Page 86 of Blood Owed (Blood Mafia 1)
I press my eyebrows together and mute the show. “You’re kidding, right? We learn the basics of all supernaturals at school.”
We were taught the basics. Vampires are dangerous. The first vampire came after a mutation in human DNA, enhancing their abilities, strength, and changing their dietary needs from animal food to blood. All it took was one lonely, half-insane vampire desperate for a lifelong companion to drain his former wife and force-feed her his blood to find out vampires could also be made.
There are two breeds of vampires, those born with the mutated gene and those turned. We weren’t taught more than that so I’m not sure if there’s any difference in abilities. I know for certain both survive on blood and to kill them you have to decapitate then burn the body—that’s really all that matters.
“Hmm, I’ve never heard of a school teaching that to its pupils.”
Holding up my hand, I try to process what she’s said. “Okay, first of all,pupils? Second of all, what are you talking about? I learned it throughout all of my schooling.”
“I could be wrong, but last I knew, the humans were very adamant about not exposing their children to supernatural biology. Then again, the last time I cared to give a damn was over a hundred years ago.”
“Wow, you’re old as shit.”
Alissa snatches my cookie before I take a bite, earning a growl from me. She shoves it into her mouth and gives me a mocking smile.
I stand and stretch, groaning when a cramp assaults me.
“It must suck to be human,” Alissa muses, eating another bite of cookie and humming in appreciation. For her saying they weren’t that great, she sure is enjoying them.
“Some days it does,” I tell her honestly, because I’ve definitely fantasized about ripping a few throats out and it’d be so much easier to do if I were a supe.
You’re not human.
I try to ignore the whispered reminder in my mind, but it’s hard. I’m desperate to learn the truth. Throughout my life, I’ve been stronger and faster than my classmates. I also didn’t shy away from schoolyard fights, so much so that my adoptive parents put me into karate when I was seven.
My sensei moved me through the belts faster than any child that’d come before me, and soon I was moving on to other styles of fighting. None of it amounted to much when facing off with a vampire, but it gave me an edge over normal humans. I’d take whatever advantage I could get, especially if it meant staying alive.
“Demi?”
I take in the bemused smile on Alissa’s face. “Where’d you go?”
“Just thinking,” I say then sigh. “So I guess you don’t know much about the newer generations.”
She makes a so-so gesture. “I know enough.”
“Well, once supes were outed to the general population in the early nineteen hundreds, humans were forced to accept their fate of no longer being top of the food chain. They teach us about your kind, enough to stick a solid sense of fear in most humans.”
“You’re not most humans though, are you, Demi?”
I don’t answer her and go grab a bottle of water.
“You were dating a wolf before all of this?”
Pausing in the middle of taking my cap off, I glare at her. “How did you know that?”
Alissa brushes cookie crumbs from the edge of her mouth and gives me a look. “Colt and Grayson weren’t the only vampires sent after you. Mateo sent me and a few others out as well. We all had the same intelligence information.”
Why do I feel betrayed by her confession? Has she had an ulterior motive this entire time? Did Mateo order her to befriend me? To learn my secrets, my weaknesses?
She points a finger at me. “I can practically hear you screaming accusations at me, Demi. I’m here because I like you, no one ordered me to be here.”
I relax slightly, finish unscrewing the cap and take a long drink, watching her over the upended bottle. “Can you blame me for being suspicious?” I ask when I finish.
“No, I guess not.” Alissa glances around when the speaker crackles, nose wrinkling. “What is that?”
I file away the fact that Mateo doesn’t spy on his vampires—or at least he doesn’t spy on Alissa and let out a harsh breath. “You should go, the boss wants to talk.”
Her eyes widen slightly with panic, and I watch as she presses her lips together and her forehead creases.
