Lilian existed in a state between life and death for three days. Her body never settled as her temperature fluctuated wildly. One minute it was dangerously high, and the next it dropped so low her heart rate became barely detectable.
The vampires took turns watching her, always keeping at least two of them in the room to monitor her at all times.
They tracked every single change like scientists. Dante kept a log of her vitals, noting each spike and shift in her physiology. Adrian handled most of the physical care, adjusting her position every few hours to prevent bedsores, cleaned her when sweat soaked through her clothes, and changed the bedding whenever it became damp or stained.
Lucien handled the medical side, managing the IVs to keep her hydrated and adjusted her sedation so she stayed comfortable without the drugs messing up the transformation. He even monitored her brain activity with equipment that looked like it belonged in a hospital.
On the second day, Lilian's heart stopped for almost thirty seconds.
"Dante!" Adrian's shout brought the other vampire running.
The heart monitor's steady beep turned into a flat line, and all three of them moved at once.
"It's okay, this is normal," Dante said, though he was already checking her chest for a pulse. "The heart stops during the deepest part of the transformation. "It has to die before it can change. She'll restart on her own in~"
The monitor beeped again. It was a slow and irregular rhythm that gradually stabilized, but different from before. It was much slower and stronger than a human heart.
"There," Dante said, looking relieved. "New heart rhythm. One beat every ten seconds instead of every second. That's normal for vampires. The transformation is progressing as expected."
Even though they knew it was normal, the moment of her heart stopping had shaken them.
By the third day, the physical changes finally could be seen. Lilian's skin grew paler, taking on the translucent quality that marked vampires, just like theirs. Her features seemed to sharpen slightly and more defined, and her hair became more lustrous, the auburn highlights Adrian had mentioned becoming more pronounced.
Even while she was unconscious and technically dying, she was starting to take on the otherworldly beauty characteristic of their kind.
"She's beautiful," Adrian whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "She's going to be stunning when she wakes up."
"If she wakes up," Lucien corrected grimly. "We're not safe yet. The emergence is the most dangerous part. Some newborns don't make past this. The body survives the transformation, but the mind doesn't."
"She will," Dante said with conviction. "She's a fighter. She's not giving up now."
As if answering him, Lilian stirred for the first time in three days. Her eyelids fluttered, and her fingers twitched against the sheets.
"Emergence is starting," Dante announced, moving to her bedside immediately. "Lucien, stop the sedation. Adrian, get ready. Newborns can be violent when they wake."
They surrounded the bed, waiting and watching as Lilian's new vampire body powered back on. Her eyes opened slowly.
And the first thing the newly reborn Lilian saw was three vampire princes looking down at her with worry, hope, and maybe even a little bit of pride.
"Welcome back," Dante said softly. "Welcome to your new life."
——
Lilian's first thought as she woke up was that everything was too bright, too loud, and way too sharp.
The chandelier above her wasn't just a light anymore. She could see every single crystal, each reflecting light in patterns so detailed her mind struggled to keep up. She could every single microscopic imperfection in the glass, and even every speck of dust floated through the beams.
The sound of her own breathing startled her. She could hear the air whistling through her throat and filling her lungs. Then she heard three distinct heartbeats of the vampire prices.
And the smells. She could detect everything. The vanilla scent of the sheets, on the faint musk of wood from the antique furniture.
But beneath all of it, she could smell something insanely good. Something that made her mouth water and devastatingly tempting.
Blood.
She could smell the blood in their veins, even though none of them were bleeding. And she wanted it so badly her hands were already reaching for them before her conscious mind realized what she was doing.
"Don't move."
Dante's firm and commanding voice cut through her sensory overload."Lilian, stay completely still. Your body is still adjusting. If you move too fast, you could hurt yourself or someone else."
She froze, though her every instinct told her to lunge forward and grab that intoxicating scent, to satisfy the burning in her throat, but she forced herself to stay put.
"Good," Dante said, his dark eyes locked on hers. "Now, slowly, very slowly, I want you to sit up. Adrian will help you."
Two cool hands settled on her shoulders to steady her as she tried to comply. But slowly was apparently beyond her capability now, her body had other ideas. One moment she was lying down, and the next she was sitting bolt upright, the movement happening faster than human but not quite vampire-fast.
Adrian kept her grip on her without stumbling. "Careful. Your speed is enhanced, but you're not at full vampire level. You're somewhere in between."
"In between?" Lilian asked, and immediately winced at the sound of her own voice. It was louder than she had intended.
Dante stepped closer, his expression shifting, examining her with intense scrutiny. "Something's wrong. Lucien, get the temperature scanner. Adrian, check her eyes. What color are the irises?"
Lucien handed the scanner while Adriana leaned in close, his blue eyes studying her eyes with concern.
"Still brown," Adrian said, sounding worried. "They're deeper in color and more intense, but definitely still brown. They should have changed by now. Full vampires always have red, gold, or silver eyes, depending on bloodline."
Dante pressed his hand to her forehead and then her neck. His expression grew more troubled with every check.
"Her heart is at forty beats per minute. That's too fast for a vampire, but much slower than human. Temperature is thirty-four point four Celsius. Too warm for us, but too cold for a human."
He stepped back, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "The transformation didn't complete. Something went wrong."
"What does that mean?" Lilian asked, her confusion turning into fear. "Am I dying? Did it fail?"
"You're not dying," Dante said quickly. "But you're not fully vampire either. You're stuck somewhere between human and vampire. I've never seen this before."