Dead Spots (Scarlett Bernard #1)(11)

His eyes narrowed. “Bernard, please tell me you’re not talking about vampires.”

“I wish I could,” I said, sighing. “But you’re right—that group eventually evolved into your basic modern vampire.” He looked stricken and a tiny bit exhilarated, as though I’d just confirmed the existence of Batman. “But there was a second group of conduits, and they rejected the greedy ones and took to the wilderness, using their magic to transform into eagles and bears and wolves, predators who loved to run and fly and hunt...Look, we’re gonna be there in like ten minutes; how much magical history do you really want here?”

“I want all of it,” he said stubbornly.

“Argh. Fine. The shape-shifters, the ones who loved the wild, found that the more things they shifted into, the more magic they had to use, and the harder it became to return to humanity. Pretty soon, it started to hurt them to be men and women again. They tried rejecting the magic, living just as humans, but that was even worse. So they cast a great spell, restricting themselves to a dual nature. They picked wolves.”

“Why wolves?”

I shrugged. I had some personal theories about pack bonding and loneliness, but hell, he could make his own guesses. “I don’t know why; I’m sure there was a reason. The point is, afterward, both groups—the wolves and the vampires—they adapted to what they needed, like any other species, but both reproduced through blood contact. If any werewolf blood touches a human, infection. If any human swallows vampire blood, infection. Then there’s this whole history of tension between everyone, which I’m skipping for time”—he started to protest, but I waved him off—“and because you still haven’t gotten to the big question.”

“Huh?” I felt his eyes on my face. “What big question?”

I glanced across at Cruz and smiled. Okay, so I was enjoying this a little. Sue me. “What am I?”

“Oh. Oh, yeah. I mean, you’re not, like, a vampire? God, that feels like such a stupid thing to say.”

“No, I’m not a vampire. Kind of the opposite, actually.”

“What’s the opposite of a vampire?”

“I’m a null.”

“You’re annulled? What?” he asked, confusion in his voice.

“No, no, two words. A. Null.” I spelled it. “It’s what people like me are called, although there are only a handful of us. I’m sort of a blank space, I guess. A dead spot in the supernatural world. There’s something around me—an energy or field of some kind—and when someone from the supernatural community enters it, they lose whatever was supernatural about them. Think of it like a bubble that I live in. I’m the center, and the bubble moves as I move.”

After the vampires and werewolves refused to help the witches in their time of need, after the witches discovered that magic hadn’t just adhered itself to humans but also to silver and a whole class of plants, after the many battles that resulted, evolution took another step and came up with nulls. Theoretically, I think we were supposed to restore balance. It sort of worked. Nulls are the wrecking ball of the supernatural world: we swing in and out of situations, creating damage and chaos. But sometimes in a really useful way.

Cruz was silent, and I looked over at him again. He was staring straight ahead, different reactions flying across his face. I almost felt sorry for him—when this had all been explained to me, my parents had just died and I was half in shock anyway. The concept of magic actually made about as much sense as living in a world without my mom and dad.

“But you’re...human, right?” he finally asked.

I shrugged. “For the most part.”

“How big is the bubble?”

“I’ve never gotten out a tape measure. Maybe ten feet? If I get really, really upset, it expands. And whatever was magical in that range is lost until it leaves the bubble again. A vampire, who was originally descended from humans, becomes a human again, with all the vulnerabilities. A werewolf becomes a human again, too. The magical part of speciation just disappears. Get it?”

“Yeah, I guess. So that animal in the clearing last night—”

“The werewolf,” I supplied.

“Yeah, okay. It was a wolf, and then it got too close to you, and that’s why it changed back?”

I nodded. “Yes.” The wolves actually love changing because of me rather than by themselves, because with me, it’s instantaneous. When they change back and forth naturally, it’s very painful and takes a few minutes. “And I bet after I left, it became a wolf again and ran off. Am I right?”

“Yeah.” A thought occurred to him. “Wait, it could have hurt me! How could you leave me alone with it?”

I shrugged. That hadn’t really occurred to me. “I was trying to get out of there. Besides, you had a gun. Shooting the wolf wouldn’t kill it, but it’d definitely back off. Probably. You were fine.” He still looked indignant, but he’d get over it. I pulled off the freeway. “We’re almost there, Cruz. You gonna stand by your word?”

“Sure I am. I’ll wait in the car. I want to think about all this and maybe ask some more questions.” He set his jaw stubbornly. “But then you and I are going to make a new deal. You’re going to help me solve this murder. Be my guide.”