Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(49)

Victoria pulled some more of the energy into herself as she withdrew, aware of its colossal strength. She would need it for what she was about to do. She lay back in the chair and closed her eyes. Now for the hard part.

A soft noise interrupted her as Christian strode back into the room.

"Victoria, are you okay?"

"Yes. I just have one thing to do but I'm trying to figure out whether I should do it," she said, smiling at his use of her full name. His skin was flushed as if he'd been running but he looked far more human than when he'd left.

"What's that?"

"The wound. I can heal it myself from the inside out but I'm wondering what would happen if I took it into me instead." She quelled his instant look of concern with a gentle smile. "Trust me, it has been a day of discoveries. It won't hurt me."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because I need to understand why it attacked me." She hesitated. "And how it died."

"Do you want me to stay?" Christian asked.

Victoria nodded and leaned forward, clasping his long fingers in her own. With his free hand, Christian removed the gauze bandage, and was shocked at the yellow and red mottled skin. Victoria wrinkled her nose at the slimy odor as she closed her eyes and concentrated on healing the area surrounding the wound.

"Curo," she murmured.

Before his very eyes, Christian watched spellbound as the skin lightened slowly and visibly cleared, the angry color dissipating as Victoria's magic compelled it. Her body shook slightly as her intense concentration created lines of tension in her face. After a minute the skin on her shoulder became unmarked but for a thin half-moon scar, where the teeth had penetrated her skin. After about ten seconds, Victoria relaxed, opened her eyes and smiled fiercely at him. Her expression was triumphant.

"Did it work?" he asked, his thumb stroking her hand.

"Yes, I learned a bit about him and a bit more about what you are." As she said the words, Christian stiffened because even though she already knew what he was, she had now just seen what a truly evil vampire was capable of, and, in truth, what Christian was capable of. She read him easily.

"Christian, stop. I know who you are. How I feel about you won't change because I've seen what your kind can do," she said gently. "It would be na?ve for you to think that I don't know what a vampire is." She frowned. "He was different though, wasn't he? Not like a man, more like an animal."

"They are trained assassins, more fiend than vampire. They are control fed, only to keep their hunger sharp, to kill. I'm sorry I wasn't there—" Christian's face was tight.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here now with you." She paused, her words cautious. "When you say control fed, you mean starved?"

"Yes, of blood." His voice was strained.

Victoria watched him, speculative. She understood that Christian had to feed, but it was more convenient for her to equate that in her head with the natural act of eating as opposed to the unnatural act of consuming live blood.

Even earlier when he'd returned, it hadn't bothered her. Now that she'd seen into the other vampire hunger-warped consciousness, she understood all too clearly what feeding meant.

"You eat food though, I saw you on our date ... but you still need ... blood or you'll become like them?"

"I can still eat human food although flavors are far more overpowering now, which is why we tend not do it very often. And yes, blood is a necessity." The apology was ever present in his eyes.

"Human blood? Do you ... have to kill?"

"Any blood works really. Human blood tastes different, which mainly has to do with diet, herbivores and carnivores, that sort of thing. And no, I don't have to kill." Victoria noticed the emphasis he placed on saying "I" and tilted her head questioningly.

In response to her unspoken query, he explained, "We have an enzyme in our saliva that has special healing properties, so if I need to, I can take blood from someone and they would heal easily. The trick is to know when to stop. You see, a young vampire can barely control the hunger, so early on killing is a natural consequence of feeding. Over time, most learn control."

"But won't you make more vampires by killing people?" Victoria asked, curious. Christian smiled thinly.

"Myth. If that were the case, humans wouldn't exist. We have special rules, more laws actually, for that. Unfortunately there are some vampires who are far more indulgent and enjoy taking a victim's death for the pleasure of it, the thrill of it."

"Is it thrilling?" she asked in morbid fascination. Christian stared at her with those compelling silver eyes and she shivered softly. She changed direction very quickly.

"What about mirrors?" she asked, forcing a teasing note into her voice.

"I look pretty good in them most days," Christian said, rising to her attempt at light banter. Victoria smiled. More than pretty good, she thought.

"Can you change into a bat?" A look of involuntary disgust crossed her face and he laughed.

"Mostly myth, although very old vampires can shift forms."

"Crucifixes?"

"I died a Catholic, remember?"

"Hmmm" Victoria pursed her lips racking her brains for some of the other so-called facts she had read in books. "Sunlight's a myth too right, because you walk around in the day?" Christian shook his head.