Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
There are obvious signs to look for beyond the pale skin, which is from lack of warm blood flow more than the lack of sunlight. Vampires don’t breathe. They don’t have to blink. Many still do both out of habit, and the older, smarter vampires make it a point to appear as human as possible.
To a normal person, the most obvious sign would be sitting here not eating, like Xavier is. The basket of chips, meant to be shared, is in front of me, and the second glass of water that was set on the table along with the chips remains untouched.
But mostly, Xavier is intimidating. He’s good looking and carries himself well.
“I’ll have the vegetarian fajitas,” I tell the waitress. “And an iced tea.”
“That’s your usual,” she says and smiles when I nod. “I knew you looked familiar. And for you, sir?”
“Nothing for me, thank you,” he tells her and she stiffens, realizing that he is a vampire. She looks at him a few seconds too long and then scuttles away, whispering to another waitress that a vampire is in their restaurant.
Vampires are allowed anywhere, and it was a big thing just a couple of years ago that a law was passed saying it was discrimination to make “human-only” establishments. There are certain areas in the country where vampires are more accepted than others, and Asheville isn’t one of them, simply due to the fact that a lot of hunters gather in this area.
“The homeless people,” Xavier starts. “You say they were killed by demons.”
“Mh-hm. Demons burn through bodies they’re possessing. A healthy person could probably handle possession a little better than someone who’s not. It puts a great strain on the physical body to host a demon. Demons can possess the dead, but it’s not like in a zombie movie where bodies just keep moving around. Things, uh, get stiff and rot and fall apart.”
“So once a body is no good, they move to another?”
“Yep.” I eat another chip. “I’m almost sorry you cannot experience the excellence that is this salsa,” I tell him. “Demons possess for different reasons. A lower-level demon can possess a person and can influence them to do bad things over time. Maybe a week or two depending on the state of the body. They feed off that energy and just enjoy watching someone blow up their life.”
Xavier’s eyes narrow ever so slightly as he watches me. “Possession of the homeless doesn’t fit that narrative.”
“No. Their lives already suck.” I shrug. “Most of those people were addicts already in bad health with no family claiming them. I think they were possessed to be of use.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The demons needed a physical body to literally do something. What, though, I have no idea.”
“If you were a hunter, how would you proceed?”
“I am a hunter,” I press. “I’m your wife—legally—and being a witch is useful to you. But I am a hunter too. I will always be a hunter and you can’t change that.”
His hand lands on mine and the coolness of his skin catches me off guard for just a second before I find it comforting. “I don’t want to change you. I find you quite exceptional just the way you are.”
My heart swells in my chest and I flip my hand over, slowly curling my fingers around his hand. He gently rubs his thumb over my wrist, feeling the pulse point. My body craves him again, and this time, I want to feel his fangs sink into my skin and have my blood spill into his mouth.
“You might be the first person to ever say that.”
“I’m not a person, Wren.”
“You were, and you still are.”
“I’m a vampire. I died long ago.”
We both are slowly leaning in closer and closer to each other without realizing it. The longing in my heart intensifies, but instead of aching like it usually does, it feels quelled. My lips part as I take in a breath and Xavier is about to say something when he quickly snaps his head to the side, looking at someone who just walked through the door. The little bell dings as the door closes, and I feel an energy shift right before I hear her voice call out my name.
Gia.
CHAPTER 32
I would know that voice anywhere and still I turn, needing visual confirmation that what I’m hearing is really what I’m seeing. Because, what the actual hell?
Gia comes running to me as soon as she sees me and throws her arms around me. Xavier still has his hand on mine and gives it a squeeze before I pull my hand back to hug my sister.
“What…what are you doing here?” I ask her, pulling her close to me.
“Ryder said he saw you pull into the parking lot of Maria Elena’s and we just had to come see if it was true or not.”