Page 26 of The Vampire's Mate

“The human body is an amazing machine. It has its own self-defense system. Antibodies, white blood cells, the lymphatic system, the spleen, bone marrow…all of it fights infection to protect you from disease. My bite alone won’t change you, because your body goes to war to destroy the viral cells in my saliva. It’s why we only feed from healthy people whose bodies can combat the change,” he says, then his expression darkens. “But if I were to drain you to near-death and feed you my blood, your body wouldn’t be able to defend itself. The virus would take over, shutting down each of your organs. Your heart would stop, and you’d die. In a few hours, you’d wake up a vampire.”

“That’s what it is, then? A virus?” I ask.

He shakes his head slightly. “That’s the easiest way to describe it. It’s a disease born of magic, so no, it’s not a virus in the traditional sense. But close enough.”

I nod and silence falls between us as my mind tries to make sense of it all. The whole thing sounds awful. And to know Jesse went through that? It kind of breaks my heart.

“Hey,” he says, lifting my chin until our eyes meet. “I swear to you, Eden, I would never do that to you unless you asked me to.”

“I know,” I say, then go still when I realize I mean it.

I trust him. He’s brought me nothing but pleasure with his body and mind. Despite being a monster straight out of a horror film, he’s kind and respectful. Affectionate. He’s also insightful, considerate, and quite honestly, fun to be with.

“I like you, Jesse Lee,” I say, giving him a soft smile, which he returns.

“I like you, too, Eden Walsh.”

“Good,” I say, my smile widening. “I have one more question. A favor, really.”

“Anything,” he says.

“Can I tell my best friend about you?”

His head rears back, his gaze darting back and forth between my eyes. “You want to tell her you’re sleeping with a vampire?”

“I want to tell her I like a vampire,” I say.

He presses a kiss to my mouth, then pulls back, saying, “You can tell her as much as you want, but, please, don’t mention my name.”

“I won’t. I promise. But you father knows where you are, so why are you still worried about people knowing your name?”

He pulls me closer, hugging me tightly before pressing a light kiss to my hair. Then with a sigh, he answers my question.

“It’s not my father I’m worried about.”

11

HE’S NOT HOT…

Blessed Brew is uncharacteristically empty when I arrive, which is a bit of a relief. Steph is meeting me here for coffee, and if the place were packed, I’m sure Bernadette would guilt her into helping out. Which means we wouldn’t be able to talk.

And I’m dying to tell her about Jesse.

I spot her waving from a table in the corner and lift my hand in greeting as I walk over. There’s already a mug waiting for me, and I smile in thanks as I slide into my chair.

“You’re the best,” I say, lifting the mug to my lips and blowing across the steaming surface before taking a small sip.

“This, I know,” she says with a smirk and a shrug.

“How have you been?” I ask casually.

“Oh, no. Nuh-uh,” she says, shaking her head. “I’ve been on pins and needles since I got your text. We’re skipping the niceties. Spill it.”

A laugh barks out of me at her firm tone. I suppose I had been a little cryptic, telling her I needed to talk to her about something important while refusing her pleas for more details until we got together.

“I’m seeing someone,” I say, then shake my head. “Wait. I don’t know if that’s the right word for it.”

She peers at me through narrowed eyes, asking, “What is the right word?”