“And a thousand years more after that. You are mine, Little girl. How ever many days we’re lucky to have together will not be enough. I will always want more.”
She nodded, holding his gaze. “Does it hurt?”
“Becoming a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, if your vampire sire is vicious. I would never willingly cause you pain. Do you want me to describe what happens?”
“Please,” she leaned forward as if hanging on his every word.
“I will kiss you like I have a hundred times before. When your gorgeous, big brown eyes cloud with desire, I will trail a dozen more down your throat to your pulse.”
“You’ll bite me?” she asked eagerly.
Pleased that she’d enjoyed the previous occasions when he’d drunk from her, Marcus nodded. “Yes, sweetheart. I will savor you. Then, when it is right, I will feed you my blood. That exchange of our life essences will cause you to change.”
“And poof, I’m a vampire?” she asked.
“You’ll need a few days to adjust, but I will help you, Carina.”
“And I’ll be super-fast and a badass?”
“Perhaps. All vampires have talents. We will have to see which ones you develop.”
“Maybe I’ll be able to turn into a bat and fly?” she asked eagerly.
“Only if you’re a movie star and they have special effects.”
“Can I still enjoy mac and cheese?”
“Yes, you’ve seen me eat.”
“Oh, yeah. You do have meals with me. Do you have to? Or could you just rely on a… a liquid diet?” Carina asked.
“I could exist on blood alone, but I’d miss tasting my favorite treats,” Marcus said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at her.
She giggled, erasing any tension from their discussion. “Is there anything bad about being a vampire?”
“Like sunlight kills you or makes you sparkle?”
“Daddy, I know there’s a lot of baloney out there describing vampires. But there has to be something bad.”
“Vampires are predators. They can easily lose control and kill any human. People are automatically scared of us. That immense power can drive a vampire mad. Rabid.”
“How did you prevent that from happening?” she asked.
“I went crazy for a while. Then I ran into someone tougher than me.”
“Did he hurt you?” Carina leaned forward. Her face was drawn with concern.
“No. Alaric didn’t cause me harm. He’s the strongest vampire I’ve ever come across. He blunted the blood hunger new vampires experience long enough for me to gain control and then gave me a purpose and a clan. I needed those things.”
“Alaric is the guy who shows up in the video, right? And the guy in the street?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never seen him at Nightfall,” Carina mused, focusing on the blank space above her like she was trying to recall her interactions at the club.
