“This new guy was still the guy he was before the demon went into his body. He didn’t die and then get reanimated by a demon. And it wasn’t like possession because the demon was there, but wasn’t controlling him. Wasn’t doing anything, actually. He was just part of him. And after a while, this first vampire realized he was immortal. And immortality can get pretty freaking lonely.”
“Go on... “ She sounded a little leery, but interested.
“I don’t know details, obviously, because I wasn’t around back then, but the bottom line is that he did the whole bite and suck routine, which Hollywood got pretty much right, and created other vampires. The thing is, it’s all the same original demon, just—I don’t know— diluted, I guess. It’s not like a new demon who comes in from the ether and invades each time. So it’s the original person plus demony bits.” He looked at Allie. “With me so far?”
I saw the haunted look in her eye, and knew that she was. She had a demony bit inside her, too, after all.
“Go on,” I told him.
“Yeah, well, that’s pretty much it. I mean the immortality gig is pretty cool, except I imagine it gets old after a while.” He grinned up at me. “I’m not there yet. I mean the last hundred years have been pretty freaking interesting.”
“And the blood?” Allie asked. “You survive by drinking blood?”
He shook his head. “Yes and no. Mostly, that’s how the change happens. After that, human blood isn’t just food, it’s like a drug. Hollywood didn’t really get that one right.”
“Human blood?”
“Yeah. We don’t need a lot of sustenance, but we need some. I mean, technically I’m dead, but I still need energy, right? Otherwise I’d just watch television all day.”
“Okaaaaay….”
“I can drink pretty much anything—alcohol doesn’t do shit for me. And the only way to really get a blood buzz is to drink human blood. That’s where you get the horror stories. Think of it like PCP or something. It can really make a vampire lose its shit, you know?”
Allie looked at me, her brow furrowed.
“Do you drink human blood?” I asked.
“Not hardly ever—what?” he added off my look. “If I said never, would you believe me?”
He had a point. “Go on.”
“Anyway, let’s say you hear about a nest of vampires who are running around ripping necks open and killing the humans? Those are the addicts. And it’s bad. When I need to eat—which really isn’t that often—it’s animal blood all the way. Gets you a little buzzed, but it doesn’t have the same effect.”
“So you’re just good like all the time?” Allie asked. “You’re like this shiny nice immortal who walks around forever?”
“Yeah. That’s pretty much it.” But as he spoke, I noticed that he was looking down at his Converse tennis shoes.
“They’re all addicts,” I said gently, letting Jared know I understood even while explaining the truth to Allie. “There’s always going to be that urge. There’s always going to be that risk. And some vamps fight it better than others.”
He looked up at me, his eyes hard and fierce, and in that moment, I could see the demon inside him. “I fight,” he said. “Ifight hard. And I’m not in line with those demons. I don’t want this place to be a hell on Earth. I’m still having a good time here. Whoever wants to hurt Allie, I’m not on their side. I want to protect her.”
I didn’t challenge him. I wanted to believe him. So help me, I wanted someone on our side, and if this boy really was willing to look out for Allie and watch her back, the fact that he had the strength of a vampire wasn’t a bad thing at all. But I was only letting him near my kid if he truly convinced me that I could trust him.
“You still haven’t told me about the sun thing,” Allie said. “So that’s just a whole bunch of bullshit they made up for movies?”
“Allie…”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Mom? I got a demon inside me, remember? I don’t think saying bullshit is a big deal.”
“I assure you, it is.”
She rolled her eyes again, and when I saw Jared laugh, I warmed up to the guy even more.
“Yeah, the sun thing,” he said. “So when you’re young like me, you can walk in the sun, no problems. But when you get older, a couple of things happen. For one, it’s harder to fight the urge for the blood. For another, you burn in the sun. The older you get, the more you burn, until finally you’re a crispy critter if you even step out into the light. The more blood you drink, the longer you can postpone that. So it’s a vicious cycle.”
“Oh. Well that sucks. How far away are you from that?”
He shook his head. “Don’t know.” He looked between me and Allie and Eddie. “Couple of centuries I guess? But I’ve known some vamps who it happened to around the hundred and fifty mark. Some around the thousand-year mark. I guess it’s different for everybody.”
