Page 68 of Desired for Her Blood

I nod. “Once I’m a vampire, I’ll be immortal?” The idea is so overwhelming.

“Yup,” Ryker says.

“No,” Zuben interjects. “Not immortal. But you will notage.”

“Same fucking thing,” Ryker mutters.

Ignoring him, Zuben continues. “Physically, you will remain the age you are now, but vampires arenotimmortal. Decapitation and incineration can kill us, as can a wooden stake through the heart.” He glances quickly toward Ryker who rolls his eyes.

“And the silver thing?” I ask. “Garlic? Crosses? Holy water?” I think through all the things I’ve heard about vampires that we haven’t already discussed.

“Vampires have no particular religious preferences,” Zuben replies, “and therefore no set aversions to specific religious symbols. As for garlic, in very high doses, itcanmake vampires sluggish, but it does not reallyhurtus. And you’ve already seen and suffered through the effects of silver and sunlight.”

I certainly have. “And how often will I need to…to drink blood?” The idea’s still so foreign to me, even though I’ve now tasted all three of these men’s blood.

“Every vampire is different.” Zuben strokes my palm with his thumb as he holds my hand. “And it varies by age. And by age, I mean how much time has passed since your transition. Baby vampires—”

“Babies?”

He nods. “In vampire culture, a vampire is referred to as a baby for their first hundred years, give or take, after transition.”

Axe grunts behind me.

“So that means…” I can’t keep from chuckling. “Axe is a baby?”

He grunts again.

“Explains a lot,” Ryker says, and Axe leans over to lightly punch his arm.

Even Zuben grins as he nods. “Baby vampires typically need blood more often, both from humans and vampires.” Uncertainty creeps over his face.

“What?” I twist my hand in his to intertwine our fingers. “What aren’t you saying?”

He draws a long breath and then looks into my eyes. “I am constantly amazed at your ability to perceive my emotions.”

“It’s not magic.” I grin, then turn to look back at Axe, but he winks.

“To me, it is.” Zuben bows his head slightly.

I reach over to touch his hand. “Based on what I’ve seen, you’re way more empathetic than you think you are.”

He raises his gaze and his eyes are full of gratitude. “Really?”

“Undoubtedly.”

His chest expands with a long inhale, then he continues. “As I have already explained, I have seen humans successfully turned into vampires.” He clears his throat. “But I have never seen it done without human blood.”

“Told you this was a bad idea.” Axe’s hand on my stomach pulls me back toward him protectively. “You are going to kill her.”

“Didyoudrink human blood when you transitioned?” Zuben asks Axe.

His fingers relax over my stomach. “That’s not the point.”

Zuben leans forward. “But it isexactlymy point. It is not well documented, but human blood may not be mandatory for all transitions, especially when the individual is not human.”

“But Iamhuman!” I pull my hand out of Zuben’s.

“Butareyou?” He tips his head to the side. “I am sorry for being blunt, Ember, but while you are clearly human in form, it is my firm belief that you are so much more than that. I believe you to be the direct descendent of a goddess with the potential to be a powerful magic keeper—and an even more powerful vampire.”