Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
His words stung, reminding her of why she wasn’t back home, blissfully ignorant about the existence of vampires.
“Due to my bloodlines I might actually be pretty close to immortal. We’re not sure yet. Not something I’m anxious to test out, of course. I had a period of adjustment, too, once I knew what plans were in store for me. I was resistant at first. But then I was groomed for a leadership role and I excelled at it so was promoted 15 years ahead of schedule.”
She briefly pondered what immortality must feel like. Did it result in fearlessness? It was as if the sun pulsed in the sky; it got very bright and Kyla shielded her eyes.
“Oh, and I can handle sunlight; we all can. No magical sunscreen required. We need food but we need blood more. Vampires are physically strong and we have powers of persuasion --- some, more than others. Some vampires have psychic abilities, like varying degrees of telepathy or telekinesis. The strength of a vampire depends on several things, including pre-vampire body chemistry and blood line, who sired them, and how they live their post-human life. A vamp gets to know what works for him or her to feel at their best with food, exercise, blood. I, for example…” he eyed her studiously, “I feel at my best when I consume blood from green-eyed brunettes and when I exercise daily. I also have a voracious sexual appetite. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Now it’s you who ain’t whistlin’ Dixie,” she said, wide-eyed.
“Blood, sex, and exercise fuel me. But there was always a missing ingredient. I found it. It’s you.”
Um, swoon.
His phone rang from his jean shorts pocket, “Just a minute,” he said, smiling, answered it, and re-entered the house.
The sun let up and she stopped squinting. Kyla sat, pondering what he’d told her so far. The eye colour thing spoke volumes about why she had been brought here. She’d often gotten compliments on the vivid green of her eyes. That, alone, must have been what made Sam and Joe bring her here to him. If her eyes had been brown or blue or she’d been wearing sunglasses when she met Joe and Sam she’d never have met Tristan. If she were a red head or a blonde, she’d be back in her ‘not much of a’ life right now. And the sexual appetite thing? She’d probably had more sex with him in the past week than she’d had altogether ever. And even if not, the quality of the sex with him compared to before him… she’d might as well have tagged him as having taken her virginity because sex before Tristan was now rendered completely inconsequential.
She heard shouting inside. Whoever he was on the phone with was getting seriously told off. The sound of his anger reverberated against the windows and Kyla’s blood chilled at the sight of him when he came out. He sat down across the table from her, then exhaled loudly.
“What’s wrong?”
“The blood disappeared from the lab.”
“Uh, what?”
“It’s been missing since yesterday and I’m just finding out about it now. Fuck!” His fist slammed on the table.
She walked over to him, wanting to comfort him or to get comfort from him, probably both. Before she fully reached him, he pulled her into his lap and buried his face into her neck.
“Kyla, I am not a good guy. And I’m near the top of a ladder of a whole bunch of other bad guys that will be here in two days, under my roof, under the same roof as you. I think someone knows about you and if Joe or Sam said anything to anyone it’ll be seen as a weakness which means danger. Please help me keep you safe. Please, please cooperate. I can’t lose you,” his voice was hoarse. His phone made a text alert and he glanced at it, “I think we’d better get you back upstairs.”
Her heart sank, “Do you think the blood tests reveal something about my blood? About our connection?”
“Maybe. Just the fact that I’m having our blood tested together is enough to raise eyebrows. I thought I was dealing with people I could trust but evidently there’s someone in my inner circle who isn’t loyal. And if word has gotten out about me having trouble mesmerizing… I can’t be seen as weak…I don’t know if that’s related to the connection or what. Nothing I’ve heard about the legends says anything about lack of entrancing. I’ve gone out and seen that I can still influence people, so it’s, it’s…inexplicable so far. I’ve done a bit of research and wish that I’d known what I know now before I sent that blood off. I’d never have done it.”
She hated how she felt; helpless. Kyla didn’t want to be a helpless female. She had never ever wanted that. Right now that’s exactly how she felt. Bad guy? Yes, it was a bad guy who had her that first night and a bad guy she had faced more than once; but now? He didn’t seem like a bad guy at all. He said he was changing and she believed it. They walked back upstairs, hand in hand. She had more questions for him, about vampire origins, about whether or not there were other mythical creatures in plain sight, and more but once they were inside the bedroom she could feel something palpable between them. She launched herself at him and grabbed his face and began kissing him hungrily. He responded, backing her up to the bed until she lay down and then he crawled on top of her.