“Fine.” He crossed his hands in his lap. “Today’s Lilithians are a race of vampires created by one who had been bitten by the direct descendant of the original vampire.”
“Huh?”
“Okay. Cane and Lilith had a child who thirsted blood and was immortal. Vampirie.”
“Vamp-ear-ie?”
“Yes. Vampirie. I don’t make up the names, Amara, I’m just telling the story.”
“Okay, fine. Ridiculous, but whatever.”
“Anyway. He left a woman alive one day after he bit her, and she became like him: the first created vampire.”
“Okay.” I nodded, following. So far.
“Then, she went on to turn a man, who fell in love with a human.” Eric smiled. “Are you with me so far?”
“Uh, I think so. So, the second created vampire—the man—fell in love with a human woman?”
“Right. And he had a child with her. A girl. The first half-blood-mortal.”
“Like what David told me about male vampires still being able to make babies?”
“Exactly. So, this half-human-half-vampire grew up, and guess who she fell for.”
“No clue.”
“The original vampire.”
“Vampirie?”
“Yep. So, they then had a baby: Drake, a noble and powerful immortal.”
“He was a vampire?”
“Yes, once his curse set in. And many decades later, Vampirie went on to have a child with a completely human girl as well. That baby was named Lilith—after Vampirie’s mother. But she was different. More human than vampire.”
“In what way?”
“Well, for one, she was the only female immortal ever to bear children.”
“How?”
“We don’t know. Might be something to do with her heartbeat.”
“What? A heartbeat in a vampire?”
“Yeah, well a sort-of vampire.” His tone carried an awful lot of insult. “So, Lilith’s heartbeat remained, even after immortality took place in her early twenties when her curse was triggered—”
“What do you mean by ‘curse’?”
“Immortality: it’s a curse,” he said with a shrug.
“What triggered it?”
“Don’t know. Could be age, or even blood.”
“And Drake, even though he was human before his curse was triggered, he didn’t have a heartbeat after?”
“Not as far as I know.”
“Did Lilith have a heartbeat because she was part human—a bit like the half-bloods?”
“Yeah, I mean, that’s the extent of my theorizing. Jason Knight’s studied it in depth. Guess he’d know more than I. But, anyway, today’s Lilithians possess most vampire super-traits like speed and immortality, but… well, theirs is partial immortality.”
“Partial?”
“Yeah, immortal—to a degree.”
“Elaborate?” I waved my hand around in a prompting circle.
“Lilithians were a weak, faulted species. See, we have vulnerabilities, but bone-deep we’re indestructible. The Pure Blood Lilithians weren’t. If you cut off their heads, they’d die.”
I covered my mouth.
Eric laughed. “Also, they had a selective menu.”
“Being?”
“Vampires.”
“Huh?”
“They fed on vampires.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” His easy smile lit his eyes. “And, like our bite to a human, theirs was also fatal.”
“To a human?”
“No. To a vampire.”
“But… you can’t die.”
“Anymore.” That one word carried the weight of a lengthy explanation.
“Why not anymore?”
“There was a family feud. Drake was cast off the throne, Lilith was given power. So, Drake killed her, took back the throne and swore death to all her descendants—essentially taking us back to the Stone Age by stealing any option for vampires to die.”
“Because of a feud?”
“Yep. And it took nearly another two centuries to wipe out her bloodline, leaving only those who were created by the Created.”
I ran those two words over in my head. “Created by the Created?”
“Yeah. If a Pure Blood Lilithian turned a human, they’d have the ability to kill a vampire, but whoever that new Lilithian then created would only have the ability to paralyze us.”
“Right. So a Created Lilithian is one made not born, and they can’t kill you?”
“Yes. Well, the second-generation Created can’t.”
“And there are still Created Lilithians in existence?”
“Yep. Only second-gen.”
“No first-gen?”
“Nope.”
“Why would you leave them alive if they can paralyze you?”
“We send vampires there who’ve been very bad. See, the entire Lilithian Order is under control of the World Council.”
“So, these remaining Created Lilithians, they’re immortal too?”
“And un-aging.” He tapped his fingers on his knee, his tone leading.
“Does one have to have the right gene to become a Lilithian?”
“Nope.” Eric’s eyes lit up.
“And… he… David got approval to seek help from them?”
“Yup.”
“For what?”
“To turn you.”
“Then.” My heart dropped into my stomach, making me breathless. “Why didn’t he just take me to them in the first place, instead of trying to convince me to be like him?”
“Because he’d rather you a vampire than a Lilithian.” His lip curled on the word. “And it takes an exceptionally rare situation to get approval to make one.”
“Like the love of your life nearly dying from venom?”
“No, not even then. More like when you’ve been on the Council for decades and are highly respected, and therefore can be trusted to control a creature like that.”
“What’s the big deal? Why do they need controlling?”
“Because they’re dangerous, Ara—an impure species of bloodsuckers—seen as devoid of all true vampire nature. If they escaped and multiplied, we could have a very big war on our hands.”
“Why would they start a war?”
