“It’s about why I was there tonight; why I noticed you staring at Arwen and her date.”
“Oh.”
“Iro, the woman Arwen was with, is actually my wife.”
“Yourwhat?” Zara asked, and her eyes went wide.
“Don’t worry; Iro is not cheating on me, and I didn’t just cheat on her. We have an open relationship at times.”
“At times? What does that mean?”
“Well, Iro and I have been together for a very long time, Zara.”
“How long? She’s in her thirties, at most.”
“Centuries,” Cassia said.
“I’m sorry; what did you say?”
“I’m going to tell you something that you won’t believe. Then, I’ll show you, and you’ll want to run, but I implore you, don’t run. I want to offer you something, a gift that I think you’ll want.”
“I should go. I don’t know what I walked into, but if Iro is married, I need to tell Arwen right now.”
“Zara,” Cassia began and placed a hand on Zara’s chest. “Iro and I are vampires, darling. We’ve been together on and off since I turned her a few centuries ago.”
“You’re crazy. I–”
Cassia pressed down on Zara’s chest when Zara went to move and said, “I told you not to run.”
“Oh, shit. What are those?”
“My fangs.” Cassia opened her mouth wider. “I told you I would show you. And I know you want to run, but don’t run, Zara. Your brain is telling you that this is a crazy person talking, who got some kind of very special and expensive dental work done, but I assure you, that is not the case. I can smell your blood, and it’s riddled with sickness. Whatever your doctor told you about how long you have, it’s probably wrong.” Cassia inhaled deeply and added, “I’ve met many people with cancer; even before we had a name for it, in fact. Iro’s sister had it, and they didn’t call it that back then, but it smells the same as what you’re dealing with.” She cupped Zara’s cheek. “Zara, darling, you maybe have three months; that is if you’re lucky. But if you want to extend your life beyond measure, I can do that for you.”
“Are you a serial killer and want to kill me?”
“No, I want to gift you with immortal life, Zara.” Cassia ran her thumb over Zara’s lip. “I want to turn you; make you like me. You’d want for nothing, have everything you could ever need, and you would have time to be with your Arwen once Iro returns to me, which she will. You can even help her pick up the pieces of her broken heart when that happens. I’m sure she’ll need someone then. Iro is very special. If she wanted, she could make anyone fall in love with her.”
“Like she has a special power or something?”
“No.” Cassia chuckled. “It’s not like in the movies or TV shows, sweet Zara. Any kind of special abilities are incredibly rare. Iro doesn’t have any.”
“Is she going to kill Arwen?”
“Iro doesn’t kill humans. Well, she hasn’t in a long time, and she really only did it then because of me. She views humans as our equals. We disagree about that. Anyway, you’ll have questions, so let me go over some of the answers before you ask them. What about your life when you’re a vampire? Do you have to kill people? No, of course not. You can find willinghumans and feed that way. Many vampires use blood banks in modern times instead of killing people all the time or leaving victims alive who can then tell others about them. Blood from the body is the best thing you’ll ever taste in your new, long life, but you will need to be careful because if you leave bodies lying around, you will be discovered. Most vampires don’t want to be discovered, Zara. Now, there’s no big governing body of vampires like you’ve seen in movies and TV. No one is in charge of us. We are independent, free, and can do whatever we want. But when one of us gets caught, they’re usually dealt with.”
“Dealt with?”
“Yes, what you’re thinking.” Cassia giggled. “And as for the rest, let’s get through it quickly because I’d like to make you come again tonight before I turn you. We live forever, as you know. Silver stakes and knives through the heart can kill us, as well as beheading. Just remember, not wooden stakes like everyone tells you; silver only. That silly thing about us not being invited inside a building actually stopping us from going in is false. We can go wherever we want, but if we walk on consecrated ground, we tend not to last long, if you catch my drift. Holy water burns, but garlic and crosses don’t hurt. We heal from everything other than what kills us. Sometimes, it takes longer, depending on the wound. We can eat human food, and it’s delicious sometimes, but we need blood to survive. Vampire blood can sort of hold us over, but human or animal blood in general is needed for survival. Oh, and the very important one that everyone always worries about: we can be in the sun. We don’t need to constrain ourselves to the night. After a few days, though, wedoget weak, because we get our energy, if you will, from the Moon, not the Sun. Yes, vampires can have special abilities, but it’s very rare, and we don’t know how or why. We have heightened senses, but not as much as you might think, and we’re stronger than humans, but we can’tthrow someone across a football field. You can think of me being as strong as a really, really strong guy, and that’s about it. Did I miss anything?”
“I… don’t know,” Zara replied.
“Then, I must not have.” Cassia patted Zara’s stomach and added, “Zara, you’re about to be in horrible pain that will be unrelenting until you die. I can save you from that. You can stay alive, and you’ll never have to worry about cancer or any other sickness again.”
“You’re really saying that you’re a vampire and that you want to turn me into one? Why? Just because I’m sick?”
“No. I’m selfish, too, Zara. I have an ask of you as well in exchange for my gift.”
“What?”
