"Everyone, please step outside for now. I need to discuss some personal matters with Countess Sharon."
Murphy steadied himself, pulling his thoughts free from that "terrifying" bug-ridden line of thinking. Then he waved a hand and, looking haggard, issued his order.
Everyone except Triss obediently left the room.
Triss stayed where she was, and Murphy didn't ask her to leave. In his heart, she was always an "exception." Both the Blood Eagle Grand Duke and Count Cadman knew that perfectly well.
When Miss Femis closed the door, the psionic room, which still held a trace of decay, fell quiet.
Murphy slumped weakly in his chair. Triss brought him a fresh cup of blood, while young Countess Sharon watched the whole process.
When she saw Murphy gulping down the blood, her throat bobbed despite herself.
"I didn't give you any because I wanted you to get used to your current condition first."
Triss glanced at her, as if she'd caught young Sharon's yearning, and reminded her:
"The hardest hurdle for a newly turned vampire to overcome is restraining their endless thirst for blood. If you can't control that impulse, you'll soon become the 'monster' people talk about. A vampire's thirst for blood has no end.
"If you give in, that dark addiction will soon take control of your mind, turning you into a walking corpse who lives only to drink blood.
"There have always been plenty of such creatures among the vampires. Some make such a nuisance of themselves that their families send assassins to dispose of these 'disgraces.'
"For a vampire, resisting this addiction is the first and everlasting challenge of immortality. That murky desire in the dead of night will follow you for the rest of your life.
"You'll find release only when eternal silence comes.
"Do you understand