said I wouldn’t mind!
He smiled and softly called my name. ‘Laura.’
Hummm, nice voice, I thought, deep and rich. It flowed over me like hot caramel and somehow I knew it would be just as addictive.
But I reminded myself, this man wasn’t human. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, determined not to allow any reticence I felt to show.
H e reached out, took my hand in his, raised it to his lips and gently kissed my fingers. His eyes only left my face for a fleeting moment when he glanced towards my aunt’s ring on my finger. His old-world courteous gesture surprised me.
‘Alec Munro, I presume?’
His smile widened, showing immaculate white teeth. No fa ngs? Where were they? He held my hand and escorted me into the alcove. ‘It’s not ideal, but it will provide us with some privacy.’
He led me to one of the smaller wooden chairs while he sat on one of the large high-backed “thrones” normally reserved for the bishop, directly opposite me.
‘Laura,’ he b egan, and his smile faded. ‘I understand if, at this moment, you resent me. Instead of celebrating your birthday with loved ones, you sit confronted with the reality of your birthright.’
Oh, how right you are there ! I felt like saying aloud. Instead, what came out was, ‘I wish I’d been told sooner.’
I tried to keep my voice calm. A combination of anger, fear and being in the presence of such a potentially dangerous, yet stunningly attractive individual warred within me.
‘Would it have helped?’
‘Of course, it would! To be told such a thing and expect to be believed is… well, I’m still dealing with it .’
‘Fair enough ,’ he said, ‘but it’s traditional for the Bloodgifted to be told at their coming-of-age. The Elders of my kind ruled it a long time ago. As you know, children or even young adults are not very good at keeping secrets. And this is a very big secret.’ He smiled at me like an indulgent parent. My fear fled.
‘Don’t patronise me! And I’m certainly not a young adult.’
‘In my world you are. Fifty is no more than an infant, and as Ingenii —I assume Judith explained the term?’ I nodded— ‘you’ve just come-of-age, meaning you’re no older than a twenty-one-year old, with the same maturity level!’
Of all the condescending… ‘Well, since I’m so “immature” it’s a wonder you want me as your personal blood bank! Perhaps we should call it quits, right now!’ I rose and turned toward the entrance.
In l ess time than it took to blink, Alec Munro stood before me and blocked the way. His eyes crinkled at the corners. Was he laughing at me?
‘My, my what a temper! You remind me of someone I know.’
‘How fortunate! Please, move out of my way.’
‘No!’
I turned on my heel intending to leave through the other exit I’d noticed. I’d barely done so and he was there, arms crossed across his chest. ‘We could do this all night and I really don’t have the time, Laura.’
‘How did you do that?’
‘It’s normal for my kind to move quickly. Now may I suggest we start again, as we have a lot to discuss?’
I thought about it for a while as my curiosity wrestled with the desire to walk out of here and leave the so-called vampire to find another blood donor. ‘And if I don’t want to do this?’
‘Laura, please understand, yo u don’t have a choice in this—as I don’t. You’re far safer with me than any others of my kind. They wouldn’t bother even discussing it.’
His eyes he ld mine and I couldn’t pull away. Was that a vampire thing?
‘I know this is overwhelming. Please believe me when I say I would prefer you to accept me willingly and in return I promise to protect you.’
Aunt Judy had said something similar. No, I didn’t have a choice, and since it looked like Alec Munro wasn’t going to let me leave anyway, I thought it best to stay and learn everything I needed to know about this otherworld I’d been dragged into.
Perhaps he sensed my change
He smiled and softly called my name. ‘Laura.’
Hummm, nice voice, I thought, deep and rich. It flowed over me like hot caramel and somehow I knew it would be just as addictive.
But I reminded myself, this man wasn’t human. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, determined not to allow any reticence I felt to show.
H e reached out, took my hand in his, raised it to his lips and gently kissed my fingers. His eyes only left my face for a fleeting moment when he glanced towards my aunt’s ring on my finger. His old-world courteous gesture surprised me.
‘Alec Munro, I presume?’
His smile widened, showing immaculate white teeth. No fa ngs? Where were they? He held my hand and escorted me into the alcove. ‘It’s not ideal, but it will provide us with some privacy.’
He led me to one of the smaller wooden chairs while he sat on one of the large high-backed “thrones” normally reserved for the bishop, directly opposite me.
‘Laura,’ he b egan, and his smile faded. ‘I understand if, at this moment, you resent me. Instead of celebrating your birthday with loved ones, you sit confronted with the reality of your birthright.’
Oh, how right you are there ! I felt like saying aloud. Instead, what came out was, ‘I wish I’d been told sooner.’
I tried to keep my voice calm. A combination of anger, fear and being in the presence of such a potentially dangerous, yet stunningly attractive individual warred within me.
‘Would it have helped?’
‘Of course, it would! To be told such a thing and expect to be believed is… well, I’m still dealing with it .’
‘Fair enough ,’ he said, ‘but it’s traditional for the Bloodgifted to be told at their coming-of-age. The Elders of my kind ruled it a long time ago. As you know, children or even young adults are not very good at keeping secrets. And this is a very big secret.’ He smiled at me like an indulgent parent. My fear fled.
‘Don’t patronise me! And I’m certainly not a young adult.’
‘In my world you are. Fifty is no more than an infant, and as Ingenii —I assume Judith explained the term?’ I nodded— ‘you’ve just come-of-age, meaning you’re no older than a twenty-one-year old, with the same maturity level!’
Of all the condescending… ‘Well, since I’m so “immature” it’s a wonder you want me as your personal blood bank! Perhaps we should call it quits, right now!’ I rose and turned toward the entrance.
In l ess time than it took to blink, Alec Munro stood before me and blocked the way. His eyes crinkled at the corners. Was he laughing at me?
‘My, my what a temper! You remind me of someone I know.’
‘How fortunate! Please, move out of my way.’
‘No!’
I turned on my heel intending to leave through the other exit I’d noticed. I’d barely done so and he was there, arms crossed across his chest. ‘We could do this all night and I really don’t have the time, Laura.’
‘How did you do that?’
‘It’s normal for my kind to move quickly. Now may I suggest we start again, as we have a lot to discuss?’
I thought about it for a while as my curiosity wrestled with the desire to walk out of here and leave the so-called vampire to find another blood donor. ‘And if I don’t want to do this?’
‘Laura, please understand, yo u don’t have a choice in this—as I don’t. You’re far safer with me than any others of my kind. They wouldn’t bother even discussing it.’
His eyes he ld mine and I couldn’t pull away. Was that a vampire thing?
‘I know this is overwhelming. Please believe me when I say I would prefer you to accept me willingly and in return I promise to protect you.’
Aunt Judy had said something similar. No, I didn’t have a choice, and since it looked like Alec Munro wasn’t going to let me leave anyway, I thought it best to stay and learn everything I needed to know about this otherworld I’d been dragged into.
Perhaps he sensed my change
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