a shift on the opposite edge of the bed, and when his eyes turned back to look at Paige, she was already gone. He heard the small panel door to the sublevel room slide shut before his eyes could even register her new location.

Looking up at Katrina with a wide-eyed expression, he asked, "What was that all about?"

"Congratulations, my love," she offered softly. "You're probably the first human to have both a vampire mate and a surrogate protector."

"What?" he asked incredulously.

The corners of her lips upturned in a partial smile. "Try to think of her as a sisterly vampire guardian-angel in your life now."

"I've never had a sibling," he whispered with wonder as Katrina smiled with refreshing approval at the idea.

* * *

The next day, Katrina exited the bathroom carrying a small basin of steaming water, a dry towel, and a washcloth and went to sit at Caleb's bedside. She placed the basin on the nightstand and looked down at him with adoring green eyes. He smiled back up at her appreciatively.

"You're too weak to shower, so I'll give you a sponge bath today," she ventured with a warm smile.

"I'm not a big fan of sponge baths," he replied darkly.

"Except when you receive them from me," she countered while removing the bed sheet to reveal his nude body before her. She gazed down at his young, lean, muscled body approvingly and offered, "You're beautiful, Caleb."

He looked away and blushed slightly as he muttered, "Men aren't supposed to be beautiful, Kat."

"I know beauty when I see it," she admonished with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

He said nothing and merely gazed across the room as she rinsed the washcloth in the basin and started with his feet and legs. He felt somewhat helpless and infirm lying in the bed as she bathed him, but admitted her ministrations felt much better than he expected. The washcloth was warm and soothing to his skin. But he felt a little embarrassed as he envisioned Paige walking in on him. "Where's Paige?" he asked pointedly.

Katrina smiled, sensing the reason for his inquiry. "She went out for a while this evening," she reassured him. "I don't expect her for many hours."

He seemed outwardly relieved by her response, and his body relaxed somewhat, much to her relief.

"Oh, Alton called to check on you a couple of hours ago," she offered casually as she ministered to him.

"Really? What's new with him?" he asked.

"He hopes that you're back on your feet soon," she replied. "And he left a message for you. He said, 'To be brutally honest, I'm extremely proud of that young man.'"

He smiled, recognizing the phrases used.

She raised a curious eyebrow, reflecting, "Strange, though. He normally doesn't use a term such as 'brutally honest.'"

He shrugged innocently. "Maybe some new catchphrase he's using nowadays?"

"Hm, perhaps," she replied suspiciously and frowned. A few quiet moments passed as she worked her way up his body with the washcloth.

"1823?" he asked playfully, though mainly to change the subject.

She looked at him curiously and determined the nature of his comment. Still trying to guess my birth date, she mused. "Nope," she replied simply.

He sighed, and she frowned with consternation as she rinsed the washcloth in the basin water. Noting her serious expression, he asked, "What's the matter?"

Katrina was suddenly struck by how brief life was for humans and how unexpectedly it could end. She also recalled a heated conversation with Alton prior to leaving on their hunt for Chimalma. He had reprimanded her for not telling Caleb more about herself. Perhaps it's time to start having those conversations, rather than putting them off.

"I was just thinking back to a recent conversation with Alton," she muttered vaguely. She helped him roll onto his side facing away from her so that she could wash his back.

"Oh," he replied absently. He appreciated the feeling of the sponge bath more than he had expected to.

She dried his back with the bath towel, momentarily considering how she had met Caleb when he was just a child and how he had helped retrieve blood for her. But she quickly decided that would be a topic better saved for some future date. To be honest, she still wasn't sure how to broach the subject and needed time to consider it further.

"There. Feel better?" she asked gently as he rolled onto his back again, pulling the bed sheet up to his chest.

He nodded and smiled. She bent down to him and warmly kissed him on the lips. "Thanks, Kat," he said.

She smiled back, appreciating the earnest look of innocence on his face. She loved him so much and made a spontaneous decision. "My love," she prompted as he looked up curiously. "I was born in April 1506, three years before Henry VIII became King of England, although I have no record indicating the exact day of that month," she said softly.

Caleb's mouth dropped open.

"My God, you've lived over five hundred years already," he quietly noted.

She reached out to hold his hand as she continued, "My family's name was Holcot, and I was given the birth name of Catherine. We were only of a middling level of wealth, though my father owned quite a bit of land in England. I married a wonderful, loving man by the name of Samuel Lawnder, whom you remind me a great deal of, actually. He was a farmer and a reserve soldier in the king's army, and my father bequeathed to us our initial parcel of land as part of my dowry upon marriage. The sword that I killed Chimalma with was Samuel's and his father's before him."

