Adamant Spirits

October 31, 2017

October 31, 2017

Aestan brought the empty bowl of candy inside and locked the door behind him. Children’s laughter sounded up and down the street. Trick or treating was almost done for the night. A lot of new families had moved into the area, and they certainly made up for lost time with their chaos. They’d gone well over the ten o’clock curfew. Still...it didn’t bother him quite as much as it might have.

“That was the last of it.” He walked into the kitchen. “They didn’t even leave a scrap. In fact, I think someone licked the bowl.” He frowned at the grungy marks on the inside.

She sat at the hickory table in front of a mixing bowl. Half-smiling, she languidly scooped up sticky balls of pumpkin ginger oat cookies. “Sounds like it was a success.”

“Yes...” He’d doubted any kid would willingly eat zucchini chocolate caramels. But somehow she had worked her magic with those as well. From the looks of her though, she was close to the end of her magic.

She’d lost even more weight than before, her skin pale and scarred. Heavy bags hung beneath her eyes. No matter how deep his thirst or hunger, he couldn’t bear to ask any more from her. She’d missed all the trick or treaters because she’d been sitting in that chair for the past hour making three dozen cookies. “Come over to the couch and rest, darling.” He kissed the top of her head. She smelled like pumpkin and cinnamon.

She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m almost done.”

“The cookies will be fine. I can finish them from here. Come on.” He slid the ice cream scoop from her hand.

“You need more blood though, don’t you?” She looked up at him through half-closed eyes. “I can tell. I’ll need your help to—“

He pushed her hand away as she rolled her sleeve back farther. “I don’t need anything from you, Summer. Just for you to come and sit with me.”

“It’s been days. Did the synthblood work?” She blinked slowly, putting her hand to her forehead. Her skin prickled with tiny goosebumps.

“Come on, baby. You’re chilling.” He lifted her into his arms. Setting her down, he smoothed her hair back. It was brittle now, dull like her skin. Though she was beautiful in her own way, this death pallor that had settled over her was from him. It couldn’t continue.

She rested her head on his chest. She sighed appreciatively as he wrapped the blanket over them. “You don’t feel so cold anymore.”

“We need to talk.”

“Let’s watch some TV.” She reached for the remote.

“No. Summer, please listen to me.” He gripped her hand in his. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it. Every bone, every muscle stood out against his own. Tears pricked the backs of his eyes. “Please.”

“What?” She tilted her head.

“You’ve given me everything I could have ever wanted and more. Each day my love for you increases. And because I love you...this can’t continue. I won’t live off you any longer. What I need is more than you can give, and I will not be responsible for your death.”

Her eyes darkened. She pushed herself up to a seated position. Her heart thudded hard. “Aestan!”

“I’m not abandoning you.” He pulled her back. He caressed her cheek and her neck. “But I’m asking you to reconsider.”

“Reconsider what?”

“Letting me turn you. If you were like me, we could find ways to survive, to be strong, and you wouldn’t be so ill.”

She shook her head, pressing her lips together. “No! If I became like you, then we’d have twice as much to find and no resources.”

“There are resources, my love. It’s just...you have to accept certain things are as they are. We can’t live without destroying.”

“I don’t believe that. We can keep working on the synthblood. Surely it’s going to work one of these times, and you won’t—“

He pressed his finger to her lips. They’d discussed and fought over this so many times. “Even if it did...I’d still lose you one day to death.”

“All things must end,” she whispered.

“I’d rather ours end together. Together...together we could find a solution, and we could live out the rest of this world’s years together.” He leaned closer. The words flowed easily. He traced the line of her face and her lips. To see her so weak wounded him more than anything. To know his need had made her this way was worse. It was little wonder the others warned against extended contact with golems. Seeing what happened if they did not die almost immediately was heart-wrenching.

“No.” She closed her eyes. A tear leaked down her cheek. “I know it’s hard, but...no...” She wiped the tear away and rolled over, turning to face the TV.

“Then at least let me take you to the hospital. You are malnourished. You—“

“No! If we did that, we might as well have just stolen the blood from the beginning, and we can’t, and I won’t go back to eating meat. There can’t be double standards...no...Now, let’s watch the movie.” She fumbled for the button before the TV sprang on.

His heart sank as she settled down, her head resting on his arm. It was like holding a cold bag of bones with a pathetic little flame struggling to stay alive.

She was dying. There was no question about it. And the solution was simple. She was too weak to resist being turned now. All the fight had drained away. He smoothed her hair back, exposing her pale neck. Even with her body so withered and weak, he knew precisely where to look, exactly what to do. Her breaths eased in and out, the pauses between them too slow.

Leaning over her, he drew in a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent. It would be so easy. A simple process. But once again, he...couldn’t. Not now. She might not survive or heal, and her current condition created other challenges. He would need additional help to ensure her safety and survival. For several moments, he remained motionless, bathed in the blue light.

At last, he shifted her onto the couch and rose. Picking up the phone, he dialed 911. “Yes, my wife was in an accident. She’s going into shock, and she’s lost a lot of blood. I’m bringing her in. She’ll need a blood transfusion. Type A-. She’s also an anorexic vegan and malnourished. Be ready for us.” He ended the call, wrapped her in the chenille blanket, and carried her out to the car.

The cold autumn night enveloped them as they drove down the road. He kept his hand on her shoulder, watching her from the corner of his eye.

As they reached the highway, she lifted her head, murmuring. “What—“

“Just rest. It’ll be all right, darling,” he whispered. He adjusted the blanket on her arm. “You’ll be fine.”

“You need more blood though,” she said groggily.

“No. The synthblood is working fine. I don’t need anything from you except for you to live.” Another lie. Yes. But he’d find some way to make it work. There were ways. Ways she might not like, but it was senseless to deny what they were. And in the end what mattered most was that she lived.

As they passed the six-sided clock tower, the great black hands reached perfectly upwards. The gong sounded, ringing out into the crisp air. Midnight had come, and their new beginning was now.

Swept Away

Heat Level: ☕︎ Alora Carter

A contemporary fantasy romance

Author Alora Carter is a native Coloradan sun-child who would rather be lost in a forest than struggling with adulting. She has two vibrant littles and a handsome viking-esque husband, a cranky old Jack Russell and a four-foot corn snake named Sancho. Currently thriving in the lake lands of the midwest, she loves to write fantasy that sprinkles in cool science alongside themes of endurance in hardship, love conquers all, found family and growing the hidden potential in us all.

“Swept Away” is the stand alone meet cute of her main character’s parents, four years before the prologue. It takes place ~4 years before the prologue of her book.

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