— VENICE —
I flew upright with a gasp. My eyes sprang open and I looked around in a panic.
All I could remember were a pair of big ass fangs and Liam's eyes clouding over a foggy black color.
I didn't recognize where I was at first but I was alone. Then, as if hearing my thoughts, Liam appeared in the threshold between the living room and kitchen.
"You're awake," he said but made no move to approach me.
My heart crawled into my throat. "What did you do to me?"
His brows knit together. "Nothing. You fainted."
I took a deep breath and blew it out. Did that really happen, or am I hallucinating shit now?
I blinked and Liam was suddenly seated beside me on the couch. I jumped up so fast that I tripped over the coffee table and landed flat on my back on the rug.
"Easy," he told me. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
Pushing myself up onto my elbows, I studied his face. He looked totally normal now, completely human.
"You . . . have fangs," I said slowly.
He blinked. "Yes, I have retractable canines."
"And you growl . . ."
"Yes. That is also true."
"So, are you human . . . ?"
His tongue darted out to wet his lips. "It's complicated."
"You're a . . . v-vampire," I stuttered out.
I couldn't help it. This whole thing was so ridiculous. Absolutely preposterous.
Liam said nothing but his gaze remained serious.
"Vampires don't exist," I said. "It's not physically possible. I remember high school biology."
He leaned forward, extending a hand toward me. "Let me help you up."
My heart rate spiked as I chuckled anxiously. "No, it's okay. I'm fine down here."
He frowned.
"How long was I out?" I asked, more for a lack of anything else to say.
"Five minutes or so."
I relaxed a little. That was better than the multiple hours I'd assumed had passed.
Still, I'd probably spent more time here than I should. Marvin was bound to march over here sooner than later, and that was a shit storm I did not care to witness.
"I should probably go," I said and pushed myself up to my feet.
Liam rose fluidly to stand as well. I watched him, my heart pounding, while I tried to gauge him.
Was he going to snatch me up and eat me? My thighs quivered at the thought.
I mentally admonished myself for such a ridiculous response. How a man could be sexually attractive to me after I just discovered he has fucking retractable canines was beyond me.
"We need to finish our conversation first," he said.
I nibbled on my lip and looked away. Was that code for 'I'm gonna suck your blood?'
"Please," he insisted, "sit with me. I promise I won't bite."
My eyes flew up to his and I found him smiling. Smiling!
"Ha ha," I said, pretending to chuckle. "You know how to crack a joke at the worst possible time, don't you?"
He shrugged. "I'm trying to lighten the mood. This isn't an easy subject."
I nodded reluctantly and moved to sit beside him on the couch. I was still tense, but I didn't think I could possibly relax until I grasped what was going on.
Liam turned to face me and our knees brushed. A bolt of energy raced through me. I felt very hot all of the sudden.
"Since you already realize what I am," he said, "I should tell you the rest. It might make things easier to digest."
I held up my hand. "Wait—can we just clear something up first?"
He arched a brow but nodded.
"Do you want to eat me?" I asked. Then, realizing my words, a hot blush coated my cheeks. "I mean, like in a vampire sense. Like, bite me and drink my blood?"
He chuckled. "If I'm honest, yes. The temptation to drink blood never fully goes away."
"Does that mean you're going to kill me?" I chewed on the inside of my cheek.
"No," he assured me. "I will never hurt you, Venice. That's the truth. I don't hurt people."
"But you do drink blood?"
"Animal blood, yes."
I took another deep breath because holy shit was this a lot to process.
"Okay," I said. "How did this happen? Like, are you born this way? Or did someone . . . do this to you?"
"Our origins are a bit bleak. We function as another species—a sister species to humans, if you will," he said. "To answer your question, we were all human until we were changed. The blood we consume is processed into venom that we secrete through our saliva. If the venom comes into contact with an open wound on a human, the venom essentially acts as a virus that overtakes human cells. The human body will reject the cells after 24 hours and regenerate new ones . . . unless you die with vampire blood in your system, in which case you undergo metamorphosis and become a vampire."
I blinked a few times before saying, "It's like a bacteria or a virus."
He breathed deeply through his nose and nodded. "Yes."
"And this . . . disease then makes you want blood?"
"It requires me to. I would not survive without regularly consuming blood."
I bob my head slowly, letting this all sink in.
"Okay. So you're a vampire who eats little bunnies," I paraphrased. "Are there lots of you? I mean, how have I never met one before? Or heard about it on the news? Surely, some scientist out there would've discovered you all by now."
"There have been close calls," he admitted. "There is a hierarchy in the vampire realm that is responsible for maintaining authority over our kind. Humans were aware of us at one point. We once waged war against each other. Vampires used to be much more prevalent.
"To save the species, the Princeps formed and agreed to ensure the longevity and posterity of our kind. It was agreed that all vampires would go into hiding. The Princeps decided that every living vampire would be documented. Any conversions were to be documented. If any vampires went on a killing spree or exposed themselves to humans, they would be killed. All in the name of preserving our legacy."
"This is wild," I muttered, pressing my face into my hands.
"I know it's a lot to take in."
"To put it mildly!" I scoffed. "There's a whole-ass underground society of vampires!"
My brain physically hurt from processing all of this information. I rubbed my temples to soothe some of the throbbing and focus.
After giving myself a moment to recoup, I looked at Liam again. This man, who looked like a normal—albeit gorgeous—human, was a freaking vampire.
