Vampires Rule

Suicide by Sunlight

It was a long night.

Silver stayed with him, soothing him with a wet cloth when the cramps hit. Sometime in the middle of the night she got up and closed the curtains to block the sun's rays. He watched with a heavy heart as she performed the task. Blinking his eyes against the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks, he purposely turned his head. The saddest part wasn't that he wouldn't see another sunrise; it was the loss of Silver and Billy, his family. He couldn't possibly stay with them now.

He held onto Silver all night long. Neither of them slept. They didn't talk either. As if by an unspoken mutual agreement, they kept their dark thoughts to themselves.

When morning finally came, he asked, "Is Billy waiting outside with a stake in hand?"

"I haven't told him about Summer yet."

"You didn't tell anyone?"

"Only my mother, in case I need help."

The good news: he wasn't in pain anymore. He felt great in fact, better than he had in weeks. The bad news: life as he knew it was over. He thought about returning to Cowboy, the only surviving member of his group, but he couldn't even fathom living as a vampire again, not after this wonderful second chance at life.

He made up his mind what to do about it. Summer had taken the choice from him, forced him to become a vampire again, but no one could make him live as one. He touched his throat as if it hurt and used a raw voice to make a request, "Could you get me some water, please?"

For some reason Silver seemed reluctant. She got up, walked to the door and opened it, but she hesitated in the doorway. She suspected he was up to something. If he wasn't quick about it, she'd call for reinforcements. They might pile on top of him, hold him down or tie him to the bed so he couldn't find peace.

Jack threw off the covers and raced to the window. Before Silver could stop him, he yanked the curtains open wide, closed his eyes tight, and mentally prepared himself to burst into flames. It might hurt for a few seconds. At least it would be over fast.

Nothing happened.

Jack opened one eye a slit. He saw the sun and felt its warmth on the bare skin of his chest. He placed a hand on his stomach, testing the theory. Giant butterflies fluttered their huge wings as his stomach growled, hungry for food and not for blood.

"You aren't a vampire." Silver's voice mirrored his shock. She repeated the phrase with a huge smile on her face. "You aren't a vampire!"

"They don't call me Jackpot for nothing," he joked.

They met in the center of the room. He picked her off her feet, twirled her around, and laughed with her. Her blood must have kept him from turning back into a vampire. She'd saved his life. What would he do without her?

He set her down and smoothed the hair back from her face. "You know what this means, don't you?"

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, unsure.

"It means we can be together forever," he said. "It means we've shared blood, the most intimate of things, and now we're linked together for an eternity. It means I can kill Jersey before he starts a war. It means you can have your life and live it the way you want."

"Remember your promise about Jersey. If you can't do it without risk, I don't want you to do it at all. I can survive as a hunter, but I can't live without you."

If anyone else had said those words to him, he would have cringed or laughed at how corny they were. Coming from Silver's mouth they sounded like the most beautiful words in the world. And he totally agreed with her.

"I remember," he said.

"I've been thinking about college." She twisted her fingers. "I don't need to go. I don't have to be a lawyer. It was just a silly dream."

"It's not silly, and I want you to have your dream."

"People can't always have everything they want."

"You can," he insisted. "Don't turn your back on your dreams because of me. I didn't mean what I said before. I'll go with you, wherever you go. I can find a job and get a place off campus to live."

Her eyes lit up at the thought. "Yeah. We can get a cute little place, and I'll cook for you when you get home at night."

"You don't have to do that either."

"I want to do it."

She stepped into his arms and hugged him.

There was a knock on the door. Her mother stuck her head in and asked if they were okay. Silver quickly explained everything that had happened since Summer bit him. After she was finished, Vanessa said, "You both need to get ready for school or you're going to be late."

They looked at each other, both thinking about Jersey.

"You don't have to do it," Silver said. "Not today. We can wait."

"Better if I do it now. Get it over with."

"Okay. I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast."

Jack waited until she was gone. He picked the rock up where it had fallen on the floor and rotated it in his palm. There was no way he was going to let Silver down. Even if he got himself killed, he was going to finish Jersey today.