Page 14 of Love Bites
"You might as well have." The vampire walked around to my desk and rested against it. He still didn't bother turning on the light. Probably didn't need it.
"Were you watching me?"
"I've only been here for a minute. Actually, your brother let me in. I assume he's your brother, anyway."
"Luke?" I asked, because only Luke would have let someone he didn't know walk into the house like that. I exhaled and dragged a hand down my face before clicking on the desk lamp. Talon might be comfortable in the dark, but I wasn't.
"I didn't think you'd break those runes," Talon said instead of responding to my question. "That was bold."
"Bold or stupid. The jury's still out." Especially now that I had a vampire in my bedroom.Dad must be turning in his grave.
"I've been wondering about those wards and why they were there in the first place," Talon mused. "The wards lead me to believe your family must know a lot about paranormal threats, but your brother invited me right in, so either I'm wrong or you're playing some sort of game with me."
"Why would I be playing a game with you? Wait, because of what happened earlier?" I didn't really know what that had been either, but Talon obviously thought that maybe I did. For a brief moment, it seemed as if I was just as mysterious to him as he was to me, which was kind of ridiculous because he was a paranormal creature that shouldn't exist and I was just... well, me. But there was something about me that he couldn't explain and I gained some satisfaction from that.
Talon remained quiet for a while. Then he asked, "What do you know about vampires?" He didn't add 'and why?' to the end of that question, but I heard it anyway.
"I've heard a few things."
"Who put the runes on your fence?"
I felt a smile tug on my lips. "You'd love to know that, wouldn't you?"
Talon straightened and took a step toward me. My heart skipped a beat, almost sure that the vampire didn't appreciate being toyed with and that I would regret my bravado in a moment. Talon didn't attack me, though. I got the feeling that he was sizing me up. "You're pretending that you're not scared," he said. "But the sound of your heartbeat betrays you."
Yeah, my heart was beating way too fast. Sue me. How could I be in this man’s presence andnotfeel this way? "There's more than one reason for a heart to beat fast."
"I suppose so."
"Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" The vampire sounded curious enough, but I wasn't sure whether that was because he was interested in my idea or because the thought of making a deal with his prey was so silly that it amused him. My mouth ran dry, but I forced myself to continue anyway. I obviously had something he wanted, even if it was only information. It could be a bargaining chip.
"I'll tell you why this house is warded and you tell me what you were trying to do to me earlier."
Talon considered this. "Very well," he said after a moment, and I allowed myself to exhale. He wasn't going to eat me. At least not immediately.
"You first."
Talon gave a low chuckle. "Afraid I won't hold up my end of the deal if you go first? And here I thought you weren't afraid."
He was goading me. I knew that. But it worked anyway. What can I say? I'd never been able to put up with being taunted. "I'm not afraid of anything." An obvious lie, but so what? Talon didn't have to know that I still slept with the lights on after seeing a horror movie. "I'll tell you who put those wards up. It was my dad. He knew everything about you guys."
"Everything? I highly doubt that. Why was your dad so interested in vampires?" He turned to look at the door to my room. "I sense a lot of ancient magic in this house."
"I don't know. He was always convinced that vampires exist. I used to think it was all in his head." I shrugged. "I don't know anything about magic."
Talon shook his head. "Whoever your dad was, he was no regular human. I'm not convinced that you are, either."
Now it was my turn to chuckle. "I might not be regular, but I'm totally human. Why would you think otherwise? Do you ‘sense magic’ in me too?"
"Not exactly. But there's..." He paused as if searching for the right words. "What happened earlier, that doesn't happen with regular humans, and you..."
"I what?"
"I suppose it's only fair if I tell you." Talon took another step toward me. "You don't smell like regular humans. You don't taste like one either." Talon's eyes narrowed. "In fact, I've never drunk from someone quite like you before. I'm not sure what it is that makes you stand out, but it must be what drew that mutt to you as well."
He had to be talking about the werewolf who'd approached me at the bar. I'd almost forgotten about that guy. "I don't know what you're on about. I'm not magic or anything..." Sure, I'd been told that I tasted good before, but that had been in an entirely different context, and I didn't think Talon wanted to hear about that.
