"I have a confession." She said as she slid onto the seat beside me. "I already told you I don't do this. What I didn't tell you is the reason I decided to do it this time."

She shifted in her seat. Her body was completely facing me. Her left foot folded under her bottom. Her left arm rested on the back of the sofa. Classical music played softly in the background.

"I probably should've told you this before bringing you here. But I didn't want to talk about this in the club.

"I found out a few weeks ago that I have an unoperatable Arteriovenous malformation, AVM for short." She shifted uncomfortably. "It's a bundle of veins that have grown uncontrollably. If they were in another spot," she shook her head, "where it is, there is too much danger from surgery."

I didn't know what to say. Many of my kind have held on to their humanity, but there were the ones that have abandoned that part of themselves. I hadn't. But I had also only known her two hours and twenty-seven minutes. I was here to feed, not get involved in her life. I had my own life.

"It's complicated. I'm not sure I even understand it. My doctor explained it but a lot of it was just technical terms. The point is that I can't be serious, this," she waved her hands between us, "can only be temporary."

"How temporary?" I asked unsure why I bothered.

"I don't know. Six to eight months. But it would be better for just this night. I'm going to die, Alex." She smiled as if the thought pleased her. "You've only just met me so if I died tomorrow your heart could move on without heartache."

She confused me. Did she want to die? She didn't seem scared, angry, sad, or any of the emotions that usually accompany death.

"Are you not scared," I blurted out.

"Of course I am." She told me. "When I found out I wanted to scream and rage at the world. I cried, yelled, at one point I laid in bed and begged to just die, I just wanted it over. No more drama, no more questions, no more BS. When I finally had no tears left I called my sister. It wasn't until the day before yesterday that I realized I could spend the rest of the time I had left miserable or I could live the rest my life."

"Why tell me?" I asked curious.

"You're not part of my previous life, you're," she shrugged her shoulders, "a new chapter."

I nodded. I understood. When I was human I had been engaged, when I learned he died in my cousins bed I soon left. I couldn't talk to the people that knew us both. I needed someone neutral.

I couldn't stand the pity or the condolences of all the people that we knew. I didn't know what to say. What could I say? He was having sèx with my older cousin. He had a heart attack at twenty-five.

She swore it was an accident. She told me it was only that one time. I didn't believe her and I couldn't forgive her or kill her.

At his funeral his father pulled me aside.

"Alexis, James cared for you, despite what happened." He said looking down at me.

I couldn't speak but I wanted to ask, if he cared about me then why did he sleep with her a month before our wedding? I just nodded my head.

"I've always said he was a lucky man to have you." Richard continued speaking. I just wanted him to shut up so I could leave the cemetery and curl up in bed. "I feel it is my duty to take care of you now. James would expect it."

I started shaking my head, no. I didn't want anything from him or his family.

He lifted his hand and let it settle on my shoulder.

"Yes. I insist. We'll be married."

The blood started rushing in my ears. This couldn't be happening.

Eyes wide in horror and revulsion I lifted my skirt, turned and ran into the woods.

I heard voices calling me but I didn't even pause.

I ran for miles. Sweat coated my skin making the dress cling to me. Leaves and twigs tangled in my hair. My dress was ripped where a low branch had snagged it.

I found myself telling Beth about it. I didn't mention that it happen almost 500 years ago.

I had shed the dress and put on a night gown. I didn't care that it wasn't even noon.

I fell on my bed and cried. My mother found me hours later and told me I had a visitor.

I wiped my face and dressed with my mother's help. She walked with me to the salon.

Richard stood by the fireplace. He had changed clothes and wore a tan jacket.

"Alexis, dear," he smiled at me, "I told your parents what we had decided. They have agreed."

"What?" I asked, confused.

My father stood, smiling. "Mr. Bellcast told us that you agreed to marry him." My father said.

My mother, at my side, gave me a hug. "He even agreed to pay our debts." She said.

"Debt?" I wondered if I were having some kind of nightmare.

"The taxes, dear. We've been unable to pay them the past two years." She explained sadly.

My father just looked at me sadly.

I didn't know what to do.

"Yes. But you'll be my wife and I don't want you to worry about them, so I'll be paying it and giving them enough money to pay it for the next three years."

I was speechless.

Beth took my hand in hers. "How old were you?" She asked.

"Seventeen."

"Are you still married to him?" She asked and squeezed my hand.

"I never married him. I pretended to be kidnapped or murdered depending on how you look at it."

She laughed. "How did you make them believe it?"

I smiled. "Chicken blood. I left my skirt and top by the creek, ripped and covered with chicken blood. I ripped it up. I thought they would think a wild animal had gotten me."

Her brows pinched together. "Then why did they think you were kidnapped?"

"They received a ransom note two days after they found my clothes."

"But who sent it? How do you know if you left?"

"I never found out who sent it. I left that day into the woods. I had just enough clothes and food hidden away. So I hiked out of town in some of my dad's old clothes. I stayed in the woods about five days before I found the courage to actually leave."

"Wow." She whispered as she ghosted a caress over my wrist.

I smiled reassuringly, but I wondered why I was still sitting on the sofa. I wondered why I was sharing warm and fuzzy stories. I needed to feed and get the hell out of there.

I leaned forward and softly pressed my lips to hers. I slid my hand up her arm as I felt her lips soften and then move over mine. I moved my hand gently cupping the back of her neck.

She moaned as my tongue darted out and stroked her lips. I took the opportunity to slip past her lips and pass my tongue over hers.

Her arms moved around me. I felt her tremble. I could still smell cinnamon clinging to her skin.

I didn't want fear. Fear was an enticing drug but passion far surpassed it. The sensation of passion infused blood lasted longer and felt almost like what humans describe as the drug ecstasy.

I pulled back but she moved with me with a tiny whimper. Not fear, passion. I pulled her closer, leaned back on the sofa. Her body covered mine. I lifted my knee between her thighs and massaged gently.

She rocked her hips, a gasp escaping her mouth as I sucked gently at the unbroken skin of her throat.

I had to suppress my fangs. Her scent spiked with cinnamon and even clove. Clove was usually only associated with female orgasms.

My knee stilled. Not yet, I thought. She groaned.

"Alex." Her voice was a breathy sigh, almost indiscernible, even with my heightened scenes.

I shifted, reached, found the button to her jeans, released it, then the short zipper. She moved with me, giving me better access.

I moved my hand down her curved belly. Her skin was as soft as warm silk. The heat grew the lower my hand traveled.

I pulled my mouth from her neck because she was making tiny mewling noises, arching her hips, the scent of clove poured from her pores.

I couldn't push my fangs back. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I needed some control.

I wanted to feed, not kill. I especially didn't want to kill her. She had so little time left; I didn't want to take it.

I started to pull my hand back, wanting to gain some control of myself.

"No. Please." Her hand captured my wrist.