Page 21 of Taste of Fate

I laughed. “I think I’ll pass. So how long has Blood ‘til Dawn been in power?”

“Fifteen years,” Des said. “And it’s been the most peaceful and prosperous time in our recorded history, which says a lot.”

“Fifteen years?” I repeated. “That doesn’t sound like very long, considering how long you live. How long you’d been at war.”

“It’s not,” Laith said. “It’s a fuckin’ flash in a pan. And yet it’s the longest, continuous amount of time a clan has ruled Sanguine. No one else has lasted this long.”

“That’s…” I didn’t have words for it. Couldn’t imagine the instability and violence that had plagued this world for centuries. An average vampire lived long enough to see all of it too, if they were lucky enough to survive the carnage. What kind of life was that, to live so long and never know a peaceful period?

And yet, Blood 'til Dawn had shown that peace was possible, even among a bloodthirsty species.

“Has Thorne been challenged since taking over?” Bea asked.

“A couple times,” Des answered. “Nobody who’s a real threat, though.” His chipped, blunt fang dragged over his bottom lip. “He doesn’t expect to hold power forever, though. There’s always someone who comes along who’s stronger than you. At least, that’s what he believes. He’s just waiting for it to happen.”

“What happens then?” I asked. “What would happen to Blood 'til Dawn, everything the clan has built?”

Cyan let out a low chuckle. “Nothing lasts forever, Tavi. And nobody knows that better than vampires.”

Chapter 8

Tavia

Iopened the door to find Bea grinning at me from across the threshold, her aquamarine eyes glittering like jewels set in their black depths. “Hi! I’m taking you out.”

“Out?” I blinked at her, still a little disoriented from my late afternoon nap. I was having a hell of a time trying to make myself transition to a nocturnal schedule.

“Yes, out. You know the market and where to get your essentials. Now it’s time for fun.” She made a shooing motion at me. “Get dressed. I’ll wait here.”

She left no room for argument, so I did as she said. In fifteen minutes, I was put together enough, and left the suite with a quick glance to Cyan’s closed bedroom door. A few of my winemaking supplies had shown up, but I hadn’t seen him since that night in the great room three days ago.

It almost felt like he was avoiding me, which threw me for a loop. I thought we’d had a fun night getting to know each other. As friends, of course.

Bea turned to me with that bright grin as I locked the door behind me, but I caught her staring longingly at the picture of Cyan and the other vampire, Kalix, a moment before.

“Ready, sunshine?”

“Yeah.” I nodded at the picture. “Are you ever gonna tell me what happened to him?”

Her smile drooped, tinged with sadness. “Over a drink, sure. It’s not really a conversation I can handle sober.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. That sounds heavy.” We started down the corridor together.

“It is, but you might as well know.” She gave me a little nudge with her elbow as we ascended the stairs. “Human or not, you’re Blood ‘til Dawn now. Kalix is part of our history, and now you are, too.”

I gave a little laugh as we crossed the great room, waving to the few vampires milling about. “Blink and you’ll miss me, right? I won’t live long enough to be any significant part of vampire history.”

“Not true, necessarily.” Bea led me through the garage and then a side door, a different one from our route to the market. “You could be someone’s blood mate, fall hopelessly in love, and gain a vampire’s lifespan through the mating ceremony. It’s extremely rare, but there’s always a chance.”

“Blood mate?” She made it sound much more appealing than the disgust Cyan had used when he mentioned it. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my sweater, the chilly evening air a sharp contrast to the warmth inside the compound. “That does sound like a step above blood pet.”

“Oh, it’s the ultimate goal.” Bea sighed dreamily, her face turned up to the sky as we made our way down the sidewalk. “When all the chemistry and proteins in your blood fulfill the needs of one vampire or brusang perfectly, they’ll be insatiable for your blood alone. Everything else will taste like garbage once they’ve had their perfect match. It’s like a switch flips in their biology. They will be driven to feed from the perfect source and nothing else.”

“Wow. That actually sounds kind of romantic.”

“Doesn’t it?” Bea’s eyelashes fluttered. “It’s pretty rare, to the point where the whole territory celebrates if a blood mate pairing is found, and an elaborate ceremony is conducted to seal the bond. The last one was maybe fifteen years ago.”

“And the ceremony would make the non-vampire half live as long as the vampire?”

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