Page 6 of My Mr. Vampire

“I think it’s nice. You claimed me as your own vampire. I love it. I prefer my Mr. Vampire to dear Mr. Vampire.” He looked away and then back at me. “No, I actually like them both.”

My smile spread over my entire face. “I aim to please.”

“Chanel.” His face morphed into seriousness. “You know you can ask me anything. I will always tell you the truth.”

“Okay, my, Mr.Vampire, let’s test that theory. One of the questions I have, it may seem stupid, but I really don’t know the answer.”

“There are no stupid questions, babe. Especially from someone as smart as you are. Give it to me.”

“How do you walk in the daytime, the sunlight?” I really needed the details on this one.

Zand let out a slight snicker. His lips curled up on one side. The urge to lean over and kiss him crossed my mind, but I couldn’t. I had to be cool. I had to keep my hoe in check. I had real vampire stuff to learn.

“Sunlight killing us, that’s a myth, our skin feels human. You know this. You’ve touched me all over. Vampire skin is very resilient. We don’t feel temperatures the way that you do because of this thick durable dermis. You will never see me sweat. The need for a jacket or a coat doesn’t exist. I wear them to blend in with everyone else during the seasonal changes. I don’t have a scientific explanation. We can withstand the sun and UV rays.”

I thought long and hard and I could honestly say I’d never seen Zand sweat. Even in the cold night air, I’d never seen him shiver. He never complained about being hot or cold. Even his skin just seemed to always be the right temperature when I touched him.

“Chanel, does that answer your question?”

“Yes.” My eyes moseyed down to the notes screen on my cell. “Okay, well, how did you become a vampire? Like, who bit you, or whatever the process is?” I waited for his response and when he didn’t answer right away, I said. “You don’t have to tell me if it was traumatic or triggering.”

Zand smiled at me. “No. It— the transformation— was a bit traumatic. I wouldn’t describe it as triggering. I’m not one of those vamps that have been around for hundreds of years. I was made in the winter of 1977 shortly after Christmas day. I remember it vividly. Not just because it was the year I was turned. It was also the year serial killer Ted Bundy had escaped a Colorado jail and went on his last killing spree. It was right before he was recaptured that next year.”

“Ted Bundy wasn’t a vampire. Was he?” The question seemed illogical, but it popped into my head and out of my mouth without me even thinking about it.

“No, he was just a regular human killer. Some vamps, a few vamps kill, but we’re not like them. Blood is needed for our survival. It’s sustenance. Those deviant human killers are just mammals with deprived brains and weird fetishes.”

“Some vampires kill humans?” I just knew it. They were depicted as predators in movies and T.V. shows. Some of the things in movies and T.V. were modeled after real life.

“Yes, some, but not many. Those types of vampires are shunned. They usually stop acting out if they want to be a part of a clan, coven, or group. Killing humans brings attention to our kind. We want to blend in. We long for community because the life of an immortal can be long and lonely.”

“Can you tell me if there are other vampires around?” My curiosity longed for information.

“Around?”

“Like here in Chicago? Are there other vampires here in Illinois?”

“Yes, we are everywhere. All across the country and the world.”

“Are there vampires at The Castle?”

“Yes.” He grinned because he probably knew I already had the answer to that question.

“But you’re not going to tell me who these vampires are?”

“I can, if you would like to have that information.”

Why wouldn’t I?“Yes, I want to know. I don’t like secrets.” Not after Lonzo. I hated being in the dark.

“I can respect that. Everyone on my security staff is a vamp.”

“Everybody?” Images of the faces of his security staff appeared in my mind.

“Yes.” He bobbed his head. “It’s a job that a vampire is good at.”

“That means Natasha, right?” I asked.

“Yes, she is. I’m sure you knew that.”

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