“If you love me, I can offer you a way to spend eternity with me. You would be a formidable foe for anyone.”
I blinked, digesting what she had just said. She was playing to my fascination with eternal life. I turned and walked to the living room window, watching the city below, wondering what it would be like to see the centuries go by and witness a future I wouldn't naturally know. Closing my eyes, I imagined the world to come, where we would always be together. But I would never give up my humanity to become a vampire. I walked back to Nessa and took her hands in mine
“I need to think about what you offered. Too much has happened in one evening for me to make such a quick decision.” What I didn't say was that I needed more time to consider what it meant to commit myself to a vampire. I couldn't base my decision solely on my passion for her.
Nessa watched me, looking for cues to my emotions I hadn't expressed. “Our feelings for each other are real, but I understand what you are telling me. Do what you must.” Her mouth closed and her eyes turned downward.
After leaving her apartment, I was outside walking toward Central Park within five minutes. If I took too long to decide, our relationship would end. Nessa had been lonely for over four hundred years. She made a choice about me, perhaps impulsively, but now I knew how much I meant to her. She would be devastated if I rejected her, and I had no wish to be the cause of such pain. But I also needed to consider the risks involved.
