Red’s eyebrows arched.
“His digestive tract doesn’t work the way it did when he was human, after all the years of not eating food. He can’t pee or go number two,” she explained.
“Why would he even bother to eat food then?”
“To fool humans.”
“But why care that much? He could just wipe their memories if they get suspicious of his nature.”
She hesitated, taking the plate and carrying it to the table. Red had set out silverware and extra butter. He’d even placed two sodas down so they each had a drink. He followed her to the table with his own plate.
“Is it a secret?”
She held his gaze. “Remember that guy I said I dated? The cheater? He wanted to meet my so-called ‘brother’ while we were together.” She shrugged. “He insisted on us all having dinner together. I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth. It’s not something you just drop on someone. ‘Oh, by the way, that’s actually my grandpa, and don’t bleed around him unless you want to risk him possibly biting you because he’s a Vamp.’” She smiled to soften the sarcastic words. “Grandpa had dinner with us at a restaurant to avoid suspicion of anything being off in our family.”
Red gripped his knife. “I see.”
“There were a few other times. I told you I was in band during high school. Grandpa would go to the night events to see us perform. Sometimes, afterward, all us kids would go out for pizza. There were only so many times he could claim to have already eaten dinner before it became weird. He’d eat a slice of pizza to fit in. Some of the divorced or single mothers paid way too much attention to him. He’s got that Vamp draw.”
“Vamp draw?”
“He’s a good-looking man to start with, but he also gives off this sense of power that some women are fascinated by. He tries to tamp down his allure but he can’t help it. I tease him about being a chick magnet. They do seem to love him.”
“Did he fool the man you were dating?”
“Yes. He didn’t suspect a thing. Grandpa was kind of an ass to him though. He didn’t want to be invited to more dinners. We thought it was a good plan.”
“What if that relationship had grown serious?”
“It didn’t. The jerk cheated on me, remember?”
Red narrowed his eyes, staring at her. “But what if the human had been faithful to you, and the relationship had grown very serious? Would you have told him the truth?”
“I never got the chance to find out.”
“I’m curious, Emma. Answer the question. What would you have done if you’d married a human? You and your grandfather had to have had that discussion at some point.”
She cut the steak but hesitated to take a bite. “Thomas would have figured something was off in time. I age slowly. You can say it’s good genes for only so long before they start to become suspicious. I guess it would have depended on how he took the truth. Grandpa would have had to wipe his mind if he freaked out.”
“So you did discuss it.”
“Yes.”
“Was your grandfather willing to allow you to marry?”
That question surprised her. “Why wouldn’t he?”
“You’re his nest.”
“I’m his granddaughter.”
“You belong to him. You said it yourself. And he’s an old Vampire.”
“He’s a modern thinker. He hates the ancient ones who refuse to change with the times. He believes it’s stupid to hold on to the past and not conform as the world progresses.”
Red ate his food.
Emma focused on her own plate. “This is really good. Thank you.”
Red nodded. “You’re welcome. You don’t think your grandfather would stop you from being with someone if you wanted to make a lifelong commitment?”
“He wants me to be happy.”
“I can’t see him willingly giving you up.”
“I’ll still be part of his life if I ever get married. I just won’t live with him anymore. Grandpa could finally find a companion…I know he’s lonely. I wouldn’t be under his roof, which means my neck would be safe from his Vampy lover.”
“How does that work? Don’t Vamps get jealous when their companions feed on others?”
“I don’t know. He’s never had a serious lover since he rescued and raised me.” She took a sip of her drink. “I can’t imagine his girlfriend would enjoy watching him bite other women. I guess they could feed off each other. Or he could only bite men and she could only bite other women. That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Some Vampires get turned on when they bite, regardless of which sex they’re feeding from.”
“I’m aware. Grandpa’s only drawn to women though. We had discussions about Eduardo many times. He thinks that might be why he got so bent out of shape when Grandpa left the nest with me. Eduardo didn’t just lose his master, but someone he wanted to become a companion to. Grandpa wasn’t down with that.”
Red chuckled. “I see.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
She scowled at him. “What? Just spit it out.”
“Down with that? That was kind of funny.”
“No pun intended. Geez.” She grinned.
“Did Eduardo confess his love or something?”
“No, but Eduardo prefers to bite men, and Grandpa often caught him having sex with his donors. Eduardo even fooled a couple into thinking it was a woman they were screwing. Grandpa gave him a stern talking to about it.”
“Malachi never took sex from his victims?”
“Donors—and no, not unless they showed interest in sex before he bit them. He wouldn’t take someone’s free will like that. He does have morals. Eduardo didn’t.”
Red didn’t look convinced.
Emma sighed. “Have you ever heard of Vampire brides?”
“Is that different from a companion?”
“Yes. A companion is someone you chose to be with. Your partner. A bride is akin to a blood slave. They are taken and held against their will, forced to follow orders. The master who made my grandfather collected them. He had almost a dozen. It really pissed my grandfather off.”
“I don’t understand.”
