Blood Lust - Book 3 - Blood Series

Before every one started to eat the festive dinner laid out on the table, Devon stood up with his glass of wine and said, “I’d like to make a toast.”  Every one reached for their wine glass.

“Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for family, friends and loved ones.  I want to say that I am thankful for each and every one of you in this room. You’ve all become like family to my brother Blake and me. May we always have each other to call family!”

Blake, Darby, Rowan, Dean and Sally raised their glasses and clinked them together. “To Family,” said Blake and they all repeated.  “To Family.”  They all took a sip and set their glasses down and started to dig in.

Laughing and talking ensued around the table and all seemed perfect, when the doorbell rang. Devon and Darby looked at each other surprised, as if asking each other, Is someone else expected?  Devon wiped his mouth, kissed Darby and said, “I’ll get it. You stay and enjoy.” He set his napkin down next to his plate and headed for the door.  He was about to open the door when, again, the doorbell rang. He opened it to find a very elegantly dressed man with brown eyes, brown hair, and an intimidating six foot four stature, standing there looking at him. It was Devon and Blake’s uncle Dominic.

“Dominic! What a pleasant surprise. Come in.” Devon was trying to sound pleasant, but he was truly floored at seeing him.  In all Devon’s life, he had never known his uncle to travel away from the east coast, and even more precisely, Connecticut.

He was dressed in a very distinguished manner; black hat, over coat, red scarf (for some festive color) and gloves.  It was a little overkill for the 58 degree Thanksgiving weather, but very handsome, none-the-less. He was meticulously groomed and extremely polite, at first. Devon made his introduction as he helped Dominic with his coat, hat, scarf and gloves.

He was very handsome indeed and there was definitely some family resemblance to Devon and Blake. Now closer, Darby could see that his eyes were a warm brown. His hair was slicked back and he sported a very bushy mustache.  He was at least as tall as Blake, so now Darby and Rowan knew now where Blake had gotten his height. He didn’t smile, but Darby felt if he did, he might have the kind of smile that lit up a room, like his nephews.  Darby was sure she wouldn’t be seeing it anytime soon, though.

“This is Darby O’Rielly,” Devon pointed to her near the end of the table. Devon didn’t tell his uncle this, but she and her sister Rowan came from a long line of ancestral witches.  Devon had only met the beautiful blonde woman a few months ago, but he had fallen madly in love with her almost at first sight. He continued around the table.

“Her sister Rowan,” Devon said pointing to her.  A tiny strawberry blonde woman with Caribbean blue eyes smiled and nodded. A few months ago, a horrible man named Terrence Paine, who had injected her with werewolf blood in an attempt to kill her, had kidnapped Rowan.  He had thought that Blake being a vampire, had turned her. The werewolf blood would have battled the vampire blood, leaving Rowan dead.  However, Blake had not turned her and the werewolf blood just changed her to a werewolf this last summer. Devon continued around the table

“You know Blake of course,” he said.  Blake Bloomington is Devon’s brother and a born vampire. Unlike a turned-vampire, a born-vampire is born of two vampire parents.  Though they drink blood like a turned-vampire, they do not need as much or have to feed as often, allowing them to live among humans without being detected.  Turned vampires have an almost uncontrollable lust for blood and they must feed daily and are more likely to kill their prey, as they can’t control the lust of their feeding frenzy.  A vampire that turns a human to a vampire is supposed to train them to control their cravings and to teach them how to feed without killing. More often then not, though, this doesn’t happen.