Page 36 of Blood Illusions

Damon shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Justice strode gracefully into the library, a vision of confidence in his crisp new clothes. The ruby-red sweater and streamlined black jeans clung to his statuesque frame perfectly. I had to shake my head to clear away the inappropriate thoughts. He was a vampire and officially off-limits.

He carried a tray topped with neatly arranged sandwiches, bags of chips, and an icy cold six-pack of beer. “Thought you might be hungry,” he announced as he set the tray on the table.

Research went right out the window for me. My stomach growled, and my mouth watered.

I wasn’t the only one who was starving. Damon’s eyes lit up at the sight of food, and he reached for a roast beef and cheddar sandwich.

I smiled at Justice as I grabbed a tuna on rye. “This looks really good.”

Damon twisted the bottle cap off a beer. “You made these?”

“I’m fast. Real fast,” Justice stated with a hint of pride in his voice.

He reached for a tall glass filled with red liquid, and I realized it was blood. His cheeks flushed. “I’m still hungry.”

“I think we all are. By the way, what do you know about salt?”

His eyes widened. “You want salt on your tuna sandwich?”

I laughed. “No, not at all.” My tone turned serious as I glanced back at Dad’s journal. “I know salt impacts them, but I’d like to know more. Do you have any books on this?”

“I’m not sure, but there’s a book called Folklore and Practices of Supernatural Protection.” He got up from the table and headed to a bookcase near the window. He pulled out a thick, worn leather book. “I never really paid attention to it because I thought it was about humans being superstitious.”

I took the book from Justice and studied the index in the back. “There’s several references to salt.” I flipped to the first section, squinting at the faded print on the page.

“Wait, this doesn’t make sense,” I exclaimed as I looked between Damon and Justice.

“What?” they both replied at the same time.

I moved my finger along the page. “According to this book, salt is used to ward off demons. You can put it along doorways and windows, and the demons won’t be able to enter.”

Damon yawned and stretched his arms wide. “We’re not dealing with demons. We’re dealing with vampires.”

“And vampires aren’t afraid of salt,” Justice added.

“But what if these are?” I asked eagerly. “These vampires keep breaking all the traditional vampire rules. I think we should try it.”

“I think it’s farfetched,” Damon snapped. “None of the supernaturals we hunted were afraid of salt.”

I placed my finger on Dad’s journal. “Then how do you explain Dad writing this?”

He rubbed his forehead. “I can’t, and you know it.”

“Justice, does this place have enough salt to put a barrier around all the windows and doors?” I couldn’t keep the excitement from my voice.

He glanced at Damon questioningly. “I guess so. Dr. Gould likes to keep the place well stocked.”

“Then, will you two help me with an experiment?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The library seemed to shrink as the three of us sat motionless. The only sound was my thumping heart ringing in my ears. Neither Damon nor Justice moved. They looked at me as if I had spoken in Latin and couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.

Not waiting for them to answer, I stood from the chair. “Dad wrote salt in his journal, and that has to mean something.”

Justice grabbed my wrist. “What are you going to do?”

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