In 1228, in a darken tavern (too dark to show) the crusading, young knight, Nicholas de Brabant spots the alluring Janette giving him a come hither look. Entranced by her beauty, he soon finds himself in her bed chambers. While making love, Janette uses passion to goad Nicholas into giving in to his dark side. No longer thinking with his brain, he is ready to agree to anything she says. Feeling the time is right, she goes to fetch a surprise for her handsome young lover.

From around the corner, LaCroix steps into the room. After Janette introduces him, LaCroix changes from man into beast and tells Nicholas that they are going to be friends for a long, long time. Nicholas is at first startled by the appearance of the vampire, but fear quickly turns into intrigue.

It isn't long before Nicholas agrees to say good-bye to the light. LaCroix takes him to the verge of death, then entices him to return with a steady flow of blood from his wrist. Janette can hardly wait for her knight to join them in darkness, and celebrates with a kiss as soon as the newborn vampire awakens.

Following a resting period, Nicholas is greeted by Janette, his vampire sister and lover. She and LaCroix have anticipated his needs and have a live, warm meal ready and waiting. Encouraged by his new family and driven by a new hunger for blood, Nicholas easily makes his first kill.

In his first week as a vampire, Nicholas is trained by LaCroix to recognize and follow the invisible threads that now bind them together. This new bond must be a little too intense for Nicholas because he begins to feel as though he has become LaCroix's slave. "And I too am your slave," LaCroix tells him, explaining that they are now bound to each other for all eternity.



The guilt he feels from killing others begins to gnaw at Nicholas, so he tells LaCroix that he wants to go back to being mortal again. His master informs him that it's much too late for that. He tells Nicholas what a great gift he has been given: "A life never threatened by age or disease." He convinces the fledging vampire that he will soon grow to appreciate his fate. With no other recourse available, Nicholas gives in to his new master and vows to repay LaCroix for the gift he has bestowed upon him.