“Because they don’t approve of our lifestyle.”
“What, killing humans for food?”
“Yeah. They think we should be able to control it—leave the humans alive.” Eric laughed as if that was ridiculous.
“They sound like the better race, if you ask me.”
“Well, I didn’t ask you,” he retorted. “And until you’ve seen the horrors they inflict on our kind when given the chance, you have no right to judge our reasons for locking them away.”
“I’m sorry.” I looked down at my hands. “Is it bad—what they do?”
“Apparently almost as bad and depraved as what Councilman David does to his prisoners.”
“Depraved?”
“Yes.”
With a heavy breath, I exhaled the months of suffering, loneliness and isolation, imagining how different things would have been if David had taken me with him.
“Why didn’t David tell me about this when I woke from the coma?”
“Well, he didn’t have approval then. Besides, you told him you were marrying Mike. Word has it, he came for you—on the day of your wedding—and you turned him away.”
The world grew large and shrunk back in again, and all sound came rushing into my ears through a pin-sized filter. “Why didn’t he just tell me that? I would have gone with him.”
“I dunno,” Eric said casually. “Guess we’ll never know. But, is that what you’d want? To be Lilithian? You’d be immortal, but instinct would drive you against him, make you want to hurt him, maybe even kill him.”
“Hmm. Not when you put it like that.”
“You wouldn’t be able to bite him, either; the venom would paralyze him in a world of agony. I’ve
never experienced it, but I’ve heard it’s the most painful lockdown a vampire can suffer.”
It was all just so unfair. Love shouldn’t have to be this complicated. “I just wanted a life with him, that was all.”
“It’s just not possible.”
“Why? He left the Set anyway, didn’t he? So why did he leave me behind?”
He sighed and ran a hand through the front of his hair, flicking it back. “Look, David’s all about the law. He’s majored in vampire law, and human law, in several categories, but this case with his brother hurt him. When justice failed for him, he lost all faith in everything. Maybe even in love, Amara.”
I looked into his brown eyes.
“Maybe he just thinks you’re happily married—moved on.”
My eyes drifted away from Eric’s at that thought. “Well, can’t you take me to the Lilithians, then? Get me changed? Then I can find him.”
Eric laughed aloud. “No. Not without Council permission. They have strict rules, Amara. Vampires who stroll onto their turf unapproved become their property. And they hate vampires.”
“What, the Council would just let them have you?”
“Yes. It’s an insurance policy: the Council’s way of keeping vampires from mingling with Lilithians.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re not like us, Amara,” he said, as if I were like him. “Vampires and Lilithians don’t mix. It’s the law, and our desire.”
“Well, so you can’t take me to the Lilithians, but can’t you take me to the Council so I can talk to them?”
“I’m staying out of this. I’m sorry. I can be your friend, but everyone who spoke up or got involved in this somehow has become an outcast. This has caused a big divide in the vampire world.”
“Why?”
“Because David was very respected. No one’s taking it well. If I simply waltz into the World Council and beg them to have you changed, they’ll probably kill you just to save David the anguish of wanting you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s not a joke, kiddo. These are council leaders. Not reasonable vampires. David was lucky not to have been arrested on the spot when he burst in there. I’m surprised they didn’t do it just to make an example of him.”
“So that’s it then?” I felt a bubble of anger in the finality, but it rose up as a quiver in my chin. “There was hope for me, but now that’s gone, too?”
“I’m searching for him, Amara. I really am.” He cupped my knee. “If I find him, I’ll tell him you’re still here in America, and that you want to be changed.”
“He thinks I’m in Perth?”
“Probably. He left the day of your wedding.”
“Right.” I pressed the back of my hand to my chin, stilling it. “So, since he left without approval, what will they do to him if they catch him?”
Eric scratched behind his ear. “I’m not sure. The way it stands right now, he’ll go to the Lilithians. They’ll drain him, probably peel his skin from his—”
“Stop.” I raised a hand, washing that image from my mind. “I get it. That’ll do.”
“I was just getting to the good part.”
“Well, it’s creating too much imagery. It’s unsettling.”
“What is?”
“The thought of him in pain—a very real possibility at this point.”
“Don’t like that thought, huh?”
“Have you ever been in love, Eric?” I turned to face him, a hint of challenge in my tone.
“Once.”
“Then you know what it’s like to think of them in pain.”
“Yes, but a human’s love has no measure against a vampire’s. You don’t feel things the way we do, so I don’t really get your whole depression thing over David being gone.”
“I’m not depressed!” I stood up. “I’m just miserable and want to die.”
Eric laughed. “Well, misery seems to be presenting itself on your skin, girl. Even I’ve noticed how thin you are, and I’m not really one for caring, but”—he pinched my bony elbow in his fingertips—“I think you ought to start eating.”
“I eat.”
“Not enough.”
“Have you looked under my bed?”
“No.” He stood taller, frowning.
“There are about fifty chocolate wrappers under there.” I pointed to my bed. “I eat. I just can’t seem to put weight on.”
“Maybe try eating something healthy.”
