Walk in the Shadows by Ginny Michaels

Author:Ginny Michaels [Michaels, Ginny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing
Published: 2012-03-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

“So how did you end up as a vampire?”

From behind a pair of sunglasses he’d snagged back at the cabin, Graham glanced at Jessalyn as he drove along the highway. “I was a soldier during the Civil War and was wounded in the battle at Antietam. Back in those days, if your wound was even slightly serious, you ran the risk of bleeding to death or dying of gangrene.”

She nodded. “I remember my history teacher talking about how if you had a leg or arm wound, they’d sometimes amputate the limb in order to save the soldier’s life.”

Graham turned his attention back to the road as her words sparked long dormant memories. Screams of soldiers enduring such procedures, of men hit by fire and of those dying where they fell, echoed in his ears. He’d nearly been one of those men.

“Your teacher was right. It was a horrid time to be a solider. During the battle, I was struck in the leg. The field doctor dug out the bullet, but infection quickly set in and they began talking about amputation.”

Even now, all these year removed from the moment, a shudder rippled through his body at the idea. “It was late and many of the men were sleeping for the first time in days, so the doctors decided to postpone the procedure until morning, so as not to take the chance of waking the other men with my screams.”

From the passenger seat, she gasped, slapping a hand to her mouth in horror. “That must have been horrible for you to lay there in pain, knowing that in a few hours you’d not only lose your leg, but would suffer through even worse pain in the process.”

If she only knew. “It was, and sometime during the night I made the decision that I’d rather die a whole man than live as half of one. So I managed to pull on my boots, slide off the table and make my way out of camp unnoticed. There were woods beyond the campsite, so I headed for them, fully prepared to lie down and die. That’s when I met Reed Sinclair.”

“This Reed person was a vampire?”

Graham nodded. “He made me an offer. Either he could end my suffering quickly by draining me of my blood, or he could turn me.”

“Obviously, you chose to be turned.”

“At the time, it was a no brainier. Being a vampire would allow me to not only live forever, but keep my leg in the process.”

“What do you mean ‘at the time’? Do you regret your decision now?”

“Sometimes, yes. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy having supernatural powers and living through all the history that’s taken place in the last century, but it does have its downside.”

“Such as?”

“Such as not allowing yourself to get too close to people who aren’t like you for fear of being found out. On those rare occasions when you do make a human friend, you’re forced to sever ties after only a few years or watch them grow old and die.

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