* * *
It felt like hours later when we found ourselves sitting there looking at each other. Me sitting on his couch while Bishop slowly but surely edged his way closer and closer to the door. My head crammed full of information, I worried I wouldn’t be able to retain it all, because I surely couldn’t ask him again. It wasn’t that he was angry at me exactly; it felt more like he wasn’t used to so many questions at once and maybe just a bit angry with himself for letting me stay there in the first place. I was pretty sure I had the basics down though.
Beheading and fire were the surest way to kill a vampire, so I should avoid swords and bonfires like the plague. A wooden stake through the heart wouldn’t kill me, but it would send me into a torpor (it means a coma-like state, I had to look it up), which would render me particularly susceptible to being beheaded or set on fire. Any other wound would heal rapidly, and my blood could heal humans to some extent. Silver, garlic, holy water, none of those had any effect whatsoever. Sunlight wouldn’t make me burst into flames, but it’d be painful if I was in it for very long and it would sap my strength, making me slow and lethargic.
I could drink anything I wanted to, not just blood, but heavy food would make me feel sick until my body absorbed it. Bishop had no idea how often I’d need to feed. Most new vampires, or noobs as he called them, needed to feed nightly. But with my specially souped up blood, he didn’t know if I’d be able to hold out longer.
Bishop was right about the laws, there weren’t too many to remember. The number one rule was to defer to all Ellri. They were as gods among vampires, and no actions could be taken against them either officially or unofficially. If one wronged you… tough. Luckily, that didn’t come into play very often in the last century, except for my unusual circumstances.
The second most important law was to keep our presence hidden from humans. They pretty much didn’t care if vampires killed or maimed humans, or tried to survive on willing donors as long as they disposed of any evidence discreetly. It was forbidden to keep a human companion or ‘pet’ unless they were compelled to keep their silence.
Other than the licensed breeding being strictly controlled, the rest of it boiled down to an eye for an eye mentality, and they largely let vampires sort out their own disagreements.
At some point he’d closed the shutters and I could feel the sun rising higher in the sky, stealing the energy from my body. I was tired, nearly nodding off, but I forced myself to stay awake. I wasn’t sure if I would get another chance like that again, or if he’d kick me to the curb after the way the night had gone.
“You’ll be stronger and faster than anyone else your age, so you’ll have to learn control. Not just around humans, but our kind as well. Other vampires will be curious about you, especially around here. We don’t get many vampires of your ‘age’ visiting the new world.”
“The new world?”
“Trust me, if you were born in the 1600’s, that’s how you’d think of America too.” The corner of his mouth tilted up in a half smile, and I wondered again how old he was. Physically he looked like he was in his mid-twenties, but that didn’t mean anything. I had the feeling he was a good deal older than I was going to be pretending to be.
We had agreed that for the time being, I would keep to myself, and if anyone asked, I’d been turned in the mid 1600’s since older vampires didn’t have to carry their papers on them at all times. It was fairly easy to prove your age with little gadgets like the one he’d used on me, and no one tried to pad their age by that much and expected to get away with it.
“When in doubt, don’t say a whole lot. The older you are, the less tolerant you are of bullshit. That doesn’t mean you should be reckless mind you, it means… you’ve earned the right to decide whether or not to answer anyone’s random questions. Do you understand the distinction?”
“I think so,” I nodded, feeling like my head might wobble off at the motion. At the time I didn’t feel strong, or powerful. I felt like a ten year old who’d stayed up all night at a sleepover and was forced to pay attention in class. “Should I do an accent?” Pretending to be someone else did appeal to me in a theatrical way.
“Can you do an accent?” His brows rose slightly. I tried a few words, and I thought I did pretty well, until I saw his face. “Keep it simple. Most of us living in the States have homogenized our speech over the years. You can’t tell where we originally came from.”
“Where are you originally from?” I couldn’t help but ask, given that opening, but he didn’t reply. Instead he took a larger step towards the door.
“I think that’s enough questions for the night and you should be on your way.”
Accepting that without argument, I stood, but underestimated the effect of the sun on my limbs. I nearly crashed to the ground as they wouldn’t obey me as quickly as I had anticipated. Bishop was there in a heartbeat to keep me from falling and I felt like the biggest clod. “I’m sorry, I’m just so tired. Do you think maybe I could lie down for a little while?” I could tell he wasn’t too thrilled with the question and I tried to look tired and pathetic. It wasn’t a difficult stretch.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, I need to go out for a while.”
“During the day?”
“I can take it.” Further proof he was considerably older than I was. I felt like my legs were turning to jello.
“I promise, I won’t do anything but lay here on the couch, cross my heart and hope to die.” I crossed my heart and held my fingers up in a passable rendition of the Boy Scout salute. At least I think so. I could very well have been throwing down gang signs for all I knew. Bishop hesitated and I had the feeling he might be caving. “You can kick me out when you get back, I’m just not sure I can make it home under my own steam.” Not a lie. The couch looked better and better.
“I’d be more than happy to give you a ride.”
I could understand why he needed the break, and I couldn’t really ask him for more when he’d already been so helpful already. I nodded, shuffling towards the door. “I’m sorry. I’m not this needy all the time, I swear. I’ve just never died before, it takes getting used to I guess.” I gave him a half hearted smile. At the door I noticed he was still by the couch, an inscrutable expression on his face.
“You can stay until I get back, just this once.”
“Really? Thank you so much!” The relief was so sharp, I zipped across the room, moving faster that I thought I could, nearly crashing into him again. Instead I hit the coffee table with my shins. It didn’t hurt much, but the coffee table made an alarming creaking sound and a crack appeared along the edge of the trim. “I’m so sorry…” Here vampires are supposed to be these smooth, dark, sexy creatures, totally in control, and I was stumbling through the afterlife going Hulk smash…
“It’s fine.”
Sinking onto the couch before he changed his mind, I tucked my feet up under me. “I won’t budge from this spot, I promise.”
“Take the bed, you’ll be more comfortable.”
“No, this is fine, really.” I didn’t want to put him any more out than I already had.
“Take the bed,” he bit out, and I nodded, a little bewildered by his tone.
“Alright, I will, thanks.”
“So… we’re good?” Bishop looked as eager to get away as I was to fall asleep. He looked longingly towards the freedom lying on the other side of the metal door.
I nodded slowly, in a bit of a mental fog now that I was curled up comfortably on the couch. He might have offered his bed, but I didn’t think I had the energy to make it that far, the couch would do me fine. I thought of another question and my mouth opened to ask him, but he was already gone. “Yeah… we’re good,” I murmured, sinking into blissful oblivion.