A very good question, thought Aidan as the glow of her lantern slowly vanished. That rabbit was pretty small and it’s been a while. I’m already starting to feel hungry. By tomorrow night I’ll really be feeling it. I don’t think I’ve ever gone more then three days without some kind of meal. I don’t know what starvation will do to me, but I imagine it’s not going to be good. And I don’t think Shauna is going to give in and let me go any time soon. I certainly haven’t lost my knack for getting into trouble. He sighed. Now if only Flame Song were around to bail me out of it. He passed the night alone with his thoughts, and when the sun rose that morning he was sound asleep. He didn’t see Shauna when she came into the cave, lantern lit, and stood gazing down at him where he slumped against the wall in a rather uncomfortable-looking position.

I could almost wish he were telling the truth, she thought to herself. He looks so innocent, so peaceful. It’s hard to believe he’s a bloodthirsty killer. He looks more like an angel. She stared, taking in his soft-feathered wings, his unruly dark hair, and his peaceful expression. Her own expression softened momentarily, but then she shook herself. No. He’s nothing but a murdering vampire. He doesn’t deserve any compassion. If he’s an angel he’s a dark angel of death. She turned to go, but couldn’t resist one last look behind her.

When Aidan awoke the next night he found Shauna already sitting beside him with the lantern lit. “Well vampire, are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”

Aidan shook his head tiredly. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know myself.”

“Why do you persist in this nonsense? Just tell me!” Her frustration was evident.

Aidan remained silent. What point was there in arguing with the girl? She wouldn’t believe him no matter what he said. He was starting to slip into depression again. He had struggled so much, come so far, and now he was going to end his life in the dark hole with only a stubborn girl for company.

“What loyalty could a vampire have? Why save the other vampire? You know I’ll catch him sooner or later?”

“I’m sure you will,” Aidan said tiredly. “But I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

She looked at him. “You know, you almost have me believing you.”

Aidan didn’t respond. An uncomfortable silence stretched out. Shauna broke it at last. “You’re a strange contradiction. A devil who looks like an angel, a murderer with the face of an innocent. How did you end up being a vampire?”

Aidan looked up at her. What reason did he have to share his life story with her? But then what reason did he have not to? With a mental shrug he began, “I didn’t want to become a vampire. It was the last thing I wanted, in fact.” He thought back to that day. He’d been knocked out and carried off then too, but he’d woken in a wooden shack with a vampire sitting by his side. “I was kidnapped by a vampire. I think he was more than a little crazy. He wanted to build an army of the undead, and I was his first recruit. There isn’t really much to tell. He turned me into a vampire, I managed to kill him and get away. I’ve been like this ever since.”

Shauna was looking at him with a kind of unwilling fascination in her eyes. “Did it hurt, being turned into a vampire?”

“The first part, yes. More than anything I’ve ever felt, before or since. But once it was over with it didn’t hurt at all.”

“How…” she hesitated over the question, and then asked, “How did he do it? How do you make somebody a vampire?”

Aidan looked at her. Why was he sharing this? She didn’t care; to her he was nothing but a threat to her precious village and an object of horrified curiosity. But he felt the desire to talk about it. He’d never really discussed that night with anybody, not even Flame Song. At first he hadn’t been ready to deal with it, and then it just hadn’t come up. He took a deep breath, and answered. “He drank my blood. That was the part that hurt.” His eyes went dark, turned inward on an unpleasant memory. “He drained me to the very edge of death, but stopped just before he killed me outright. I was still dying though. I wouldn’t have lived out the night, if he hadn’t…” He stopped. The memory was still almost too painful.

“Hadn’t what?” asked Shauna.

“He cut his wrist and made me drink his blood. I didn’t want to, but I was too weak. He forced it into my mouth and I was choking on it. I swallowed reflexively. I couldn’t help myself. Then I passed out. The next thing I remember was waking up the next night, a vampire.”

After he finished there was another long silence. Then Shauna said, “That’s horrible.”

Aidan didn’t reply.

Shauna’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “But how do I know that’s the truth? Maybe you’re just trying to win my sympathy again.”

Aidan shrugged. “I can’t make you believe anything. But it’s the truth.” He leaned back against the wall as best he could, suddenly very tired, and suddenly aware of being very hungry. “Shauna, I know you won’t let me free, I’m not asking you to, but I don’t want to starve to death. Could you please bring me something? I haven’t eaten since before you captured me.”

Her expression of sympathy vanished completely before a look of total horror. “You want me to bring some helpless victim to you? Are you crazy?”

“No! And if you did, I wouldn’t, I couldn’t harm anyone. All I need is some animal. Bring a rabbit, a chicken, anything. I told you I don’t drink human blood and I never will.”

“No.”

He was pleading now. “I beg you, please. I’ve never been more than a few days without food. I’m afraid I’ll lose control of myself. I don’t know what I could do if I were starving. And if I hurt you, or anyone, I’d regret it forever. Please!”

“No! I told you I’ll leave you here to starve to death if you don’t tell me where the other vampire is, and I’m not going back on it.” She snatched up the lantern, bolted to her feet, and stormed out of the cave. Aidan slumped against the wall. His heart felt as dark as the utter black of the cavern around him. He was going to die here and Flame Song would never know what had happened to him. Littlespark would have to grow up without a father after all.