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“Even with Remus’ chemical thing?” I ask, thinking back to what the others had said the night before.
“Yes. That’s normally just given to newer vampires, or any who’ve accidentally gone a little overboard. It helps stop an initial blood addiction forming. After that, you should be fine.” Eric smiles at me, which gives his stunning face a more boyish edge.
“Right, okay. So blood addiction is real?” It kind of makes sense, especially given the stories of vampires I’ve heard over the years. I don’t imagine the guild spared us the details of the worst stories, while hiding the more decent vampire folk from us. Not for the first time since becoming one, I feel a little sorry for them. Maybe they were just misunderstood the entire time.
“Very real. And dangerous. It can make even the sanest of us go off the rails. Vampirism isn’t for the weak. Discipline is a must. But I’m pretty sure you have that in spades.” He nods towards the stakes holstered at my hip.
“Sometimes I’m not so sure.”
“How many vampires have you killed, Ashryn?” he asks, his sparkling eyes boring into mine. I’m not sure how to answer. The true answer will make me look terrible. The false answer will backfire if they discover its false. Hell, they’re probably well aware its false anyway.
“I don’t know,” I say, choosing the honest answer. “I stopped counting at fifty,” I admit, shame washing through me.
Eric nods. “I thought as much. Don’t let that define you. There’s a new life for you now. A lot of us have pasts, we learn to forgive and forget.
“Like Bram has?” I ask bitterly.
“Bram’s a special case. He lost his wife to hunters about a hundred and fifty years ago, he’s sworn vengeance ever since.”
Shit. A century and a half is a long time to hold a vendetta. “He must have loved her a lot.” I’m fishing, I’ll admit it.
“Not at all, actually. I’ve never met such a cold woman. They were an arranged marriage, while they were both still human, and Bram stayed loyal to her, even after they turned. Even when she was trying to sleep with everything that moved.”
“Then why is he still out to get us?”
“Them’,” he corrects. “You’re not one of them anymore.”
“No, I suppose not.” I go back to thinking about the response I’d get if I go back to the guild. I wonder how long it would take them to realise what I am now. Then how long I’d last after they realise. I shudder.
“And there’s why he’s still on his vendetta. Even you can see the hunters aren’t good news.”
“It’s not their faults,” I protest. “We’re taken in as children and all we really learn is how bad vampires are, and how we can kill them. Us.” I’m correcting myself now. But actually, it does feel quite natural. Other than Bram, the others have all made me feel welcome. Not like the evil killer they could treat me as. It’s certainly an interesting thought. Maybe I just fit in better here. I can’t say the idea of having somewhere to truly fit in doesn’t sound appealing.
“We know. Knowledge of the guild has trickled in through the years. You’re not the first hunter to end up turned. There’s also been a few less savoury ways of gaining information.” He looks away from me, but I already understand what he means. I can’t say anything about it. I’m pretty sure the guild uses the same tactics.
I sigh. I’m really not sure what to make of it all. Actually, that’s not true. I do know what to make of it. Neither side is right or wrong, not in the entirety. In fact, there must be a better way to police wayward
vampires than persecuting them all.
“So where do we go from here?” I ask, slightly confused by what any of this has to do with me. Should they choose, they could take my weapons from me and just lock me in a room with no one to talk to. I’d probably end up going crazy, or something like that. But I’d be out of the way and unable to hurt anyone. I also wouldn’t be able to help them. Which makes me wonder exactly what they’re after.
“I think that’s a question you need to ask Dimitri. He’ll have better answers for you.”
“So why send me to you?” I demand. It doesn’t make any sense for me to be talking to this man, if Dimitri is the one with the answers.
“All new vampires get sent to me, it’s just tradition.”
“Because of your false prophecies?” I ask, before covering my mouth with my hand. I shouldn’t blurt things like that. How rude of me.
To my surprise, Eric laughs. “Yes, because of those. They think I know things. I suppose I do know things. Mostly about vampire lore, but not what they think. I normally send them away with some kind of warning about drinking too much blood.”
“But you didn’t do that with me?” I ask, frowning to myself.
“You’re different, Ashryn. Even I can tell that.” He reaches out a hand, and it hovers over my cheek, not quite touching but almost. Oddly, I think I want him to touch me. Though I’m not sure why he’d want to. He’s beauty personified, and I’m not.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
He finally does it, and his fingers trail down my cheek in what is quite possibly the softest caress I’ve ever experienced,. It sends a thrill through me, but not a sexual one. Or maybe just not yet it isn’t. But it does make me want to lean into his touch.
