We were sitting on the sofa when Beth and Ann came in the room. I turned my head and looked us as they entered.

Ann's face and eyes were red. Her eyes were swollen. She smelt of sulphur springs and peppers. Her eyes flicked to Stephano but she quickly looked away.

"Jeremy still in the dining room?" Beth asked.

I shook my head. I could hear him in the kitchen. He didn't sound alone. "I thinking he's in the kitchen."

Beth gave Ann a meaningful look and I watched as Ann bit her lip.

Had I ever been that weird? Why didn't she just go up to Stephano and tell him she wanted to get hot and sweaty with him? It would save time. They may not even be compatible. He was single. There was the problem of Kevin but that would be taken care of soon. If I had to I'd invite her to move in here indefinitely.

Suddenly I heard a crash and glass shattering.

"Beth!" Ann screamed.

"Move back." Jeremy demanded calmly.

I was already moving. I jumped over the back of the sofa. Stephano came around it right on my heels.

Ann's screaming sobs made my heart constrict.

The scene in the kitchen stopped it in my chest. Beth lay silent and still on the tiled floor. Broken shards of China lay scattered about her body. Jeremy kneeled over her. The fact that he had two fingers pressed to the pulse point of her wrist was bad. He should be able to hear her heart.

Ann's eyes caught mine I knew the panic I saw in hers was mirrored in mine.

"She was putting the plate up and just collapsed." She shook her head as if by doing so she could deny what was happening.

I focused on the sound of her heart. I knew my scences were sharper then before but the beat was slow. Her heart seemed to be putting very little effort to circulating her blood.

"Is she blooding? Did it cut her?" Ann asked anxiously.

Jeremy, Stephano, and I answered at the same time. "No." All of us would have known if blood had been spilled.

"Hello?" Breea called from the entry. The door closed.

"Kitchen." Jeremy yelled. He then looked over at me. "Help me take her to her room."

Breea sucked in a breath as she entered the kitchen. She wasn't alone. The scent of the stranger was a strong musky oak and loam. I bent over and slid my arms under Beth's body.

"Don't jolt her. I don't think anything is broken, but don't jolt her anyway." Jeremy told me somberly.

Breea and Stephano moved out of my way as I carefully and fearfully carried my mate from the room.

I had one foot on the staircase when Breea demanded, "What are you doing? You can't turn her up there."

Beth had concented to being turned but I had forgotten. It may have been intentional, caused by my own fear. A fear that hammered in my chest as I walked down the hall towards the basement stairs.

"Ann check to find her some all natural clothing. Silk, cotton, hemp and wool are best." Breea said.

Ann fled.

"Why?" I asked.

"We can't manifest clothing. If we wear clothes during a transformation it has to be able to be absorbed in to our bodies or it ends up as scraps. We end up shifting back naked." She said over her shoulder. She pushed open the door and held it as I walked into the basement.

Breea helped me understand Beth after I placed her on the bed. She explained what we had to do as worked to take off her clothes.

I unwrapped the towel from her hair and tossed it to the floor.

"You have to turn her before you complete the mating." She told me as I lifted Beth so she could slip the shirt over Beth's head.

Jeremy and Stephano had their backs to us. But Jeremy was obviously listening.

"Her hearts barely beating, it may not circulate the venom." He cautioned.

I was gently pulling Beth's jeans over her hips.

"She's not strong enough to survive completing the mating." Breea said rotating Beth's body so I could slide the jeans completely off.

"This is all I could find." Ann told us breathlessly as she ran through the door. She didn't stop running until she dropped the clothes to on the bed.

"That's fine, Ann, its cotton." Breea assured her. She then went back to the subject of Jeremy's statement. "We can keep her heart beating till she turns but we can't help through the transformation." Her eyes flicked to me but slid away quickly.

At that moment it occurred to me that turning and transforming sounded like the same thing but they weren't. It sounded like either could kill her or save her.

My hands stilled as I unbuttoned Beth's bra. What if she dies? The truth had been staring me in the face since I first took a cab to her apartment. I should have seen it.

Someone pushed my hands away from Beth's back but I couldn't protest. I was frozen in fear.

Why hadn't I recognized it? It was so clear now. Because if Beth didn't make it through this then I wanted out of this life. I couldn't live knowing what I know now.

Th Keepers had rules, even for ending a vampire life.

I had been so stupid.

"Lift her shoulders, Ann." Breea directed.

My eyes focused on the scene before me. I leaned forward and pulled the brown soft cotton t-shirt from Breea's hand. I slid it over Beth's head and they helped me get her arm it.

With the three of us it only took a minute to have Beth's pink heart girl boxers in place.

I arranged her body so she looked more comfortable. I pulled the sheet up.

She just looked like she was sleeping. But I noticed that the area under her eyes was dark. Her skin was pale. Her cheeks looked thinner then before.

She shouldn't have stopped taking her meds. To late now. I stroked her cheek ignoring the fact that my hand was shaking.

"Alex, we have to wake her. We need to get this done now." Breea said. I could tell that she trying to make it a gentle reminder. The urgency in her tone was was less gentle.

I nodded. I knew I had to get Beth to drink my blood. I sat on the edge of the bed.

I grasped Beth's shoulder and shook her. "Beth wake up." I leaned over her. "Look at me. Beth, baby, we need you to wake up. I need you to wake up."

Breea slapped Beth's face from the other side of the bed.

My head snapped over. A growl rumbled up, lips pulled back in a snarl.

"We just rolled her all over this bed, stripped her clothes and redressed her." Breea demanded I acknowledge the obvious.

She slapped her again, this time less force full. The slap was followed by three more.

Beth groaned. She turned her head. Her eyes fluttered.

"What- oh," she whimpered. Her heart pounded loudly. She closed her eyes.

"Hurts. Head hurts." She rolled to her side, facing me. She curled up in a fetal position, drawing her knees up and tucking her chin to her chest. Her forehead pressed against my knee.

"Beth, I need you to listen. You need to drink my blood." I moved some hair that had fallen over her face. "It may not be pleasant but I don't want you to stop until I say." She was so quiet I wondered if she had passed out. "Beth?"

A soft whimper was her reply.

"Don't bite me. Okay? I have to turn you first." I shifted my position on the bed.

I let my fangs slid down and brought my wrist to my mouth.