Zen and the Art of Vampires

"I honestly don't know whether to be offended or grateful," I said, stumbling back until I felt the rough stone wall behind me. I sank down onto the floor, feeling it was better to put some distance between Kristoff and myself. Sitting on his lap had brought up far too many memories, memories that for Alec's sake I should squelch.

"You should be grateful. Once a couple has Joined, they are bound for life."

"Joining requiring some steps, you said?" I was curious as to what, exactly, made one a Beloved.

"Yes."

"I'm probably going to regret this, but what, exactly, are they? Maybe I'm like partway to being Alec's Beloved, and that's what Kristjana picked up on?"

"Or she could just be jumping to conclusions."

"True. What are the steps?"

"Nothing very profound. The first is a marking. That can mean anything from the ability to share thoughts without verbal communication, to being able to sense things that were hidden before."

"You can share thoughts? You mean like mental telepathy?"

"Yes. It is not unknown for Dark Ones who are very close to do so, and it is always the way with a Beloved."

"Wow. Interesting. Still, that first step sounds pretty vague," I said, thinking about how I knew Alec was hungry and needed blood. Or had that been Kristoff?

"Second step is protection from some sort of a danger."

"Alec sacrificed himself for me earlier, in the restaurant," I said, but the image that flashed into my mind was of Kristoff turning to face me after he'd killed the man who'd held a knife to my throat.

"Third is an exchange of the body."

I raised my eyebrows.

Kristoff's voice held a slight note of amusement. "More like a kiss than what you're thinking."

I blushed despite the darkness.

"Fourth is an issue of trust—will the Beloved betray the Dark One or keep his faith?"

I moved uncomfortably on the cold dirt floor. I wouldn't perform on Alec and Kristoff whatever horrible ceremony the Brotherhood folk wanted. I just wouldn't.

"Fifth is another exchange of the body. Yes, your night with Alec would qualify." His voice ceased to be amused, and was back to being hard and flinty.

"Sixth is a need that the Beloved can fulfill to overcome the Dark One's true self."

I frowned. "A need? What kind of need?"

"It's personal to each couple. Something the Dark One needs that the woman provides."

"Blood, you mean?"

"Possibly. I don't know; I don't have a Beloved to ask."

"Hmm." I thought about that for a few minutes. Both Alec and Kristoff had needed blood from me, but it was Alec who said he needed me, wanted me in his life. "And the last step?"

"Exchange of blood. After which the Beloved makes some sacrifice, and the Joining is complete."

"Well, I certainly haven't drank Alec's blood," I said, my nose wrinkled at the thought of such a thing. "That sounds extremely unhygienic, not to mention dangerous if one person was diseased."

"Dark Ones don't get mortal diseases."

"Still, it doesn't sound very good. You know, I think that may be what's going on—I fit all the rest of the steps but that one. I just don't know if I can drink blood, even to save him. It's just so icky."

Kristoff was silent, but a sudden wave of hostility from him had me wondering if he would be jealous if I found his friend's soul.

I didn't want to break up their friendship, but he couldn't expect me to turn my back on his friend if he needed me, could he? More importantly, how were we to get out of this horrible fix so I would even have the chance to find out if I was a potential Beloved?

I sighed. It was shaping up to be a long, unpleasant day, and I didn't have any expectation of it getting better soon.

Chapter 16

"What time do you think it is?"

The silence that met my question was almost as thick as the blackness wrapped around us in the minuscule basement storeroom.

A tiny little snuffling sound finally broke the silence.

"Kristoff!" I said loudly.

A muted snort answered, followed almost immediately by Kristoff saying, in a voice thick with sleep, "What?"

I stood in the middle of the room, or what I assumed was the middle, and put my hands on my hips. "You were sleeping, weren't you?"

"No. Possibly." He cleared his throat. The chair creaked as if he had been leaning back and suddenly sat upright. "What was the question?"

"How can you sleep at a time like this!"

"I'm male. I fall asleep after sex, and when I'm trapped in a small room with my arms handcuffed behind me, and nothing else to do but think about how hungry I am."

"Well, I like that. Here I am talking to you about various escape plans, and you're using the fact that I can't see you to doze off! And you snore!"

"I do not snore. Dark Ones do not snore," he said sternly, and I imagined that he was, at that moment, frowning at me. I swam my way through the darkness toward him, my hand sweeping in front of me in case I was going in the wrong direction. "What are you doing?"