He had been a vampire for over two thousand years. As such, he was one of the oldest of his kind. Only Mara, the so-called Queen of the Vampires, had survived longer.

For centuries, he had searched for her, but to no avail. He had to admire her skill at eluding detection, whether by hunters or those of her own kind.

She was a legend among the Nosferatu – fearless, stronger, more powerful and more cunning than any of them. It was rumored that she had regained her humanity, that she had given birth to a child, but he had dismissed both possibilities out of hand. Such things were impossible, even for the Queen of the Vampires. No doubt she had spread the rumors herself, knowing it would only add to her mystique.

But he couldn’t ignore the niggling voice in the back of his mind that wondered if it could be true.

He stared at the goblet in his hand, at the thick red liquid it held. What would it be like to be able to consume something besides blood after so many centuries? To sample the various foods and drinks he saw advertised on TV and in magazines? To eat something that required chewing? He often sat in restaurants, sipping a glass of wine, watching men and women as they ate, envious of the culinary pleasure he read on their faces. Just once, he thought, just once he would like to bite into a thick, juicy steak.

Mara was the answer. If she had truly found a way to regain her humanity – no matter how briefly – he wanted to know how she had accomplished it.

And if it was impossible, what then?

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He had lived as a vampire long enough. He was ready to die, but as one of the Nosferatu, his options were not pretty. He could let a hunter stake him or take his head. Or he could walk out into the light of a new day. As old as he was, he wasn’t sure it would even be fatal. He could always set himself on fire…Grimacing, he quickly discarded that alternative.

Better to become human again if at all possible, and spend his final years as a mortal before he breathed his last.

He sipped his drink. It all came back to Mara. She was the answer. If she couldn’t restore his humanity, then she could grant him a quick, painless death.

She owed him that much.

And a helluva lot more.