Over the next week, Kieran taught Aiden everything about being a vampire.
"Speed first," Kieran said, leading him to an empty warehouse. "It's instinctive but requires practice to control."
He demonstrated, moving from one end of the warehouse to the other in a blur.
Aiden tried, stumbling, crashing into a wall. "Ow."
"You're thinking too much. Trust your body. It knows what to do."
Aiden tried again. This time, he made it halfway before losing control.
By the fiftieth attempt, he was moving with fluid grace, laughing with exhilaration. "This is amazing!"
"Strength next."
Kieran showed him how vampire strength worked—not just physical power, but the ability to channel it precisely. Crushing concrete with one hand, then picking up a butterfly with the same hand without harming it.
"Control is everything. We're predators with human-level intelligence. That's a dangerous combination if not properly managed."
They practiced for hours. Aiden was a quick learner, his muscle memory from past lives helping even though those memories were from different bodies.
"I remember being trained like this before," Aiden said during a break. "In 1624. You taught me the same way."
"Did I do a good job?"
"You were patient then too. Though I died before I could master everything." Aiden's expression turned sad. "I remember all my deaths now. It's... haunting."
Kieran pulled him close. "I know. I've carried those memories for a millennium. Now we share the burden."
"And the joy. I remember the good times too. Every moment of loving you, across every lifetime." Aiden smiled. "We've had some incredible adventures."
"We have. And we'll have more. We have eternity now."
"Speaking of eternity..." Aiden bit his lip. "What about my family? They think I'm at your place recovering from the attack. But eventually, they'll expect me to come home."
"We need to stage your death."
The words hung heavy between them.
"I knew this was coming," Aiden said quietly. "But hearing it said out loud..."
"We don't have to do it immediately. But within a few weeks, they'll notice you're not aging, not going out in sunlight, not eating normal food. The signs will become obvious."
"How do we do it? Stage a death?"
"Usually an accident. Something that explains why there's no body—a fire, a drowning in deep water, something that makes recovery impossible."
Aiden felt tears—blood tears now, as vampires cried blood—tracking down his face. "I hate this. I chose immortality knowing this would happen, but I hate it."
"We can give you time to say goodbye. Carefully, without revealing the truth. Let you have closure."
"I want that. A few more days with them. Then... then we'll do what needs to be done."
It was the first real price of immortality. And it hurt more than the transformation had.