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He raised an arched, dark brow.
“You’re a vampire.”
A ghost of a smirk flashed across his face. “Am I?”
Tilting my head at him, I clicked my tongue. “Hilarious. Anyway, I’ve established you don’t burst into flames in the sunlight,” I stated bitterly. “Zach explained why that rumor was started, but I was wondering what else we have got wrong about your kind?”
His gaze climbed the length of my body, stopping on my eyes. “Well, it’s not all rumors. Demons can’t survive long in the sunlight, and the aniccipere are half-demon, so the sun irritates them. It won’t kill them, but they prefer to be out at night.”
“There were some out in the afternoon yesterday.”
“Yes, some put up with what they describe as a mild burning sensation all over their body, so they can be outside any time of day. However, you’ll find the majority of them after the sun sets. As for knowing what else you’ve got wrong about vampires, I have no idea. So why don’t you ask me specific questions?”
I recalled what Draven had told me about them dying if they went without blood for too long. “Obviously, you drink blood, but do you need it to stay alive?”
“Yes. We will desiccate and slowly die without it. It’ll take some time, maybe a couple of months, the same as you mortals will eventually starve to death without food. Fortunately, I’ve never had to go that long.” He smiled, showing off his pearly-white fangs, anticipating glowing in his eyes. “What else?”
“Are you dead?”
He laughed, slapping his knee. “Do I look dead to you?”
“No.”
“I’m immortal.” The smirk hovering on his lips told me he was enjoying this far too much. “We do have to die for that to happen, but my heart is still beating, and blood is flowing.” He paused, scratching the side of his temple with a grin. “In every part.”
Clearing my throat, I pressed a finger against my clavicle. “Okay.” I cut in quickly. “So you’re dead, but not dead.”
“It depends on your definition of dead. Did I die? Yes. Am I dead? No. I believe death means you're gone from this world, and I’m still very much in it, enjoying all it has to offer.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, avoiding the impenetrable hold of his stare. “Can you see your reflection in the mirror?”
He ran his hand through his tousled, dark strands. “Do you think I could look this good without one?”
“I don’t know. You think so highly of yourself that it wouldn’t surprise me if you thought so.”
He drummed his fingers against his thigh, a low chuckle escaping his mouth. “When I met you, I thought you were sweet, you know, maybe even a little submissive. You act that way sometimes, but it looks like I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint.”
“Oh, trust me, you haven’t.”
My lips parted, but I didn’t respond to his comment. “Does blood cause you to go into a frenzy?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “When I was first turned, it was all I could think about, but over time, that went away. Now I think about blood as much as you think about food.” He played with the strap of his watch. “It means I can control myself, as can most of the people you’ll meet here. Most choose not to.”
“Can you eat our food?”
“It does nothing for us, so none of us choose to eat mortal food. It doesn’t taste the same.” His face crumpled. “But we can drink alcohol.”
“Oh.”
“You can have a glass of whiskey with me tonight if you’d like. I drink it to take the edge off.”
“Yes, you must be so stressed, entertaining and drinking for a living,” I said, my tone thick with sarcasm.
“It’s a hard life,” he replied playfully.
I tied my hair back and forced a smile. I didn’t want to do a thing with him, especially drink, but if he was drunk, he might agree to take me to look for Draven again. That was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up. “We should have a couple of drinks tonight. I need a distraction from everything.”
