Page 80 of Twisted
“Sounds fancy.”
“It is.Which is why Mabel likes it.”
“Makes sense,” I say and shove the chip into my mouth, watching Xavier as I chew.“Can I see it?”
“I suppose I can make an arrangement to go in the near future.”
“Who lives there now?”I ask.
“Family.”
“Vampire family?”I raise my eyebrows and lean back.“I’m just going to say it.This whole keeping your biological line going…it’s little much.”
“Opposed to what, just turning anyone into a vampire?Whoever I turn to has the potential to be here for the end of time.”
“That is one hell of a commitment.”
Xavier grins.“So you see why I would be picky.”
The waitress comes over to take my order and her gaze lingers on me.She has to recognize me; I’ve been in here dozens of times with the Russos.She’s human, and she’s looking at Xavier a little nervously.It’s not obvious to most people that a vampire is, well, a vampire.They can’t sense the energy I can and even experienced hunters can be thrown for a loop.
There are obvious signs to look for beyond the pale skin, which is from lack of warm blood flow more than the lack of sunlight.Vampires don’t breathe.They don’t have to blink.Many still do both out of habit, and the older, smarter vampires make it a point to appear as human as possible.
To a normal person, the most obvious sign would be sitting here not eating, like Xavier is.The basket of chips, meant to be shared, is in front of me, and the second glass of water that was set on the table along with the chips remains untouched.
But mostly, Xavier is intimidating.He’s good looking and carries himself well.
“I’ll have the vegetarian fajitas,” I tell the waitress.“And an iced tea.”
“That’s your usual,” she says and smiles when I nod.“I knew you looked familiar.And for you, sir?”
“Nothing for me, thank you,” he tells her and she stiffens, realizing that he is a vampire.She looks at him a few seconds too long and then scuttles away, whispering to another waitress that a vampire is in their restaurant.
Vampires are allowed anywhere, and it was a big thing just a couple of years ago that a law was passed saying it was discrimination to make “human-only” establishments.There are certain areas in the country where vampires are more accepted than others, and Asheville isn’t one of them, simply due to the fact that a lot of hunters gather in this area.
“The homeless people,” Xavier starts.“You say they were killed by demons.”
“Mh-hm.Demons burn through bodies they’re possessing.A healthy person could probably handle possession a little better than someone who’s not.It puts a great strain on the physical body to host a demon.Demons can possess the dead, but it’s not like in a zombie movie where bodies just keep moving around.Things, uh, get stiff and rot and fall apart.”
“So once a body is no good, they move to another?”
“Yep.”I eat another chip.“I’m almost sorry you cannot experience the excellence that is this salsa,” I tell him.“Demons possess for different reasons.A lower-level demon can possess a person and can influence them to do bad things over time.Maybe a week or two depending on the state of the body.They feed off that energy and just enjoy watching someone blow up their life.”
Xavier’s eyes narrow ever so slightly as he watches me.“Possession of the homeless doesn’t fit that narrative.”
“No.Their lives already suck.”I shrug.“Most of those people were addicts already in bad health with no family claiming them.I think they were possessed to be of use.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The demons needed a physical body to literally do something.What, though, I have no idea.”
“If you were a hunter, how would you proceed?”
“I am a hunter,” I press.“I’m your wife—legally—and being a witch is useful to you.But I am a hunter too.I will always be a hunter and you can’t change that.”
His hand lands on mine and the coolness of his skin catches me off guard for just a second before I find it comforting.“I don’t want to change you.I find you quite exceptional just the way you are.”
My heart swells in my chest and I flip my hand over, slowly curling my fingers around his hand.He gently rubs his thumb over my wrist, feeling the pulse point.My body craves him again, and this time, I want to feel his fangs sink into my skin and have my blood spill into his mouth.
