Page 67 of Desired for Her Blood
It’s far too early for such a leap, but hope flows inside me. Hope for a future, whether it’s inside or beyond this cave.
“Okay,” I say, drawing their attention. “If we’re going to do this, which one of you is going to turn her?”
“Me,” Ryker steps forward.
“No,” Zuben says. “I have seen it done. It should be me.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ember
Sitting near the fire,Zuben across from me, I lean back against Axe, his strong body like a heated chair supporting me, his arms wrapped loosely around my waist.
Ryker is agitated, pacing back and forth, and I wish I could soothe his stress that I’m sure goes beyond worry over my transition attempt. Being trapped in here has impacted Ryker more than the rest of us. My decision to become a vampire had so many pros versus cons, but getting Ryker out of here is high on my list of reasons. And it’s clear that he won’t leave without me, even if staying might steal his sanity.
Turning my attention back to Zuben, I absorb everything that he’s been telling me about vampires. I can’t believe how long vampires have existed. “So, who came first then—vampires or humans?”
Zuben smiles softly at my question as he always does, a natural teacher. “That is a matter of some debate amongst academia.”
“Academia?” Ryker says sarcastically as he passes us.
Zuben glances up at him. “Yes, academia. There are scholars who study the history of our kind.” He turns back to me. “There are different schools of thought on this particular subject, but in the end it is like the chicken and egg question.”
I tip my head to the side thinking through what he’s said. “I get why vampires need humans, but are you saying that humans also need vampires? I mean, isn’t the chicken and egg question different?”
Again he looks pleased. Apparently I am a very good student.
“There is substantial evidence that human evolution—especially the development of human civilizations—has been highly impacted by vampires. The human civilizations which first flourished, also had significant vampire populations alongside them.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” Axe adds, and I remember again that he learned almost nothing about being a vampire before he was trapped down here. Axe is a student at Zuben’s School for New Vampires too, if a more reluctant one.
“Without going into details…” Zuben pauses.
“Likethat’spossible,” Ryker says, passing by us.
Zuben continues, “There is evidence that vampire venom has impacted human development and their ability to withstand diseases.”
“Like vaccines?”
Zuben nods. “Not as directly targeted to a single disease as vaccines, but yes. Vampire venom improves human immune systems. Over time, populations with more vampires became more resilient to disease and thus developed more quickly.”
Axe shifts, and moves one of his hands to my belly. I place mine over the back of it, stroking from his fingers to his wrist.
“And vampires also developed systems of laws and government earlier than humans. Vampires influenced many other human cultures.”
“Laws like the ones that let them trap us down here?” Axe’s voice rumbles through me from behind.
Zuben shakes his head. “This…prison. This dungeon. And what happened to you. None of these things are within the realm of vampiric laws. This place is highly illegal, and once we are free, I will see that Octavia is brought to justice.”
“Good luck with that.” Ryker stops and sits down on the furs, and I reach out to take his hand.
I feel so grounded, so connected, sitting with all three of the men. Zuben and I may still have a wall between us that doesn’t exist with the other two, but I can literally feel Zuben’s pain, even from behind his staid exterior, and I’m determined to help him break down that barrier.
“So…” I shift slightly, careful not to graze Axe’s cock behind me. “Assuming this works—“
“It better fucking work,” Ryker says.
