Down the hallway, Asher stood frozen, stunned by Katrina's words.
"I think I misheard, but…"
"No, you heard me perfectly, Asher," Katrina cut him off firmly. "I want you to turn my daughter into a vampire."
Asher stepped back, his voice trembling.
"But… Katrina, do you realize what you're asking me to do?"
Katrina approached and took his hand with unexpected gentleness.
"Asher… I won't live forever with Miria. One day or another, she'll get married, she'll leave, she'll build her own family. There's no big difference. Except instead of dying, she'll live. With the love of her life. With the family she chooses."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Asher's eyes. Katrina squeezed his hand tighter.
"Don't make that mistake. Don't lose the love of your life just because you're too afraid to trust the strength of your bond."
Asher opened his mouth to reply when the door burst open. Alix rushed in, her cheeks streaked with tears, completely panicked.
"Asher!"
"What's happening?" he asked, worried.
"It's Miria… Her condition has worsened. She's dying!"
At those words, Asher and Katrina rushed out of the room, hearts pounding.
They arrived in the room to total chaos. Miria was thrashing violently on the bed, her body wracked with powerful convulsions, as if in the middle of an epileptic seizure. Blood flowed from her mouth, her eyes rolled back showing only the whites. Kira and Marlie were desperately trying to hold her down.
"Hold on!" Kira cried.
Alix, in tears, approached the bed:
"Miria… hold on! Please, hold on!"
While her body fought, Miria's mind was elsewhere. Violent flashes assaulted her:
A peaceful image of herself as a child, laughing by a lake with her father. Then a dark scene: her standing before four hooded figures. Next, a cave with walls covered in ancient engravings. An old book appeared before her, its pages flipping rapidly. Finally, the four figures reappeared, clearer despite their hoods. One of them, in a deep and mysterious voice, whispered:
"It is time…"