Page 15 of Taken By the Vampires
Vampires are a breed of human that is distinct. Having been the victim of the vampiric disease, the human body undergoes changes, and often there is a period of death before it regains life. It is unknown whether the soul remains in the body after this change, or if the body, once reanimated, remains soulless, rendering the vampiric body incapable of love.
While vampires do not die of disease or other normal human afflictions, they have accelerated healing abilities. This allows them to recuperate quickly from injuries that would be fatal to a normal human body, such as gunshot wounds, broken bones, blood loss, snapped necks, burns, and severed limbs.
While their bites sustain them, they also produce venom, which has healing properties. Using the correct dosage, a Vampire can heal all manner of human illnesses of the blood, including cancer, leukemia, and any vitamin deficiencies. This same venom can give birth to a Vampire, causing the human body to undergo the transformation into a long and healthy life.
Death of a Vampire occurs when the head is severed, the body is burned, or a stake of thick wood is driven through the heart. Often their long lives lead to insanity, and the elders are usually terminated in a ritual when this occurs.
It is difficult to end the life of a Vampire, but they may be cursed to a central location to contain them, often for centuries. The curse uses magic of the darkest kind to seal them to their location and can only be achieved with the talent of a powerful witch or through great emotional upheaval. Because of the nature of the curse and the spell cast, only the opposite of what first bound can unbind.
It is extremely rare that a Vampire has ended such a curse in the history of humankind, and often ends his own life rather than live bound through the cruelty that usually led him to be cursed.
It is important to note that Vampires should not be trusted. They are soulless beings who travel to the ends of the Earth, leaving trail of destruction and death in their wake. They possess no morals and cannot see the error of their ways. It is advised to keep well away from these creatures.
I paused, letting the words sink into my brain. “I can’t believe I’ve never read this before.”
“What did it say, Ella?” Xander’s focus was intense.
I closed the book, placing my palms on the front, not liking how unsettled I was, but no matter what I felt, I wasn’t going to discuss the contents of the book. Not when I didn’t know if they had ties back to the town and the Trinity. It always paid to keep your cards close to your chest. “It was…nothing. Nothing at all.”
“What do you know about spells?”
“What?” I wasn’t ready for the heart thump Xander’s question gave me.
“I know what a Grimoire is, Ella.”
“I…it isn’t…it’s just a book in my family. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered. This line of questioning could land me in big trouble, not only for me but for Mom as well, if it ever got out.
Xander frowned, his dark blond eyebrows coming low. “You won’t get into trouble with us. We know what spells are, Ella. Spells and… curses.”
How could? Then it hit me. “You’ve looked inside.”
I expected to feel violated. No one outside my family had seen these pages. Ever. But they must have looked inside to know exactly what the book contained. Instead, I waited for his reaction, relieved that there might be someone apart from my mother with whom I could discuss its contents.
A small smile flittered across Xander’s face and my anxiety melted a little. “I only wanted to see if the pages were damaged so I could fix them for you. Are you interested in spells, Ella?”
“I…” Again, I was at a loss for words. I’d never been allowed to speak freely about it. It was just our family’s little secret that had been kept under wraps for decades.
“We have some more spell books in the library, similar to this one. I like to collect them. Would you like to see them?”
I blinked at him for a moment, floored. I would like to see them. I would like to see them very much. I might not have another opportunity, because when the storm lifted, I would make certain I’d return home. “I would like that. Very much.”
Xander’s smile broadened and again I glimpsed white teeth before he took my hand and helped me to stand. “We don’t get many visitors who are interested and I’d like your opinion on them. Come. Let me show them to you now.”
Chapter Ten
Xander led me back the way we came. I stepped into the library, in awe of just how many books they had.
“Where did you get them all?” I spun in a circle. There were even books on shelving above the door.
“When you’ve been here as long as we have, you tend to build quite a collection,” Xander said.
He stood in the middle of the room, regarding me, seeming to see every detail of my body. I was so aware of him. His tall and lean figure, tailored pants and dark, long sleeved pullover that did nothing to hide wide shoulders, and his flat stomach that tapered to lean hips. I knew how solid his thighs were from sitting in his lap. A part of me wanted him to pull me there again so I could snuggle up to him. And more. He’d be able to kiss me, slide his hand beneath my sweatshirt and find my nipples hard and ready for his touch. I wanted his hand there, and then maybe his mouth, teeth and tongue, lapping at my breasts like I was his favorite confection.
Self-conscious, my cheeks heated again.
I didn’t see him move before he stood in front of me. He ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek, his gaze trailing his touch. “What were you just thinking about, my Ella? It looked fascinating.”
I couldn’t talk, but for a very different reason. If I started, I may tell him exactly what I was thinking and then I’d expect him to follow through on my wishes, just as Davon had done. I shivered, thinking how delicious it would be to know how the hands of two men felt on me. And then Cassius? I was also drawn to him. To all of them, actually. They were so different, yet the same awareness, desire, yearning, burned within me.
