Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) by Jessica McBrayer Page B

Before you were even born as a human,” he says gently taking me in his arms, recognizing my discomfort. “It was the fashion at court to get your humans drunk before you fed, so you would be drunk after you ate. Zoe and I were drunk on blackberry brandied blood and I was telling her about my mother. It turns out she knew her. Knew of the necklace, too. She wanted me to be her royal consort but I said no.” Sebastian kisses my forehead. “I thought she would be angry, but the brandy had made me bold and had made it easy for her to laugh it off.”
    I absorb this new information and store it for later use as we head downstairs to the library. Julian already knows about my reaction to the silver. He asks if he can inspect the burns.
    “How long did you have it on you, Lily?” he asks with concern.
    “Only a few seconds, Jules.”
    “Fascinating.”
    He goes over to his desk and starts scribbling in a brand new journal.
    “Merde, he has a new research project, Lily, and it’s you,” Sebastian scowls.
    I shrug. “I get the benefit of finding out everything he finds out.” We both know Julian’s quest for knowledge and his ability to evaluate facts are unequaled.
    “Julian, last night wasn’t a full moon. Why was she attacked?” Sebastian asks.
    “It seems the were cycle is one night before, during and one night after the full moon. The afflicted usually turn into a hairy creature, with little human resemblance. Long nails and sharp canines.”
    “That’s definitely what I felt and smelled. Why did I see a human running away though?”
    “I think Aidan’s blast disrupted the creature’s phase. It will be useful to remember that,” Julian says as he taps his chin, thinking.
    “Great, hairy humanoid creature with long nails and fangs on top of fangs. I should be a real looker three days a month, honey. I’m giving you a chance to bow out of this gracefully, free and clear,” I say to Sebastian. Giving myself another lecture on vamping up.
    He takes me in his arms and kisses my ear.
    “Lily, I don’t think you will have the hypertrichosis-severe hair growth,” Julian reassures me. “You didn’t display any of it last night and I think you would have started to if you were going to. But we will have to wait until the next moon cycle to know for sure.”
    “Julian, you might think I’m shallow, but that really makes me feel a lot better. I think I can handle some of the other symptoms if I don’t have to turn into a wolf dog.”
    “Lily, I understand completely, dear,” he comments quietly. “It’s your mind I’m most worried about. We have yet to see what will happen when the full pull of the moon is on you.”
    “What effects are you referring to?” Sebastian asks.
    “She could have a strong urge to run with a pack. Of course we don’t know who the pack might be. She will want to hunt without the control she’s developed in the past decades. She will probably be much more aggressive and volatile. We’ll just have to find out,” Julian says.
    “Sounds peachy,” Hannah, my best friend, says from the doorway.
    “Hannah, Diel, when did you get here?”
    Hannah is one of my best friends. She lives in Berkeley. Diel, her demon life mate, is at her side. And of course she never goes anywhere without Hades, her hell hound. Hannah has a penchant for hippie blood, or I should say any ‘herbally enhanced’ blood. She finds a good supply in the college students.
    “I just walked in. Just in time for Julian to say you were going to run with the pack. What the hell happened this time? I can’t leave you alone at all. Where is Aidan?”
    “I don’t know. He should be here by now,” Helena says.
    “I was attacked last night. Bit by a werewolf,” I groan. I’ve been the victim of too many attacks this year.
    “No effing way! I didn’t know we had werewolves in San Francisco. Julian, why didn’t you tell me this?” Hannah demands.
    “I didn’t know, but apparently we do. I think it is a