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Prepare for some history 101. The person who makes a thoughtful comment gets a cookie! :p
Chapter 36
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“Eliot!”
Miriam tensed, but before she could so much as scream, his reflexes snapped into action and the car quickly returned to the center of the road.
Miriam clutched at her seat, heart pounding as he glanced at her warily from the corner of his eye.
“What makes you ask that?”
“N-no reason,” she stammered, lacing her hands over her lap. “I just…you’re not exactly what I would have pictured if I thought of a vampire.”
He smirked. “And what would that be?”
She shrugged, smiling too—his amusement was contagious. “Bats.”
Eliot grimaced. “Hate the bloody devils.”
“Garlic.”
“A delicious garnish, I must say.” He even had the nerve to lick his lips.
Miriam snorted—he sounded so darn smug. “What about churches? Crosses? Holy water?”
“I was never very much of a pious soul,” he admitted. “Being chased by holy men sporting wooden stakes didn’t help at all in helping me find religion.”
Miriam choked on a laugh. “Can you fly?”
He glanced at her from across the dashboard. “No, but I can fall if I leap from a high enough point.”
“What about healing?” She asked, thinking of the indestructible monsters that starred in horror movies. “If I stabbed you, right now, could you heal in the blink of an eye?”
“Probably,” he said, eyes scanning the road. “As long as your weapon wasn’t made of wood.”
“Wood…” Curious, she glanced out over the twisted branches of the forest that lined the road. “You mean the whole stake thing is—”
“Accurate,” he said, mouth curling into a frown. “It’s rather annoying when a pleasant stroll through the forest could be your last if the right slayer is lurking behind one of the trees.”
“But why?” She wondered out loud. “Why wood and not metal?”
“Because of the origin of vampires,” Eliot explained as he turned the car onto the road leading to her driveway. “We are unnatural beings, shunned by nature itself—the natural enemy of witches. Wood is their medium, therefore it destroys us...”
“Witches?” Miriam shifted on her seat, intrigued. “You mean green skin and evil cackle?”
“No.” He glanced at her, suddenly serious. “True witches are nothing at all like the way mortals like to depict them; they are pure beings in tune to the very heart of nature. They live in harmony with the very rhythm of the earth—their powers are tied to every living soul.”
His wistful tone caught her attention. Curious, she watched him, tucking a curl behind her ear.
“You make them sound beautiful,” she said softly.
He turned to full face her then, as the car came to a stop. That amber gaze met hers and the look in it made her skin grow warm all over.
“They are.”
YOU ARE READING
Taint (Formerly Claimed) Dark Midnight 1
ParanormalAs a suffering epileptic with uncontrolled siezures, Miriam always knew she was different. For her, it's better to be invisible--but that all changes when He comes to town; a boy with murder in his eyes, and blood on his soul. He's different too...
