I winced. He wasn’t wrong about other vampires. Leaning back my head to watch the sky while I spoke, I took in a deep breath. “Except for Muriel, I’ve never fed from a human. And I waited until after I spent enough time around some vampires to learn how. Only the younger ones, especially when they’re freshly turned, use up their victims and don’t bother to hide it. Well, and the ones who are plain old assholes.”
Darcy chuckled. “I can see what you mean. It’s not like your personality changes when you’re turned, is it?”
I shook my head. “Nope. If anything, the prevalent parts of your personality are magnified. If you’re a decent person, you’re not likely to become a total beast. But if you were a big dick, chances are you’ll be an even bigger one. Most of the older vampires tend to be narcissists and change people who would reflect well on their master.”
Darcy did a double take. “Wait, the person who changed you becomes your master? That’s gotta suck, no pun intended, when it’s your ex.”
“Yeah, it probably would’ve, except Terry got himself taken out by a werewolf a month after he turned me. Until then, I did my best to avoid him. I knew whenever he was near because there was a siren call, for lack of a better word, trying to make me want to go to him. Luckily, I was too angry to give in. Although, maybe if I had, I might’ve had an easier time figuring out the whole vampire thing.”
“I can see why you didn’t, though. I would’ve avoided his ass too. Still… I feel like closure might’ve helped to get over your anger.” He winced and glanced off to the side, as if worried he’d overstepped.
Hoping to put him at ease again, I responded as if I hadn’t noticed his dismay. “Maybe, and a very small part of me regrets never having given him a chance to properly explain his motivation. As soon I saw him when I woke up, he told me what he did and how it was for my own good. Oh, and even better, how it meant we’d never have to be apart.” I rolled my eyes to show how unimpressed I’d been.
Darcy grinned. “Damn, talk about the ultimate in clingy boyfriends, am I right?”
He startled a laugh out of me. “No kidding.” I blew out a breath, puffing my cheeks and releasing it slowly. I didn’t really need to breathe, but like with slowing down my movements, I’d found it helped my human counterparts feel more comfortable around me.
“Believe it or not, I’ve actually forgiven Terry. If it weren’t for the gift he gave me by turning me when he did, my sister would’ve died. You know how it was at the height of the war. It was difficult to get regular medical care with the hospitals overrun. I stumbled over a vampire letting someone feed from his wrist, and he told me the secret, then begged me to keep it so he wouldn’t have to kill me. All it took was one mention of my twin with cystic fibrosis, and we were cool.”
Hanging on my words, Darcy leaned in closer. “Did you become friends?”
I shook my head. “No, actually, I never saw the guy again. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere, keeping his head down and taking care not to let anyone else catch him in the act.”
I hesitated, then decided it was safe to explain further since it was unlikely he’d ever come in contact with a vampire who lived over eight hours away in El Paso. “Juan was changed two hundred years ago, before Texas was even a territory. He hangs around and keeps to himself. His time is spent quietly watching over the generations of his family as they live and die. This particular descendent was a young girl with leukemia. He wasn’t willing to let his great-great-great—fuck, who knows how many greats—granddaughter die when he could prevent it.”
Turning his back to the window, he slid down the stone wall to sit on the floor. I took a few steps back and sat too, facing the windows so I could also look at him while we talked. He picked at a cuticle before peering at me. “Does your blood really heal diseases?”
I took a breath, enjoying the feeling as my useless lungs filled with air before pushing it out again. “Yes. Her cancer was nearly gone when I stumbled over them. I’d been tracking him while searching for another vampire who might be able to share a few tips. After he’d released her from his thrall and had her back asleep—unlike me with my sister, he didn’t want his granddaughter to know. He couldn’t risk her telling the wrong person about her undead grandfather curing her cancer.”
“Are you kidding me? Humanity as a whole would’ve welcomed you with open arms if they’d known you could fix our ailments.”
I wavered my hand back and forth in front of me. “Maybe, maybe not. But don’t forget, if vamps actually agreed, we’d only be healing our food supply. I’m pretty certain the idea wouldn’t sit well with everyone. Especially those who hadn’t had their lives touched by sickness or ever watched a loved one suffer. With something like my sister’s disease, he told me it would probably take a few years to completely undo the damage. He’d been slowly treating the little girl for months.”
“Wow. Amazing, though. I’m sure her parents will think a miracle occurred or say the doctor was a genius. And you can do the same for your sister? I think it’s worth being a vampire, and I understand why you’ve forgiven your ex. Medicine would’ve helped her endure, not get rid of it completely. How bad was she before you started treating her yourself? Stop me if I’m overstepping. I’m fascinated by this new information. And so happy for both of you.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his earnest honesty. “Muriel was pretty damn sick. She ended up in the wheelchair when her lungs got so thick she didn’t have enough strength to move around anymore. That wheezing you heard when she laughed? Used to be nonstop and happened with every breath she took. I’m hoping she’ll be out of the chair by summer. She would’ve healed faster, but she won’t let me give her much.”
Like he understood, Darcy nodded. “Oh, because of the whole ‘possibly turning her’ problem?”
I started to laugh, instantly deciding I wanted to tell him the truth. “Actually? No. Everything we said earlier was a lie. We can exchange as much as we want. She won’t take more than a few drops at a time because she knows I won’t drink much from her, and I can’t keep robbing blood banks.”
Hesitating, I took a deep breath before giving the embarrassing truth. “No, the real reason I will never change my sister is because the only way a vampire can turn anyone is giving you their blood while coming inside you. Hence why so many vampire stories are sensual in nature. It’s because we are sexual beings from the moment we start our undeath. Also, another reason I was angry with Terry—in order to have changed me, he would’ve fucked me in my sleep because I never would’ve drank his blood. At least, not knowingly.”
Mouth falling open, Darcy’s eyes went wide. He stared at me before shuddering. “Yeah, obviously the necessary steps are never going to happen with your own sister, so I guess she’s safe. Also? I hope Terry died a painful death for doing that to you.”
“Funny, that’s also Muriel’s opinion on Terry. But yes, she’s safe now. We haven’t figured out how I’ll deal with watching her grow old and die while I’m left behind. She keeps saying wait and see how life plays out. She might meet her own vamp someday. If not, she wants to discover true love and hopes I’ll find peace watching her live happily and be willing to say goodbye when the time comes.”