Page 14 of Accidental Blood Lust
“Hunger cues, but I’ve been ignoring those.”
“Not anymore,” the pretty vampire says. “Feeding is all that matters, ultimately. It’s how we survive.”
“Okay, but blood is kind of gross.”
Cassius looks at me like I just grew a second head. “What? That’s why you don’t eat when you should?”
I nod, feeling sheepish. “I’ve tried to get over it, and so far, I can only make myself eat when I’m struggling.”
“That won’t do. It’s literally the only way you can thrive. I could tell you what a starvation death looks like and it’s not pretty. I assure you that you don’t want to experience it.”
Huffing, I nod. “How do I deal with it?”
“Why did you become a vampire if you think blood is gross?”
“I mean, did youwantto drink blood before you turned?” I shudder.
“Obviously not, but once I turned, it was just natural. It’s no different than mortals needing water. Was turning your choice?” He gives me a look of concern and a hint of rage, like if I say “no,” he’ll hunt down the vamp who turned me and punish him.
I nod, feeling even dumber. “It’s the only way to become a supernatural if you weren’t born that way.”
“Unless you can talk a fae into it.”
“What does that mean?”
“A fae? They can do almost anything. There’s rumors they’ve even reversed some curses. There are some among them who are super powerful.” His face lights up. “Ah. Perhaps there’s one who could undo your vampirism.”
I pull my head back. “No. I don’t want that. Then all of this was for nothing.”
Cassius cocks his head. “What do you mean?”
“I did it for Jareth. I… I love him. I wanted to be able to bond with him the way supernatural beings bond.”
“Like a mate? Isn’t Jareth a mage?”
“Yes.”
He rubs his forehead. “You dear sweet summer child.”
“Huh?”
“It’s rare for mages to have mates. But putting that aside, if you were his mate, he would’ve known that before you turned.”
My heart feels like it fell to the floor. “What?”
“He would’ve known. He would’ve been able to sense it. In rare cases, supes can be fated to mortals. It’s certainly not unheard of. Given his magical nature, he would’ve known.”
“So…” I pause as my mind spins. “It can’t grow or happen because I turned? It’s either there or it’s not?”
Cassius shrugs. “I don’t pretend to understand how the fates work, but generally speaking, as I understand it, our souls are destined at the moment of creation.”
“Oh.” I slump in the chair I’m sitting in. “So, it doesn’t matter? I did this for nothing and now he hates me.” My eyes sting with tears. “Great.”
“I doubt he hates you.” Cassius sits across from me, his tone soft. “He fed you when you were starving. That’s an act of love, or at a minimum, concern.”
“He doesn’t love me. Not anymore.” I can feel myself getting pouty, and I’m well aware that it’s not a good look on a grown adult, let alone a vampire, but I can’t help it. I ruined everything.
“I’m sorry.” Cassius does genuinely sound it too.
