Free Afterlife by Claudia Gray

Her dark eyes remained fixed on
him in a silent demand for the whole truth.
    He continued, “About six weeks ago, her health just . .. failed . She didn’t want food.
Didn’t want blood. I tried taking her to the doctor, but she’d started to,
well, to change, so they didn’t know what to make of her anymore.”
    “It must have been clear to you what needed to be done.”
    Slowly, Lucas nodded. “Bianca needed to turn into a vampire
to stay alive. I asked her to kill me. I would’ve let her turn me into a
vampire, to save herself. But she wouldn’t do it.” His voice broke on the last
word, and he turned his head away from Mrs. Bethany.
    My resurrection as a ghost might have lessened Lucas’s
grief, but I realized in that moment that the wounds he’d suffered when he
watched me die would scar him forever.
    “You could not have prevented it,” Mrs. Bethany said. She didn’t
sound sympathetic, exactly, but her voice was slightly softer. “If Miss Olivier
didn’t transform you into a vampire, who did?”
    “That would be Charity.” Lucas’s jaw tightened. A shudder of
pure hate passed through me. “We had a run — in right after Bianca died, back
in Philadelphia. I don’t know why she did it.”
    “With Charity More, reason rarely enters into the equation.”
That was as close to a joke as I’d ever heard from Mrs. Bethany.
    “I didn’t know what to do at first. It’s — I guess you know
how it is, when you change. Balthazar was around, trying to deal with his
sister, and he helped me out. I tried to talk to my mother, but she — she’s
Black Cross. “
    Mrs. Bethany straightened, her eyes flashing. “You mean that
she attacked you.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Your own mother.” To my astonishment, I realized Mrs.
Bethany was feeling righteous outrage — on Lucas’s behalf. “Indecent. Shocking.
Hateful. The sort of behavior I would have expected from most members of Black
Cross, to be sure, but one would think that at least a mother’s love would
prove more powerful than their anti — vampire dogma.”
    “Guess not,” he muttered.
    Mrs. Bethany rose to her feet, walked around the desk to
Lucas’s side, and put her hand on his shoulder. If his wide eyes were any
indication, he was as surprised as I was. “It is unfortunate that you had to
learn the error of your ways in such a painful fashion. But you should know
that my sympathies are entirely with those who have suffered persecution by
Black Cross. Your past as a living man, and the mistakes you made then, have
now been wiped away. The sanctuary of Evernight Academy is yours. We will
protect you. We will teach you. You need not be alone any longer.”
    For one half second, I actually liked Mrs. Bethany.
    Lucas Wasn’t won over quite so easily. “Thanks. I mean that.
But it’s not going to be so simple. Those guys are about ready to stake me
already.”
    “They’ll obey the rules.” Mrs. Bethany’s smile held a hint
of chill. “Leave that to me.”
    “The human students — ” His voice
sounded strangled. “I’venever killed.”
    “The urge is strong.” She spoke as though this were only to
be expect·ed. “In your case, perhaps, stronger than most — I see the signs. But
here you will have many guardians over your conduct; I daresay you are in less
danger of harming a human here than you would be in the outside world. In time,
you will discover how to be a part of the vampire world. You will become one of
us.”
    Lucas shut his eyes for a moment, and I wondered if it was
in relief or despair.

 Chapter Six
     
    LUCAS WALKED TO THE WROUGHT — IRON GAZEBO, staring after
Mrs. Bethany as she went inside to give the annual welcoming speech to the
student body. Finally sure that nobody else was watching, I dared to
materialize at his side.
    “Hey,” he said. He half turned to see me and managed to
smile for my sake. “Right back where we first kissed.”
    “The more things change.” As the breeze ruffled his dark
gold hair and