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Now
“Yesterday, you asked if there are two types of vampires.”
Theresa brightened at the reminder. “Wait, I was right? There really are?”
Silver nodded. “The kind you’re familiar with is common vampires; they’re the immortal ones who feed on blood and burn in the sun. The other kind is called vamphyr.”
“Vam-peer?” Theresa repeated with a frown. “Is that French?”
“I don’t... I don’t know. What difference does it make?”
“It doesn’t, it’s just that it sounds French, that’s all.”
The ridiculous tangent baffled Silver, but she tried to get back on track. “Anyway, vamphyrs have the blood drinking and immortality traits that you’d expect, but they don’t burn in the sun, and they do eat normal, human food. They’re also extremely rare, and they’re the only species that is exclusively male.”
This made Theresa frown. “Well that’s some patriarchal bullshit.”
Silver scoffed as if to say, You have no idea.
“So where do they come from?”
Pressing her lips together, Silver barely resisted rolling her eyes. “Where do humans come from? Animals? Plants? The sun? The earth? I don’t know. They just are.”
“But I mean, how do they, like... reproduce?”
“They don’t, at least not in the way you’re thinking. They have something called succession. See, vamphyrs kind of... well, they have abilities that no other species has. They can do things like move objects with their mind, control the elements, and get into people’s heads.”
But you have similar powers, Adam had said. Similar, but not identical, and certainly not as formidable or as vicious.
“So they’re better,” Theresa concluded.
“Stronger doesn’t mean better. They’re just harder to kill. But anyway, their magic can’t multiply; it can only pass from one individual to another. That’s the only way they willingly die. Their numbers can only ever stay the same or go down—which they have, a lot. So much that vamphyrs are basically viewed like royalty now that they’re near extinction. They use the title ‘Lord’ within the community. They own land where they live with vampires, werewolves, and humans serving them. The larger the estate, the bigger the staff, and the more powerful the vamphyr.”
Theresa raised her hand like an excited straight-A student completely absorbed in learning.
“Yes?” Silver allowed, indulging the girl for once.
“So how many vamphyrs are there?”
“There are six in the U.S. and about fifteen or so worldwide. I don’t know the exact number.”
“Well that’s not very impressive. Why don’t they try turning someone with their blood?”
Finally asking the right questions.
“That might work with common vampires,” Silver said, “but vamphyr magic can only be passed down to a male successor. Anyone else they try to turn will become the type of werewolf that Adam was, before he became a hybrid.”
“Ah, so that’s how you do it. Hey, by the way, how old is he?”
“Who? Adam?” Silver couldn’t see how that mattered, but she answered anyway. “He’s... thirty, thirty-one, I think, but he stopped aging normally when he was turned, so that’s why he looks younger.”
“What about you? How old are you?”
She hesitated. “How old do I look?”
Theresa looked her up and down, considering. “I’d say about nineteen or twenty. But you’re probably older, right?”
Silver nodded. “I was twenty when I stopped aging, but I was born twenty-seven years ago.”
The girl’s jaw dropped. “That’s it? I thought you were like, centuries old.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Well, you know. You’re all”—she gestured vaguely with her hands—“moody and stuff. And you’re strong, like you’ve been training for a very long time. I figured you must be at least two hundred and fifty. A quarter millennium.” Theresa giggled at her own joke, and then took on a tone that badly imitated Silver’s. “Hi, I’m Shiloh, and I’m a quarter millennium old!”
At that, Silver’s anger resurfaced, and she bent forward with balled fists. “That is not my name!”
Theresa froze mid-laugh and raised both hands in a sign of surrender. “Whoa, okay, I meant Silver.”
Silver pulled her fists back, though she didn’t relax them.
“Sorry, I forgot you don’t like that name. I won’t use it anymore.”
It took a moment, but Silver finally accepted the apology with a terse nod.
Theresa sighed and brought her hands back down. “So I’m guessing the hybrids who took me work for a vamphyr?”
All too eager to change subjects, Silver replied with, “Yes, that would be Master Drake. He owns the biggest estate in the country, which makes him the most powerful lord on this continent.”
She debated whether or not to reveal the reason why Theresa was abducted. Part of her was still itching to find out what was so special about this human. But in the end, she decided against it.
However, something about her words made Theresa frown. “Is that the same Master you were talking about in the car yesterday? I thought you said they’re called lord.”
Silver hadn’t realized she was doing that, but she was stuck answering. This was the most crucial piece of the whole story, after all.
“We call ‘Lord’ all the vamphyrs, and ‘Master’ only the one whose estate we live on. It’s how we’re supposed to address them.”
It took her a moment, but when she finally got it, Theresa let out a loud gasp. “Wait, so you work for that vamphyr, too?”
“Used to. There was a different vamphyr when I was recruited as a human, Lord Benjamin. But Mas—Drake was in charge when I ran away. That’s why he’s been sending his people to get me back.”
“So was it Master Drake or the other one who—”
“You don’t call him that. If I have any say in it, he’ll never own you.”
Theresa looked like she might have something to say about the implication of Silver’s words, but for once, she wisely didn’t press the matter. “Was it Lord Drake or Benjamin that turned you into... hey, what are you by the way?”
And there it was—the most important line that Silver would draw. “That is the one subject you’re never allowed to ask any questions about or make any comments on. Ever. Are we clear?”
The sudden snap took Theresa by surprise, but Silver didn’t smooth out the hostility.
She’d agonized over what she was for years but never found any leads. There was a time when she believed that she was the first female vamphyr in history, but that didn’t take long to rule out. It was too soon to tell if she was immortal or just aged slowly, but vamphyr auras were golden whereas hers was silver. Plus, there was the fact that she couldn’t stand the taste of blood—thank heavens—which also meant she couldn’t turn anyone into anything.
Now, she hated having the topic even brought up, so it was imperative for Theresa to respect this boundary above any other.
“Okay,” the girl finally agreed. “Well, thanks for telling me all this.”
After a pause, Silver gave a terse nod, unsure whether or not it was safe to drop her guard again.
“So,” Theresa drawled, “what now?”
The question presented an opening, a chance to set a few ground rules. “First things first, we have to agree on a couple of things.”
“Okay...”
“Number one, you need to start taking the situation seriously and do everything I tell you to. I mean it, you can’t do anything without consulting me first. It might seem pointless to you, but it’s safer for both of us this way.”
That made the girl wince, remorse briefly flashing in her eyes. “Yeah, I can do that. What’s the other thing?”
This was equally important, though not for the same reason. “No more questions about the supernatural.”
“Wha—seriously? Ever? I thought that was just a temporary thing!”
“If it’s something you should know for your own safety, I’ll tell you myself.”
The refusal elicited a pout, but thankfully, she said, “Fine, I won’t annoy you anymore.”
“We’re going to be spending some time at my safehouse until Levi gets in touch, and I won’t put up with any stupid questions while we’re stuck together.”
“Yeah, I said I got it. Geez.”
“Good.”
“So how are we getting there? Don’t tell me you want me to walk all the way?”
“No, that’s too slow.”
Theresa suddenly brightened with a smile. “Are you going to carry me?”
Silver immediately shut the idea down with a glare. “No. We’re going to need another car.”