Marvin was right in that I would never expect this shit.
"So what does you being a vampire have to do with Marvin?" I asked. "Is he one, too?"
His expression fell immediately. "No," he grumbled. "He's not like me."
Liam looked away, baring his teeth. His hands curled into fists.
"Jesus, what is he then?" I panicked a little.
If he told me I'd been living with a witch or werewolf or some other weird shit like that, I might have to wheel myself down the street to the looney bin.
"Your friend is a Hunter," he told me. "They are human, but they have certain genetic predispositions that make them more apt for hunting us. We're much faster and stronger than humans. If not for Hunters, humans would likely be extinct."
"Why?" I asked, horrified.
"As I mentioned, there's a lot of speculation around the origin of all of our species because nothing was documented officially for many centuries. It's generally accepted that the venom and blood-sustaining metabolism was a genetic mutation that rapidly spread due to its high transmissibility.
"Many believe the Hunter genetics evolved separately as vampires began diminishing the human population. All we know is that the number of Hunters fluctuates with the vampire population. Hunters are nature's gift to humanity, you could say."
My brain physically ached from all this new information.
"Wait, back up," I said, rubbing my temples. "Hunters kill vampires. You're a vampire, and Marvin is a Hunter. So is he going to kill you? Why aren't you scared of him?"
"He's not the first I've encountered and he probably won't be the last."
"Does that mean you're going to kill him?" I squeaked.
"No," he said resolutely. "Unless I'm defending myself, he is not in danger of me."
I was still very unsettled by this. I didn't like the idea of Marvin killing anyone, but especially Liam.
For some really stupid reason, I liked Liam. Vampire or not. He's had like 50 chances to kill me and he hadn't made a single attempt.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Like I'm in a dream . . . or maybe a Twilight Zone episode."
He chuckled a little. "Do you see why I didn't want to tell you? This is a secret you will now have to carry."
A secret. I hadn't thought about that part yet, though I had no intention of blabbing off to anyone. I didn't want Liam to get hurt, especially not because of me.
"Knowing about my kind and the supernatural world will make us both targets for people like the Princeps," he added in a troubled tone. "Knowledge is dangerous."
My life would never be the same. That was for sure.
"I asked for it," I said. "Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry I put you in this situation. I don't want you to get in trouble."
"I would have never told you," he said, "but you caught me in a weak moment. You've seen my fangs now—it's too late to go back. Keeping the truth from you would have been pointless. You'd be in danger regardless."
I nodded slowly. Damn, I was such an idiot. I should've just let it go. Now I was in way the hell over my head.
"You shouldn't do that with your mouth."
My eyes flashed up to his face. I noticed a hunger burning in his eyes that made me instantly release my bottom lip from between my teeth.
"Sorry," I murmured, flushing as I quickly looked away.
Vampires couldn't have sex . . . could they? Wouldn't that spread their disease?
"Don't apologize," he said. "I simply find you hard to resist. You're beautiful. Everything about you tempts me."
My mouth bobbed open. Did he just—? Is he hitting on me?
"Thank you," I said with a shy smile.
"You're absolutely welcome. I mean every word."
His body language and voice and intense eye contact all indicated he was genuine and honest. That intimidated me more than if he'd just been teasing or playing me.
I stood up from the couch. "I should probably head back before Marvin comes looking for me. Talk to you later?"
My feet backpedaled toward the door while I tried not to blink so I wouldn't miss his move. Even so, at the first blink of my eyelids, he appeared in front of me.
His abrupt proximity startled me. I gasped and automatically tried to jump away, but he anchored his hands on my hips. Heat radiated through me everywhere our bodies touched, tingling and burning like a live wire.
"Not so fast," he chided with a lopsided grin.
I pressed my lips together. The motion attracted his gaze to my mouth and he licked at his own.
"You are free to leave," he told me, his voice hardly higher than a whisper, "but you must promise me something."
"Okay," I choked out. I was afraid to even breathe.
My skin tingled furiously from our position and probably also from knowing he could take a chomp out of me without any warning.
"Everything I told you stays between us." He tucked my hair behind my ear. "Your friend can't know I told you anything. Under no circumstances are you to share any of this with any humans either. Understood?"
His thumb rested on my bottom lip, peeling it down. I released a shaky breath. My knees wobbled like jello.
What is this man doing to me?
"Understood," I squeaked. "Can I ask one more thing?"
A breathtaking grin stretched across his face. "Ever curious, are we, darling?"
My heart fluttered at the nickname. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Alright." He chuckled and the noise poured a gallon of warmth into my chest cavity. "What is it?"
"Where do we go from here?" I whispered.
His face turned serious. "Meaning?" he pressed.
"Well, what are we going to do about Marvin?"
"That will depend solely on how your Hunter friend proceeds," he said. His lips ghosted over my cheek. "If he attempts to hurt me, I will retaliate and it will not end well for him. You can tell him I said as much."
I swallowed. His mouth hovered over the corner of mine. My heart jackhammered away in my temples.
"And if I catch his hands on you again, I will end him."
I sucked in a little breath as he let go of me and stepped back. My face burned. I felt a sense of loss without his hands on me.
Shame alone propelled me toward the door. I needed to get out of here before I made a fool of myself.
"Goodbye for now, little neighbor," Liam called after me.
"Bye, Dracula," I muttered and hurried out the door, his laughter following me all the way home.