Taking first Tristan’s hand and then Bailey’s, she made a shallow cut in each of their palms, then pressed their hands together.
She motioned the two girls to come forward. Lifting Tristan’s hand, she held it over one of the goblets, letting a single drop of blood drip into the liquid. She held Bailey’s hand over the second one.
“Drink now.”
Gazing into each other’s eyes, Tristan and Bailey drained the glasses.
“Blood to blood,” the woman intoned. “Life to life. From this night forward and for all the days and nights to come.”
She bowed her head a moment, and it was as if the whole earth held its breath until she lifted it again. “It is done.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the circle closed in around Bailey and Tristan.
Power drifted on the breeze, sang through the night. There was a rustle of clothing and when the crowd parted, Tessa saw that Bailey and Tristan had shifted into their were-panther forms.
“Go now,” the woman said, “rejoice in the bond made between you this night.”
Throwing back his head, Tristan howled before darting toward the trees. With an answering cry, Bailey ran after him.
* * *
Tessa glanced at Andrei as they pulled onto the road that led back to town. “Well, that was different. Kind of beautiful, in its own way. I hope they’ll be happy together.”
“I think they have a good chance.”
Tessa sighed. “I had a text from my parents earlier. They’ll be home tomorrow afternoon and I’m still not sure what we should do.”
“You should go home and see them,” Andrei said.
Tessa nodded. He was right. If she decided not to tell them about becoming a vampire, the time would come when she wouldn’t be able to see them at all because there would be no way to explain why she wasn’t aging. “You’re going with me, right?”
“If you wish.”
“I’m not going without you.” She stared out the window. If she told her parents, would they understand? Would they be able to accept a daughter who was a vampire? Would they still love her? Or would they be so horrified, so repulsed at the mere idea, that they’d never want to have anything to do with her again?
“You’re their daughter,” Andrei said. “Their only child. They love you. That won’t change. They might be shocked when you tell them, but they’ll get over it.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He flashed her a crooked grin. “About ninety-nine percent.”
Tessa looked out the window again. It would make things a lot easier if they knew. She wouldn’t have to explain why she couldn’t eat Christmas dinner with them.... “Do you think I can eat mortal food?”
“I don’t know, why?”
“Well, since I can be awake during the day, if I can eat a little at breakfast and dinner . . . maybe they won’t have to know.”
“It’s your call, love.”
“Can we stop at the store before we go home?”
“Sure.”
Turning down Main Street, he pulled up in front of the market. “What are you in the mood for?” he asked, amusement evident in his voice as he followed her inside.
“I’m not really in the mood for anything,” she retorted. “But I need to see if I can keep anything down.”
Andrei trailed behind her as she pushed her cart down the aisles, pausing to select a small, precooked chicken, cans of sweet potatoes, corn, and cranberry sauce, a package of buttermilk rolls. At the last minute, she added a pumpkin pie and whipped cream.
At the register, he paid the bill. Smiling faintly, he followed her back out to the car.
“What are you grinning at?” Tessa asked as they pulled away from the curb.
“Just curious to see what happens. I mean, it took me over seven hundred years to be able to consume mortal food and you’ve been a vampire, what? Forty-eight hours, give or take a few minutes.”
“You said we strengthen each other,” she reminded him. “If I can be awake during the day, maybe I can eat, too.”
“And if you can’t?”
“I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” She shrugged. “If it seems like the right thing to do, if there’s no way around it when we get there, then I’ll tell them. This is all so new to me, I’m just feeling my way.”
Andrei reached over to squeeze her hand. “I know, love. And you’re handling it a lot better than I ever did.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Tessa sat at her kitchen table. They had come to her house to prepare the meal, since there were still no appliances at Andrei’s to cook or store the groceries, and no dishes or silverware, and not likely to be any in the near future, if ever.