"What vampire is it?" Penelope asked her daughter that night over dinner, leaning forward eagerly.
This was the only good thing about being in Gray Vale. If they could offer these vampires a chance to end their existence when they wanted, then it would be better for everyone. No creatures of the night who were miserable with their eternal existence would go terrorizing humans or any other creatures for that matter.
Perhaps Cora could even use her gift to end the eternal torture that was the royals' go-to punishment for those of their kind who couldn't die. So much pain and suffering could cease just with her daughter's ability to restart the hearts of those here.
"Grayson didn't say. He just told me to come back tomorrow," Cora shrugged, passing a pile of napkins to Zane who was once again wiping his mouth with arm. "Are you seriously eighteen? You eat like a toddler."
Zane gave her a cheesy smile and then proceeded to chew with his mouth open.
"Goddess, you are gross," she frowned. "Mom, if either of us are going to turn into a vampire, my money is on Zane."
"Why? My sloppy eating is not a vampire trait," he chuckled, taking a napkin and wiping his face after all.
"No, but I have a natural repulsion toward you just like the rest of them," she rolled her eyes. "Plus, you don't have any abilities like mom and I."
Zane paused his chewing as his eyes darted to Penelope who went a little rigid at Cora's words. She had given up her abilities before they moved here, and even though three years had passed, it was still a sensitive topic. And Cora was wrong—Penelope no longer had abilities either. She was basically human.
Zane and Cora saw the change in her afterward—how devoid of joy she was. Not only had their father disappeared shortly before they were set to move here, but at the royals' insistence she had sacrificed the natural fae abilities that made her so powerful.
These past three years their mother seemed like a mere shell of who she once was. Gray Vale had taken its toll. She was here to watch over her children, but that was the only thing keeping her going. There was literally nothing else, and her children watched as the light in her eyes grew dimmer and dimmer with each passing day.
"I'm sorry, mom," Cora said quietly, realizing her mistake. She spoke as if her mother still had her abilities when that was no longer the case.
Penelope forced a smile. "So how were the check-ups?" She asked, avoiding the subject all together.
"Creepy. I'm not going back for any others. They can just wait patiently for my heart to stop," Cora replied.
Zane and her mother stared at her, waiting for more details. But she just pushed the food around on her plate dejectedly. There was no way she was going to tell them that Dr. Wright had wanted to 'stimulate' her to try to determine the underlying reason for her desire to be sexually active. She didn't understand what he meant anyway. But there was no way that fraudulent doctor was ever coming near her again.
"Mine was fine. Dr. Wright suggested I try drinking blood to speed up the process," Zane said brightly.
"Are you going to do it?" Penelope asked, forcing her food down with a large gulp.
She was trying not to let the disgust show on her face. She knew it was possible that her children would become vampires like their father and that they would have to rely on blood for sustenance. But it still made her want to gag at the thought. Would their meals look much different? Would there be a pitcher of blood on the table from then on?
"I haven't decided. Maybe," Zane replied. "Wouldn't it be nice to just get on with it? If I'm going to turn, I would rather not wait around wondering. I want to know. And if drinking blood now will help, then…" he trailed off, shrugging as he did.
Cora didn't bother trying to hide her own disgust. She would never be able to try drinking blood prior to it being absolutely necessary. Hopefully if she became vampire, the idea wouldn't make her nauseous anymore.
"Why are you both so disturbed by it?" Zane asked, sensing the discomfort of his sister and mom at the idea. "Dad was a vampire."
"He was but once he and mom mated, he lost all those gross vampire attributes. Right mom?" Cora asked, glancing up at Penelope cautiously to see if bringing up their father was a bad idea.
A small smile bloomed on Penelope's face that spoke both of her tremendous amount of love and heartbreak for her lost mate. It was painful to witness, and Cora immediately felt the sadness swell around them.
"It's okay. It's good to talk about him," Penelope said softly. "I didn't know him long as a vampire. When we mated, his heart began beating. And then he was basically human," she chuckled. "That was a new experience for him. He did drink from me though… before. It wasn't so bad."
Penelope's cheeks went pink as she thought about that experience. Who would have thought being a vampire's meal would be so erotic? But it certainly was. It was the most beautiful, magical, intense experience of her life. Her mate Zagan had drank from her like he was drinking from the very wellspring of life, and really he was—it was Penelope's blood that changed him forever and given him life, after all.
Cora stifled a laugh at the dreamy look in her mother's eyes as she recalled mating their father. She glanced over at Zane who suddenly looked scandalized. He had heard this story before, but thinking of his parents being intimate and seeing the flush of a remembered passion lighting his mother's face made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
"It was your blood that did it, right?" Cora's eyes danced with the thought of it.
Her romance novels had nothing on the real thing. No fictional vampire love story even came close. Perhaps she should write her own fantasy romance inspired by her parents. How weird would that be?
"Yep. And that's how you came to be," Penelope winked at her, causing Zane to groan.
"I'm not going to want to mate if I drink blood, am I?" he asked, dropping his fork as if he suddenly lost his appetite.
"No, mom was special," Cora smiled. "And vampire mates are super rare. I doubt you will end up with one, Zane."