Page 24
“So… I um, notice you eat normal food, except for the…” She motioned to the bag of blood on Riley’s tray before biting her lip, not sure how to broach the subject.
Riley rolled her eyes dramatically and grinned. “Of course we do. We need lifeblood to really sustain ourselves, though. But yeah, we totally eat normal food, just like you do.”
Kai laughed. “I suspect there is much you think is true about Vasirian that isn’t if you’re concluding our eating habits from the myths of other supernatural beings.”
“So… like the mirror thing?” Blaire asked, testing the waters of what they were willing to share with her.
“We have reflections, yes. How else would I be able to put on eyeliner every day?” Kai said as Mera giggled softly. “But in all seriousness, we’re not vampires. I believe they’re the only supernatural being outside of ghosts documented to lack reflections, yes?”
Blaire nodded.
“While we’re hematophagous, and do share traits with the mythological creature, we’re different from vampires. For starters, we’re real.”
“Hema—what?”
“We feed on blood.”
Blaire shifted uncomfortably and, after a moment of silence, asked, “What about fire?”
“Yes, fire can kill us, but it can kill anyone.” Kai shrugged.
“Stake through the heart?”
“Again, ram anything through someone’s heart and they die. Same with decapitation, before you ask.” Kai winked at her, and she blushed.
Blaire figured her questions bordered on silly if they weren’t vampires, but with so much literature out there with myths and legends surrounding the supernatural, it was hard to know the truth, especially when she’d never heard of the Vasirian before. Asking the source seemed like the best possible way to know for sure. She pressed her lips together, pensive for a moment, before asking, “Garlic?”
“Delicious.”
Blaire huffed. “Uh… Sunlight?”
“Need I remind you that you were in the sunlight when you met Lukas, and”—he gestured around with two outstretched hands—“we’re not exactly underground in this cafeteria that is all windows.”
Blaire blushed as she realized that the question had an obvious answer.
Kai muttered under his breath, “…and we sure as hell do not sparkle. That is the most absurd concept ever conceived.”
Aiden burst out laughing. Blaire found it contagious and smiled too.
“Hey, having full body glitter all the time sounds hella cool,” Riley said cheerfully.
Aiden groaned.
Kai rolled his eyes at her.
Mera ignored them all, looking at Blaire. “Basically, it’s like this… other than the effects of the Korrena bond, our long lifespans, being a little stronger than you, and the need to consume blood, we are similar to humans.”
“Don’t forget healing,” Riley said.
Blaire tilted her head. “Healing?”
“So, like, we can still be hurt just like you. Fatally, even. But most scratches, scrapes, and flesh wounds disappear in roughly thirty minutes or so. Sometimes it can take a few hours if it’s bad enough.”
“Also, severe wounds that are life-threatening can take a day or two, depending on severity,” Aiden added.
Blaire ran a hand through her hair, still focused on one thing. “Okay. I need to know…” She looked up at the expectant eyes of her new friends and blew out a heavy breath. “You drink blood.”
“We’ve established that, yes,” Kai said.