She stopped eating, placing her silverware down. “His name was Palao. He was a piece of shit who stole women regardless of whether they were already married or had children. He’d sneak into their homes at night if they caught his interest and kill their families in front of them. They became his slaves. He liked to break their minds and spirits.”
She shivered, horrified just thinking about it. “Palao kept them locked up unless he needed to use them. He’d dress them as prostitutes and throw parties for rich men in the area. He’d let those men have sex with his brides, before stealing money, jewelry, or whatever else he wanted. They’d go home only remembering having great sex and clueless about how they’d been ripped off.”
Red softly growled.
“It wasn’t a treat for the brides either. He pimped them out for blood and money. They weren’t given a choice. Occasionally one would escape and stake herself to the ground to burn when the sun rose. Some watched that monster kill their children and husbands, helpless and stuck in that hell. If a bride pissed Palao off or didn’t do what he demanded, he’d chain her to a wall and let the others watch her starve until she became raving mad from the pain, her skin stretching over her bones like a living skeleton.”
Emma swallowed a lump of emotion that nearly choked her. “My grandpa said they’d suffer until they finally dried out and died from having no blood at all. He thought once they were free they might lose some of the madness created by the master. Recover. It didn’t work. He had to end their suffering.”
“Your grandfather doesn’t have any brides?”
“Hell no! He’d never do that to someone. Ever. My grandfather watched what was done to those brides until he hated his own master. Palao’s death was the best thing that could have happened to the nest. Grandpa doesn’t make soldiers eithe
r, and he told anyone in his nest that he’d kill them if they ever tried. It was his number one rule. Never make an inferior Vampire. It was a killing offense.”
“I know what a soldier is.”
“Then you know they are more horrible than brides.”
“Why?”
“Soldier are born strong but they rot away from the inside. Their minds, their internal organs, and it’s just a matter of time before they go insane. They feel bloodlust all the time because they’re damaged and in pain. They can’t ever fully heal, regardless of how much blood they drink. There’s no calm for them. A regularly fed bride remains sane and healthy for the most part. She could live hundreds of years, if not longer. The same can’t be said for a soldier. You can prolong their life with regular Vampire blood feedings. They’re made to kill, and usually die within half a year at most.
“A soldier without a master to feed from would maybe last a month or two and take a lot of lives before its reign of terror ended. It becomes a mindless killer, hunting anything with blood.”
“How are they made? Do you know?”
Her grandfather had told her all the horror stories about his race. She hesitated briefly, then decided it was safe to tell Red if he gave his word to keep the secret. He wasn’t Vampire enough to ever make one. He also had a heart. He was a good man who could never be cruel.
“Between us only. It goes no further. Swear?”
He nodded.
“You need to know Vampire basics to understand. Let’s say I’m a Vampire and my best friend gets stabbed in the arm. I could rub some of my blood on the wound to heal it. She wouldn’t turn into a Vamp from that. I could let her drink a tiny bit of my blood if she were injured, and again, it wouldn’t change her. If she’d been stabbed fatally though, and was near death, she’d have to drink a lot of my blood. It would heal her, but she would turn into a Vampire. Period.”
“Why are you using stabbing terms?”
She shrugged. “To save the life of a loved one is the only reason I would consider turning someone. The point is, to create a strong, healthy Vamp, they’d have to be low on blood and get enough from a Vampire to replace what they lost. They’d heal and become stronger as all that Vampire blood circulated throughout their body. It’s the nature of being turned.”
“Understood.”
“Vamp blood heals. But imagine someone being deathly injured, given Vampire blood, but then being murdered right afterward. The heart stops beating and there’s no circulation of that new blood. Vamps who create soldiers tend to do it before dawn, to make certain the corpse lays there all day before it wakes messed up. The blood is tainted by the time the new Vamp’s heart begins to beat again. Parts of their bodies have, well…decayed after dying. There’s no cure. It’s permanent.”
Red grimaced. “It sounds horrific.”
“That’s why my grandpa would never make a soldier. He’s not evil, Red. He’s a great guy. He hated his own master because he was a horrible person who became crueler as every year passed. My grandfather doesn’t believe in killing unless there’s no other choice, and he hates to see anyone abused. You should ask me about when he plays judge and jury.”
Red arched his eyebrow.
“Sometimes he’ll see a horrible crime on the news and he’ll do something about it.”
“Give me an example.”
“There was a string of disappearances several years ago. Grandpa went to the city and talked to the police. He used his ability to control their minds to get their list of suspects and then talked to each one. He eventually found the guy. He’d used his mind control to make the guy confess. He was a real sick bastard. Grandpa had him write out where he’d left the bodies to give the families closure…and then he took him out. It looked like a suicide but he stopped a serial killer. That’s the kind of man he is. He didn’t want to read about more missing girls or see their parents on television, pleading for their safe return. He could relate to them because he always fears someone will hurt me.
“There was also a man accused of killing his girlfriend. I knew him well. He was a fellow student when I was still at college, a great guy. I was upset, because I really didn’t think he’d done it. My grandfather met with him and discovered the truth. He was innocent. Grandpa found the killer by talking to everyone who knew the victim. It turned out to be an ex-boyfriend who hated that she was with someone else. The jerk didn’t feel regret or remorse. He’d already picked out his next victim because he’d enjoyed killing her so much. Grandpa had him dig up the murder weapon, then crash his car into a tree with the weapon on the seat next to him. The police found it and cleared my friend of the crime. That bastard never got the chance to kill anyone else.”
