Page 46 of The Tenor's Shadow

“He is,” Oliver said. “Freddie is a vampire. As am I.”

Anthony spun around to face his uncle. “You married a vampire?”

A small smile teased on Daniel’s face. “You can accept the existence of vampires, but it’s the fact that I married one that’s weird?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Anthony collapsed down into the nearby armchair. “I saw the fight. Or rather, didn’t see it, since everyone was moving so goddamn fast. There had to be some kind of supernatural explanation. I thought Freddie was some kind of government experiment, a mutant super soldier or something. I didn’t think it would be vampires! And I don’t understand why you’d marry one.”

“Because I fell in love.” Daniel opened and closed his mouth, like he wanted to say more. Finally, he spoke. “I’m a vampire as well.”

“You are not! You’re my uncle.” Anthony’s hands clamped to the arms of the chair. He had to find some kind of solid mooring.

“I am. But I’m also a vampire. Ollie turned me on our wedding night.”

“Ollie?!” Of all the insane things Anthony was learning tonight, the fact that anyone would call someone with as commanding a presence as Oliver Hughes by the nickname “Ollie” was the most discomfiting.

“Don’t repeat that.” Oliver’s voice carried both humor and menace. “Danny’s the only one that can call me that.”

“I’m sure you have questions, Anthony.” Daniel patted Anthony’s shoulder. “I know this is a lot.”

“It is. I do. Did it hurt becoming a vampire?” The words flew out of Anthony’s mouth unbidden. Why did he want to know that?

“It did. It was a rough couple of days. But now I can be with Oliver for hundreds of years, instead of a few decades.”

“Wow.” Anthony kept glancing at Freddie as they spoke. He looked so peaceful now that he was resting. Beautiful, his face a pristine porcelain sculpture. He forced his gaze back to Daniel.

“Do you drink blood?”

“We do. Never from the unwilling. And usually not in the donor’s presence. Oliver and I drink from blood bags for sustenance. The act of drinking can be a very sensual one, and once a vampire finds their mate, they don’t want to share that experience with anyone else. But the makeup of vampire blood and human blood is dissimilar, and each provides different nutrients.”

“Mate?”

“Yes, Oliver is my mate. Fate intended for us to be together. When a vampire meets their mate, the beast inside of them, the demon, as some vampires call it, can sense the connection, even if the conscious mind hasn’t figured it out yet. When mates find one another, it is a special and sacred event.”

Anthony shook his head. This was a whole new world. Vampires were a new species. It was overwhelming.

“That’s…that’s incredible.”

“It is.” Oliver’s voice rumbled from across the room. “Finding Daniel was a defining moment of my life.”

“Same, lover.” Daniel winked at Oliver.

“Sunlight?” Anthony asked, breaking their annoying banter. “I’ve been outside with Freddie during the day multiple times.”

“It’s fine,” Daniel answered. “Younger vampires are weaker in the sun, sometimes lethargic, but the older a vampire gets, the less they are affected.”

“Garlic?”

“Are you kidding me?” Daniel chuckled, his eyes lighting up. “Like I’m going to stop eating Nonna’s lasagna.”

“Do you have to be invited in to enter someone’s house?”

“No. Although vampires do tend to be unfailingly polite. A side effect of trying to stay hidden in the human world.”

“Can you turn into a bat?”

“God, I wish!”

“How…how can you die?”

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