Page 14 of Blood Descendants
“You said the sunlight thing wasn’t what I thought,” I encourage.
He nods. “Once a vampire, your eyes stay dilated, always. It’s what allows us to see in the dark. My vision is about ten times better than it was when I was still human, and I had twenty-twenty vision. But because of the dilation, we’re nearly blind when the sun is out. It’s damn painful.”
“What about sunglasses?” I ask. And almost as soon as I voice the thought, I feel stupid for asking.
“They help,” I’m surprised when Ares gives me the answer, and it’s simple. “I have custom ones I’ve had made. But trust me, it’s still uncomfortable. We still far prefer the night.”
“Those curtains aren’t going to be open much during the day, are they?” I ask as my eyes go to them.
“Sorry, kitten,” he says, his voice a purr. “You won’t be getting a whole lot of sunlight in this place.”
“How many vampires are there in the world?” I ask. My brain is tumbling through a million questions. I don’t have time to dwell on such a mundane issue as sunlight in my new home.
Ares shakes his head, a hint of a smile pulling on his mouth again. “No clue. Not that I travel that much, but I’ve met a few other Born here and there throughout the world. Here in New York City, though? I’d guess there’s a hundred or so of us.”
That’s actually shockingly few, considering there are nearly eight and a half million people in this city.
“You said the Born are one kind of vampire,” I shift my thoughts. “What other kind is there?”
“The Bitten,” he says, and I detect a bit of a sigh in his voice. “If a vampire drinks from a human and takes too much blood, but not quite enough to kill them, the vampire venom takes over when they’re in that weakened state. They’ll change. They aren’t as strong or fast as a Born, and they’re not immortal. They still age as usual. But their existence is problematic.”
“Why?” I question.
“They don’t tend to have very good control, at least not in the beginning,” Ares continues. He crosses one ankle over the opposite knee. “As I’m sure you’ve already put together, thenumbers aren’t in favor for vampires. Exposure is a real danger. The Bitten can’t control their urges very well, so they put all of us under threat. But then there’s also the Debt.”
I don’t even know what that means, and I already don’t like the sound of it.
“The Bitten have a debt to whoever sires them,” Ares explains. “If I created a Bitten, they couldn’t help but obey every little command I gave them. They’re unfailingly loyal. They’ll do anything for their sire. They don’t have any control.”
“They’re basically slaves,” I say. Pity fills me, but also anger. The power balance is so damn extreme.
“Yes,” Ares admits. “The Debt eventually wears off. It might only last months, but more often, it lasts years. So, because of all these issues, the creation of a Bitten is extremely frowned upon.”
You hear stories. Fairy tales, horrors. Not that I ever thought vampires were real, but I always thought vampires could just make more vampires by biting them.
Turns out they can make more. But they’re astronomically less superior.
“What else?” I ask, even as it finally hits me. I feel all the adrenaline burn out of my system. The curiosity has mostly been sated. Now, I’m just exhausted from being awake through the entirety of last night, and now it’s getting late again.
“I’m sure there’s more,” Ares says. “But that’s all the basics for now.”
“Okay,” I say, groaning a little as I sit up. I’m exhausted. And I plan to make good use of that gym in the morning. “I think you called it. That’s enough for today.”
He fixes those dark eyes on me fora long moment, studying me as if I’m something interesting and complicated. “You’re still not freaking out. You’re okay with all of this?”
“Okay with it, no,” I state as I stand and turn toward the bedroom. “But I always knew the world was bigger than me. The proof I’ve seen tells me it’s pointless to fight against the facts. Adapt or die, right?”
“Right,” he says softly.
“Goodnight, Venom,” I say as I continue down the hallway.
“Goodnight, Vengeance,” I hear him call after me.
Chapter 5
I’m extremely confused when I wake in the morning.
This incredible bed isn’t mine. That ceiling is completely unfamiliar. The smell of this place isn’t old and slightly sour like it should be. And it’s too cool for what me and my roommates can afford to spend on air conditioning in the summer.
