"Essie, she's dying," Hank said grimly. "Let's bring her inside and make her comfortable."
"She's not dying," I insisted angrily. "She still has a pulse. She just has to… "
I couldn't finish. It hurt too much. I felt her slipping away as I gripped her body tightly to mine.
"I love you so much. My world will be so wrong without you in it," I murmured in her ear. "I forgot to tell you I was going to wear a purple dress to get married in, but now I have to wear that buttass awful one of Mrs. Wilson's. You would have been so pissed if I wore purple… please wake up, Granny. Please."
"She has a pulse?" Dwayne asked as her took her wrist and pressed on it.
I nodded and gently pushed the bloody hair off of her beautiful face.
"Why did she do this?" I asked through my tears as I tried to make sense of her behavior. "She didn't even try to defend herself."
Dwayne stood up and stared up at the setting sun for a long moment. "I'll need your permission," he said in a hollow voice.
"For what?" Hank asked as he wrapped Granny and me in his strong arms.
"I don't know if it will work since she's so damaged, but I want to try."
"Try what?" Hank asked tersely.
"She has a slight pulse and she's taken my blood," he said slowly as if he were piecing a plan together as he spoke.
"Yes. And?" I asked in frustrated confusion.
He looked straight at me and was more serious than I'd ever seen him. My head began to spin and my body trembled.
"Get to the point," Hank ground out.
"I want to turn Granny. I want to turn her into a Vampyre."
Chapter 12
"Absolutely not," Hank growled forcefully as he rose to his feet and placed himself between Dwayne and us.
"Why?" Dwayne asked as he paced tight small circles and wrung his quickly regenerating hands. "She's dying. Why wouldn't you give her another chance?"
"What in the hell would she even become?" Hank demanded harshly.
"I don't know," Dwayne admitted slowly. "I just don't know."
I sat silently and absorbed what was playing out. Would Granny want to be a Vampyre? Would I? Would her Wolf die if she was turned? Was I horrifically selfish to want to yell yes?
Glancing down at the precious woman in my arms I wished I could ask her. I shook her gently again trying one last time to wake her so she could shift and this whole conversation would be moot. I didn't want to make the decision, but I was very cognizant it was my decision to make. What would she choose for me if the tables were turned?
"Will she make it through the transition?" I asked quietly.
Hank's head jerked to me in surprise and I met his confused stare head on.
"I'm not sure if she'll survive it," Dwayne answered honestly. "It's difficult even if she's in top form. Plus, I've never turned a Were before."
"This is insane," Hank muttered angrily. "It's unnatural and could go more wrong than we could ever conceive."
"Why?" Dwayne shot back viciously. "Because I'm a Vampyre? She will be less because she will become a blood-drinking abomination of the night? Is that your issue, Wolf?"
"That's not what I said," Hank ground out in fury as he went toe-to-toe with Dwayne.
"Maybe not in words," Dwayne hissed and began to glow.
"Stop it," I cried out as they circled each other aggressively.
Gone was my silly gay Vampyre BFF and gone was my compassionate loving mate. They were two supernatural creatures about to kill each other.
"This is unacceptable," I yelled as they both stopped and struggled to regain their composures. "Granny would have both of your butts in a sling for this kind of behavior. I'm about to stand up and open a can of whoop ass on you two right now. We just survived Dragons and some whacked-out Wolves. We did this together. You will not harm each other. I can't take it."
Both men had the grace to look shamed.
I stood up carefully and held the limp, almost lifeless form of my beloved grandmother in my arms. I was hoping for some divine intervention as to what to do, but there was none. It was my call and I would make it.
"Hank," I said softly as I waited for him to look at me. After a moment of gathering himself and releasing his anger, his beautiful eyes rose to mine. "If it were me dying in your arms and you had the chance to keep me with you… what would your choice be?"
I already knew what my choice was, but I needed him to understand. I wanted him on board with me because I had no idea how it would all go down. I needed him like I needed to breathe and I was certain I couldn't do this alone. If I had to, I would—but I didn't want to.
He turned away and paced like a caged animal. Running his hands through his hair, his shoulders slumped forward and a shudder wracked his body. With slow methodical steps he walked back and stood in front of me. The pain in his eyes stole my breath and I moved toward him with Granny still in my arms.
"You are my reason for living," he said as he reverently ran his thumb along my bruised and battered cheek. "My existence is hollow and meaningless without you. I would kill for you and die for you. So yes, I would make the choice for you to be with me, no matter what the consequences."
My eyes filled with tears as he gently pressed his lips to mine and then to Granny's forehead. I loved him more with each day and minute that passed. I was not an easy person and he was as complicated as they came, but we fit together perfectly.