Page 19 of Zodiac Monsters

Oh, she’s bitter.

“Point taken.” I suppose she wasn’t wrong. There were many, many things I wouldn’t be telling her even now, especially if she was this annoyed by simply not revealing that I was a vampire. There were other aspects of placing a mate mark that she would probably also hold against me, and I would just keep that information to myself. Even if she did clearly enjoy our connection. “So what can I clear up for you, Baby Doll? Let me make amends.” Because you’re worth it. I added for her directly into her mind, as though it was an accidental thought that slipped.

Her cheeks flushed, and the ease with which I could play this woman was viciously satisfying. I’d truly been insane to think I was losing my touch. A nice word here, a compliment there. She was effortless. Her lifetime surrounded by lesser men made my job entirely too easy.

“So let’s start at the beginning. I get that Adrian is your half-brother, but how does that work… magically?” She asked first, though I could tell there was much more weighing on her mind. “From everything I read, cross breeding isn’t really a thing among, uh… different beings.”

“Oh.” An unexpectedly complicated question. She must have been hanging out in the library, reading through the old war and species tomes. “Interestingly enough, when it comes to shifters, it’s actually less complicated to mate with other kinds of magic creatures than it is to breed among ourselves. The primary reason species didn’t mix in the past was purely due to social stigma, and not at all because of fertility barriers. In Adrian’s and my case, we share a mother, but not a father. Which is the more important half, really.”

She scrunched up her nose. “What do you mean the more important half?”

I leaned back on my hands and stared up at the gently wafting leaves of the shade tree overhead. The basics. She needed the basics of the basics of the basics. This was going to be a long and sexless date. “Because you get more magic from your mother than your father, since it’s her body that ultimately grows, feeds, and shapes her offspring. Both parents and species are strongly represented in our bodies, and just like an ordinary human, our physical appearance can take after either parent, but typically the mother’s magical traits are dominant over the father’s when it comes to a hybrid species.”

“So your mom was the shifter, but your dad was a vampire and Professor Karras’ dad was an Incubus.” Lila nodded along, easily following, just as I expected of her once I laid out the information. “Is that what you call yourselves? Hybrids?”

I shrugged. “Hybrids, half-breeds, monsters, beasts, hell-spawn, abominations, mutts, bastards. You pick.” I’d heard it all at this point. Though it was hard to be offended when, in my opinion, it only made me a superior being.

“Hybrid is fine.” She sunk her chin to her chest, then she apologized as if she was worried she’d said something hurtful. I squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

“None of them bother me. I was allotted the magical gifts of two very powerful species without any of the weaknesses, so the more aggressive titles are only spoken in jealousy.” She relaxed as I rubbed her arm. “Half-species are still rare and under-researched, largely because our existence is still taboo to the old timers, and a lot of hybrids don’t like to openly admit they’re not a pure species. Give it a few centuries to iron out the rampant inbreeding of the last several millennia, and I’m sure we’ll be common enough to merit a more politically correct name.”

Her nod was reassuring. “So when you say you don’t have any of the weaknesses, what does that mean?”

“It means that, unlike a full blooded vampire, I can enjoy sunlight and garlic, and unlike a full blooded Zodiac Shifter, I’m not limited to only one astrological form. Instead, I get the strength, speed, and mind reading of a vampire, the ability to form mate bonds and change shape at will like a shifter,” I partial shifted a claw and tapped it against her shoulder for emphasis, “and the immortality of both.”

“And that’s why you can eat people food.”

“People food…” I raised a brow, Not considering me a person was a bit offensive, admittedly. I shook my head and she laughed it off sheepishly. “Yes, I can eat ordinary food. Though, the blood dependency is real. I can stave it off with a high protein diet, but I mostly just eat this stuff for the taste and the social aspect of going out to a restaurant. It’s performative, not sustaining. I still have to feed.” I shrugged before I took another bite.

“How often?” Lila spoke slow and steady, and I considered delving into her mind just to figure out what that knitting of her brows meant.

“Once or twice a week, typically. Nothing excessive.”

“And if you don’t?”

I rubbed my neck, a touch uncomfortable with that question. Those were memories I wasn’t looking to recall. “I get a bit feral.” I spoke quietly. I didn’t like admitting to losing control, even less when it was the fault of my vampire, and there was no moon to blame, but it was becoming a constant around her. Neither half of my blood line could resist whatever strange pull she was subjecting me to.

“Can the person you feed on be human? Or do they have to be something magical?”

“Just not a vampire. I can feed on anyone who doesn’t share my natural born blood parasites.” It was my turn to scrunch up my nose. “Why are you asking this?”

“B-because, I was wondering if…” She paused for entirely too long, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I sank into her mind and looked for what the hell she was on about.

It took everything in my power to resist a grin from spreading across my lips. “You want to know if I’ve bitten other girls since I met you?” I was chuckling before I could even get that sentence out. This girl is truly precious, and I was going to enjoy having her wrapped around my finger. If anyone was capable of breaking down Adrian’s barriers, it was undoubtedly her.

“W-well… I mean, it’s not like we’re anything official, s-so…”

“Of course not.” I cut her off, wanting to stop that line of thought before it could spiral. I was being truthful anyway. “Graves has a blood bank specifically made for vampires, comprising of anyone who was willing to be a donor in the event of brain death. Vampires have a surprisingly strong fan club among mortal and immortal species who feel honored to serve. Both men and women are somewhat equally represented, but since there’s no real pleasure in it for me, I tend to draw from men who are as boring as the act. It’s not as sexy as you might imagine.” It was unfair bias, but it all cost the same, so I could be as choosey as I wanted. Women were better fresh, and none had ever compared to her unique flavor. There was no reason to bother violating civilized vampire etiquette and Graves law with a random helpless human woman. I had no intention of muddying my taste buds on inferior blood, especially not if it would risk upsetting Li—

“Then use me.”

I think she spoke, but the words didn’t fully register. I froze in place, and stared ahead blankly as that last revelation struck me.

Why did I care about upsetting Lila? I wasn’t actually trying to date her in earnest. I wanted her to like me, but not because this was truly a courtship.

“I don’t like the idea of you drinking from other girls. Or other anythings for that matter.”

Was this something subconscious I hadn’t fully realized? How long had I been making decisions like this? How long had I been putting her potential feelings before my own? Was I worried about my actions hurting her? Is that why I hadn’t bitten another woman since I met her? Why I hadn’t even considered finding another bed mate?