My fists tightened. First, I’m too skinny; now, I’m getting nutrition advice from a guy who probably hadn’t eaten broccoli in a hundred years. “Look, it’s none of your business, so stay out of it.”
He grabbed my elbow a little firmer until I looked into his soft smile. “If you want to be blood-buddies, it is my business, because I don’t want sour-tasting blood.”
I snatched my arm back and felt my wafer-thin shoulders rise. “I’m sure I’d taste just fine.”
“Ha! Ever had an overcooked steak?” he scoffed. “You probably taste waterless and salty. Not very appealing.”
“Good, then I don’t have to worry about Jason coming back for dessert.”
“Jason?” Eric’s brow pulled. “You’re not seriously worried about that guy, are you?”
“Maybe. A little.”
“Aw, kiddo, he’s had his fun with you. Vampires don’t come back to finish off their victims if they survive. It’s just not in our nature.”
“And civility is?”
“Yeah, like bigotry is in yours.”
A smile tugged the corner of my lip.
“Look, Amara, I don’t have a lot of time. I have to check in at nine, and blood-drinking can take a while. Are we gonna do this, or what?”
“I—” I pressed my thumb to the pulse in my wrist. “Feeding this addiction’s only gonna make it worse.”
“No. It’ll satiate the craving.” Eric gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “There’s nothing bad to come from a blood addiction. You won’t rob your family and friends to get cash to buy it; you won’t sit in the corner shaking when you can’t get it.”
“No, but I get moody and—”
“Well, I’ll make sure I’m always around to feed you.”
“Like a pet?” I remarked sourly, knowing full well I would actually agree to that even if it were degrading.
“How ’bout like a friend?”
“But what if you bite me—by accident?”
“That’s a risk I think we’re both willing to take.”
He was right. I wanted him like that block of Mike’s chocolate he tried to hide in the fridge drawer—the block that he’d discover later was no longer there. “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why is it you can’t leave my kind alive when you feed from them, but you can share blood? Isn’t it the same thing?”
“Ha! No. Not even close.” He swiped his sleeve across his lip. “Blood sharing is intimate, like giving a massage. Feeding is an entirely different kettle of fish. We have no control over the kill. It just happens.”
“But, won’t drinking my blood force that instinct within you?”
“Maybe,” he said. “I’ve never done it before, Amara, so I can’t say. But I’ve never tried to kill a vampire when I’ve shared blood in the past.”
“But you sleep with them after?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say there’s an awful lot of sleeping going on.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Look, Ara…” I looked up to the strange sound of Eric using my shorter name. “I’ll be careful with you, okay. I got a lot to lose if I’m not. So stop worrying and just sit down on the bed so I can have my naughty way with you.”
I glanced at the bed, then back at Eric, his fingers tapering around the cuff of my sleeve and rolling it up my forearm.
“We’ll start with the wrist, all right? It’s less intimate,” he said.
With shaky breath, feeling the tingle of tension—excited
tension—all over my body, I said, “As opposed to where?”
His lips stopped on my flesh, his icy cool breath warning me of the hunger deep within him. “Use your imagination.”
A wave of heat rushed through my veins, gathering at the point of pressure under his fingernail, and a hundred images of David flashed into my head at once. What would he think to know I was sharing this with another vampire—another man, to be exact? Would he care? Would he want me to stop, would he want me to do it—to be with Eric in the way we both knew we would after I drank his blood?
Eric, obviously sensing my tension, hesitated. “I just realized I can’t cut your artery. Humans die if they bleed out, don’t they?”
“David only ever cut my skin.”
“Would you rather I cut through the scar, or make a new one?”
The idea of another scar on my body made me cringe.
But if he cut one I already owned, which one would it be? The one that was made out of love—the sacred discoloring of skin that belonged to David’s lips—or the painful daily reminder that I was human, etched in pink on my wrist, neck, rib and upper thigh from the tortures of vengeance?
Without a second more thought, I untucked my top from my jeans and revealed the milky skin on the curve of my waist. “Here.”
“I get my own special spot, huh?”
“Yes,” I said, but my eyelids fluttered closed as the craving waned, like that scarf you wanted to buy on impulse, but never regretted leaving on the sale rack.
“Shit,” Eric said, standing tall as his head snapped around to my door.
“You want one, Ar?” Mike burst into my room with a Mars Bar in hand and stopped dead when I whipped my top down. The vampire evaporated. “What—?” He stepped in fully. “What’re you doing?”
“Uh… Just checking a mole.”
“A mole? Ara, you don’t have any moles.”
“I know.” I shrugged, a guilty smile washing my face. “I was just making sure.”
Mike took another step in. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Ara. I know he was here.”
“What do you want me to say, Mike?” I cast my arms outward in a defensive gesture. “I’m not a child, and you have no right to dictate the kinds of relationships I have.”
After careful consideration, he thrust the Mars at me. I barely caught it. “Just don’t let him bite you, okay? Cuts only.”
“He won’t.”
Dark Secrets Box Set Page 82