“You’re a quick study,” Thorne remarked.
Sam grinned at him. “That was, I don’t know, awesome! So, are all the stories about vampires true? Can I turn into a bat?”
“I don’t know. Is that something you want to do?”
Sam frowned as he considered it. “Not really, but in the movies, the vampires always turn into bats and fly away.”
“I’ve never tried it. I’m not sure it’s possible to change into anything so small. You know, body mass, and all that.”
“What about a wolf? Dracula turned into a wolf. That would be really cool.”
“It is ... cool.” In the old days, he had often transformed himself into a wolf to escape his enemies or elude angry villagers brandishing torches and stakes. “It takes practice, but it can be done. You can also dissolve into mist and move faster than human eyes can follow, so you seem to vanish from sight.”
“Awesome! What about daylight?”
“The sun is your enemy. It will burn your flesh. If you’re exposed to it for more than a few moments, it will destroy you.”
“But you used to go out during the day.”
Thorne nodded. He had ignored the question the first time Sam mentioned it, but there was no point in denying it any longer.
“Why didn’t you burn up?” Sam asked.
“It’s a long story.”
“So? I’ve got nothing but time.”
“Perhaps.”
“What do you mean, perhaps?” Sam asked.
“Not everyone can handle being a vampire. Many don’t last a year.”
Sam shook his head. “Who wouldn’t want this? I feel great, better than I’ve ever felt in my life.”
“But it isn’t life,” Thorne reminded him. “Some fledglings can’t adjust. They long for what they’ve lost, or, after a century or two, they grow discontented with their existence, or they grow weary of watching the world change while they stay forever the same. Some try to mingle with humanity, to pretend they haven’t changed, but after years of watching people they’ve come to care about die, they seek their own destruction. Some get tired of hiding what they are and have to be destroyed before they become a threat to our existence.”
“What kind of threat?”
“We exist on the edge of humanity. If people discover we’re real ...”
“I get it,” Sam said, grinning. “I know the drill. Mobs with pitchforks.”
“It’s no laughing matter. Humans do have the advantage over most of us during the day.”
“Most?”
“As vampires age, they grow stronger physically. Their preternatural powers also grow stronger, so that only an extremely talented hunter would be able to take them unaware. It’s usually fledglings who fall prey to slayers.”
“And that’s what I am? A fledgling?”
Thorne nodded. “You’re stronger than most, as is Desmarais, because you were both turned by master vampires.”
Sam grinned at him, his eyes twinkling. “Gee, thanks, Dad.”
Thorne shook his head, bemused by the boy’s cocky attitude.
Sam shifted restlessly from one foot to the other. “So, Desmarais? Is he the spooky old guy in the gray cloak? The one who kidnapped us?”
“Yes, and he’s a force to be reckoned with. Before he became a vampire, he was one of the best slayers in the world.”
“He was a hunter and now he’s a vampire? That’s a pair to draw to.”
“Indeed.”
“So, how long have you been a vampire?” Sam asked.
“Over four hundred years.”
Sam stared at him, wide-eyed. “Are you kidding me?” “Do I look like I’m kidding?”
“But ... nobody lives that long.”
“Cassandra has existed longer than any other vampire I know of.”
“How much longer?”
“Back to the time of the early Greeks.”
“No way!”
“Way.” Thorne rocked back on his heels. “Do you need to feed again? If not, we should get back to the hotel. We’ve left Skylynn alone too long already.”
“Sky!” Sam smacked his forehead with his palm. “I forgot all about her. Let’s go!”
Skylynn was pacing the floor when Kaiden and Sam materialized in the center of the room. She stared at them for a moment, too startled to speak, and then heaved a sigh of relief. Both of her men were safely home. From hunting. If only they had been stalking game instead of people.
“So,” she said, glancing anxiously from one to the other. “How’d it go?”
“Great!” Sam replied, grinning. “Kaiden says I’m a quick study.”
“Oh. Well. That’s good. I guess.”
“Sky, everything I ever thought about vampires is totally wrong. You should try it.”
Skylynn blinked at her brother, unable to believe her ears. “Try it? It’s not like ordering a new dress. I can’t send it back if I don’t like it.”
“Trust me, sis, you’ll like it. I feel great. Better than great.” He paced from one end of the room to the other. “The power ... I can feel it flowing through me. I’ve never felt this way before. It’s ... it’s indescribable.”
Skylynn looked at Kaiden. “Are all newly made vampires like this? So ... so ... enthusiastic?”
“I really can’t say. I’ve never made one before. But I guess you don’t have to worry about him hating you.”
“Hating you!” Sam exclaimed. “No way, Sky. No way.” He frowned, and then laughed out loud. “Remember that Halloween we went trick-or-treating at Thorne’s and I told you he was a vampire?” Sam grinned. “Well, hell, I was right!”
“Sam!” Skylynn pressed a hand to her heart. “Sam, you remember!”
“Of course I remember. Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, and then frowned. “What do you know? The doc at the VA was right. It did just come back.”
“That’s wonderful!” Laughing and crying at the same time, she threw her arms around her brother. “What else do you remember?”
“Everything except what happened right after I got hit.” He lifted a hand to his head. “I remember being in a firefight. I was trying to protect our rear when a bomb went off. Things are kind of hazy after that. I woke up in a tent. I don’t remember how long I was there. Hell, I’m not even sure who captured me. I remember waking up in the VA. The doctor told me my captors had traded me and a couple of other prisoners for one of their guys... .” His voice trailed off and then, as if suddenly too weak to stand, he sank down on the sofa and buried his face in his hands.