But I dreaded their fate if called upon too soon.
Workout over, I grinned as I mopped my sweaty face and watched my soldiers limp off to the showers.
I’d almost managed to forget my silent observer. Okay, that was a total lie, but at least, I’d managed to distract myself.
“That was quite impressive,” he said as he tucked his notebook under his arm.
“Glad you enjoyed the show.”
“Can I ask why you’re training them so hard? It’s almost like you’re preparing them for something.”
Having not yet decided whether or not to let the doctor in on the secret of the world apocalypse arriving soon, I lied. “When you have an eternity to look forward to, you need something, a regime, to keep you from going mad. Since our kind tends to be attacked and persecuted by those who see our diet as monstrous instead of necessity, knowing how to defend ourselves is a skill all of my kind need to learn and it gives them something to do.”
His blue eyes narrowed behind his lenses. “Why do I get the impression, you’re not being a hundred percent truthful?”
I chuckled. “You’re being paranoid. Haven’t I cooperated fully with everything you’ve asked so far?”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I sauntered off to find my room and a shower. I looked once over my shoulder to see if he followed and stumbled as I caught Rafe staring at me with smoky eyes. A look he quickly shuttered. The man was like a robot who could turn it on or off at will. I unfortunately couldn’t. I raced away from him, suddenly hungry, a craving ache that wouldn’t dissipate no matter how many pints of blood I imbibed.
Chapter Five
Sleep proved unattainable as I tossed and turned all day long, my body and mind restless. Just before sunset, I gave up and rose to prepare for the night. A really long shower later, I still felt like the dead. My attempt at humor with myself did nothing to improve my mood.
I breakfasted on Reginald who also doubled as my chauffeur, but as I sucked on his neck, much as I tried not to, I couldn’t help wishing I had a different neck at my mercy.
Disgruntled, I snarled at my staff, who, used to my mood swings, stayed well out of my way. An hour passed, then two, before I went looking for Rafe.
I found him-big surprise-in his lab-A.K.A, his medical torture chamber.
“Ah, there you are,” he said turning and greeting me with an absent smile. “I wondered when you’d show.”
I tried not to gnash my teeth. I’d assumed he’d come looking for me. It galled me that all this time he’d been waiting for me to cave and come to him.
Just like the previous day, he wore shapeless garments covered in a white lab coat. His blond hair was deliciously rumpled though as if he’d run his fingers through it.
“What’s on the agenda today?” I asked, perching myself on the bed.
“Some Q &A first if you don’t mind?” His eyes briefly met mine from behind his lenses.
“Ask away.”
“Garlic? Does it keep vampires away?”
I giggled. “Only if you have a sensitive nose that can’t stand it. Me, I love a little Italian flair in my blood.”
He shifted as he noted my response. “I already know you’re allergic to sunlight. What about crosses and holy water?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “No matter what the religious institutions might want people to think, we are not evil, ungodly creatures. I can not only wear a cross without harm and gargle holy water, I can walk into a church, fuck a priest and not even sweat.” My crude claims didn’t even faze him.
“Does your kind believe in God?”
I was surprised at the intentness of his expression as he asked me this. “There is no God, not like the bible claims anyways. Although, I do have reason to believe there is a Satan.”
“How can you believe in one and not the other?”
“Let’s just say I have my sources and I have it on good authority that there is a realm out there that could aptly be named Hell, and it’s ruled by a creature whose title is Satan; I’ve never seen irrefutable proof of Heaven, however. It could exist, but in either case, I do know people’s souls don’t depart this planet for either damnation or eternal fields of sunshine.”
“What do you believe happens to the soul instead then?”
“When you die, your soul, the energy that animates a body is released to be reborn again in a new body.” Or absorbed by someone like me.
“You believe in souls, yet you don’t believe in religion.”
“Souls aren’t religious, they’re proven fact.” I frowned at him. “Why all these questions on religion? Are you like some closet fanatic who’s going to pull out a stake and scream death to the vampires?”
His lips quirked. “Just curious. I’ve noticed most humans have strong beliefs when it comes to the existence of God along with Heaven and Hell.”
Something about the way he said humans struck me as odd. But I ignored it in favor of a question that interested me more. “And what do you believe?”
“I believe in God, the one God, and I know in my heart Heaven exists.”
I laughed. “A man of science who believes in religion? How odd.”
“No odder than discovering vampires exist.”
“Touché,” I replied with a rueful grin. “On to the next question.”
“Can you turn into a bat?”
I almost fell off the bed I laughed so hard. “No,” I gasped.
“And I know you’re not a walking corpse,” he muttered scratching on his notepad.
Gee, I wonder if my having a heart beat gave that one away. I kicked my feet as I waited for him to ask his next myth related query.
“Can you turn into a mist and float through cracks?”
I grinned and shook my head. I didn’t mention I could cloak myself in shadows. Not all vampires could do it, and I reserved the right to keep certain things to myself.
“Levitation?”
“I can float above the ground for a few minutes, but if I try to go too high gravity grabs me with a vengeance.”
“What about hypnotizing people?”
I waggled my fingers at him and rounded my eyes. “Ooh, you will now cluck like a chicken.”
He tapped his pencil on his notebook. “Nice try, but I saw the press conference. I know you have some power to manipulate people.”
“Yes, yes I do. But not all my kind have the same ability. I’m a lot stronger than your average vamp and thus have more powers.”
“Can your mind control be fought?”
“Funny you should ask considering your mind keeps refusing my requests.”
“And what have you tried to get me to do?” Rafe asked with a ghost of a smile.
“Well, for one, I keep trying to convince you to take off your damned coat and shirt so I can have a peek at your bod.”
“Whatever for?” he asked his forehead creased in puzzlement.
I grinned toothily at him. “To see if you’re hiding a six pack or a margarine tub.”
He blushed and pushed at his glasses on his face. “Okay, on to the next question.”
I chuckled at his discomfort.
“Teeth? They retract into your gums I’ve noticed. Is it painful?”
I shook my head. “Only the first few times. And just so you know, they aren’t like regular enamel teeth. They’re more porous and exude a relaxing agent when we use them to feed.”
“Fascinating,” he murmured as he scribbled madly. “Will you allow me to take a sample?”
“Sure,” I replied benignly. “And I’ll even allow you to try it out; just say when… and where.”
He didn’t rise to my challenge; although, I’m sure I caught him smiling before he turned away. He fiddled with some dials on one of his machines as he spoke to me over his shoulder. “Okay, I already got measurements for your body the first night. Today, we’re going to take a look at your internal parts. I’m going to start out with the ultrasound and then we’ll move onto x-rays.”