Blood
Jewel Excerpt-
Many
exciting changes had occurred over the past couple of days. Although Chansey
accepted my marriage proposal, she still didn’t know a lot about the world of
vampires and there was much she needed to learn. “Do you think you would feel
comfortable joining the others for dinner tonight? If you are going to live in
a house of vampires you will need to become accustomed to the sight of blood
drinking.”
She
swallowed hard. “Where do they get the blood?”
“There
is a community of humans called Black Swans that know about us and support our
cause. Some of the Black Swans choose to become Blood Swans, which means they
freely give of their blood supply for our sustenance.”
She
looked thoughtful and asked, “Do you bite the Blood Swans?”
“I’m
sure there are Blood Swans that would like to be bitten, but we do not drink
directly from them. There are humans that allow themselves to be bitten, but we
discourage it because it is too easy to lose control. There are groups of
humans called Seekers that desire the company of vampires and wish to be
turned. Seekers willingly allow vampires to bite them as a way of being
introduced into the community. Then, there are also Blood Dolls. They enjoy and
are addicted to the act of being bitten because of the umm...ecstasy they
receive from it. They refer to the pleasure of the bite as The Kiss.”
“Have
you ever bitten a Blood Doll?”
My
answer was not going to please her. “We have all had a Blood Doll at some point
in our existence, but it was a very long time ago.”
The
angry versus jealous expression on her face told me she didn’t appreciate my
honest answer. “How many have you had?”
I
looked to the ground for help, but found none. “Only one.”
“What
was her name?”she asked, jealously.
“Her
name was Luciana and our relationship meant nothing. It can’t really even be
considered a relationship. I drank from her. There was nothing romantic between
us because it isn’t like that for vampires. The only thing we feel romantic
about is the blood we crave. And our Agápes,” I explained.
Her
hands went to her hips. Uh oh. Not a great sign for me. “Did your relationship
with her last a long time?”
I
was probably about to shoot myself in the foot or cause her to shoot me.
“Depends on what you consider a long time.”
She
was becoming aggravated with my vague answers and slightly raised her voice as
she interrogated further. “Please, answer the question that you are avoiding.
How long was Luciana your Blood Doll?”
“A
little more than two years,” I admitted. Although two years was nothing for a
vampire, it was rather significant in the life of a human and I knew by the
look on her face that my answer didn’t sit well with her.
She
became silenced by my unintentional hurtful admission. Now, she looked at the
ground in search of the right words. The silence surrounding us emphasized the
beat of her rapid heart before she finally continued, “What ended your
relationship with Luciana?”
“She
thought she loved me. I failed to convince her that it was the result of The
Kiss she loved, so I ended all contact with her.”
Chansey
took a deep breath. “What happened to her?” she asked.
“She
found another vampire to feed on her and he eventually turned her.”
This
hole I was digging was getting deeper with each question I answered. Chansey
took the stance I had unfortunately become quite familiar with when she shifted
her weight over to one leg. “Incredible! There’s a second vampire out there
somewhere that’s convinced she’s in love with you? You are quite the lady’s
man, aren’t you?”
“Luciana
is a vampire, but she is not in love with me. She’s a vampire in love with the
blood she drinks,” I clarified.
“Vampires
have romantic relationships with other vampires, so how do you know she isn’t
still in love with you?”
“She
just isn’t,” I argued.
I
reached for her arm and she stepped out of my reach. “But, how do you know,
Curry?” she insisted.
“I’ve
seen her since she was turned and she isn’t interested. Nor am I. I was never
interested in her for any reason other than using her for blood when she was
human.”
I
cheated and used my vampire speed to catch her before she could pull away from
me again. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head as I
pleaded, “You are the only one I have ever loved in my human life or in my
years as a vampire. The only one. Ever.”
She
finally returned my embrace and said, “I’m sorry. I know I must look like a
jealous fool.”
I
certainly couldn't fault her for feelings she couldn’t control. “I understand
because I have experienced some jealousy issues when it comes to your
admirers.”
“I
don’t have admirers,” she argued.
“It
certainly looks like it to me, but why don’t we just call all of it water under
the bridge?” I suggested.
“I
think I can agree to that and my answer is ‘yes’ to your earlier question. I
would love to join you and your family for dinner tonight. Make mine AB
negative,” she laughed.
“My,
Miss Leclaire. You have a choosy palate. AB negative is the sweetest and most
difficult to come by.”
“It’s
good to know I’m sweet and in high demand,” she said as she walked her fingers
up my chest.
“Your
blood type is AB negative?”
“All
day and all night long,” she laughed.
I
wouldn’t have guessed that from when I tasted her, but I only had a few drops.
Maybe it was the Agápe bond throwing it off or maybe I just didn’t have enough
to be able to tell. “Chansey, don’t tell anyone that. Always keep that to
yourself.”
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
