Book of Revenge by Abra Ebner Page B

so-called parents decided they wanted a baby, so they went to the orphanage, picked me out, bit me, and viola! They had a child of their own.”
    I felt a little disturbed. “Isn’t that a bit… odd?”
    Jake shrugged. “It’s no different than anything else. I can’t remember what it was like before, so it doesn’t really matter.”
    “So a vampire can just go around biting babies and making vampire families?”
    He sighed. “No, you have to obtain a license and have the abandoned child approved by the council of vampires. Vampires that go around recruiting humans without a permit are put to death immediately. It’s a very tightly supervised operation.”
    “Weird.”
    Jake smirked, allowing one sharp, white tooth to show. As hard as I tried not to, I still marveled at his mini-makeover. His olive skin and flashy green eyes complimented each other well. The stereotypical dead, white skin I often associated with the English vampires in my books was clearly not a factor. I suddenly wanted to throw them all away and laugh. His cheeks were rosy, and I saw why it was I always found him to be so sweaty, but in this new light, it was more like he was glistening instead of sweating—it just sounded more attractive, because it suddenly was.
    “ Aww … you flatter,” he teased.
    I quickly looked away. I wasn’t used to people other than Max reading my thoughts.
    “It’s okay. You can gawk. Really, I’m no threat. I may tease, but I can’t be with anyone other than a vampire, anyway. That’s another rule. I guess they’re afraid we’d accidentally infect someone who isn’t meant to be a vampire. We’re quite infectious in close proximity.” He grinned, and I could see how that would be the case. “We’re just like vampire bats. Think of me like that. I’m just a big, rabies-laden vampire bat.”
    “Like a bat?” I gaped, not wanting to see it that way.
    He nodded. “Yeah. Sure. Though flying is out of the question. Our eyesight is about as bad as a bat’s in the daylight, too, hence the glasses, but that’s where we get the stellar mind reading ability. Bats aren’t meant to see at all, so they rely on sonic frequency to show them around. Thoughts carry the same frequency and I hear them. The rest is history.”
    “So, you’re just a bat-man with no wings and a craving for animal blood.”
    He snapped his fingers, humming the Batman theme song. “Exactly. Desmodus rotundus. Now you’re getting a hang of things. You see, by nature, you should be a vegetarian because of your flat, square teeth.” He opened his mouth, openly exposing his oddly shaped jaw line, reminding me of the family dog we used to have. “I’m more of a carnivore now.” He pulled down the visor and urged me to look at my own teeth in the mirror. “Have you ever seen a carnivore, other than humans, with such blunt teeth?”
    I shook my head and shut my mouth. “No.”
    He shrugged and lifted his hands off the wheel. “See. Human’s aren’t meant to eat meat.”
    I re-thought his statement. “So, do you eat meat, or just blood? I ask because you said carnivore.” I was trying to get this straight.
    “Sure, I’ll eat meat, as long as it’s raw and covered in blood. Freshness is the key.” He grouped his fingers together and kissed them, looking like a Frenchman.
    My body shuddered at the thought. “Gross,” I murmured.
    He slowed down, pulling off the road and parking in front of a large gate with a sign that read ‘no trespassing.’ He looked down at me, his brows suddenly serious. “How can you say that? I can smell the blood lust inside you. You can’t hide it. Got a little taste of your sister’s boyfriend, did you?” He nudged me. “Does your sister know about your escapades with her boyfriend? Or is that your dirty little secret?”
    A sharp breath escaped my lips. He was insulting.
    “Don’t act so demure, Emily. You can’t lie to me. I’ve been watching you since we were little, though clearly