Page 41 of Depths of Obsession
“No, he’s not. Now I need sleep and so do you. Relax and try to get some rest.”
“Like that’s going to happen,” I snort. “You’re a vampire.”
Luca sighs. “Yes, and I was a vampire yesterday, and the day before that and the three hundred or more years before that. Pippa, if I wanted you dead, you would already be dead.”
I stare at him. “Three hundred plus years?” I squeak.
“Three hundred and ninety-four,” he says and then pauses, “Or maybe ninety-five. I can’t remember at the moment. One year does not make much difference.”
“You were alive in the sixteen hundreds?” I stare at him. This is so mind blowing.
“Yes.”
I lick my lips and his gaze follows my tongue. “W-what was it like?”
“Miserable, as I recall.” He props himself up on one elbow, putting his hand under his chin. “They were not happy times. The seventeen hundreds were marginally better. Lots of war going on which meant easy feeding, so generally speaking things weren’t quite so horrible until the French Revolution. Robespierre was a complete nightmare for everyone. I avoided France for quite a few years. The eighteen hundreds were much better. Napoleon was a complete pain in the ass but there was much forward movement in science and medicine, literature and the arts. Toward the end of the eighteen hundreds, it was rather nice, in Europe at least. We had money by then and I will say it made a world of difference. The early nineteen hundreds were great fun in the States.” He smiles as if remembering it fondly. Then he sighs again. “Now if we’re finished with the history lesson, I would like to get some sleep.”
“Did you know Napoleon or Robespierre?” I ask. “This is crazy. I can’t believe we are even having this conversation.”
“Not personally. They were not men I wanted to be close to. Robespierre, in particular, was quite a threat to vampires. All of that guillotine work was quite scary.”
“Why?” I blurt out.
“Because that’s how we die. You have to cut a vampire’s head off to kill them.”
I frown. “I thought you have to drive a stake through your heart.”
“No. Stakes hurt but they don’t kill us.” His eyebrows shift downward as he says, “Not sure where they came up with that shit.”
There are so many questions in my head, I don’t know where to start. “What about garlic?”
Luca sighs and then sits up and leans against the headboard. I turn to face him.
“Garlic? Garlic is delightful in certain dishes, but other than that it has no effect except to give bad breath.”
“Holy water?” I ask
He grins and shakes his head. “No, sorry. Just gets us wet.”
“And you can go outside in the sunshine. You don’t burn up or sparkle or anything like that?
He grins. “Sunscreen is helpful but no, I don’t burst into flames in sunlight although that is only my family. We seem to be able to be outside in sunlight at least for a few hours during the day. Most vampires do not have that luxury.
I stare at him. “Losing your head is the only way?” He nods and I want to giggle. “So…you’re like Highlander? There can only be one?”
Luca stares at me blankly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who is Highlander?”
“It was a movie. I think they’re remaking it. Henry Cavill is going to star. He’ll make Highlander sexy as fuck.”
In one swift move I was on my back and Luca is on top of me.
I gasp for air. “W-what are you doing?”
“Do not mention any other man as being sexy in front of me,” he growls. “I told you there were consequences for you being in my bed. There will be no other men, ever. You will never speak of any other man in front of me or I will kill them.”
“B-but I was only…he’s a celebrity.”
“Pippa, you are mine and mine alone. I am not going to share you with any other man whether in real life or in your mind. Understood?”