Caleb's eyes were wide with awe as he listened to the story unfolding before him.

"I bore two children for Samuel, a son named Hugh, and a daughter named Margery. Samuel was taken from us by the first wave of influenza ravaging the countryside. Our son and daughter both died within a year after their father, but by smallpox. I was devastated and became withdrawn and distant," she continued morosely.

He reached out with his free hand to pat her hands, which were occupied holding his other hand. "I'm so sorry," he whispered with a glassy-eyed expression.

She smiled supportively, her pain all but numbed by the passage of time and all too many tears cried centuries prior. Her voice strengthened as she stared down into his pale blue eyes and proceeded with her revelations.

"I was thirty years old and residing at my father's estate when I met a traveling nobleman who stayed with us. His name was Jean Antoine de Medici, and he was a vampire. My family had no idea and allowed him to stay as a courtesy. He held papers of introduction from regional nobles, you must understand. He stole me away in the middle of the night and took me to a large estate in the highlands. Over a period of a week I was turned, and on Saturday, November 11, 1536, I officially transformed into a vampire. It was the same year Anne Boleyn was beheaded by King Henry VIII. After the turning, my life, my world, changed forever."

Caleb was in too much shock to speak, and his heart rate increased twofold. She looked down upon him with concern, but decided that he wasn't in distress, merely astounded by her story.

"There's so much more, but we'll leave that for another time," she whispered before bending down to kiss him.

He returned her kiss numbly, but continued to stare up at her with wonder. He couldn't believe that he had actually just heard the story she told him. "Thank you for telling me that," he whispered with sincerity and appreciation.

"I owe you so much more, my love," she replied softly and with a brief sadness in her eyes.

"But wait," he interjected as something dawned on him. "If you're from England, why don't you have an English accent like Alton?"

She smiled with amusement. "Alton embraces his English roots and deliberately chose to maintain his English accent over the years. However, I found out very quickly that the English weren't embraced positively in many parts of the world. I learned to neutralize my accent over a few hundred years. Besides, I no longer consider myself an English citizen. Now I'm a citizen of the world, and I no longer feel compelled or limited by political or national boundaries."

The explanation made sense to him and merely reinforced in his mind how wonderful the woman before him was. "You're amazing, Kat," he mumbled with awe. "Why would you want me? I'm just an ordinary human."

She smiled down at him adoringly and reached down to grasp his face in her hands. She moved her face to his until their noses were touching. "You listen to me, ordinary human," she quipped before turning serious. "You've given me the reason to want to live again. I want to share the world with you and experience everything with renewed appreciation. You've restored my interest in continued existence."

He smiled as she held his face in her soft hands. "You're a goddess," he whispered.

"Caleb," she admonished mildly as she drew her face away from his slightly.

"Well, you're at least a queen among vampires then," he amended endearingly.

She silently considered him for a moment. "Very well, my love," she conceded with a raised eyebrow. "Then I shall be your queen, if you will have me."

He smiled adoringly. "I would have none other."

She returned his smile, kissed him passionately, and slyly asked, "As your queen, shall I also rule over you?"

"Actually, I think you already do," he replied dryly with a smirk.

"Well, yes, I suppose that's true," she considered with a smile as her eyes playfully looked to the ceiling. "But always with passion and your best interests at heart."

He nodded slowly with understanding. So many revelations had occurred in his life recently, and this was merely one of many. "I realize that now," he offered thoughtfully.

They stared into each other's eyes for another quiet moment, and then she glanced to the clock near her computer. "But now it's time for you to sleep, my love," she insisted while pulling the bed sheets up to his shoulders. "With luck, we'll have you out of bed for a couple of hours tomorrow. Then you should be able to spend most of Christmas Day feeling more like your old self."

Given everything, he had almost forgotten that Christmas was only a couple of days away. He suddenly looked forward to the event, happy to be among the living. Best of all, Katrina would be there to spend the holidays with him.

She rose, walked to the other side of the room, and turned the lights down so that the only illumination in the room was emanated from the two computer screens on the nearby hutch.

"Kat?" he beckoned softly.

She instantly appeared at his bedside.

"Don't leave. Will you stay with me?" he inquired curiously.

"Always, my love," she replied gently as she slipped the shoes from her feet, curled up next to his body, and wrapped her arms protectively around him.

Dearest Caleb, if only you realized. I may be your queen, but I'm yours to command, she thought lovingly as she laid with him in her arms, happily listening to the steady, strong sound of his heartbeat.