I held my bloodstained fingers out to him.

I wanted Alexander to crave me more than he already did. Like Sebastian had craved Becky. But was that possible? Alexander was so intense and passionate as it was — was there anything deeper that he could feel or show me? And didn’t he already crave me and my blood without me tempting him in this way?

I wondered if Alexander was right — that I might not like the vampire lifestyle after all, or that my lifelong dream of hiding from the sun and rising by the moonlight might not be as romantic as it seemed. Ultimately, becoming a vampire would be a decision I couldn’t change. A test I couldn’t retake. An ill-fitting dress I couldn’t exchange. It would be for life. Forever. For eternity. But this wasn’t about being turned. Alexander and I weren’t on sacred ground. This was about something different.

My boyfriend stared at me, consumed by the scent of blood and the irresistible desire to devour it. “This is what you want? Me to be like the others — Jagger and Sebastian? Impulsive, needy?”

“No. I want you to be you. This was never about being anyone else,” I said.

I could see Alexander was in turmoil. I was tempting him with something that was bigger than a fantasy to him.

This was his everyday reality — a basic desire he had to fight against.

“It’s okay,” I said. I moved back and glanced away from him.

But instead of retreating, too, he stood still. I could feel his gaze fixed on me with a power that was hypnotic.

“No,” he said. “Don’t go.”

I was surprised by Alexander’s response and heeded his plea. I wasn’t sure what he would do next. I almost gasped. Instead of leaving me, he stepped closer and took my face in his hands.