Parxon nods. “He is beyond reproach and will protect our secret. He is a brother of my heart and my closest friend. He is Eilidh’s spirit sire. I could not have made it through these long, lonely years, especially through my grief, without Zeuzehn’s support.”
Maybe he can answer another question. “Vampires, in our world, usually have the power to compel humans. Make them comply, wipe their minds. But Eilidh is immune to that. Not just with me, but with any vampire she’s ever encountered. In fact, she can sort of do it a little with some vampires and humans.”
“That is a jotnun Alpha trait,” he says. “Try it on me.”
I look into his eyes…
Nothing.
“Alphas are immune to it from other Alphas,” he says. “Ironically, a claimed mate who is marked is also immune to that.”
“But humans are turned into vampires by the virus that gives us our powers.”
“The virus appeared in far distant history,” he says. “But it never did the things that Eilidh told us it can. Daytime lethargy. A need for blood. The virus also removed some abilities, especially from Alphas, like reduced our speed and strength. It did not impact omegas or others as strongly. It did not impact the ability to sire or have children. In fact, children born of those with the virus were most often immune to it. I suspect that, somewhere in history, after the sorting, as hybrids and those with the virus mated, there were more mutations, more hybrids, until it changed into vampirism. Just as those who eventually became shifters evolved.”
“Wow,” Garrett softly says. “That’s…holy cow.”
“This is why I have dedicated my life to research. It will not be long before Jotnunlm is empty, and the last laugh will be had by those on Earth, without any knowledge of their true history.”
39
Dexter
Zuzu joins us shortly.“She is still asleep, but she will be fine. Dexter can, obviously, sleep in her bed. But do you wish to share a room?” he asks Garrett and Amber.
“They are mates, Zeu,” Parxon says, smiling. “I believe they will wish that, yes.”
Zuzu playfully smacks the back of Parxon’s head. “Just asking. Not assuming.” Then he looks at me. “The curtains and shutters in her room will keep out direct sunlight, but there still might be light visible. The windows face south, not east. Is that safe, or do I need to tack quilts over them for you?”
“As long as it’s not direct light from dawn, or a direct sunbeam, I will be fine.” I remember how my Robert worried any time we changed residences, how he panicked if I emerged before dusk in a new place, despite me assuring him I knew what was safe for me and what wasn’t.
Those thoughts get shoved to the side. I’ll unpack that later, once Eilidh and I are safely home.
The GPS ear tag is looking like a better idea by the minute. Maybe I could use one of those radio collars, like Yellowstone bears are fitted with.
We retire for what’s left of the night. In the bathroom, I use the toilet and wash my face and hands. Standing at the sink, I stare into the mirror, where the ornately tiled shower wall behind me is visible.
Because I am not. Not my body, at least.
I am used to this. Used to shaving by touch, to brushing my teeth and hair by feel, seeing the items in my hand floating in mid-air, or my clothes mysteriously standing by themselves. A century or more ago, I unconsciously started thralling people in public bathrooms, once I realized they all have mirrors in them. A quick glance at someone to tell them there’s nothing amiss, nothing to see.
It is amazing how anonymous one can be in larger cities with very little effort.
Eilidh, however,seesme, and has from the moment I walked through the doors of Club Toxic.
She was attracted to me without me needing to use any powers on her.
No need to smile and look her in the eyes.
She loves me forme.
I strip and snuggle in bed with her, relieved to have her in my arms once more.
Perhaps it is time I nurture myself a close circle of friends and put down permanent roots, with Eilidh as my hearth and home. It’s time for me to stop living in the past and move forward to build a life with her. Robert wanted me to live and be happy. Since losing him, I’ve only half succeeded at that.
Eilidh’s arrival in my life finally means I can fulfill my promise to him to be happy.
She makes me happy.
