Page 15 of Thicker than Blood

I watch him choose between the settee, a velvet armchair, and a leather chair. He chooses the settee and flops himself down into it, bouncing slightly and smiling. Then he crosses and uncrosses his legs twice before settling on uncrossed.

“Are you nervous?”

He shakes his head. “No. I’m used to being around vampires.”

“Of course. How did you choose your line of work?”

A deep furrow spreads across his forehead and his scent sours slightly. Oh dear. I’ve hit a nerve.

“It chose me. I won’t be taking any questions about that.”

I nod. “Fair enough. I can respect a boundary.” He fixes his hazel gaze on me. “Tell me, Geordi, since you research my kind as a profession, what is your take? Are we mindless beasts driven by a lust for blood?”

“Obviously not. There’s nothing mindless about you. I do find bloodlust intriguing though. Most mortals are either repulsed by or indifferent to the sight of blood, but vampires are aroused.”

“We are.”

“I would be interested in exploring the connection between bloodlust and sexual lust though. I haven’t been given any grant money to expand in that area.”

“I don’t understand. How would you research that?”

“Well, that’s the thing.” He chuckles, shifting in his seat. “I don’t exactly know how to conduct clinical research when it comes to sexual proclivities. What I want to know is if it’s biologically different for you. Is there something that fires or triggers in your mind or your body that differentiates it?”

“I feel different when it’s blood versus sex.”

“I know, but I want to know why. Scientifically speaking.”

“Why?”

Seemingly ignoring my question, he focuses on his drink, unscrewing the top again and taking another sip. A bit of it dribbles down his chin, and as he swipes it away and licks his hand, I sense the slight uptick in his body heat. Interesting.

“I want to know everything about vampires,” he finally says. “Everything.”

“For the purpose of…?”

“Understanding.”

“And exploiting? You want to know our weaknesses so you know how to defeat us?”

He scrunches his face as if smelling something foul. “No. I don’t want to defeat you as a species. I don’t even think that’s possible.”

“But?”

He levels me with a serious expression. “Listen, I know the history. Up close and personal. I know what happened with the initial discovery, and I know what the military did to you guys.”

My chest tightens with the rage I still carry. It’s rare I allow it to bloom, and I won’t now, or I’ll end up frightening the mortal.

“I’m not like that, and most of us aren’t,” Geordi continues. “In my experience, vampires are like bees. If you leave themalone, they’ll leave you alone, but if you swat at them, they’ll attack.”

“Accurate.”

“I’m simply fascinated. I want to know how you work, why it happens, and what’s chemically different between you and me.”

“And again I’ll ask, to what end?”

“Knowledge. Coexistence. In our current situation, I’d love to figure out nonviolent ways to work through this. I don’t want to see any more people die. On either side.”

Does he truly care about the plight of vampires? His words ring genuine, as does his body language and scent. He’s calm with me, something I’m not accustomed to at all, which is a positive sign.

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