"You as well," she said. "I haven't met another of my kind in a long time. At least, not one that wanted to help me."
"I believe we can help each other."
"Yeah, I guess I am the holy grail." She shrugged. "I'm happy to give you samples of my blood, but like humans, it's all about what you put in your body as to what you get out of it."
"They tell me you're a natural born vampire. Perhaps there is some alchemy in that, that we, as Turned do not have."
"As you've probably guessed, vampirism is a mutation. Many believe it to be an evolution. I'm not a scientist, so I don't know." She smiled. "I mean, I remember when they first proved the existence of animalcules that cause diseases. That was practically magic, even to someone like me. But still, I don't think I'm much different."
"I can't help but wonder if the cure for what we are isn't in your blood."
"I don't think we're sick. We're simply apex predators, like the werewolves. But we can choose what we eat. In my youth, werewolves only ate people. Now, they've adapted. They've changed through choice and I believe we can, too. Especially if it means being able to walk in the sun again."
David nodded. "I was studying vampire blood before I was Turned. It seemed that even though vampires consumed the human cells, it had a degrading effect on the tissue."
"Exactly. Eat clean." She grinned.
"May I take samples?"
She held out her arm.
"I have needles that will pierce your flesh, but they will cause pain."
"I don't mind, but don't get too caught up in this cure thing, okay? We're exactly who we're supposed to be. I wouldn't want to be cured. I've seen ages pass this world and I've lost people I loved, but I wouldn't change what I am."
David slid the needle into her arm. "But you already have changed what you are."
"No, I changed what I eat. That's all." She watched the play of emotions on his face and there was one, overwhelming trait in all of them. He was starving. "Oh. I forgot that Parker had told me you were Kumarin's get. His progeny are different than all others. You can't survive on an animal diet. You must feed off humans or other vampires. You're surviving now, but you're hungry." Her heart broke for him. She could see the humanity still in his eyes and it was at war with the predator inside of him. It would devour him from the inside out, until everything good about him was gone. She didn’t want that for him.
David put the syringe down and looked up into her eyes. "Yes. All the time. I'm afraid to leave Aphelion. The magic here, I think it's all that's keeping me sane."
"Have you told Blake?"
"No. I don't want to worry Randi."
"I understand wanting to shoulder this on your own, but you need help. Let me help you." She was sure her blood would be the fix he needed. If it would be permanent or not was another matter entirely.
"How do you know that you can?"
"Our bloodlines are...similar. My father made Kumarin. He is a corruption of what it means to be Asakku."
"How does that matter?"
She offered her wrist again. "Have some."
"I don't think that would sit well with your mate. These wolves tend to be very possessive." He didn’t even have to open his mouth for her to know his fangs had descended.
She smiled at that. "Yes, they are. Very. But Parker is also logical and he loves you. He told me that you were pack. It's what these wolves do, isn't it? They make you part of them." No matter how beautiful that sounded, she couldn't let it happen with Parker. Eventually, whatever ground she'd win with the Asakku would have to be surrendered. This wasn't a forever proposition. Belle couldn't do anything about that now.
What she could do was something about was this poor baby vampire struggling to hold on to his humanity while learning to live his new life. Her blood could nourish him like no other.
He held her wrist in his strong, gentle hands. The hunger in his eyes pierced her.
She was the mother now, and he the child. "Drink."
He was careful as he bent over her wrist and she didn't even feel his fangs as they pierced her skin. Feeding, the sharing of blood, among their kind was known to be erotic, but this wasn't like that at all. As she'd imagined earlier, it was almost like feeding a child. He didn't take any more than she wanted to give him, in fact, she thought he should've taken more. When he pulled back, she could immediately see the difference.
His pale skin, stark and chalky, had turned golden and warm. The gray at his temples had gone, and his hair was thick and dark. His shoulders were wider, his chest more broad. He hadn't been a large man to begin with, but now, he was in the prime of his youth.