“That’s a handy way to use his abilities. No one could lie to him if he entered their minds and asked questions.”
“I know. My grandpa is a great guy, Red, even if he is a Vamp.”
“I believe you.”
She smiled, relieved. It bothered her, thinking Red might hold a grudge against her grandfather. He wasn’t like most Vampires. It was important that they get along if they ever meet. She was starting to have strong feelings for Red…
She pushed that train of thought away. It made her wish for a future beyond Red keeping her safe until her grandfather lost Eduardo.
“One more question.” Red held her gaze.
“Okay.”
“Malachi was a part of whatever happened with the Lycans that started the war between them and Vampires. Did he tell you how that went down?”
“My grandfather tried to rule the nest after Palao died but that monster had created some shitty Vamps. They were pure bad news, used to killing humans, and they weren’t going to stop. Grandpa ashed them one by one as they broke the rules, killing innocents, until he was alone. That’s always dangerous. He came across another nest who offered to accept him. He liked how they got along with the Werewolves they’d made an alliance with and felt it would be a good fit.”
“Lycans,” Red reminded her.
She nodded. “He met my grandma and fell in love. But he was new to the nest. They didn’t tell him what they were planning to do until the Vampires blatantly began to attack the Lycan women, trying to breed them like cattle. He fought the nest to protect my grandma and to help her pack escape. It’s not his favorite subject to talk about. He loved her deeply, and I know it hurts him, bringing up those memories. She died almost a hundred years later.”
“How? Were they attacked by Vampires?”
“No. She had gone out running in her shifted form during the day. He said she loved sunshine and would often go for runs while he slept. One day she just didn’t come home. He went looking for her as soon as the sun went down. She’d been shot three times in the throat and head. He said she’d managed to get away but she must have been confused from the pain. She went over the side of a mountain and caused a rock slide. It mostly buried and crushed her. She’d died by the time he found her. It broke his heart.”
“That’s every man’s worst nightmare.”
She nodded. “It devastated him. He loved her so much.”
“Did he avenge her death?”
“He hunted the man who’d shot her. It turned out it was a poor neighboring family. They were starving, and they had four small children. The man shot her while she was shifted, believing she was a something they could eat. He obviously didn’t know she was a person. Grandpa let him live, even left them money for food. He would never slaughter a man for trying to feed his kids. It would have left that family without someone to protect them.”
Red nodded and grew silent. She hoped he was thinking about everything she’d shared, and that his opinion of her grandfather would get better.
* * * * *
Red finished his meal and took both plates to the sink. He refused Emma’s offer to wash the dishes. He had a lot of thinking to do and the chore helped him focus his thoughts.
He wanted to believe that Malachi wouldn’t try to kill hi
m if he mated Emma. She seemed certain her grandfather would just let her go and be a nice Vampire.
After a lifetime of Vamp horror stories, he’d been both relieved and confused after his discussion with his uncle. Velder seemed to like Malachi, even planned to welcome his visit without aggression when or if he came after Emma. The Vampire had helped them build Howl. It might not be the disaster he feared if he came face to face with the man.
He glanced back, watching Emma brush her fingertips over his coffee table. She seemed to really like the thing. He could take it to his cabin if she did, or he could build another one.
It had been torture to spend two days making love to her without biting. He wanted to taste her blood so bad, his gums ached. The mere thought had his dick twitching but he ignored his semi-erection. She was probably sore after going into heat. He was just grateful that it hadn’t lasted long, otherwise he probably would have given in to the desire to bite her. A taste of her blood wasn’t necessary, though. Not anymore.
He knew she was his mate. He’d felt it every time he’d touched her, kissed her, and held her while she’d slept.
He clenched his teeth and scrubbed a plate. He needed to convince Emma to become his mate. He didn’t want to do it without her permission. She’d been raised by a Vampire, in a human world. Everything would be easier if she’d been brought up with the clan. She’d accept the mating without question once she realized what they were to each other. A VampLycan woman would have bitten him first, and aggressively urged him to bite her back.
The clan would accept Emma. He just had to get her to make that commitment. He’d hinted enough when they were in bed about wanting to bite her. She hadn’t taken the bait by saying he could, even though she now understood why he had the urge. He should have taken her up on it the very first time she’d agreed.
He sighed. Hindsight was always obvious.
He finished cleaning the dishes and turned, walking toward Emma. “I can’t believe you really made this table. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m good with my hands.”
“I know that.” She grinned.
He instantly wanted her. “Would you like to see my cabin?” He took a step closer but then stopped. Maybe viewing where she’d live if she agreed to be his mate would help his case. “It’s daylight topside, and the clan is aware that you’re here. Nobody comes out to my place except for some of the younger ones. They enjoy swimming in the river there. There’s a natural pool and I’m an advisor to them.”