Page 66 of Thirst

“No,” he says, holding up his hand. “I've Influenced very little with you, although you're right about the night you asked about the cut healing. I was just trying to keep my secret, but whatever you feel for me is all you.”

“So you say. Unbelievable,” I say as I stand up just so I can pace. This is too much information to be sitting down. “Then tell me now. How did you heal the cuts when we linked up?”

“My blood,” he answers. “Vampire blood has an unequaled ability to heal. It’s why we don't die easily. I used my fangs to cut my own lip, and spread the blood on your wound to heal it so that I could use the same spot the next time we were together. You weren't supposed to look under the bandage so soon.”

I walk back and forth in front of him, shaking my head and thanking Janae for trying to look out for me. If it wasn't for her, I never would've known the cut was healed.

“Explain how you did it with Stanley,” I demand, checking off another question from my infinite list.

“To be fair, I wanted to kill him for what he did to you,” he says, making me stop pacing. “But, per usual, Shawn reminded me that he's known. Killing him would cause problems, so I drank from him because … well, I'm a vampire … but I stopped short of killing him and used my blood to heal him. Then, I Influenced him to come apologize, and I’ll continue to Influence him to get what I want and make sure you get the exhibit you deserve. He won't even remember that I bit him. He's somewhat of a foot soldier for me now, with my intense Influence locking him in place like a shackled prisoner. But don't get it twisted, he deserves far worse for hurting you, and I might kill him later if I think about it too hard. I’ll try not to if it bothers you.”

Somehow, I manage to feel both terrified and moved by his sentiment. He really feels so strongly for me that he wanted to kill Stanley for trying to rape me. As scary as all of this is, I won't act like a woman doesn't want her man to ride for her on some true ride or die type shit. We all want it, but when faced with it in the form of a vampire who would really kill someone, it hits a little harder than expected. But at least I know he wasn't lying when he said how strongly he feels for me. He wanted to kill as punishment for me being disrespected.

As I realize that he really is here to explain everything and not to kill me, I manage to feel my own peace without him … Influencing me. He has answered the questions that were burning the biggest holes in my head, and it has helped to calm me down. I sit back down on the cushion next to him and let out a steadying breath.

“Okay,” I begin. “Now that I'm not being driven crazy about the mysterious cut healing incident and zombie Stanley, I want to know everything. You mentioned earlier that some vampires turn people when they think they've met their Companion. Is that what you wanna do to me? You wanna turn me into a vampire?”

Amari immediately shakes his head. “No. I don't want this for you. I didn't even want it for myself. I'd rather watch you grow old and die, and spend eternity mourning and missing you than subject you to this against your will.”

“Wow. That’s deep,” I say in disbelief. “You didn't want to be a vampire?”

“No. The night I learned vampires existed is the night I was turned. I didn't have time to think about what I wanted.”

“Who turned you, and how long ago was it?”

He hesitates, swallowing hard and shifting his position like the thought makes him physically uncomfortable. He's clearly dealing with something that’s unresolved when it comes to this topic, and now my curiosity is piqued.

“Her name was Jacinda,” he starts after a long exhale. “She introduced herself to me when I was trying to make a name for myself … in the year 1900.”

“1900?” I exclaim with a shocked expression on my face. My jaw nearly hits the floor. “You've been alive since 1900?”

Amari smirks, as calm as ever. “Well, I was born in 1870. I was turned in 1900. So I'm forever thirty years old.”

“But you're really … a hundred and fifty-six?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god. This is too much … and you're just now finding your Companion?”

“It hasn't been for a lack of trying,” he admits. “At first, I thought it was my maker, which tends to happen. Our love for our maker is deep and powerful. Bits and pieces of their personality break off inside of us like the stinger from a bee, driving our motivations, emotions, and even our personality. It’s all-consuming, and I spent the first decades of my new life after I was turned thinking she was my Companion and waiting for her to come back to me. But I should've known better. The night Jacinda turned me was the last time I ever saw her. I guess she knew I wasn't her Companion. She turned me for fun, then left me by myself.”

“Wow,” I say, suddenly feeling sorry … for a vampire. “Where’d she go?”

He shrugs. “I don't know. I doubt I ever will. I realized she wasn't coming back and moved on, albeit after a long while. I had a lot to consume my thoughts. I had to learn how to survive in this new world and it’s extremely hard to do when you're on your own. The thirst of a newborn vampire is the only thing more all-consuming than the love we feel for our maker. It turns us into devils—uncontrollable and insatiable. Most newborns die in their first year of existence because we’re like addicts, doing anything to feed—exposing ourselves to humans and even trying to hunt during the day only to be burned alive by the sun. The stories they tell about vampires and sunlight are actually true.”

“Which is why you're not available during the day.”

“Right.”

“What else is true? All that stuff about garlic and crosses?”

“Nah, that’s dumb. If a vampire wants to kill you, they'll walk inside your church and use garlic to season your flesh before they bite you.”

“Well damn.”

“We’re allergic to silver, though. Not so much that it’ll kill us, but our skin does react negatively to it.”

“That’s why you’ve always worn gold and rubys,” I say with another head shake. All of the signs were right there in front of me. “Speaking of killing, though. Have you ever killed anyone?”