“Not a scratch,” he said. “I promise. Not even a singed hair.”

She couldn’t stop laughing.

“Makeda?” Lucien was laughing too. “Are you okay?”

“That was”—she gasped—“amazing!”

“Want to do it again tomorrow?”

“Yes!”

His laughter shook the earth. “I think I’ve created a monster.”

Her voice began to slur with exhaustion. “This is like… the vampire version of extreme sports.”

“You have no idea.”

She turned her face to his and lifted her mouth for a kiss. He very quickly obliged.

“I want to see… everything,” she said, her voice growing softer. “I want to climb all the mountains. I want to swim to the bottom of the sea. I want to find… caves and scramble… up trees. I want to see it all, and… I want you to show me.”

His forehead pressed to hers. “Done.”

“Thank you for my life, Lucien.”

“No, Makeda,” he whispered. “Thank you for mine.”

THE END