Everything had been a blur once Mariana had consented to undergo rebirth. She remembered pain…intense pain, like she was dying. She had died. She knew that now. But she remembered being in Max’s embrace, the warm, safe feeling his arms had created, and the feel of his lips against hers most clearly.

She absent-mindedly put a hand to her mouth and gasped. She was pale now, deathly pale. Her clothes… No longer did she wear her silver robes or the simple blue dress she had always worn. She was clothed in a solid black, full body outfit but for a thick red line that traced the wide, open neck and then plunged straight down her midsection and her white sleeves that were slightly separated from the rest of the outfit, showing more of her new pale skin. A slight breeze made her skin on her sides tingle, and she looked down to see that there were slender openings on both sides of the upper parts of her hips. Part of her hair was over her shoulder, and she put a hand to it, feeling the silky texture and admiring its silver-streaked, midnight-blue shade.

MARIANA!

Mariana nearly jumped out of her skin in utter shock. That voice had been inside her head. She looked up in confusion and saw Max standing nearby, his expression a mirror of the shock that was lancing through her. For a moment, neither of them said a word as they both observed the changes the other had experienced. Mariana sighed in relief. If anything, Max was even more attractive to her as he was now. Still curious as to how he had spoken to her through her mind, she tentatively reached out to him with her own consciousness.

….Max? Was that you just now?

Yes. I think so. It seems that being reborn together granted us more than just new bodies.

Allowing herself to explore this connection further, Mariana found herself deeply connected to Max through more than just being able to communicate telepathically. She could feel him, and she lovingly embraced this feeling. Seeing his smile let her know she wasn’t simply imagining things. He walked over to her, still taking in how much she had changed.

Mariana…you’re so different… He put a hand to her cheek. Your clothes, your hair, your body, your eyes.

My eyes?

Yeah, have a look. He held up Jenorath’s highly reflective surface to allow her to see her face.

Mariana blinked several times. Her eyes were now a deep royal purple rather than their previous navy blue color. She had to admit to herself that they were breathtakingly beautiful. She also took notice of her bangs, which were now a solid silver color.

“That’s…me now…” she said out loud.

“Yes, it is. And you’re so beautiful, Mariana.” He stared lovingly at her before a slight, playful smile touched his lips. “Open your mouth.”

Mariana shook herself out of her inner thoughts and looked up at him. “What?”

He chuckled softly and gently replied. “‘Let me see your teeth. Just do it.’”

Mariana smiled, amused that he had turned her own words back on her. Obliging him, she opened her mouth, allowing Max to see her new set of teeth. Pleased, Max smiled and traced a black-nailed finger over Mariana’s fangs.

“You are so radiant, my vampiress.”

Vampiress. That word triggered something inside Mariana, and she noticed something else that was different. The taint that had plagued her for so long was nonexistent, and she was suddenly very aware of her wings. Taking a step or two back from Max, she stretched her wings over her shoulders to take a look at them. To her amazement, the stains that had occupied their white surfaces for so long had been erased. In fact, they were no longer white at all. Her feathers were now a deep midnight blue color that matched her hair. The shock threatened to overwhelm her.

“I’m…I’m whole again. I feel so…perfect.”

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Lovely sig and avy by insaney
"Our secret affinities remain secret even to ourselves....We fall in love with certain works of art, as we fall in love with certain individuals, for no very clear motive."
~Joyce Carol Oates